"Examination over, collect the papers."
As the three incense sticks burned out, the supervising senior brother called to everyone.
The examinees' papers were collected one after another.
"Phew."
Xiao Mo also breathed a sigh of relief, grasping his sleeve to wipe the perspiration from his forehead.
Actually, compared to others, Xiao Mo was already doing quite well.
Many scholars after finishing the exam didn't even have the strength to stand up.
Even those who could stand walked very unsteadily, their pale faces looking as if they had been attended to by all the won in a brothel.
Xiao Mo received a token and went to the academy's guest quarters to rest. Tomorrow at the hour of chen, the list of those who passed the first round would be announced.
That night, the academy's teachers were grading the examinees' papers.
Regardless of whether these examinees persisted to the end, their papers all needed to be reviewed.
However, examinees who didn't persist to the end basically couldn't pass the first round but those scholars who submitted papers at the end didn't necessarily all pass either.
Among these examinees who persisted through three incense sticks:
So examinees' handwriting was dignified and intact at the beginning, but later, one could clearly feel their stamina failing, and their handwriting beca increasingly erratic.
So examinees persisted until the three incense sticks ended, but didn't finish answering the questions at all.
So examinees wrote well from beginning to end and finished all questions, but their thoughts were clearly becoming chaotic toward the end.
Of course, there was no shortage of scholars who truly completed their papers. The number wasn't many, approximately fifty people, accounting for only one-tenth of the examinees.
"This scholar answered quite well." Academy Administrator Sima Yun looked at this examination paper with full approval.
"Indeed quite good." Academy Administrator Xu Ke nodded. "I also looked at this paper. Setting aside the dignified handwriting and clear thinking from beginning to end, his research into Confucian learning is profound, even having a mature quality."
"Isn't this Xiao Mo Senior Brother Qi's disciple?" Yu Wen asked.
"Yes." Sima Yun nodded. "Senior Brother Qi indeed took a good disciple, and this Xiao Mo seems to be that Demon Empress of the North Sea's beloved. She's a wealthy, powerful great beauty, truly enviable."
"I also heard Wang Quan ntion that this young man is researching sothing called 'Mind Learning.'"
"Mind Learning? What kind of learning is this?"
"Learning he created himself. After Wang Quan returned to the academy, he ntioned it during casual drinking conversations. I can only say... it's sowhat heretical."
"But Senior Brother Qi also said that if he truly succeeds on this path, he might beco the first Confucian Sage in these two thousand six hundred years."
"Hahaha, beco a sage? Let him pass the day after tomorrow's assessnt first." Yu Wen shook his head and marked "Qualified" on Xiao Mo's paper. "We only grade people's papers, examining only scholarship, not asking about other matters."
The next day, Xiao Mo got up early and received a letter.
The letter inford him that he had passed the assessnt. Tomorrow at the hour of chen, he should go to the peak of Study Sea Peak to participate in the second round of assessnt, which was also the final round.
Xiao Mo felt no particular joy about passing the assessnt.
On the contrary, if he couldn't even pass the first assessnt, that would truly bring sha to Teacher Qi, and he wouldn't have the face to return.
On the third day at the Confucian Academy, at the hour of chen, Xiao Mo went to the peak of Study Sea Peak.
Compared to the several hundred scholars from the day before yesterday, only sixty-three people ca to this place.
"This second assessnt is about to begin."
Yesterday's elderly teacher stepped forward to explain the rules to everyone.
"Do you all see that mountain peak directly ahead? That mountain peak is called Seeking Knowledge Peak. There are so trees at the summit. What you need to do is very simple, that is, wave a page-turning wind once. If more than ten trees are moved, then you pass."
Hearing the elderly teacher's words, everyone couldn't help but frown.
The so-called page-turning wind was a technique that Confucian scholars would naturally master when they cultivated to a certain level.
The strength of the page-turning wind was related to the Confucian scholar's realm and comprehension of the Confucian Dao.
This elderly teacher made it sound simple, but in reality, that Seeking Knowledge Peak was a full five hundred zhang away from Study Sea Peak, and that mountain peak also had isolation formations.
Moreover, their group's realms were all at the Dragon Gate realm, making their page-turning winds very weak, so moving the trees would definitely not be easy.
"Assessnt begins, in order." Teacher Yu Wen clasped his hands behind his back and stepped aside.
The first scholar stepped forward. He took a deep breath, waved his sleeve, and an invisible page-turning wind blew toward Seeking Knowledge Peak, but the trees and plants at the summit didn't move at all.
This scholar's face instantly turned pale.
"Next." Yu Wen shook his head.
The second scholar stepped forward and waved his sleeve. This ti, there was movent at Seeking Knowledge Peak's summit, but only three or four trees swayed in the wind.
"Next."
"Next."
As Yu Wen called out repeatedly, half of the scholars participated in the assessnt one after another. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ nοvelfire
Among these thirty-plus scholars, only three passed.
Soon, only Xiao Mo remained on the entire mountain peak.
Excluding Xiao Mo, a total of seven scholars passed the assessnt, with the best perforr moving fifteen trees at the summit.
"You're Xiao Mo, right? You're the last one." Yu Wen stroked his beard as he looked at Xiao Mo.
Xiao Mo bowed and walked to the cliff's edge.
Looking at that nearby mountain peak, Xiao Mo raised his arm and lightly waved his blue robe.
At the sa ti, at Flower Bright Peak of the Confucian Academy.
All the "Righteous Gentlen" were sitting on cushions, heads bowed as they worked on examination papers.
The blazing sun beat down on their foreheads. Unable to resist the heat with spiritual power, they could only wipe away their perspiration on their own.
"Damn it! When this young lady becos the dean of one of the four great academies soday, I'll definitely change these rules. What 'toiling the muscles and bones, starving the body'? This is just eating bitterness for no reason!"
Shang Jiuli deeply exhaled hot breath and wiped the perspiration from her forehead.
"Shang Jiuli, no muttering during the examination!" the academy libationer at the front reminded.
Many people looked toward Shang Jiuli.
"Bleh!" Shang Jiuli made a face at the academy libationer.
Luo Yang, sitting beside Shang Jiuli, shook his head, feeling sowhat ashad, pretending not to know this junior sister but just then, a refreshing breeze blew over.
This breeze was more refreshing than ordinary sumr winds and even carried hints of ink fragrance.
The Confucian classic placed at the very front by the academy libationer was gently turned by the breeze.
"What a comfortable page-turning wind."
Shang Jiuli enjoyed this comfortable page-turning wind, her eyes involuntarily narrowing.
"It seems to carry Junior Brother Xiao's scent too."
The academy libationer also looked up toward the direction of nearby Seeking Knowledge Peak.
The entire mountain peak, with all its flowers, grass, and trees, danced as if in joy.
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