Chapter Thirty-Six: The Midterm Exams at the End of the Year Begin

  Murong Ying, Fang Yin, Lin Yuan, and Zhang Tao, the four great masters, all came, causing a stir. These discussions basically revolved around the four great masters, and no one noticed Gu Chao. The recognized master of Xue Shan Manor was Murong Ying and others. Gu Chao always ranked last in the monthly assessment, his only achievement being defeating Feng Pinghuo, who was just mediocre in Xue Shan Manor.

  As a result, few people notice Gu Chao.

  Ancient super disc sits, nourishing essence and gathering spirit.

  Under his keen perception, those four masters each had a considerable aura, especially Murong Ying's icy aura, which was strong to the extreme. Murong Ying was very powerful, exceptionally powerful! The other three, Fang Yang, Lin Yuan, and Zhang Tao, were also extremely strong.

  An opponent as strong as this makes the mid-term exam at the end of the year interesting.

  This time I can have a good fight with the two masters from Cang Xue Mountain Villa.

  "Look at you, full of fighting spirit. This time, you'd better perform well." Liu Ya covered her mouth and chuckled lightly beside him. She was indeed a bit curious about Gu Chao, what would he do this time?

  "We'll see." Gu Chao replied casually, now wasn't the time for boasting, wait until he actually achieved it before talking.

  On the other hand, Zhang Tao, one of the four great masters, saw Liu Ya and Gu Chao whispering to each other. His frivolous face suddenly turned gloomy, and a sharp, sinister glint flashed in his eyes. As his name suggests, Zhang Tao was born with a flirtatious nature, having had an affair with a maid at the age of ten. After entering the outer sect of the Tai Shan Sect, he found Liu Ya to be the most charming. Liu Ya was elegant and refined, and Zhang Tao had long wanted to get her in his clutches, but unfortunately, she didn't even notice him. Today, seeing Liu Ya talking to Gu Chao, he had already made up his mind.

  At the end of the year during the mid-term exams, if I run into that kid in blue clothes named Gu Chao or something, I'll definitely give him a good beating. It would be weird if he doesn't end up seriously injured.

  That's right, this is Zhang Tao, the Peach Leaf Young Master. As long as Liu Ya and one of them chat and laugh, he will deal with that one.

  Zhang Tao himself is a narrow-minded and lustful person.

  Murong Ying was cold and arrogant, Zhang Tao had a narrow mind and was lustful, Fang Yin was good at commanding and handling interpersonal relationships. Lin Yuan's personality was unknown as he often mixed with people from the Seventh Mountain Villa and rarely mixed with others from New Snow Mountain Villa. The four great masters of New Snow Mountain Villa each had their own personalities.

  Gradually, sixty-one young men and women had basically arrived, but the key figure, Nan Gong Yuan, was still nowhere to be seen.

  Gu Chao continued to sit cross-legged.

  Just then, Gu Chao felt an extremely powerful aura coming from the east. This aura was at least ten times stronger than Murong Yu's, and its grandeur was unmatched. It was clear that this person would be him.

  An old man with grey clothes and white hair but a youthful face, Nan Gong Yuan, walked in with his hands behind his back. As he did so, the autumn leaves that were falling from the sky automatically parted into two halves, not a single leaf dared to get within three feet of him. Just by his aura alone, he was able to achieve this, it was too powerful! After Nan Gong Yuan arrived, the entire scene immediately fell silent.

  Nan Gong Yuan Lao walked into the arena: "Everyone is here." He counted briefly, sixty-one young men and women, not one more or less.

  "The mid-year exams are about to start."

  "As for the year-end exam, I'd like to say a few things." Elder Nan Gongyuan said: "Firstly, you were all recruited from outside as outer door disciples. After seven months of study, how is your individual strength now? How much have you improved compared to when you first entered? Compared to others in the same Snow Mountain Villa, whether you've progressed quickly or slowly will be verified through this year-end exam."

  "Secondly, after the mid-year exams are over, you will take your mid-year exam results and go on holiday. You can return home for Chinese New Year, so work hard to make a triumphant return."

  "Thirdly, this time's year-end exam has rewards for the top five and penalties for the bottom five. The rewards are very generous, with the first place being the most generous, decreasing in order, and even fifth place is not bad. The penalties are also very severe, you can take care of it yourselves."

  "Fourthly, those who performed well in this year's end-of-year exams will have the opportunity to participate in the biennial Outer Disciple Competition, which is still more than a year away."

  Nangong Yuan's elder spoke briefly and to the point, explaining the four major significance of the year-end mid-term exam. In an instant, he ignited the passion and enthusiasm of his sixty-one disciples, and the atmosphere was instantly elevated. These four points were all equally enticing, and Nangong Yuan's elder said: "Then, let the year-end mid-term exam begin. However, the year-end mid-term exam is not on the challenge stage, but in the Wooden Man Alley."

  Huh? It's actually in Mù Rén Xiàng (Wooden Man Lane) instead of on the Challenge Platform?

  Mù Rén Háng, wasn't that the place where you and others took the outer sect disciple recruitment exam at first?

  In fact, this is also the old man Nan Gongyuan's intention to lay out a trap, and the content of the annual year-end exam is different every year. Before the year-end exam, it cannot be allowed for outer door disciples to guess how the year-end exam will be conducted.

  But as soon as Nan Gongyuan said this, more than a dozen people showed disdain on their faces. Before entering Mount Tai, they had taken the Wooden Dummy exam lightly, but after seven months of cultivation, everyone's strength had improved greatly, and many no longer took the Wooden Dummy exam seriously. The once formidable Wooden Dummy exam that was difficult for everyone to pass had become much weaker after seven months of training, how could it still be difficult for everyone?

  However, Gu Chao didn't think so. A thoughtful expression appeared on his face. He had also followed Nan Gongyuan's teaching for a long time and knew the elder's temperament. This elder was strict with outer door disciples, how could he possibly go easy on them during the year-end exam and let everyone get good grades easily?

  As expected, Nan Gongyuan's tone changed: "However, this time the wooden puppet assessment is different from before. Although the wooden puppets are the same, the content of the assessment has changed. This time, the length of the wooden puppet alley has been extended several times, and there have been significant changes to the terrain. There are 61 entrances, each of you will enter through a different entrance, and due to the difference in entrances, you will face different situations. Those who arrive at the end of the wooden puppet alley within the first five will receive the final reward, and those who arrive later will be ranked lower."

  "At the same time, in this wooden man alley assessment, you can discover your own progress by comparing with the wooden men."

  The old man Nan Gongyuan's words suddenly turned sharp, and the atmosphere became tense in an instant.

  If it's just going through the wooden man alley, then it's a competition between humans and wooden men. Having had experience with outer door disciples' recruitment exams makes it relatively simple.

  But if it's about getting through the wooden man quickly, then it becomes a competition between people, and that won't be simple.

  For a moment, there were all sorts of discussions, but Murong Ying stood coldly, no matter what challenges he faced, Murong Ying had absolute confidence, his aura was extremely strong. As for Fang Yin, Lin Yuan and Zhang Tao, although they didn't have the same strong aura as Murong Ying, they also showed their strength, with Zhang Tao staring at Gu Chao coldly.

  ……

  At this time, Nan Gongyuan led sixty-one outer disciples away from Zhongxi Peak and headed straight to Muren Alley.

  The first update of the morning has been sent out, seeking recommendation votes.