Debating

Only this word puzzle couldn't be solved by sheer intelligence alone. It demanded deep immersion in the written word, turning it over and over until it was second nature.

The scholar Xu Yi could be counted among the well-read and studious, but his focus was on scholarship. He had no interest in miscellaneous learning.

He had never come close to putting in the work needed to immerse himself in the written word.

Xu Yi had deliberately tucked the word puzzle among a host of other subjects, hoping to muddy the waters.

Unexpectedly, his reputation as the Poet Immortal, Word Sage, coupled with the peerless couplet that had nearly stumped all under heaven, had truly led the Heir of Prince Xiang to believe that he was deeply immersed in the written word.

If the Heir of Prince Xiang chose to test him on characters, he would most likely be asking for humiliation.

As the Heir of Prince Xiang pondered, those watching saw it as further proof of the Poet Immortal, Word Sage's formidable prestige.

They still remembered how, when the Heir of Prince Xiang first issued his challenge, he had shone like a golden light, leaving hundreds of newly minted jinshi able only to defend themselves. From beginning to end, he had held the upper hand.

Now, before Xu Yi had even made a move, the Heir of Prince Xiang had already shown hesitation. The contrast between the two was like heaven and earth.

"Given your literary renown, Mr. Xu, you are my senior. I will follow your lead on how we compete. When I challenged the newly minted jinshi just now, I set the rules, and I see no reason to change them now that you have joined us. However, poetry and verse put artistic conception first, and artistic conception