In the silent examination hall, only a stern voice could be heard emanating from the high Observatory.

"Honor the heavens and earth, honor the sages, honor all living beings!"

Heavens, sages, all living beings!

The Ceremonial Officer recited loudly.

The long voice seemed to transcend time and space, bringing all the candidates back to the very first scene of entering the prefectural examination hall.

Yesterday seemed to reappear, yet everyone's mood was ultimately different from the original.

Some were completely free of distractions, others secretly sighed.

All the candidates stood solemnly.

Facing the north where the Confucius Temple was located, they respectfully chanted in unison, "Honor the heavens and earth, honor the sages, honor all living beings!"

Bang, bang, bang!

The sound rang three times. On the Observatory, the Chief Examiner and all the Vice Examiners sat motionless, only the Ceremonial Officer issued orders: "Distribute the papers! Present the questions!"

This so-called distribution involved the leading Clerk and Patrolling Soldiers distributing blank exam sheets one by one.

As for the questions, they weren't on the exam paper but were written on a series of question boards.

Patrolling Soldiers held these boards, moving through the passageways of the examination cabins.

The candidates in the cabins had to use their Eye Power to clearly see the words on the question boards, memorize them, and then answer accurately.

This method of posing questions immediately elicited a series of soft gasps.

At that time, the morning sunlight was perfect, the weather was hot, but inside the cabins, it was relatively cool.

Yet inside the cabins, some were calm in their Heart and Spirit, while others couldn't help but secretly feel restless.

The format of the provincial exam questions changed every year, sometimes repeating methods used years prior, but a difficulty of this level hadn't been seen for many years.

This method tested not only the candidates' eyesight and memory but also their speed and Heart Power.

At the moment, no one dared to delay.

After a few gasps, the entire examination hall was filled only with the rapid sound of grinding ink and the rustle of soft brushes on paper.

The Patrolling Soldiers were specially trained, walking silently through the passages of the examination cabins, their steps light and soundless.

While the brushes fell with sound, the entire examination hall seemed to fall into an indescribable silence.

This subtle quiet, like "the mountain becomes more serene with the chirping of birds," "thin clouds fade in the Milky Way."

Until, unbeknownst to anyone, the sun had risen high.

The bright sunlight shone down, gradually filling the cabins with heat.

The soldiers holding boards passed through again and again.

The morning was half gone, and judging by the number of times they held boards, a hundred questions had been posed this morning!

Although most of these hundred were only the Ink Meaning Scriptures, how many could endure such a quantity with ease?

Inside the examination hall, the gradually heavy breathing could be heard.

Beside Chen Xu was an old man, and when the sun reached zenith, suddenly the old man let out a shout from his throat:

"It pains me! I've only copied seventy-eight of a hundred questions, how can this be? Wuwuwu..."

The old man cried out loudly, overwhelmed with grief.

As his cries emerged, he suddenly fell forward in the cabin.

Bang!

The old man toppled over the front board of the cabin, falling straight to the ground.

The Patrolling Soldiers reacted quickly, rushing over in two steps to assist him up, only to find him rigid, his tilted lips still struggling to cry out:

"I cannot abandon the exam, I cannot abandon the exam; I have sold all my family's lands just to afford this examination's expenses.

I cannot abandon it, wuwuwu..."

Indeed, an eighty-year-old still striving for the provincial exams, could he have come from a wealthy family?

Even if he had some wealth initially, it must have been gradually depleted by repeated exam attempts.

The fellow candidates witnessed this, none spoke, yet a feeling of deep empathy arose within everyone's heart.

On this imperial path, who doesn't know how arduous it is?

No visible blades or weapons in the examination hall, yet an unseen storm of bloodshed exists.

Eventually, the old man was still taken away.

The patrolling Soldiers and Clerks seemed like unemotional objects, coldly scolding: "Silence! No commotion, or you will lose three generations of examination qualifications!"

The old man immediately dared not to cry out again.

Chen Xu saw him being dragged away, saw the saliva spilling from his mouth, saw his eyes bulging with despair...

Later, somehow during the dragging, he suddenly began letting out a series of hoarse, unpleasant low laughs.

"Hahaha... I made it, woo woo woo..."

The soldiers covered his mouth, binding him and throwing him into the Dragon Path.

The Imperial Examination Hall was already sealed, and no one was allowed in or out now.

Though this old man was expelled, he couldn't leave the Examination Hall.

Until the end of the provincial exams, even if he died, it could only be within the Examination Hall.

The sun reached its highest point, and the air was filled with a sense of restlessness.

Within the examination hall, it seemed as though a great, heavy Spiritual Object was pressing down, lurking in each person's heart, silent and formless.

Until the sound of the gongs rang thrice from the Observatory.

The Ceremonial Officer shouted: "Recess! The exam resumes after an hour!"

Rustle.

There was a series of careful sounds packing exam papers.

Chen Xu was also packing his exam papers.

Although he was not tired, having completed all one hundred questions in the morning, he couldn't write at random, so of course, it's necessary to pack the answer sheets carefully to avoid unexpected waste of effort.

He found the feeling brought by the provincial exams, compared to the previous prefectural and county exams, was indeed completely different.

Though this was only the first round of the provincial exam, currently only testing the "simplest" Ink Meaning Scriptures.

Yet the provincial exams required three rounds over nine days and eight nights!

This prolonged examination process was a tremendous challenge to every candidate's body and mind.

This was indeed the extraordinary world—

Yes, the extraordinary world.

A nine-day consecutive exam, without Qi Cultivation to a certain level before the exam, most candidates were bound to be eliminated.

Only those extraordinarily gifted and exceedingly strong in physique could likely endure the entire process without Qi Cultivation or consuming Spiritual Objects.

Chen Xu silently felt the harshness of the provincial exams, suddenly sensing something strange.

Looking up, he saw at a slight diagonal, about five or six cabins away, a stern young man gazing intently at him.

Chen Xu raised his eyebrows slightly, not knowing this person.

But judging by this man's slightly provocative look, he clearly knew Chen Xu.

Who was he?

Chen Xu swept past casually, not taking it to heart.

In an examination room with tens of thousands of candidates, who was who, and what identity anyone held, did it matter?

Of course, it didn't matter.

Because no matter who they were, they were all the same to him.

Chen Xu was neither anxious nor angry, and he did not respond.

Of course, it didn't matter.

Because no matter who they were, they were all the same to him.

Chen Xu was neither anxious nor angry, and he did not respond. Naturally, it didn't matter.

Because no matter who they were, they were all the same to him.

Chen Xu was neither anxious nor angry, and he did not respond. Naturally, it didn't matter.

Because no matter who they were, they were all the same to him.

Chen Xu was neither anxious nor angry, and he did not respond.

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