Lv Ji was visibly excited as he spread open the book in his hand on the stone table.
Then he began to speak to Chen Xu incessantly:
"Three days ago, on the major road leading from Xuanji City to the Jade Capital Celestial City, a divine turtle swam past the Silver River Crossing.
According to the legend, the divine turtle was as enormous as a thousand-person tall ship, being a hundred zhang long, and from a distance, it looked like a mountain island crossing the river.
The divine turtle appeared, and the people on both sides of the river were stunned, imdiately bowing down in reverence.
At that ti, the wind was strong at the crossing, and sohow an official ship carrying tribute collided with a deep and bottomless whirlpool, on the verge of being swallowed by the vast Míngchuān.
Just then, the divine turtle exhaled a cloud of energy, calming the waves and causing the whirlpool to disappear.
Along with it, dozens of large ships caught in the storm benefited from this and were unhard.
The divine turtle was so spiritual that the people cheered even more.
Then the divine turtle looked up and let out a long chant, during which a scroll reaching the heavens appeared on its back."
Lv Ji gestured animatedly, speaking vividly as if he had witnessed it himself.
He deliberately teased, "Brother Chen, guess what was revealed in that scroll?"
Chen Xu had actually already guessed—what Lv Ji set out on the table must be recorded in this small booklet.
According to him, it was sothing that gathered the talents of the world.
But Chen Xu didn’t speak directly; he rely shook his head and waited quietly for Lv Ji’s next words.
Sure enough, Lv Ji didn’t need Chen Xu’s answer, as he excitedly continued:
"Brother Chen, this scroll is titled the ’Great Li’s Splendor Record,’ which only includes the true prodigies and geniuses of the world.
The Great Li’s Splendor Record is divided into the Celestial List, Earth List, and Profound List.
I’ve studied its patterns—it only gathers prodigies under the age of thirty.
Look, the first on the Celestial List is Xie Mingyi, Master Li Yanqing’s last disciple, who at age thirteen topped the academy exam, and on the day of becoming a scholar, he absorbed Literary Qi, independently opening the Sea of Literature.
At age twenty, he wrote the ’Spring and Autumn Righteous Qi,’ which drew the Literary Star on the day of completion.
This caused the Ta’e Sword, hidden in the Ziwei Academy for a long ti, to fly out on its own, landing in Xie Mingyi’s hand.
When Xie Mingyi drew the sword, the sword’s energy imdiately extended three hundred li, directly slaying the Thousand-legged Demon Monarch, then rampant in the Youmang Mountain region with one strike.
The Ta’e Sword erges, the literary vein for a thousand years.
Everyone says that Xie Mingyi is undoubtedly the first to achieve greatness among the younger generation, truly deserving of being first on the Celestial List!"
Lv Ji spoke fluently and eloquently.
He was filled with passionate enthusiasm, eager to pour everything out without needing any response from Chen Xu, and pointed to the second on the Celestial List:
"Zhaixingzi, the current senior sister of Qingxu Daoist Palace, excels in deducing the heavenly machine.
She once sensed the River Map and Luo Book and created the Seven-Star Algorithm. She predicted a great upheaval in Bei Rong, enabling our army to strategically set up in advance, causing the Bei Rong’s main force, the Canglang Heavy Cavalry, to suffer heavy losses and be defeated in one battle!
Regrettably, this prodigious woman suffered significant backlash from it, leaving her blind, with her sight yet to recover."
Lv Ji sighed at this point.
Chen Xu now saw the frightening aspect of this ’Great Li’s Splendor Record.’
On the surface, it seed to help the world’s heroes make a na for themselves—
For many scholars, reputation indeed matters greatly.
In fact, in so respects, the stronger the reputation, the stronger the Literary Qi.
With equal knowledge, the one with a higher reputation can speak with even more authority.
Of course, nothing is absolute in the world.
No need for elaboration, but to Chen Xu at that mont, beyond fa, ’Great Li’s Splendor Record’ could expose certain weaknesses of those listed, directly to the world.
For example, Xie Mingyi, first on the Celestial List, though not revealing apparent weaknesses, has his strengths and origins clearly recorded.
How is this different from being exposed naked in the snow?
No, there is a difference.
Upon thinking carefully, Chen Xu realized that gaining a worldwide reputation is a double-edged sword.
To be revered by the world and gain supre prestige, one must pay a price.
Those few costs seem trivial compared to the trendous benefits.
Observing the ’Great Li’s Splendor Record,’ Chen Xu also felt as if he was witnessing the world.
Lv Ji brought him quite a surprise, as such top prodigies and geniuses of the world were completely unheard of before he ca to Yunjiang Prefecture.
Jichuan County was too small, a remote place.
There were things even the county school masters did not know, and so they knew but would not casually tell the students.
Recently, through his interaction with Feng Yuanbai, Chen Xu had heard much about the brilliance of the talents in the Jade Capital Celestial City.
But Feng Yuanbai’s accounts were vague, unlike the detailed thoroughness of this ’Great Li’s Splendor Record.’
The Celestial List contained three people, the third not in the Jade Capital Celestial City but at the southwestern border of Great Li, in Dragon-locking Gorge!
Lv Ji lanted, "Pei Jingque, a rare champion scholar from a humble family, yet bold enough to write the ’Scolding the Divine Monarch.’
Now, only exiled to Dragon-locking Gorge, it shows the benevolence of the emperor."
At that, he hastily cupped his hands towards the direction of the Jade Capital Celestial City to show respect for imperial power.
’Scolding the Divine Monarch’, Chen Xu had also heard of this work.
It indeed could be considered a magnificent and stylistically brilliant composition.
More importantly, this work criticized the maladies of the ti with great intensity, scolding the Great Li Dynasty from top to bottom!
To critique to this extent and still live well at the border is indeed extraordinary bravery.
Worthy of being on the Celestial List.
Lv Ji turned the book, and after the three on the Celestial List, the Earth List appeared.
The Earth List had thirty-six people, led by the Painting Saint’s successor Su Qingchou, whose painting ’Jiangshan Rainy Mountain’ once trapped and killed tens of thousands of demon soldiers at the Tribulation Abyss.
The reason Su Qingchou isn’t on the Celestial List is that to make his paintings divine, they must be accompanied by his vital essence.
One ’Jiangshan Rainy Mountain’ harms others and himself.
Reportedly, after this battle, Su Qingchou’s cultivation was severely damaged, and he has since retreated to the Ziwei Academy to recover, with power hard to restore.
Regarding the Tribulation Abyss, Chen Xu had heard about it several tis.
He once asked Feng Yuanbai what the Tribulation Abyss was, but Feng Yuanbai only said, "Until you beco a scholar, there’s no need to know specifics. Knowing too much doesn’t benefit you.
Just consider it one of our imperial dynasty’s six major borders."
Thus, Chen Xu understood the world was never truly peaceful.
The apparently peaceful Yunjiang Prefecture was rely a corner of tranquility.
The Great Li Dynasty’s vast territory indeed far exceeded the Huaxia he knew in his previous life.
No wonder Mr. Zhou would say in the past that the world is so vast you might never fully understand it in a lifeti.
Through this ’Great Li’s Splendor Record,’ Chen Xu gradually felt a strange foreboding of stormy weather approaching.
He began to feel a more tangible sense of urgency, as Lv Ji continued to turn the pages of the book.
He briefly skimd through the thirty-six people on the Earth List and finally turned to the Profound List.
The Profound List had seventy-two people.
On page thirty-one, Chen Xu’s na suddenly appeared!
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