The sage was determined to die.

There is usually a two- to three-second buffer period before the assessment rules are implemented, at the moment when the literary mind appears.

This is the only chance the guards have to seize Wenxin.

Grandma Tanxin naturally didn't miss this once-in-three-years opportunity. She appeared in front of the sapling, reached out and plucked the emerald green fruit. Her wrinkled face showed no excitement, only caution.

Her hand went straight through the fruit.

They caught nothing.

The next second, the rules came into effect.

Why did they come up empty-handed?

She is the guardian responsible for protecting this literary heart, but also the jackal who covets it. Every time they fail to steal the literary heart, the Book Mountain does not punish them. Instead, she is returned to her original position as an examiner and given tasks to these outsiders.

But after this failure, the rules didn't resonate in her mind.

No, it did ring, but not from the chief examiner; she was asked to assist as his deputy.

The old woman turned around in disbelief and looked at Ji Bai, who was standing still with a pale face.

You are the chief examiner for the formal assessment of Wenxin's "Iron Wall" program.

Please follow the examiner's guidelines below.

[One: As the chief examiner, you must coordinate the quantity and quality of examinees.]

[Second: As the chief examiner, you have the right to select the examination map.]

[Three: As the chief examiner, you have the right to interfere in the examinations of all candidates, but you cannot interfere in the examinations of any individual...]

The total score for this Wenxin assessment is 150 points, with 120 points being the passing score. If no student achieves the required score, the Wenxin title will be permanently inherited by you.

Listening to the incessant, cold system voice in his mind, Ji Bai looked at the Talking Granny with a slightly embarrassed expression. He saw that the latter was standing in front of him with an angry look on her face. If it weren't for the rules, she probably would have wanted to devour him alive.

Ji Bai said somewhat awkwardly, "I'm sorry, I took your seat as soon as I arrived."

"I've been guarding this place for so many years, why are you able to take my place as soon as you arrive?" the old woman asked, puzzled.

Ji Bai thought to himself.

Why? It's because he cheated and stole Wenxin.

"Could it be because Shushan (the book-sharing organization) agrees with your philosophy?"

The old woman anxiously chewed her fingers. At this moment, she was just like a working person who usually complained about work and thought about quitting every day, but when she was actually laid off, she was filled with a sense of panic that she had nowhere to turn.

Ji Bai didn't expect that the other party would be so good at making amends for him.

He seized the opportunity to say, "Perhaps that's the reason. This time, the method I used to cultivate literary talent was completely different from your previous method. Moreover, no one died throughout the process. Shushan felt that my contribution was significant, so naturally they chose me as the chief examiner."

It has to be said that once someone becomes a leader, they instantly put on airs.

Ji Bai suddenly realized that he was now the chief examiner, and the other party was his deputy.

Ji Bai patted Granny Tanxin on the shoulder and comforted her, "Little Tan... oh no, Tanxin. Think of it on the bright side. Maybe it's a good thing that you didn't succeed in robbing Wenxin just now. If you didn't succeed this time, you'll have another chance next time. But if you were really punished by the Book Mountain and killed, then it would be a loss."

"You only have one life; only by living can you have the chance to go home."

He thought for a moment and then said, "Being an examiner isn't necessarily a good thing. It's tiring and exhausting. I'll do it for you this time, so you can treat it as a break for yourself."

As Ji Bai finished speaking, the old woman gradually suppressed her anger and calmed down. She realized that what the other party said actually made a lot of sense.

Ji Bai nodded.

At this moment, he had already decided that no matter how many people came to participate in the assessment, he would give them an epic sea release!

……

Ji Bai had expected that this literary heart would attract many people, but he didn't expect it to attract so many.

At this moment, he stood on high ground, with his confidante standing beside him, the two of them striking the pose of examiners.

Ji Bai suppressed the shock on his face and looked at the dark mass of heads in front of him.

Apart from the scholars from small states like Gongsun Yang, the only other candidates for the imperial examinations came from the states of Chen and Chu.

Ji Bai, with his bright red face covered in dust, looked at the Chu prince seemingly unintentionally. Although he had seen the prince in the surrounding environment, this was indeed the first time he had seen him before.

He couldn't help but think to himself, "This guy was quite reckless during the hidden assessment. I wonder if he could pass if I let him have some leeway."

Chu Ze naturally noticed the other person's gaze as well.

Or rather, from the moment he entered, he noticed the positions of Ji Bai and the old woman who was talking to him.

He was actually the chief examiner?

Why did he look at me? Has he already noticed me?

Chu Ze concealed his doubts and took a step back without making a sound, letting Chen Ji, that show-off brute, take the lead.

"Those who wish to win Wenxin's heart, please step forward for the assessment."

Ji Bai maintained the examiner's indifference and said, "Only fifty people are allowed to participate in this assessment."

Seeing that the people from Chen and Chu were about to attack Gongsun Yang and his group almost instinctively, Ji Bai waved his hand, and an invisible force of rules instantly stopped their movements.

Ji Bai said, "Attacks between candidates are strictly prohibited in this assessment. They had already registered before you arrived."

Gongsun Yang and the others breathed a sigh of relief.

Chen Ji first sized up the five people with his eyes and instantly understood their role. It was a trick commonly used by the people of Chu. However, the fact that these five little mice were still alive was indeed beyond his expectations.

He turned to look at Chu Ze, intending to mock him, but saw the other party casually say, "We've already registered, and we've reserved ten spots for you."

Chen Ji: "...Damn it."

This assessment was based on a voluntary registration system, and without Chen Ji's order, naturally no one in Chen State dared to register first.

This did surprise Ji Bai.

He never expected that the two powerful states of Chen and Chu could get along so harmoniously.

Isn't it said that the various countries in the Book Mountain will fight to the death as soon as they meet?

Although Chen Ji had already won Wenxin's heart, he was clearly not satisfied with that and immediately signed up for himself.

The quota of fifty people was filled instantly.

The next second, they disappeared from the spot.

……

Within the illusion, each person is isolated in a separate area.

Ji Bai held a scroll in his hand with different exam maps for him to choose from. He frowned slightly, momentarily unsure which one was easier to select.

He asked his assistant, the woman who was also his confidante, for her opinion.

"How do you usually choose maps in previous years?" Ji Bai asked.

After a moment of silence, the old woman suddenly said, "This thing is actually a map?"

Ji Bai looked bewildered: "...Huh?"

The old woman, arms crossed, said, "I can't read. I usually wait until everyone has died enough before the assessment starts, and then I just randomly click around."

Ji Bai hesitated, then asked, "Aren't you afraid something unexpected might happen?"

The old woman scoffed, "What accident? It's just someone dying. People die during assessments."

Ji Bai took a deep breath, looked at the candidates who were separated into fifty squares, and thought to himself, "...You are truly the luckiest class to have an examiner like me who can read and still gives you the freedom to choose."