The young man at the lakeside is named Gu Ming, hailing from Hidden Moon Temple. However, tracing back his lineage, he had some royal blood, but not from the previous dynasty, but an even earlier one. It was just that several hundred years had passed, no one would mention this matter anymore. Even his father was just an old peasant who worked the fields.
The story of how he embarked on the path of cultivation was very simple. When he was a child playing with mud in the fields, an old daoist happened to pass by. Seeing that he had good looks, he took him in as a disciple and brought him back to the daoist temple to be a helper boy.
However, as he grew older, Gu Ming's appearance did not remain as handsome as it was in his childhood. Instead, he became increasingly ordinary-looking, which was considered a form of physical decline. Moreover, his innate talent was nothing exceptional to begin with. The old daoist had only taken him in on a whim and had never thought about what kind of person he would become in the future. After passing on some daoist spells, the old daoist continued to travel the world.
Gu Ming lacked the care of his master in the Hidden Moon Temple and went unnoticed due to his unremarkable nature. Fortunately, he did not mind it either. He spent his days immersed in the library, studying books for many years.
It was not until the approaching Myriad Willow Convention that someone remembered him when Hidden Moon Temple was selecting disciples to participate. At that time, he was still engrossed in the library, unaware of what was happening. It was only when his senior martial brother found him and informed him of the events that he decided to take part in the selection for the Myriad Willow Convention.
In the end, he effortlessly defeated his fellow disciples in the literary exam, earning the opportunity to come to the Divine Capital and participate in the Myriad Willow Convention.
On the first day of the preliminary test, he was in the round after Xie Nandu's. He observed the calm and composed demeanor of the young girl and could not help but admire her. He thought it would be great to compete with her in the future. That day's literary exam was also a breeze for him and he unexpectedly ended up in the same group as Xie Nandu for the second day's test.
Now, the two of them were truly facing each other. Furthermore, they were the only two left.
As Gu Ming looked at the several questions in front of him, beads of sweat formed on his forehead, and he had to repeatedly wipe them away with his hand.
The previous two competitions did not have particularly difficult questions, but the ones in front of him now were somewhat perplexing, frustrating him in the process.
He did not know how much time had passed when a distant bell rang.
Gu Ming looked up, his forehead covered in sweat.
The cultivator in charge collected his answer sheet and left.
Not long after, he returned.
With a peculiar expression, he glanced at the two individuals by the lakeside and said, "They actually tied again."
Even he could not help but feel a sense of awe.
Ties were not unheard of at the Myriad Willow Convention. But consecutively drawing was indeed rare.
This was already the third time.
He distributed the test papers in his hand and smiled, saying, "Please continue, both of you."
The crowd by the lakeside fell into silence. No one could speak anymore. They never expected that it would be a tie again.
This turn of events was truly unexpected.
In the history of the Myriad Willow Convention, there were only a few sporadic records of such incidences.
"It seems that there was a similar occurrence many years ago. At that time, those two individuals tied four times, which already set a record. After that Myriad Willow Convention, there were no more instances like that. Now, they have already tied three times. If they still can't determine a winner this time, they will tie the record."
"That girl from the academy is the dean's disciple after all and the academy has a vast collection of books, it's reasonable for her to have such knowledge. But that daoist named Gu Ming merely came from a sect like the Hidden Moon Temple, how could there have been so many years to read?"
"You are not aware of this, the Hidden Moon Temple was once a major sect hundreds of years ago. However, during the invasion of the demons, many people from their sect went north to resist the demons, and barely any returned. They suffered a significant blow to their vitality henceforth. The current state of the sect is a result of that incident. Although the sect has declined and they no longer have any powerhouses, its past foundation as a major sect remains. They still possess a considerable number of books."
"Originally, I thought the literary exam this year wouldn't be that interesting, but I didn't expect it to be full of hidden talents. Truly remarkable."
"Moreover, adjustments have already been made to the content of this year's literary exam. Being able to answer all the questions correctly after the adjustments is truly extraordinary."
"Yes, their tie is not because they couldn't solve any of the questions, but because they could solve all the questions."
Chen Chao listened to those voices, feeling somewhat numbed.
He only knew that Xie Nandu was only one step away from victory now, but the opponent was extremely strong. Even if it was Xie Nandu, she might not necessarily be able to win.
He left the crowd and sat down by the lakeside, feeling a headache.
Weng Quan appeared here again for some reason.
"Deputy Commander, the odds have changed. Now, if you bet on that young daoist named Gu Ming, it's three to one. If you place a heavy bet on him and he happens to win, it will be a huge profit."
Weng Quan was rather excited, rubbing his hands together.
Chen Chao frowned and said, "Looking at the odds, the gambling houses are favoring Xie Nandu. Why should I change?"
Weng Quan said cautiously, "From my perspective, Miss Xie might not have the upper hand at the moment. Towards the end, there will probably be a reversal."
Chen Chao cursed, "What kind of eyes do you have? How can she not have the upper hand? In my view, she'll definitely be the final victor."
As he said, Chen Chao waved his hand, clearly extremely dissatisfied.
Weng Quan smiled fawningly and said, "Deputy Commander, since you have a good relationship with Miss Xie, you'd naturally think that way. But this subordinate has a different view. If Deputy Commander has some extra money, can you lend this subordinate some skygold currency..."
Chen Chao let out a cold laugh and remained silent.
"I urge you not to think too much. If you really do it, you might really regret it."
Chen Chao patted his shoulder. Weng Quan was just about to speak when a commotion broke out by the lakeside.
"What? They tied again?!"
Upon hearing this voice, Chen Chao's expression became somewhat unnatural. He turned to look at Weng Quan and asked, "Is it too late for me to change my mind now?"
Weng Quan smiled bitterly and said, "We'll have to check the odds again. Please wait a moment, Deputy Commander..."
The fourth tie in the same round of the literary exam has already set a record for the Myriad Willow Convention. This was the highest record in many years. The last time something happened was a story from many years ago.
Now that it had happened again, it naturally alarmed many people.
At least for the young cultivators who came to watch the literary exam today, they were completely stunned. Before today, they never imagined such a thing could happen.
But now, they have no choice but to believe that it did happen.
"These two people are truly evenly matched."
"Yes, their competition is likely to be an unforgettable event in this Myriad Willow Convention."
"Today's literary exam showdown already makes it very worthwhile. Who knows what will happen during the martial exam."
"I wonder if there will be a fifth tie between the two."
The two individuals by the lakeside had been sitting at the table for quite some time. The new test papers have been handed out. At present, this test paper was no longer the questions that were prepared in advance. The ink on the paper was still fresh, it was clearly just written by someone. The number of questions also changed from the previous two or three to just one.
It may be presumed that the test setter was currently agonizing in the shadows at this moment too.
No one thought that there would be four draws in the same round of the literary exam, so the prepared test papers had already been used up. This also meant that from now on, each time they tied, new questions would have to be written on the spot, which they would then answer
Gu Ming's body was already drenched in sweat. When he looked at Xie Nandu, his eyes are filled with admiration.
The young girl before him was truly too incredible. Each time they tied, Gu Ming thought it might be the last, but the girl could always cope with it.
This inevitably made him have a rather favorable impression of her as well, along with it, a desire to win.
If he had lost from the very beginning, it would have been one thing. But now that they had reached this point, how could he possibly give up?
He really wanted to win now.
With that in mind, he lowered his head and looked at the test question in front of him.