30 first place

Several examiners simultaneously directed their gaze towards Zuo Dao's exam paper, and after a moment, they all looked surprised.

"This is..." the ponytailed female examiner said in astonishment, "Is this the principal's Clearing and Purifying Breathing Technique? Did you teach Zuo Dao?"

Zhao Shouyi shook his head, "The knowledge from the Sky Theft Diagram isn't easily taught to those who aren't students of the Four Great Taoist Schools. I haven't even taught it to my grandson, how could I have taught it to him?"

"It's not the Clearing and Purifying Breathing Technique." The male examiner, Xing Jun, with eyes as sharp as blades, remarked, "Although it bears some resemblance, it's cruder and more primitive. At most, it has only thirty to forty percent of the effect of the Clearing and Purifying Breathing Technique."

"He must have comprehended it from the Sky Theft Diagram," Lv Chongyang sighed, "This boy's comprehension is too strong. I remember that Teacher, your Clearing and Purifying Breathing Technique was also learned from the Sky Theft Diagram in the past, right."

Zhao Shouyi nodded with satisfaction, looking at Zuo Dao's paper with even greater admiration. After glancing at his previous scores, his love for talent grew, "Not bad, this talent and creativity are comparable to when I was young."

The ponytailed female examiner said, "Then he's the top scorer, right?"

Xing Jun nodded, "With a Primordial Spirit value of 105 and a Dao Transformation Rate of 1%, achieving this before enrollment, his being the top scorer is indeed indisputable."

"Not necessarily," another examiner, who had not spoken, said, "Look at this."

Another exam paper was passed up, with just a single line of text, but it left the five people present stunned.

"The Dao that can be spoken of is not the eternal Dao. The name that can be named is not the eternal name."

After a long while, Zhao Shouyi slowly said, "These two lines are vast in conception, surpassing Zuo Dao by a fine margin."

The ponytailed female examiner said, "Principal, this unclear sentence is going to surpass Zuo Dao's Clearing and Purifying Breathing Technique? It might not be convincing enough. It's too obscure. Who knows what the candidate was thinking when he wrote it?"

Saying this, she turned to look at Xing Jun, "Xing Jun, don't you think so?"

'These two lines...' Xing Jun looked at the sentence on the exam paper, his expression subtly changing, but he did not answer the female examiner.

Zhao Shouyi smiled, looked at the female examiner, and said, "Yuzhen, what do you think this sentence means?"

"It seems to be a Breathing Technique too, but it's not clear. I don't think he understood it himself. It can't be used for cultivation. How can it surpass Zuo Dao?"

Zhao Shouyi looked at Lv Chongyang, who was beside him, and said, "What about you?"

Lv Chongyang frowned, "It seems like a form of swordsmanship, but just a summary."

Another examiner said quietly, "I think he is talking about the way of runes, but it's just a vague insight."

Seeing the shocked expressions of the other four examiners, Zhao Shouyi said calmly, "This sentence summarizes the entire content of the Sky Theft Diagram, but because this candidate's cultivation is insufficient, he could only express it in these two lines. It's like he has just begun to understand the Sky Theft Diagram."

Lv Chongyang said, "Such comprehension surpasses Zuo Dao. Let me see... Zhou Bai, with his performance in the first two rounds, he is more than qualified to be the top scorer."

The braided Yuzhen retorted, "It's just a flash of inspiration. Zuo Dao has a Primordial Spirit value of over 105, and he has already entered the Dao even before enrollment. If he's not the top scorer, who can be?"

"The top scorer of the entrance test cannot be judged solely by cultivation," Lv Chongyang said after looking at the name on the test paper, "Moreover, Zhou Bai has an iron will..." As he spoke, he recounted Zhou Bai's performance in the second round, which drew admiration from the other examiners.

Sun Yuzhen said, "The Zuo Family has always been loyal. Now Zuo Dao is the only child of the Zuo Family. If he cannot become the top scorer with a Primordial Spirit value of 105, we would be drowned by the military's complaints."

Lv Chongyang retorted, "The road of cultivation is long. When did family background ever matter? Did we ever call our parents for help when we were cultivating?"

Watching the increasingly heated argument between the two, Zhao Shouyi said, "Since we cannot reach a consensus, let's decide by voting."

Saying so, with a wave of his hand, the scores of Zuo Dao and Zhou Bai from the first two rounds were displayed on the screen.

Sun Yuzhen said, "I vote for Zuo Dao."

Lv Chongyang said, "Zhou Bai."

Another examiner said, "Zuo Dao, I suppose."

Sun Yuzhen looked at Xing Jun, who hesitated briefly, looked at Zhou Bai's sentence again, and softly said, "Zhou Bai."

The next moment, the four examiners all turned their gaze to Zhao Shouyi.

...

In the resting lounge, the examinees gradually grew perplexed.

"Why is it taking so long?"

"Didn't they say it would be done in half an hour?"

Jing Xiu curiously watched the big screen, "Brother Zhou, it's almost an hour now. Why haven't the scores been released yet?" She then turned her head and noticed that Zhou Bai was already lying on the ground, perplexed, "Brother Zhou, why are you lying on the ground!"

Zhou Bai pursed his lips, glanced at the unmoving laziness value, and said casually, "Since idle time is wasted time, I might as well cultivate a bit."

Jing Xiu looked at him with admiration, "Brother Zhou, you are so diligent."

Just then, the big screen began to flicker, and countless names and numbers started to jump on it.

Jing Xiu excitedly said, "It's coming, it's coming! Brother Zhou, the rankings are being announced! Your scores were so good in the first two rounds, you will definitely make it to the top ten."

Zhou Bai also looked up. Although he was determined when copying the Tao Te Ching, he now had some doubts about whether it would resonate with the examiners.

Caught in his anxieties, he looked at the scoreboard. Jing Xiu happily exclaimed, "Haha, I'm ninth! I made it to the top ten; my parents will be overjoyed!"

The next moment, she continued looking, "Third place, Qian Wangsun."

"Second, Zuo Dao."

"First... Zhou Bai?"

Jing Xiu looked at Zhou Bai with admiration and said in awe, "Brother Zhou, you're first! You're the top scorer!"

Zhou Bai was momentarily stunned, then calmly said, "Not bad, the examiners this year are quite competent."

"Cut," Christina disdainfully commented internally, "This Zhou Bai guy, using the auxiliary system he's cheated all the way through.

"The first round, he maxed his Primordial Spirit value to 99 in ten days.

"In the second round, he used the auxiliary system to confirm his unchanged Primordial Spirit value and truly couldn't run anymore...

"The third round, who knows where he got his insights from.

"He cheated and lazed his way to the top in the entrance test... The Donghua Dao School has truly fallen. Ugh, I haven't been able to help at all. I thought this exam would make Zhou Bai rely on me more."

With the rankings announced, the top six hundred were naturally joyful, while the bottom six hundred looked worried and sighed internally.

Zhao Shouyi and the other four examiners came out together and addressed the examinees, "Everyone, the results of this year's exam are out. Those who passed, don't get complacent. The Dao sea is boundless, and getting in is just the beginning. You have many hardships ahead, so keep striving, and I hope to see you at the graduation ceremony."

Then he turned to the failed candidates, "Those who didn't make it, don't be discouraged. You defeated many other examinees to become part of this thousand and two hundred. It already proves your talent and resolve. You have another chance next year. Even if you miss the Dao School, the Heavenly Court has countless positions needing you.

"To fight against the Heavenly Demon, to reclaim our homeland, to protect our loved ones, humanity needs everyone's strength. I hope that even if you didn't get into the Dao School, you can still shine in other fields and fight for humanity's future."

In times of great war, everything prioritized efficiency. After those few words, Zhao Shouyi dismissed the examinees.

As for the successful candidates, they had one day to prepare before officially enrolling and starting their Dao School journey the day after.