Chapter 288: Exam begins

Finally, the day before the exam quickly arrived.

Inside an office at the Imperial Academy.

The Imperial Academy Vice-Chancellor served as the chief examiner, with several Dr. Tai Xues as assistant examiners.

There were three Dr. Tai Xues, holding the rank of Upper Sixth Grade, capable of managing teaching ceremonies, supervising classes, and conducting examinations.

Although the official position of Dr. Tai Xue was higher than that of Imperial Academy Vice-Chancellor, in the matter of the entrance examination, they assisted the Imperial Academy Vice-Chancellor as subordinates; as Sixth Grade existences, assessing new students was more than sufficient.

Before the exam, the examiners still needed to double-check the questions one last time.

Because the Imperial Academy's entrance examination questions were individually tailored by the examiners based on each student's profile, they had to be repeatedly checked to ensure they were suitable for that particular student.

In countless years past, there had never been any error; they were experienced and had sharp eyes, always able to grasp what students excelled at and what they struggled with, then conduct targeted assessments to ensure the candidates indeed met the Imperial Academy's standards.

Just as everyone was busy.

Suddenly, the Imperial Academy Vice-Chancellor spoke.

“Gentlemen, the questions for this batch of candidates—Lu Ji, Tao Hongjing, He Fasheng, and Du Guangting—have been set. Now, only Li Qi’s questions remain to be created. Do you have any ideas about him?” the Imperial Academy Vice-Chancellor asked the Dr. Tai Xues.

“Is there a problem with him? Oh, Li Cheng, do you think his identity is special?” one Dr. Tai Xue looked up and said.

“His identity is indeed special. This person is a Young Master of Shaman God Mountain, here for an exchange study. However, it was previously agreed that he would directly enroll, but the Great Shaman there proactively proposed an exam, which is why this is happening,” another Dr. Tai Xue re-read the资料 and confirmed Li Qi’s background.

“A Young Master of Shaman God Mountain, then the questions shouldn’t be too difficult for him. Although Shaman God Mountain is a barbarian land, it has a profound foundation. After all, it’s also a branch of the Human Dao, so knowledge should be quite easy for him,” the third Dr. Tai Xue said with a relaxed expression.

“No, no, no, three Dr. Tai Xues, you must pay attention to this. Absolutely, absolutely do not let him pass,” the Imperial Academy Vice-Chancellor looked up and said seriously.

The other three Dr. Tai Xues immediately stopped what they were doing and frowned.

“Li Cheng, you want us to practice favoritism?” one of the Dr. Tai Xues spoke first: “Even if this person comes from Shaman God Mountain, things must be done as they should be. Rules are rules; do not bring trouble upon yourself.”

His tone was very serious, and he seemed to detest such matters.

The other two did not speak, but judging by their expressions, they had clearly reached a consensus and would not arbitrarily change the exam questions.

The rules of the Human Dao were as heavy as a thousand jun, and Cultivators of the Human Dao valued principles as much as their lives.

There was once a great Legalist Sage in the Human Dao who had the adage of ‘hoisted by his own petard.’ Although he himself had formulated the laws, when he violated them, faced with his own life and his own laws, he unhesitatingly chose the laws, ultimately dying by his own punishment. This shows their immense weight.

“Not so, not so. I am not asking the three of you to be partial, but to teach Shaman God Mountain a lesson. This matter was issued by Zhu Siye, and I have his personal letter here,” the Imperial Academy Vice-Chancellor said, taking out a personal letter.

“Shaman God Mountain had already agreed before, but then temporarily changed their requirements. We have changed things back and forth several times to satisfy their unreasonable demands. Zhu Siye is furious about this, deeming it impolite. As you know, Zhu Siye is a Confucian Disciple, advocating ‘repaying grievances with uprightness.’ He is determined to severely punish Shaman God Mountain’s impolite actions.”

The Imperial Academy Vice-Chancellor said this, then observed the expressions of the others.

However, those Dr. Tai Xues all looked displeased.

“Even so, if one wants to repay a grievance, one should go to the Great Shaman of Shaman God Mountain. Such repeated changes are indeed unpleasant, but the one who repeatedly changed things is that Great Shaman. The grievance should be directed at him. Why take it out on a child?” one Dr. Tai Xue immediately said.

Another immediately added: “I have reviewed this Young Master of Shaman God Mountain’s resume; it is clean and clear. He studies diligently, has never violated laws or discipline, is humble, and interacts with others courteously. Even if there are conflicts between the two sides, one cannot take it out on a child. Such conduct is scorned.”

The third immediately followed: “Furthermore, if the Imperial Academy’s exams can be tampered with in difficulty, then should we hide knowledge when teaching later? If he has not violated any laws, should he still be punished? A great craftsman teaches people with rules, and scholars must also follow rules. When speaking of matters, there must be methods to achieve success. If a teacher abandons this, they cannot teach. If a Disciple abandons this, they cannot learn. This is true even for arts and crafts, let alone the Dao of a Sage?”

The Dr. Tai Xues unanimously agreed, firmly refusing to make things difficult for any candidate.

However, their reaction was already within the Imperial Academy Vice-Chancellor’s expectations.

Therefore, seeing this, the Imperial Academy Vice-Chancellor immediately took a step back: “Alas, I actually think the same way, but there’s no other choice. This is something Zhu Siye ordered, and as you know, Zhu Siye oversees student academic assessments and policies. With his personal letter, I am also in a difficult position.”

One Dr. Tai Xue sneered: “Hmph, what’s so difficult? With this personal letter, we can directly report it to the Imperial Academy’s Chancellor, and he will surely suffer a great fall!”

“Rules are one and unchangeable; they do not bend for Qin or Chu, nor alter their form for Hu or Yue. They are one and not perverse; they act squarely and do not deviate. Once formed, they are passed down for ten thousand generations. How can they be changed because of a single Siye? Li Cheng, why don’t you come with me? Let’s go report to the Imperial Academy’s Chancellor beforehand. This time, he must be severely punished!”

“That’s right, since there’s a personal letter, that’s exactly what should be done!”

“It should be this way. Let’s go, we’ll go together!”

The few quickly reached an agreement, all unanimously agreeing that they should not tamper with the students. If revenge was to be sought, it should be directed at the main culprit; taking anger out on others was not the act of a gentleman.

Seeing this, the Imperial Academy Vice-Chancellor sighed: “Indeed, very well. In that case, I will go with you and submit this personal letter to the Imperial Academy’s Chancellor.”

The four joined hands, stood up, and walked out of the office. The Imperial Academy Vice-Chancellor carefully locked the door, sealed the Restriction, and after ensuring everything was in order, left together with the three Dr. Tai Xues.

However—

Shortly after they left, the Restriction automatically opened, and the door, personally set by a Third Grade Imperial Academy’s Chancellor, revealed a slight gap.

A transparent ripple quietly entered.

Meanwhile, on the other side, the four went to report, and the outcome was quickly determined.

The Imperial Academy’s Chancellor believed that Zhu Siye had arbitrarily changed the rules. Although there was a reason and it was understandable, as a teacher, such a trend could not be allowed to grow. He ordered him to reflect in seclusion and not to interfere with Li Qi’s affairs again. If he reoffended, he would be dismissed, stripped of his official position, and returned to the Ministry of Personnel for reassignment.

Although it was said he would be returned to the Ministry of Personnel for reassignment, everyone knew that it basically meant he would be demoted, and it would be highly unlikely for him to become a Fourth Grade official again.

The three Dr. Tai Xues were very satisfied with this outcome, believing that the Imperial Academy’s Chancellor had handled it very fairly.

The matter was concluded but not publicly announced.

After all, it concerned a Siye, and no trouble had arisen; it was handled in advance, so there was no need to make it public.

They returned, carefully reactivated the Restriction, and continued their previous work.

The Dr. Tai Xues did not seek credit but continued to responsibly assign questions to the candidates, ensuring that everyone received an appropriate test in their area of expertise.

This ensured they could fully utilize their strengths rather than encountering unfamiliar subjects, while also maintaining difficulty, guaranteeing that these candidates would meet the Imperial Academy’s admission standards by fully demonstrating their abilities.

However, to others, such ‘fairness’ meant extreme difficulty.

Even with full utilization of one’s strengths, only a very small number of people could pass the Imperial Academy’s test, averaging less than one per year.

A long, long time ago, in the extremely backward barbaric era, various Schools and forces primarily used combat as their examination method, often involving arena fights, where they competed solely on violence.

However, that era is long gone; combat is merely one of the hundred arts. In present-day Chang’an, there is no need to constantly fight for one’s life.

Throughout long history, military might has always held absolute dominance.

After all, military might has a crucial and irreplaceable role.

But times always evolve.

Initially, Cultivators who only knew how to fight looked down on these scholars, because mathematics couldn’t help you escape a bandit’s blade, knowing when ice would freeze or why rain fell couldn’t help you defeat your enemy.

But as of today, that is no longer the case.

— — — — — — — — — —

Li Qi finished his preparations and had another good night’s sleep.

After waking up, he lay in bed for a while, contacting Shen Shuibi through his terminal to check on her situation.

It had only been a few days, so naturally, nothing major would have happened. Shen Shuibi’s side was peaceful; she had even set up some Formations for concealment and defense, preparing for remote combat with others.

As for the Child of Destiny, there was some clue, but he was still too young, so Shen Shuibi was not yet ready to reveal herself.

Everything was in order, with no surprises.

After chatting for a while and confirming each other’s well-being, Li Qi confidently turned off his terminal and went to take the exam.

Soon, he arrived at the examination hall alone.

Because he had lingered in bed for a while, the examination hall was already packed with people.

It felt like a college entrance exam site, but even more so.

There weren’t many candidates, only a few thousand, but with accompanying family members, onlookers, media, and various other people combined, there were probably over a hundred thousand.

The Imperial Academy exam was a big event, and newspapers and various media outlets were eager to report on it, so many people gathered.

Everyone knew that those who could pass the Imperial Academy exam would surely ascend step by step in the future and quickly become important figures.

Though in Chang’an, it wasn’t considered that significant.

In Chang’an, the density of high-grade Cultivators was terrifying. You could casually catch a Ninth Grade Cultivator on the street, and those above Eighth Grade were running rampant everywhere. Seventh Grade were rarer, but not to the extent of one in a thousand.

Only at Sixth Grade were they considered rare, but news reports still featured them daily, and the public didn't find it particularly strange.

In fact, news about Third and Fourth Grade Cultivators appeared daily in the newspapers.

This also raised the public’s morale, but only their morale; those who remained unranked still remained unranked.

It was like an ordinary person who saw high-ranking officials and dignitaries every day, cursed the king, and commented on emperors and generals, as if it were nothing unusual.

But once they stepped out the door, let alone commenting on emperors and generals, being able to handle the community security guard and manage their own property management was already considered highly capable.

With these random thoughts in his head, Li Qi casually confirmed his identity with the terminal, extricated himself from the crowd, and, under the gaze of many, stepped from the ranks of onlookers into the line of candidates.

The candidates also displayed various attitudes.

Some were still cramming at the last minute, burying themselves in books or constantly studying cultivation methods, trying to deepen their cultivation.

Some were confident, seemingly certain of success, chatting and laughing with those nearby, though it was unclear if they were truly that secure.

Some were trembling with cold sweat, making Li Qi fear they might die of a heart attack in the exam hall.

Some appeared nonchalant, laughing heartily, but their fingers trembled, and their steps were unsteady.

Others closed their eyes in concentration, fully focused, only occasionally glancing at their family members gathered outside before continuing their preparations.

The myriad states of the world before the examination hall were no less diverse than those in a hospital.

Li Qi, of course, was unconcerned.

For him, the Imperial Academy exam would not be a big problem as long as it wasn’t intentionally difficult.

He had once wondered why he always received responses when performing rituals and hoping for a deity’s reply, unlike what the books described as difficult.

Now he understood the reason.

It was nothing special; it was purely because he was a Genius.

Reaching a rank within one year of cultivation—such an achievement could scare many people to death. Li Qi had only cultivated for a little over three years and was already Eighth Grade, potentially Breakthrough to Seventh Grade at any time.

Even among the Young Masters of Shaman God Mountain, he was outstanding, reaching the point where many Great Shamanes praised him. Passing the Imperial Academy exam should not be a problem.

As long as the questions weren’t too outrageous.

Li Qi wasn’t boasting. In fact, the prestige of a Young Master of Shaman God Mountain was much higher than that of a Imperial Academy Disciple.

Although the number of Imperial Academy Disciples was already small, they still managed to admit one student per year.

It seemed like a small number, but accumulated over the years, it was quite substantial. If you counted all the officials in Tang Nation who had studied at the Imperial Academy, from top to bottom, saying there were a hundred thousand would be an understatement, and that doesn’t even include those who didn’t become officials.

But for Young Masters of Shaman God Mountain, generally, one Great Shaman had only one Disciple, occasionally two or three, and rarely exceeded that number. They also did not expand enrollment, with most having only one Disciple in their lifetime.

The numbers were naturally much lower, and the quality, therefore, went up.

However, it could also be considered a strategy.

Although Imperial Academy Disciples were slightly more numerous, their output was stable, with almost no luck involved. And with more numbers, there would naturally be outstanding individuals among them, such as Liu Junyi, who could even single-handedly contend against three Young Masters in both knowledge and combat without falling behind.

The Young Masters of Shaman God Mountain were few in number, all elites. Just Bo Yue, Yan Ke, and Zhong Minglou, whom Li Qi was familiar with, would be considered favored sons of heaven anywhere else.

Time passed bit by bit.

About a quarter of an hour later, as the bell rang.

Li Qi and the others entered in an orderly fashion.

The exam began.