I walk sideways in the game world

Chapter 253: Encountering Trouble in the Mansion

Ren Xiaoyao endured the severe pain in his foot, pulled Xia Lin behind him, and scanned the black-clad men who were gradually approaching with his sharp eyes.

"You clowns think you can stop me?" Ren Xiaoyao sneered, his tone full of disdain.

Before he finished speaking, he moved, leaping out like a cheetah, the long sword in his hand transformed into streaks of silver light, weaving through the dense forest. Screams rang out one after another, and the men in black didn't even have time to react before they were all slaughtered by Ren Xiaoyao.

"Brother Xiaoyao, are you okay?" Xia Lin asked worriedly, looking at the wound on Ren Xiaoyao's foot, her eyes full of heartache.

"It's okay, just a minor injury." Ren Xiaoyao shook his head, took out a bottle of medicine from his arms, and treated the wound simply.

He knew this was just the beginning. The journey to higher education was long and dangerous, and what awaited them would be even more severe tests.

They fought their way through the dangerous jungle, crossed the turbulent river, and finally arrived at the university located on the top of the mountain at dusk.

The university is magnificent, simple and elegant, shrouded in clouds and mist, like a fairyland.

Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin arrived at the gate of the academy, and two disciples in green robes blocked their way.

"Are you two here to take the entrance examination?" asked one of the disciples.

"That's right." Ren Xiaoyao nodded.

"Please show us your ID tokens."

Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin each took out their token and handed it to the disciple.

The disciple checked it carefully and let it go only after confirming that it was correct.

"Go in, keep going along this road, and you will see the place where the assessment is."

After expressing their gratitude, Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin walked into the school.

The place for the entrance examination is a spacious and bright hall. Many people have gathered there. They are all talented young people from various places. They are all high-spirited and confident.

Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin found a corner to sit down and waited quietly for the test to begin.

Not long after, an old man in a gray robe walked up to the high platform in the center of the hall. His hair and beard were white, and his face was thin, but his eyes were bright, as if he could see through people's hearts.

"I am Mo Wen, your mentor." The old man spoke slowly, his voice deep and powerful. "Today's assessment is..."

Master Mo paused, glanced at the people in the audience, and then slowly said, "Solve the problem."

As soon as he finished speaking, several disciples carried several huge stone slabs onto the platform. The stone slabs were densely engraved with various strange symbols and figures, which were dazzling.

"What kind of topic is this?"

"How come I've never seen it before?"

The people in the audience immediately started talking, their faces full of confusion.

Ren Xiaoyao looked at the questions and frowned slightly... The atmosphere in the hall gradually became solemn.

Ren Xiaoyao's eyes were fixed on the questions on the slate. The strange symbols and shapes danced before his eyes like tadpoles, making him dizzy. He tried to search his previous knowledge for the answers, but he had no clue. These questions were completely beyond his comprehension.

He rubbed his brows, trying to calm himself down. He knew that at such a time, he couldn't lose his composure.

Looking around, she saw all the other students buried in thought, their pens scratching against paper. Occasionally, someone would scratch their head, their face filled with anxiety and frustration. Charlene's brows were furrowed, her pen pausing mid-air, her delicate face etched with embarrassment.

"How is it? Brother Xiaoyao, have you solved it?" A sarcastic voice came from the side.

Ren Xiaoyao knew who it was without even looking up. He turned to look in the direction of the voice, only to see Senior Brother Yun looking at him with a playful expression, his eyes full of mockery and disdain.

"Can't solve it? I told you, a country bumpkin like you, how could you possibly solve such a complex problem?" Senior Brother Yun sneered, "I advise you to give up now, or you'll be embarrassed later."

Ren Xiaoyao ignored his provocation and continued to study the problem at hand. He knew that Senior Brother Yun was deliberately trying to disturb his mind, and he would never let him succeed.

"Hey, you're still not convinced?" Seeing that Ren Xiaoyao was unmoved, Senior Brother Yun became even more angry. He pointed at a question on the slate and said sarcastically, "I can solve this question with my eyes closed, and you..."

Before he could finish his words, he saw Ren Xiaoyao suddenly raise his head, with a gleam in his eyes.

"Shut up." Ren Xiaoyao spat out two words coldly, his tone full of warning.

Senior Brother Yun was stunned for a moment, then flew into a rage: "You..."

"If you want to argue, I'll be there after the test." Ren Xiaoyao interrupted him without hesitation. "Now, please shut up and don't interrupt me while I'm solving the problem."

Senior Brother Yun's face turned livid with anger, but he could do nothing about it. He snorted coldly, turned his head away, and ignored Ren Xiaoyao.

Ren Xiaoyao took a deep breath and focused all his attention on the problem at hand. He knew that now was not the time to act rashly. What he had to do was to solve these problems as quickly as possible and prove his strength.

As time passed, the atmosphere in the hall became more and more tense, and beads of sweat appeared on Ren Xiaoyao's forehead.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him, as if he had grasped a key clue. He picked up a pen and quickly began to calculate on paper...

"Wait," Xia Lin, who had been silent the entire time, suddenly spoke up. "Brother Xiaoyao, look..." Ren Xiaoyao was furious. Senior Brother Yun's provocation was like a buzzing fly, disrupting his thoughts. But he knew every second counted and couldn't afford to lose the bigger picture. He forced himself to ignore Senior Brother Yun's presence and focus entirely on the problem at hand. The complex symbols and diagrams seemed to come alive, tumbling and dancing in his mind, but he couldn't piece together a complete answer.

As time ticked by, the atmosphere in the hall grew increasingly tense. Most of the sand in the hourglass had already drained away, leaving them with little time. Ren Xiaoyao felt a tremendous pressure pressing down on him, making it nearly impossible to breathe. He felt his heartbeat quicken, and his palms began to sweat. The air around him seemed to thicken, making him feel suffocated.

He reviewed the problem on the slate again and again, trying to find a way out. However, the symbols and diagrams were still like incomprehensible text to him, leaving him with no clue. He felt his mind had reached a dead end, with no way out.

"Brother Xiaoyao, look..." Xia Lin reminded softly, trying to pull Ren Xiaoyao out of the predicament.

Ren Xiaoyao suddenly raised his head and looked at where Xia Lin was pointing. It was a question about formation deduction, one of the difficult problems he had never been able to solve.

"Look at the patterns on this formation," Xia Lin pointed at a detail on the stone slab. "Does it resemble the illusionary formation we encountered in the Misty Forest?"

Ren Xiaoyao followed Xia Lin's line of thought, and his mind suddenly flashed back to the time when they encountered the illusion array in the misty forest. That time, if Xia Lin hadn't discovered the flaw in the array in time, they might have been lost in the forest.

"You mean..." Ren Xiaoyao's eyes gradually lit up.

"I just think there is some similarity. You need to take a closer look to see whether it is true or not." Xia Lin said softly.

Ren Xiaoyao took a deep breath, suppressed the turmoil in his heart, and focused all his attention on the formation problem. He carefully observed the patterns of the formation, and his mind kept recalling his experience in the misty forest.

Time ticked by, and the sand in the hourglass was almost gone. Just when everyone thought Ren Xiaoyao was about to give up, he suddenly moved. He picked up a pen, dipped it in ink, and began writing rapidly on the test paper.

His movements were smooth and seamless, as if he had a plan in mind. However, only he knew that he was not completely sure, he just caught a glimmer of inspiration and wanted to give it a try.

"Time's up!" Just when Ren Xiaoyao was about to complete the last step, Master Lin's loud voice rang out in the hall.

The tip of Ren Xiaoyao's pen paused in mid-air. He looked up at Instructor Lin, his eyes filled with reluctance and... a hint of determination. Ren Xiaoyao's pen hovered in mid-air, ink dripping from the tip, leaving a dark mark on the test paper. His brows were furrowed, but his gaze was unusually bright, as if he had caught a glimmer of light in the darkness.

"Time's up!" Instructor Lin's loud voice echoed in the hall, like an invisible wall, suddenly pulling Ren Xiaoyao back to reality from the ocean of thoughts.

The hall was completely silent, with everyone's gaze fixed on Ren Xiaoyao. There was curiosity, confusion, anticipation, and even mockery. Senior Brother Yun's lips curled in a scornful arc, as if he had already foreseen Ren Xiaoyao's failure. Junior Sister Su clasped her hands together, her eyes filled with anxiety and worry.

"What? You can't write anymore?" Instructor Lin's sharp gaze swept over Ren Xiaoyao, his tone stern. "I've said before that this entrance exam is no joke. Without real talent and knowledge, you won't be able to enter our Qingyun Academy!"

"It's not that I can't write it," Ren Xiaoyao put down the brush in his hand, raised his head, and met Instructor Lin's gaze with a firm look, "It's just that I'm still missing the last step of deduction."

"Oh? There's only one step left?" Instructor Lin raised his eyebrows slightly, obviously surprised by Ren Xiaoyao's words. "Then tell me, what's the last step?"

Ren Xiaoyao took a deep breath and pointed to the question on the test paper about deducing formations. He said aloud, "This formation may seem complicated, but it actually contains hidden secrets. I have already deduced most of the changes in the formation, but this last step..." He paused, his eyes sweeping across the people in the hall, finally landing on Xia Lin. "It will take some time to verify."

"Verify?" Senior Brother Yun sneered. "I see you have nothing to say and are deliberately stalling for time. Do you want another hour?"

"Brother Yun, you're wrong," Master Mo, who had been silent the entire time, suddenly spoke up. "Since Ren Xiaoyao said there's only one step left, why not give him a chance to complete the deduction?"

Senior Brother Yun wanted to say something more, but Master Mo stopped him with a look. He could only shut up in frustration, but his eyes towards Ren Xiaoyao were filled with resentment.

"Master Mo..." Instructor Lin looked embarrassed and was about to speak, but was interrupted by Master Mo raising his hand.

"Master Lin, rules are life, but people are life," Master Mo said in a gentle tone, yet with unquestionable authority. "When we at Qingyun Academy recruit students, we value their potential and understanding, not their immediate gains or losses. I believe that with Ren Xiaoyao's talent, he will surely bring us surprises."

Instructor Lin pondered for a moment, then finally nodded and said, "Okay, since Master Mo has said so, I will give you another stick of incense. But if you still can't finish it, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

Ren Xiaoyao cast a grateful glance at Master Mo, then picked up the brush, stared intently at the test paper in front of him, took a deep breath, and put pen to paper...

Outside the window, a ray of sunlight pierced through the clouds, illuminating the hall, making Ren Xiaoyao's back appear exceptionally slender. The brush in his hand seemed to have transformed into a divine weapon, as he swished effortlessly across the exam paper. Each character was like a dancing spirit, brimming with spirituality and vitality.

Everyone held their breath and stared at the pen in Ren Xiaoyao's hand, as if witnessing the birth of a miracle.

The time of a stick of incense passed in a flash, and the last wisp of smoke in the incense burner slowly dissipated...