Chapter 2

Yue Heng learned from his predecessor's memories that the Spring Examination was one of the most important events in the Zhongyuan world, but this was only true for scholars.

There were also the Martial Examinations for warriors, the Selection Trials for spirit masters, and the Skill Refinements for craftsmen. These four major examinations became a nightmare that countless young people could not escape.

Young people of the right age either chose to study in one of these four directions or were destined to become low-ranking servants. The annual national blood levy was an even more terrifying sword hanging over their heads. The blood levy required a large number of low-ranking servants and prisoners to be deliberately abandoned in the demon beast mountains as bait, with nine out of ten not returning, making it extremely bloody, hence the name "Blood Levy Army."

Therefore, no matter which examination it was, although it was very difficult, it was also a necessary path for young people to become famous, and they could not afford not to study!

"Drunk Immortal Tower? It seems familiar. The location is not good, being four or five li away from the county examination hall. In my opinion, it is far less advantageous than the Yingjiang Tower and Zhuangyuan Pavilion near the county government office."

Yue Heng played with the iron room card, thinking about the days he had spent wandering around the county town: "Zhuangyuan Pavilion has housed many top scorers of the Hong County Spring Examination, making it the most famous. Some young scholars with a bit of reputation have long reserved rooms there months in advance, just to get a bit of good luck. Zhuangyuan Pavilion frequently holds events such as literary exchanges and gatherings, and the innkeeper hires third-level scholars to teach Spring Examination experience, as well as several top performers from last year's Spring Examination to impart their knowledge, attracting countless young scholars. Business is, of course, booming."

"These things are known even by ordinary passersby, and can be easily found out. So, if I pass the Spring Examination, your Drunk Immortal Tower will also gain face. If I happen to get first place, it will be a huge benefit for your Drunk Immortal Tower, with no cost at all. Do you think a mere incense stick and a room card with no cost can buy me?"

Yue Heng snorted, then reached into his chest, finding it empty, and sighed: "Alright, I am a poor scholar with no money. You win!"

Next, Yue Heng held the incense and began to worship the Great Emperor Fuxi.

He seemed devout, but in his heart, he had a lot of complaints: "I've only been here for two days and I've already encountered the Spring Examination, and I'm a poor scholar with no money and not much talent. That saying is really true, the harder it is, the better it is to cross over!"

Yue Heng had no idea how the Spring Examination for scholars worked. This poor scholar had nothing at home, no family, and almost no friends. His house had only a leaky room, a simple table and bed, and nothing else of value.

He could barely call himself a scholar, but he didn't even have a complete collection of the most common poetry and literature. The only book that gave him a slight understanding of this world, "The Collection of Literary Masters," was incomplete.

The number of books in his collection could be counted on one hand. The few selections of the Book of Songs and the Songs of Chu in his bookcase were not part of a complete series, and many of the books were quite shallow and simple, similar to the well-known "Guan guan the turtledove on the riverbank, the graceful lady is the gentleman's ideal mate." Could this help him pass the Spring Examination, activate the divine palace in his body, and even give birth to a literary symbol?

"Hey, who's this? Yue Heng, you want to pass the Spring Examination again?"

The use of the word "again" was strange, and the voice full of ridicule came from behind Yue Heng.

He turned around, and his brows immediately furrowed. Bai Ming, with a few lackeys, was looking at him with a mocking expression.

They looked Yue Heng up and down, noting his malnourished, thin frame and his washed-out, old scholar's robe. Each of them looked disdainful, thinking it would be easy to bully this scholar.

Bai Ming was Yue Heng's classmate in the Northern City Literary Society, particularly skilled at flattering teachers and instructors, and considered himself superior due to his minor literary talent. His family had a bit of wealth, enough to buy some rare books and literature for him to read, and to give him spirit medicines from the demon beast mountains.

Although the books Bai Ming read were not rare, and the spirit medicines he took were very low-grade, he was still considered one of the best in the Northern City Literary Society, both in physical fitness and literary realm. He usually looked down on poor scholars like Yue Heng, finding amusement in bullying and mocking them, and taking pleasure in showing off his literary talent and ridiculing others.

Scholars looking down on each other was inevitable, and poor scholars like Yue Heng had no good way to resist Bai Ming's bullying. They could only retain their pride as scholars. Yue Heng, who had participated in the Spring Examination multiple times, often expressed disdain for Bai Ming, frequently engaging in poetic duels, and they were mutual enemies.

"New to the place, unfamiliar with the surroundings, I'll endure this once!"

Yue Heng pretended not to hear, turned to continue scattering incense and worshipping, wanting to finish early and go home. He also wanted to gather more information about the Spring Examination.

"Hey, kid! Young Master Bai is asking you a question!"

A hand grabbed Yue Heng's shoulder and pulled him back forcefully. Yue Heng's body, weak from being a scholar, could hardly withstand the force and staggered.

Yue Heng stumbled back three or four steps before he could stand straight, but the incense given to him by the green-eyed innkeeper fell to the ground, landing in the melting winter snow and mud, making it unusable.

"Damn it, are you done yet? Are you pushing it too far?"

Even a clay statue has a bit of temper. Yue Heng was already full of anger. He turned and slapped the hand on his shoulder, and if he really got angry, his large fist could be quite frightening.

No one knew if it was frightening, but the sharp-faced lackey, with a pained expression, rubbed his arm, his eyes flashing with anger, and rolled up his sleeves, spitting out: "Hey, kid! You dare to challenge me? If I, Shunzi, don't beat you into a pancake today, I'll..."

Yue Heng glared, standing tall and unafraid.

He noticed that two temple monks had stood up and were looking in their direction. The Literary Temple strictly prohibited fighting, a clear rule during the worship!

"Shunhou, stop!"

Bai Ming sneered, calling the lackey by his nickname, and said calmly: "Since Brother Yue is so confident, let's congratulate him in advance on passing the Spring Examination and gaining fame. Shunhou, fighting is strictly prohibited in the Literary Temple, don't break the rules. We are all civilized people. Brother Yue, we'll meet outside the temple!"

With that, he walked away, and the three lackeys waved their fists at Yue Heng, looking menacing, and followed. However, Shunhou walked a few steps and then turned back, looking at Yue Heng with a fierce expression, and said, "Kid, be careful, you might not see tomorrow's sun!"

Yue Heng's face darkened. Bai Ming's last words implied settling accounts outside the temple, and Shunhou's threat was a direct threat to his life.

After careful consideration, Bai Ming was at most mischievous and arrogant, and it was impossible for him to be a blood-soaked killer. Would he really kill him over a few words? At most, he would just beat him up.

"Alright, since I have the free room card from Drunk Immortal Tower, I'll stay at the inn today. I don't believe Shunhou will come to my room!"

Yue Heng calmed down, found a few clean, undamaged incense sticks from the mud and snow, and barely managed to offer them to the statue. He heard laughter all the way, his face red with embarrassment, truly a penny could make a hero helpless!

After worshipping at the Literary Temple, he visited the various temples, returned home, and packed his broken bookcase. Yue Heng sighed, packed his writing materials, and left the leaky house without any regret.

The Spring Examination was his only hope!

...

Drunk Immortal Tower had fifteen upper rooms and fifty lower rooms, making it one of the larger inns in Hong County. However, due to its distance from the county government examination hall, business was poor during the Spring Examination, attracting few scholars.

Yue Heng walked to the inn's entrance, handed over the iron room card, and the waiter's face immediately lit up with a smile: "Sir, please follow me to your room. I wish you success in the Spring Examination!"

"Thank you for your good wishes!"

Yue Heng knew this was just a formality, and followed the waiter's gesture inside. He entered the hall, looked around, and found few diners, the windows bright and clean, and even fewer people carrying bookcases or dressed as scholars.

Following the room card, he found his room, room Ganyi, and pushed the door open to find it was a single room. Yue Heng sighed, thinking the green-eyed innkeeper had really gone all out.

That evening, Yue Heng sat in the hall, chatting with a few other poor scholars.

The information in "The Collection of Literary Masters" was too limited, and he urgently needed to know how to participate in the Spring Examination, what the divine palace, literary symbol, literary heart, and talent were, and how to use them.

"If we were strong, we would study martial arts. If we were from noble families or sects, we would definitely take the spirit master examination. If we had wealthy families, we could choose the expensive craftsman path. But for us, who are poor and have no background or skills, we can only study literature. Therefore, the Spring Examination is our only way out!"

"Brother Lu is right! I feel ashamed. I have studied literature for ten years and taken the Spring Examination three times, but I have failed each time. This year, I fear I won't escape the blood levy..."

"Brother Huang, don't be so pessimistic. Among us, Brother Yue has taken the Spring Examination the most times, hasn't he? Last year, Brother Yue passed the first round and only missed the final second-round selection by ten places. This year, he will surely advance further and become a scholar! So, I hope Brother Yue can share his examination experience, so we can prepare better!"

Yue Heng was listening well, but suddenly realized the conversation had turned to him, and he was taken aback.

From the tone of this scholar named Lu Changyuan, he seemed to be a veteran of the Spring Examination, almost becoming a scholar last year, and was the most likely to pass this year.

But he had no examination experience. The original owner's memories were too few and too scattered!

Seeing everyone's expectant eyes, Yue Heng had to bluff, quickly thinking of a way to get more information.

"Cough, let me ask everyone, what exactly is the Spring Examination about?"

"Of course, it's about poetry and literature!"

So it was about poetry and literature. Yue Heng felt relieved, as he knew a few poems.

"Then, how is the first round determined?"

"Hong County has a thousand slots, and those who meet the standard in literary talent can pass."

"Since there is no first in literature and no second in martial arts, how is fairness ensured in the evaluation?"

"The higher-level examiner from Qi Prefecture and the county magistrate of Hong County will hold the Fuxi Literary Disk to interpret the poems and literature. The quality of the poems and the amount of talent are directly determined by the Fuxi stars, making it impossible to cheat."

The Fuxi Literary Disk sounded like a detection device. The quality of an article and whether it could trigger heavenly talent, and how much talent it could trigger, were judged by the heavens. Yue Heng felt even more relieved, as he remembered some poems and could adapt as needed.

"Then, I have another question. Besides taking the examination in the examination hall, are there any other ways to directly become a scholar?"

This was also an important question. Yue Heng liked to have a backup plan. If he failed the Spring Examination, he would be eighteen and could not escape the blood levy, which was a sure death!