Volume One: First Steps into the Dao Chapter Seventy-One: A Gathering of Talents

After Ye Junze left, Sun Yu glanced at the crowd, who were still stunned, shook his head in dissatisfaction, and said, “What are you all staring at? Have you all passed the assessment? If not, stop wasting time and get back to it.”

The crowd snapped back to their senses at his words, as if suddenly reminded of their own unfinished business, and quickly returned to their original positions to prepare for their assessments.

Now, only a single thought occupied their minds: “Even if we can’t achieve what Ye Junze just did, we mustn’t fall too far behind.” With this determination, their entire demeanors shifted, and they threw themselves wholeheartedly into the task at hand.

Sun Yu noticed this change; his dissatisfaction faded, replaced by a look of relief. He thought, “I hadn’t expected Ye Junze to have such a positive effect. These new students are truly inspired now.”

Shaking his head, Sun Yu stopped pondering further and turned his attention to observing the other students. He had already noticed several who seemed on the verge of completing their assessments. Although Ye Junze’s earlier commotion had distracted them, now that calm had returned, they were back to focusing intently on their tasks.

Sun Yu admired these students greatly. Setting aside the likes of Ye Junze, who seemed born to stir up the crowd, these students’ ability to recover so swiftly from distraction spoke to their excellent temperament and character. When he looked at them, his appreciation was plain to see.

As he observed, Sun Yu muttered to himself, “Not bad—though Ye Junze is truly a monster, these children’s performance is still commendable.”

With Ye Junze’s earlier feat and the satisfactory performance of the others, Sun Yu couldn’t help but marvel, “It seems the age of a hundred flowers blooming has truly arrived, just as they say.”

Just as he was lost in this thought, a familiar rumbling sounded again. Though not as loud as Ye Junze’s, it was enough to draw attention. Sun Yu, startled out of his reverie, quickly looked toward the source.

He saw a boy dressed in black standing before the stone monument, gripping a long spear much like the one Ye Junze had conjured earlier. Smoke rose from the monument, and Sun Yu hastened over.

By the time Sun Yu reached him, the smoke had dissipated, revealing a fist-sized hole in the stone—a hole that seemed just shy of penetrating it entirely. The boy who had accomplished this frowned as he noticed the hole.

Sun Yu approached and said, “Well done, student.”

The boy, as if remembering something, relaxed his brow and turned to Sun Yu, greeting him, “Hello, teacher.”

“Very good. If nothing unexpected happens, you should be today’s second place,” Sun Yu praised.

“The previous student was truly exceptional,” the boy replied, recalling Ye Junze’s display. He considered his own talent respectable, but Ye Junze’s feat had left him humbled.

Sun Yu waved his hand dismissively. “Let’s not discuss that monster. Among the new students, your performance is second only to him.”

The boy nodded to show his understanding.

Sun Yu suddenly remembered something. “By the way, I haven’t asked your name yet.”

“My name is Yun Tianhan,” the boy answered.

“Yun Tianhan—an excellent name.” Sun Yu repeated it, indicating he had taken note. “I’ll record your results here and later distribute rewards according to the ranking. Any objections?”

“None at all. Thank you, teacher,” Yun Tianhan replied, shaking his head.

“It’s no trouble. Go rest for a while over there—Ye Junze, who finished earlier, is there as well. You two can exchange ideas.” Sun Yu gestured toward Ye Junze’s location.

“Alright.” Yun Tianhan walked in the direction Sun Yu indicated.

Watching him depart, Sun Yu murmured, “Talents abound—each new wave surpasses the last. We old-timers may well be swept away onto the sand.”

“But that’s a good thing. It means the pressure on us will lessen in the future,” Sun Yu joked to himself.

A familiar rumbling echoed again, signaling yet another completed assessment. Sun Yu’s thoughts were interrupted, and he looked toward the sound.

He saw the student responsible was not far off and quickly strode over.

Upon arrival, Sun Yu saw a boy holding a folding fan before the monument. “Did he manage to pass using that fan?” Sun Yu wondered.

“If so, this student’s talent is truly remarkable,” he marveled inwardly.

Sun Yu kept these thoughts to himself, quietly observing the monument. On its surface was a curved mark, strikingly similar to the shape of the folding fan—almost as if it had been pressed deep into the stone. The depth was only slightly shallower than Yun Tianhan’s earlier feat. Sun Yu couldn’t help but be impressed.

After examining everything, Sun Yu shifted his gaze back to the boy and asked, “Did you use your fan to pass the assessment?”

“Yes, that’s right. Is there a problem, teacher?” the boy replied.

“Nothing, just confirming. Well done,” Sun Yu praised.

“Thank you, teacher. You flatter me,” the boy responded politely.

“No need for humility,” Sun Yu said, waving off the compliment. “What’s your name?”

“Li Ling,” the boy answered briskly.

“Alright, Li Ling, I declare you’ve passed the assessment. Your reward will be distributed according to your results,” Sun Yu said.

Li Ling nodded, acknowledging.

“Go rest over there,” Sun Yu directed him toward where Ye Junze and Yun Tianhan were.

“Understood.” Li Ling bowed slightly and departed.

No sooner had Li Ling left than another familiar rumbling sounded. By now, Sun Yu was almost used to it and walked unhurriedly toward the source.

This time, the successful candidate was a young woman. The weapon she had manifested was a long sword, elegant and feminine in design. After striking the monument, the rumbling faded, the smoke cleared, and a clear sword mark remained—a foot-long scar, neither too deep nor too wide, precisely matching her sword.

Sun Yu saw the mark and his eyes shone with approval. He praised, “Well done. Congratulations on passing the assessment.”

“Thank you, teacher,” she replied, turning.

“You’re welcome. May I ask your name?” Sun Yu inquired.

“Fan Yan,” she answered respectfully.

Sun Yu nodded, indicating he’d remembered. “Very good, Fan Yan. You’ve successfully completed the assessment. Go rest over there; you’ve worked hard.”

“It’s nothing, thank you, teacher.” With that, Fan Yan left the assessment area.

Meanwhile, Yun Tianhan had already arrived at Ye Junze’s resting area.

Upon arrival, Yun Tianhan saw Ye Junze seated, lost in thought. He smiled and greeted him.

Ye Junze noticed Yun Tianhan’s greeting. Though he didn’t know the student’s name, he had witnessed his success. Responding courteously, Ye Junze smiled back.

Seeing Ye Junze’s friendly response, Yun Tianhan quickly approached and said with a laugh, “Ye Junze, you were truly impressive just now.”

Ye Junze smiled and shook his head. “Not at all, you flatter me. By the way, I haven’t asked your name?”

“I’m Yun Tianhan—call me whatever you wish,” Yun Tianhan said, extending his hand.

“Ye Junze,” Ye replied, extending his own hand to shake. “Though I suppose you already knew.”

Their hands parted, and Yun Tianhan replied, “Haha, it would be hard not to know! Your actions were truly awe-inspiring.”

Ye Junze, a bit embarrassed, could only reply, “It wasn’t much. Yun Tianhan, you finished quickly yourself—you’re quite talented.”

“But still far from you,” Yun Tianhan said, waving his hand.

As they chatted, Li Ling approached, seeing the two already getting along. He hurried over and greeted them politely, “Hello, I’m Li Ling. Pleased to meet you both.”

Ye Junze and Yun Tianhan turned to reply, “Yun Tianhan.” “Hello, I’m Ye Junze.”

“Nice to meet you both. Ye Junze, you’re truly extraordinary—surely the top among our new Daoist Arts students,” Li Ling said with a smile.

Ye Junze quickly waved his hand and smiled, “Li Ling, please don’t put me on a pedestal. I’ve only just arrived and don’t want to offend anyone. We’ve all done well—no need for excessive praise.”

“Agreed. Now that the assessment is over, let’s discuss other matters and not dwell on this,” Yun Tianhan chimed in.

Li Ling nodded, “You’re quite right. That was presumptuous of me; please forgive me.”

Yun Tianhan replied heartily, “We’re all men—no need to fuss. Let’s not mention it again.”

With that, the three launched into a new discussion.