Qian Mo sat inside the pavilion with his eyes closed, meditating and adjusting his state.
Gu Yuena also closed her eyes to rest, her head leaning on Qian Mo's shoulder; their behavior was quite intimate.
After a while, a simple and honest voice suddenly rang out beside them.
"Excuse me, young man, is there anyone sitting across from you?"
Qian Mo opened his eyes and took a look; it was a strange combination consisting of a chubby young man with an honest smile and an arrogant young girl with a golden high ponytail.
The one who had just spoken was the fair-skinned, chubby young man.
Qian Mo raised an eyebrow. This peculiar combination... could it be those two? What a coincidence.
His mind was filled with thoughts, but Qian Mo's expression didn't change in the slightest, still maintaining that gentle smile.
"No one, have a seat."
Gu Yuena was disturbed by their movements and unhappily opened her eyes, giving the chubby young man a cold look without saying a word.
When facing strangers, Gu Yuena usually presented herself as a cold, ascetic goddess.
The chubby young man and the golden-haired girl sat down in the pavilion. For a moment, the two groups' eyes met, and the atmosphere became somewhat stagnant. Finally, Qian Mo spoke to break the silence.
"My name is Qian Mo, and her name is Gu Yuena. She's my... uh... friend. We're both here to participate in the inner court assessment."
The chubby young man scratched his head and quickly replied, "My name is Xu Lizhi, and her name is Ye Xinglan. We're also here for the inner court assessment."
Qian Mo nodded slightly in greeting, thinking to himself, 'As expected, these two are Xu Lizhi and Ye Xinglan, two of the future Shrek Seven Monsters.'
Neither Gu Yuena nor Ye Xinglan were warm or outgoing people. Seeing that they had just met by chance, they simply nodded at each other as a form of greeting.
The chubby young man, Xu Lizhi, looked around and, seeing that no one was paying attention, leaned closer to Qian Mo and quietly asked, "Brother Qian Mo, do you know how the Shrek Academy inner court assessment works?"
"I don't know," Qian Mo shook his head and replied.
"Then how about we go ask around together, so we can make some preparations?" Xu Lizhi extended an invitation.
Qian Mo still shook his head and said with great confidence, "I don't need to. No matter what the assessment is, I will definitely pass."
Upon hearing this, Xu Lizhi was stunned, and even Ye Xinglan glanced sideways, looking at Qian Mo a few more times, seemingly trying to discern if he was boasting.
Xu Lizhi chuckled awkwardly twice and said helplessly, "Brother Qian Mo has great spirit! It seems your talent must be formidable. But I'm different. I'm a food-type soul master, and I think I still need to make some preparations."
Qian Mo turned his head to look at Gu Yuena and asked, "Na'er, do you know what the inner court assessment is?"
Originally, Qian Mo had just asked subconsciously and wasn't expecting much.
But Gu Yuena unexpectedly nodded and said coolly, "Yes, my teacher told me."
"Hmm? You knew, why didn't you tell me?" Qian Mo asked curiously.
Gu Yuena pouted and teased, "Don't you have absolute confidence? Why do you still need to know the assessment content?"
"That's true, I guess," Qian Mo said proudly, crossing his arms.
"I praise you a couple of times, and you really get arrogant," Gu Yuena rolled her beautiful eyes.
"If I'm not arrogant, wouldn't I be wasting such strong talent? Isn't that right?" Qian Mo said.
"Um, Miss, could you please tell me about the inner court assessment content? I really need it, please!"
Xu Lizhi put his hands together and pleaded sincerely.
Gu Yuena glanced at Qian Mo, and seeing him nod slightly at her, she told Xu Lizhi the inner court assessment content that Leng Yaozhu had told her.
"...To put it simply, it's the same old few items: soul power, spiritual power, secondary profession, and so on. However, the inner court assessment will be more specific and stricter. What needs attention is that the result of each assessment item in the inner court assessment is only 'pass' or 'fail'. As long as one item is failed, the entire assessment will be declared a failure."
Upon hearing this, Xu Lizhi became even more flustered. He had thought the inner court assessment's scoring method was that each item would receive a score, and finally, the scores would be added up. With that scoring method, if he scored low in one item, he could get a high score in another to balance it out.
But in the inner court assessment, if he got a low score in any single item, it would directly declare him a failure.
"Furthermore, the combat-related assessments are conducted individually," Gu Yuena added another swift, cutting blow.
Xu Lizhi made a tearful face and wailed to Ye Xinglan, "Sister Xinglan, what should I do? I feel like I won't be able to pass the assessment."
Ye Xinglan gently comforted him, "Don't worry, you're a food-type soul master. They definitely won't make things too difficult for you in combat."
Not long after, amidst Qian Mo and Gu Yuena's leisurely composure and Xu Lizhi's trepidation, the time for the inner court assessment arrived.
The main teaching building's doors opened, and a handsome man who looked to be in his twenties walked out and said in a clear voice, "My name is Lan Muzhi, an inner court student, and I am the leader for this inner court assessment. Please follow me in an orderly manner to the assessment grounds."
Hearing this name, information about him from the original work automatically surfaced in Qian Mo's mind.
Lan Muzhi, the senior disciple of the inner court, had outstanding talent and was Yun Ming's most favored successor.
His martial soul was called Yang Wood Saber, a very special tool-type martial soul that was unique and had significant imprinting value.
Led by Lan Muzhi, Qian Mo and his group mingled among the fifty candidates and entered the building.
Walking through the grand hall filled with murals, ancient and elegant, and experiencing the teaching building's splendor under Lan Muzhi's explanation, they rounded two corridors and finally arrived outside a large hall.
The hall's doors opened, and Lan Muzhi pointed to the door across the hall and said, "The first stage of the assessment is to simply pass through this hall within the time limit."
"Everyone, please go in. I wish all candidates a successful assessment, and I look forward to our future life as fellow students!"
"Also, as your future senior brother, let me secretly tell you a piece of news: the elders of the Sea God Pavilion have been observing everyone. So, make sure to perform well!" Lan Muzhi said, acting mysterious.
Upon hearing this, the candidates immediately filed in, eager to perform in front of the Sea God Pavilion elders, hoping they might catch someone's eye and be taken as a disciple!
Qian Mo and Gu Yuena exchanged a look and stepped into the hall without hesitation.
Inside the circular hall. This hall was over twenty meters high, and the dome was still covered in murals.
As everyone entered the hall, their bodies involuntarily trembled slightly. A pressure like Mount Tai pressing down brought immense oppression to everyone's spiritual power.
The pressure came from the mural on the dome. There was only one creature in the mural: a giant black dragon. It had a pair of golden eyes, its massive wings were spread open, and its entire body emitted a dark purple halo. Although it was just a painting, it was incredibly lifelike; even the scales on its body were clearly visible.