When the old man erged from the room, the clamor gradually subsided as all eyes turned to him.
"I shall be presiding over today’s assessnt for Bailu Academy. My na is Qi Daoming. It is a pleasure to et you all." Qi Daoming bowed with his hands clasped.
"Greetings, Mr. Qi," the crowd hurriedly replied, returning the bow.
"I can’t believe it’s *that* Mr. Qi."
"Is there sothing special about this Mr. Qi?"
"You don’t know? Mr. Qi is a Sacrificial Officer of the Confucian Academy."
"Not only that, Mr. Qi is also the junior brother of the current Academy Master of the Confucian Academy."
"Then why would Mr. Qi be a teacher at Bailu Academy?"
"What’s so strange about that? Mr. Qi enjoys traveling to study, and Bailu Academy happened to be short on teachers, so he decided to stay."
Standing in the crowd, Xiao Mo overheard the whispers and pieced together the background of this Mr. Qi. ’So, this old man is far from an ordinary teacher.’
"Today’s assessnt is divided into three parts. The first will test your scholarship. Please, be seated." Mr. Qi made a welcoming gesture.
The candidates took their seats on the cushions that had been laid out in the Imperial Examination Hall.
With a wave of his wide sleeve, Mr. Qi sent test papers fluttering down onto the small desks before each candidate. "You have two hours. You may begin."
The candidates looked over their test papers.
To Xiao Mo, the test seed quite similar to the standard imperial examinations.
The only difference was that it focused less on matters of state and more on exploring various classics of the Confucian School.
As he continued, Xiao Mo discovered the questions weren’t limited to the texts of the Confucian School; so even touched upon miscellaneous, popular books.
Two hours later, Mr. Qi collected the papers.
The test papers floated before Mr. Qi’s eyes one by one, each pausing for no more than the ti it took to take three breaths.
"Yue Penglai, pass."
"Fang Yan, fail."
"Wei Xinyu, pass."
After grading each paper, Mr. Qi would announce if the candidate had passed or failed.
When one particular paper floated before Mr. Qi, he stared at it for a full ten breaths. Even Shang Jiuli and Luo Yang leaned in, their curiosity piqued.
"Xiao Mo, pass,"
the old man finally announced.
From within the crowd, Xiao Mo bowed.
After the first test, fewer than a hundred candidates remained.
"Congratulations on passing the first part of the assessnt. That was a test of your academic knowledge. However, as you all know, the scholars of Bailu Academy are also Cultivators.
For the next part, we will test you on your cultivation."
Qi Daoming stepped forward, picked up an inkstone, and with a flick, sent its contents splashing into the air.
The ink from the inkstone separated into individual droplets that landed on the center of each person’s brow.
Xiao Mo’s consciousness began to fade.
Everyone was trapped in an Illusion Technique.
Within the illusion, Xiao Mo saw himself possessing endless glory and riches, surrounded by countless beauties and luxurious carriages, wielding power over the entire imperial court.
"Senior Brother, care to guess how many will be able to wake up?" Shang Jiuli asked the man beside her.
Luo Yang scanned the crowd. "They’re all a bunch of commoners. I doubt a single one of them can break free."
Yet, just as the words left Luo Yang’s mouth, one of the scholars in the center of the crowd slowly opened his eyes.
Luo Yang was startled. ’How is that possible?’
It had taken him half an incense stick’s worth of ti to pass this test back in his day.
’But this person... he only took four breaths?’
"It seems you’ve lost, Senior Brother."
Shang Jiuli’s face was all smiles.
But as she looked at Xiao Mo, her eyes held the sa surprise.
’This scholar... he’s not as simple as he looks.’
’Could it be? Are luxurious carriages, beautiful won, power, and money not the least bit tempting to him?’
Noticing Mr. Qi and the other two looking at him, Xiao Mo offered a bow.
More scholars gradually began to awaken, one after another.
But including Xiao Mo, there were only five in total.
Finally, Qi Daoming took a brush, ink, paper, and an inkstone from his Storage Pouch and placed them on a table:
"For this third test, would the few of you please take up a brush and compose a poem on the topic of ’Bai Xue’?"
"Yes, sir!"
The five bowed, drew lots, and then, one by one, stepped forward to compose their poems.
To the onlookers, writing a poem seed like the simplest task imaginable.
Each of the five was exceedingly confident in their own talent.
However, when the first person stepped up to the desk, pushed back his sleeves, and tried to pick up the brush, he found he couldn’t lift it at all.
Qi Daoming shook his head. "This pen is a test of Literary Qi. When a Confucian Scholar cultivates, they gradually condense their Literary Ink Qi. Without sufficient Literary Ink Qi, you can’t even lift the brush, let alone compose a poem. Young friend, please continue your cultivation and try again next ti."
Though reluctant to accept it, the man could only sigh, offer a final bow, and turn to leave the courtyard.
The second person stepped forward. He managed to lift the brush with great difficulty, but as soon as he made a single stroke, it suddenly felt as heavy as a mountain and slipped from his grasp.
The third person, nad Fang Chen, managed to write four words.
The fourth, Hu Qingshan, wrote half a line of a poem.
Although neither had completed a full poem, they had passed and were admitted into Bailu Academy.
Seeing their bewildered expressions, Shang Jiuli, who was standing off to the side, explained with a smile:
"It’s no easy feat to write a complete line of poetry with that Literary Energy Pen. In all the provinces and commanderies of the Chu Kingdom, you couldn’t find five people who could do it. That’s why being able to write just four words is enough to pass."
The two of them finally understood.
Shang Jiuli looked playfully toward Xiao Mo. "Hey, you! The handso scholar! It’s your turn."
Xiao Mo bowed and stepped forward.
The instant he lifted the brush, nearly everyone outside the Imperial Examination Hall turned to look.
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