novelapdf Chapter 221 The Imperial Examination
Chapter 221 The Imperial Examination
The top scholar position had already been reserved by the four great families.
Yang Silang was unaware of the extent of Hu Jiaoniang's influence over Emperor Yongchang. Even if she managed to secure the position for him, it would be a hot potato that would ultimately destroy him.
That was something that belonged to several powerful families.
Yang Silang went mad and tried to steal it.
Even if you manage to snag one, all you get is a trip to the Royal First-Class Secret Realm and a decent official position. What real benefits are there?
As for magical treasures, Yang Silang had obtained many good items from the two female immortals, so he was not lacking in handy tools.
He didn't care whether he entered the first-class secret realm or not.
In terms of official rank, the Great Shun Dynasty is a dilapidated ship that may not last many more years before it capsizes and collapses. What's the point of vying for a high-ranking position now?
Yang Silang was already quite content to have achieved the rank of a third-class scholar and been granted the title of Jinshi, and then to have entered the Wujing Zongta to study the "Great Five Elements Force" and learn the Great Five Elements Fist.
Seeing his firm refusal, Hu Jiaoniang shook her head with some regret, a hint of pity flashing in her eyes.
Yang Silang seriously suspected that this guy had been pursuing Mo Xinlian too closely and had picked up a bit of his mischievous nature.
"Alright... since you don't want it... then I'll give you a much more expensive gift instead..."
Hu Jiaoniang nodded and pondered for a moment.
"You practice Taizu Changquan (a style of Chinese martial arts)."
"I specifically checked the records when I returned to the palace."
"The highest level of Taizu Changquan that can be openly learned on the market is only the Grandmaster level."
"There are no martial arts techniques for the Martial Saint realm; they are held by the royal family."
Yang Silang frowned upon hearing this.
"Your Majesty, why is this?"
Martial artists generally avoid changing their fundamental training method midway through their practice, unless they find a martial art with similar attributes but greater power to support them in going further.
Taizu Changquan is extremely difficult for others to master by simultaneously cultivating the five meridians, and the subsequent integration of the five intentions makes it even more challenging.
But for Yang Silang...
With the inscription system, one certificate is valid forever, and once the five meridians are mastered, there will be absolutely no mistakes; as for the true meaning of the Grandmaster of the Five Elements True Qi.
Yang Silang currently possesses three divine seeds of the fire, water, and wood attributes. He has obtained three of them out of five. He can slowly seek out the remaining two through chance.
He would definitely not be willing to change his cultivation method halfway through.
Hu Jiaoniang shook her head.
"What's written in those files is also unclear and ambiguous."
"It's likely that after one cultivates to the level of a Martial Saint, there will be astonishing changes, which I estimate are related to lifespan."
"In the palace, I can sense several astonishing presences. Although they are well concealed, they cannot escape my notice."
"They all practice Taizu Changquan (a style of Chinese martial arts)."
"Don't worry, I'll go to Emperor Yongchang and see if I can obtain the Martial Saint's True Scripture for you."
"However, this may not work out."
Yang Silang stood up and hurriedly bowed.
"Then I'll have to trouble you, Fairy Goddess."
Hu Jiaoniang giggled.
"It's no trouble at all."
"You wrote a new book for me, and you bumped into the wall so hard it dented it, and your hair doesn't seem as thick as it used to be."
"I can't let you go through all this trouble for nothing."
"Alright, the palace examination is in one month."
"You've already wasted a lot of time trying to write a new version of Journey to the West."
"I won't bother you this month. You can focus on your martial arts practice."
With a loud bang, the demonic energy dispersed.
The fox tattoo reappeared on Yang Silang's arm, while Hu Jiaoniang had vanished without a trace.
He scratched his head and complained.
"I'll squeeze out time to think of a new book for you when the imperial examination is at its most crucial."
"The palace examination is just a formality now, so what difference does it make whether I practice or not?"
"Your Majesty, are you kidding me?"
He now understands that Hu Jiaoniang is actually a bit cunning.
However, since the other party promised to help him find the martial arts technique of the Taizu Long Fist Martial Saint Realm, he still had to coax his benefactor.
Fortunately, we don't need to tell the story of Investiture of the Gods anymore.
A month of free time.
Yang Silang felt that he had never fought such a rich battle since he came to the capital.
The next few days.
During his free time from practicing martial arts, Yang Silang was dragged by Zhou Mingxuan to attend gatherings held by various scholars who had passed the imperial examinations. Most of the gatherings were of poor families, and it was rare to see any members of aristocratic families.
He did manage to become somewhat familiar with the crowd.
Because he ranked 155th in high school, he was one of the most capable students from poor families, except for those from deceased families. Therefore, everyone treated him with respect, and he always drank with them.
among them.
Yang Silang got to know the two of them.
First is Helan Jin, a swordsman from the Northern Desert Province. He has a long scar on his face and is skilled in using a pair of swords, one long and one short. He is ranked 154th.
One was a tribute student named Li Hui from the Southern Xinjiang Province. He was handsome, but his skin was somewhat bluish, and he always had a greasy fragrance about him. He was skilled with spears and clubs, and two small snakes were wrapped around the bamboo stick in his hand, with venomous fangs sticking out, making him seem very intimidating.
Li Hui ranked 156th.
In other words, Helan Jin, Yang Silang, and Li Hui were the top three candidates from humble backgrounds in the imperial examination, and all three were Grandmasters.
Of course, there were a few people ahead of them who came from humble backgrounds and were also masters, but they were ranked within the top 100 and did not attend the gathering.
This kind of person is obviously recruited by a powerful family; otherwise, they wouldn't be ranked so high and never show their face.
The three were of similar cultivation levels and exchanged martial arts insights, which helped them become acquainted.
Most of the scholars had money in their pockets, but not enough to afford to drink freely in private rooms of restaurants every day. Occasionally, they would organize trips to enjoy the scenery outside the city.
Taking the opportunity, Yang Silang sparred with Helan Jin and Li Hui.
Helan Jin wielded both long and short swords with unpredictable movements, combining offense and defense. His movements were like a ghost, and when he wielded the swords, they spun like wheels, making it hard for onlookers to breathe.
However, Yang Silang has three attribute divine will seeds and has half-awakened the sixth sense "will". He can keenly sense that Helan Jin has held back.
The dual-sword technique he used was by no means his true trump card.
Judging from his movements, his true preferred weapon is the long sword for defense, while his short sword is used to conceal deadly moves. He is probably following the path of an assassin who can kill with a single blow.
There is also the Li Hui.
This man was skilled with spears and clubs; when he wielded a green bamboo stick, water could not penetrate it, and it spun like a wheel of light.
Yang Silang suspected that the opponent's real skill lay in the poisonous snakes and insects on his body, and that the so-called spear and staff were just a smokescreen. His real secret technique was probably the poisonous insect technique.
Those snakes and insects should all be Gu insects, and they have a faint demonic aura about them.
After all, this person came from the southern border, where poisonous insects were prevalent. It would be impossible for him not to have learned them.
Both of them held back.
Yang Silang was the same; when he sparred with others, he used the Great Spear Technique, the Killing Spear.
As he comprehends the divine will, the Killing Spear now possesses three-tenths of its power. Although it is not as powerful as the original, its lethality has greatly increased.
He used the divine power of fire to control his spear technique, turning the Killing Spear into the Overlord Spear in his hands, in addition to the swordsmanship he displayed when wielding a knife.
Others only thought he was skilled in using fire-breathing guns, swords, and bows, but he was actually hiding much more.
And so, a month passed in a flash.
Yang Silang spent a month practicing Guanshan Archery to the intermediate level.
She Nu blew a strong wind in the room, causing hundreds of red threads to dance wildly, rice grains to fly, and some of the red threads to even become tangled and knotted together.
However, with a hundred arrows, he was able to shatter all the grains of rice, leaving none behind.
In addition, his breathing technique has also improved considerably. Now, if he wanted to, he could suppress his blood and qi reaction to the level of an Iron Bone Martial Master.
The day of the palace examination arrived quickly.
Outside, the sky was pitch black, the bright moon hung high, and its cool light shone down.
outside the house.
She Nu and Fu Hongying gently knocked on the door.
"Master/Master, it's time to get up."
The palace examination required candidates to enter the palace through the Meridian Gate before dawn, at the hour of Yin (3-5 AM).
All candidates had to arrive at the Meridian Gate before dawn, otherwise they would be in serious trouble. At best, they would be stripped of their academic honors; at worst, they would be considered to have disrespected the imperial authority and could be imprisoned or even killed.
Therefore, both inside and outside the capital city.
At this moment, regardless of the identities and backgrounds of the tribute students, they all got up. Most of them hadn't slept at all, since they were all martial artists who had achieved mastery of true qi.
I can endure not sleeping for even one night, let alone several days and nights.
Yang Silang responded from inside. He hadn't lain down that night, but had been meditating with his eyes closed, practicing the Turtle Breathing Technique, in a state between sleep and wakefulness.
The door creaked open.
She Nu came in carrying a basin of hot water, towels, bamboo twigs, ivory, and salt.
Fu Hongying held another tray with a set of official robes without rank insignia, a special honor for candidates participating in the palace examination.
After Yang Silang washed up, the two women worked together to put his official robes on him.
"Master..." Fu Hongying twirled a corner of her official robe, her eyes slightly red, "With your strength, you could have performed martial arts before the Emperor..."
According to the rules of the palace examination, only the top thirty candidates have the opportunity to engage in actual combat on the stage in front of His Majesty.
Those ranked 30th and below can only watch today. They only need to recite a section of the "Military Classic" in the hall, and their status as Jinshi will be easily obtained without much effort.
Seeing this, She Nu hurriedly began to flatter him.
"If you ask me, sir, you could even try to become the top scholar in the imperial examination."
Yang Silang laughed heartily.
"You two bootlickers."
"The world is vast, and there are countless heroes."
"During the martial arts competition, there were more than ten Grandmasters of Golden Marrow alone. How can I compete with them for the top three spots?"
"But that's nothing. I'm confident I can become a grandmaster in a few years. In the path of martial arts, it's not about who's first, but about who can speak fluently and continuously, and who can surpass the others."
"Today I am destined to be an observer. All I need to bring is my eyes. I don't even need to bring a sword. I'll just consider it broadening my horizons."
He left the room.
Wang Daniu was already waiting with Daqing by the hand.
"Fourth Brother..." he grinned, "When you come back today, you'll be a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations)."
"At least our trip wasn't in vain."
"It's a shame about your doors and windows; they were just built not long ago, and now they have to be torn down again."
Yang Silang laughed heartily.
"Let's go, let's set off!"
Once outside the courtyard gate, Zhou Mingxuan, also dressed in an official robe without embellishments, rode a tall horse with high spirits.
Today is his big day.
His face appeared to be lightly powdered, which made him look even more like a refined gentleman with an otherworldly air. If judged by appearance alone, he was undoubtedly the top scholar of the day.
to this end.
Zhou Mingxuan has deliberately avoided fighting with Fu Hongying, that wild girl, recently, for fear that even the slightest scratch on his handsome face would ruin the Emperor's first impression.
Master Fu had already been standing outside with a group of servants, all bowing and saying auspicious words for the upcoming high school entrance exam.
Yang Silang responded with a smile.
Wait until they ride out onto the road.
With a curfew in place in the capital, there were hardly any people on the streets; those who did come and go were mostly officials.
The two rode slowly, and the further they went, the more people there were, mostly tribute students.
The imperial city remained silent in the darkness. Outside the Meridian Gate, the two dismounted, and Wang Daniu and Xiao Qi waited outside the Heavenly Street with their mounts.
Yang Silang and Zhou Mingxuan exchanged a greeting, then stepped forward and merged into the crowd, their figures disappearing beneath the Meridian Gate.
in the crowd.
Yang Silang found Helan Jin and Li Hui. After exchanging a few pleasantries, they waited quietly.
Just a moment later.
A soft gong sounded.
The heavy palace gates slowly opened, and a ray of light shone on everyone.
An official from the Court of State Ceremonial shouted "Enter!"
The group remained silent, their boots making a soft rustling sound as they filed in.