That's it? She passed just like that? No one assessed by Mu Liufeng had passed before, and today he decides to pass someone for such a flimsy reason? Ling Chuxi's jaw dropped. She recalled how Mu Liufeng had attacked her earlier on-his murderous aura, the destructive force of the suppression her set upon her. The ferocity and uncalled for nature of Mu Liufeng's actions as an examiner could very well make someone without strong willpower decide to stop cultivating altogether. Mu Liufeng was clearly not a good person. He had no scruples with behaving in such a dangerous manner at all. Had he never thought of the aftermath of his actions? Did he not have to consider the consequences if he happened to provoke a candidate with an illustrious background? What would happen then? What exactly was this man's whole deal?
What on earth did he have up his sleeve that he could act so pompous without a care?!
Endless questions ran amok through Ling Chuxi's head like a bull in a china shop, but the one she wanted answered the most was this: Why did Mu Liufeng just let her pass all of a sudden? She was the first person he'd ever bestowed this honor upon. What an incredible feat! Ling Chuxi wondered if the academy's principal and teachers would gouge their eyes out at the sight of the situation unfolding before her right now. She had a feeling nobody would believe a man as depraved as Mu Liufeng would actually have allowed someone to pass the entrance examination.
"Now, quickly child, tell me how you knew I was wearing a mask? This isn't just any kind of mask-it is a very exquisite one! The person who gave it to me could be said to be rather ingenious. There is no other mask in the world like this. It's one of a kind." After he had glided over to Ling Chuxi's side, Mu Liufeng cawed away excitedly like a crow bragging about its plunder. As he spoke, he took the mask off and flipped it around in his slender hands, utterly unable to comprehend how Ling Chuxi was able to catch what no one else had.
Without his mask on, Ling Chuxi was able to perceive Mu Liufeng's real face. The moment she did, she found herself a little stunned.
Why, what a handsome devil this man was! Mu Liufeng was in fact inhumanly attractive. He had a fair face, a high nose bridge and sensuous lips. His eyes in particular were so striking, they seemed capable of stealing away one's soul. Was this what the pinnacle of attractiveness across all living creatures looked like?
"Hurry up, tell me how you knew. What gave it away?" asked Mu Liufeng urgently as he paraded the mask about in front of Ling Chuxi. When he received no reply to his inquiry, he turned over to look at Ling Chuxi who was gaping at him in disbelief. Mu Liufeng puffed up in pride at the sight of her expression and blurted out happily, "Pfft. And you were calling me hideous earlier. What about now then? Would you still call me that? Don't you suddenly feel as though you had terrible eyesight before? You can now finally see how cool and suave and handsome and extraordinary I am!"
One could almost see the ellipses forming above Ling Chuxi's head as she stared at Mu Liufeng, speechless. Just as she thought she could never meet a man even more vain than the rest of the peacocks she'd encountered... she did. To be as smug as he was, Mu Liufeng must really be asking for a beating.
"Let me guess. Can I now also finally see that you're oh so tall, dashing, and elegant with a charming demeanor that could outlast centuries alongside a frighteningly imposing yet endlessly lovable aura topped off with majestic and incredibly unreal good-looks?" replied Ling Chuxi disdainfully with a scowl.
"Oh, my child, how perceptive you are! Where are the lies, indeed. Excellent. Now, since you have been so honest, I find it in my heart to make an exception in this case and take you on as my disciple! You have earned the right to call me master! Mu Liufeng was so overjoyed at hearing Ling Chuxi's compliments in addition to already being impressed she managed to figure out he was wearing a mask that he came to this impulsive decision straightaway. So wide was Mu Liufeng's self-indulgent smile that his eyes were now shaped like crescent moons.
"Huh?!" Ling Chuxi was properly stunned at this turn of events. She was being sarcastic! Sarcastic, all right?! She wasn't praising Mu Liufeng at all with those words. She felt as though Mars had just collided with Earth. Mu Liufeng's vanity was truly of a different realm.
Though Ling Chuxi realized she would never know the answer to this, she couldn't help but wonder how other people would react upon hearing the news that Mu Liufeng had taken her on as a disciple. Perhaps gouging their eyes out would be too elementary a reaction at this point. They might then take to running into walls to smack themselves out of the alternate reality they'd found themselves in where Mu Liufeng had not only passed a candidate, but had also taken on said candidate as his disciple.
"Tsk. What kind of a response is that? You wicked disciple. I am your master and you will address me as such! Then with great haste, I bid you to tell me how you figured out I was wearing a mask." Mu Liufeng refused to move on from the tangles of this question until it was answered. "There were even pores detailed into the face of this mask. It's as real as it gets. How exactly were you able to tell?"