Ning Que clasped his hands tightly and walked through the lake and quiet alleys before he came to the gate of the bustling academy.

It is not clear when so many people appeared in front of the Academy. Professors and doctors, who usually spend time working on their own topics, have moved their different seats outside. As they sipped hot tea, they eagerly discussed what would happen on the second floor today. Some even placed bets.

The students of the academy gathered earlier today. While most of them don't even dare to think of entering the second floor, no one wants to miss out on such an event. They gather around all six students of the magic class and try to encourage them. Xie Chengyun from the Southern Jin Kingdom is the focus of this attention.

It's almost noon.

Tang Dynasty Emperor Li Peiyan and Princess Li Yu walked to the academy with the music of the ceremony. Several court officials walked out of the meadow, followed by envoys from various countries, as well as several Taoist priests from Xishan Shrine.

The trees along the path in the middle of the meadow are already blooming. The pink hue is beautiful against the sky. The peach tree in front of the main entrance of the academy is at its peak, fluttering in the spring breeze.

A young man in a dark robe walked along the path. The beauty of the blooming flowers dimmed beside his beautiful face. This person is none other than Prince Longqing of the Yan Kingdom.

All the officials under Mo Li, the vice president of the Yutian Pavilion in Xishan, as well as the envoys of various countries, all stood up. The students, who had been noisy just a moment ago, fell silent. Even the professors, who were accustomed to the opening ceremony on the second floor, couldn't help but admire the young prince walking in the sun and the flowers blooming.

Ning Que watched this scene from a corner away from the crowd. Even after that day, no one would regard an ordinary academy disciple like him as an opponent to Prince Longqing.

A professor from the academy walked over.

As soon as the professor entered the door, everyone, including the crown prince, princess, and other important figures of the Nishiyama Shrine, stood up and bowed. This professor is a respected rune master who cultivates in the academy. Everyone respected him, and he presided over the opening ceremony on the second floor of the college.

"Only one person will go to the second floor today."

The professor said to the crowd in front of him. It is not known what amulet he used, but his voice became musky with age, clear but not overly loud in everyone's ears.

"The exam is easy."

He pointed to the mist-shrouded hill behind the academy and said, "There is a winding path on the mountain. Whoever wants to enter the second floor should climb up the hill. If you reach the top of the hill, you can go to the second floor. If no one can reach it, the one who reaches the highest point wins.

...

...

Do they judge a person's ability to enter the second floor of the academy by climbing a mountain?

The people gathered in front of the academy had puzzled expressions on their faces. This, they believe, is the most ridiculous way to judge a person's ability to enter the second floor. But Prince Li Peiyan and Father Morley persevered. They watched the opening ceremony of the previous year and knew that although the academy loved to play mysterious, they would never joke about it.

Everyone looked at a large mountain behind the academy. The sun had risen to the top of the mountain, and its rays were scorching. However, it did not disperse the fog from the mountain, and no one could clearly identify the features of the mountain. All they could see was that there was indeed a steep path under the fog.

It was at this time that many students suddenly thought of a large mountain behind the college. They never paid much attention to it because it was so silent as if it didn't exist.

The mountains are there. It's always been there. If so, why do they have to go out of particular now?

The path leading to the hill is located behind the quiet alleys of the college. There is some distance from the fence near the second floor. If they stand on the sidewalk near the fence, one can clearly see the foot of the hill and the somewhat straight uphill path.

Everyone was silent. No one spoke.

Minutes and seconds passed, and no one moved towards the mountain.

"Looks like I'm going to strike first."

A voice burst into the tense silence. It was too unexpected, the person who took the lead in marching to the second floor was not a student of the academy, nor Prince Long Qing, a devout disciple of Haotian Taoism, but a young monk.

The monk was about twenty years old. He was quite handsome and wore tattered but clean monk's robes. He also wears a pair of frayed straw slippers. It looks as if he has walked through the mountains and seas, but if you look closely; His feet were completely clean, without a trace of dirt.

They are white and unpretentious, like lotus flowers.

Prince Li Peiyan looked at the monk and frowned slightly in displeasure. He came to the opening ceremony as a representative of the royal family. However, his main motive for coming was to ensure that the agreement was implemented. He didn't expect that any student in the academy would be able to defeat Prince Longqing. But he was a little angry that not a single Tang student stood up bravely, but a ragged monk.

"Who is this monk?" He asked the Ministry of Rites official next to him with a frown.

The official wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and said softly: "He is a wandering monk of Dadu Temple in the Yuelun Kingdom. He had applied earlier and was allowed into the college today.

Li Peiyan was taken aback. He looked as if he had something to say, but ultimately chose not to.

Contrary to popular imagination, the opening of the second floor is not just for the students of the college. The Academy welcomes every participant, regardless of nationality or denomination.

Those who are able to enter the second floor will have the opportunity to meet the principal of the academy and receive his teachings. It's almost like getting dew from Haotian, or honey from bees. No one can resist such a temptation.

Since the first opening of the second floor many years ago, young talents from the Southern Jin Kingdom, the Great River Kingdom, and the Yue Lun Kingdom have come to the academy to try their luck. Surprisingly, everyone, including their sect and country, would remain silent about this matter.

The reason is simple. They could not dispel the desire of young people to enter the second floor of the academy. They believe that the headmaster is the epitome of virtue, and that the heart is as clean as the white clouds in the sky and as big as a mountain. They do not interfere in the internal affairs of other sects. The most important reason was that they believed that the headmaster would treat all the disciples on the second floor equally and would not be favoritial.

That being the case, if these young geniuses of the Southern Jin Dynasty and the Yuelun Kingdom were able to enter the second layer, they would be able to learn the Academy's stunts, establish a close relationship between their sect and the Academy, and maybe even ally their country with the Tang Empire to establish a closer bond. So why don't they keep silent?

Unfortunately, there is no fixed date for the opening of the second floor, and the number of people who choose is small. Most of the students who have been admitted in the past few years have been students of the college. Only a few lucky ones came from foreign countries. However, this did not stop young talents from all over the world from joining the opening ceremony.

The Yuelun monk in a tattered robe and straw slippers was one of them.

The sect that thinks it is the only sect that cultivates the correct cultivation method, the Xishan Divine Palace, which Haotian endorses, will not hide from his sleeves and laugh like the sects of other countries. Except for an unknown fat young man that no one knew, no one in Xishan tried to enter the second floor until Prince Longqing.

In addition to Prince Li Peiyan, the professor who presided over the opening ceremony also showed a displeased expression. The rune master who was locked up in a building in the academy for cultivation may not have known how well this group of students were cultivating, but he felt that no student in the academy should cower behind others like a frightened rabbit.

The other three young cultivators from foreign lands bravely walked towards the hill, followed by the hopeful gazes of their companions. The academy students, who had been silent for a long time, finally began to move. Everyone couldn't help but turn their eyes to Master Xie San.

Xie Chengyun watched the crowd from afar. He looked at the young prince who had stolen a lot of attention from him since he came to Chang'an, and he could almost taste the bitterness in his mouth. He kept looking at him, paying attention to him, but the prince didn't even notice him. How painful it is.

He had cultivated for so many years, and gave up the position of Tan Hua of the Southern Jin Dynasty to come to the academy, hoping to enter the second floor, just to become the core disciple of the academy president. However, all this disappeared with the appearance of this young man of his age, disappeared, and he was only more outstanding.