The Apricot Altar held extraordinary significance for the Human Race. It was even recognized as the origin of the instructional sacred way, and only those who had advanced to Great Scholar were qualified to enter it for three days of quiet cultivation.
Even the unluckiest Great Scholar could hear a preserved recording of one of the seventy-two worthy disciples during those three days. Those with exceptional luck could hear the Tree Sage imitate Sage Kong's lectures. As for those legendary individuals blessed with truly immense fortune, they could hear Sage Kong's own lingering voice.
Throughout history, only four Confucian worthies had heard Sage Kong's lingering voice. The first three had all left behind immortal works and attained Saint Enfeoffment.
Generally speaking, only those who had heard Sage Kong's lingering voice could count as his true disciples. Though they could not compare with the seventy-two worthies, they could rank among his three thousand disciples.
Yi Zhishi was the fourth.
During the literary grandmaster contest that year, support for Yi Zhishi had not been particularly strong. The Human Race had always placed great importance on age and seniority, and Yi Zhishi was too young. Ahead of him stood many venerable elders of lofty virtue and prestige competing for the title of Literary Grandmaster, each far more formidable than he was.
Lei Konghe of the Lei Family, Zong Ganyu of the Zong Family, and Chen Mingding of the Jing Kingdom's Chen Family, for example, had all surpassed Yi Zhishi at the time.
By then, no one believed Yi Zhishi could receive the title of Literary Grandmaster. His youth had made him, but it had also become a disadvantage in the literary grandmaster contest.
Yet at the final stage of the literary grandmaster contest, the Kong Family stepped forward and announced that Yi Zhishi