Every March, the county examination tests Child Scholars; in June, the prefectural examination tests Accomplished Scholars; in September, the state examination tests Presented Scholars; and in December, the first trial of the capital examination, the Tribute Examination, takes place, passing which one becomes an Imperial Scholar.

After this year’s Tribute Examination, all Imperial Scholars will participate in the Palace Examination, not the one in the Golden Luang Hall, but the one in the Hall of All the Saints.

These Imperial Scholars will be directly appointed as magistrates across the lands, while the Semi-Saint examiners of the Hall of All the Saints constantly scrutinize the world. In the second year of October, evaluations in various fields such as education, agriculture, industry, governance, and law will be conducted, and the top three performers from each nation can become the top scholars, second-place scholars, or flower-picking scholars.

Afterward, depending on the time in the Sea of Learning, it will be determined whether the Imperial Scholars of each nation will first cross the Sea of Learning or compete for the title of the foremost leader among the ten nations.

Li Fanming sighed, “It’s a pity that Fang Yun has just passed the Child Scholar and Accomplished Scholar exams this year, and at most he can take the Presented Scholar exam. He won’t be able to participate in the Imperial Scholar exam this year, so he won’t be able to cross the Sea of Learning with us or compete for the title of nation’s foremost leader next year.”

Yan Yukong suddenly laughed, “After this year’s Dragon Boat Literary Meeting, I boasted that I would join Fang Yun in the capital examination, then compete to cross the Sea of Learning and vie for the title of the foremost leader among the ten nations. Now that I think about it, I was too frivolous at the time. I’m hesitating whether to avoid Fang Yun and take the capital examination ahead of time.”

“Ah? Yukong, that’s not right of you to say. A gentleman must keep his word!” Kong Delun said, “Since you’ve agreed to compete with Fang Yun, you should wait a few years until he takes the capital examination before you go. You must not break your promise!”

Kong Delun laughed and scolded, “Wude, you’re clearly afraid that Yukong will participate in this year’s Jing Kingdom’s capital examination and steal your title of Jing Kingdom’s top scholar. Stop blowing hot and cold.”

Zong Wude looked up at the sky and said no more.

Li Fanming glanced at Fang Yun and noticed he was smiling without saying a word. A flash of insight struck him, “You are already a Presented Scholar before the Sage, and once you leave the Holy Land, it will be the state examination in September. You will definitely participate and pass the Presented Scholar exam, which is almost a sure thing. Even winning the title of top scholar in one state is highly possible. You’re not thinking of passing the Presented Scholar exam this year and then immediately heading to the capital to participate in the December capital examination for Imperial Scholars, are you? If you pass, that would make you the first ‘same-year’ Imperial Scholar in a millennium!”

Everyone stopped in their tracks, not even entering the plaza, and turned to look at Fang Yun.

“To pass the Child Scholar, Accomplished Scholar, Presented Scholar, and Imperial Scholar exams in the same year is known as ‘same-year’. At most, someone has achieved ‘three same’ as a Presented Scholar, but if you pass the Imperial Scholar exam this year, that would be ‘four same’, a true ‘same-year’. Tell us the truth, after winning the unique double-first Child Scholar title of Jing Kingdom and the only triple-first Accomplished Scholar title among the ten nations, is your next target the ‘same-year Imperial Scholar’?”

“You’re wrong, Teacher Fang’s next target is the ‘triple-first Presented Scholar’ and the first-place ‘top scholar’ among Presented Scholars! I suspect this madman really wants to compete for the first ‘all-first scholar’, the first ‘six-top talent’, and the first ‘same-year Imperial Scholar’ in a thousand years,” Li Fanming said seriously as he looked at Fang Yun.

The crowd was speechless.

Han Shoulu laughed, “Since ancient times, no one has thought of obtaining so many titles. If Fang Yun really achieves these honors, when he patrols the streets, the yamen runners will have to carry the ‘silence and avoidance’ placards, the official title placards, and the literary position placards, like ‘Child Scholar before the Sage’, ‘Accomplished Scholar before the Sage’, ‘double-first Child Scholar’, ‘triple-first Accomplished Scholar’, and so on, which all belong to literary position placards. Fang Yun’s appearance would be more bustling than the procession of a nation’s prime minister.”

Everyone imagined the scene, their eyes lighting up, and they all laughed.

Yan Yukong laughed, “Lord Yizhishi has always held the position of the Literary Minister of the Wu Nation. Although he is now basically hands-off, he still holds the office and will use these procession placards when he officially travels. When he travels, just the yamen runners holding the literary position placards number several people, plus the Holy Academy’s official titles, military positions, additional titles, and so on, there are more than ten procession placards. I wonder what it will be like when he meets Fang Yun in the future.”

“Let’s all stop talking and listen to Fang Yun. Fang Yun, do you really want to participate in this year’s capital examination? Tell us the truth!” Zong Wude said.

Fang Yun cleared his throat and slowly said, “Becoming an Imperial Scholar is a watershed for scholars. As an Imperial Scholar, one’s strength will soar. It is very difficult for a Presented Scholar to defeat five or six well-prepared Accomplished Scholars, but an Imperial Scholar with the War of Words is untouchable by Presented Scholars. You all know that my path ahead is fraught with danger, and I must become an Imperial Scholar as soon as possible to protect myself. So, I want to try my luck in the capital this year.”

Zong Wude wailed, “It’s karma! This means Yukong will definitely participate in this year’s Jing Kingdom’s capital examination. My title of Jing Kingdom’s top scholar is gone! Karma! Ever since I met Fang Yun, things have been going downhill for me. I went to the Holy Land’s literary meeting, and the master of ceremonies introduced Fang Yun and forgot about me. Finally, after much effort, I composed a poem about Mingzhou, waiting for the Grand Academician to appreciate it, but Fang Yun suddenly completed a poem that caused a sensation and sent us into the Holy Land ahead of time. Now it’s like this again, my life is so tragic…”

Zong Wude said as he left the third corridor and entered the light gate ahead.

The crowd exchanged smiles and followed through the light gate, arriving at a new plaza.

Suddenly, a thin layer of silver light enveloped everyone, containing a much denser power of the God of Literature than before.

“Although this power of the God of Literature is not as strong as the legendary illumination of the God of Literature, it can greatly enhance our strength. It’s a great fortune to enter the Comet Corridor!”

Yan Yukong nodded, “Yes, this power of the God of Literature seems insufficient, but it is pure. We can’t see the God of Literature from here, and I wonder where this power comes from. This Demon Ancestor is truly a remarkable person. Even if not as great as Sage Confucius, he must not be far off, otherwise, he couldn’t have created this extraordinary Comet Corridor.”

Then everyone closed their eyes and quietly experienced the changes brought by the power of the God of Literature.

Under the influence of the power of the God of Literature, everyone’s literary energy rapidly filled and recovered, and Fang Yun’s literary energy increased by three points, rising from one inch and seven points to two inches.Fang Yun stood in the Temple of Literature, observing the clear growth of his own power, especially the Courage to Write, which now emitted an indescribable aura.

The previous aura of the Courage to Write could be described as “resilient,” but now it seemed to have evolved from resilience to “resilient yet solid,” showing signs of entering the second realm.

“If I receive the blessing of the God of Literature’s power a few more times, I fear I will soon enter the second realm of the Courage to Write. The name of the second realm, ‘Solid as a Stubborn Rock,’ is quite simple, and while it’s not aggressive, its defensive capabilities are extremely strong. Moreover, the power of the Courage to Write can enhance the ‘Overwhelming Righteousness’ of the future, truly second only to the power of talent.”

Before long, Fang Yun left the Temple of Literature and found everyone else exceedingly joyful, having reaped great benefits.

Everyone’s bodies had also been healed by the powerful star force here, and although their spirit and the power of the Courage to Write could not be restored, their talent and physical strength had reached their peak, even surpassing it.

Yan Yukong looked at Fang Yun and said, “Without you, I would have had no chance of passing through the third corridor. I owe you a great debt of gratitude. Time is pressing, let’s talk while we move!”

“Let’s go!” Everyone set off towards the fourth corridor.

The Savage Cow and the Demon Barbarian, one beast and one demon, followed closely behind Fang Yun without a word. Joy that they could not hide flickered in their eyes, for with their status, not to mention passing through the third corridor, they wouldn’t even qualify to enter the Comet Corridor. But with Fang Yun, everything was different.

The Demon Barbarian whispered to The Savage Cow, “Do you feel it? My blood and energy are stronger than ever before. I will soon become a Demon General! You are considered a royal among the Savage Cows, while I am just an ordinary dog demon. But having passed the third corridor, I can now compare with the royal demons! And your strength, I fear, has already ascended to the ranks of the holy tribe of the Savage Cows! If you can step into the seventh corridor with the Moon Emperor, and cultivate for a few more years, you might very well reach the level of a Holy Son!”

The Savage Cow chuckled and said, “This is the land of the Demon Ancestors, gaining the power of the holy tribe is not surprising. As for comparing with the Holy Son, the chances are slim. I will just follow the Moon Emperor honestly. Maybe in the future, I could become a Moon General or even a Moon Guard. By then, I might have the power close to that of a Holy Son. Actually, the Dragon Ascension Platform is even more powerful than the Comet Corridor. Both Dragon Ridge and the Big Dipper are now terrifyingly strong. If they enter the Dragon Ascension Platform, no one of their generation could match them.”

“Hmph, let’s not talk about the Dragon Ascension Platform. That’s not a place we can go to!”

“True, I really hope All the Saints will fight again in The Holy Land, so that it can connect to even more places.”

“Shh, we’re about to enter the fourth corridor.” The Demon Barbarian’s eyes immediately sharpened, his dog eyes bright and spirited.

The Presented Scholars overheard the exchange between the beast and the demon, exchanging glances, wishing they too had such demon and barbarian followers. But even for the children of the Semi-Saint Prominent Families who became Imperial Scholars, having royal demon private soldiers was already the limit. Holy tribe demon soldiers were out of the question, at least until one became a Great Scholar or a Semi-Saint.

Passing through the great gate, everyone arrived at the fourth corridor.

The fourth corridor was about the same size as the previous ones, roughly twenty miles long and about a mile wide, with a thick layer of ice on the ground, slightly arched, suspended in the air like a bridge. The sky was filled with many large stars, exceptionally beautiful.

But the sky of the fourth corridor was more beautiful than the previous three because meteors and meteorites were falling from the sky!

“Boom! Boom! Boom…”

The group had been in the fourth corridor for less than a moment when they saw at least twenty meteors fall onto the ice bridge, creating many holes. The meteors and falling ice disappeared below, and then the holes in the ice bridge slowly repaired themselves. However, before some holes could be fixed, new meteors would smash down again.

Everyone was stunned. An avalanche, no matter how powerful, was a natural disaster they could accept. Even at its fastest, an avalanche would only surge thirty yards in a breath, but meteors could travel dozens or even hundreds of miles in a breath!

Avalanches could also create shockwaves, but they were nothing compared to meteors. The avalanche in the third corridor could only be considered a ‘disaster,’ while the meteorites in the fourth corridor were truly a ‘catastrophe’!

Fang Yun was at a loss for words. Although he had never seen a meteorite fall up close, he had seen news footage of it. Despite being far from the meteorite, the glass in nearby buildings was shattered by the shockwave, not to mention the dinosaur extinction and the Tunguska explosion were all related to meteorites. He was all too aware of the destructive power of meteorites.

Let alone humans, even the three great Holy Sons would die instantly or even partially vaporize if hit directly by a large enough meteorite.

As Fang Yun was pondering, he saw a holy tribe elephant demon ahead get blown away by the terrifying shockwave of a falling meteorite, and its massive body was hit squarely by another meteorite the size of a human head.

Fang Yun thought the meteorite would only punch a large hole in the elephant demon, but with a loud bang, the elephant demon was cut in half, the part of its body hit by the meteorite completely vaporized, and it fell screaming off the bridge. (To be continued.)