May Everyone Be Like a Dragon 〔2/3〕

"Yes! Wasn't it said that the shop owner had already arrived in the capital? Why didn't he show up on such an important day?" a cultivator asked in confusion.

"Could it be just a rumor?" a cultivator who hadn't seen Ma Feifei in the capital asked suspiciously.

"No way. Many people in the capital have seen the shop owner these past few days, and it's the New Year period now, so the Mysterious Bookstore has already closed down. It's not impossible for the shop owner to be in the capital." Another cultivator shook his head in denial.

While everyone was still puzzled, the Empress began to deliver her speech.

"Just as Xiang Emperor Chu the Conqueror, swore brotherhood with Twelve Kings in a rebellion in ancient times, so too does Chu Qiongyu establish the imperial examination system to recruit talented individuals. Overcome this hurdle, and you will become pillars of the nation, the backbone of the Chu Kingdom's future. I wish you all success in the examinations!"

"Thank you Your Majesty!" More than 30,000 students rose and bowed in unison, their voices echoing throughout the entire capital city.

A hundred miles east of the capital city, Ma Feifei stood on a small hill, followed by Yun Qingyang, Zhang Caicai, Ba Jiu, Zhang Yunji, and Liu Ying.

Even from this distance, Ma Feifei could hear the voices of 30,000 students in the capital city.

"Whoosh~"

A streak of light shot over, and Chang Kong's figure appeared before him.

"Teacher, it has already started over there," Chang Kong voice, clasping his hands in a respectful gesture.

Ma Feifei nodded slightly and glanced at Yun Qingyang on his left. Upon seeing this, Yun Qingyang did not hesitate and transformed into a blue light that shot straight into the sky.

"Whoosh!"

"Buzz~~!"

"Look!" Inside the capital, someone spotted the blue pillar of light that had suddenly appeared outside the city. Unlike ordinary streams of light, this blue pillar of light did not disappear but remained, shooting straight into the sky.

"What's this?"

"Could it be that someone is trying to sabotage this imperial examination?"

"That can't be right, can it? Our Your Majesty has already entered the Immortal Realm."

"Who can say for sure? Qin Shi Huang also entered the Immortal Realm, didn't he? I heard that King Qi Wen also entered the Immortal Realm, as did several other Conferred Saint, and there are also some great figures who have hidden themselves from the world. There are too many great figures who have entered the Immortal Realm on the Azure Dragon Continent now."

"Yes! If a real battle breaks out, the fight between immortals would be earth-shattering, and we mortals would be in deep trouble."

"Let's hope it doesn't affect us!"

People began to predict the worst; they had even given up on the idea of running away. There was nothing they could do, because if it were truly a battle between immortals, they wouldn't be able to escape even if they wanted to in this short time.

"Whoosh!"

"Buzz~!"

Suddenly, another beam of light rose from one corner, this time red in color.

"Look! Due west!" a practitioner immediately shouted.

Everyone quickly turned to look, and this time their eyes were filled with worry.

"Whoosh!"

"Buzz~!"

Another beam of light rose, this time green in color, originating from the due north.

"Another one."

What exactly happened?

"Whoosh!"

"Buzz~!"

Their response was a series of beams of light shooting into the sky—purple, yellow, orange, cyan, and black.

"Knock knock knock~~"

Eight beams of light, each a different color, were arranged around the perimeter, enveloping the entire Chu Imperial Capital.

"What a powerful aura!" The sudden appearance of eight pillars of light attracted the attention of everyone in the capital. Even some important figures hidden in the crowd turned their attention to these eight pillars of light, frowning as they sensed the powerful aura emanating from them.

"Could it be true, as they say, that a powerful figure from the Immortal Realm is coming to attack the Chu Imperial Capital?" This thought slowly began to surface in everyone's minds.

The same was true for more than 30,000 students; instead of doing the test papers that had just been distributed, they looked around.

"Do the questions!" The Empress's voice reached the ears of 30,000 students. There was a faint Daoist aura in her voice, which made the students' minds tremble. They all calmed down and began to do the questions.

"Your Majesty, should we send someone to check?" a eunuch standing nearby asked in a low voice.

Gongsun Qiong shook his head and looked up at the eight pillars of light in the sky. They seemed to have reached a peak, and the energy in each pillar finally overflowed and shot towards the center.

"Whoosh~"

"Whoosh~"

"Buzz~"

Eight beams of light shot out inwards, each forming a thin line, which eventually merged together to form a single line.

"Phew~"

A gentle breeze began to rise, and a wind swept through the capital.

Gongsun Qiong slowly took out a book with a black cover, on which were written the words "The Analects".

"Step back a little."

Upon hearing this, the eunuch beside him glanced at the book out of the corner of his eye, his heart skipped a beat, and he bowed and slowly retreated.

The lantern-bearing maids behind them curtsied and slowly retreated, dragging their lanterns.

Gongsun Qiong glanced at the book in his hand, then looked at the thirty thousand students hunched over their desks writing.

"I hope that you will all become like dragons in the future," Gongsun Qiong said calmly.

"Buzz~"

More than 30,000 students who were writing at their desks were startled and subconsciously looked up at Gongsun Qiong.

"Whoosh!"

A pure white light enveloped the Empress, then transformed into a pillar of light that shot straight up, striking precisely the intersection of the eight pillars of light.

"Boom!"

A sound that resounded throughout the heavens and earth came, and then a young man dressed in the Sage's Robe appeared on the connecting pillars of light. He stood on nine pillars of light, held a book in his hands, and had a solemn and holy expression.

"It's the shop owner!" A sharp-eyed cultivator below immediately spotted Ma Feifei standing on the pillar of light.

"What is the shop owner trying to do?" Everyone started discussing again.

However, this time they were not given much time to discuss, because Ma Feifei in the sky suddenly sat down cross-legged and opened the book in his hands.

A soothing voice slowly descended, entering the hearts of everyone, especially the more than 30,000 students. A faint white glow began to appear above their heads, some as tall as ten feet, some as long as three feet, and some as short as an inch.

"Righteous Qi!"

With Righteous Qi above their heads, pens in hand, students diligently worked on their problems. As time passed, the glow above their heads grew longer and longer, with the tallest reaching over two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters).

"The length of their Righteous Qi must correspond to their scores on this written exam, right?" A middle-aged man in a black robe said calmly from a corner.

The place was deserted, except for an old man standing in front of him. If one looked closely, one could see that many people in black robes were keeping the onlookers at bay.

Strangely, no one objected; they were all willing to squeeze into the even tighter spaces.

"The Chu Kingdom is about to rise!" The old man sighed, his withered eyes looking at Ma Feifei reciting books in the sky.