Several days later, Mo Hua followed the Taoist Court’s carriage to Azure Cloud Sect in Azure Mountain City.
Since he was only there to participate in the examination, the entourage was not large; only a few Enforcement Leaders from the Taoist Court and his father, Mo Shan, accompanied him.
The carriage was exclusive to the Taoist Court, and the horses that pulled it were nurtured by cultivators, having ordinary bloodlines and not considered valuable.
The carriage bore the Taoist Court’s flag; traveling on main roads, it generally did not invite trouble.
This was Mo Hua’s first long journey.
He sat inside the carriage, lifted the curtain, and stuck out his little head to watch the scenery along the way.
Whenever he encountered anything novel or unfamiliar, such as strange and peculiar cultivators, he would turn his head to ask his father, Mo Shan:
"Dad, what mountain is this?"
"Why are there no fish in this river?"
"Why is that cultivator carrying a big sword?"
"And what are those red things being sold by the roadside?"
...
Mo Hua kept asking questions throughout the journey, and Mo Shan patiently explained:
"This is Qingping Mountain, the river is poisonous so there are no fish, the cultivator carrying the sword works as a mercenary, and those sold by the roadside are the unsatisfying ’mountain delicacies’..."
Mo Hua asked all the way, and Mo Shan answered all the way.
The journey was bumpy, but also smooth sailing, and after three days, they reached Azure Cloud City.
Azure Cloud City was larger than Tongxian City and the streets were more spacious, but it was not as bustling; although some of the goods sold on the street stalls were novel, most were similar to those in Tongxian City.
After turning a few streets, they could glimpse in the misty clouds on Qingping Mountain, a majestic sect.
Azure Cloud Sect.
This was the largest sect in the Black Mountain State Boundary, a Second-Grade prefecture.
The sect was Second Grade, with more than ten Foundation Building Cultivators, and it was said that the Supreme Elder was even in the late stage of Foundation Establishment.
However, all this had nothing to do with Mo Hua; he was only there to take an exam.
The Taoist Court’s Formation Master Grading took place every few years at irregular intervals, on specific dates decided by the Heaven Shu Pavilion of the Taoist Court.
The Heaven Shu Pavilion would select the examination venue, and Formation Masters who were eligible for grading would gather from each state to participate in the examination.
Generally, the venue would be at a sect or a prominent clan.
This year, the chosen site was Azure Cloud Sect.
Upon entering Azure Cloud Sect and dismounting the carriage, disciples of the sect approached to inquire about their purpose.
A young Enforcement Leader from Tongxian City said, "We are here to participate in the Formation Master Grading."
The disciple’s attitude became more respectful as he said, "Please," and led Mo Hua and others to an elegantly decorated hall on the left-hand side.
Inside the hall were many cultivators sitting on rosewood chairs, drinking tea while waiting.
"Before grading, you must present a letter of recommendation, which will be registered by our sect’s Elder. Once the Taoist Court’s examiners confirm there are no errors, you may join the Formation examination at the main peak of Azure Cloud Peak, Wenxian Palace, the day after tomorrow."
The disciple reminded them and, after saying this and bowing, took his leave.
Mo Hua and the others sat down to drink a cup of tea while waiting.
Meanwhile, Formation Masters registered in turn.
Having nothing better to do, Mo Hua was curious about what would be asked during registration, but despite straining his ears, he couldn’t hear anything.
Only when he expanded his Divine Sense did he realize that a Sound Isolation Formation was placed around the area.
The formation was simple and posed no challenge for Mo Hua, but out of respect, he withdrew his Divine Sense and sat down properly, waiting quietly.
After a while, about half the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, it was his turn.
Accompanied by Mo Shan, Mo Hua handed over the letter of recommendation to the registering Elder.
The Elder was of middle age, with a cultivation level of Qi Refining Ninth Level, seemingly not very senior, which suggested he had been recently promoted, hence he was assigned to do the registration work.
He looked at Mo Hua with a hint of suspicion, took his letter of recommendation, and his eyebrows knit together instantly. After a moment of thought, he tentatively asked:
"Which one of you is Mo Hua?"
Mo Hua said, "Me."
The Elder asked again, "Then which one of you is taking the exam?"
Mo Hua replied again, "Me!"
The Elder glanced at Mo Hua, then at the letter of recommendation, back to Mo Hua, and once more at the letter of recommendation... After a long while, he asked:
"How old are you?"
Mo Hua declared, "I’m thirteen!"
The Elder’s expression became incredibly complex for a moment.
He then looked toward Mo Shan and asked, "Are you this child’s father?"