Chapter 42: 【Host Mission Failed】

Since he had made a bet with the Holy Maiden Jingxin, Jiang Li didn’t plan on just coasting through. It wasn’t enough to simply beat a bunch of underclassmen under the age of twenty-five—he had to surpass the Holy Maiden Jingxin and take first place!

A battle unprepared is a battle lost. The first thing Jiang Li did was check the reference books for the entrance exam.

However, the result left him speechless.

He remembered that five hundred years ago, when he first took the entrance exam, the reference books were widely circulated classics across the Nine Provinces, such as Introduction to Cultivation, Cultivation Prospects, and A Discussion on the Customs and Traditions of the Nine Provinces.

But now, the reference books were The Complete Guide to Cultivation (Authored by Jiang Li), Three Thousand Questions on Cultivation (Authored by Jiang Li), Cultivation is Cultivating the Mind (Authored by Jiang Li), and The Complete Guide to Cultivation (Annotated Edition).

“Out of ten reference books, eight were written by me, and the other two are just annotations of my books?!”

“If someone knew the situation, they’d think I was an honorary graduate of the academy. If they didn’t, they’d probably think I was the one who wrote the exam questions.” Jiang Li sighed.

After reaching the Mahayana Stage, his understanding of cultivation had deepened significantly. So, he compiled his insights into books to help fellow cultivators.

Thinking about it carefully, the academy’s approach wasn’t unreasonable. Anyone who reached the Soul Formation Stage had their own systematic understanding of cultivation. For example, the Holy Maiden Jingxin—her comprehension of cultivation had already surpassed that of the academy’s dean.

Without theoretical support, it was impossible to reach the Soul Formation Stage, let alone the Tribulation Stage or Mahayana Stage. Cultivators at that level had insights that were practically akin to universal truths.

So, it made sense for the academy to select books authored by Jiang Li, a Mahayana cultivator.

Of course, cultivation was one thing, but if you asked Jiang Li to write books on alchemy or artifact refinement—sorry, he was illiterate in those fields.

“How could I possibly lose?” Jiang Li was already thinking about what conditions he would propose to the Holy Maiden Jingxin.

On the day of the exam, Jiang Li arrived at the test site full of confidence. The moment he saw the exam paper, he knew he had this in the bag.

For example, one question asked: “What is the definition of cultivation according to The Complete Guide to Cultivation?” Another question read: “In the opening of The Human Sovereign’s Notes (Excerpt), the author writes, ‘It rained for several days, and today, the sun finally came out.’ Why did the author write this? What does this sentence express?”

The definition of cultivation? Too easy for Jiang Li. He picked up his brush and wrote: “Cultivation refers to the process by which living beings absorb spiritual energy, nourish themselves, and gradually grow stronger.”

“Today’s weather is clear?” Jiang Li muttered, recalling the circumstances at the time. It had been the rainy season, with days of heavy rain and no sunshine. When the sun finally appeared, Jiang Li thought the weather was nice and casually jotted down his thoughts.

Beyond that, there was a combat strategy question: “A sixth-level Qi Refining cultivator with a Metal Spiritual Root encounters an eighth-level Qi Refining cultivator with Water, Fire, and Wood Spiritual Roots in a forest. How can the former defeat the latter?”

The question even provided details such as the time of day, weather conditions, and the density of spiritual energy. It also clarified that both cultivators were standard, meaning they had no special bloodlines or unique techniques.

This kind of real-world combat question was effortless for Jiang Li. He easily wrote out several methods for defeating a stronger opponent.

“Perfect!” Jiang Li was very satisfied with his answers and was the first to turn in his exam.

When the proctor, the vice dean, heard that someone had finished early, he glanced at Jiang Li’s test paper. As he read, his eyebrows lifted, and a smile spread across his face.

“A promising student this year! His thinking is flexible, unbound by textbooks, bold in combat, and understands how to manipulate an opponent’s psychology. His reading comprehension is straightforward and direct—excellent, excellent, excellent!”

The vice dean praised three times in a row, clearly pleased with this “Kong Li” student.

“Hmm, another student is handing in their paper already. Jiang Jingxin—she was famous even before enrollment.”

“Not bad, solid knowledge foundation. There were quite a few tricky and obscure questions this year, hidden between the lines of the reference books, yet she managed to remember them. Impressive, impressive.”

“How did it go?” Jiang Li asked teasingly as he exited the exam hall and saw the Holy Maiden Jingxin following close behind.

The Holy Maiden Jingxin smiled slightly, revealing two adorable dimples. Passing teachers were so mesmerized that they walked straight into walls.

Fortunately, the teachers were tougher than the walls. Unfortunately, it was the walls that suffered, not the teachers.

“I’ve already decided what I want you to do,” she said confidently, her smile carrying a hint of victory.

Jiang Li grinned in return. “I’ve also decided what I want you to do.”

“Let’s wait and see?”

“Let’s wait and see.”

On the day the exam results were announced, a friendly system notification chimed.

【Host Mission Failed】

“???”

Jiang Li stood frozen in front of the ranking board, crouching just to see his name.

Kong Li, dead last.

Meanwhile, the Holy Maiden Jingxin stood out in the crowd, her aura so pure and noble that countless students felt ashamed to even stand near her, instinctively keeping their distance.

She saw her name as well.

Jiang Jingxin, first place.

The Holy Maiden Jingxin lightly covered her mouth. To others, it seemed like a gesture of surprise. In reality, she was suppressing laughter after seeing Jiang Li’s ranking.

Her stomach hurt.

She was a Soul Formation cultivator—her willpower should be strong.

But the Human Sovereign himself taking an exam on his own books and ranking dead last… She couldn’t hold it in.

Hahaha, this is too funny.

After an internal struggle, the Holy Maiden Jingxin managed not to burst out laughing.

“You can laugh if you want,” Jiang Li said expressionlessly, watching her gloating face.

“I’m not laughing… pfft… hahaha! You actually lost!”

“Something must have gone wrong,” Jiang Li reasoned calmly. “Come on, let’s go find the dean… we need to check if there was a grading mistake.”

The academy’s dean, surnamed Li, was responsible for grading this year’s exam papers.

Standing atop the high platform, he surveyed the students, looking for promising talents.

That Jiang Jingxin student was quite impressive—perhaps he should take her as his disciple.

“Dean, someone is here to see you.”

“Who?”

“It’s this year’s first-place student, Jiang Jingxin, and the last-place student, Kong Li. They claim you made a mistake in grading.”

Dean Li snorted heavily through his nose, clearly displeased.

Him? Make a mistake? Ridiculous. He remembered both Jiang Jingxin and Kong Li—Jiang Jingxin’s exam was flawless, while Kong Li’s was an absolute disaster.

“Let them up here. Let’s hear, in front of everyone, what exactly I did wrong.”

If it were only the last-place student, Dean Li wouldn’t have bothered. But if both the first and last place students came together, then it was worth addressing.

This was a perfect opportunity to establish his authority in front of the incoming students.

“You must be Jiang Jingxin. Not bad—pretty face, delicate handwriting, and an excellent test paper,” Dean Li said kindly, deliberately raising his voice so the students below would notice. As for Kong Li—the last-place student—he acted as if he didn’t even see him.

“So that’s Jiang Jingxin? She’s gorgeous.”

“Yeah, even as a girl, I’m smitten.”

“Who’s that guy next to her? He looks upset.”

“No idea.”

“Dean Li, my name is Kong Li, and I believe there may have been a grading error,” Jiang Li spoke up.

He knew Dean Li well. Every time he visited the academy to give lectures, Dean Li personally received him with utmost respect.