"Release the scripts!"
"Yes, we want to see the scripts!"
Upon hearing Han Zhangfeng, the entire crowd turned rowdy again. Without seeing the script, none of them were willing to believe the fact.
This was something that went against anything that they could understand or comprehend.
King Duan looked at Han Zhangfeng, then back at the rowdy populace. If he had a choice, he would reject the proposal.
But, he did not.
Ever since the moment he began announcing the top three, he knew that no one would be able to believe the result.
As such, the only choice was to release the scripts to prove the fairness of the examination. Furthermore, this was an order from the Emperor, Lin Mubai.
An academic wearing black official robes appeared next to King Duan (Lin Xinjue). In his hand was a wooden box covered by a gold cloth.
King Duan knew that it contained Fang Zhengzhi's script.
"Release it!" King Duan nodded. He tried to look as approachable as possible. He had to bring himself to smile.
So, he smiled, and he smiled radiantyly.
The gold cloth was lifted and the wooden box was opened. The other academics move forward.
12 academics held up each of the 12 pieces, raising it high above their heads. They stood in a straight line and the name on each script was clear for all to see.
Fang Zhengzhi.
More importantly, each paper had the same score, each one had the same imperial seal which read, "The Emperor's Seal"!
The entire crowd fell silent.
The entire crowd stared at the row of scripts wide eyed. They did not need to verify that, they knew what the seal meant.
"The Great Sage marked it himself!"
"The Emperor's Seal... it is the Emperor's Seal!"
"All correct?! He got them all correct!"
"12 pieces papers, four hours, not a single mistake, not even a misspelled word!"
"No marks deducted at all!"
All of the officials at the scene were stunned. The crowd was in awe, especially the candidates who had just taken the exam.
They were the least willing to accept this fact.
Anyone who had seen the exam knew that this edition of the Imperial Examination was much harder than any they had ever seen.
Four hours...
They couldn't even finish two papers.
Those who had made it to the Second-Class Roll had finished one paper at most, and those who had made it to the First-Class Roll had only managed to do most of the questions.
It was too difficult!
Yet, for such a set of papers, someone actually managed to finish them all in four hours, and without mistake! Completely flawless!
How did he do it?
It was impossible for someone to cheat. In the entire history of the empire, no one had managed to cheat the exams.
So how did he do it if he didn't cheat?
Su Donglin felt his face heat up as he flushed. He felt like his face was on fire.
"The Emperor's Seal... all correct?!"
Su Donglin felt like he had wasted two decades studying. In the face of the examination paper, he felt worse than a three year old kid.
"Fang Zhengzhi!" Su Donglin began to tremble. That was a tremble of shame and anger.
He thought about what Fang Zhengzhi and Yan Xiu had said previously.
"Why don't you tell him that you already have a partner?"
"Even if I told him that you would be travelling with me, I doubt that he would be able to comprehend it based on his intelligence."
"That's true!"
That was mockery and humiliation. Complete, unadulterated humiliation. Su Donglin was being completely ignored by Fang Zhengzhi and Yan Xiu.
"The first round!"
"The first round of the combat examinations!"
"I will be sure to kill you!"
Su Donglin did not stay around. He could not. Just moments ago, he had said to Fang Zhengzhi, in front of everyone, that his name would be carved at the highest point of the Roll.
But now...
Fang Zhengzhi's name occupied the top spot.
The top scorer of the Theory Examinations, Fang Zhengzhi!
At this point, no one dared to question the validity of Fang Zhengzhi's ranking. Everyone looked at Fang Zhengzhi with envy and jealousy.
All of the officials were incredibly flustered.
An unprecedented talent had just made his name today. This meant that the ancient traditions of the courts were bound to be injected with new blood.
All of the candidates looked at Fang Zhengzhi with fire in their eyes.
He may be the top scorer in the Theory Examinations. However, he is just in the elementary stages of the Heavenly Reflection Realm. What a great stepping stone. What a great opportunity for them all.
Why won't they be excited?
As long as they defeated Fang Zhengzhi in the combat examinations, the whole world will focus on them.
All of the Heavenly Reflection candidates looked at Fang Zhengzhi like wolves stalking the sheep. They were all filled with anticipation.
Nangong Mu, who was in the shade of the trees, also left.
He left the moment the scripts were released. He did not say anything to anybody. Just before he left, he unconsciously glanced southward.
That was where the Nangong family was.
There was another stunning talent there, Nangong Hao.
Xing Qingsui did not leave. He was not angry. However, when he saw those scripts, his eyes became brighter and brighter, almost like a predator who had just spotted its prey.
Inside the aromatic garden of Ping Yang's residence.
Ping Yang wore a red cloak as she sat on the swing, staying still as she stared in the direction of the academy.
"He must be very happy now?"
"Damn it, I can't let him be this cocky!"
"But, why is it that this damned hillbilly can do that well? The entire test..."
"Argh, he'll be the death of me, he'll be the death of me, oh oh oh..."
Ping Yang continued to mutter to herself as her expression changed continuously. She was happy, angry, sad, crazy...
At an isolated small courtyard on the other side of the Ping Yang residence.
Chi Guyan, who was dressed in a pink dress, lay on a wooden chair wrapped with beast hide. The dress was knee length, and it revealed her exquisite legs.
Her posture looked rather lazy, and her starry eyes looked into the sky. The golden rays of light from the sun shone on her, making her look like an immortal who descended from heaven.
"It is no wonder that shameless thief always lies down in this position. It is quite comfortable... the entire examination. This time, I don't have to push, he went up there himself, then let me take a break..."
Chi Guyan muttered to herself before closing her eyes, smirking to herself.
Yue Er, who was dressed in a green dress, stood guard at the entrance to the small courtyard.
She was stunned by what she saw. Having followed by Chi Guyan's side for so long, she had never seen Chi Guyan sit this way.
"Why does it feel like missus has changed. Didn't she always scold me for poor posture?"
With the announcement of the Theory Examination rankings, everyone could not believe their eyes and the commotion in the city showed no signs of abating.
There were still quite a few people who came to visit Yu Yiping, the Left Prime Minister. However, his gates were visibly less popular.
He had once said that it was unwise to try to finish the entire exam. Yet now, it had become a forbidden phrase.
No one dared to mention the incident.
However, it was now a story that everyone in the city knew. The storytellers in the teahouses even weaved stories based on it.
This was clearly the work of his detractors.
Yu Yiping knew this, and so did the Crown Prince, Lin Tianrong. Only Lin Xinjue told it to everyone he saw, "I don't know! Who is so audacious? Who dares to defame the Left Prime Minister!"
The stable political system was now being rocked. This did not seem to have anything to do with Fang Zhengzhi. But without Fang Zhengzhi, would this even have happened?
The combat examinations would be held in bad weather.
The rain on this day seemed to be even stronger than before. Dark clouds filled the sky and winds raged around the entire city.
Today was the beginning of the combat examinations, and the weather was not good.
But so what?
There could be no rainbows if there was no rain.
Over 200 candidates in armor stood in the open as the rain pummeled their bodies. They stared intently at the front.
The entire atmosphere at the Imperial Academy's backyard was solemn.
There was a yellow umbrella in the midst. This umbrella covered two people. One was the bored looking, sapphire color armored Fang Zhengzhi, and the other was the seemingly icy Yan Xiu.
The two of them stood under the yellow umbrella. They looked extremely clean, a clear difference from the rest of the competition.
Han Zhangfeng, who was in white official robes, stared at the lonely umbrella. He raised his head to look at the torrential rain.
Did I make a mistake then?
After so many years of being Chief Examiner, he had seen his fair share of bad weather. However, he had never seen a case where the candidates used an umbrella when he himself did not!
He could only wish that this kind of people did not join the army. Else, such undisciplined fellows were bound to suffer.
But this was just the Imperial Examinations. Could he say anything?
Naturally not.
"You are all the elites of the empire. You are also the future of the Empire. One day, when you walk into the courts, into the armies, I hope that your indomitable spirit will hold strong!"
"The keys to the Great Xia Dynasty will soon be open to you. However, you must first cross this door. Inside this door is competition, cruel, intense competition!"
"They will try to stop you in your tracks. Your responsibility is to smash them!"
"I believe that you all know what "Meng Tian" means to the Great Xia Dynasty. That's right, he is the one who rode a thousand miles to kill the Devil Lord, "Di Sikong", the "Sagely Battle God!"
"Today, you all have the honor of entering the "World of the Sage". That is Meng Tian's world, and it records all of Meng Tian's exploits.
"At every level, you will all see a different world, and understand different things."
"Of course, you must be able to find them, and remain standing!"
"The rules are simple, the last one standing is the champion of this edition of the combat examinations!"
As Han Zhangfeng finished, he scanned the group of candidates. All of them had an insatiable thirst.
They looked on in anticipation.
For this edition of the Imperial Examination, the Emperor had agreed to use the "World of the Sage" as the battleground. He may have been feeling generous. Anyone who entered, regardless pass or fail, would benefit greatly.
However, this also meant that there were immense dangers...
The World of the Sage may be rather difficult for the candidates here today. However, as the Emperor aptly said, "Which warrior has not bled?"
Naturally, Han Zhangfeng knew what he meant.
Without brushes with death, one could not stand tall in the battlefield no matter how strong one was. That person could not be the bastion of the Great Xia Dynasty.
The demons were incredibly vicious and this was a fact every human must accept.
However...
Why did it look like Fang Zhengzhi was not at all nervous. In fact, he looked like a bored outsider?
Han Zhangfeng could not understand what Fang Zhengzhi was thinking about. Did he not want to pass the combat examinations? Or, was he that confident?
That was impossible.
The combat examinations were different from the theory examinations. They required skill.
Even though an elementary stage Heavenly Reflection Cultivator was not weak, he was in no position to be cocky. Furthermore, there was a target on his back.
More importantly, the people controlling the World of the Sage were Han Zhangfeng and King Duan.
Time, space, and people...
If Fang Zhengzhi still managed to be the last man standing.
That would be senseless.
"Go on in!"
"Yes!"
Everyone except for Fang Zhengzhi and Yan Xiu answered in unison.
Fang Zhengzhi could not be bothered, and Yan Xiu was unwilling to answer.
They felt completely differently, but the two of them stood under the same yellow umbrella.
The huge stone door parted.
This signalled the official opening ceremony of the Imperial Combat Examinations...
"The World of the Sage? Meng Tian... why haven't I heard of him?" Fang Zhengzhi looked on in confusion. Then, he sighed lightly as he looked at the drenched candidates around him.
"Why act... dumb!"
However, he did not notice that every candidate who walked through the stone doors unconsciously looked in his direction, their eyes glimmering.