It is important for a person to have self-awareness. You are almost eighteen years old now—if you still cannot advance to the rank of Scholar this time, you will miss the golden period for cultivating as a Scholar. It will be difficult to achieve anything in this lifetime, and you may never even reach the True Person rank.

You should think carefully about whether you want to continue challenging that Superior Grade Green Lotus Sacred Stele this time.”

Susan Grant said.

“This time, I will not challenge that Superior Grade Green Lotus Sacred Stele again.”

Charles Baker said calmly.

“It’s best if you’ve come to terms with it. Among the Middle Grade Scholar Sacred Steles our Grant family possesses, the Dushan Sacred Stele is the most outstanding. If you can obtain the Dushan True Fate Dao Seal, you’ll have a better chance of advancing to True Person in the future, and you won’t spend your life in mediocrity, becoming a laughingstock.”

Hearing that Charles Baker would not insist on challenging the Superior Grade Green Lotus Sacred Stele this time, Susan Grant nodded in relief and said.

“Can I go out now?”

Charles Baker said casually.

“Even though it’s a Middle Grade Sacred Stele, you can’t be careless. You should think carefully about how to write an essay on the topic of Dushan, so you don’t end up failing even the Middle Grade Sacred Stele trial.”

Seeing that Charles Baker was still thinking about going out to drink, Susan Grant immediately said with displeasure.

“I have my own plans. You don’t need to worry about me.”

Charles Baker walked around Susan Grant and quickly left Dongxian Garden.

As for Middle Grade or Superior Grade, Charles Baker had never considered the Dao Seals of these ranks. He wouldn’t claim to be good at fighting, but when it came to literature, the number of literary masterpieces passed down through the ages by humanity on Earth is as numerous as the stars, with countless legendary works. Charles Baker had put in hard work in this area, memorizing many poems and essays. The Sacred Stele trial was no problem for him at all.

Charles Baker’s goal was not some Middle or Superior Grade Scholar Sacred Stele, but the only Saint Grade Scholar Sacred Stele in the Grant family, which was also the only Saint Grade Sacred Stele in the entire Grant family.

Chapter 2: True Fate Dao Seal

“The Sacred Stele trial is about to begin—why hasn’t he shown up yet?”

Preparing to set out for the Sacred Stele Garden, Susan Grant looked left and right but saw no sign of Charles Baker.

“Master Bai drank a lot of wine yesterday and was terribly drunk. I called him several times but couldn’t wake him up.”

The maid Little Grace said helplessly.

A layer of frost immediately appeared on Susan Grant’s face. She quickly walked to Dongxian Garden where Charles Baker lived, entered the room, and indeed saw Charles Baker still hugging his quilt and sleeping soundly in bed.

Susan Grant’s face darkened. Her slender fingers lifted in the air, and instantly five streaks of jade-green cold air bloomed like petals at her fingertips, condensing into a water lotus radiating icy chill. She pointed at Charles Baker’s face, and the water lotus immediately struck him, drenching his head and face with bone-chilling icy water.

Charles Baker sat up in bed at once, and seeing Susan Grant standing at his bedside with a cold, murderous look in her beautiful eyes, he immediately understood what had happened.

“The Sacred Stele trial is about to begin, and you’re still drunk like a pile of mud. You really are hopeless.”

Susan Grant said angrily, looking at Charles Baker.

“It’s just the Sacred Stele trial. I’ll definitely pass this time. Is this really necessary?”

Charles Baker said as he put on his coat.

“Since you were twelve, you’ve participated in the Sacred Stele trial every year. Up to last year, you’ve already failed four times. And you still have this attitude? Even with the Middle Grade Sacred Stele, I doubt you’ll succeed. Do you want to wait until next year to challenge the Lower Grade Sacred Stele?”

Susan Grant was bitterly disappointed in Charles Baker.

“If I succeed, will you agree to consummate our marriage?”

Charles Baker wasn’t angry; he just looked at Susan Grant with a smile.

“Do whatever you want. Tomorrow I’ll go cultivate at Nanli Academy. If you can’t get into Nanli Academy, don’t ever think of seeing me again in this life. I’d rather not see you at all.”

Susan Grant was utterly disappointed in Charles Baker, turned coldly, and left with a flick of her sleeve.

After getting up, Charles Baker left the house and found that Susan Grant had already gone to the Sacred Stele Garden, so he had to walk there alone.

The Sacred Stele Garden was the place where the Grant family honored the Sacred Steles. It was divided into three gardens: the Scholar Stele Garden, the True Person Stele Garden, and the Sage Stele Garden. It opened once a year for the Grant family members to advance their ranks.

Charles Baker went to the lowest-ranked Scholar Stele Garden. Most of those who came here were twelve or thirteen-year-old children, and there were also some seventeen or eighteen-year-old youths like Charles Baker, but they were all descendants of the Grant family’s servants. For someone of Charles Baker’s status, to have not advanced to Scholar at this age was extremely rare in the Grant family.

“Master Bai, are you planning to challenge the Green Lotus Sacred Stele again this year?”

A young girl about the same age as Charles Baker saw him enter the Scholar Stele Garden and asked with a twinkle in her eye and a playful smile.

“No.”

Charles Baker seemed not to notice the sarcasm in the girl’s tone. He smiled at her and replied.

This girl was Susan Grant’s younger cousin, named Emily Grant. She had passed the Superior Grade Sacred Stele trial and become a Scholar at the age of eleven. Although not as much of a genius as Susan Grant, she was still remarkably talented and a leading figure among the younger generation of the Grant family.