Exam Preparations

Li Qi gave Shen Shuibi a lot of instructions, mostly about how to deal with things afterward, especially what happened in the month after he left, which was almost detailed.

Regardless of the key point, it remains the same: while their goal is to make money, they must adhere to the righteous path and, ideally, make only temporary sacrifices rather than allowing civil war to become the norm.

To put it bluntly, the purpose of the civil war was to free the Sacred Flame Realm from the control of the 'Path of Immortals' and return it to its original traditions.

Only a Sacred Flame Realm faces external threats but is also active and full of life can continuously provide Holy Flame for Li Qi and the others.

Li Qi had no intention of following the colonial path of the Green Mountain God; that was not in line with his principles.

However, how can one change the course of civilization without bloodshed? The only option is to minimize the losses as quickly as possible.

Therefore, Shen Shuibi needs to help the Child of Destiny unify the world as soon as possible.

During this time, Li Qi probably won't be able to help much.

Because he couldn't use the terminal to contact anyone at any time during this month, as the Imperial Academy's entrance exam didn't allow the use of terminals.

That makes sense when you think about it.

You're not allowed to bring your phone into the exam. If they let you bring your device in for the Imperial Academy entrance exam, then there's basically no need for a written exam. Everyone can just lay out their neatly arranged materials and copy from them.

Having arrived at Golden Platform, they bid farewell to Shen Shuibi once again.

After much deliberation, Li Qi finally made up his mind and kissed her before leaving.

He originally wanted to see the rabbit's embarrassed expression, but the rabbit remained calm, as if it were used to it, and even seemed a little happy.

On the contrary, he failed to injure others and ended up getting injured himself. Frustrated, he activated the Golden Platform and hurriedly left.

Sigh, after all the calculations, I made a mistake here. I was still too young.

That makes sense. Rabbit has always been State of Mind and never been a fussy person. She just tends to be a little slow to react because she thinks about too many things.

What is freedom and ease?

Simply do as you please.

This is true of the Hidden World Faction of Daoism. They may have their own rules, but those rules reside in their hearts, not in the outside world.

Their pursuit is what their heart desires.

That's why Shen Shuibi readily agreed to Li Qi's marriage proposal, even without asking for a ceremony or formal status.

Because none of that matters; whatever her heart desires, that's enough.

As for everything else, it doesn't matter.

External things are not important to the reclusive Hidden World Faction.

Therefore, the Hidden World Faction of Daoism do not distinguish between good and bad; good and evil are meaningless to them.

Some are extremely bad, entirely because their hearts are filthy.

Some are extremely good, because their hearts are as clear as Pure Water.

Of course, most Hidden World Faction are like Shen Shuibi —neither good nor bad.

They don't concern themselves with what is good or bad, nor do they care about morality.

Babies are the most innocent and free to do whatever they want. Would anyone care about a baby's good or evil?

Everything we do, say, and do comes from our own heart.

For the rabbit, Li Qi's actions would only bring her joy, not shame or anger.

Thinking of this, Li Qi's anger turned into joy, and he happily embarked on his journey to take the entrance exam.

He wasn't worried about things outside the territory at all.

Because, besides Shen Shuibi's own strength, he still has two Trump Card up his sleeve.

One of them is Great Shaman token that is clearly visible.

There is another one, which comes from Human Path.

All things considered, it's highly unlikely that any unexpected events will occur.

Li Qi had already researched it; even outside the realm, fifth-rank individuals were extremely rare, and places like the world where fifth-rank individuals could roam freely were practically nonexistent.

For example, in Chang'an, when there are any major public events, such as the last visit of Wushen Mountain, even ordinary people can see a third-rank expert in person, and even take a photo with him.

Such a thing is unthinkable outside of our borders.

That world group alone, with countless worlds spanning countless light-years, doesn't even have a single fifth-rank individual.

Based on Shen Shuibi's speed of 200 times that of light, it would take eight years to travel that distance, which is 1,600 light-years. The highest-ranking being is the sixth rank, and the Sacred Flame Tribe Sacred King is already the strongest being within 1,600 light-years.

Moreover, a sixth-rank cultivator is by no means weak; given some time, he could even destroy the world.

It's not that those outside the region are too weak; it's simply that the world is too strong.

Since everything has been planned out, there's naturally no need to worry. Shen Shuibi is no mediocre person either.

According to her own words, there are very few people in the fifth rank who can reliably defeat her.

She's not good at fighting and has almost never been in a fight, so she shouldn't be qualified to say such things. But she said it anyway, so she must have some backing. There's no need to worry about her.

We're all adults here, we know what's good for us. Besides, if we're not even willing to take this small risk, how are we going to make any money?

They were planning to do big business beyond the borders. A Sixth-Rank World was a great asset to those Baiyue Sovereign, but it was just a drop in the ocean when it came to repaying their debts to Mount Luofu.

Li Qi returned to Chang'an without any major setbacks.

Taking the Star Raft from Golden Platform allows you to easily traverse almost infinite distances in a very short time.

Only those who have truly experienced traveling in endless outer realms can understand how terrifying this power is.

When traveling abroad, there is nothing there, the surroundings are empty, pitch black, without light, color, smell, or sound, and the scenery does not change no matter how far you go.

Ordinary people would suffer a mental breakdown after staying here for a few days; only those with unwavering willpower and spiritual practice can travel for extended periods.

All around you is extremely faint starlight. By observing the minute changes in the angle of this starlight and comparing it with a star chart, you can determine your location and avoid getting lost.

If you really get lost, even if you're a fifth-rank cultivator, you'll probably be trapped and die in the endless outer realms, spending thousands of years without finding anything.

The Fast Universe constructed by the elites truly integrated this outer realm into one.

Without the Fast Universe, even people from all over the world would find it difficult to move freely outside their own domain, let alone travel and mine everywhere as they do now.

After landing on the Golden Platform, he found himself surrounded by the familiar city of Chang'an.

The bustling scene remained unchanged. Eighth and ninth-rank deities maintained traffic around the Earth Flow Chariot could be seen next to the Golden Platform. Everything was in good order, and many tourists, like Li Qi, had returned to Chang'an. Everyone was chatting and laughing, and the atmosphere was peaceful.

As for the many disputes outside the region?

If you're living in the most prosperous capital city, would you care about what's happening in Syria?

Only upon arriving in Chang'an can one truly understand the source of the reverence that people from beyond the realm hold for the world, and comprehend why they consider this place a 'Immortal Realm,' and why countless people from beyond the realm would go to great lengths to come here.

Li Qi stepped down from the Golden Platform, estimating the time; he should be able to pass the important exam.

However, as soon as Li Qi stepped off the Golden Platform, he saw an acquaintance walking towards him.

It is Zhong Minglou.

He was in a wheelchair with splints and casts on his legs, and his eyes were covered as always, but it always gave people the feeling that he was actually looking at people with his eyes open, as if you could still feel his gaze.

A woman who looked like a caregiver was pushing him from behind, standing guard not far from the Golden Platform.

"Ah, Senior Brother Zhong." Upon seeing this, Li Qi quickly went over. "What are you doing here, Senior Brother?"

Zhong Minglou spoke in his usual kind and gentle tone, "I had a feeling that you would appear here, so I waited here in advance. By the way, let me introduce you. This is Miss Mei. I am so grateful to her these days. You are so thoughtful, Junior Brother. If it weren't for Miss Mei, I probably wouldn't be able to go anywhere."

Upon hearing this, Li Qi looked up and carefully examined the woman pushing Zhong Minglou.

Hmm... nothing special, just ordinary.

He possesses cultivation, but hasn't reached the highest level; his appearance is just average, nothing special.

That makes sense, though. The vast majority of people in this world are ordinary people; where would all those strange and unusual things come from?

So Li Qi immediately responded with a grateful smile, "Thank you, Miss Mei. My senior brother is truly grateful for your care. By the way, how did he... get himself into this state?"

As Li Qi spoke, he pointed to Zhong Minglou's broken leg.

Miss Mei lowered her head in embarrassment. "It was my oversight, to be honest..."

Zhong Minglou interjected, "It has nothing to do with her. It's just that when I was thinking about something, I lost my footing and fell, breaking my leg."

No, officer, you're an eighth-rank officer.

Never mind...

Although you are an eighth-rank official, you are Zhong Minglou, so it doesn't seem wrong.

Li Qi calmly accepted what had happened to Zhong Minglou, after all, charlatans cannot be explained by reason.

Then he asked, "Why did you suddenly come to pick me up, senior brother?"

"Well, I'm just a little worried. Junior brother, did you get what you needed?" Zhong Minglou asked.

"Not yet, but I've found it. However, it will probably take a hundred or two hundred years to get my hands on it. I'm very satisfied. Thank you, Senior Brother." Upon hearing this, Li Qi immediately bowed and expressed his gratitude.

Indeed, we should thank you. A Sixth-Rank World with special products is not easy to find. If you really have to search slowly in the wild world group, it's basically like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Being a pioneer is not easy; one wrong move and you could lose your life. Exploring beyond our borders involves a lot of risks.

"It's good that nothing unexpected happened. I'm relieved. Miss Mei, let's go." Upon hearing this, Zhong Minglou immediately prepared to leave.

Miss Mei also bowed to Li Qi to say goodbye, and then left in her wheelchair.

Li Qi watched the other person leave.

He's used to Zhong Minglou's way of doing things; don't ask him for his reasons as a charlatan.

Just like it is now.

Li Qi knew that a powerful diviner had intervened to obscure the cause and effect, but Zhong Minglou still accurately predicted his return time and squatted here, just to ask him if he had obtained it.

These are things that shouldn't be thought about too deeply, nor should they be questioned further.

After seeing Zhong Minglou off, Li Qi returned alone to his courtyard in Chang'an by Earth Flow Chariot.

For the next few days, he did nothing but stay home and diligently study.

With True Knowledge Dao Charm around, memorizing texts was no challenge for him at all. He could memorize them automatically after reading them, without needing to deepen his memory. This directly increased his efficiency countless times.

However, while endorsing the material is not difficult, it is still necessary to prepare for the actual operation.

He reviewed past entrance exams for the Imperial Academy and tried to summarize the patterns.

Then he discovered that there was no set formula to follow.

This exam is mainly divided into two parts: a written exam, which is a test of your knowledge and understanding of the Tao.

The other is hands-on practice, which can take many forms.

In the past, there have been instances where students were given a chaotic mass of energy and asked to organize it into normal exam questions according to their own principles.

There have been exam questions that required students to refine certain heretical or Outer Dao on the spot.

There have even been exam questions that asked students to use their own methods to distort the Heavenly Dao.

Or it might involve crafting weapons or refining pills, while others might simply be martial arts competitions, and some might even only have written tests without any practical exams.

There are many different kinds of questions, and almost everyone's test questions are different.

Because there were only a few qualified people to enter the Imperial Academy, and only a handful over ten years, the exams were usually set individually. However, Li Qi discovered that these questions were designed around the Dao Path of knowledge that the candidates had mastered.

In other words, apart from improving one's own skills, there doesn't seem to be any particularly good solutions.

There's nothing we can do about that.

There's no way to rely on hard power; there are no shortcuts.

However... Li Qi had a vague sense of worry.

Since arriving in the Tang Kingdom, everything had gone smoothly and peacefully for him, but Li Qi had never forgotten that he had offended someone.

He still has the heads of two third-rank officials in his own Mustard Seed Bag.

Although he wasn't a true third-rank official, but only a fifth-rank cultivator with a third-rank official position, he was still imbued with some Daoist charm.

The teacher also said that he still owed him a head, and he would make it up to him when he had the chance.

Since arriving in the Tang Kingdom, everything else seemed fine, but Li Qi felt that this kind of separate examination was very dangerous...

However, we must meet force with force and dam with water; no matter what, we still have to take the exam.

However, just as Li Qi was concentrating on preparing for the exam at home.

Inside the Imperial Academy, two people were meeting.

Both men appeared to be Tang Kingdom, but judging from their attire, they were not of the highest rank, and therefore not among the High Officials.

But he's no longer a minor official.

Both men were dressed as middle-aged men, but one had a goatee and the other had a handlebar mustache, while the other looked more sophisticated.

Then the man with the mustache said to the man with the goatee, "Scribe Zhu, shall we do as you instruct this time?"

The Director of the Imperial Academy was in charge of the administration and policies for the teaching and guidance of all schools in the country, and Subordinate Fourth Rank official.

"Please rest assured, Chancellor Li, since I brought this up to you, there is absolutely no reason for anything to go wrong. Moreover, this matter will not only benefit you, but also curb the arrogance of those people from Wushen Mountain without giving them any leverage. I think even the Chief Priest will not object." The man called Scribe Zhu stroked his beard and said this.

The Imperial Academy Chancellor was in charge of judging and supervising students. Every year, when students completed their studies and submitted them to the Academy, the Assistant Director of Studies would examine them based on their work, judging their knowledge of the classics, oral examinations, interpretation of the classics, miscellaneous essays, current affairs, historical events, and their knowledge of law and books. They would also calculate the results of their studies and be ranked as the lowest of the Subordinate Sixth Rank.

Chancellor Li nodded. "Well, since Wushen Mountain has taken the initiative to propose the exam, it is only right to take this opportunity to slap them in the face and avenge my brother, the Director of Studies."

Scribe Zhu immediately said, "Ah, that's not right. It's not to avenge my brother, but to uphold the dignity of the court. We already showed him great kindness by allowing him to enter the Imperial Academy without any obstacles, but Wushen Mountain didn't care and just said he didn't want it. Where is the dignity of the court? Where is the dignity of Human Path?"

"If this person is allowed to swagger into the Imperial Academy, does that mean the Imperial Academy is truly a place where one can come and go as one pleases? What will the other students think of this?"

"He is still a child, so he only needs a minor punishment as a warning. He doesn't need to be killed or imprisoned. However, it is necessary to increase the difficulty of the exams so that he will not develop any contempt for the Imperial Academy. This matter is purely for the public good and has nothing to do with my brother."

Upon hearing this, Chancellor Li immediately cupped his hands in respect. "I admire the Director's selfless dedication. Then leave the rest to me and I will make sure he dares not show the slightest contempt for the Imperial Academy!"

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