Chapter 5

Lu Zhan said unhappily, "He is merely quick-witted, far from having a photographic memory. That would require the talent of a Jinshi. Moreover, Jiangzhou oversees nine prefectures, and the Dàyuan Prefecture Academy is just one of them. If he were truly a prodigy, the 'Yuanjun' of the Prefecture Academy, Academician Li, would certainly break the rules to admit him to the Prefecture Academy, allowing him to study with the most outstanding scholars and candidates in the entire prefecture! Do you think that's possible? Academician Li is a third-rank official, just like the Prefect, and his scholarly rank is even higher. He is responsible for the education of tens of millions of people in the prefecture. Without his approval, no one deserves to be called a prodigy!"

Everyone chuckled inwardly. Last year, Fang Zhongyong visited Lujia Town, which was hosting a small poetry gathering. Fang Li made Fang Zhongyong compose a poem at the gathering, outshining all the other literati and embarrassing the students of Lujia Town. Lu Zhan was among them and had more than once felt不服气 (unconvinced) about Fang Zhongyong.

Liang Yuan said in a low voice, "Lu Zhan has a point. Fang Zhongyong is still too young. His best poem is only at the 'county level,' not yet reaching the 'prefecture level.' However, given time, he might achieve even greater success."

Lu Zhan added, "Exactly! He needs at least one poem or essay that surpasses the 'prefecture level' to reach the 'state level' to be considered a prodigy. As for the 'national level' and higher, that's beyond our discussion."

The administrative divisions on the Holy Yuan Continent, from smallest to largest, are county, prefecture, state, and nation.

Ge Xiaomao said softly, "Actually, reaching the 'county level' is already quite good. Many scholars never write a poem that reaches the 'county level' in their entire lives. Even if a candidate can write a poem that reaches the 'county level,' it's enough to host a banquet to celebrate."

Lu Lin, who had been silent, said solemnly, "The barbarians are causing chaos, and the Qing Kingdom is eyeing us with hostility. Instead of vying for fame and profit, we should focus on defending against external threats!"

Lu Zhan and Ge Xiaomao looked ashamed, while Liang Yuan smiled and said, "Lu Shitou, we were just talking. Don't be so serious."

"Alas, our border troops have suffered repeated defeats against the Grass Barbarians, while... some people put their personal interests above the nation's peril! If I can pass the scholar examination, I will join the army with my pen, not to serve the court, but for the welfare of our people!"

Lu Lin's passionate words left the surrounding area silent. Most people looked at him with admiration, though a few mocked him.

On the Holy Yuan Continent, there are three types of barbarians: the Grass Barbarians, the Sand Barbarians, and the Forest Barbarians. Each has various tribes, such as the Wolf Barbarians and the Tiger Barbarians, said to be the offspring of demons and humans.

Fang Yun took a closer look at Lu Lin. He had thick eyebrows, large eyes, and a square face, and was the most upright person in the private school. When Fang Yun first joined the school, someone had bullied him, and Lu Lin had come to his aid.

Among the five, Lu Lin spoke the least but was the most respected.

However, even he dared not publicly insult the Left Chancellor Liu Shan.

After speaking, Lu Lin looked at Fang Yun.

Fang Yun was taken aback, realizing he had made a mistake. The previous Fang Yun, though not as upright as Lu Lin, understood the hardships of the common people due to his poor family background and was determined to achieve success to serve the country, making him a staunch supporter of war.

Fang Yun immediately said, "Lu Lin is right. A man should aspire to the battlefield, ready to die for his country!"

Lu Lin nodded in approval, and Liang Yuan laughed, "Fang Yun, your flattery is getting better and better."

The others chuckled lightly.

As they chatted, they moved forward with the crowd. Fang Yun spoke little, still digesting his memories.

At the entrance of the academy, two expressionless soldiers stood guard. One of them extended his hand toward Fang Yun.

"Examination card, identity document."

Liang Yuan handed his book box to Fang Yun, who opened it and took out the wooden examination card and identity document, handing them to one of the soldiers. He then passed the book box to the other soldier.

The soldier on the right took the book box and examined its contents, which included a writing brush, an ink stick, an inkstone, a brush holder, a paperweight, a bamboo water container, and a wrapped sugar cake. He nodded and handed the book box back to Fang Yun.

The soldier on the left glanced at the examination card and then at the identity document, which had a portrait of Fang Yun from his registration and a textual description of his appearance. He compared it to Fang Yun and finally looked at the bandages on his head.

"What happened? Are you the one who came in a cart?" the soldier asked sternly.

Fang Yun replied, "Last night, I was attacked by four men with Dàyuan Prefecture accents. Fortunately, I survived. The bandages were applied by Doctor Li from Cisheng Hall, who can vouch for me."

The soldier nodded and said, "During each examination, three ancient sages oversee the Holy Academy, observing the world. No one can deceive their divine eyes. You know the consequences."

"I understand," Fang Yun said.

The soldier returned the examination card and identity document to Fang Yun, allowing him to enter.

Fang Yun's friends only then learned that he had been attacked and were very angry, but they dared not speak out in the academy and could only suppress their anger.

The square behind the main gate of the academy was spacious. Fang Yun looked up and saw a clear blue sky, which formed an irregular circle. Beyond the circle, dark clouds gathered, and it was still raining, as if a powerful force was dispersing the clouds to ensure the smooth conduct of the examination.

After all 2,000 candidates entered the Holy Academy, they walked together to the front of the Holy Temple. Soldiers and officials stood on both sides of the candidates, and in front were local officials. The three examiners for the county examination were the County Magistrate, the County Academy Yuanjun, and the Prefecture Academy Xuezhen.

On the Holy Yuan Continent, the "Academy" is an extremely important system, ranking alongside the military and civil service as one of the three major systems in each country. It is responsible for the education of the people, the imperial examinations, and is the best school in each region. In times of war with demons and barbarians, the academy's teachers and students would go to the battlefield.

At the county or prefecture level, the Yuanjun's status is slightly below that of the County Magistrate or Prefect, but in each state, the State Academy Yuanjun ranks equal to the State Governor in official position and often surpasses them in scholarly rank, making their overall status higher than the State Governor.

The National Academy, also known as the "Imperial College," is overseen by one of the four chancellors in the cabinet, the "Wenxiang," also called the "Dai Fuzi," because only Confucius has the right to be called "Fuzi," the teacher of the world.

The true overseer of all academies and imperial colleges is Confucius alone. The Yuanjun and Wenxiang are merely his representatives in managing the academies and imperial colleges.

The academy is the place where sages lecture, while the various government offices are only part of the imperial court. In the hearts of many scholars, the academy holds a higher status.

In front of the three examiners stood a half-human-sized bronze incense burner, with three thick incense sticks emitting blue smoke.

In front of the bronze incense burner was the Holy Temple, with red walls, black eaves, and red doors and pillars.

Inside, there was a statue of Confucius, and below it were six smaller statues of the Sub-Sages: King Wen of Zhou, Mencius, Xunzi, Zengzi, Zisi, and Yanzi.

Below the statues of the two Sub-Sages stood dozens of tablets of the Half-Sages.

Fang Yun looked at the Holy Temple in surprise. He could clearly sense a substantial yet intangible force emanating from the building, with the might of a mountain and the breadth of the sea.

"That must be the talent aura of the Holy Temple, which also disperses the clouds," Fang Yun thought to himself.

The County Magistrate shouted, "Bow to the Sage!"

Everyone bent down to pay their respects.

The County Academy Yuanjun shouted, "Bow to the Sub-Sages!"

Everyone bowed again.

"Bow to the Sages!" the Prefecture Academy Xuezhen shouted.

Everyone bowed a third time.

Then, the County Academy Yuanjun recited the "Ode to the Sages."

Fang Yun remembered this ode, originally written by the Sub-Sage Dong Zhongshu, listing the names of each Sage and a brief description. After Dong Zhongshu's death, the "Yansheng Gong," the direct descendant of Confucius, added to it.

Next, the Prefecture Academy Xuezhen announced the examination rules.

Finally, the County Magistrate declared the start of the examination, and the candidates, led by the officials, entered their examination rooms according to the numbers on their examination cards.

Fang Yun carefully examined his examination card, which read "Ding Chen San," and then slowly searched for his room.

The examination rooms were small, connected houses, with roads wide enough for two carriages to pass between each row.

The rooms faced south, with a height of less than ten feet. If Fang Yun entered and stretched out his arms, he could touch both walls, making the room very narrow.

Inside was a table, a chair, and a chamber pot. The table had a water-filled inkstone, and nothing else.

Fang Yun found his room, looked inside, and knew that once he sat down, leaving the room would mean the end of the examination, with no re-entry allowed.

Fang Yun clenched his fists and slowly entered the room.

"I will definitely succeed!" Fang Yun said to himself firmly.

He sat quietly, looking up at the sky. The eaves blocked most of the view, allowing him to see only a small part of the sun.

The sunlight inside the academy was particularly gentle, and Fang Yun could look directly at the sun without any discomfort.

Fang Yun recalled the talent aura of the Holy Temple and felt an even greater desire for this mysterious power.

The sound of a carriage approached from the east, growing louder.

Soon, a carriage slowly appeared in front of the examination room, and a person handed a stack of slightly yellowed paper to Fang Yun.

Fang Yun stood up, took the examination paper with both hands, and said, "Thank you."

The person nodded, glanced at Fang Yun, and continued to distribute papers to the next candidate.

Fang Yun placed the paper on the table and sat down, looking at the familiar yet strange examination paper with a wry smile.

"Even in a different world, I can't escape exams. I wasn't a top student in my previous life, and I hope I won't become a poor student in this one."

Fang Yun thought to himself, not immediately starting to write but first flipping through the paper.

He had once read a story about some people taking an exam with many questions but only ten minutes to answer. It was impossible to finish, and many rushed to start writing, hoping to answer as many as possible.

However, the last question on the paper read: "Answer only the last question."

After reading this story, Fang Yun always checked each paper during exams, not just the last question but for any damage or errors.

Once, during an exam, Fang Yun found an issue with the second paper and had it replaced early. If he had waited until finishing the first paper, it would have wasted a lot of time.

Having experienced the benefit once, Fang Yun developed a habit.

The examination paper was larger than those he had used before, with forty pages. Thirty pages contained the questions, and the remaining ten were blank, to be used if the candidate needed to manually rewrite the entire paper due to issues.

The paper and printing quality were excellent, only a few decades behind Earth's standards. Fang Yun was not surprised, as this was a world of talent. If the basic aspects of writing, ink, paper, and printing were inferior, the demons and barbarians would have long destroyed them.

Fang Yun quickly read through the paper and got a general idea.

The first three pages tested knowledge of the lives or deeds of some Sages, with Confucius and the six Sub-Sages being mandatory. The answers had to be exact quotes from the Sages' classics, not in the candidate's own words, or it would not be considered a proper response.

The next three pages tested knowledge of the Sages' poetry and prose.

The following fifteen pages presented a sentence, and the candidate had to fill in the preceding or following original text.

The last nine pages required the candidate to recite large sections or entire chapters of the Sages' works.