The experts gathered at Tianxing Tower showed a pronounced regional pattern. At least among the nine at the very top before them, it was obvious: three from Hexi, three from Jinkou, one from Hedong, and one from Capital City.
Apart from Wang Zhen of Xishan, all of them could be said to hail from Zhili and Two Rivers.
Apparently, some of the top examination candidates from provinces such as South of the Yangtze disliked this sort of gathering, or had already entered the Capital ahead of time.
"You Hexi fellows are going to make quite a splash this time."
Dressed in white brocade, Jiang Yuntao looked every inch a graceful young gentleman, and his voice was full of feeling.
Zhili had plenty of representatives because its resources were different to begin with. Besides, they were the hosts and could simply drop by.
Although candidates from the Two Rivers provinces had stopped here along their journey before, this was the first time their numbers at Tianxing Tower's upper levels had matched Zhili's.
The top candidates from South of the Yangtze usually belonged to great clans and thought highly of themselves. They had their own little circles for both the civil and Martial Examinations. Yet Zhili, which had always dominated this circle at Tianxing Tower, had been outshone this time-
"Mm. We ought to take at least the top two places in the first class."
Yin Saide had no idea what modesty meant. He opened his mouth and laid claim to first and second place.
He could not beat Lin Hao now, so Lin Hao could take first and he could take second. Perfect.
As the saying went, literature had no first place, while martial arts had no second. That was because differences in martial prowess could indeed be settled in a