North Sea Island, Hundred-Year Phenological Shift? I've Seen This Question Before

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In the Great Zhou Dynasty, the Temple Examination was the final hurdle in the official assessment system.

At dawn on February 3, Zhao Xing left his home and rushed to the Agricultural Supervisorate.

At 3:45 AM, all fifteen participants had arrived, including Zong Shichang, Xiao Ze, Wen Nanxing, and Ding Shan.

Chen Shijie and the other Assistant Official of Agricultural Supervisorate had been waiting there for a long time.

Once everyone had arrived, Chen Shijie spoke, "Whether you can accept the official positions depends on today."

"You all have a chance of passing. Don't be nervous, stay calm, and just perform normally."

"I and the other officials wish you all the best in achieving your goals."

"Thank you, sir." All the officials bowed and expressed their gratitude.

After finishing his pleasantries, Chen Shijie continued:

"There is already a set of reference clothing in the washroom at the back."

"Apart from these clothes, you may not bring any other items."

"There are still 45 minutes left, so go in and change your clothes first."

The officials were already familiar with the rules of the Temple Examination, so they all went inside to change their clothes.

Zhao Xing also went inside and changed into a long gown.

He didn't bring any external items with him, and even removed his Sixth Level Soul Armor, hiding it Great Dream Academy and entrusting it to the Mechanical Beast Xie Zhi for safekeeping.

Originally, the Great Dream Academy did not provide this function; everything else was allowed to leave but not to enter. However, the Soul Armor was special, allowing it to be left and possibly entering.

As for other items, such as the auspicious Evil Aversion Almanac and the Thousand Mile Transmission Token, they were borrowed and returned to the Shennong Inner Treasury after the Profound Heaven Sect incident.

The Wind Crystal Earring are now kept at home, and can be said to be all alone.

After changing his clothes, Zhao Xing and the other officials came out to wait.

At this moment, no one whispered to each other; they simply waited silently.

At 6:45 AM, a cloud-covered Cloud Rain Tower Ship came from the south and landed at the Agricultural Supervisorate) in Gucheng.

Four officials came down from above.

Two of the Divine Hall Ceremonial Official were holding four statues of the Prince.

There were also two examiners of the Seventh Grade.

After reading out the rules as usual.

At the exact hour of Agricultural Supervisorate into the temple in Gucheng.

Led by the Ceremonial Official.

The officials first paid their respects at the various halls of the temple, such as the East Lake True Lord Hall, the True Lord Cao Xi Hall, and the Hall of All Sages.

This process is to express gratitude to the Yin Spirit for transmitting the Dharma.

Zhao Xing mainly paid homage to Cao Xi and Zheng Lun.

Most of his magic was passed down from these two Yin Spirit.

The worship ceremony has ended.

The fifteen officials then stood in the central Heavenly Heart Plaza of the temple.

At 3:45 AM, two Ceremonial Official from the county town placed the statue of the county king in the four corners of the square.

"Buzz~"

As the Golden Light shone, a new palace suddenly appeared in the location of Heavenly Heart Plaza.

The fifteen examinees, who were originally standing in the center of the square, suddenly appeared in the new palace.

The Heaven's Heart Palace is dedicated to Emperor Taizu of the Great Zhou Emperor.

It is only initiated during major festivals such as Temple Examination and Son of Heaven sacrifices.

"Bye!"

The Ceremonial Official led the candidates in burning incense and worshipping the portrait of Grand Ancestor.

We thank him for establishing temples to spread the teachings and for setting up an official assessment system, which provided a path for lower-level officials to rise in rank.

The fourth quarter of the hour of Chen (7:45 AM).

The Ceremonial Official threw Yellow Paper representing the names of officials into the Crimson Bronze Censer in front of the Grand Ancestor altar of Emperor Taizu.

"Buzz~"

The next moment, fifteen tables and chairs appeared on the ground.

"Please take your seats, clerks."

Zhao Xing found the long table with his name on it and sat down.

"Splash!"

As soon as I sat down, a brush, ink, paper, and inkstone appeared.

Looking up, the figures of the other candidates and officials faded away.

The theoretical aspects of the Temple Examination have officially begun.

It lasted for a total of thirty-six hours.

Leaving your seat area counts as submitting your paper early.

When the time was up, there was no longer any way to answer.

"It's finally here."

Zhao Xing let out a slow breath, then picked up the test paper on the table and began to review it from beginning to end.

There are a total of forty exam papers.

Thirty of the papers are exam questions, and ten are blank.

Just like the White Dew solar term assessment at that time, Chen Shijie set the questions according to the court's regulations.

The first ten questions are basic questions, the kind that can be answered by rote memorization. Compared to the White Dew exam, there are one-third fewer of these basic questions.

The Temple Examination involves Formal Appointment, so there will be fewer easy questions.

Zhao Xing glanced at it briefly and then began answering the basic questions.

[In which dynasty, year, and month was "Hundred Explanations of Celestial Timing" written? By whom was it compiled? What is its ranking in the Hall of All Sages of this dynasty?]

Zhao Xing quickly wrote down the answer: [Compiled by Chen Yi, Grand Minister of Agriculture, in the seventh month of the 149th year of the Zhiyuan Qian Dynasty; ranked twenty-seventh in the Hall of All Sages of this dynasty.]

On the day of the Great Heat, decaying grass turns into fireflies. Five days later, heavy rains occur frequently.

A: Five days later, the earth became moist and the heat intensified.

Decaying grass does not turn into fireflies, and ripe grains rarely fall.

A: If the soil is moist but not sweltering in the heat, the crops should not be punished. If heavy rains do not come in time, the country will not bestow its favors.

Zhao Xing's fluent answers quickly finished the basic, easy questions.

We've now moved on to the advanced scenario-based questions used to screen candidates.

"In the land of Nanzheng, if one wishes to take its soil, the soil cannot be loosened; instead, it fuels the fire and generates more soil. If metal is used to drain its essence, the dry soil will brittle the metal, making it difficult to work. How can this be resolved?"

Upon seeing this question, Zhao Xing frowned slightly.

I didn't expect the first scenario question on the eleventh page to be so challenging.

"This question tests the application of earth, but why does it lead to a situation where metal is used to drain its brilliance, and dry earth weakens metal?"

There are specific methods for selecting soil, so this question should be answered according to the methods for selecting and using soil in spring, summer, autumn, and winter, as described in "The Earth's Monthly Extraction Method".

The soil was not properly loosened; instead, it fueled the fire and generated more soil, proving that the soil in question was "summer soil."

Using the metal element power within the Earth Vein to release its essence is supposedly the method mentioned in "The Earth's Monthly Extraction Method." So how could the Earth Vein power be "dry earth and brittle metal," making it difficult to extract?

Zhao Xing scanned the question back and forth, finally landing on the words "Nanzheng". Two seconds later, he suddenly realized what it meant.

He then picked up his pen and replied, "Nanzheng is the ancestral land of our dynasty, and it is only in summer and autumn."

"Without the tempering of the cold and dampness of spring and winter, the fire of summer becomes excessive. To obtain the earth of summer, one must obtain the water from the source. The power of the Earth Vein is weak but not exhausted. Water is used to nourish the Earth Vein and control the fire, and metal is used to release the excess energy of the Earth Vein. This will achieve the goal of balance."

After finishing writing, Zhao Xing finally relaxed his brow.

The monthly use of earth is part of the content of "The Earth Veins Five Elements Advantage".

But the questions don't just have this one difficulty; they also test the Agricultural Officials' knowledge of the geography of the entire country.

What kind of place is Nanzheng? It's the hometown of Grand Ancestor!

You don't even know that such a famous place only has summer and autumn seasons, yet you want to be an official?

Go back to your hometown and feed the pigs!

If the officials don't understand the situation in Nanzheng, they will definitely be scratching their heads in frustration.

If you know the situation in Nanzheng, this question will be much easier to answer. Just remember the method of adapting to the Five Elements and Earth Vein, and you will be able to answer it.

In the following situational questions, Zhao Xing carefully read and answered the questions, and answered them all fluently.

My smooth thinking only got hindered by the last big question.

[In the North Sea, there is an island where, on the day of the Beginning of Beginning of Winter, the water begins to freeze. Five days later, the sea begins to freeze completely. Five days later, a giant whale breaks through the ice and transforms into Mystic Bird, while Azure Bird enters the water and becomes Purple Snake. Five days after that, sea fire erupts from the seabed.]

[The island has millions of inhabitants, but only two officials: the Agricultural Official and the Minister of Works. If you were the Minister of Agricultural Official, how would you resolve this natural disaster?]

Zhao Xing stared at the question for a moment, thinking he had misread it.

As the final and most challenging question in the advanced scenario-based questions, it was indeed difficult.

Zhao Xing was stunned, not because the question was difficult.

It was something he did when he was a player.

And it left a very deep impression on me.

Because he made a mistake back then, he missed the job change by just this one question.

"The last question about an island disaster turned out to be a freebie," Zhao Xing laughed.

This is a phenology question, and the question even mentions a relatively obscure phenological phenomenon that has existed for over a century.

A giant whale broke through the ice and transformed into Mystic Bird, while Azure Bird entered the water and became Purple Snake. Five days later, seabed fire erupted—these were all phenomena that occur once every hundred years.

The question is, as the island's Agriculture Official, how would you deal with the natural disasters caused by a century of climatic changes?

There are three difficulties in the question: first, recognizing that this is a once-in-a-century phenological event; and second, confirming the intensity of the natural disaster.

Secondly, based on the existing conditions, we can deduce our own strength in the context of the problem.

Third, provide appropriate solutions to natural disasters.

First, although the phenological changes of a hundred years are obscure, a well-read and knowledgeable official would not find it difficult to know. Both the Mystic Bird and the Purple Snake are Sixth Rank mythical beasts. Furthermore, the phenological changes of a hundred years only cause changes in a single species, meaning that there is only one Mystic Bird and one Purple Snake in this case.

Secondly, based on the conditions given in the question, determine the power you can utilize.

With an island population of tens of millions, the standards of the Agricultural Supervisorate, the Heavenly Craft Workshop, and its internal treasury must not be lower than the fifth rank.

This is a test of the officials' understanding of the official system of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Other departments are not required to understand this, but Heavenly Craft Workshop and Agricultural Supervisorate are closely related departments and you must understand them.

In addition, since the question does not mention other institutions, the answer should not involve other government departments.

Otherwise, just answer with "A hundred thousand troops march out, slaughter the Mystic Bird and the Purple Snake, and have them barbecued" and you're done.

The second point is another trap, which is the phrase "there are islands in the North Sea" in the first sentence.

"North Sea is a strategically important frontier region with over ten million islanders. The standards of the Agricultural Supervisorate and the Heavenly Craft Workshop's treasury need to be raised to a higher level. We can use sixth-tier treasures to fight the enemy. We can choose from large Divine Soldier such as the Dragon Bone Tower Ship and the Profound Origin Great Crossbow, as well as personal divine Divine Soldier such as the 'Wind Thunder Rain Cape,' 'Hundred Flowers Hat,' and 'Wind Evil Pearl.'"

"However, these treasures cannot be used indiscriminately; they must be used in a reasonable combination."

"This leads to the third point: providing a proper solution."

Zhao Xing did not rush to write, but instead went through his answer in his mind.

Only after confirming that there were no problems did I start writing.

"The giant whale breaks through the ice and transforms into Mystic Bird, while the Azure Bird enters the water and becomes Purple Snake. This is the climatic change of the North Sea over a hundred years."

"Both the Mystic Bird and the Azure Bird are Sixth Rank mythical beasts."

"North Sea is a major town with millions of islanders, so it must have a sixth-tier treasure vault."

"A natural disaster is imminent. We must immediately order all the Heavenly Craft Workshop on the island to activate the large-scale Sixth Level Divine Weapon, the 'Tenacious Defense Boundary,' to protect the people."

"Afterwards, they set sail in Dragon Bone Tower Ship, accompanied by Dragon Head Tower Ship, and launched Flowing Cloud Flying Boat to rescue the people outside the islands."

"Chief official of the Agricultural Supervisorate should activate the sixth-tier 'Wind Thunder Rain Cape' from the treasury for Divine Movement speed."

"The sixth-tier Hundred Flowers Hat enhances its power."

"Please consult the books 'Houtu' and 'Four Seas' to restore the Earth Vein and Four Seas Return to Ruins."

"The 'Solar Terms Decree' reverses the three phases of the Beginning of Winter, repeating in a cycle, causing the Mystic Bird to transform back into a whale, and the Purple Snake to transform back into Azure Bird..."

Knowing the answer, Zhao Xing wrote very smoothly and finished answering the question in one go.

In order to avoid losing points on this question, he also provided several solutions, including post-question reassurance measures.

Of course, these are all minor details, and even without a backup plan, they are sufficient. As for pacifying the people, they can be mentioned only briefly, as this is not the responsibility of the Agriculture Official.

The questions themselves mainly tested the officials' understanding of phenology, North Sea), official system, and treasures.

It is a comprehensive assessment of the clerks' qualities, to see if you are truly prepared to be an official.

If you can answer even a few questions about the problems encountered by officials of the sixth or seventh rank, then becoming a Ninth Grade official will be a piece of cake for you.

This is the thought process of the question setter.

Time passed slowly, and after the advanced scenario questions, Zhao Xing answered the subsequent questions more and more smoothly.

I also saw several familiar questions.

Before I knew it, all that was left in front of me was a single sheet of paper.

There is only one question above.

Please match the Five Elements, Heavenly Stems, and Earthly Branches with the Four Seasons, and explain the underlying principles of this matching system.

"The teacher predicted the exam questions correctly."

Zhao Xing smiled slightly.

The theoretical questions for the White Dew examination were set by Xue Wenzhong.

The last big question is exactly the same as the one we're facing right now.

"Old Sima Nong is truly a great teacher. These fifteen people from Gucheng will all benefit from him today."

He took the exam before, and afterwards he even made his standard answer public for everyone to ponder.

This will give the officials in Gucheng an advantage in the final big question.

Zhao Xing sighed inwardly, then began to answer.

He doesn't plan to make any changes this time; he'll just answer according to the same standard as last time.

The answer last time was enough to make Chen Shijie, the examiner who had the Earthly Advantage Faction, meow like a cat. It will be more than enough for this Temple Examination.

"The current mainstream view is that the Earth Reigns in Late Summer Theory. If I were to answer that the Earth Reigns in Four Seasons Theory, that would be too advanced and might even backfire."

Having made up his mind, Zhao Xing began to answer.

He wasn't afraid of the other officials surpassing him, because the previous ones were already difficult enough. Besides, only the people of Gucheng could see his standard answers, and the Temple Examination and selection were coordinated by the imperial court.

As colleagues, it's alright to let others benefit a little.

"Of the five elements, none is more precious than earth. Earth governs all four seasons, and its merits and fame are not shared with fire."

"Wood, fire, metal, and water each govern one season, while earth resides in the center, holding the rope to control the four directions."

"Earth Reigns in Late Summer Theory..."

After finishing writing, Zhao Xing went through all the answers twice.

After confirming that nothing was missed, I got up and left my seat.

"Buzz~"

As soon as he stood up, he saw the other clerks and officials supervising the examination again.

At this time, there are also Yin Spirit patrolling outside, so no one can cheat through external force.

"Clerk Zhao Xing, are you sure you've finished answering?"

An official asked a question.

"Your Excellency, I confirm." Zhao Xing bowed.

"Phew~"

As soon as he finished speaking, the exam paper flew up automatically and entered the incense burner in the Heaven's Heart Palace to be burned.

The answer sheet danced in the golden flames, but it was not burned; it simply rolled a few times before disappearing.

"You are the first to hand in your paper. You can choose to rest for half an hour or immediately begin the second half of the Temple Examination." The invigilator said expressionlessly.

"I choose to conduct an on-site assessment immediately."

Zhao Xing had barely finished speaking.

Buzz~

The statues in the Heaven's Heart Palace emitted bursts of Golden Light.

Afterwards, Zhao Xing discovered that the other officials had disappeared. It was dark, and he found himself in a golden field.

Zhao Xing knew that this was the internal assessment space that came with the Heaven's Heart Palace.

It was refined from fragments of a small Grotto-Heaven world.

Although it is a fragment of a small world.

But the area is still very large.

Zhao Xing looked around with his Bright Eyes, but he couldn't see the end of it at all.

"Buzz~"

As he was observing, a golden document floated down from the sky, landed in front of Zhao Xing, and opened automatically.

"Clerk Zhao Xing, the scope of this assessment shall be based on the standards of the lower county."

"The assessment will last for twelve hours."

"You need to observe the Heavenly Timing, Earthly Advantage Institute, and time yourself."

"And complete the assessment according to the following requirements."

Zhao Xing took the document and looked at the assessment requirements:

"Clouds gather at Chen Shi (7-9 AM), thunder rumbles at Si Shi (9-11 AM), rain falls at Wei Hour), and the rain stops at Wei Shi (1-3 PM), totaling forty-eight points of rain? And this must cover the entire assessment area?"

Zhao Xing frowned, realizing that things were not so simple.

"It's dark outside. Without the universal spell 'Bright Eyes,' you can't see anything at all, which greatly increases the difficulty of casting spells. This is the first challenge."

"Clouds gather at Chenshi (7-9 AM), thunder rumbles at Sishi (9-11 AM), rain falls at Wei Hour), and the rain stops at Weishi (1-3 PM), lasting a total of four hours, testing the officials' endurance. This is the second difficulty."

"To cover the area of a county, the level of understanding in the Four Seasonal Arts cannot be too low; this is the third difficulty."

"The rain count is forty-eight points, accurate to the last millimeter, testing the ability to control magic. This is the fourth difficulty."

"The officials didn't carry the almanac, and it's dark here, so it's hard to tell what time it is by looking at the outside world. If they miss the time, they'll lose a lot of points! This is the fifth difficulty."

There are five main challenges, and none of them are easy.

For clerks wanting to be promoted to official positions, it was truly like a thousand troops crossing a single-plank bridge.

Moreover, on-site assessments account for a significant portion of the evaluation.

No matter how excellent one's theoretical knowledge is, if one's practical assessment score is too low, one is absolutely unfit to become Agriculture Official.

If one cannot even pass the basics, and actually becomes the Agriculture Official, it may lead to the displacement of the people under his jurisdiction and cause them to suffer great disasters.

How could anyone feel comfortable letting someone become an official? Wouldn't that harm both themselves and others?

"If even the Civil Sima Nong faces such difficulties, one can only imagine how challenging it is for the Military Sima Nong," Zhao Xing remarked with some emotion. "However, this is no challenge for me."

With his Bright Eyes Art maxed out, the darkness posed no obstacle for Zhao Xing. He quickly jumped to a high place, surveyed his surroundings, and found that the area was all plains and fields, with little difference between them.

Based on the humidity and temperature in the air, and by observing the growth of plants in the field, it can be concluded that this is early summer.

The amount of Rain Water in the sky and earth is at a relatively balanced level.

For officials, this is a neutral condition for casting spells.

Thankfully, the examiners didn't try to make a fuss about the terrain and landforms anymore. Otherwise, if they had asked for extreme terrain and extreme Heavenly Timing, the officials taking the exams would have been in real trouble.

Covering the entire county, maintaining a four-hour battery life, and precisely controlling the spells were all easy tasks for Zhao Xing.

The only slightly troublesome part was accurately calculating the time.

"There is no almanac, no sunrise, and even the night is deliberately set up to hinder the officials from judging most of the time."

"The Moving Clouds Spreading Rain, and Thunderclap must all begin and end on the hour; even the slightest error will result in a deduction of points."

"Without knowing the time, we cannot begin; we must first determine the current time."

Zhao Xing thought for a moment, then immediately squatted down and touched the soil on the ground.