Chapter 38

South Gate of Xiaoxi Village.

Everyone fell silent.

All eyes were on the scene.

In the examination hall.

The xuan paper in front of Gu Jinnian emitted a golden glow.

Although it was not earth-shattering, this golden light still drew the attention of everyone present.

This was an extraordinary phenomenon.

A Confucian phenomenon.

How many people in the room could witness such a phenomenon?

A Confucian phenomenon could only be condensed by a great Confucian, and even then, it was not something that could be easily achieved.

It required the right setting, the right mindset, and the right topic to have a chance of condensing such a phenomenon.

The appearance of the phenomenon directly indicated excellence, which was beyond doubt.

As for the origin of the phenomenon, scholars over the centuries have attributed it to the will of Confucianism.

They believed that scholars with a noble and righteous spirit, who worked for the welfare of the people and followed the will of heaven, could condense talent.

However, the Confucian lineage did not have a direct method of transmission; one had to understand it on their own. Therefore, after a great Confucian died, their essence and spirit would transform into a noble and righteous spirit, protecting the world.

This is also why killing a Confucian was a taboo act in various dynasties.

Even though a Confucian might die, their spirit would still remain in the world.

If a poem or article was exceptionally outstanding, it would receive the recognition of the will of Confucianism, thus manifesting some phenomena.

The more grand the phenomenon, the stronger the will of Confucianism it represented.

There were even legends that Confucian poetry and articles could gain the recognition of heaven, but such a situation was extremely rare, and only sages could achieve it throughout history.

At this moment, everyone was focused on this phenomenon.

Inside Xiaoxi Village.

Not a single person's gaze was not on this scene.

The golden phenomenon rose to a height of ten zhang.

It was magnificent.

More importantly, streams of talent were surging from all directions, merging into Gu Jinnian's body.

Almost instantly, the fruit of talent within his body changed color, turning pure gold and perfectly ripe.

Moreover, a second fruit of talent was conceived, just a little short of reaching the third stage of maturity.

This surprised Gu Jinnian.

To display such a phenomenon and gain talent?

He was very curious, but on the surface, he remained calm, showing no signs of surprise.

At this moment.

In the Daxia Academy.

In a courtyard.

Su Wenjing, who was writing an article, suddenly felt a stirring in his heart.

He sensed something.

He looked in the direction of Xiaoxi Village.

At this moment, Su Wenjing's eyes sparkled, and the scene in Xiaoxi Village instantly appeared before him.

"An extraordinary phenomenon?"

His eyes immediately showed a look of surprise.

As a quasi-half-sage, he understood more about phenomena than ordinary people.

Throughout history, Confucian phenomena were categorized: noble phenomena, county phenomena, national phenomena, heaven-shaking phenomena, thousand-year phenomena, and eternal glory.

Although noble phenomena were the most common, ordinary scholars found it difficult to condense them. The appearance of such a phenomenon meant that all scholars in the county recognized the poem or article.

"Ten years to hone a sword, the frosty blade has never been tested."

"Today I show it to you, who has any grievances?"

"Good."

"Good poem."

"Excellent poem."

"Never thought the grandson of the Marquis of Zhen Guo would hide so deeply."

"Truly interesting."

"I want to see if this sword is as sharp as it claims."

Su Wenjing looked at Xiaoxi Village with interest.

At the South Gate of Xiaoxi Village.

Gu Ningya was completely stunned.

He looked at Gu Jinnian not far away, his eyes filled with disbelief.

For sixteen years.

He had watched his nephew grow up.

In music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, he was no good.

In poetry, he was so bad it was unbearable to look at.

Even in martial arts, Gu Jinnian was not particularly interested. If not for being forced to practice, he probably wouldn't have been good at it either.

But this person.

Today, he had put on a strong show.

"Ten years to hone a sword, the frosty blade has never been tested."

"Today I show it to you, who has any grievances?"

At this moment, Gu Jinnian's poem appeared in his eyes.

In the examination hall, twenty golden characters floated, causing everyone present to be stunned.

Suddenly.

Gu Ningya realized something.

Ten years to hone a sword, the frosty blade has never been tested?

His nephew.

Had he been hiding for ten years?

This.

This.

This.

Gu Ningya's eyes widened.

He couldn't believe it, but the facts were right in front of him.

Ten years of honing the sword, choosing to unsheathe it now.

What kind of terrifying willpower and determination did this require?

To be honest, even his own useless brothers couldn't do it.

But his nephew had done it.

Thinking of this, Gu Ningya couldn't help but tremble with excitement. He clenched his fists, his body tingling with excitement and emotion.

"My nephew has the potential of a sage."

He wanted to shout it out, but he kept it in his heart, not saying it aloud.

Instead, he immediately pulled the person next to him and said,

"Quick."

"Ride fast."

"Go to the Marquis's residence and inform the old master."

"Then notify my brothers one by one."

"Don't waste any time."

"Remember, prepare the best wine and food, don't skimp on anything."

Gu Ningya was so excited that his voice trembled. This was a great joy for the Gu family.

What did the Gu family lack the most now?

A Confucian official.

A Confucian represented heaven.

The Gu family was large and powerful, watched by countless people, like a sword hanging over their heads.

So the Gu family needed a Confucian official, not just a capable official or a literary official.

Whether they had power or not was irrelevant.

The key was that the Confucian's prestige had to be high, able to win the hearts of scholars and gain the recognition of heaven.

This way, even if the Emperor of Daxia really wanted to cause trouble for the Gu family, he wouldn't dare to act rashly.

After all, if you want to accuse someone, you can always find a reason.

But if Gu Jinnian truly had talent, the Gu family could turn the tide.

At worst, the Gu family could hand over their military power.

Gu Jinnian choosing to display his strength today was perfectly timed, perfectly timed.

Beside him, Yang Hanrou's eyes were also filled with shock and disbelief.

She had been classmates with Gu Jinnian for two years.

In her impression, Gu Jinnian had no other strengths besides his handsome appearance.

He was not as good as Zhang Yun in literature and not as good as Wu An in martial arts.

But she never expected that Gu Jinnian's poem today could cause a phenomenon.

"He has been hiding."

"Until today, he revealed his talent?"

"This person's mind is too terrifying."

In an instant, Yang Hanrou swallowed hard. She felt that Gu Jinnian in the examination hall was extremely deep and calculating.

Much more terrifying than she had imagined.

"Good."

"Good line, 'Ten years to hone a sword, the frosty blade has never been tested.'"

"Good line, 'Today I show it to you, who has any grievances.'"

"This poem is excellent, very excellent."

Suddenly.

The chief examiners at the entrance spoke one after another, waking from their shock and focusing on the poem.

As scholars, the phenomenon was indeed shocking, but ultimately, it was the poem that mattered.

A simple five-character poem, but Gu Jinnian had expressed all his aspirations.

They couldn't help but admire it.

They had been here for a long time.

Fifty-seven exams, though there were good lines, no poem had made them this excited.

In an instant, the six of them exchanged glances, understanding each other's intentions. The chief examiner stood up and said to Gu Jinnian,

"In the fifty-seventh poetry exam, Gu Jinnian of Daxia has taken the top spot."

His voice was loud and clear.

Then he personally went down to Gu Jinnian and said,

"Gu Jinnian."

"Can this poem be submitted to the Daxia Academy and placed in the Hundred Herbs Hall?"

The old man spoke gently, his tone cautious, afraid that Gu Jinnian would refuse.

But when he said this, the surrounding people were taken aback.

"Into the Hundred Herbs Hall?"

"Such a great honor?"

"The Hundred Herbs Hall of the Daxia Academy?"

People were surprised and couldn't help but discuss it.

The Hundred Herbs Hall was one of the halls of the Daxia Academy, but it was very special. It contained the poems and articles written by students.

However, they had to be recognized by many people to be placed in the Hundred Herbs Hall.

For future students to view.

For Daxia scholars, entering the Daxia Academy was an honor, but for Daxia Academy students, having their poems and articles placed in the Hundred Herbs Hall was an even greater honor.

This meant that regardless of whether Gu Jinnian entered the Daxia Academy, he would leave a significant mark in the Daxia Academy.

"Master, you are too kind."

"Since Master recognizes it, I am willing to submit it to the Daxia Academy."

Gu Jinnian spoke gently, showing humility.

"Good."

"Thank you, young friend."

"Previously, I had heard of your name, but today, I realize my ignorance. After reading for decades, I still relied on hearsay."

"Your talent is rare, and your future is boundless. Unfortunately, I am not learned enough to take you as a disciple."

Hearing Gu Jinnian's agreement, the old man smiled, but soon showed a look of shame.

He knew Gu Jinnian, but his impression was not good, partly due to the incident with the Minister of Revenue's granddaughter and partly due to Gu Jinnian's poor reputation.

But today, he saw that Gu Jinnian was handsome, polite, and talented.

From this poem, he could see Gu Jinnian's aspirations.

"Master, you are too kind."

"Once I enter the academy, if I have any questions, I will certainly ask Master."

Gu Jinnian bowed and said.

The old man perked up.

"Good, young friend Gu. I am Chen Zhizhou, a teacher of etiquette at the Daxia Academy. If you have free time, you can come to me. I have some expertise in poetry and can help you with any questions."

Chen Master said seriously.

The other chief examiners also came down, unable to sit still. Gu Jinnian's talent was sure to get him into the academy, and after years of hiding, such talent could not be ignored.

So they all came to leave an impression.

Gu Ningya, not far away, was completely silent.

He never imagined that one day, his nephew would be surrounded by a group of Confucians, all vying to show their favor.

The Gu family was a military family, and if they were at odds with the civil officials,

then they were even more at odds with the Confucians.

These Confucians liked to point fingers, talk about etiquette, and rules, and often criticized them.

Such a scene was something Gu Ningya could never have imagined.

"Enough."

"What are you all doing here?"

"Gu Jinnian, here is your pass. Take it and go inside quickly, don't waste time."

"The exam will end at noon tomorrow, don't be late."

Chen Zhizhou said, seeing his colleagues trying to get a share, he definitely didn't want to.

He quickly handed the pass to Gu Jinnian, urging him to go inside, and reminded him that the exam would end at noon the next day.

This made Gu Jinnian somewhat amused.

"Thank you, Master."

Taking the pass, Gu Jinnian turned to his sixth uncle, said nothing, waved, and walked into Xiaoxi Village.

"Big nephew."

"Remember what I taught you."

"Bring back first place, don't let me down after all these years of training you."

Gu Ningya said.

He spoke with a righteous tone.

Creating the impression that Gu Jinnian was his student.

Indeed, when he said this, Chen Master and the others looked at Gu Ningya with curiosity.

Could the Gu family have another talented person?

Feeling their gazes, Gu Ningya grinned and nodded, his face full of agreement.

At the same time.

Pigeons appeared in the sky.

The news spread instantly.