Originally, Gus Bullard was supposed to go first in their group, but he was beaten to it by Evan Chu. Gus explained, "I'm a bit older than you. If I fail, you can learn from my experience, and that'll help you out!"
Evan Chu could only smile helplessly, feeling even more goodwill toward this big, honest guy.
At that moment, Gus Bullard stepped up to the Testing Screen. Jenny Sima was in charge of this screen; with a gentle tap of her jade-like hand, words magically appeared on the screen.
"Go ahead!" Jenny Sima said to Gus.
Gus glanced at the words on the screen and instantly grew frustrated. He'd assumed the couplets would be simple, but they turned out to be much harder than expected.
He'd never cared about this stuff anyway; every day was just martial arts training and more martial arts training. Shaking his head in resignation, he said, "I don't know, I give up!" Then he walked off the stage, looking cool but also deeply disappointed.
"Evan Chu, looks like I have no fate with the academy, but I still want to be your friend!" Gus said with a helpless smile.
Seeing Gus's dejected expression, Evan Chu was taken aback. He quickly replied, "We were already friends from the start!"
With a nervous heart, Evan Chu walked up to the Testing Screen. Jenny Sima smiled and said, "I hope you can pass this time too—don't let me down. Your couplet is the hardest of all, so be prepared."
"You—" Before Evan could finish, Jenny Sima shot him a stern look and swiftly tapped the screen, giving him no chance to speak.
Evan Chu was seriously frustrated now. He couldn't tell if his luck was just freakishly bad, or if someone was deliberately setting him up—he’d actually gotten the hardest couplet. This was obviously meant to make him look like a fool in front of everyone.
He stared carefully at the words on the Testing Screen. It read: “Laugh at the world’s changing ways through a thousand cycles; in the end it all comes down to just the two characters ‘reunion’.”
"Shit! How am I supposed to answer something this hard? Jenny Sima, after this test, I swear I’ll make you regret it for three days straight—if I don’t show you some real skill, you’ll think I’m easy to bully." Evan cursed in his heart, full of indignation.
Thinking about how Luna insisted he had to dual-cultivate with her, Evan felt a strong urge for revenge. His lower abdomen even started to react, something slowly growing larger and longer…
Wait, Luna definitely knows the answer. She’s basically omniscient. Evan thought to himself, relying on her for help.
"What if I said I didn’t know—would you believe me?" Luna’s voice appeared in his mind, playful and slightly exasperated.
"No way! You’ve lived for who knows how many years, you old monster. This stuff is child’s play for you!" Evan replied casually, his mood lightening.
"Old monster? Evan Chu, are you itching for trouble? I wouldn’t mind giving you a ‘lifelong unforgettable’ experience." Luna sounded mock-angry—how dare this brat call her a monster, when she was a sword spirit!
"Luna, I was wrong, okay? Hehe! You’re the cutest. Please tell me the answer—everyone down there is waiting!" Evan begged for mercy, switching to flattery.
Evan hurried to apologize; Luna’s ‘lifelong unforgettable’ punishment was something he definitely didn’t want to try. That would be pure torture.
"Roxanne, what exactly was written on your screen? How did you pass so easily? I was worried about you for so long!" Evan asked anxiously.
"Hehe, that's a secret. I won't tell you—unless you beg me?" Roxanne teased, her tone playful.
"Roxanne, I feel like after a few days with Lily Tang, you've been led astray—you're not obedient at all anymore." Evan joked.
"Since you’re so curious, I’ll give you a tiny hint. The screen only showed five characters. As for what they were, I’m not telling! Haha!" Roxanne deliberately kept him in suspense.
"Fine, don’t tell me then. I bet it was tough, but with your skills you’d pass no matter what." Evan replied, giving up but praising her talent.
"Enough talk, let’s keep a low profile. There are still so many people who haven’t finished yet." Roxanne said, reminding him to stay humble.
The Literary Gate test finished quickly; after all, there weren’t that many people, and they were split into ten groups. About two hours later, the test was over.
"Elimination is merciless. Those of you still here are the cream of the crop, so cherish this opportunity. Train hard at Heavenly Dragon Academy and you’ll definitely stand out in the future!" an academy elder announced.
"This concludes the test. There’s no so-called Third Gate—those who passed, please enter the academy."
The crowd erupted in excitement at the news. It meant they’d completely passed; now, as long as they worked hard, they could become top experts.
But Gus Bullard was feeling incredibly low. He’d come to Heavenly Dragon Academy full of passion, only to be mercilessly eliminated. Just thinking about it made him feel utterly depressed.
Evan walked over to Gus and said, "Don’t give up. Maybe they’ll make an exception for your strength and let you in. Then we’ll get to train together after all."
"I think the odds are pretty slim, but I sure hope so. My biggest dream is to enter Heavenly Dragon Academy, master martial arts, and become a peerless powerhouse admired by all." Gus replied, his voice full of longing.
Roxanne Lin didn’t say anything—she couldn’t find the words. Just then, Lily Tang walked over with a red-clothed girl at her side.
Seeing Gus’s gloomy expression, Lily spoke up.
"Gus, don’t give up. Heavenly Dragon Academy is great, but there are other schools just as strong. Don’t lose confidence because of one failure." Lily said encouragingly.
"Exactly! Don’t give up so easily. With your strength, maybe you’ll be admitted by exception." Roxanne echoed, backing Lily up.
"Thank you! Thank you all!" Gus could only say these heartfelt words.
"Oh, I forgot to introduce you! This is my friend Rhea Yang—pretty, right? She’s got quite the background!" Lily said proudly.
After everyone introduced themselves, they learned Rhea was from the Yang clan, famous for fire weapons across the Heavenly Dragon Empire.
The Yang clan rarely shows itself in public, so sending their Third Miss to Heavenly Dragon Academy was truly unexpected.
But when Evan saw Rhea’s face was just ordinary, he felt a little disappointed. He couldn’t figure out why Lily hyped her up so much.
Luna instantly saw through Evan’s thoughts. "She’s wearing a mask. Didn’t expect her disguise technique to be this good—pretty rare!"
"A mask? No wonder. If Mother Tyrannosaurus calls this a beauty, her taste is questionable. Still, that disguise technique is impressive." Evan thought.
"Disguise arts are nothing. Once you master Ninefold Stellar Transformation, you’ll be able to change into anyone you want—that’s the real deal. Just imagine the possibilities!" Luna laughed.
"Haha, why haven’t you gone in yet? Can’t bear to part from your friends? If it’s that hard, you can all go in together!" Suddenly, a middle-aged man appeared behind Evan’s group of five, smiling.
"Exactly! Don’t give up so easily. With your strength, maybe you’ll be admitted by exception." Roxanne echoed, backing Lily up.
"Thank you! Thank you all!" Gus could only say these heartfelt words.
"Oh, I forgot to introduce you! This is my friend Rhea Yang—pretty, right? She’s got quite the background!" Lily said proudly.
After everyone introduced themselves, they learned Rhea was from the Yang clan, famous for fire weapons across the Heavenly Dragon Empire.
The Yang clan rarely shows itself in public, so sending their Third Miss to Heavenly Dragon Academy was truly unexpected.
But when Evan saw Rhea’s face was just ordinary, he felt a little disappointed. He couldn’t figure out why Lily hyped her up so much.
Luna instantly saw through Evan’s thoughts. "She’s wearing a mask. Didn’t expect her disguise technique to be this good—pretty rare!"
"A mask? No wonder. If Mother Tyrannosaurus calls this a beauty, her taste is questionable. Still, that disguise technique is impressive." Evan thought.
"Disguise arts are nothing. Once you master Ninefold Stellar Transformation, you’ll be able to change into anyone you want—that’s the real deal. Just imagine the possibilities!" Luna laughed.
"Haha, why haven’t you gone in yet? Can’t bear to part from your friends? If it’s that hard, you can all go in together!" Suddenly, a middle-aged man appeared behind Evan’s group of five, smiling.