"..."
After the lecture ended, the proctor first glanced at the enormous spirit-stone-powered sundial and clepsydra in the corner of the hall, then looked outside at the sun. Seeing that it was the end of the Chen hour and nearly the Si hour, he turned and gave a slight nod to the celestial maidens standing at attention nearby.
In an instant!
A dozen or more celestial maidens, all dressed in identical court robes and trained to work in perfect coordination, filed in carrying thick exam booklets and scratch paper bound with specially made, lightproof spirit paper. Without a sound, they swiftly distributed the booklets, which had already been stacked and sealed, onto each candidate's desk.
They didn't utter a word throughout the entire process. The only sounds were the rustle of paper and the soft patter of their footsteps, which somehow made the atmosphere even more tense.
After handing out the papers, they weren't allowed to leave. Instead, they returned to the area behind the proctor's stand, lined up behind the examiners' seats, and stood perfectly still.
"The Si hour has begun—"
"I hereby announce!"
"The written portion of the Yingying Examination is officially underway!"
"You have one and a half shichen."
"Now—"
"Candidates, begin!"
Boom—!
As the proctor made his final announcement, another bell rang out. Like the crack of a starting pistol, it was followed almost instantly by the faint sounds of candidates breaking open their exam booklets throughout the hall.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
Next came a series of gasps and exclamations, some brief and some drawn out, followed by the flustered sounds of candidates grinding their ink.
"Silence!"
"Focus on your exams!"
The proctor, who had seemed so stern just moments earlier, didn't reprimand them too harshly. Once he saw that no one else was making