“Both of you, don’t go onto the stage. Lu Yang, you brat have had such an eventful journey. It’s my turn to have some good luck!” Meng Jingzhou stopped Lu Yang and Zhao Po, though neither had intended to take the stage in the first place.

Meng Jingzhou was about to step onto the stage, but someone else was faster. It was a steady-looking middle-aged man with a long beard and a scholarly bearing.

The long-bearded man was renowned locally, and someone beneath the stage recognized him. “It’s Great Teacher Xiang from the Soaring Dragon Academy! He founded the academy and has mentored numerous scholars, even producing a provincial-level graduate![1] His disciples are spread across Wilderness Province, with some even serving in the imperial capital!”

“That’s not all! He’s also an orthodox Confucian cultivator. I heard one of his former students mention...