Preparations

"Father, getting Second Scholar was already a blessing from heaven. How would your son dare ask for more?" Li Shiming said to his father, Li Wenyuan, with a smile.

He understood as well that, judging by his Autumn Examination papers, if there had been no other factors involved, taking First Place would have been no problem.

From what Li Wenyuan had said, because Li Shiming was the prefect's son, the chief examiner had considered the need to avoid suspicion and changed the First Place that should originally have belonged to him into Second Scholar.

"I read your answers. That First Place was more than a little inferior to you!" Li Wenyuan said, shaking his head.

Of course Li Shiming knew that. Putting aside the classics and the fill-in passages, even the final Policy Essay had been an essay he had found from a Number One Scholar in his Previous Life.

Using a Number One Scholar's essay in the Autumn Examination—overwhelming all the candidates was only natural.

"Originally, I had you take this Autumn Examination simply to give you one more experience with it, so it would help you in the Autumn Examination three years from now. I didn't expect that at only fifteen, you would have to leave home for the Central Capital, while I'm unable to leave Nanling Prefecture to accompany you!" Li Wenyuan continued, sounding somewhat worried.

This was also a happy problem. Taking the Spring Examination at fifteen—if he truly passed it and became a presented scholar, then in the current dynasty he could be considered an auspicious marvel. As his father, Li Wenyuan was delighted, but he inevitably worried about the youth leaving home.

"Father, I'm not a child anymore!" Li Shiming hurriedly said. He did not want his father's worries to affect his plan to head to the Central Capital.

"I have no intention of stopping you from taking the Spring Examination. For this trip to the Central Capital, I'll contact a Navy Official Ship. In addition, you'll bring a team of guards with you. Take Si Qin and Mo Yan as well. Once you arrive in the Central Capital, stay in the Old Residence there. I'll write a few letters for you too, so you can visit several uncles on my behalf!" Li Wenyuan spoke rather ramblingly, without his usual dignity.

But Li Shiming felt his father's sincere affection for him. He had merged with the memories and feelings of the Original Body, and to him, Li Wenyuan was his father in this world.

"Right, this is tea I personally roasted. I think it's pretty good. Drink it normally, Father. I'll head back now!" Since the atmosphere felt a little off, Li Shiming changed the subject, pointed at the three tea canisters he had brought, stood up, and took his leave.

Li Wenyuan watched Li Shiming's departing figure, shook his head slightly, and picked up one of the tea canisters. He certainly did not believe Li Shiming could produce any fine tea.

Still, it was his son's heartfelt gesture, so he took a little tea and brewed it.

A rich tea fragrance curled up and went straight into his heart and spleen.

Li Wenyuan was a tea lover. How could he fail to smell the quality of this tea?

He picked up the cup and took a small sip. The flavor was mellow and faintly sweet, with a fragrant, crisp aftertaste, yet he could not identify what kind of tea it was.

Just after that mouthful of tea entered his stomach, a wave of warmth spread from his abdomen throughout his body.

He only felt a comfortable sensation come from his body, stiff from long sitting, and his mind also became perfectly clear.

"Hm!" Even if he still did not understand what tea this was, he knew it was no ordinary tea.

After drinking a cup of clear tea, it was as if his whole body had soaked in warm water and then slept deeply for a long while. After his body relaxed to the extreme, it was filled with vitality.

He quickly put the other two canisters of tea, along with the opened one, carefully into a cabinet and locked them away.

"That child, he didn't even explain it clearly!" With a smile on his face, he complained insincerely.

Li Shiming had lost his mother when he was young, and Li Wenyuan had raised him alone. Seeing that the child now had such a fine thing and still thought of him, as his father, he was extremely happy.

Li Shiming returned to his courtyard. He thought about his impending trip to the Central Capital.

The day he set off for the Central Capital would not be too far away. He needed to consider his own safety after leaving Li Wenyuan's protection.

In Nanling Prefecture, his identity was a natural shield, but once he left Nanling Prefecture, even with guards protecting him, it was not enough to put him at ease.

Escort Chief Wang, whom he had met before, Shi Ximing, whom he had killed with Nitroglycerin, and the two immortals whose whereabouts were unknown—in the short time since he had come to this world, he had encountered so many terrifying existences.

Of course, the current him now had some means to deal with Escort Chief Wang if he encountered him again.

But if he met immortals again, how was he supposed to face them?

Although the odds of encountering immortals were not high, judging by how frequently he had run into them, he did not feel the probability was low at all.

Thinking of this, he took out the Longsword Artifact he had obtained from Shi Ximing from his Storage Bag.

When he had first obtained the Longsword Artifact, because there had been too little Spiritual Qi in his body at the time, he had not studied the Magical Items he had acquired.

He carefully observed the Longsword Artifact. Its material was iron, but after he transmitted his observations and the sensation of lightly tapping it through his five senses into the IBMz15 Mainframe, it analyzed that this kind of iron had an internal structure completely different from ordinary iron.

Given his current lack of knowledge about cultivation, he could not use the IBMz15 Mainframe to make an accurate judgment and could only analyze this much.

He tried using the Longsword Artifact to slash at a stone. The Longsword Artifact left a cut ten centimeters deep in the stone.

He had not used much strength at all, which showed just how terrifyingly sharp this Longsword Artifact was.

No matter where it was placed, this Longsword Artifact could be considered a divine weapon.

He then tried channeling a little spiritual power into it. Immediately, the Longsword Artifact lit up with a glow of spiritual power. In his senses, the Longsword Artifact seemed to have come alive, gaining an indescribable charm.

Li Shiming once again used the Longsword Artifact flashing with spiritual power to slash at the stone. This time, he used about the same amount of strength, yet he easily cut the stone in half. He did not even feel any resistance from the stone.

He stared in shock at the stone that had been cut in two. If this had struck a person, even if that person were wearing armor, the result would have been the same.

Putting the Longsword Artifact away, he decided to prepare a scabbard for it and wear it at his side. This thing was a true killing weapon.

Though, at Qi Refining Second Level, he had not learned any swordsmanship, with his body's reactions, strength, and speed, if he held the Longsword Artifact, he could still take a strong opponent by surprise and kill them.

He then thought of defense and took out the White Robe he had obtained at the same time. The White Robe had Spiritual Power Fluctuation similar to the Longsword Artifact, so it was likely also a Magical Item.

With his previous experience, he channeled a little spiritual power into the White Robe, and a faint white glimmer flashed across it.

He did not dare test it with the Longsword Artifact. Instead, he took a pair of scissors and cut and stabbed at the White Robe for a while, only to find that the White Robe blocked everything.

He guessed that the White Robe Magical Item should be a defensive Magical Item. Of course, before he had truly come into contact with the Cultivation World, all his tests relied on worldly knowledge for judgment.

The accuracy of this judgment could not be guaranteed, but at the very least, he was able to use these two Magical Items now.

With a little decoration added, the White Robe could completely be used as a Confucian robe. A longsword hanging at the waist—this was a classic outfit for many scholars.

Thank you to "Xiao Zhi Wy" for the 5-yuan reward! Thank you to "Born for Books Until Death" for the 1-yuan reward!