I proved immortality through the imperial examination.

Chapter 121 A First Shot

Before long, the grand competition was about to begin.

While others were still hotly debating how arrogant Xue Xiang's boast of winning the championship was, Xue Xiang himself had long since let it go.

Even though Madam Wei told him that the winner this time would most likely be chosen from among the hereditary scholars, his hopes were slim.

Xue Xiang was not discouraged, because he had only made the statement to put Ning Qianjun down; he didn't care whether he was number one or not.

Before dawn, the bugle sounded three times, its sound penetrating to the bone.

Xue Xiang, dressed in plain clothes, walked slowly with the other students and entered the main gate of the examination hall.

With the written records in place, it's convenient for both the examinees and the invigilators.

Xue Xiang placed all his writing implements, food, and water inside. The document ring contained an array with a built-in verification function.

Anyone who wants to cheat using this method should think twice about how many heads they have.

When the candidate passes through the Dragon Gate, a wisp of blue light appears on the document ring, which proves that the candidate and the document ring match perfectly.

After passing through another doorway, a faint light emanated from a piece of bluestone, confirming that he did not possess any spatial treasures.

Passing through the series of archways, one sees a straight avenue in the center of the examination hall, paved with bluestone, with rows and rows of examination cells on both sides, densely packed like a honeycomb.

High walls loom overhead, paper banners hang low.

Looking out over the entire examination hall, it resembled a gray, lifeless wasteland, with only the faint, continuous sound of footsteps, as if one were entering a mysterious palace.

Each candidate found their own examination cell and lined up outside. Before long, the image of the sage was brought out and projected into the void.

The students then knelt before the holy image in front of their cells, praying for a smooth examination.

After a hundred breaths, the phantom image of the sage disappeared, and Xue Xiang and the others returned to their respective cells at the invigilator's command.

The cell was small, only big enough for one person to move around in.

The interior was sparsely furnished, with paper windows letting in drafts. There was a narrow stone bed, a small stone table, and an oil lamp, nothing else.

The stone table served as both a chair for answering questions and a bed for sleeping.

Above the cell door, a talisman was pasted, facing the stone table.

The only difference between this and the ancient imperial examinations in Xue Xiang's memory was that all the candidates were cultivators, and it was not difficult for them to go without food, drink, or excretion for two or three days.

Therefore, there was no chamber pot in the cell, but the mountain breeze from afar brought coolness, which was quite comfortable.

Xue Xiang immediately took out the writing implements and water from his document ring, placed them on the stone table, and sat quietly on the stone bed.

Sunlight streamed down through the opening above, illuminating the paper desk as if a knife tip had sliced ​​through it, making the inkstone appear cold.

He gently stroked the paperweight and closed his eyes to rest.

Before long, the exam papers and draft paper arrived, which were about half a finger thick. Among them was a taboo list, which recorded the words and phrases that the candidates needed to avoid.

This is the benevolent rule of the current rotating Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Pavilion. After all, the old gentleman suffered a loss back then, and a top scholar became fourth place.

Xue Xiang quickly scanned the list of taboo names and memorized it immediately.

I flipped through the exam paper again. There were no questions on the paper, only lines of answer lines and answer numbers.

Just as Xue Xiang was wondering what was going on, a beam of auspicious light emerged from the document ring and went straight into his spiritual platform.

However, the content, rules, scoring system, and other information for the first exam were released.

However, the first exam consisted of questions on the Four Books: "Zhengyan," "Shi Sanbai," "Fengya," and "Daliji."

This includes a contemporary essay and extensive detailed examination of the Four Books.

The former is a subjective question, worth 50 points, while the latter is an objective question, also worth 50 points.

Total score for a single game: 100 points.

Answering time: eight hours.

Taking advantage of his heightened spirit, Xue Xiang immediately read and answered the questions.

The topic then became clear:
As the sage said: "Nothing is more important in governance than rectifying names."

Let us use the concept of "rectification of names" to discuss the current shortcomings in the administration of the prefecture and the ways to reform them.

Xue Xiang was overjoyed, and his mind immediately recalled the overlap between the Confucian classics of his past life and the "correct words" of his time.

That phrase "rectification of names" is essentially a reinterpretation of the Analects of Confucius's "It is essential to rectify names."

After a moment's thought, he wrote on the manuscript: "Names are the foundation of governance, the beginning of its principles. If names are not established, governance loses its form; if names are misplaced, rites and music collapse, the people do not know where to follow, and officials do not know what to uphold..."

An hour later, a magnificent thousand words were written, and another half hour was spent revising and copying them.

Xue Xiang calmed his mind and entered a state of complete absorption, and after half an hour, he emerged from his meditation and reread his writings.

The more I looked at it, the more satisfied I became. The paper did not use fancy words, but every point was relevant and every sentence was about the system. It did not contain any malicious words, but it pointed directly to the secrets of human affairs.

The parallelism, allusions, and tonal patterns are all meticulously crafted.

He believed that even compared to the famous poems he usually recited, his work was on par with them.

At present, Xue Xiang has started working on questions related to the Four Books, including knowledge, annotations, judgments, and extended meanings.

Perhaps to differentiate students, the number of questions was extremely large, totaling fifty.

Xue Xiang took a sip of water, ate a piece of lard cake, and waited until his breathing calmed down before starting to answer the questions.

He quickly got into the zone, with only the scratching sound of the pen tip on the paper.

Before they knew it, it was already evening. A ray of sunset streamed in through the window and landed on Xue Xiang's shoulder, as warm as water.

Xue Xiang quietly picked up his pen and began to write. The world seemed to be silent, with only the flickering lamplight reflecting his lowered brows.

His expression was not like that of someone facing an enemy or going to take an exam, but rather like someone gazing at a pond, calm yet profound.

His strokes, like a gently flowing stream, were calm and serene, as if the entire cell was gradually sinking into a state of clarity under his pen.

Two hours later, he finished answering all the questions.

After checking it three times to make sure there were no omissions, he put the exam paper into his ceremonial storage.

Before long, a piece of writing appeared in the document ring; it was the writing he had done on the exam paper.

However, unlike the text he wrote, the text formed by the convergence of light was proper printed text.

Soon, the words formed by the gathering of light turned into light and disappeared.

A thought shot out from the document ring and entered his mind, informing him that the exam had been submitted.

"It's definitely a prefectural examination; it's much more advanced. It not only avoids the hassle of receiving the papers but also the process of having clerks copy them."

Xue Xiang secretly admired him.

With nearly two hours left before the exam ended, Xue Xiang couldn't sit still any longer, so he lay down on the stone bed and pretended to sleep.

Before I knew it, I had fallen into a deep sleep.

Meanwhile, in a quiet room in the examination hall, a hundred feet away from Xue Xiang, Xu Changying was drinking tea.

There was a double knock on the door.

He opened the door, and standing outside was Wang Zongjing, the supervisor of the exam.

Xu Changying had already grasped Wang Zongjing's intentions.

He was a member of the academy and did not need to heed the instructions of the governor.

At the same time, however, he was also a conservative and was very dissatisfied with the reform movement initiated by the central government.

From this perspective, Xu Changying and the Governor of Canglan Prefecture belong to the same camp.

Even so, he did not intend to actually interfere with this county examination.

Unless, of course, there is zero risk.

Therefore, he deliberately avoided seeing Wang Zongjing for the past day or two.

Unexpectedly, Wang Zongjing tracked him down here.

Xu Changying led him in, closed the door, and frowned slightly. "Lord Wang, the examinations are in full swing outside. Why are you here looking for me instead of supervising the examinees?"

Wang Zongjing smiled slightly and said in a deep voice, "Brother Xu, let's not beat around the bush. What do you think of what I said the other day?"

"What did you say, Brother Wang? I've forgotten."

Xu Changying made it clear that he was unwilling to engage.

The secret room was quiet, with a copper lamp burning a bluish-white flame, and an array plate embedded in the wall, from which a faint light flowed.

Wang Zongjing cupped his hands and smiled gently, "Let's not beat around the bush, Brother Xu. After this, you won't need to stay at Canglan Academy anymore."

Xu Changying stared at him, her eyes slightly shimmering.

Wang Zongjing slowly sat down. "Lord Qingcheng will be transferred."

Even the most prestigious and respected academic official cannot compare to a local governor; who wouldn't want to put their life's learning to use?

"I really don't understand, all for Xue Xiang?"

Xu Changying was puzzled. No matter how famous Xue Xiang was, even if he won the championship, he would still only be a minor county student.

"Not for Xue Xiang."

Wang Zongjing said, "It's all to change the prevailing trend. At least in Canglan Prefecture, the governor would like to see each of his privileged students taking the top spot in this prefectural examination."

"Let those reform-obsessed fools in the court see who truly holds all the talents in the land!" Xu Changying remained silent for a long time, then whispered, "What do you intend to do?"

Wang Zongjing spread out a stack of papers and pushed it over. Xu Changying glanced at it and was surprised, "This is Xue Xiangcheng's test paper?"

Wang Zongjing nodded, "Even if it's copied, the writing style, the flow of the text, the rhythm of the pen, and the structure of the narrative cannot be hidden."

Brother Xu is known for his keen eye for literature; finding Xue Xiang's exam paper would be a piece of cake for him.
Furthermore, although Brother Xu does not grade the exam papers, he is the chief examiner. A few words of critique on a single exam paper would suffice.

For Brother Xu, it was simply a matter of going with the flow, leaving no trace.

I have something to do. Looking at the time, I think quite a few people have already handed in their papers.

After saying this, Wang Zongjing got up and left, and the secret room fell silent again, with only the flickering lamplight remaining.

Xu Changying was tempted, and Wang Zongjing accurately grasped his psychology of wanting benefits but not wanting to take any risks.

And both of these points can indeed be achieved according to Wang Zongjing's methods.

Xu Changying truly lived up to his reputation as a literary expert; in less than half an incense stick's time, he found Xue Xiang's article on the examination table in room B3.

He deliberately paced back and forth in the examination hall, his eyes occasionally glancing at Xue Xiang's exam paper, secretly shocked.

He glanced at it and knew it was definitely an article worthy of being placed at the top of the list.

The old scholar Shen Mingzhou, who was grading Xue Xiang's exam papers, nodded repeatedly, as if drinking fine wine, with a pleased expression.

Xu Changying took the opportunity to approach and whispered, "Brother Mingzhou, what masterpiece has prompted you to act like this?"

Shen Mingzhou laughed and pointed to the exam paper, saying, "This paper is profound and insightful, illuminating the most obscure details and fully revealing the original intent of the sages."

The writing is elegant and refined, adhering strictly to the rules, with each sentence and paragraph forming a masterpiece, full of vivid charm.

A masterpiece, a rare gem.

"Oh? Let me see."

Xu Changying took the exam paper and quickly read it through. He was increasingly shocked. He had been reviewing exam papers for many years, and he had seen no more than a handful of city student exam papers of this level. While he was surprised, he pointed to the exam paper and said, "It is indeed a rare masterpiece, but such current opinions are out of place now."

Brother Mingzhou, according to your opinion, how many points should I grade this essay question?

Shen Mingzhou frowned. He had originally intended to give it a perfect score of fifty, but after Xu Changying's words, he pondered for a moment and said, "Forty-seven or forty-eight is certainly acceptable. But I wonder what you mean by 'inappropriate'?"

Xu Changying said, “Look at these two sentences, ‘Times change, if it benefits the people, even if it harms a hundred kings, it is acceptable’, how absurd they are.”

Currently, there is a heated debate in the court about whether or not to implement reforms, and such current affairs articles are judging too harshly.

I fear that some people might mistakenly believe that Brother Mingzhou is also a person determined to implement reforms.

In an instant, Shen Mingzhou's expression changed.

At present, the most treacherous and unpredictable vortex in the court is the struggle between the reformists and the conservatives. He is just an old scholar who is engrossed in his studies and dares not get involved in such a storm.

Before he could explain, Xu Changying had already walked away with a smile.

"That's fine."

Shen Mingzhou quickly wrote down his score for the essay, awarding it 38 points.

He didn't get a single point wrong on the other questions related to knowledge, extended meaning, observation, and judgment.

Half an incense stick later, the examiner who reviewed the paper was a pale-faced scholar named Xiang Yu. He angrily took the paper and found Shen Mingzhou. "Brother Mingzhou, have you carefully read the topic at this time?"

Shen Mingzhou nodded, and glared at Xiang Yu, saying, "This article's reasoning progresses step by step, like the sound of metal and jade, and its structure is perfectly natural."

Its insightful reasoning and sound arguments deeply capture the essence of the ancient sages, making it a truly excellent work.

The ink and brushstrokes reveal skill.

What is the rationale behind your decision to award 38 points?

Shen Mingzhou said, "This boy seems to be pandering to the reforms and has made arrogant and rebellious remarks."

Such people need to have their arrogance tempered to prevent them from making mistakes and regretting it later.

"absurd."

Xiang Yu was furious. "What kind of logic is this? The central government hasn't even decided whether the reform is good or bad. Even if we really support the reform, what's wrong with that?"

Shen Mingzhou retorted, "Since I'm the one grading the papers, I must act according to my reasoning."

If you feel it is unfair, you can also make a judgment.

According to the law, if the initial judgment and the review cannot reach an agreement, the two parties will be given scores separately, and the results will be compromised.

The adults felt this wasn't enough, so they reported it to the higher authorities.

Shen Mingzhou was timid by nature. He would rather be reprimanded by the academy than be dragged into the vortex of the struggle between the conservatives and the reformists.

Helpless, Xiang Yu had no choice but to leave with the paper, awarding a high score of 48 on the essay section.

No sooner had he finished his judgment than Xue Xiang's written record and seal revealed his performance evaluation.

Ninety-three points?

Xue Xiang sat up abruptly.

He paced back and forth in the cell, thinking, "If there's a problem, there must be a problem."

He was not arrogant, but absolutely confident.

He was confident that he would not get any of the minor questions on the off-topic topics wrong.

He was confident that his paper, while not a perfect score, definitely had the potential to be.

The score is now only 93, which shows that the essay is worth at least 6 or 7 points less.

In this highly competitive examination system, a difference of six or seven points can be considered enormous.

He suddenly remembered Madam Wei's warning and wondered to himself, "Could it be that someone is deliberately playing tricks on me?"

That's not right, the article was copied.

Unless, unless someone locks their article based on their own writing style.

"Grass!"

Xue Xiang clenched his fist.

Just then, a drum sounded outside, signaling the end of the first exam.

The cell door opened automatically, letting in a sliver of moonlight, but Xue Xiang remained motionless.

Just then, another message shot into his mind from the document ring—the results of everyone's first exam, which had been announced to the public.

Shen Nansheng gets a perfect score of 100.

Lou Changqing gets a perfect score of 100.

The two players stood side by side, and Ning Qianjun also scored 98 points.

Ling Xueyi from the demon race scored 97 points.

This achievement is terrifying for the demon race.

Besides these, Xue Xiang was also interested in Wei Wendao, Meng De, Lu Weimin, and Zhou Mengyu.

Wei Wendao scored 94 points, Meng De scored 90 points, and Lu Weimin and Zhou Mengyu both scored just over 80 points.

Xue Xiang didn't leave his cell, but Wei Wendao and the other three came looking for him.

Before anyone could even utter a sound, Ning Qianjun's loud laughter rang out, "Haha, ninety-three points! That's incredible, Brother Xue!"

When Ning Qianjun arrived outside the cell, the crowd automatically made way for him. Almost simultaneously, Shen Nansheng, Lou Changqing, and Ling Xueyi came forward to greet him.

"Brother Xue, you wouldn't be deliberately making us wait, would you?"

Ning Qianjun laughed loudly, "What literary brilliance soaring to the sky, what a dashing figure of a prefecture, it's all nonsense."

I wonder if your masterpieces were stolen from your dreams.

"Fortunately, there were scientific expeditions, otherwise, based solely on the reputation of weaving, those who could weave, perform, and promote would really have a huge advantage."

Shen Nansheng smiled and shook her head.

"Disappointed, so disappointed."

Lou Changqing lightly straightened his clothes, "I originally thought I could have a big fight, but I didn't expect to encounter such a scoundrel."

"Brother Xue, even if you underperformed, the difference is still so great. This time, you have no chance to be my opponent again."

Ling Xueyi could not hide her disappointment. After speaking, she slowly walked away.

Xue Xiang remained silent.

But the gazes around him were already closing in like swords, a mixture of mockery, surprise, pity, and schadenfreude.

Wei Wendao, Meng De, Lu Weimin and the others had already surrounded him, their faces grim. Lu Weimin couldn't help but take a step forward, but Meng De grabbed him.

"It's not yet time."

"but……"

"Wait for him to speak up."

Sure enough, the next moment, Xue Xiang finally looked up. His gaze was no longer deep and unfocused, but rather like a sword that had been pressed to its limit, suddenly drawn from its sheath, revealing a cold glint.

(End of this chapter)