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After settling down in Tian Xing Town that day, Yu Xiaogang and Flender headed to the examination site of the Truth Pavilion.
Looking at the dazzling golden and opulent Truth Pavilion, Flender once again felt envious.
"Is this the depth of the continent's number one neutral force? It's so extravagant!"
Yu Xiaogang gave Flender a disdainful look. His partner was good in every way except for being overly greedy.
Since the Truth Pavilion had only recently been established, and most soul masters were still semi-literate, very few people came to register for the exams.
Under the guidance of the receptionist at the front desk, Yu Xiaogang quickly began his assessment.
Having grown up with poor cultivation talent, Yu Xiaogang had spent a lot of time studying the books in his family's collection. In his own view, achieving a doctoral degree would be easy—but that wasn't enough. His true goal was to become a Grandmaster.
Moreover, the recruitment announcement stated that candidates for the Grandmaster and Sage degrees could apply directly. Eagerly, he submitted the theory he had prepared during his journey.
As the newly established Truth Pavilion was still a makeshift operation, the examiner naturally was Ye Wen.
"The Auxiliary Nature of Weapon-Type Martial Souls Outweighs Beast-Type Martial Souls?"
The title sounded professional, but Ye Wen wondered about the content. He began reviewing it with a muttered sigh.
"What is all this conjecture? Is the person who wrote this really studying martial soul theory?"
Speechless, he flipped to the end and saw the signature.
Yu Xiaogang?
Ye Wen sighed, rubbing his temples.
"Why is this unlucky fellow here again? I already helped him restore his cultivation ability—why is he still writing these nonsensical things? The entire piece is full of guesses. Can't you provide an actual example?
The only somewhat credible data here is copied from other books without even citing sources. Your plagiarism is outrageous.
Do you think I haven't read those books?"
For someone like Ye Wen, who had achieved fame and success, exchanging some non-secretive books with major powers was a simple task. An ordinary person might have let Yu Xiaogang slip through unnoticed.
Ye Wen stamped "Review Not Passed" on the cover, added a brief comment, and returned the manuscript. With his current status, there was no need to get entangled with Yu Xiaogang.
Since Ye Wen was busy and the Truth Pavilion didn't receive many applicants, the results reached Yu Xiaogang the next day.
Seeing the glaring words "Review Not Passed," Yu Xiaogang felt his eyes nearly burst with rage, his whole body trembling.
"Why! My theory is flawless—how dare you reject me? Tell me why!?"
The receptionist calmly picked up a sheet of paper to shield herself from Yu Xiaogang's spittle and said coolly,
"Sir, I understand you're upset, but please calm down.
The reasons for your disqualification have been thoroughly explained by Master Ye Wen. They are entirely reasonable and justified. Please don't cause trouble."
"It's impossible! I've studied this theory for a long time—it's perfect. How could there be any problems? Master Ye Wen must have misplaced something during the review process!"
Even now, Yu Xiaogang didn't dare openly challenge Ye Wen's decision. Instead, he vented his frustration in a tone of reluctant hope.
The receptionist found this situation tiresome. Lately, there had been quite a few self-proclaimed geniuses submitting their theories, only for them to turn out to be complete nonsense.
She handed the paper to Yu Xiaogang and said,
"I don't fully understand your theory because I'm just an ordinary civilian without soul power.
However, Master Ye Wen has clearly outlined the requirements for writing papers on this sheet. Please take it home, review the feedback, make revisions, and resubmit. Also, Master Ye Wen suggests you first pass the Scholar-to-Doctoral examinations before submitting again. Don't aim too high."
Yu Xiaogang glanced at the note written below the "Review Not Passed" stamp. It was indeed as she said. Feeling both ashamed and frustrated, he reluctantly accepted the paper and began reading it carefully.
Guidelines for Writing Papers
Requirements for Evidence in Papers
Standards for Paper Review
Yu Xiaogang patiently read through everything, as he considered himself a cultured individual.
According to Ye Wen's standards, his paper was indeed subpar.
Especially the part about providing citations when presenting evidence—it emphasized respecting the contributions of previous theorists and avoiding plagiarism, which was considered unethical.
This revelation left Yu Xiaogang blushing with shame. He had always thought of the books in his family's library as his own and hadn't considered such details.
However, he still failed to realize that his theoretical direction was fundamentally flawed. Weapon-type martial souls weren't merely more auxiliary in nature—they could also dominate beast-type martial souls after reaching the Soul Sage level.
But considering that Yu Xiaogang came from a beast-type martial soul family, Ye Wen wasn't surprised by his ignorance. After all, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect's obsession with its reputation as the top beast-type martial soul had warped its internal perspective.
Still, the thought of returning to his family to add citations he had overlooked made Yu Xiaogang feel a headache coming on. He hadn't finished wandering outside yet, and going back now might lead to being forced into marriage.
However, earning a doctoral degree first wasn't a bad idea. At least it would raise his social status. When introducing himself to others, he wouldn't just be known as part of the Golden Duo—he could also boast the title of "Martial Soul Doctor."
It certainly sounded better than the original story's "Big Wet."
Yu Xiaogang's vanity began to stir again.
With that in mind, he got to work.
But Yu Xiaogang's arrogance once again led to his downfall.
His theoretical knowledge was undoubtedly solid, so he quickly passed the Scholar examination and received a black iron badge shaped like a book, inscribed with the word "Truth."
The degree system corresponded to five levels, each represented by a specific material:
Black Iron – Brass – Silver – Gold – Exclusive Jade.
Each badge also featured a unique projection soul-guidance array on the back to prevent forgery.
Though Yu Xiaogang initially looked down on the badge, he became curious and, under the receptionist's guidance, projected his information onto it.
In an era where soul-guidance technology wasn't widely available, seeing this display piqued Yu Xiaogang's interest in Tian Xing Academy's resources.
However, the next day, during the Bachelor examination, Yu Xiaogang stumbled.
The Bachelor examination was relatively lenient. Candidates simply needed to write down a method for cultivating up to the Soul Sage level, provided it was well-reasoned and supported. Before the exam, the receptionist even handed him a detailed explanation sheet.
Yu Xiaogang knew he couldn't write about the exclusive cultivation methods of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect—it was a core secret of the family.
But thanks to his extensive reading, he was familiar with other cultivation methods and confidently wrote them down.
Unfortunately, his habit of being overly didactic got the better of him. While writing about the cultivation method for a high-level plant-type martial soul, he inadvertently suggested acquiring beast-type martial soul spirit rings.
Needless to say, he failed miserably.
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