I proved immortality through the imperial examination.

Chapter 49 Pearl
Xue Xiang waved his hand, and a ball of literary energy floated over. He took the only two purple literary energy balls and one black literary energy ball, and threw the rest to Lu Weimin. "Brother Lu, go and divide them up. No matter what, everyone has contributed."

He certainly considered taking it all for himself, but the cost-effectiveness was too low.

Ultimately, these literary styles can't be taken out into the world.

In this realm, if we compare the quality and quantity of literary talent, he firmly believes that he is the best.

It's better to use the money to win people's hearts than to take more than to gain a bad reputation.

Lu Weimin was deeply moved. After declining the offer for a while, he loudly recounted the story and praised Xue Xiang's character.

In an instant, the group of dejected people were in high spirits and praised Xue Xiang without reservation.

If before it was just forced gratitude, now it's genuinely heartfelt.

After Lu Weimin finished distributing the profits, he urged Xue Xiang to leave quickly.

He and Xue Xiang should team up; as for the others, they shouldn't get involved.

Unexpectedly, the others also became less reserved this time and all asked to join them.

Everyone experienced the dangers of falling into the sea.

Although the writing is excellent, it cannot even overcome the obstacle of falling into the sea, so there's nothing more to mention.

"Brother Xue, rest assured, everything will be done according to your wishes. We'll just play a supporting role and eat the leftovers. We have no objections whatsoever."

The speaker was Kan Jiachan from Foshan City. Born into a prestigious family, he was always arrogant and haughty, but this time he was so well-behaved that no one dared to recognize him.

Everyone readily agreed.

Unable to refuse, Xue Xiangwan had no choice but to set off with her group of dependents.

Along the way, under Xue Xiang's leadership, the group captured two more literary energy clusters.

Xue Xiang, having already amassed a considerable number of followers, began to win people's hearts and distribute literary energy extensively.

Before long, his team expanded rapidly, to the point that nearly half of the trial participants joined the team.

Half an hour later, all the trial participants gathered in a sea area that shimmered with golden light.

Upon hearing Lu Weimin recount the events, the group of Confucian scholars from Yunmeng loudly complained about the injustice, arguing that the benefits that were rightfully theirs had been taken by outsiders.

Wei Wendao also sighed deeply, regretting that he should have known better than to rush to conquer Wenqi and instead went to find Xue Xiang first.

Amidst the cacophony of voices, the sea ahead suddenly trembled violently, and a golden light slowly rose from the seabed.

In an instant, all the floating literary energy around them converged towards the golden light.

Golden light suddenly burst forth, transforming into billions.

Instantly, the distant sea was filled with purple and golden spiritual energy, all of which were covered by a white halo.

This means that all these literary styles can be conquered.

In addition, a pure golden aura attracted everyone's attention.

The outer ring of that pure golden aura was also covered by a white halo.

Compared to the quietness of other literary energies, that golden literary energy rose and fell, trembling and leaping, as if it were alive.

As they traveled, everyone was searching for literary energy to conquer. Conquering black literary energy was already no easy feat.

Now, with purple and gold hues everywhere, how can one not be captivated by the literary atmosphere?

"The fierce wind carries the Heaven-Slaying Sword, I cross..."

Some people couldn't resist starting to chant, preparing to be the first to grab it.

"Shut up! Liu Shan! Brother Xue hasn't even moved, are you looking for death? Are you in such a hurry to go back and cut sugarcane?"

"Indeed, such a strange sight must be hiding a horde of demons below. Would we rush over to our deaths? Let's see what Brother Xue has to do."

"Brother Xue, we all admire your skills. You lead the charge, and we'll all follow. Of course, we can't let you suffer a loss for nothing. Once we're out of here, we'll each give you five spirit stones, how about that?"

"Five coins are too few. We can't even spend two days at the Flower Shop. I suggest ten coins."

"What kind of metaphor is this?"

"…………"

Everyone made their bids, and Xue Xiang was secretly delighted, as if he had just acquired a concubine.

Just then, Wei Wendao shouted, "Stop talking nonsense! Brother Xue is a role model for us all. How can we insult him with spirit stones? If you all have a heart, just remember this kindness."

Xue Xiang wished he could cover Wei Wendao's mouth, and in his heart he was cursing the heavens: Damn it, I really wanted to be insulted by spirit stones, if you have the guts, bury me in spirit stones... Wei, you think you're so great, you think you're so high and mighty, you're using me as a tool for diplomacy...

Xue Xiang's heart was bleeding, but his face remained calm and composed. "Brother Wei is right. We scholars, once we enter the trial, are comrades-in-arms, sharing the same boat, helping each other through thick and thin. It is too mundane to offer spirit stones."

If you can't become a spirit stone, you can only raise your own prestige.

Just then, countless roars, like muffled thunder, came from the seabed.

Even from a distance, one could see enormous creatures rapidly approaching the sea.

A giant, yellowish-brown eagle claw, the size of a house, first tore open the sea surface, and a sea monster with a human-faced lion-like appearance leaped out, roaring to the sky, and the flowing clouds in the sky all gathered towards its mouth.

Almost simultaneously, hundreds more of these sea monsters leaped out of the water.

In just a few dozen breaths, the entire sea surface was almost completely covered by the demon horde.

They frantically scrambled for the literary energy, like moths to a flame; though they could not seize even a fraction of it, they could not suppress their desire to pounce.

The horrifying scene before them sent chills down everyone's spines.

"Gentlemen, are you ready?"

Xue Xiang said loudly.

"complete."

"feasible."

"I have prepared three poems. I dare not say that the sword energy can reach the sky, but I guarantee that it can penetrate heavy formations."

"..." After the crowd finished shouting, Xue bowed to Tuantuan and said, "Gentlemen, follow me, charge!"

After saying this, he released a purple aura and shouted loudly, "The wind rises and the clouds fly, my might extends throughout the land, I return to my homeland."

In an instant, the purple aura transformed into a gale, precisely striking all the small boats. With the help of the gale, the boats shot towards the demon formation like sharp arrows, chasing after the light.

Everyone simultaneously gathered the literary energy they had just collected in their palms, ready to activate it at any moment.

After all, at this moment, the literary energy floating in the air had been absorbed by the golden literary energy cluster that emerged from the seabed.

If you want to transform your physical form into literary energy again, you can only rely on what you've collected before.

Watching Xue Xiang lead the way, Lu Weimin couldn't help but exclaim, "Brother Xue is truly a peerless talent. Although we can all compose poems on the spot, none of us can write as eloquently as he does."

"Yes, that is, even now, one still needs to participate in the imperial examinations to acquire literary talent, and one must hone one's skills in word choice and sentence structure step by step."

If such a person were born in an era when the literary tradition had not yet aligned with the Dao, and the literary tradition was so vast that it could be easily activated, Brother Xue would probably become a great figure on the spot.

"With a talent like Brother Xue, I wonder how far he will go in the future."

"........."

In just a few breaths, Xue Xiang, who was at the forefront, was only a dozen feet away from the demon formation.

Then he rubbed his hands together, and a ball of literary energy formed in his palm. He then loudly recited, "I have a bright pearl."

Xue Xiang recited the verses aloud, and the world suddenly fell silent.

The sirens' roars, the waves' howls, and the wind's howls seemed to be blocked by some invisible force.

Xue Xiang's voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly.

The ball of literary energy in his palm transformed into a golden light that flew out, illuminating the sky.

"Long locked away by worldly cares—"

As he recited the second line, fine golden patterns began to appear all over Xue Xiang's body, as if a terrifying aura was about to emanate from him.

Wei Wendao and the other Confucian scholars held their breath in unison, their eyes widening suddenly, some digging their fingernails deep into their flesh.

The sirens seemed to sense the threat and let out a piercing shriek.

The dozens of demons in the front row suddenly took to the air, their sharp claws tearing through the air as they charged back at Xue Xiang and the others.

Standing in front, Xue Xiang neither flinched nor dodged, continuing to recite: "Now the dust has settled and light shines forth."

The moment the third sentence was uttered, the golden light that soared into the sky instantly contracted, becoming increasingly solid and brighter, like a highly compressed sun.

"Illuminating thousands of mountains and rivers!"

The last four words exploded like a thunderclap!

The water droplets throughout the entire sea boiled, leaping and crackling, shooting wildly through the air like bullets.

The scholars even had to part their literary energy, which manifested as a protective shield to protect the ship's planks.

The sun in the sky solidified completely, hanging three feet above Xue Xiang's head, radiating billions of rays.

The beam of light shot into the sky, then suddenly turned horizontally, like a divine sword, splitting the dark seawater in two!
"Hold the grass!"

"sky!"

Everyone gaped, forgetting to breathe.

They saw that where the beam of light reached, the dark, murky seawater suddenly became clear, revealing blood-red coral reefs.

But this is just the beginning.

Then, with another deafening roar, the blazing "sun" suddenly contracted inward.

After a fraction of a breath, the "sun" suddenly exploded, and a ring of light surged wildly in all directions.

Where the light waves passed, the seawater boiled!
Thousands of sirens turned to ashes in the light! The dark clouds were also pushed aside by the light, revealing the sun in the sky.

The sea has calmed down.

The demon is gone.

Wei Wendao and the others were dumbfounded.

The literary flair has also vanished without a trace.

Only the crystal-clear seawater shimmered with golden light under the sunlight, as if the apocalyptic scene just now was merely a nightmare.

"Am I dreaming?"

"The three poems I prepared are actually useless?"

"Is Xue Xiang really a human being?"

"My God, even the literary style has vanished."

"Hurry up, don't think about literary style now."

"Look, the seawater has turned black again, and golden light is leaping out from the seabed."

"Look, the coastline! The coastline is right ahead..."

"........."

No one dared to delay and sped up frantically.

Before long, the golden aura reappeared in the air and exploded, scattering countless purple and golden auras, leaving only one golden aura, which danced and leaped.

The crowd frantically picked up the gold and purple patina.

Only the golden aura remained untouched.

Xue Xiang didn't stand on ceremony. He spurred the boat to get closer, and with a gentle wave of his hand, he pocketed the golden aura.

During the new book launch period, I wrote too much and was afraid of dropping off the charts early. But for the sake of your reading experience, I didn't reduce the amount of writing; this is another long chapter. If you're enjoying it, please give me a vote to encourage me. Votes at the end of the month don't mean much to me, since the new book launch period is almost over.

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(End of this chapter)