The pale gray incense slowly burned as the surrounding youths could already barely manage to perform the vein technique.
But Yue Qingli had only just finished memorizing the content.
Watching the other nine participants one by one succeed, he grew more and more anxious.
And the more anxious he got, the more mistakes he made.
âAll right, timeâs up,â said the elder sitting at the front, slowly opening his eyes and speaking calmly.
The ten students immediately stopped their comprehension.
After all, continuing beyond the time limit would result in immediate disqualification.
âShow me the meridian techniques youâve understood.â
The students exchanged glances, filled with competitive energy.
They each began to demonstrate Aeonic Blade Slash, and the elderâs face remained expressionless.
Unless a student truly impressed him, he had seen far too many like these.
When it came to Yue Qingliâs turn, he just stood there, unsure what to do.
The elder frowned and looked at him.
âTeacher, I couldnât learn it,â Yue Qingli hesitated for a moment and finally said with difficulty.
âThree-Eyed Demon Race members are all trash. Where do they get the confidence to try for the Sacred Academy?â
âMaybe he just wanted to try his luck. Itâs not like it costs him anything.â
The surrounding students, now more relaxed after finishing their test, began mocking him.
Many of them already looked down on the Three-Eyed Race.
The elder was slightly stunned. In all the exams he had conducted, he had only ever seen differences in how well students learned a technique, never someone who couldnât learn it at all.
âAll right, next group,â the elder waved his hand.
He signaled the nearby youths to quiet down. He didnât want to waste more time.
âTeacher, please give me another chance. I swear Iâll succeed this time,â
Yue Qingli pleaded with a pained expression.
âEveryone is treated equally. There are no second chances,â the elder said calmly.
âTeacher, please⊠Let me into Vermilion Bird Academy. I swear, Iâll work harder than anyone else.â
Yue Qingli kept shaking his head, begging.
âI believe youâll work hard, and I believe if I gave you another chance, you might learn this technique,â the elder said indifferently. âBut you must understand, weâre not just looking for people who can learn the technique, weâre looking for the best.â
Yue Qingli fell silent.
He thought of his race, of his naive but lofty childhood dreams.
Vermilion Bird Academy was his only chance.
Only by joining it could he find a broader world.
Becoming a rogue cultivator offered almost no chance to grow.
He looked up, the sky was overcast, ominous and heavy.
Transparent raindrops began to fall, cold against his skin.
âTeacher, I really have no other path. Iâm willing to bet my life and everything on cultivating. Please just give me a chance.â
Yue Qingli continued to beg.
Even though he knew there was little hope, he wasnât willing to give up.
The elderâs expression remained unchanged. He had seen all kinds of people over the years.
If he opened the door for one person, it would be impossible to close it again.
âKid, if you didnât pass, then leave. Donât waste other peopleâs time,â someone in the queue said irritably.
âThree-Eyed freaks are disgusting. No talent, and still here playing the pity card.â
âIf it were me, Iâd be too ashamed to stick around.â
âPitiful people always have some pathetic reason.â
âSomeone drag him aside. Heâs blocking the way.â
As voices around him grew louder, two students grabbed Yue Qingli by the clothes and threw him to the side.
His body slammed into the ground.
He rubbed his eyes, rainwater and tears mixing together.
The rain grew heavier. Others shielded themselves with spiritforce.
Only he was drenched like a soaked dog.
He lay there lifelessly, as if his soul had left his body.
âWang Xin, passed.â
âZhou Haoran, passed.â
âŠ
The elder continued announcing the names of those who passed. People still whispered about Yue Qingli.
But he didnât react.
There was only one thought in his mind: the chance heâd hoped for was gone.
The Three-Eyed Demon Race were born slow. Those who hadnât awakened their third eye were mocked by all races.
Even though he had tried so hard, he still hadnât changed his fate.
In the raceâs history, a few ancestors had awakened the third eye.
But even those ancestors didnât know how it had happened.
One day, it just opened on its own.
To this day, awakening the third eye remained a mystery for the race.
The cold rain on his face made him feel even more awake.
Maybe it was foolish to try and defy fate. Maybe being useless wasnât such a bad life.
The sound of footsteps, tap tap tap, reached his ears.
He suddenly realized the rain had stopped falling on him.
Yue Qingli slowly opened his eyes and saw a young man standing over him.
The man was holding up a rain cover, standing at his head.
Still lying on the ground, Yue Qingli looked up blankly at him.
âItâs you.â
He recognized the young man, he was the one Yue Qingli had stolen the money pouch from days ago.
âWhat do you want?â he asked Xu Zimo calmly.
âThere are countless paths in this world. Do you want to enter Vermilion Bird Academy that badly?â Xu Zimo asked.
âFor a rogue cultivator, what better choice is there than entering an academy? Especially for someone from the Three-Eyed Race,â Yue Qingli replied bitterly.
Xu Zimo understood. Besides these non-discriminatory academies, the Three-Eyed Race had almost no place in other factions.
All because of deep-seated bias.
âKeep working hard,â Xu Zimo said with a faint smile. âI believe that one day, the Three-Eyed Race will rise and shatter the worldâs prejudice.â
Then he turned to leave.
He wasnât just trying to comfort Yue Qingli. If the future timeline hadnât changed, the Three-Eyed Race would produce a divine figure in this generation.
That person would lead the race, once weak and overlooked, to become a powerful force.
Known far and wide!
At that time, even the Thirty-Six Empires would have to take them seriously.
Who would dare look down on them then?
âThanks. I guess weâre... acquaintances now,â Yue Qingli said.
He took Xu Zimoâs words as mere comfort.
Still, having someone speak kindly to him at such a moment was rare.
Watching Xu Zimoâs back as he walked away, Yue Qingli sat up and gave a bitter smile.
âMy name is Yue Qingli!â
âWait, Yue Qingli the Immortal God?!â
Xu Zimo suddenly stopped in his tracks, turning around in surprise.