C1

Taihang Mountains.

The Xu family of the farmhouse had lived in seclusion in the mountains for generations, ignoring all worldly matters.

The Xu family had five courtyards.

The Spring Festival, the Summer Palace, the Autumn Battlefield, the Winter Court, and the Sunnyside Courtyard.

Each courtyard was in charge of the farmers' lineage.

The Sunnyside Courtyard had been very powerful in the distant past, but it had declined since then.

In the end, he would become the descendant of those disciples with mediocre aptitudes who could only do hard labor and make mistakes in their family. Even if it was the direct bloodline inheritance, once they were exiled to the day courtyard, they would be no different from servants.

"Zong Yi, have you really thought this through? To participate in the trial of the Great Earth Hall? "He will die!" Beside the well in the Sunnyside Courtyard, there was a young lady with a rather grave expression on her face. Her name was Xiao E, and all the good things she had ever done since she was young had been given to Xu Zongyi for him to eat.

"Even if I'm going to die, I want to give it a try. When I'm three, I look young; when I'm seven, I look old. When I pass the trial of the Great Hall, I can't participate anymore." His eyes possessed a resolution that ordinary people did not have. On his face, there was a scarlet word of sin, which was exceptionally dazzling: "I am already seven years old this year. If I want to remove this word from my face, I must cultivate, and go to the Great Earth Hall for a trial!"

The trial of the Great Hall of Earth was conducted by the Xu family of the peasant family to select a few young bloodlines. It was said that many people had obtained quite a bit of good fortune there, and many had died there.

"But it's too dangerous. I'm still worried." Xiao E frowned.

"Elder sister Xiao E, all these years, you know what they think of me, every single day they call me the son of a criminal, I don't even know what mistakes my parents made, they even say that I'm a bastard, if I continue to stay in the day courtyard like this, my life would be over, I would never have a chance to recover." Since young, Xu Zongyi had fought countless battles with the children of the day academy. Regardless of whether or not he could win, he would fight until no one could beat him, until those who bullied him did not dare to easily provoke him.

"I'm afraid that you have to tell the Sect Leader about this matter. If he doesn't agree, you won't be able to participate. As long as it's your decision, I'll support you." In the end, Xiao E chose to compromise. Xu Zongyi's personality was extremely strong, and right now, she could only hope that he would not be able to pass through the barrier separating the two factions. Only then would he be able to avoid danger.

In order to participate in the Earth Hall's exam, one had to compete against the other four courtyards. After all, in the Sun Dynasty, regardless of how much food they consumed, they could not even compare to the farmers of the other four academies. How could they compete with them? Xiao E thought.

Training required rice and foodstuffs, not to mention training.

A child who grew up on a snack, compared to a child who grew up on a snack, their physiques were simply incomparable.

The other four courtyards were like children who grew up eating meat, while Xu Zongyi was a child who grew up eating bran.

"Don't worry, I'll go find him in a while." Xu Zongyi let out a breath of relief. Xiao E was the person who treated him the best in the orphanage, so he made some decisions, hoping to get Xiao E's approval.

The Sunnyside Courtyard had occupied a very important position in the Xu family's household a long time ago.

He needed to understand a lot of minute details, such as how to chop firewood, how to bask in the sun, how to control the fire, how to improve the quality of the water and the soil, etc.

Xu Zongyi had learned nothing in the past few years and had learned how to cook large pots of rice, chop firewood, and carry water. He also had a partial understanding of water quality and soil quality.

However, many of his peers from the other academies had already stepped into the Qi Drawing Realm, yet he still had not cultivated.

This was because there was an unending stream of work to be done every day in the day courtyard. There was simply no time to cultivate, and every day, people from the other four courtyards would call for him.

Of course, there was no capital.

Cultivating required eating high-quality rice for a long period of time. It could strengthen a person's physique, boost one's cultivation, and speed up one's cultivation.

When a person cultivated, they would consume a large amount of vital energy and blood. When they ate something that could not support the consumption of their vital energy and blood, their cultivation would also harm their source energy. One could imagine how important high quality rice was to their cultivation.

However, even if they were the disciples of the Xu family, the monthly usage of high-quality rice was limited and relatively precious.

Xu Zongyi's family was left with only four walls, and there was nothing left at all. Furthermore, none of the items available in the sundry courtyard were enough.

The only reason why she could eat something good was because Xiao E had a cousin who was a maid of Xu Xindie's in the Spring Festival. She would often give out food to her servants.

Xiao E treated him as a relative of hers, so she couldn't bear to eat him. She knew that he was growing up, so she tried her best to give him good food.

Naturally, Xu Zongyi was able to see through all of this, which was why he wanted Little E to live a good life even more.

After helping Xiao E pick up the water, Xu Zongyi immediately ran to the main hall of the courtyard.

Currently, the Sun Clan Head's manor had committed a grave mistake and had been exiled here. As for the specifics, no one knew and no one dared to ask.

His temper was very strange, and he was very irritable. Basically, he didn't care about matters of the heart. Even if there were usually some deacons, the elders and deacons in the courtyard weren't very willing to face him.

This was because participating in the trial of the Great Earth Hall would result in certain death situations. One would require the approval of the Headmaster's clan to nominate a candidate.

Most of the people who were exiled to the courtyard would accept their fate because they could not compete with the people from the other courtyards. Rather than dying for nothing, it was better to live on, because children a few years old did not have that kind of courage. Slaves were used to it, so they naturally would not be able to stand up after kneeling for a long time.

Xu Zongyi entered the hall directly. There were no seats on either side of the hall, because there were no official meetings here. Instead, it was like a public hall.

There was an old man sitting at the head of the table who was dozing off. The air was filled with the rays of the rising sun, causing dust to fly in the air.

His yellow hair was disheveled, as if it had not been combed in a long time. His clothes were tattered, and he was like a statue, unmoving.

"Xu Zongyi greets the sect head!" He bowed respectfully.

Only then did the old man lift up half his eyelids and glance at him, saying in a bad mood, "Fart quickly now!"

"I want to participate in the test of the Great Earth Hall!" Xu Zongyi's gaze was resolute, his words sonorous and resounding.

"Did you get stuck in the door?" The Sect Leader became impatient and waved his hand. "Scram. You have not even entered the Qi Drawing Realm. Are you courting death?"

"I don't know if it's suicide or not, but I feel that it's better to just die if we continue living in the day courtyard." Xu Zongyi's gaze was sharp and he had no intention of leaving.

It had to be known that if it was any other deacon elder, they would be scared stiff by the headmaster's shout. Although this headmaster had been exiled to this place, he was actually very strong.

"From your words, it seems that you really look down on the day courtyard?" The two droopy eyelids of the head of the sect raised up with sinister eyes. A faint smile could be seen at the corner of his mouth, making him look extremely horrifying.

"At the very least, in the long ago time, the day courtyard wasn't like now. The legendary Water Melting Ceremony was one of the secret techniques of the day courtyard. But how many people are able to master it now?" Xu Zongyi looked at the old head, not avoiding him in the slightest.

"The Day Courtyard may not be as glorious as the other four courtyards, and the things it does usually are extremely trivial, but it still has a lot of knowledge." The Headmaster stood up and approached Xu Zongyi step by step as he said, "However, you brat, you actually know about the 'Water Melting Ceremony'. Do you know what it can be used for?"

"Legend has it that different types of water were mixed together to raise the quality of the water, teach the race what kind of things to use, and record the growth of many plants …" Xu Zongyi said seriously.

"Do you want it?" The messy, dried-up yellow hair of the Sect Leader covered most of his face. Only two eyes could be seen, making him look extremely horrifying.

His actions were very perverted, and even the elders and deacons in the courtyard would be afraid if they looked at him.

"Yes!" Xu Zongyi felt excitement in his heart.

If you can enter the top three, I'll give you the Water Melting Grand Ceremony. If you can't reach the top three, then don't come back alive and die inside. If you dare to come back, then I have ten thousand ways to make you live a life worse than death. With a cold smile and a sinister gaze, the Sect Leader turned around and returned to his seat of honor.

Xu Zongyi felt an extremely terrifying aura envelop him and he was unable to move at all. Fear arose involuntarily in his heart and he instinctively wanted to tremble, but he still did not hesitate in the slightest. "Sure!"

"Do you know what the trial of the third floor of the Great Earth Hall looks like?" The Headmaster was somewhat surprised. He did not expect Tang Wulin to actually agree.

"I don't know." Xu Zongyi shook his head.

"Then let me tell you, during the first stage of the training, you have to walk through the area where the miasma is emitted from. Many seven-year-old children are already amazing to be able to walk up to nine hundred feet." Then let me tell you, during the first stage of the training, you have to walk through the area where the miasma is emitted from, where many seven-year-old children are able to reach nine hundred feet. The Headmaster looked coldly at Xu Zongyi, "Do you still dare to go now?"

"You dare!" Xu Zongyi had already mentally prepared himself for this, so he pulled the bow open and did not turn around to shoot. If worst comes to worst, he would just die inside.

"You can scram now, I will nominate you." The Headmaster waved his hand with an impatient look on his face.

Xu Zongyi turned and left, not forgetting to thank him even before he left. If he couldn't get into the top three, he would die!

Looking at his retreating back, the Sect Leader's murky eyes lit up. "This kid really has some guts, but wanting to get into the top three is simply a dream. Not letting you suffer any pain, he really doesn't know the depth of the heavens."

Ever since Xu Zongyi was a child, he had been free to do whatever he wanted. Basically, he would not decline if he could work as much as he wanted.

Therefore, he was also recognized by the deacons, so he was able to live alone in a room.

In his room, there was a stone bed, a stove, a table, two stools, and two sets of fresh service clothes.

"Heavens! Zong Yi, how could you agree to the conditions of the headquarter!" Xiao E nearly fainted as her eyes turned red, "If you fail like this, it'll be the same as losing your life. You won't get into the top three!"

"Why?" Xu Zongyi was puzzled as he looked at Xiao E. She often went out to learn more about the situation.

"At the Spring Festival, Miss Xu Xindie has already stepped into the Qi Drawing Realm." Xiao E felt her nose turn sour as she felt that Xu Zongyi's actions were too hasty.

The Qi Drawing Realm was divided into five levels.

As soon as the Qi entered the skin, its strength reached one hundred Jin.

Drawing air into the flesh, his strength reached two hundred.

He channeled Qi into his blood, and his strength reached 500 points.

As soon as the Qi entered his bones, his strength reached a thousand pounds.

The Qi passed through his entire body, and he had three thousand points of strength.

These were all minimum standards, and varied from person to person.

Currently, Xu Zongyi had not even stepped into the Qi Drawing Realm. Although his strength had reached more than fifty kilograms, it was still lacking when compared to the Qi Drawing Realm. In the Four Academies, even the weakest were still Qi Drawing Realm!

"Xia recuperation courtyard. Xu Tianmu has also stepped into the Qi Drawing Realm!"

"In the Autumn Battlefield Academy, Xu Tianyun is the young son of the clan leader and is also at the peak of Qi Drawing that can pierce through one's bones!"

"The three of them are about to occupy the top three spots, not to mention the Winter Court. Xu Zhengdao is an enigmatic figure, and the other three courts are extremely wary of him. How are you going to take the top three spots?" He felt that Xu Zongyi was too impulsive, and agreeing to the condition of the Sect Master was practically destroying his own future. Even if he were to return alive, with the Sect Master's strange personality, he would definitely torment Xu Zongyi until he wished he was dead.

Don't worry, the Earth Hall's training focused more on a person's willpower, willpower, and physique. It has nothing to do with cultivation. If I don't even dare to fight for such a good opportunity, how can I let you live a good life in the future?" Xu Zongyi's heart was filled with gratitude. For so many years, Xiao E had always taken care of him, and all these years, there had been a mysterious old man who had taught him how to read and write. Every so often, he would give him a book.

He did not want to continue like this. The people in the courtyard were all servants, and the other four courtyards could pick some people here to be their servants.

He didn't want to serve others on his own, nor did he want Xiao E to serve others.

"At this point, there is no other way!" Xiao E felt both touched and sad at the same time. From her point of view, Xu Zongyi's chances of winning were extremely small. However, things had already come to this point, and she could only do her best to support him.

Three days later was the training of the Great Earth Hall. It was already too late for any preparations.

When they heard that Xu Zongyi was going to participate in the Earth Hall's training, most of the people in the courtyard ridiculed, pitied and sympathized with him.

"Is he going to be a joke?"

"I hope he comes back alive. After all, he's working very hard." Even the deacons of the day courtyard weren't optimistic about it, sighing repeatedly.

Even though countless people didn't think highly of him, Xiao E hoped to cheer for Xu Zongyi.

It was just that not many people were willing to go to the Great Earth Hall to support him on behalf of the Day Ward.

Fortunately, Xu Zongyi had helped some girls with their heavy work since he was young, chopping firewood and fetching water. He would help out whenever he saw one.

On the day of the trial training, there were ten or so servants of the day who came to cheer for Xu Zongyi, hoping that he would be able to achieve a good result.

Their appearance was especially conspicuous.

This was because they were all wearing the daily service uniforms, and they were all very weak. Unlike the ones worn outside the Great Earth Hall, which consisted of the Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter Courts.

Everyone's clothing had their own imprints. They were all made of silk and silk, dressed extravagantly, and had an extremely strong sense of quality. Even the weakest among them had just stepped into the Qi Drawing Realm.

In contrast, all of the people in the academy were wearing rough and sackcloth clothing. They were all washed until their faces were somewhat white. None of them had stepped into the Qi Drawing Realm, so they were extremely shabby.

Standing together with these people, the servant girls who had originally lived in the day courtyard and had an inferiority complex could not even raise their heads. They simply did not have the confidence to face the strange gazes from the other four courtyards.

In front of the Earth Hall, there was a square that covered an area of five kilometers. People from the four courtyards successively arrived.

In front of the steps, the people from the four courtyards were scattered about, not giving up at all. Many people were pointing at them with gazes of astonishment, contempt, ridicule and disdain.

However, they were all discussing in whispers, and did not intentionally cause trouble for the day courtyard.

The group of people from the Day Courtyard did not know where to stand, so they felt a little uneasy.

At the same time, a slightly plump boy, whose clothes were embroidered with the mark of the Autumn Battlefield Academy, walked around recklessly with more than ten people around him. Each of them looked stronger than Xu Zongyi, and his voice was loud and clear, "Out of the way, out of the way! Good dogs don't block the way."

Xiao E immediately had the other maids make way for her. Xu Zongyi furrowed his brows but didn't say anything.

Little Fatso, who came from the Autumn Battlefield Academy, was about seven years old as well. He stopped in his tracks, looked at Xu Zongyi, Xiao E and the rest, and then pointed at them arrogantly. Why was it here? Is this where you should be? "

"I want to participate in the test." Xu Zongyi cupped his hands and bowed, not wanting to cause any more trouble.

Little Fatso gave him a sidelong glance. "What?" You want to train in the Earth Hall despite not having stepped into the Qi Drawing Realm? "Hurry and go back to the hospital and do some odd jobs. Don't come here and embarrass yourself.

Xu Zongyi was silent. He had already made up his mind, so naturally, he couldn't leave.

Little Fatso called out to Xu Duan De. Just as he was about to leave, he saw that Xu Zongyi and the rest had no intention of leaving. He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow and ask, "Didn't I tell you to leave?"

The servant girl from the Day Courtyard was completely silent. This person was the son of the clan leader, Xu Tiancheng's trusted aide, Xu Duan De.

Now, they couldn't leave either, nor could they stay either. They all looked towards Xu Zongyi.

"Why are we leaving?" Xu Zongyi had restrained himself time and time again. Seeing Qin Lie's aggressive attitude, he asked again.

Look at the words on your face, you sinner's blood descendants. If your parents didn't commit a heinous crime, your face wouldn't have been carved with this word. You even brought a bunch of lowly girls to cheer you on? "I don't mind being stingy, sissy!" No one had ever dared to go against his wishes. After all, Xu Tianyi had protected him, so he had almost always been an outsider to the Xu family's younger generation.

Some of the girls who came from the day courtyard even cried after being scolded. After all, how many girls could endure being humiliated in public?

"Can't you get any ivory out of your mouth? We're here for the test, why are you telling us to scram? Who are you? " Xu Zongyi stood forward at the first possible moment. He did not want to give in any longer.

"Huh? This was truly an unprecedented event. Everyone come quickly and listen, this group of servants was actually here to participate in the training of the Great Hall? You don't even know how to write the word death, right? "Hahahahaha!" Hearing this, Xu Duan De laughed angrily, his eyes full of ridicule: "Brat, you actually dare to scold me. Alright, before the test, take it as exercise to let you know how big of a gap there is between you three scum and us!"

He walked towards Xu Zongyi, causing Xiao E's heart to tighten. She didn't know what to do, "What do we do? He's already reached the Qi Drawing Realm, and his strength reached two hundred. Zong Yi might not be weak, but he's still a little weak in comparison. How do we block him?"