Cicadas and cicadas were different. Those likeHuang Zhi were the annoying kind of cicadas. Because they did not have any ability at all, but kept crying non-stop. It was just that to Xie Nandu, no matter how capable they were, she would naturally also find them annoying when they chirped in front of her door.

That young man had never paid her a visit. Logically speaking, he merely gossiped a little by the lake and should not incur her dislike. But when Chen Chao talked about cicadas, she still went along with it.

Chen Chao dragged a bench to sit and began starting a fire. As he worked, he asked, "How is he different?"

Xie Nandu sat down again. Looking at the youth in front of her who started bustling, she put the book in her hand down and said seriously, "The academy has four spots for the Myriad Willow Convention this time. He'll be one of them."

According to past rules, the academy would take three of the Great Liang Dynasty's eight spots. The Warden Office and Heavenly Imperial Institution would each take one, while the other three would be vied by the Divine Capital's various government offices and major families.

Because the Myriad Willow Convention was going to be held in the Divine Capital this time, there were two extra spots so the academy requested an extra spot. The other extra spot was actually assigned to the Warden Office. But that Warden could not find a better candidate, so he gave that spot up again.

That boy could claim a spot out of the academy's four spots, it naturally indicated how special he was.

Chen Chao asked, "Is he the dean's student?"

The dean had 72 disciples. Although some had already passed away, there were quite a few who were still alive.

Xie Nandu shook her head, "Among Teacher's disciples, I'm the only person who fulfills the criteria."

Among the dean's 72 disciples, other than Xie Nandu, they were actually all not young anymore. Those people were scattered all over the Great Liang Dynasty and were not in the academy.

"He's Tutor Liu's disciple. Tutor Liu is a great scholar of the academy and has always been forgiving, his reputation excellent. That young man is his final disciple. He's called Xia Yuan, from the Xie Family, and he's a descendant of the eldest son's branch. He has high hopes of becoming the Xia Family's patriarch in the future."

Xie Nandu had already entered the academy for some time, she more or less already understood most of the things about the Divine Capital and the academy. At this moment, she seemed to be telling her own story.

Xia Yuan was naturally an excellent junior in the eyes of those academy tutors. Those students by the lake did not know his identity because they just entered the academy. Presumably, it would change in a few days after the Myriad Willow Convention.

Chen Chao said emotionally, "I didn't provoke him either. If he did it for the academy, I can understand. But, compared to the Myriad Willow Convention, what I said at the lake in the morning shouldn't be worth mentioning, right?"

There was an emotion called a sense of belonging. He was not an academy student, so he naturally could not feel it. But, Chen Chao could understand the thoughts of other academy students at this moment.

Xie Nandu said, "There are so many flowers in the world, not every flower is the same."

Chen Chao reached out to take two sweet potatoes and placed them on the stove and asked, "He wouldn't be interested in you too, right?"

Xie Nandu said calmly, "The Xia Family wants to be united by marriage with the Xie Family. But, Xia Yuan isn't willing."

Chen Chao subconsciously frowned when he heard the first half of the sentence. When the second half of the sentence was uttered, he became a little angry, "He's not willing?!"

Xie Nandu looked at him and laughed.

Chen Chao realized that he had lost composure and laughed embarrassedly.

"What he thinks isn't important, because he can't change the will of the Xia Family."

Although Xia Yuan was an academy student too, he still seemed so weak and incapable of fighting the Xia Family.

Xie Nandu smiled slightly and said, "What the Xia Family thinks isn't important either. Because the Xie Family doesn't need to ally with others through marriage."

The Xie Family was presently already the Great Liang Dynasty's most brilliant family. Other than the Wei Family, they did not need to fear anyone in the Great Liang Dynasty.

Chen Chao said, "You should understand that one can fall from the pinnacle of their power."

There were many such examples in the history books. When a family was prosperous to the extreme, what welcomed them was only decline.

Xie Nandu shook her head, "The foundation of maintaining the family's prosperity is for their descendants to be outstanding enough, and not some holy favor."

Although she was not old, in reality, she had already seen the essence. A dynasty needed people to prop it up from start to end. As long as one had sufficient ability, they could act more freely and did not need to constantly think about those things.

Talking up to here, Xie Nandu's tone changed and returned to the main topic, "The academy will be sending four people this time. Other than Xia Yuan, the other two shouldn't be hostile to you."

Chen Chao flipped the sweet potatoes and probed, "Talk about those two people?"

Xie Nandu smiled slightly as she shook her head and said, "What has that got to do with you?"

Naturally, this was the truth. Although participating in the Myriad Willow Convention was representing their respective sects, the rules of the Myriad Willow Convention were about the young cultivators' own cultivation and their ability to deal with impromptu changes. Other things were really not too important.

Chen Chao said rather innocently, "I can't very well not know anything, right? To this day, there's actually not a single person who told me what this Myriad Willow Convention will be competing in!"

Xie Nandu looked at the youth in front of him. There was some confusion in her eyes too and she asked, "You really don't know?"

Chen Chao opened his eyes wide and said seriously, "Do you think that I'm lying to you?"

Xie Nandu said calmly, "Many people in the Divine Capital are speculating about your origin. What you've shown is naturally not what a country boy should have. They have basically locked your identity to the descendants of those few impoverished families. If you're their descendant, why wouldn't you know what the Myriad Willow Convention will compete in?"

Chen Chao shook his head and said, "I'm not."

He had already said the word 'no' more than once.

Xie Nandu looked at him, wanting to speak but swallowing the words back. In the end, she did not speak. She did not ask that sentence.

After a moment of silence, the small courtyard had the additional fragrance of roasted sweet potatoes. Xie Nandu smiled slightly as she opened her mouth and said, "At the beginning of the Myriad Willow Convention, there will be many categories to compete in, such as playing the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting."

Chen Chao could not help but interrupt to ask, "Since we're cultivators, what's the use of competing in these?"

Xie Nandu furrowed her brows, "Back then, someone said the same thing as you too. That person felt that the name Myriad Stream Dao Convention didn't sound nice, so he changed it to Myriad Willow Convention. He even felt that it would be useless to compete in too many things as well, so the Myriad Willow Convention changed to only compete in two categories: literary and martial, two assessments."

Chen Chao said with some yearning, "Then, was that person who changed the name and also changed the rules a first-rate ruthless person of the world?"

"Don't know, the books didn't reveal his identity. Furthermore, it was too many years ago even if you want to investigate, it will be very hard to investigate too. Only one thing is clear, that person must be a sword cultivator."

Xie Nandu was not too certain either, but she was very firm when she spoke.

"How so?"

Chen Chao asked with great interest.

Xie Nandu looked at the sweet potatoes and said, "It was the only thing that has been pointed out in several books. Furthermore, such an overbearing action could only have been done by a sword cultivator. Because they are the most lawless and unbridled among those cultivators in the foreign lands."

When speaking of this, Chen Chao remembered that story that he previously made up on the way to the mines. Although he randomly made up the story, other than the certainty in Guo Xi's eyes back then, there was also faintly some fear. Could it have just been because of the other party's sword cultivator identity?

Chen Chao was a little curious about sword cultivators, but he did not ask explicitly.

Xie Nandu seemed to know what Chen Chao was thinking and said, "In the world, sword cultivators are reputed to possess the greatest killing power among cultivators. Even the average foreign cultivator don't dare to provoke them."

Chen Chao thought about it and said, "Continue."

Xie Nandu nodded her head and continued, "The Myriad Willow Convention's literary exam is actually very simple, it's the same as the Great Liang Dynasty's imperial examination; which is to answer questions."

Chen Chao raised his brows and asked, "But what are the questions?"

Xie Nandu said, "It's naturally questions about cultivation."

Chen Chao was silent for a moment and said, "Isn't that immensely vast?"

Having developed for so many years, there would practically be new daoist magics being produced every year and new works being produced yearly. No one could learn all of the daoist magics and no one could finish reading all the books on cultivation.

"Is there a scope that's specified?" Chen Chao suddenly thought of something.

Xie Nandu shook her head and said, "No."

Chen Chao sucked in a cold breath and said in shock, "Then this is also too outrageous!"