"Okay! Since none of you is leaving, let’s begin!" Daoist Qingfengzi nodded, and then he began lecturing on Daoism.
What Qingfengzi lectured on was all about Daoist thought and the interpretation of scriptures, and everyone listened attentively.
Time hurriedly passed, and soon an hour had elapsed. Immediately, there were some who showed signs of weariness, becoming very restless and uneasy, clearly unable to listen any further.
"You... you... you! The few of you have no connection with Daoism; please leave!" Just then, Qingfengzi suddenly stopped his lecture and spoke to the seven people, all of whom were stunned.
"Daoist Qingfengzi, why? Why do we have to leave?" They totally did not understand.
Qingfengzi said indifferently, "I have been lecturing for only an hour, and you are already restless, indicating that you cannot comprehend what I am saying. You have no connection with Daoism, please leave!"
"No! I am not convinced. We are just a bit restless, so we have to leave? Daoist Qingfengzi, please give us another chance, we have traveled far and do not want to miss this opportunity!"
"Yes, I’ve traveled over mountains and rivers, it was not easy to get here, and I don’t want to leave just like that. Daoist Qingfengzi, please give us one more chance!" The people pleaded desperately, clearly unwilling to leave.
"Do I need to personally ask you to leave?" Suddenly, Qingfengzi’s tone became severe, and in a moment, the Grandmaster’s terrifying aura, like a massive mountain, instantly impacted them.
Several people were immediately frightened, their faces turning pale as they meekly left the venue.
After witnessing this scene, everyone present hastily straightened their posture and completely snapped to attention, the earlier signs of tiredness vanished, fearing they too would be expelled.
Soon, another two hours passed, and everyone again showed signs of fatigue, as maintaining one posture on the ground was challenging for ordinary people.
After two hours, the lecture finally concluded, and by that time, more than thirty people had been disqualified.
Now, only about sixty people were left in the venue.
"Alright! The first part of the Daoist Skills Conference is over. Now, for the second part, based on the Daoist principles I just explained, we have prepared a test for you. The highest scorers will advance to the third round!"
Daoist Qingfengzi looked around at everyone, who all nodded with expectation in their eyes.
Wang Wei and Du Yuan were both filled with confidence, as they had prior knowledge of the parts of the Daoist Skills Conference and thus came prepared, naturally confident in progressing to the third round of martial testing.
Ye Feng was also very confident. Although he had never encountered Daoist principles before, at his highest level of cultivation, he was in the Divine Realm. His body’s capabilities, memory, and comprehension were far superior to those of an ordinary person.
The principles that Qingfengzi had just explained remained firmly in Ye Feng’s mind, and he understood them perfectly. Naturally, he was very confident.
Soon, several Little Daoists brought over a test paper and distributed them to everyone.
Once everyone had received their test papers, Daoist Qingfengzi instructed those Little Daoists to collect everyone’s communication devices to prevent cheating.
Ye Feng found this quite amusing, similar to taking exams back in school.
Daoist Qingfengzi then mildly stated, "You better be honest. I know some of you deliberately did not hand over your communication devices."
Upon hearing Daoist Qingfengzi’s words, indeed, a few people’s expressions turned ugly.
"However, I don’t wish to argue with you! You had better not use them. Otherwise, you know the consequences!" Daoist Qingfengzi’s imposing pressure descended, making their faces look very troubled.
Afterward, Daoist Qingfengzi picked up a teacup from the table, took a sip of tea, and looked at the crowd, "Okay, the test will last for forty minutes, begin now!"
People started working, but upon seeing the test questions, they were immediately stunned, their faces turning ugly.
The difficulty of the test was unbelievable; they could not understand it at all, all of them scratching their heads.
They felt that even if they used mobile phones to search online, it would probably be hard to find the correct answers.
As only twenty minutes had passed, someone exclaimed, "I am finished!"
Just then, a person stood up, holding their test paper.
"Oh? So quick?" Everyone was startled, as only twenty minutes, half the allotted time, had passed.
Yet, among those present, most had not even completed a third of the test, but that person had already finished.
Even Wang Wei and Du Yuan were startled. The person, appearing very proud, held up the test paper and step by step walked toward Daoist Qingfengzi, standing out from the crowd with an air of supreme arrogance.
That person was Zhou Shaochen.
"Oh! So quickly, let me see!" Daoist Qingfengzi’s eyes showed a hint of surprise.
Zhou Shaochen nodded and then handed his test paper to Qingfengzi. As Qingfengzi looked it over and nodded, admiration appeared in his eyes. "Hmm? Not bad, not bad! You have good comprehension, a teachable lad!"
"Thank you for the praise, Daoist. Zhou Shaochen will definitely work harder and not disappoint you!" Zhou Shaochen said to Daoist Qingfengzi.
"Zhou Shaochen, you are Zhou Shaogang’s younger brother, aren’t you?" Daoist Qingfengzi asked Zhou Shaochen.
"Yes, Zhou Shaogang is my older brother." A look of pride filled Zhou Shaochen’s eyes.
"Very good, very good. Your comprehension is probably not much less than your brother’s. Alright, go and sit down. The Daoist Skills Conference is not over, you may not leave!" Daoist Qingfengzi said.
"Yes!" Zhou Shaochen bowed respectfully and then returned to his seat.
As time passed, everyone handed in their test papers. Finally, the forty minutes were up. Almost all appeared distressed, even the previously confident Wang Wei and Du Yuan looked helpless.
Wang Wei anxiously said, "Du Yuan, how did you do? It feels so hard!"
Du Yuan also looked helpless, "I guess I didn’t do well either, I think scoring forty points would already be quite good!"
Then, Wang Wei and Du Yuan both turned to look at Ye Feng...