I proved immortality through the imperial examination.

Chapter 55 Appearances of All Living Beings

"Does Brother Deng think that these candidates have destroyed the cultural heritage and spiritual essence of the Hangu Ruins? What a joke."

"Exactly. Even if someone suddenly has a stroke of genius and writes a poem that shakes the ages, at most they'll make a splash in the Hangu Ruins. To extinguish the literary spirit within the Hangu Ruins, only a masterpiece of unparalleled talent would suffice. How could these young upstarts possibly have that ability?"

Ni Quanwen chuckled and said, "If that's really the case, what kind of scene will appear?"
The examinee's body was tempered not just with literary energy, but with a literary vein. What he extracted was not just a wisp of golden literary energy, but a wisp of literary vein.

I remember that in the past twenty years, only a dozen or so people in the whole world have achieved this.
Which one of them isn't a genius? Which one of them isn't backed by countless experts?

If such a person truly exists in Canaan, he must be an unparalleled genius, one in ten thousand…

"Palace envoy, palace envoy..."

Seeing that Ni Quanwen was lost in some kind of fantasy, Deputy Palace Attendant He Changqing quickly called him to stop, "Alright, stop indulging in such unrealistic fantasies."

Have you all forgotten something?

"What's the matter?"

"Wenxu. Senior Hangu was once the owner of Wenxu. After his fall, the Wenxu he inherited disappeared without a trace. Some people speculate that his lingering obsession caused Wenxu to be annihilated and never leaked out. Now that Hangu's ruins have been destroyed, Wenxu may reappear."

"Impossible. Han Gu was a person from eight hundred years ago. The Boundless Golden Light Ruins he promised have probably been passed down for countless generations."

Someone shouted, "Gentlemen, gentlemen, is this the time to discuss this? What kind of time is this? The Wendao Stele is cracked like this, Palace Envoy, are you really not worried at all?"

Ni Quanwen chuckled and said, "What's the rush? The sage uses literature to align with the Way of Heaven and suppresses countless gods and demons."

From time immemorial to the present, the cracks on this Wendao Stele have multiplied day by day.

In recent years, in particular, the rate of increase in crack growth has been accelerating.

What does this mean? It means that the law of nature is just and that cause and effect are cyclical.

If the cultural tradition and the natural order truly collapse, I hope it will collapse within my lifetime.

"Let me join the torrent of catastrophe; I'd rather die in a glorious battle."

Everyone looked at each other.

Seeing that Ni Quanwen's words were becoming increasingly rambling, He Changqing immediately took over and issued the order.

First, closely monitor the situation in Canaan, especially the movements of the Witch God Cult and the Eldar.

Second, report the unusual condition of the Wendao Stele to the Temple.

…………

The academy, the Literary Dao Stele, the mysterious existences of the Nine Netherworlds and the Spirit Void, the Witch God Cult, and the Spirit Clan—these lofty and prestigious things were all too distant for the Xue family.

Ordinary people have their own kind of happiness.

Today is the most important day for the Xue family in over a decade.

As noon approached, the main hall of the Xue residence was filled with people.

“Her aunt, go back to sleep. I’ll have Youyi come and let you know when I have any news.”

This was the seventh time that Xue's mother tried to persuade Zhang.

"I'm not sleepy, I haven't slept..."

Zhang slumped in the armchair in the main room, nodding her head like a chicken pecking at rice, and said subconsciously, "We've endured so much, if we go home now, all this hard work will be for nothing..."

"Foolish woman."

Song Yuan was extremely embarrassed.

Zhang was jolted awake and realized, "That aunt of his is something else, why does she keep trying to persuade me?"
Are you afraid I'll benefit from your success?

Even if it's just a matter of benefiting from it, I, as the aunt, will also benefit.

It's no use being jealous.

Besides, Xiao Xiang taking the imperial examination is the most important thing for our family.

As her aunt, how could I be heartless? She can sleep soundly when she gets back…”

Her rapid-fire chatter completely woke up Liu Mei, Xiao Wan, and Song Xiaoyuan from their drowsiness.

Yesterday morning, after everyone saw Xue Xiang into the examination hall, Song Yuan's family did not leave.

Both families stayed up all night, and as dawn broke, they wanted to rush to the examination hall to see the results.

Unexpectedly, as soon as they stepped outside, they were frightened back by the terrifying scene on the street.

People were everywhere, especially at the crossroads, where it was so crowded you could barely move.

Song Yuan had no choice but to send the young and quick-footed Song Zijie to check the list, while everyone else waited at home for news.

At this moment, Zhang's commotion completely woke everyone up.

Fan Youyi, wearing an apron, rushed over from the kitchen to ask what they wanted for breakfast.

Everyone says they have no appetite.

Zhang swallowed hard, drank a cup of cold tea to suppress her hunger, and pouted, "Have you no heart? Who can eat right now?"

As the sun shone on the strips of cured pork under the eaves, Song Zijie rushed through the gate.

The main room erupted in chaos as everyone rushed out to catch Song Zijie. Song Zijie's face was flushed as if he were drunk, and he was gasping for breath, his breath coming in thin, thread-like gasps.

"Quick, speak up, Zijie, say something..."

Song Yuan's voice was ethereal.

Song Zijie was panting heavily, sweating profusely.

"You child, you're driving me crazy..."

Xue's mother was already unsteady on her feet and was being held tightly by Liu Mei.

"Water, come, my son, drink water..."

Zhang brought over a glass of water and held it to Song Zijie's lips.

Song Zijie had only taken a sip when he spat it out, spraying it all over Zhang's head and face.

"Ignorant and stupid woman, he can't even catch his breath, and you're still pouring water in? Are you trying to kill him?"

Song Yuan roared angrily.

Just as Zhang was about to lose face, she suddenly remembered the important matter and forced herself to restrain herself.

Song Zijie finally caught his breath and shouted in a hoarse voice, "Let go, let go..."

"We know the results are out! Tell us, tell us..."

Zhang was so anxious that her hair stood on end.

"Set off...set off the firecrackers!"

Song Zijie finally managed to utter a coherent sentence.

"Good, good, good, hahaha, whip, release, release..."

Song Yuan seemed to have been struck by lightning, and he became incoherent.

Finally, Xue's mother could no longer hold on and collapsed softly into Liu Mei's arms, her eyes filled with tears. Liu Mei and Xiao Wan were so frightened that they quickly tried to soothe her and fan her.

"Auntie, auntie, what are you doing? This is such a blessing..."

Zhang snatched the book from Xue's mother and began to chatter on and on affectionately.

"I, I haven't... I haven't... my older brother... ranked seventeenth in high school."

"Hahaha……"

Song Yuan laughed loudly, so hard he bent over backwards.

While the others were unaware of the significance of the seventeenth place, he knew.

As soon as he finished explaining, the whole family got excited.

Song Yuan rushed to the side room, dragged out all the firecrackers he had prepared, and piled them at the door. He also scolded Song Zijie, telling him to quickly clean up the general stores on the front street and buy out all the firecrackers.

Before long, deafening firecrackers exploded in front of the Xue residence.

Hearing the commotion, the neighbors all came to inquire about the matter. Soon, the news that Director Xue had ranked seventeenth in this year's city examination spread throughout the streets and alleys.

Starting at Chenshi (7-9 AM), the threshold of the Xue residence began to suffer.

At first, neighbors came to offer their congratulations, and then Xun Sizhou and Wu Kui arrived.

These two were perceptive; after offering their congratulations, they stayed to help out at the Xue family's home.

Before long, Long Youdao and other school leaders came to offer their congratulations, followed by colleagues from the Seventh Academy of Jiufen Mountain and people from the newspaper.

Even Dong Jiacun, who was unwilling to meet Xue Xiang, sent someone to deliver congratulatory gifts.

Before 9:00 AM, the entire Xue residence was so crowded that there was almost no room to move.

…………

At 1:15 AM, at the Lake Pavilion in the center of Suiyang Lake.

The woman in the yellow dress sat serenely in the pavilion in the middle of the lake, her face still veiled even though no one was around.

To the west of the pavilion, a large ship was moored, its decks piled high with boxes and trunks.

With a gentle breeze and the morning sun shining like dew, the woman in the yellow dress held a manuscript, her mind restless, constantly looking up.

Suddenly, a small boat came rushing from the east, closing in quickly. Before the boat had come to a complete stop, Xue Jian leaped three zhang in one bound and jumped onto the pavilion.

This time, she didn't cover her face with a veil, revealing her true appearance: a porcelain doll-like oval face, and when she smiled, her tiger teeth and dimples appeared.

"You passed! You passed!"

Xue Jian smiled, his face crinkling into a crescent moon. "Ranking seventeenth in the high school means you're qualified to ascend Qingyun Terrace, participate in the garden party, and even pay homage to the Academy of Literature. Young Master Xue is truly a genius."

I still remember the proposal he made when he first came to Zhaoyewu. With that level of skill, it was most likely to be rejected.

"It hasn't been long, but his studies have really progressed by leaps and bounds..."

(End of this chapter)