Chapter 287: Preparation for Exam

Li Qi and Shen Shuibi discussed many things, mostly about how to deal with future situations, especially what would happen within a month after he left. It was almost meticulously detailed.

No matter what, the key point remained the same: although their goal was to make money, they still had to uphold the True Dao. Ideally, there should only be temporary sacrifices, not a normalization of civil war.

To put it plainly, the purpose of the civil war was to free the Holy Flame World from the control of the 'Immortal's Dao' and return to their original traditions.

A Holy Flame World that was vibrant and full of vitality, even with external threats, was the only way to continuously provide Sacred Flame to Li Qi and the others.

Li Qi had no intention of adopting the colonizer's approach like the Lu Mountain God; it didn't align with his Dao.

However, how could one change the Great Dao of a civilization without bloodshed? They could only minimize losses as quickly as possible.

Therefore, Shen Shuibi needed to help the Child of Destiny unify the world as soon as possible.

During this period, Li Qi estimated he wouldn't be able to help much.

Because within this month, he couldn't use his terminal to contact them at will; the Imperial Academy entrance exam didn't allow the use of terminals.

It made sense.

Even regular exams don't allow phones. For the Imperial Academy entrance exam, if you could bring a terminal, the written test would be pointless; everyone would just copy directly from the neatly arranged materials.

Arriving at the Golden Dais, he bid farewell to Shen Shuibi once more.

After much thought, Li Qi finally decided to kiss her before he left.

He had originally wanted to see the rabbit's shy expression, but the rabbit looked calm, as if accustomed to it, and even a little happy.

Instead, he, failing to embarrass her, ended up being embarrassed himself and angrily activated the Golden Dais, leaving quickly.

Alas, after all the calculations, he miscalculated here; he was still too young.

It made sense. The rabbit's state of mind had always been carefree; she was never a timid person, just a bit slow in her reactions because she thought about too many things.

What is carefree?

It is simply following one's heart's desires.

People of the Reclusive Daoist Faction are all like this; they may have their own rules, but those rules are within their hearts, not externally imposed.

Their heart's pursuit is their pursuit.

It was precisely because of this that Shen Shuibi so easily agreed to Li Qi's proposal, not even asking for a ceremony or a formal title.

Because those things weren't important; what mattered was where her heart led her.

As for anything else, it was irrelevant.

External things were not important to the people of the Reclusive Daoist Faction.

Therefore, the Reclusive Daoist Faction does not distinguish between good and bad; good and evil are meaningless to them.

Some are extremely bad, purely because their hearts are filthy.

Others are extremely good, because their hearts are like clear water.

Of course, most Hidden World Sect members are like Shen Shuibi, neither good nor bad.

They don't dwell on what is good or bad, nor do they care about good and evil.

An infant is the purest embodiment of following one's heart's desires; would anyone care about an infant's good or evil?

All actions and words stem from a single heart.

For the rabbit, Li Qi's actions would only bring her joy, not shame.

Thinking of this, Li Qi's anger turned into joy, and he happily embarked on the path to the entrance exam.

He wasn't worried about affairs in Boundless Outer Domain at all.

Because, in addition to Shen Shuibi's own strength, he still had two trump cards he hadn't revealed.

One was the obvious Grand Invoker token.

The other was from the Human Dao.

Combined, it was basically impossible for any accidents to occur.

Li Qi had learned that even in Boundless Outer Domain, a Fifth Grade was extremely rare; places like the world where Fifth Grades were everywhere basically didn't exist.

For example, in Chang'an, during major public events, like the last visit from Shaman God Mountain, even Mortals could personally see Third Grade powerful beings, and even take photos with them.

Such things were unthinkable in Boundless Outer Domain.

Just that cluster of worlds, countless tens of thousands of worlds, spanning an unknown number of light-years, yet not a single Fifth Grade.

According to Shen Shuibi's calculation of two hundred times the speed of light, it would take eight years to travel, which is one thousand six hundred light-years. The highest-grade existence was Sixth Grade, and the Holy Flame Clan's Sacred King was already the strongest within a thousand six hundred light-years.

Moreover, a Sixth Grade was by no means weak; given some time, they could even destroy a world.

It wasn't that Boundless Outer Domain was too weak; it was that the world was too strong.

Since everything had been accounted for, there was no need to worry, and Shen Shuibi was no amateur.

According to her, few Fifth Grades could reliably defeat her.

She wasn't good at fighting and had almost never fought anyone, so logically, she wasn't qualified to say such things. However, she said it anyway, implying she had some reliance, so there was no need to worry.

Everyone was an adult and knew their limits. Besides, if they weren't willing to take this much risk, what money would they make?

They were planning a big business in Boundless Outer Domain. A Sixth Grade world was a large asset for those Baiyue Kingdom Lords, but to pay off Mount Luofu's debt, it was merely a drop in the bucket.

Li Qi returned to Chang'an smoothly.

Riding the Star Shuttle on the Golden Dais allowed one to easily cross almost infinite distances in a very short time.

Only those who had truly experienced traveling in Boundless Outer Domain could understand how terrifying such power was.

When traveling in Boundless Outer Domain, there was nothing; it was empty all around, pitch black, without light, color, taste, or sound, and no matter how far one went, the scenery would not change.

Mortals would have a mental breakdown after a few days here; only practitioners with firm willpower could travel for extended periods.

Around them, there was only extremely faint starlight. Only by observing the extremely small angular changes of these faint stars and comparing them with a star map could one pinpoint their location and avoid getting lost.

If one truly got lost, even a Fifth Grade would likely be trapped and die in Boundless Outer Domain, potentially wandering for thousands of years without finding anything.

The 'fast Universe' constructed by the First Grades truly connected this outer realm into one whole.

Without the 'fast Universe,' even people from the world would find it difficult to move freely in Boundless Outer Domain, let alone travel and mine everywhere as they do now.

Stepping off the Golden Dais onto the ground, the familiar Chang'an surrounded him once more.

The prosperous scene remained unchanged. There were Eighth Grade and Ninth Grade deities maintaining traffic, and an Earth Flow Vehicle station could be seen next to the Golden Dais. Everything was orderly, with many tourists, like Li Qi, returning to Chang'an, chatting and laughing, a picture of peace.

As for the many conflicts in Boundless Outer Domain?

If you're in the most prosperous capital, would you care about what's happening in Syria?

Only upon arriving in Chang'an could one understand where the reverence of those from Boundless Outer Domain for the world came from, and why they would consider this place an 'Immortal Realm,' and why countless people from Boundless Outer Domain would desperately try to come here.

Li Qi stepped off the Golden Dais, estimating the time, and concluded he shouldn't miss the major exam.

However, just as he stepped off the Golden Dais, Li Qi saw an acquaintance walking towards him.

It was Zhong Minglou.

He was in a wheelchair, his leg still in a splint and cast, and his eyes were covered as usual, but he always gave the impression that he was actually looking at people with open eyes, as if one could still feel his gaze.

A woman who looked like a caregiver was pushing him from behind, waiting not far from the Golden Dais.

"Ah, Senior Brother Zhong," Li Qi said, seeing him, and quickly walked over. "Senior Brother, why are you here?"

Zhong Minglou still had that kind and gentle tone: "I had a premonition that Junior Brother would appear here, so I waited here in advance. Oh, by the way, let me introduce you, this is Miss Mei. I've truly bothered her these past few days. Junior Brother, you were so thoughtful. If it weren't for Miss Mei, I probably wouldn't be able to go anywhere."

Hearing this, Li Qi finally looked up and carefully observed the woman pushing Zhong Minglou.

Hmm... nothing special, very ordinary.

She had cultivation, but hadn't reached a grade. Her appearance was also just average; she looked ordinary in every way.

But then again, most people in this world are ordinary; where would so many strange things come from?

So Li Qi immediately offered a grateful smile: "Thank you, Miss Mei. My Senior Brother has truly been well taken care of. Oh, by the way, how did he... how did he get himself into this state?"

Li Qi said, pointing to Zhong Minglou's broken leg.

Miss Mei lowered her head apologetically: "It was my oversight..."

Zhong Minglou, however, interjected: "It has nothing to do with her. Mainly, when I was thinking, I missed a step and fell, breaking my leg right then."

No, sir, you're an Eighth Grade.

Never mind...

Even though you're an Eighth Grade, you're Zhong Minglou, so this seems perfectly normal.

Li Qi calmly accepted what had happened to Zhong Minglou, after all, mystics cannot be explained by reason.

Then he asked, "Senior Brother, why did you suddenly come to pick me up?"

"Hmm, I was just a little worried. Did Junior Brother get what he needed?" Zhong Minglou asked.

"Not yet, but I've found it. It'll take one or two hundred years to get it, but I'm very satisfied. Thank you, Senior Brother," Li Qi said, hearing this, and immediately bowed in thanks.

He really should be thankful. A Sixth Grade world with specialties wasn't that easy to find. If he had to slowly search through wild world clusters, it would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Being a pioneer wasn't that easy; one could lose their life if they weren't careful. Exploring in Boundless Outer Domain carried many risks.

"It's good that there were no accidents. Then I can rest assured. Miss Mei, let's go." Zhong Minglou immediately prepared to leave upon hearing this.

Miss Mei also bowed to Li Qi in farewell, then pushed the wheelchair away.

Li Qi watched them leave.

He was already accustomed to Zhong Minglou's way of acting; you don't ask a mystic for their reasons.

Just like now.

Li Qi knew that a Grand Diviner had intervened to obscure his Karma, yet Zhong Minglou still accurately predicted his return time and waited here, just to ask him if he had obtained what he sought.

These things couldn't be scrutinized or questioned too closely.

After watching Zhong Minglou leave, Li Qi took an Earth Flow Vehicle alone back to his courtyard in Chang'an.

For the next few days, he did nothing but diligently review his studies at home.

With True Knowledge Dao Resonance, memorizing texts was no difficulty for him at all; he would automatically commit them to memory as soon as he read them, without needing to deepen his recall, which directly increased his efficiency countless times over.

However, while memorizing wasn't difficult, he still needed to prepare for the practical application.

He looked at previous Imperial Academy entrance exams, hoping to summarize a pattern.

Then he realized that there was no pattern to summarize at all.

This exam was mainly divided into two aspects: one was the written test, which involved answering questions and testing one's knowledge reserve and understanding of the Dao.

The other was practical application, and the methods for this were diverse.

In the past, there had been questions that directly gave students a chaotic and disordered mass of Qi, asking them to sort it out according to their own Dao.

There had been questions that required students to refine certain alien heterodox paths on the spot.

There had also been questions that asked students to use their own Dao to alter the Heavenly Dao.

Or Alchemy, Artifact Refining, and the like. Some were purely combat-based, and some only had written tests without practical questions.

All in all, almost everyone's exam questions were different.

Because not many people were qualified to enter the Imperial Academy—only a few individuals over ten years—the questions were basically tailored individually. However, Li Qi found that these questions were all designed around the specific Dao that the examinee specialized in.

In other words, apart from improving one's own level, there seemed to be no particularly good targeted approach.

Then there was nothing he could do.

He could only rely on his raw strength; there was no room for clever tricks.

It was just... Li Qi felt a faint worry in his heart.

Ever since he came to Tang Nation, everything had been smooth and stable, but Li Qi hadn't forgotten that he had offended someone.

In his Mustard Seed Bag, he still carried the heads of two Third Grade Officials.

Although they weren't truly Third Grade, only Fifth Grade cultivation with Third Grade official positions, they were still imbued with a bit of Dao Resonance.

His teacher had also said that he still owed him a head and would make it up to him if he had the chance.

Since his arrival in Tang Nation, everything else seemed fine, but Li Qi felt that this kind of individually designed exam was very dangerous...

But then again, when soldiers come, block them; when water comes, cover it with earth. No matter what, he still had to take the exam.

— — — — — — — —

However, while Li Qi was fully focused on preparing for the exam at home.

Inside the Imperial Academy, two people were meeting.

Both appeared to be Tang Nation Officials, but judging by their attire, they were not among the top three grades, nor were they part of the high-ranking Officials.

But they weren't minor Officials either.

Both men were dressed as middle-aged Officials, but one looked more distinguished with a goatee, while the other had a handlebar mustache.

The one with the handlebar mustache said to the other with the goatee, "Zhu Siye, then this time, we'll do as you instructed?"

The Imperial Academy Siye's duty was to manage the political decrees of instruction for all national schools, ranking From Fourth Grade, Lower.

"Please rest assured, Li Cheng. Since I proposed this to you, there's no way it will go wrong. Moreover, this matter is not only beneficial to you but can also humble the Shaman God Mountain people without leaving any handle, so I imagine even the Imperial Academy’s Chancellor wouldn't object," said the man called Zhu Siye, stroking his beard.

The Imperial Academy Vice-Chancellor was in charge of supervising affairs. Whenever students completed their studies and submitted them to the supervisor annually, the Imperial Academy Vice-Chancellor would test them with the Siye, judging their mastery of classics, rote memorization of texts, oral exams, understanding of classical principles, miscellaneous essays, current affairs, historical precedents, and also testing their mastery of law, calligraphy, and arithmetic in their respective fields of study, ranking From Sixth Grade, Lower.

The one called Li Cheng nodded: "Hmm, since Shaman God Mountain proactively suggested an exam, it's only right to use this opportunity to humble them and avenge the Siye's brother."

Zhu Siye immediately said, "No, that's wrong. This is not to avenge my brother, but to act for the dignity of the imperial court. We previously allowed him to enter the Imperial Academy without obstruction, which was a great favor, but Shaman God Mountain disregarded it, saying they didn't want it, thus placing the imperial court's dignity where? Placing the Human Dao's dignity where?"

"If this person were to swagger into the Imperial Academy, would the Imperial Academy truly be a place where one can come and go as they please? How would other students view this matter?"

"He is still a child, so he only needs a small punishment to serve as a warning, not his life, nor does he need to serve a sentence. But increasing the difficulty of the exam to prevent him from developing contempt for the Imperial Academy is also necessary. This matter is purely for the public good, and has nothing to do with my brother."

Hearing this, Li Cheng immediately cupped his hands: "Siye's public-mindedness is admirable. Then I will take care of the rest of the matter. I will ensure he dares not show the slightest disrespect to the Imperial Academy!"

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