Chen Shi was utterly stunned and imdiately stood up.
"Didn't you see that?"
He shouted accusingly at the Bixie and Fuxi beasts, "We're cheating! He's writing the interpretation for !"
The Bixie and Fuxi beasts paced with solemn dignity through the great hall.
An examiner barked, "No shouting! Sit down!"
Chen Shi was about to speak again when Zhang You chuckled, "Provincial Graduate Chen, sit down. This very hall is built for cheating. Even if you handed in a blank paper, or wrote seditious words, what gets submitted would still be a perfectly safe, flowery essay. You would still be on the list."
Chen Shi's eyes widened in disbelief. "This hall is built for cheating?"
Zhang You smiled, "We scions of the Thirteen Great Clans have always taken our exams in this hall. This literary test is just for show, for outsiders. There should have been thirteen of us here. This year, there are two more, making fifteen. We just didn't expect the other twelve gentlen to vanish without a trace, leaving only the three of us."
He glanced at the Young Master. Those twelve missing individuals were originally the Young Master's allies.
The reason he himself wasn't dead was because he wasn't the Young Master's ally; he wasn't at Qixia Taoist Temple when Chen Shi stord it.
The Young Master sat there, watching the clerk writing for him, and said, "Does Provincial Graduate Chen feel this is unfair? Don't forget, you too are enjoying this unfairness. You are also one of us."
Chen Shi sat back down. After a mont of silence, he said with so sadness, "My father was just outside, telling how fair and serious this grand examination is, how these two divine beasts would see everything clearly, and that no cheating thod, not even using ghost gods, could escape their notice. He just never imagined that upon entering this hall, even the all-seeing Bixie and Fuxi would help you cheat. He always believed the literary test of the tropolitan examination was fair."
"No whispering." The examiner said expressionlessly.
Ignoring the examiner, Zhang You smiled, "That's precisely why your father's essays were so renowned in the Western Capital, making paper there expensive. His essays ca from genuine feeling and substance, unlike ours, which are just stereotypical eight-legged essays written by these clerks."
Chen Shi sighed softly, "What can provincial graduates from humble backgrounds use to compete with the great clans? Like my father, he was deceived his whole life."
He recalled how seriously and solemnly Chen Tang had forbidden him from bringing various weapons, and couldn't help but feel sorrow for the other provincial graduates in other examination halls.
They thought the literary test was a fair grand examination. In the martial test, they might not match the scions of the great clans, but in the literary test, they were confident they were no weaker than anyone.
They endured years of hardship studying, believing that mastering the sages' teachings could be effectively applied to cultivate oneself, regulate the family, govern the state, and bring peace to the world.
Such naive scholarly idealism!
The Young Master turned to look at him, "That's why we need the True King to retake control of the court to set things right. Provincial Graduate Chen, Brother Zhang You, you should assist !"
Chen Shi said indifferently, "Have you washed your neck clean yet?"
The Young Master sighed, sowhat plaintively, "Your prejudice against remains so deep."
Chen Shi looked at his own exam paper. The clerk, deaf to their conversation, was still writing furiously, crafting parallel prose, exceedingly ornate but utterly empty of substance.
"And his understanding of the classics is wrong too. 'Thunder in the sky, Great Strength. The noble man does not tread where propriety is lacking.' He thinks this ans thunder is in the sky, so the noble man does not do improper things. That's a huge mistake."
Chen Shi sneered inwardly, "This line clearly ans: when encountering soone who lacks propriety, first lay down thunder in the sky to prevent them from projecting their Primordial Spirit or Nascent Soul, then stir up your blood and qi to strengthen your body, and use courage and strength to knock the opponent down, trampling the improper person underfoot! This is clearly the sage teaching us how to fight, how to defeat an opponent."
He sighed inwardly and whispered, "They just don't want to beco the top scholar, to deprive of the chance to display my talent."
He felt disheartened. With the Thirteen Great Clans controlling the court and distorting the sages' teachings, what good would it do even if he wrote the best essay? The top three positions in the literary test were decided in this hall, but he definitely wasn't first.
The three clerks soon finished writing their exam papers, placing them before the three n, weighed down by paperweights.
After one hour, the examiners collected the papers, only then allowing them to leave the examination hall.
Chen Shi walked out of the Ministry of Rites, feeling the outside sunlight was piercingly bright.
Chen Tang walked up, sowhat anxious but still maintaining a steady, unhurried, deliberate composure. "How did it feel?"
Chen Shi's expression remained normal. "Not bad. It was a topic Scholar Zhu had covered."
Chen Tang visibly relaxed and smiled, "If Scholar Zhu covered it, then there's certainly no problem. His talent and insight are extrely high. When he taught back then, I originally thought he was just an ordinary ghost scholar. I never expected that from the county and provincial exams all the way to the tropolitan and palace exams, I would overco every obstacle, rarely eting a match."
Father and son walked and talked. Chen Shi said, "Scholar Zhu's learning is so good. He taught you, taught Fifth Uncle, and also taught . Grandpa probably studied with him too. Why did he hang himself outside Huangpo Village?"
Chen Tang was slightly taken aback. He had thought about this question but had no answer.
Scholar Zhu had high talent, strong power, and various profound, unfathomable secret arts. Logically, such a peerless master would never hang himself.
Yet he did just that.
And when he hanged himself, he was still just a xiucai, not a top scholar or second-place graduate.
What made him lose all hope, willing to die?
"I don't know," Chen Tang said.
Chen Shi said, "I didn't know the answer before. But today, after taking the grand examination, I finally know."
Chen Tang looked at his son's profile, feeling he had matured a great deal.
In the afternoon, the martial test was held at the Divine chanism Battalion's training ground outside the Western Capital city walls.
The Divine chanism Battalion training ground was a firing range, a place for shooting guns and cannons.
This was the technique test, examining spells.
Targets were set up on the mountains east of the Western Capital, divided into ten-li targets, twenty-li targets, forty-li targets, sixty-li targets, eighty-li targets, and hundred-li targets.
Each location had twelve targets. Each target had a number written on it, with warriors holding flags waiting beside them. If a target was hit, a yellow flag would be raised; if missed, a white flag.
The test objective was simple: stand on the altar in the training ground and, within the ti it takes for one stick of incense to burn, hit these six targets, with no limit on attempts. Any spell could be used.
Chen Shi arrived at the examination ground. Looking into the distance, the ten-li target was already as small as a needlepoint to the naked eye, invisible to ordinary people. Only by using talismans like Heavenly Eye Talismans or Divine Eye Talismans could one see it clearly.
The twenty-li target required projecting one's Nascent Soul to see clearly.
To see the hundred-li target clearly, one probably needed a Primordial Spirit.
And the spell range limit for a Spirit Transformation realm cultivator was precisely a hundred li.
But this technique test wasn't just about distance; accuracy was also crucial. Once a spell was cast, reaching a hundred li away, controlling its accuracy was fundantally very difficult. Thus, even for provincial graduates at the Spirit Transformation realm, it was no small challenge.
If one hadn't cultivated a Nascent Soul, hitting even the ten-li target was hopeless.
The literary test was extrely strict, but the martial test was extrely relaxed. The area outside the field was packed with people, all common folk of the Western Capital who had co to watch the spectacle.
Many provincial graduates were taking the technique test before Chen Shi. Twelve graduates stood on different altars, numbered. The graduates concentrated their spirits, summoned their Nascent Souls or Golden Cores, and activated their spells.
Their spells also varied: wind, fire, water, thunder, saber, spear, sword, halberd, and even unorthodox spells like ghost-driving or object-teleportation.
So talisman masters drew talismans in mid-air, displaying extrely high talisman artistry, casting spells with talismans, which was quite dazzling.
However, among the twelve graduates, only five hit the first target, and only two hit the second target.
No one could hit the third target. As for the fourth, fifth, and sixth targets, they were out of the question.
After this group of graduates, another twelve graduates ca to the altars. The chief examiner lit a stick of incense, letting the twelve graduates do their best.
Among these twelve graduates, one practiced the Flying Head Technique. Suddenly, his head flew off his neck, carrying his throat bones, heart, and liver, soaring through the air—a truly eye-catching sight.
Chen Shi moved closer, stood on tiptoe, and peered into the headless torso. He saw that after the man's head, heart, and liver flew out, no blood flowed from within his body, and his other organs were still functioning.
"Don't fly too far, be careful of other people's spells hitting you!" An examiner, kind-hearted, reminded him.
The man's head flew halfway when suddenly his heart and liver fell down, having been hit by soone's spell, though it was unclear whose.
Once the heart and liver fell, the head also dropped. The headless body frantically stood up and ran towards where his head and organs had fallen. After running several dozen zhang, suddenly blood gushed like a fountain from his neck. He fell to the ground with a thud, dead.
The watching crowd outside the field gasped in shock, and the buzz of discussion grew much louder. Divine chanism Battalion warriors then raised signs calling for silence.
The next group of technique test graduates were much more steady. It was the group Chen Shi had brought.
Soon, all twelve hit the ten-li target, drawing the chief examiners' attention.
Then, these twelve also hit the second target, causing an uproar. Many examiners hurriedly checked the backgrounds of these twelve, only to find they were not from great clans.
For the third target, two missed.
For the fourth target, three more missed.
Many examiners were astonished. People outside the field also whispered and discussed animatedly. Logically, in the tropolitan examination, graduates from poor backgrounds were just foils for the scions of the great clans. The most exceptionally talented among them might only hit the first or second target. Hitting the third was unthinkable!
But this ti, among twelve, most actually hit the third target!
Then, exclamations rose from the crowd. Four people hit the fifth target!
"These four have reached Nascent Soul realm completion!"
Many examiners were each astonished, looking at these graduates.
The cultivation techniques these twelve graduates practiced were absolutely no worse than those practiced by great clan scions; they could even rival the techniques practiced by the core disciples of the great clans!
The remaining four graduates each activated their spells. Streaks of spells shot through the air, leaving trails of light as they charged towards the hundred-li target!
After a mont, the warriors standing by the targets raised white flags. All four spells had missed.
The four graduates were downcast. However, the examiners were exceptionally surprised. Although their spells missed the target, the distance their spells traveled wasn't far from the hundred-li target!
This indicated that although these four graduates were at the Nascent Soul realm in cultivation, their actual strength was extrely close to the Spirit Transformation realm!
The cultivation techniques they practiced must be extraordinary!
The twelve graduates stepped down from the platform. Passing by Chen Shi, they saluted him.
"Instructor!" "Instructor!" "Instructor must take the top scholar title!"
Chen Shi nodded to them one by one, puzzled inwardly: "Why are they calling Instructor? Have they also joined the Celestial Court? No, they probably joined the Red Mountain Hall Talisman Master Association. I'm the temporary instructor at the Red Mountain Hall Talisman Master Association, receiving fifty taels of silver per month."
At that mont, another twelve graduates ascended the platform.
Uproar erupted once again. The ten-li target—none missed!
The twenty-li target—none missed!
The thirty-li target—none missed!
This group of twelve graduates actually perford even better than the previous group, with five people hitting the fifth target!
Only the sixth target, being the spell range limit for the Spirit Transformation realm, remained beyond them. Even though they were extrely outstanding, they couldn't make their spells span a hundred li!
The twelve graduates stepped down from the altar. Passing by Chen Shi, they all saluted.
"Instructor!" "Instructor!" "Instructor will achieve the Triple First!"
Chen Shi watched them leave.
The graduates who took the stage afterward brought wave after wave of shock. Though at the Nascent Soul realm, their strength was so great it rivaled masters at the Spirit Transformation realm!
And these people often ca from the countryside, had no background, ca from poor families—their parents fard or ran small businesses in rural areas, and they themselves worked in lowly professions like talisman masters, alchemists, or carpenters.
They even surpassed the scions of many minor great clans!
What shocked the examiners even more was that there were simply too many such graduates!
In the past, one or two such rural graduates appearing was already remarkable. Such graduates would later be placed in important positions.
But now, there were already dozens, and the number was rapidly increasing!
These graduates, when stepping down from the altar, would always pass by Chen Shi and respectfully call him "Instructor"!
"They are the graduates Chen Shi brought to the Western Capital!" soone exclaid in shock.
Chen Shi was quite moved. This scene made him happier than achieving top graduate in the tropolitan exam or the Triple First!
These graduates who had journeyed with him to the Western Capital had not buried their talent in this grand examination, had not failed the expectations of their elders. This tropolitan examination would surely leave a glorious page in history because of the dazzling performance of these poor students!
He smiled. What was the point of one person becoming the top scholar?
Bringing two or three hundred graduates together, all passing as Presented Scholars, squeezing out many scions of the great clans—now that was interesting!
At that mont, he sensed a pair of eyes resting on his back. Chen Shi turned to look, eting the Young Master's gaze.
That gaze was cold, filled with chill, holding no more intention to recruit him. Instead, it was full of wariness and apprehension.
Chen Shi smiled faintly and ignored him.
Suddenly, a huge commotion erupted all around. Many graduates, examiners, and people outside the field stood up.
So activated Heaven's Eye-type spells, so summoned mirrors, others simply grew a third eye on their foreheads, or had eyes grow on their hands. They all looked towards the hillside a hundred li away, scrutinizing carefully.
"Soone hit the hundred-li target!"
"It's not soone from a great clan!"
"It's a girl, very pretty!"
People exclaid in shock.
Chen Shi looked. On the altar, Hu Feifei stood valiant and heroic, her face not without pride.
"Did Sister Feifei sneak in?"
Chen Shi was stunned, thinking, "Does Uncle Hu really know high officials in the Western Capital, managing to slip her in?"
Finally, it was the turn of Chen Shi's group of graduates, which included the Young Master and Zhang You.
Chen Shi stood on Altar Number Two, looking towards the target a hundred li away. He activated a Heaven's Eye spell, and the hundred-li target beca clear and distinct.
The Young Master was on Altar Number One, Zhang You on Altar Number Three.
Suddenly, the Young Master raised his hand. Flas filled the sky, sweeping forward, incinerating the first and second targets along the way. They swept forward like a force crushing dry weeds and rotten wood, reaching the sixth target a hundred li away!
On the hillside, twelve yellow flags were raised.
The Young Master stepped down from the altar and said indifferently, "Chen Shi, I helped you hit the target, so you don't need to bother."
Chen Shi watched his retreating back. The Young Master felt the killing intent radiating from Chen Shi's eyes, so intense it made him highly tense, his back stiffening.
Sweat broke out on the Young Master's forehead. His walk was no longer natural; his steps beca strange, twisted.
"Having soone else take the test for you doesn't count."
At that mont, the voice of the Vice Minister of Rites rang out, shouting, "Chen Shi retakes the test."
This shout dispersed Chen Shi's killing intent. Chen Shi withdrew his gaze, glanced at the Vice Minister of Rites, then suddenly raised his hand. Countless pieces of rubble in the field rose into the air, whistling away, striking directly a hundred li away, passing through target after target without a single miss!
Chen Shi turned and stepped down from the platform. On the hillside, yellow flags were raised high one after another.
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