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n“Good!”

nThe praise went off like a grenade. Heads turned and angry glares were shot in the direction of the noise.

nEven Fang Lang had a dark expression. ‘Again? Is there an end to this?

n‘All we want is to complete the examination.’

nThe furious stares made the head examiner shiver.

nHe made a mistake.

nThe atmosphere was incredibly awkward.

nHowever, the head examiner maintained a cool composure and said, “Good…ness, that examiner will no longer be invigilating. Everyone, focus on your papers. Don’t make a ruckus, don’t look around!”

nWith that, he continued walking down the aisle as if nothing had happened.

nA distance away, the examiner who had been pulled away for his outburst chewed his lip. ‘An old fox, no wonder you’re the head examiner.’

nThe head examiner had a knowing smile as he passed Fang Lang’s desk. He did not take a peek at the boy’s writing despite his curiosity.

nAs the head examiner of Luojiang Examination Tower, he had some insider knowledge about the topics in this Imperial Examination. The policy paper was prepared by the right administrator, Li Puyi, and the grand chancellor, Lu Taixuan. Both men were in the third prince’s camp.

nThis topic was highly debated in the courts and had caused many arguments. The issue of reliance on foreign manpower, the establishment of the individual border regiments, having individual cities responsible for the demon portals on the frontiers…

nThe Emperor had yet to provide a response about said topic.

nThe head examiner was on the opposing camp, hence when he saw Fang Lang’s opening line, he was deeply intrigued.

n…

nFang Lang concentrated and continued writing.

nWith the opening line, he clearly stated his stance on the issue. After all, staying on the fence was the worst way to handle a policy paper.

nThis was a different world and the Tang Dynasty in this dimension was unlike the one in his previous life, but certain similarities still existed. In terms of the foreign policy, there were overlapping areas.

nHaving the foreign cultivators lead the frontier armies could work but if their powers went unchecked, the foreign commanders would enlist more foreigners and unbalance the military population. The imbalance would cause a rift within the empire.

nThe Tang Dynasty here might face a different fate as the Tang Dynasty of before but it did not cost to be cautious. ‘Those who are not us are different in attitude and views.’ The line he wrote echoed such sentiments. There was no guarantee the foreign cultivators would not have ulterior motives after achieving power, therefore a check and balance had to be enforced.

nOther than foreign powers, the Tang Dynasty had to concern itself with the demon world. According to the textbooks, many of the foreign tribes had suffered at the hands of the demons—many had demon blood flowing in their veins.

nThis was the complicated part of the issue as the policy involved not only the Tang Dynasty and the foreigners, but also demons.

nFang Lang’s brush ran along the paper rhythmically—each aspect of his argument was clearly detailed.

nTime ticked by as Fang Lang poured his heart into the policy essay.

nOnce the essay was complete, Fang Lang took some time to recuperate and reorganize his thoughts before continuing on to the demon tongue paper. It did not take long for Fang Lang to complete the section.

nWhen the autumn day came to an end, candidates in Luojiang Examination Tower began handing up their papers. The officials led the students out of the venue. The sun was resting on the western horizon by then.

nFang Lang completed the last question of the demon tongue paper and proceeded to double check his answers before choosing to submit his exam script.

nAn examiner came to his desk and gave Fang Lang a once over. Satisfied, he took Fang Lang’s papers and placed them within a special sealable bag.

nFang Lang left the examination tower. As he exited the silencing spell area, the noise of the rain and the chatter of the students outside fought to gain his attention. The rowdiness was amplified after the silence.

nThe theoretical assessment was complete. Fang Lang had no idea what his scores would be. The scoring of the policy paper was very much subjective.

nIf the grader appreciated his views, the scores would receive a boost. Otherwise, his scores would suffer a minor loss. However, his essay showcased a solid stance on the issue so a bottom-of-the-barrel grade would be unwarranted.

nThe noise level outside the examination tower was over the top. As students exited Luojiang Examination Tower, discussions were abound and the accompanying attendees who stood outside joined in the conversation.

nMany candidates had gloomy expressions, some were kneeling on the ground in agony.

n“What a gruelling assessment!”

n“I filled up my script but I don’t even know what I wrote.”

n“I’m done for sure. That question about the foreign policy… My mentor never mentioned anything about the topic…”

nA majority of the candidates looked utterly despondent as sighs of despair filled the area.

nSeeing that, the cheer of the accompanying attendees turned sour.

nFang Lang followed the stream of candidates out of Luojiang Examination Tower. He bumped into the extremely confident Liu Bubai. The boy was giving off an aura that screamed ‘I’m a genius!’.

nLiu Bubai was confident and came out of the examination hall in a happy mood.

nMost importantly, he could not be carried to victory in the Imperial Examination. Without that possibility, his motivation to showcase his talents rose and he wrote his answers with vigor.

nThe determination and enthusiasm of a burgeoning genius came back to Liu Bubai.

n“Lang’zi! How did it go for you? These theory papers are surprisingly difficult. The poetry section and that policy paper! What a killer exam! But I have faith that I’ll get into the honor roll!” Liu Bubai said confidently at Fang Lang.

nFang Lang cocked an eye and said, “Oh? How did you answer the policy question?”

nAs the two boys walked, they discussed the policy essay question.

nLiu Bubai smirked and lifted his chin. “Naturally I disagree with using the foreign tribes for our military. The Tang Dynasty is vast and powerful, why should we rely on foreign cultivators? Do we not have strong warriors within our empire? I think it’s quite a dumb question to be debated. I wonder who set it? The person has no faith in their own self, their own empire! Trash!”

nFang Lang was speechless. ‘What candid words…’

nHe wondered how the grader would grade such candor.

nFang Lang caught sight of Old Fang amidst the tightly-packed crowd.

nHe parted ways with Liu Bubai and went to his father. Together, they left the crowd behind and rode away in the carriage.

nWhen they arrived at the Fang Manor, Fang Lang retired to his part of the house to continue cultivating. He began absorbing the spirit crystals in order to increase his cultivation for tomorrow’s combat assessment.

n…

nThree flight swords tore through the hazy autumn sky like comets, the flight sword runes spinning at full speed.

nThe head examiner for Luojiang Examination Tower was escorted by two imperial examiners as they ferried the candidate’s exam scripts to the Imperial City, Changan.

nDespite the darkening sky, Changan was brightly lit—it was known as the city that never sleeps.

nFlight swords arrived from all parts of the empire, couriering the examination papers of the empire’s student body. The autumn rain was interrupted by numerous flying bodies.

nTens of thousands of flight swords zoomed into the ancient city. Changan would witness this phenomenon for every Imperial Examination.

nIn Changan’s largest inn, the Moonlight Inn.

nThe high ceilings and the decorative carvings on the walls announced the establishment’s luxury and extravagance.

nThe rainfall battered the black roof tiles, causing water to splash into the air.

nIn the Heaven’s Sign private room, two silhouettes sat by the railing. They had a chessboard between them. As they played, they admired the streaking flight swords that flew in from all corners of the Tang Dynasty.

n“The theoretical assessment has ended.”

n“This year’s questions are intriguing indeed.”

nDressed in a fine robe, the man of the upper crust exuded an inexplicable charm. Opposite him was an old man of rotund physique. The elder had a long beard and a twinkle in his eye.

nThe old man picked up a chess piece and made his move. “Your orders have been sent forward. That Fang fellow will be pitied, an innocent caught in the Jiang family’s debacle.”

nThe man from the upper class smiled faintly. “This boy, Fang Lang, was able to kill Lin Yun. He clearly has some talent. The graders will take a closer look at his papers. If he truly has merit, he’ll rise above all.

n“The Imperial Examination was created by the Emperor, it is as sacred as the law. Raising the difficulty of the examination is within reason. The higher standards will separate the wheat from the chaff, a benefit to the empire as a whole.”

nThe old man stroked his beard and laughed. “The third prince is right. I concur, raising the bar brings more boon than bane.”

nThen, their conversation moved on from the Imperial Examination.

nFang Lang was just a footnote in their dialogue. They were more focused on tackling the Jiang family.

nThe third prince had a smirk on his face as he moved his chess piece. The countless flight swords reflected in his eyes as he gazed upon the rainy landscape of Changan.

n…

nThe Ministry of Rites, the Tang Dynasty.

nDroves and droves of flightswords landed. The runes were deactivated and the head examiners cladded in official robes made their way into the guarded palace. The corridors within were brightly lit. Inside the palace, the official graders were on standby.

nAfter a round of distribution, the oil lamps were lit and the grading began.

n“Secure the area, check the scripts, seal the names! Examiners, please step back.

n“No communication, no whispering!”

nThe palace’s red gates were shut tight. The intense grading session was beginning.

nThe papers from Luojiang Examination Tower were being marked by a group of graders. The lead grader was an old man with eagle-sharp eyes. Under the orders of the right administrator, he went through the papers from Luojiang City with a fine-tooth comb.

nSuch treatment was not out of the ordinary and was not against the rule. If the candidate was of caliber, even the strictest grader would not make a significant difference in the final score.

nThe flame in the oil lamps flickered.

nDesks were lined in orderly fashion in the palace hall. Silence permeated, only broken by the occasional rustling of papers.

nSeconds ticked away and the night turned to day.

nIn the zone designated for the Luojiang Examination Tower scripts, a grader had his brows knitted. He took a sip of tea to vanquish the lethargy after a whole night of reading.

nHowever, he did not lower his marking standards one bit as instructed by his superior. Therefore, candidates who straddled the qualification line were irrevocably failed.

n‘What nonsense! Did they even read the poetry question? Passing judgment on the Martial Arts King?

n‘An inexperienced youngling weighing in on the Martial Arts King’s actions? What rubbish!

n‘Irrelevant poem! Useless!’

nFor the policy paper, the answers came in a variety of perspectives. At times, the grader nearly had his breathing stop due to the anger he felt.

nOne candidate done, another set of papers to be graded. He went through the easy part of the assessment. Full marks for the objective questions.

nThe grader was unperturbed—it was not the first time a candidate received a perfect score for the section.

nThen, he went on to the poetry paper.

nHuh?

nFrom the barracks?

nThe poem’s perspective was unique—there was no mention of the Martial Arts King Jiang.

nThe old grader’s eyebrows rose as he perused the work.

n‘Battles after battles, with weary armor we fight.

n‘If Loulan is not taken, we shan’t find respite.’

nThe grader’s eyes were wide when he was done with the poem. His body trembled with emotions.

nThe piece of poetry had stood out among the hazy sea of unimaginative answers. Like a beacon in the dark, the poem touched the old grader’s heart.

nHe suppressed the intense emotions in his chest and continued grading the candidate’s policy paper. His face was flushed when he was done reading the policy essay—his body vibrated with the surge of feelings.

nLike an uncivilized, drunken man, he let out an untactful squeal.

n“Amazing!”

nHis voice reverberated in the silent hall. Many graders were startled by the sudden outburst—tea was spilled and brushes were dropped.

nThe old grader was unconcerned. He lifted the candidate’s papers and turned to the head grader.

nRed-faced, he called out with much enthusiasm.

n“Recommended! Highly recommended!”

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