"What a magnificent hall!"
Tang Yi marveled, taking in the sight of the Divine Will Hall.
"Let’s go inside, Brother Tang Yi," Wang Bi’Er said.
Tang Shu glanced at the disciples guarding the entrance to the Divine Will Hall. "We aren’t disciples of the West Mansion yet," she said, turning to Wang Bi’Er with a worried expression. "Can we really go into the Divine Will Hall? It looks like it’s guarded. They won’t let us in, will they?"
The two guards had arrogant expressions and fierce eyes. They looked like trouble, and the sight of them made Tang Shu feel a little intimidated.
"We can," Wang Bi’Er said with a nod. "The Outer Mansion Eight Palaces are all in competition with one another. So every year, during the House Entrance Examination, the Eight Palaces open their main halls to the examinees. It lets everyone experience the wonders of each palace and helps attract new recruits. Otherwise, after passing the exam, why would the top-scoring examinees choose to join your palace?"
"Oh." Tang Shu nodded, showing she understood.
"Let’s go in, then," Tang Yi said. He was also extremely curious what it was like inside the Divine Will Hall and how the Dui Palace disciples cultivated there.
The group walked toward the Divine Will Hall, but the two guards paid them no mind. It seemed Wang Bi’Er was right—the hall was currently open for anyone to look around.
Once inside the Divine Will Hall, the group saw that the main hall was incredibly spacious. Even if several hundred examinees were to enter at once, it wouldn’t feel crowded. It was decorated resplendently, exuding an air of grandeur at a single glance. The decor and layout certainly lived up to their expectations.
However... as grand as the Divine Will Hall was, it was also a bit too desolate. For such a vast hall, there were only a handful of examinees scattered about, and not a single Dui Palace disciple was in sight.
This confirmed what Wang Bi’Er had said: Dui Palace ranked last among the Outer Mansion Eight Palaces. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be so deserted.
Tang Yi’s group stood out the moment they entered. After all, even if Tang Shu, Wang Bi’Er, Tang Baijie, and Mu Xianling weren’t Celestial Immortals, the four young women were all strikingly beautiful.
The four of them standing together were quite a sight.
"Brother Tao, look. Those babes are gorgeous."
As Tang Yi’s group entered the hall, one examinee stared at Mu Xianling and the other three women, speaking to the examinee next to him.
Besides Tang Yi’s group, there were a few other examinees already in the hall. Judging by their attire, which was different from that of the Thirty-six Cities of the North District, they must have been from other regions.
They had arrived before Tang Yi’s group and had clearly already toured the Divine Will Hall. So, instead of looking around curiously like the newcomers, they stood calmly in the center of the hall, wearing expressions that screamed, ’I’m the best and I know everything.’
"Yeah, not bad at all."
The examinee known as Brother Tao glanced at Tang Yi’s group and nodded at his companion in agreement.
Then, he called out to Tang Yi’s group, "Hey, you lot over there! Yes, I’m talking to you. What district are you from? What brings you to the Divine Will Hall?"
The examinee known as Brother Tao was named Liu Tao, and he was from the East District. He had placed fifth in his city’s qualification exam, a truly impressive achievement.
To put it in perspective, the East District had a total of 3,000 qualification spots, with each city getting over a hundred. To place in the top one hundred out of several thousand examinees—let alone fifth—meant Liu Tao was truly one of the elites, a man of real skill.
As a result, he tended to look down his nose at everyone, his tone dripping with arrogance. Even now, as he questioned Tang Yi’s group, his voice carried an imperious tone, as if they had no choice but to answer him.
But Tang Yi’s group merely glanced at Liu Tao and his friends before ignoring them completely. They turned and, following Wang Bi’Er’s lead, headed for a narrow passageway on the far right side of the Divine Will Hall.
There were three passageways in the main hall. The first was incredibly wide, its floor paved with golden tiles, exuding opulence.
The second passageway, while not as wide as the first, was profoundly deep. It was pitch-black in the distance, making it impossible to see where it led. Furthermore, its floor was paved with tiles made of some sort of transparent, jade-like material.
Both of these passageways were sealed, and examinees were forbidden from entering.
Only the third passageway, a narrow and unremarkable one, was open. This was the one examinees were allowed to enter, and it was the one Tang Yi’s group was heading for.
According to Wang Bi’Er, this passage had been set up specifically for examinees to experience the wonders of Spiritual Power.
"Hmph. Pretty cocky, aren’t they?"
Seeing Tang Yi’s group ignore him and walk straight past, Liu Tao snorted, his expression souring.
However, Tang Yi’s group had already entered the passageway, so Liu Tao couldn’t very well follow them in to start trouble.
"Brother Tao, judging by their clothes, they seem to be from the North District," said an examinee with shifty, rat-like eyes who was following Liu Tao. He glanced in the direction Tang Yi’s group had gone, thought for a moment, and then spoke.
This shifty-eyed examinee was named Qian Xiaoliu. He had decent Talent and was sharp-witted, making him a difficult character to deal with. After all, was anyone who qualified for the House Entrance Examination ever a simple person?
Yet, Qian Xiaoliu was content to be Liu Tao’s lackey. He was Liu Tao’s number one bootlicker, hanging on his every word. He often schemed for Liu Tao, and, of course, had kissed up to him countless times.
"North District?" Liu Tao paused, then let out a cold laugh. "Heh, well that makes things simple. I was just wondering if I should bother making trouble for them for daring to ignore me. Now it’s settled. Since they’re from the North District, there’s no need for me to hold back."
"Exactly! When they come out, we’ll humiliate them properly. And if they don’t know what’s good for them, we’ll just teach them a lesson on the Martial Arts Arena!" Qian Xiaoliu chimed in.
"Mm, that could work." Liu Tao nodded. Then, as if a thought occurred to him, he added, "They went in there to test their Spiritual Power, right? I wonder how strong it is."
"How strong could it be? Not as strong as yours, Brother Tao. A genius like you, who has reached the third level of Spiritual Power Cultivation without ever practicing it, is one of a kind," Qian Xiaoliu said, laying on the flattery.
"But of course. Don’t they know who I am? I’m Liu Tao! Who doesn’t know that Liu Tao is a peerless genius?" Liu Tao said with narcissistic flair.
"Brother Tao, you’re amazing! If I were a woman, I’d marry you in a heartbeat!" Qian Xiaoliu added another layer of flattery.
"Get outta here. Take a look at yourself. Even if you were a woman, I wouldn’t want you. Those girls from before, though... they were another story," Liu Tao said with disgust. He then glanced in the direction Tang Yi’s group had gone and licked his lips, as if savoring the memory of Mu Xianling and the others’ beauty.
"Don’t worry, Brother Tao. Once you show them your true power, you think those girls won’t fall for you? How could a couple of pretty boys like them be worthy of four beauties? They should all be yours, Brother Tao," Qian Xiaoliu said.
"Mm, you’re right. I’ll put on a good show later. I refuse to believe they won’t be captivated by my charm." Liu Tao nodded, thoroughly enjoying Qian Xiaoliu’s bootlicking. At the same time, he began to eagerly await the moment Tang Yi’s group would emerge from the passageway.

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