A Thought Becomes a Dragon!
The changed scene reached Qiu Yan's heart, stirring his Divine Soul and constructing various fragments within it, causing his Heart Fire to burn rapidly!
Thoughts arose in his mind, evolving into clear ideas—
"If the soldiers remain the same, but the equipment is upgraded, the army's combat power will also be improved. However, the battlefield is ever-changing, and many factors can determine the outcome. Weapons are only one of them. In addition, there are many other factors, and the key point is the decision-making in battle."
"However, when facing the enemy, there are too many variables. Whether a battle can be won depends on the sum of the constants and the variables. The more constants there are, the fewer variables there are."
"Preparing one's weapons before war, ensuring food supplies during war, and preventing national chaos after war are all predetermined outcomes. Doing one's best in what one can control increases the chances of victory and reduces the risk of making decisions on the spot. This is the principle of 'man proposes, God disposes,' but one cannot do nothing and then blame it all on fate."
"Furthermore, this wealth and equipment are not for immediate needs. They can be distributed to the people, benefiting both the military and civilians. The wealthier the people, the stronger the nation becomes, which in turn makes the weapons sharper, the army stronger, and the army more capable of protecting the peace and well-being of the people."
As he wrote, Qiu Yan took a deep breath. The image of the Dragon Qi projected into his mind, merging with his own will, and a bright yellow hue appeared!
Dragon Qi!
However, this Dragon Qi was not directed at Qiu Yan, but rather stemmed from the many thoughts that arose in his mind, thoughts that arose from the Palace Examination, which in Palace Examination originated from the emperor.
The emperor is the manifestation of Dragon Qi. Qiu Yan connects with the City Will through his consciousness, and then uses the City Will to contact the Dragon Qi, aligning it with the Palace Examination paper. Only in this way can this bit of Dragon Qi remain in his soul.
However, as the article drew to a close, the Dragon Qi began to fade.
With a flicker of Heart Fire, Qiu Yan had a vague premonition. He knew that this article written near the True Dragon had finally attracted the Dragon Qi, giving him the opportunity to take the next step.
However, once this step is taken, the consequences are truly unpredictable.
"What mysteries does the Dragon Qi, representing the will of all living beings in a nation, hold? This article of mine is merely an introduction, introducing a certain concept. Though I haven't elaborated on it, I wonder how Human Path in this world will respond. There have been instances of introducing concepts from previous lives before, but those were limited to one person and one place. Now, however, the examination papers written for the imperial Palace Examination are directly shown to the emperor. If they can influence his mind, they will slowly radiate throughout the world. This is no small matter. Can this world tolerate it?"
With this thought in mind, Qiu Yan made up his mind. He moved his wrist again and wrote the last sentence on the exam paper.
This statement also encapsulates Qiu Yan's life. Imperial Examinations the end of his journey through the imperial examinations, a testament to both success and failure.
"War is a matter of great importance to the state, not just a matter for a single soldier, army, battle, or region. It requires the full strength of the nation, encompassing the entire country and its vast territory, to contend with the enemy, and is not limited to mere warfare!"
Boom!
Outside the palace, lightning flashed in the Void!
Beat!
The invisible chains of Karma around Qiu Yan began to vibrate. The Ambition Karma changed rapidly, showing signs of collapse!
Spin!
Within the Divine Soul, the Dragon Qi was about to recede, but it was surrounded by ten Divine Sense. Then, from the Divine Sense, streams of Sage Spirit bloomed, resonating with the Dragon Qi!
With a surge of Dragon Qi, it began to absorb spiritual energy, much like a whale sucking in water. In an instant, it seemed poised to devour the Sage Spirit!
Instantly, Qiu Yan's face turned pale, and he felt his mind and energy rapidly decline. He felt completely exhausted and mentally drained, and his Divine Soul slumped down.
At the same time, the two virtual Seven Souls formed from the medicinal power suddenly spun around and then flew straight into the Divine Soul, falling into the Heart Fire.
Call!
The Heart Fire surged, and he flipped in mid-air!
The Heart Fire transforms! A single soul is forged, the Divine Soul become like blood, and Yang Qi overflows and dissipates from the Heart Fire.
Instantly, his depleted thoughts were replenished, nourishing his Sage Spirit, but they were also continuously drained away by the Dragon Qi.
After absorbing the Sage Spirit, the Dragon Qi had expanded to at least three times its original size and showed no signs of stopping. However, as its size increased, its tendency to break free became stronger, and it seemed that the Sage Spirit alone could no longer hold it back!
"If we let this Dragon Qi go now, it will not only be a waste of effort and Sage Spirit. It would be like losing both the wife and the army!"
The thought flashed through Qiu Yan's mind, and the False Core in his lower abdomen suddenly rose, with the three soul shadows surrounding False Core merging into it.
These three soul shadows were formed by combining the seeds of everyone's thoughts, and they had the appearance of Three Souls. Once they were integrated into it, the Qi and Blood in the False Core immediately boiled and became perfectly round and translucent!
Then, the False Core flew over the Dragon Qi and pressed down, attempting to suppress it. But what kind of existence was the Dragon Qi? Could it be suppressed by an Inner Core's inner core? It immediately unleashed its power and resisted with the appearance of Human Path.
However, the False Core also revealed a Human Path aura, and under immense pressure, the Qi and Blood and Simulated Three Souls within the core spun rapidly and slowly merged into one!
The change in the Dragon Qi caused a response from the soul, but on the surface, Qiu Yan remained calm. After writing the last sentence, he put down his pen, picked up the exam paper, and flicked it lightly.
Beside him, Li Kun was surprised and wanted to ask, but as the Human Emperor, he had to maintain his composure. Besides, the time and place were not right. In addition, he Qi Manifestation, and even a slight change in the Dragon Qi caused a change in his heart. In a daze, he took a step forward.
However, Li Kun lingered at Qiu Yan's table for too long, which inevitably led others to have the wrong thoughts. This was also because what Qiu Yan said was too unexpected, causing Li Kun to forget everything else in his surprise.
After taking a few steps, Li Kun's State of Mind cleared, and he began to ponder, "Judging from Qiu Yan's words on military matters, he is no less capable than several generals. I need to consider further how to arrange his affairs."
Emperors are also human, and having grown up in the inner palace, they have little contact with the outside world. Their judgment of people is often based on the other person's words and actions. This is why many people can gain the emperor's great praise and be entrusted with important responsibilities after only a few meetings.
In this respect, those who are good at theoretical discussions have more advantages than those who are good at fighting but not at communication.
Although Li Kun had some doubts about Qiu Yan because of the matter of Divine Ability, he also had the idea of valuing talent because of Literary Staining of Examination Papers. In addition, the information he obtained also mentioned that Qiu Yan had not entered the Daoist Daoist Sect. The reason why he was cultivating Daoism was probably due to an accident three years ago, which was fortuitous opportunity and did not cross Li Kun's bottom line.
Moreover, compared to the officials of the court, Qiu Yan's article did not involve specific military reforms, but it subtly pointed out the direction, making some of Li Kun's ideas clearer. It was undoubtedly a timely help, which made Li Kun even more fond of it.
"Unfortunately, even if he gets a good ranking, the final stage of cultivation involves the Dynastic Fortune. Qiu Yan can forget about the position of prime minister unless he has great determination and perseverance..."
With this in mind, Li Kun looked at the exam papers along the way again.
In terms of word choice, sentence structure, and the accumulation of literary embellishments, these exam papers are far superior to Qiu Yan's. Qiu Yan's article not only predicted the battle situation and analyzed the advantages and disadvantages, but also extended his thoughts and finally put forward a rather tempting proposition. The content was quite concise. If it were embellished with many beautiful sentences, it would inevitably be a long essay, and he would probably have to write until Luo Shan.
In fact, Li Kun disliked ornate language when reading memorials. Instead, he preferred concise and refined language. This was because he had to read a large number of memorials every day, and he deeply detested those that talked for a long time without getting to the point.
In contrast, the other candidates' essays, at a glance, reveal little substantive content and a biased understanding of frontier warfare and military systems.
This is the normal phenomenon. Candidates study hard and have idealism in their hearts. They think about things based on their own understanding. Other Palace Examination questions in previous years also had similar problems. When the examiners graded the papers, they also selected the better ones and gave them higher rankings.
However, after reading Qiu Yan's article, Li Kun was quite dissatisfied with the articles written by others, and kept shaking his head.
"Although Qiu Yan has cultivated Divine Ability, he is still capable of eliciting extraordinary phenomena through his writings, enough to earn him a place in history. He is destined to be extraordinary. I want to choose someone else as the top scholar, at least someone who can't be too bad. But among the candidates on this list, isn't there even one who can come close to him?"
As he pondered, Li Kun also read the works of Gao Jing, Ye Yun, Yang Yan, and others, and his complexion improved slightly.
"Knowing yourself and your enemy, making decisive decisions, taking the enemy by surprise, launching a sudden attack, and being alert in the face of danger—these three viewpoints, while having their shortcomings, still demonstrate some insight."
If Li Kun hadn't read Qiu Yan's essay beforehand, he might have greatly admired the three students' work. However, while their writing was excellent, the potential drawbacks had already been mentioned in Qiu Yan's paper, naturally making Li Kun more reserved in his opinion. Nevertheless, compared to other candidates, these three were still quite remarkable.
Walking and stopping, Li Kun stopped next to Qiao Qing, Di Ai and others to look at them, but he was not as focused as when he looked at Qiu Yan's exam paper.
Several high-ranking officials noticed this detail and understood its implications.
"Fortunately, Qiu Yan possesses Divine Ability, and this time, no strange phenomena were caused Palace Examination, otherwise it would have been really difficult to handle." Zhang Lian breathed a sigh of relief. When he looked at Qiu Yan again, he noticed that the man was sitting behind the table with his eyes wandering, as if he was daydreaming. He couldn't help but shake his head again.
Time flies, and the Palace Examination soon came to an end. Just after noon, most people had already handed in their papers, and Li Kun had long since returned home. The chief ministers did not linger either. As for the Grand Ceremony of Proclaiming Results, it would not begin for at least two days.
After leaving the Hall of Gathered Excellence, Ye Yun, beaming, muttered, "I am truly blessed with good fortune to have encountered such a test. You must know that these past few days, I have been leading troops in my dreams every night, and reading some military books during the day. Today, I can deliver a speech on military strategy in one go."
For the past half month, Ye Yun has been in the Military World in his dreams, leading troops into battle, hence this saying.
ps:
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