Someone nearby cheered, “Samuel Thompson is absolutely right! All of us are honestly waiting in line, so why should David Brooks get to go in early? Is it just because his father is James Brooks?”

“Everyone knows David Brooks’s imperial Ying bloodline is unremarkable—he’s a total good-for-nothing. If he were a genius like Charles Johnson or Samuel Thompson, we’d accept him going in early. But both Mr. Thompson and Mr. Johnson are right here—what right does he have to go in first?”

For a moment, the crowd was in an uproar, and even Mr. Miller found it hard to handle.

James Brooks said quietly, “Forget it. Mr. Miller’s care for Ning’er is appreciated. Let’s just follow the rules.”

Mr. Miller nodded, “Very well.”

David Brooks shot a fierce glare at Samuel Thompson and Charles Johnson—these two idiots must have forgotten the pain once their wounds healed! He was about to take his place at the end of the line when, suddenly, the previously silent Charles Johnson shouted, “Why was David Brooks arranged to go in early? There must be something fishy going on here.”

Mr. Miller’s expression changed, and the boys in line suddenly understood: “That must be it! David Brooks’s aptitude is terrible—he’d never pass the entrance test. They must be secretly helping him get in.”

“Tsk tsk, having a good father really pays off—he can even pull strings in the county academy.”

Mr. Miller shouted angrily, “Nonsense! The county academy has always been fair—how could we ever do something so corrupt?”

In reality, it wasn’t just their county academy; the other three major sects had also discussed it with James Brooks in advance. No matter what, they would make sure David Brooks passed.

David Brooks looked at Charles Johnson and Samuel Thompson, sneering inwardly, but for now he kept his composure.

One of the boys called out, “Everyone in the county knows David Brooks is useless. But the entrance test is done individually—if he passes, how can we accept it?”

Mr. Miller took a deep breath and declared, “Since that’s the case, we’ll bring out the celestial sundials and conduct the entrance test in front of everyone. None of you will have anything to say then!”

Sure enough, the boys had no more arguments and began whispering among themselves.

Mr. Miller seemed angry as well. With a wave of his hand, he ordered, “Get everything ready inside. Bring out all the celestial sundials so everyone can see each person’s aptitude.”

“At your command!” The county academy disciples in charge of the entrance test immediately brought out the sundials from the ten testing rooms and lined them up in a row in the academy courtyard. “Sir, everything is ready.”

Mr. Miller gave a cold laugh, “Let’s begin!”

David Brooks was at the end of the line. James Brooks, in a voice only the two of them could hear, said, “Don’t worry, you’ll definitely pass.”

David Brooks was surprised, “You can even cheat at this?”

James Brooks looked at the boys and sneered, “Do you know why our ancestors insisted on using the celestial sundial for the entrance test, even though we already have the divine stone?”

David Brooks was speechless: So that’s how it is!

Actually, the entrance test was very simple: place both hands on the center of the sundial. There were nine stone rings from the inside out—the more rings you could turn with all your strength, the better your aptitude.

Different academies and sects would fine-tune their sundials according to their own techniques and attributes, so the aptitude measured by the sundial was slightly different from that of the divine stone, and was best suited to their own sect. Of course, there was also the most secret reason that James Brooks had just mentioned—everyone knew it, but no one said it out loud.

Ten boys stepped forward at a time, and soon over a hundred had been tested. However, most of these disciples’ aptitudes were only average, with most able to turn fewer than three rings.

The faster the same number of rings turned, the better the aptitude.

After a hundred people, some talented youths began to stand out. One boy managed to turn four rings in one go, which roughly corresponded to the green glow of the divine stone!

“Good!” Cheers erupted all around. The boy, a bit shy, stepped back, and Mr. Miller nodded and smiled, clearly favoring him.

David Brooks, sharp-eyed, actually spotted Henry Carter among the crowd. This poor boy stepped up and managed to turn five rings in one go—an astonishing feat that made several of the academy’s assistant instructors nod repeatedly and privately agree to keep a close eye on him.

Henry Carter forced himself to stay calm as he stepped down, but his slightly trembling hands gave him away. David Brooks clicked his tongue: Who would have thought this kid had such good aptitude?

After another round, it was Samuel Thompson’s turn. As he stepped up, several of his followers shouted, “Let Mr. Thompson show them how it’s done!”

Samuel Thompson placed both palms on the center of the sundial and pushed with all his might. The stone rings of the sundial made a rough grinding sound as they slowly began to turn.

The innermost ring spun faster and faster, quickly passing to the second and third rings, and even the fourth ring was spinning rapidly. But just as it seemed he might move the fifth ring, he ran out of strength and regretfully stopped at the fourth.

Samuel Thompson felt a bit disappointed, but being able to turn the fourth ring was already an outstanding achievement. Before stepping down, he glanced—perhaps intentionally—at David Brooks, his lips curling in pride.