Although Ye Chuxiao won first place in the first test, he was only the third cultivator to pass the ten-move trial in the second.

While he and Wen Liangjue were engaged in a thrilling battle, Wen Liangyu had already allowed two people to pass the assessment with a little leniency.

Therefore, Ye Chuxiao was also the third person to enter Nanshan-xiansheng's reception room.

Fortunately, the meetings between the first two and Nanshan-xiansheng were very quick, and Ye Chuxiao didn't have to wait long.

Clearly, they hadn't been recognized by Nanshan-xiansheng... Of course, they weren't deliberately made things difficult for either; it was just a formality.

At most, Nanshan-xiansheng said a few words of encouragement.

This was evident from the look of joy on the faces of the two cultivators as they came out.

When it was Ye Chuxiao's turn to enter the reception room and talk to Nanshan-xiansheng, even with his current strong heart, he felt a little nervous.

This third test seemed the easiest.

But in reality, it was the most difficult for him.

If he couldn't pass, it would be like all his previous efforts were in vain.

No matter how difficult the first two tests seemed, they were overt challenges; with rules, they could be overcome.

Only this final test, whether he passed or not, was up to Nanshan-xiansheng's word; it was too subjective. Ye Chuxiao had prepared many drafts before pushing open the door, but he still didn't have absolute confidence.

Inside the reception room, Nanshan-xiansheng was drinking tea.

A kettle hissed white steam on a small stove burning fruit-wood charcoal.

Behind the white steam, the old man sat cross-legged, his face blurred, revealing neither joy nor sorrow.

Ye Chuxiao pushed the door open, but he didn't show much expression, displaying neither disgust nor any fondness for Ye Chuxiao.

The idea that seniors like to support capable and promising juniors is mostly a fairytale fantasy of social relationships. In reality, seniors who don't secretly suppress or make things difficult for juniors can already be considered virtuous.

Of course, there are seniors who support juniors, but they often have other entanglements and aren't purely altruistic.

"Nanshan-xiansheng!" Ye Chuxiao cupped his fist in greeting.

"You don't need to say anything; I won't allow you to pass this test!" Nanshan-xiansheng said directly.

Ye Chuxiao wasn't surprised by this sudden blow.

Of course, Nanshan-xiansheng has an independent personality, but what is his relationship with Ye Chuxiao? And what is his relationship with the Wen family? Why would he offend the Wen family, with whom he has been friends for many years, for the sake of a young cultivator of unknown origin and with no connections?

Even if there was only a slight possibility, there was no need.

"So Nanshan-xiansheng favors Wen Liangjue more?"

"Am I allowed to think this way?" Ye Chuxiao wasn't polite and started with a threat.

In a short period of time, Ye Chuxiao didn't think he had the talent to gain a relationship and goodwill that surpassed the Wen family through words.

It was more realistic to use practical methods.

Nanshan-xiansheng blew a breath, dispersing the mist in front of him, revealing his clear face: "I'm about to leave, so your little tricks won't work. Wen Liangyu won't turn against me because of this little thing."

"Sir, your entanglement with the Wen family is too deep. I'm afraid it won't be easy to leave just like that!" Ye Chuxiao seemed to have jumped to another topic, but if you thought about it carefully, he was still talking about the same thing.

Nanshan-xiansheng said, "That's why you can't pass my test even more."

"Passing or not doesn't matter. Why don't you trouble yourself, Nanshan-xiansheng, and take this opportunity to read the contents of the Nanshan Archives to me? That way, I get the benefit, and you have an explanation. It's a win-win situation," Ye Chuxiao suggested a solution, shamelessly.

Nanshan-xiansheng was also amazed by Ye Chuxiao's thick skin. He adjusted his sitting posture to ease the shock in his heart: "It's too long, there's not enough time."

A euphemistic refusal.

"It's not long. If you speak faster, I can hear clearly," Ye Chuxiao said.

Nanshan-xiansheng looked at Ye Chuxiao speechlessly, obviously having never seen such a brazen person.

He was about to firmly and decisively refuse, and ring the bell to call for a replacement,

when he heard Ye Chuxiao continue, "I'm just suggesting a solution."

"Sir, wouldn't you like to hear the bargaining chip I'll use to persuade you?" Ye Chuxiao asked.

Nanshan-xiansheng was stunned. Perhaps because Ye Chuxiao's previous shamelessness had made a deep impression on him.

At this time, he still wanted to hear what Ye Chuxiao could say, so he gestured for him to speak.

He put the bell back on the table and glanced at the timer on the wall, keeping track of the time.

Once a certain time limit was exceeded, he would drive Ye Chuxiao out no matter what.

"With your knowledge, you must know that there is a special substance in this world that can give people extraordinary talents, and can also take people across time and space to a wider world. It is the one that escaped, the key to the creation of all things, the opportunity for Dao Ancestor to have mercy on all living beings and open a glimmer of heavenly gate for them."

"Stepping out of this world, all restrictions can be shattered, and all impossibilities can become possible."

"Are you so old that you're retiring and waiting to die? I don't think so... You clearly still have great potential. Limitless lands and endless scenery are waiting for you to see and experience," Ye Chuxiao said, waving his hand, appearing impassioned.

Pouring a bowl of hot chicken soup down, even the dead would jump up and make a 'yay' sign.

When Ye Chuxiao said the first sentence, Nanshan-xiansheng's expression had already changed.

The way he looked at Ye Chuxiao became somewhat eager.

He didn't care about the chicken soup.

What he cared about was the hidden meaning in Ye Chuxiao's words.

"Are you talking about... Dao rhyme?" Nanshan-xiansheng's mouth and beard trembled slightly, appearing extremely excited.

It wasn't that he wasn't calm, but that Dao rhyme was even rarer and more precious in the Wasteland Fighting Realm.

In other worlds, Dao rhyme is of course also an extremely, extremely precious resource, for reasons that need not be repeated.

But in the Wasteland Fighting Realm, Dao rhyme also has a new attribute, which is that it symbolizes 'lifespan,' symbolizes the hope of life.

Those old and weak cultivators, if they possessed Dao rhyme and a way to use it to get to the Ark of Creation, might be able to enter other worlds. If they were lucky enough to reach a world where cultivation could greatly extend lifespan but had other shortcomings, they could offset the cultivation defects of the Wasteland Fighting Realm and gain a certain degree of life extension.

Because of this, ownerless Dao rhyme is the most important resource that anyone or any force in the Wasteland Fighting Realm would hide and never reveal.

Has the Wen family, such a huge clan, collected ownerless Dao rhyme over the centuries?

Of course they have, but they are reluctant to take it out and give it to Nanshan-xiansheng, giving him the hope of going to another world to find a way to restore his cultivation.

For the Wen family, this investment is not cost-effective.

As for Nanshan-xiansheng, has he hoped that the Wen family would provide him with Dao rhyme all these years, which is why he has wholeheartedly helped the Wen family develop?

It seems that he has.

But at this age, seeing that he is about to step into the coffin, he still can't see any hope.

That's why he chose to retire and return to his hometown.

Isn't this also a final test?

Otherwise, why would he leave behind the archives instead of personally imparting his knowledge and experience while he was still alive?

Is it more effective to pass on experience and ideas through a living person or through an inflexible book?

Ye Chuxiao also keenly sensed some of the contradictions and formulated a persuasion strategy for Nanshan-xiansheng.

Of course, it was also possible that Nanshan-xiansheng was loyal to the Wen family, in which case Ye Chuxiao would have wasted his efforts and exposed the information that he possessed ownerless Dao rhyme.

This was also the reason for Ye Chuxiao's apprehension before pushing open the door.

But looking at Nanshan-xiansheng's attitude at this time, it was clear that Ye Chuxiao had been overthinking.

"That's right, it's Dao rhyme," Ye Chuxiao said with a steady nod.

Nanshan-xiansheng said eagerly, "If you have Dao rhyme, then give it to me. Just one strand... and I will tell you all the contents of the archives, and I can also tell you verbally about the contents that were not recorded in the archives."

Ye Chuxiao originally thought that this deal would cost two strands of Dao rhyme.

He didn't expect that it wouldn't even be necessary.

It seemed that this Nanshan-xiansheng was also a person with good fortune, having once spontaneously gained the favor of a strand of Dao rhyme.

It's just that he didn't have a channel to obtain a second strand of Dao rhyme as a ticket to go to other worlds, so he naturally couldn't digest the Dao rhyme and obtain more of it.

Just like Yue Tingshan back then.

A little luck, but not much.

"Deal!" Ye Chuxiao took out a strand of Dao rhyme, not worried that Nanshan-xiansheng would go back on his word, and handed it over directly.

Nanshan-xiansheng hurriedly took out a jade bottle from his arms, poured out the precious pills inside without hesitation, and carefully placed the strand of Dao rhyme inside.

Then he stuffed it into his arms and gently patted his chest with his hand.

He looked like he had just run a ten-thousand-meter race, holding the table with his hand, his fingertips trembling slightly.

"I'll consider you to have passed this third test."

"After tonight, you secretly go to my residence, the Plum Garden of Little Nanshan, and I will tell you all the key points, as well as the thoughts and thinking structure I had when I wrote the archives. You can also ask me any questions you have, and I... will tell you everything I know!" Nanshan-xiansheng said firmly.

Ye Chuxiao was stunned and said in surprise, "That's not necessary, is it? I can secretly look for you later. Isn't passing or not passing this third test just a formality?"

Nanshan-xiansheng said, "This is both a formality and a matter of reputation and dignity."

"You passed the first two tests, but I stopped you at this third test. If that gets out, it will still be the Wen family's prestige, and you will have failed here."

"Only if you pass the third test against all odds and personally take the archives from the Wen family will it be your prestige and fulfill your reputation."

Hearing this, Ye Chuxiao fully understood Nanshan-xiansheng's intentions.

At the same time, he sighed that Nanshan-xiansheng was grateful for the Wen family's protection but had also accumulated a lot of disappointment with them.

From the Wen family's point of view, there was no need to 'waste' a priceless strand of ownerless Dao rhyme for a retainer.

But as far as Nanshan-xiansheng was concerned, wasn't the Wen family no different from cutting off his path and hope with their own hands?

"Okay! If that's the case, then I won't decline!" Ye Chuxiao agreed decisively.

Although, in reality, there was no real benefit for him to get the archives from the Wen family.

But just thinking about the expressions on Wen Liangjue, Wen Liangyu, and the others' faces, how they would have to fulfill their agreement with unpleasant faces, was enough to make people happy. What other added value was needed?

And through this incident, Ye Chuxiao was also becoming famous by stepping on the Wen family.

This would have more far-reaching benefits for Ye Chuxiao.

For example... more cultivators would come to challenge Ye Chuxiao.

And he could therefore come into contact with more people, learn about more cultivator methods, and summarize more wisdom from battles, entering the Wisdom Realm faster.

At this time, about ten minutes had just passed.

Ye Chuxiao pushed the door and left the reception room.

Outside the reception room, Wen Tingting looked at Ye Chuxiao, even having thought of the words to comfort him.

On the arena, Wen Liangjue, who was still 'assessing' a cultivator, also subconsciously turned his head to look at Ye Chuxiao, waiting for him to make a fool of himself.

A lot of eyes were focused on Ye Chuxiao, many with a bit of schadenfreude.

What if you're strong? You still have to suffer at Nanshan-xiansheng's place?

This was probably the voice of most people.

And the red-skirted woman Wen Shuya even directly spoke out the thoughts of many people.

"It seems he didn't pass!"

"Nanshan-xiansheng still has the ability to distinguish and knows who is not worth cultivating."

"Just a white-eyed wolf, no matter how fat you feed him, he will only bite his master. I still prefer to raise dogs, they are obedient enough. Even if I want their lives, they will only stretch their necks, making it easier for me to strike," Wen Shuya said with a slightly rampant smile.

Wen Tingting was about to retort, but Ye Chuxiao stopped her.

Then Ye Chuxiao said, "I'm afraid I've disappointed you all. Nanshan-xiansheng allowed me to pass this test by luck."

"In other words, I have passed all three tests, and according to the agreement, the archives will be given to me for three days in six days."

As soon as this was said, the whole audience was shocked.

Wen Liangjue was even distracted because of this, and was accidentally hit in the face by a cultivator he was fighting, making a crisp 'slap' sound.

Although the force was not enough to really break his defense, Ye Chuxiao's two sentences and that slap's coincidence broke his defense.

The cultivator who accidentally hit Wen Liangjue also froze in place, feeling extremely scared, his whole body trembling.

Seeing that his psychological quality was so low, Wen Liangjue was even more angry and threw him off the arena with a flick of his sleeve, angrily saying, "Useless waste! You have wasted your father's efforts to cultivate you. If you want to pass, go back and cultivate hard for another hundred years!"

The cultivator who was thrown off the arena covered his face and fled, looking very embarrassed.

But at this moment, no one thought he was a clown.

The real clown was raging uselessly on the arena!

"Be careful, my third uncle has a small temper!" Wen Tingting leaned next to Ye Chuxiao and said softly with a sound transmission technique.

"Don't worry, my temper isn't big either!" Ye Chuxiao told Wen Tingting this way.

Wen Tingting nodded, and then suddenly reacted, turning her head sharply, tilting her head and looking at Ye Chuxiao in confusion: "Huh?"

"It's okay! I'm just staying in Wen Family Mountain City and won't leave. He can't disregard his reputation and bring troops to my door to block me, right!" Ye Chuxiao didn't say this with a sound transmission technique.

"Hahaha! Young Hero Xiao is joking. I guarantee that as long as you abide by the rules in my Wen Family Mountain City, no one will cause you trouble." Wen Liangyu came out at this time, very appropriately kicking Wen Liangjue, putting the final word on his embarrassment.

From this, it can be seen that he is also a narrow-minded and short-sighted person. If Wen Liangyu is in charge of Wen Family Mountain City in the future, I am afraid it will also decline.