Becoming a Sage Starts From Condensing the Essence of Time - Chapter 172
Chapter 172: Spirit Refinement Text Examination,
Mountain and River Painting, This Lad’s Primordial Spirit
Is Actually So Powerful?! (3)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Liu Yue sighed.
“In an official position, you have to think in the shoes of the court.”
“Although Brother Liu is only ranked first on List B and it’s difficult for you to become a high-ranking official, the position of an official has its meaning.
Brother Liu, you have to do your best and stay true to your heart,” An Le said.
When Liu Yue heard this, a grateful and solemn expression appeared on his face. “Thank you for your teachings, Young Master An.”
“Hall Examination… Young Master An, you must work hard! I hope to see
Young Master become the top scholar!”
Facing the bright morning sun, Liu Yue smiled and blessed An Le. An Le smiled. “Thank you for your kind words.”
He waved his hand, his white clothes fluttered, and he stepped onto the imperial road.
He headed all the way to the Heavenly Profound Palace.
Outside the Heavenly Profound Palace, on the incomparably empty white jade square, the scholars on the List A and B rankings arrived one after another. They were all stopped by many robed eunuchs.
The List B Scholars and the List A Scholars who were not in the top ten stopped.
The cultivators ranked in the top ten of List A and recommended by many nobles continued forward and arrived at the center of the White Jade Square. They were facing the White Jade Vermilion Steps and the Heavenly Profound Palace that was like a Buddha’s hand lotus flower.
In fact, there were not many people who could really walk here. There were only more than ten people in total.
Other than Qin Hua’an, Sima Pudu, Wang Qilin, and the other top ten on the Little Sacred Ranking, there was no one else who was recommended.
If they wanted to be recommended for the Hall Examination, it was difficult to qualify without sufficient talent. They could only obediently participate in the Spring Quarter Examination Imperial Examination.
“Clang
Another bell chimed.
In the vast and magnificent Heavenly Profound Palace, a purple-robed Eunuch Tong slowly walked out.
On his old but beardless face, his eyes were sharp like a cat’s eyes.
“The Hall Examination is divided into literary and martial examinations.”
“In 15 minutes, the written test will be held first. The written test will be hosted by the Second Headmaster of the Literary Department. One of the three Dharma treasures of the Literary Department, the Mountain and River Painting, will be used as the venue for the written test. The Spirit Refinement of the Literary Department is naturally related to mental power. Everyone, take
care. ”
“The Martial Temple’s Martial Chief will set the questions for the Martial
Examination. The Hall Examination will determine two rounds of rankings. The top two will compete for the last top scholar. The winner will become the top scholar.”
“Everyone, do you understand?”
Eunuch Tong’s voice was rather sharp and ear-piercing. However, with the enhancement of his mental power, it clearly resounded in the ears of every Hall Examination candidate.
In the Heavenly Profound Palace, many high-ranking officials and dignitaries were shocked. Clearly, they did not know about the assessment segment of this Hall Examination.
In the past years, His Majesty would set questions for the Hall Examination and ask big questions. Now, he had directly canceled it and used Spirit Refinement and Body Tempering as the assessment standards.
Moreover, they directly pulled in the Literary Department and the Martial Temple. These two factions were tied to the dynasty, but the number of times they directly became the organizers of the Hall Examination was very few.
In the middle of the White Jade Square.
None of the examinees had any objections. They cupped their fists and bowed.
All of their faces revealed solemn expressions.
On the other hand, those scholars who had relied on the Spring Quarter Examination to enter List A and enter the Hall Examination all revealed bitter smiles.
They knew very well that they were undoubtedly here as ornaments according to the rules of the Hall Examination.
Although their cultivation levels were extraordinary, they naturally did not have any chance to stand out in both Spirit Refinement and Body Tempering.
How could they compare to the geniuses on the Little Sacred Ranking?
The dream of becoming the top scholar and first place became unattainable, but they did not give up just like that. After all, the Hall Examination was a ranking. If they performed well and obtained a top ranking, they would have fewer bumpy paths in the court in the future.
As soon as this was said… a figure walked over from outside the Imperial City.
His Confucian clothes fluttered, and his white hair fluttered. It was the Second Headmaster of the Literary Department, Pang Ji.
Pang Ji held a scroll in his hand.
After landing on the White Jade Vermilion Steps, the Second Headmaster first bowed slightly to Emperor Zhao, who was sitting upright on an Emperor’s throne in the Heavenly Profound Palace.
Emperor Zhao smiled and nodded.
“Thank you for your hard work, Second Headmaster.”
“It’s the Literary Department’s duty to choose talents for the dynasty. Your
Majesty, you’re being too serious.”
The Second Headmaster chuckled.
He turned around and looked at the dozen or so people standing in the White Jade Square.
“I will use the ‘Mountain and River Painting’ to guide everyone’s mental power into it. In the Mountain and River Painting, everyone will immediately be divided into the ‘Mountain’ and ‘River’ regions. Their mental power will clash. Only one person’s mental power can remain in the two regions. The other losers can be graded according to the time they stay.”
Second Headmaster Pang Ji slowly explained the rules.
The Literary Department’s Mountain and River Painting was an extremely powerful binding Dharma treasure that could forcefully trap the mental power of experts. This Hall Examination actually used such a Dharma treasure as an examination hall.
An Le’s eyes flickered. He did not expect the rules of the first written test to be like this. It directly lured the candidates into the Mountain and River Painting and fought with their mental power.
Although it was said to be a Spirit Refinement competition, in fact, the animosity was very strong.
The longer one stayed in the Mountain and River Painting, the higher the score. However, to those who were truly confident, destroying the minds of others was the key.
It could be said that this examination was completely prepared for the geniuses on the Little Sacred Ranking. It was to filter out the top scorer and the first place with a high enough value to be worthy of conversing with the Sacred Teacher.
Therefore, it was naturally not very friendly to those with low Spirit Refinement cultivation.
In the eyes of many people, An Le’s Spirit Refinement cultivation level was only at the fourth realm and he had just condensed his Primordial Spirit. This literary test was naturally not very friendly to him.
An Le was deep in thought when he suddenly felt a cold gaze. He turned around and saw Prime Minister Qin’s only son, Qin Hua’an, looking at him coldly.
“I promised my father that I wouldn’t let you enter the top three… I hope that you and I will be on the same mountain in the painting. That way, I can crush your mind as quickly as possible.”
Qin Hua’an spoke without hiding anything.
He didn’t say that he wanted to avenge Qin Qianqiu. He said that he was carrying his father’s expectations.
Qin Hua’an’s words caused quite a commotion among the candidates, but everyone knew the relationship between An Le and Prime Minister Qin. Although they were surprised, they did not find it strange.
An Le’s white clothes fluttered. He didn’t even look at Qin Hua’an and didn’t respond.
Qin Hua’an didn’t mind. He looked at the Second Headmaster, who was standing on the White Jade Vermilion Steps.
The Second Headmaster’s mental power surged, and the painting in his hand suddenly floated up.
It floated in front of the Heavenly Profound Palace.
The painting slowly unfolded. The black mountains and rivers were surrounded by clouds. The vast world was revealed between specks of ink. The magnificent mountains and rivers appeared in the painting as if they could accommodate all the good mountains and rivers in the world.
“The first round of the Hall Examination, the Spirit Refinement literary test.”
“Everyone, enter the painting.”
As soon as this was said…
After a moment of silence, Qin Hua’an sat down cross-legged. His mental power surged and his Primordial Spirit leaped out of his Niwan Palace. He walked towards the Mountain and River Painting step by step. It was dazzling. As he walked, it was as if there was a long ray of light accompanying him. This was the fifth realm of Spirit Refinement, the Oblivion Primordial Spirit!
Qin Hua’an’s Primordial Spirit walked in front of the Mountain and River Painting with his hands behind his back. Amidst the endless multicolored light, he paused and glanced at An Le, who was dressed in snow-white clothes. He turned around and entered the mountains and rivers, transforming into a black Confucian scholar figure.
With Qin Hua’an taking the lead, the others no longer hesitated.
Sima Pudu smiled. In the Niwan Palace between his eyebrows, there was also a myriad of rays of light. The Oblivion Primordial Spirit walked out and filled the Mountain and River Painting.
The Wang family’s Qilin Son, Ye Yinping, Ye Wenxi, and the others released their Primordial Spirits.
For a moment, the White Jade Square was illuminated by multicolored light, as if many immortals had descended to the mortal world.
Of course, there were also many people who had only reached the third realm of Spirit Refinement and had not even condensed their Primordial Spirits. They could only use their mental power to draw.
An Le admired the “Mountain and River Painting” for a while before sitting cross-legged without any hesitation.
He raised his hand and pressed it between his eyebrows.
The sword qi in his glabella immediately clanged.
In the Sword Furnace.
An Le’s Primordial Spirit suddenly opened its eyes.
Sword qi lingered, and the Primordial Spirit which seemed to be a real figure took a step forward. It walked in the void and walked towards the Mountain and River Painting with lotus flowers blooming with every step.
As soon as An Le’s Primordial Spirit appeared, in the Heavenly Profound Palace, the eyes of many experts suddenly narrowed in disbelief.
This was a fourth-realm Primordial Spirit?!
This child’s Primordial Spirit..
How could it be so powerful?!
