The Dragon Arrives Amid Horse Whinnies and Ape Howls

Roar!

The next moment, an invisible aura emanated from Qiu Yan, sweeping across the entire room like a whirlwind!

"Ouch!" The Eight-Character Ancient Seal Inscription and Incense Burner, caught off guard, were thrown away by the shockwave.

Boom!

An inexplicable aura surged into the sky!

A shadowy ape-like figure flickered around Qiu Yan, as if being pulled by an unseen hand, about to fly out of the window!

In Xingjing Imperial City, the lights twinkled and the crowds surged like a tide.

The most bustling place was a cluster of pavilions, with a long river flowing alongside, where painted boats glided and beautiful women vied for attention.

Many merchants spent thousands of coins just to win a smile from a beautiful woman.

Even more talented young men, having honed their skills for a long time, emerged one by one, making a name for themselves in the competition for the title of courtesan, determined to leave behind stories that will be passed down through generations.

In the pavilions along the river, talented scholars were not to be outdone, engaging in drinking contests, composing couplets, and reciting poems, leaving behind a series of masterpieces that inspired admiration in the daughters of officials visiting the lantern festival.

Furthermore, literary gatherings were held, inviting the heads of various academies to serve as judges.

Wen Zhizhen was also among them. After drinking, he composed a poem and painted with ink, which amazed everyone present. Even the heads of the academies praised him.

"I never expected that Qiu Yan wouldn't come to such a grand event! What a disappointment!"

In the crowd, behind a low table, Qi Jiulian, dressed in a loose robe, sat lazily, tilting his head back to drink the wine in his cup in one gulp. Then, he slammed his hand on the table with a "thud" and muttered, "This Wen Zhizhen is known as Peerless in Calligraphy and Painting. His paintings are indeed amazing, and his calligraphy has a certain charm, but compared to Qiu Yan, he is still far inferior. He can beat me, but he is definitely no match for Qiu Yan!"

"Brother Qi, this is probably just your excuse," Pang Qianru said, picking up her wine bowl and taking a big gulp. Then she patted Qi Jiulian's shoulder and winked. "If Qiu Yan has the ability, he certainly won't let this literary gathering go. As long as he gains fame here, he will surely become known throughout the world!"

"What do you know!" Qi Jiulian glanced at Pang Qianru with disdain. "Do you think everyone likes to show off in a small place like the literary gathering? With Qiu Yan's personality, he's probably preparing for the exam right now. He doesn't care about the lantern festival or the literary gathering. It's like, no matter how much fun the people here have, in the eyes of the officials in the court, they're just a bunch of ants!"

"Oh?" Pang Qianru looked surprised. "You have such a high opinion of Qiu Yan? That's completely out of character for you! Could it be that you're trying to cover up your own failure?" As she spoke, she subconsciously glanced to her side.

Nearby, Song Qian was talking with Xu Ran and Ji Zheng, but it was clear that this young lady from the Jiedushi's family was paying attention to Qi Jiulian's words.

The fact that they came with Wen Zhizhen caused a bit of a stir, but those who dared to step into this building were all people with some self-control and were not greatly affected.

Afterwards, the women sat down to appreciate the literature. They witnessed Qi Jiulian's calligraphy, which was unparalleled among them. However, when Wen Zhizhen took the stage, she proved to be even more skilled, causing Qi Jiulian to be defeated.

Qi Jiulian a family with a long history of scholarship and has connections in Prosperity Capital. He is acquainted with Pang Qianru and Xu Ran. After his defeat, he came over and sat with them. During their conversation, Pang Qianru tentatively asked about Qiu Yan, which led to the above conversation.

"Whether I think highly of Qiu Yan or not, you'll know once you meet him," Qi Jiulian glanced at the rising star Wen Zhizhen, then at the many women who looked completely Divine Soul, his face full of mockery. "No matter how much you talk about him, it's all just talk before you meet him. You'll only realize how capable people can be once you meet them."

"Qiu Yan is so powerful, how does he compare to Bai Zhaoyuan?" Pang Qianru smiled slightly, intending to tease her, but the next moment, her expression suddenly changed, her flesh and blood trembled, and Blood Qi surged in her eyes. Sensing something, she turned her head to look out the window.

At the same time, Qi Jiulian, Song Qian, Ji Zheng, and several other scholars also seemed to sense something and looked out the window.

Following closely behind, the heads of the academies, who were seated at the head of the table, also changed their expressions slightly and turned their gazes to the window.

Wen Zhizhen paused for a moment while reciting poetry, then continued, but turned her gaze to the window.

Outside the window, streetlights illuminate the night sky.

The banks of the river were brightly lit, and literary gatherings and riddle-solving contests continued, inspiring a wealth of Literary Thought.

Literary Thought originates from Human Path and is not suppressed by Dragon Qi, but it is difficult for ordinary people to see. One must have a certain level of cultivation or a clear and insightful Literary Heart. When the time comes, one will have a feeling and will be able to see the truth.

At this very moment, the Literary Fortune Prosperity Capital was surging, like boiling water in a pool, faintly threatening to rise into the sky. But suddenly, the sky rippled, and a steed galloped in from the depths of the night sky.

Where the heart leads, the will follows.

Mind Horse soars high!

The surging Literary Thought began to shift and change, drawn by the horse's hooves, transforming layer by layer, blossoming with a touch of elegance, then drifting towards the Mind Horse, converging into individual Mystic Hair, accompanying the horse as it charged toward the center of the Imperial City!

The momentum is growing!

"Someone has inherited the Mind Horse!"

Throughout the city, many people felt something, expressed their feelings, and speculated about what was going on.

"The embodiment of the Mind Horse' originates from the Scholar Forest. Among those who participated in the Apricot Altar Dao Discourse and whose Soul Entry into the Scholar Forest, Bai Zhaoyuan was one of the best. His physical body was in Prosperity Capital, so it is not surprising that he has returned with the Mind Horse'!"

"Does Mind Horse intend to storm the Imperial City?"

"If Bai Zhaoyuan was riding this horse, then it makes sense. This man is a learned man who has begun to concern himself with people's livelihood. Taking advantage of his return from the Scholar Forest, he rode the lantern Literary Thought and drove his Mind Horse to storm the Imperial City, shake the Dragon Qi, and investigate further. This is not surprising!"

Shock!

The ground trembled slightly, the city shook, and an ancient thought, spanning the past and present, converged to intercept Mind Horse.

This idea is vague and has no concrete self, like grains of sand gathered together!

"It's the collective will of Xingjing Imperial City!"

Those who knew the city's secrets were all inwardly shocked.

Call!

The thought became a wind, binding the massive body of the Mind Horse and hindering its progress.

From within the horse's body, the figure of a man in white gradually became clear—who else could it be but Bai Zhaoyuan!

"Bai Zhaoyuan!"

In the attic, Qi Jiulian uttered the name, then smiled bitterly, "Only he could stir up such turmoil. He truly deserves the title of the number one Literary Dao among the younger generation! There's no suspense in this Imperial Examinations."

"Yes." Looking at the figure sitting cross-legged in the Mind Horse, Pang Qianru gasped. The color of her Qi and Blood intensified, and her body was filled with energy. If it hadn't been suppressed, the Blood-Qi Beacon Smoke would have soared into the sky!

In the center of the attic, Wen Zhizhen, who had just composed a poem, stood among the crowd, receiving praise and maintaining a smile on her face, but her eyes were fixed on the window, with a hint of eagerness in her eyes.

"Bai Zhaoyuan, if I hadn't come to this Metropolitan Examination, you would have been lonely, wouldn't you? Only the Literary Dao contest between the two of us can ensure that this Imperial Examinations be recorded in history!"

"This Bai Zhaoyuan..."

The academy masters seated at the head of the table also spoke in hushed tones, expressing their admiration for Bai Zhaoyuan's Qi Soul.

However, before they could finish speaking, the ground beneath their feet shook again!

Then, a roar that could only be heard by a select group of people rose into the sky!

"Um?"

The heads of the academies were stunned for a moment. Wen Zhizhen's smile suddenly froze on her face, while Qi Jiulian and Pang Qianru, due to their lack of Qi Nurturing, let out a soft cry.

At the edge of everyone's sight, in the night sky, a ferocious and savage ape manifested, faintly resonating with Mind Horse.

"The Heart Ape! First the Mind Horse, then the Heart Ape, could it be that Bai Zhaoyuan subdued them all?"

"No, this aura of the Heart Ape is completely different from that of the Mind Horse; it's not the thought of a single person!"

"If it wasn't Bai Zhaoyuan, then who could it be?"

The heads of the various academies couldn't help but start talking.

"The appearance of the Mind Horse' has drawn the Heart Ape' (a metaphor for a restless mind), and this person is also in Prosperity Capital. I wonder what their identity is."

Amidst the discussions, a figure of light and shadow also appeared within the Heart Ape, but it was an unfamiliar scholar whom none of the academy masters recognized.

At the same time, Qi Jiulian, Pang Qianru, Song Qian, Ji Zheng, and Ji Zheng Wen Zhizhen widened their eyes.

"This person..."

"Qiu Yan!"

Qi Jiulian and Song Qian exclaimed in low voices, which Pang Qianru heard.

"He's Qiu Yan!?" The latter looked surprised.

"Sister, have you met Qiu Yan?" Song Qian sensed something amiss in those words.

"Not bad..." Before Pang Qianru could recover from her surprise, a scene flashed through her memory. She had learned her family's Cultivation Method, which gave her abundant Qi and Blood, and her memory far surpassed that of others. Even if she only glanced at something unintentionally, she could recall it clearly in a short time.

That day, while staying at the inn, Pang Qianru had seen Qiu Yan once before at the Book Hoard Inn. She hadn't paid much attention to him then, but she remembered his attire and appearance. Seeing the figure that appeared in her Heart Ape, fragments of memory surfaced, making her feel complicated.

The same feeling also arose in Wen Zhizhen's heart. He was intelligent from a young age and had a photographic memory. He also remembered Qiu Yan's appearance, but he did not take it to heart that day.

It was this unintentional underestimation that has now brought about such a shock!

However, before the two could calm their thoughts, a gigantic dragon claw suddenly emerged from the depths of the night sky, sweeping down and landing on Mind Horse and Heart Ape. The claw's power surged, and a fierce wind raged, crushing the two enormous creatures to pieces!

The two objects shattered, turning into wisps of consciousness that fell towards two different locations in the city. The scholar's figure within the Mind Horse and Heart Ape also vanished without a trace. This was merely a mirage-like mental image, not a physical entity.

"Dragon Qi Suppresses!"

Seeing this scene, those who felt a connection did not find it unfamiliar.

"Heart Ape and Mind Horse, Bai Zhaoyuan and Qiu Yan, one is a promising talent I have long admired, and the other is a rising star I have only recently noticed. Now it seems that they are indeed not ordinary people. This Apricot Altar Dao Discourse will be a tempering and baptism for them!"

Inside the Hanlin Academy, a man stood in the shadows, looked up, spoke softly, and then turned and went inside.

At the same time.

Outside the city, in the middle of the road, an old man wearing a loose robe and with his hair in a hemp braid was gazing up at the starry sky, watching the dragon claw gradually dissipate.

Suddenly, a voice came from behind --

"Venerable Hemp Robe, you shouldn't have come to Prosperity Capital." (To be continued. Please search for the novel for better and faster updates!)