As the four little girls chattered excitedly about Lin Xuan's statue, all the scholars rose to their feet.
According to the rules of the literary world, everyone taking part in this gathering was expected to kneel and pay their respects to the statue of the Star of Literature.
To everyone, the statue of the Star of Literature was like an ancestral tablet: exalted and sacred.
Among the ten thousand people present, only Lin Xuan remained seated with the children.
When everyone else knelt, he stood out like a sore thumb.
However, no one thought there was anything wrong with that.
Lin Xuan was not a member of the literary world, and his status was both illustrious and exalted.
If he did not wish to bow, no one could force him.
Once everyone had finished paying their respects, the gathering officially began.
In its early stages, this sort of literary gathering was much like the literary salons Lin Xuan had seen in his previous life.
It was nothing more than scholars and refined gentlemen exchanging experience, flattering one another, and building connections.
During this time, nearly everyone of any standing came to greet Lin Xuan.
Whether they came from the Azure Dragon Continent in the lower realm or the Nine Heavens Immortal Domain, they treated Lin Xuan with great respect.
Some even took the opportunity to give gifts to Xuanzhu and her sisters, and presented Lin Xuan with some of their own spiritual artifacts and magic treasures.
Lin Xuan didn't stand on ceremony and accepted every last treasure.
If Xuanzhu and her sisters liked anything, he gave it to them on the spot as a toy.
Before anyone knew it, the main event of the gathering had begun!
Jiang Jiubai and the other nine leading scholars stepped before the statue of the Star of Literature. They circulated their true essence and recited a spell in unison.
Whoosh~
In an instant, Seven-Colored Holy Radiance blazed in every direction.
A terrifying aura of sagehood burst from the statue of the Star of Literature, and it rose into the air of its own accord.
Before long, the statue was floating overhead.
A vast water screen appeared about a hundred zhang above the ground, beneath the statue.
"Daddy, what's that?" Xuanzhu asked curiously.
"That's the Sage's Water Screen. If you write on it, it can measure someone's talent in the literary Dao."
Xuanzhu nodded. "It's a lot like the spirit-testing stones we tried!"
Spirit-testing stones were special spirit stones used to test one's talent in the martial Dao.
Lin Xuan asked, "What grade are your talents?"
He suspected his daughters' talents were all monstrously high.
Since they were talking about it, he might as well find out exactly how talented they were.
"We're all Heaven-grade!" Xuanzhu replied.
Xuanxi, Xuanhan, and Xuanyou nodded at the same time.
Lin Xuan marveled inwardly. These four precious daughters really are extraordinary.
Under normal circumstances, talent was divided into four grades—Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow—with Heaven being the highest.
Moreover, talent could continue to improve with age and experience.
Xuanzhu and her sisters were only a little over three years old, yet they were already Heaven-grade.
If they're already this gifted, their futures will be limitless once they grow up!
"Daddy, are you going to take the test later?" Xuanxi asked, her face full of anticipation.
"Yeah, I really want to know how high Daddy's talent in the literary Dao is!" Xuanhan nodded.
Lin Xuan shook his head with a smile. "I'll pass. This is the literary world's business, and I'm not interested."
As he understood it, the purpose of holding a literary gathering every five years—
and testing everyone's talent in the literary Dao—
was to select the most gifted individuals.
The more gifted a person was, the more recognition they earned.
Even someone like Jiang Jiubai would have to step down from his position as one of the leading scholars if another person outshone him.
Put simply, it was a selection process to find the best guide for the literary Dao under heaven.
From what Lin Xuan knew, talent in the literary Dao was ranked according to the color of the light produced.
White, green, blue, red, purple, purplish gold, and seven-colored, in ascending order.
If anyone could produce Seven-Colored Holy Radiance, he would be the undisputed "Star of Literature descended to the mortal world."
Anyone granted that honor would be addressed as "Sir" even by Jiang Jiubai and the other nine leading scholars!
Unfortunately...
Neither the Azure Dragon Continent nor the Nine Heavens Immortal Domain—
had seen a single "Star of Literature descended to the mortal world" in the past hundred thousand years.
When Xuanzhu and the others saw that Lin Xuan didn't want to take the test, their excitement immediately faded.
If Daddy took the test, he'd definitely be the most talented of them all!
The little girls thought to themselves.
Meanwhile,
Jiang Jiubai was the first to step before the Sage's Water Screen.
He picked up a white-bristled brush and wrote several bold lines with graceful, flowing strokes.
Whoosh~
A beam of purple light shot skyward from the water screen.
Then, a streak of gold flashed within the purple.
Everyone looked on in admiration.
"Purplish gold! Grand Scholar Jiang's talent has reached the quasi-sage level!"
"How impressive! It's been five years, and Grand Scholar Jiang has advanced again!"
Jiang Jiubai's face lit up with joy. Of the three thousand paths of the literary Dao under heaven, anyone who reached the purplish-gold level was a quasi-sage.
At the quasi-sage realm, Jiang Jiubai was sure to leave his name through the ages and become an idol to scholars of future generations.
But...
The golden light lasted only a short while before suddenly dimming.
In the end, only the purple light remained, shining before everyone's eyes.
"Alas! My strength still isn't enough!"
Jiang Jiubai shook his head and sighed.
He had spent so long preparing, poured his heart and soul into it, and finally written this essay.
He had never expected it still wouldn't earn the Star of Literature's recognition.
Everyone couldn't help but sigh in disappointment.
They had nearly witnessed the birth of a quasi-sage, only for it to fall short at the very last moment.
Next, Shen Yakang and the others took the test one by one.
Disappointingly, none of the ten leading scholars had made any progress. They all remained at the purple level.
In other words, they could be called grand scholars, but not "quasi-sages."
After that, hundreds of people, including Shangguan Jie, took their turns, but none surpassed Jiang Jiubai and the others.
The remaining thousands had only average talent to begin with, so there was even less chance they would achieve a miracle.
Jiang Jiubai surveyed the crowd and sighed softly. "The path of the literary Dao is indeed a difficult one to walk."
Shen Yakang nodded in agreement. "It seems we'll have to wait another five years and see whether anyone under heaven can become a 'quasi-sage.'"
Jiang Jiubai glanced at everyone. "Then we must keep working hard."
A look of resolve entered Shen Yakang's eyes. "We must!"
As evening fell and the gathering was about to end,
Jiang Jiubai and the others rose and went to Lin Xuan, bidding him farewell one by one.
Mu Youqing also came to Lin Xuan's side and remarked casually, "Cousin-in-law, your literary talent is so impressive. You could give it a try too!"
At her words, Jiang Jiubai and the others' eyes lit up.
"Emperor Consort, your literary talent is exceptional. Why not give it a try?" Jiang Jiubai said.
Lin Xuan shook his head. "I'm an outsider to the literary Dao. There's no need."
Shen Yakang shook his head. "Emperor Consort, please don't think of yourself as an outsider. The literary Dao makes no distinction between insiders and outsiders. Anyone capable can cultivate the Dao through literature. Why not give it a try?"
At that, Xuanzhu and her sisters grew excited all at once.
The four little girls crowded around Lin Xuan, practically ready to carry him over to the Sage's Water Screen themselves.
Seeing that he couldn't refuse, Lin Xuan agreed with a helpless laugh. "All right, I'll give it a try."
He thought of an inspiring saying about the foundation of a scholar's character, then casually wrote it on the screen with a brush.
Cultivate oneself, put one's family in order, govern the state, and bring peace to all under heaven!
As the nine characters appeared,
Boom!
A beam of Seven-Colored Holy Radiance burst upward.
Its brilliant light obscured Lin Xuan's crooked handwriting, unleashing a vast aura of a sage descending upon the world.
Jiang Jiubai and the others stared at the sight, their faces filled with shock and excitement.
"Seven-Colored Holy Radiance! That's the light of a sage!"
"Could the Emperor Consort be the Star of Literature descended to the mortal world?"
"Why even ask? The appearance of Seven-Colored Holy Radiance proves the Emperor Consort has the potential to become a sage!"
Before you continue