The Empire's Bright Moon!

It was hard for Cui Xiaoxin to believe everything she was seeing, as the events were unfolding right before her eyes.

Could a useless boy truly transform into a prodigy in just a few days?

If everything he had done before was genuine, then this learning ability was truly astonishing. Even prodigies with photographic memories only managed to memorize; they struggled to achieve the kind of understanding and application he displayed.

If everything he had done before was a facade, a deliberate concealment, then what was his purpose in doing so?

Li Mu Yang's dark skin was like a deep, bottomless black curtain, drawing people in, making them want to explore and investigate further.

Cui Xiaoxin felt a profound sense of frustration. Her pretty face was clear, her eyes determined, and she looked at Li Mu Yang, asking doubtfully, "Did you come up with all these solutions yourself? Or did you see them somewhere?"

"I came up with them myself," Li Mu Yang replied.

After thinking for a moment, he shook his head and said, "It seems like I've seen them somewhere. But I don't even know where I saw them – how could I have seen such difficult and obscure problems? And how do I know so many ways to solve them?"

"The problem I gave you is an intellectual puzzle. I know the Empire's most renowned arithmetic master, Li Keyan, knows seven solutions, and an elder of mine who has studied this field for many years knows nine. Furthermore, several of your eleven solutions are ones I've never heard of, and I can't even be sure if they're correct – those solutions seem to come from other countries, or perhaps the distant Xisi Empire? Li Mu Yang, have you been to other countries? Or have you read any secret, uncirculated academic texts?"

"No," Li Mu Yang shook his head again. "I haven't been to other countries, nor have I seen those secret, uncirculated academic texts. You know my situation before; if I were that capable, how could I have been called useless for so many years?" Li Mu Yang gave a bitter smile. "What man with even a shred of self-respect would want to be called a pig to his face?"

"That's precisely what I find most perplexing," Cui Xiaoxin said. "I've heard of people achieving enlightenment overnight and becoming national scholars. Perhaps you've suddenly awakened. If you can maintain this pace of learning, even for a short time, you might be able to get into a very good school."

Golden light flashed in Li Mu Yang's eyes, and he looked at Cui Xiaoxin with a face full of anticipation, asking, "Really? Can I get into a good university?"

"Of course," Cui Xiaoxin replied. There was something she didn't say: you have no idea how amazing you are right now. If the arithmetic fanatic in my family knew that a problem he'd spent his life studying and playing with had been surpassed overnight by a high school student, he might cut off his own ears.

Li Mu Yang became excited. "If there's really hope, then I'll work even harder during this time. I want to apply to Xifeng University with you, and we can watch the sunset by Weiming Lake together."

This was both a request and a promise.

Seeing Li Mu Yang looking at her with burning eyes, Cui Xiaoxin pondered for a moment before nodding. "Then let us meet by Weiming Lake."

"That's great," Li Mu Yang was beside himself with excitement. For the first time in his life, he saw a glimmer of dawn, a hope that could melt both his body and his heart. "It's still early today, let's study for a while longer. Give me a few more problems to test me, preferably focusing on key topics for the upcoming exam."

Cui Xiaoxin understood Li Mu Yang's current state of mind, and a sliver of her wariness melted away. "When I have free time, I've looked through the Empire's civil service exam papers from the past decade. I'll select some of the most frequently appearing question types for you to solve—"

"Quick, quick, the more the better—" At this moment, the academically weak Li Mu Yang was incredibly eager to learn.

Cui Xiaoxin glanced at Li Mu Yang, gently brushed the hair from her forehead, and once again bent over her desk to write down problems.

Her delicate and elegant handwriting appeared on the draft paper, giving a sense of refreshing pleasure.

Due to their frequent interactions, Cui Xiaoxin and Li Sinian had become quite familiar with each other. Coupled with Li Sinian's proactive approach, the two quickly became close friends.

Cui Xiaoxin had also met Li Mu Yang's parents; they seemed like very good people, and Li Mu Yang's mother was a strikingly beautiful woman, even turning heads in Jiangnan City, which was full of beauties.

If Li Mu Yang inherited the excellent genes of both his parents, he would be a one-in-a-million handsome guy—

Never mind, making friends is about sincerity; one shouldn't judge by appearance.

When Li Sinian returned from school, she saw Li Mu Yang and Cui Xiaoxin sitting together discussing their studies, their smiles ambiguous.

She walked over to Cui Xiaoxin's side and said playfully, "Sister Xiaoxin, you've been busy all day. Let's take a break, shall we? Are you hungry? Shall we go get something to eat first?"

Cui Xiaoxin glanced at the darkening sky outside before putting down her brush. "It is getting late. I won't eat anything; my family is waiting for me to return for dinner."

Cui Xiaoxin looked at Li Mu Yang and said, "I asked the doctor when I came. He said you're fine now and can walk tomorrow— do you want to observe a bit longer?"

"Observe what? Haven't you been observing these past few days?" Li Mu Yang felt time was too short and only wanted to catch up. "There's only a month left until the civil service exam. I can't afford to delay even a moment. Tomorrow, tomorrow we'll go to school."

Cui Xiaoxin thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll pick you up tomorrow, and we'll go to school together."

"Okay," Li Mu Yang happily agreed.

Cui Xiaoxin had walked a few steps down the path when a luxurious carriage silently arrived beside her.

A man in a green robe alighted from the carriage and opened the door. Cui Xiaoxin got into the carriage and closed her eyes to rest.

After a whole day of tutoring, constantly explaining, clarifying memories, guessing exam questions, and selecting the essence of the Empire's civil service exams over the past decade, responding to Li Mu Yang's endless questions—some of Li Mu Yang's questions were very naive, touching upon the most basic knowledge points from textbooks. Others were profound, even exceeding their current scope of study.

Cui Xiaoxin was truly a bit exhausted.

During the tutoring session, Cui Xiaoxin once again genuinely felt Li Mu Yang's formidable learning ability.

Before, he was like a small hole in a dike, breached by insects, slowly releasing the river's water. Soon, that small hole was widened by the water, releasing more and more. From a small hole to a spring, from a spring to a floodgate. As the release speed increased, as more parts of the dike collapsed, and as the thousand-mile embankment was destroyed, a monstrous tidal wave surged forth. How many could possibly resist it?

"Uncle Ning—" Cui Xiaoxin opened her eyes and asked. "Do you think geniuses exist in this world?"

"Yes. Miss is a genius."

Cui Xiaoxin was stunned for a moment, then chuckled lightly. "But I was humiliated today."

"What?" the man in the green robe exclaimed in surprise. "That's impossible. We all know Miss's intelligence; even in the Empire's capital, she's considered a top talent among the younger generation. The three moons of the capital—Lu Qiji of the Lu family, Song Chenxi of the Song family, and then our Miss Cui—how could anyone possibly humiliate Miss? Old Ning would never believe that."

"But it really happened that way," Cui Xiaoxin said, looking at the cherry blossom trees outside. Large clusters of cherry blossoms embraced each other, forming colorful walls, appearing like a starry illusion under the lamplight.

"After the civil service exam, Miss will also return to the capital," the man in the green robe said in a deep voice. "That will be the time when the true moons compete for brilliance."

Cui Xiaoxin's lips pursed slightly, and she suddenly remembered her promise with the dark-skinned young man.

"Then let us meet by Weiming Lake."