Wang Linchi didn’t end up waiting for the Imperial Guards’ investigation; instead, the imperial examination had already begun.
This is understandable, he thought. After all, Liu Yan was a secret guard with an unclear identity, and news of his disappearance would take ti to circulate. It’s possible the Imperial Guards haven’t even noticed Liu Yan’s absence, assuming he’s still on a mission.
However, the imperial examination was different. It operated on a fixed schedule; when the ti ca, it began, with no possibility of delay. Tardiness was the candidate’s problem, not the examination’s.
"The decor has improved quite a bit," Wang Linchi observed, looking at this examination space. It was much better than the one for the Pupil Level test.
"It’s a bit flashy, though," Wang Linchi remarked critically. "What’s the damn point of making it look so good? It’s all for show."
Though the decor and furnishings were pleasant, the examination still only provided a table, chair, paper, ink, brush, and inkstone. Nothing else of use had been added.
Looking again at the two essay prompts on the table, they were still like garbled text. Fortunately, Wang Linchi was used to it. He was just going through the motions anyway, relying entirely on plagiarism and brute force coercion; talent was irrelevant, only might made right.
I hope it holds up a bit longer this ti, Wang Linchi mused.
In truth, what Wang Linchi really wanted was to cart the entire imperial examination computer system away, turning this public bus into his private vehicle. Then he could use it however he pleased.
However, while the idea was grand, the reality was he couldn’t move it. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have left them so much as a speck of dust.
Moreover, he suspected that after his ddling, the imperial examination computer system might have suffered irreversible damage—basically been wrecked by him.
It’s unclear if it could even be repaired if I took it back, he considered. Better to be a bit rougher with it while I’m using it now, and let soone else deal with the fallout later.
The grand undertaking of plagiarism began once more. This ti, the system held out much longer than the previous two attempts, yet it still didn’t last for very long before starting to buckle under the strain.
Wang Linchi was still employing brute force, but the difference this ti was that he was also tampering with the results, ensuring he beca the Top Scorer—first place—in this county examination.
This first place was actually quite limited, being only the top position in Zhenhai City. The examinations were divided by area; with the Dajing State’s vastness and nurous cities, Scholar rankings were city-based, while Lifted Person rankings were county-based. Tribute Official selections were state-based, and Jinshi, naturally, were selected from the entire Dajing State.
As he was altering the scores, Wang Linchi saw a large piece of plaster fall from the wall, evidently a consequence of his excessive actions.
The reason Wang Linchi aid for Top Scorer was naturally because of the rewards for first place, which could further advance his Spirit Bones, Spirit Veins, and Spirit Law. The forr two increased aptitude, while the latter enhanced power.
Even though his Spirit Law hadn’t yet manifested any effects from such enhancents, Wang Linchi could intercept the empowering essence from the reward, analyze it, and then apply it for a unified strengthening later on.
Good thing this is the Scholar-level system, Wang Linchi thought. If it were still the Pupil Level one, I doubt it could have withstood this much abuse from .
Watching the tir hit zero, he had successfully passed the assessnt and, through special ans, secured the outstanding achievent of Top Scorer.
Upon leaving the examination space, the Spirit Masters present were all silent.
Many Spirit Masters knew of Wang Linchi, this peculiar individual, yet they simply couldn’t accept it.
In their minds, Wang Linchi was a mud-legged commoner, one who hadn’t studied for long at that. How could he possibly pass the county examination? And what was even more ridiculous, how could he outscore all of them to beco the Top Scorer?
They knew Wang Linchi was the Top Scorer easily enough, because special effects accompanied his exit.
Wang Linchi, however, didn’t spare them a single glance. So many had participated in the county examination, yet only a handful passed; the vast majority failed.
"This is truly absurd! How can such a person attain the scholarly honor of a Scholar?" one of the failed candidates muttered to himself. He, from a distinguished background, hadn’t passed, yet a mud-legged commoner who had studied for who knew how long, had. It must be cheating!
However, he didn’t dare voice this thought aloud. They all knew it was impossible to cheat in the imperial examination. If cheating were possible, why would anyone bother attending these exams in the first place?
After departing, Wang Linchi began to sort through his gains. This ti, he had obtained four Spiritual Talents.
I’m starting to see the pattern, he realized. The higher the examination level, the fewer Spiritual Talents awarded.
Following this pattern, becoming a Lifted Person would likely yield three, a Tribute Official two, and a top-tier Jinshi only one.
The Six Arts, the Five Virtues, the Four Refrains...
[Do Not Act Rashly: When attacked, concurrently inflict physical damage on the attacker.]
[Do Not Speak Idly: When attacked, concurrently inflict energy damage on the attacker.]
[Do Not Seek Unjustly: When attacked, concurrently inflict a negative status effect on the attacker.]
[Do Not Act in Vain: When attacked, inflict reflective damage on the attacker.]
After reading through them, Wang Linchi really wanted to complain that the effects had absolutely no connection to their nas. The first three involved concurrent damage, and the last one was direct reflective damage.
So, if an enemy attacks , they’ll suffer concurrent damage and also take reflective damage, he analyzed.
However, there were restrictions. These effects, whether inflicting concurrent damage or reflective damage, still required Wenqi. This ant their intensity depended on Wang Linchi’s own strength; the stronger he was, the higher the damage.
The good news was that the Thought Field, Heart Light Shield, and Soul Shield could also trigger these effects. As he organized his abilities, he had integrated his Soul Kind, Soul Seed Page, and other derivatives into a single whole, with Wenqi also becoming a part of it. Therefore, an opponent didn’t need to attack Wang Linchi directly; attacking his protective layers would be enough to trigger the effects.
anwhile, Wenqi was further refined, now possessing an enhancent effect for corresponding energies. In other words, if Wang Linchi circulated his Wenqi, he could further boost his Physique, Spirit, Soul, and other comprehensive qualities.
But a conflict arose: Wang Linchi’s spiritual power was too imnse, and his Wenqi too ager. This reduced Wenqi to an insignificant factor, unable to further enhance him.
Wang Linchi’s plan was for his spiritual power to take a secondary role. Growing too quickly can lead to imbalance, he reasoned, whereas Wenqi, with its many special effects, offers more potential for comprehensive developnt.
Unfortunately, Wenqi hadn’t been perfected yet. Using it at this stage would be too costly, Wang Linchi concluded. Thus, he could only shelve the idea for now, intending to develop and utilize Wenqi further once it was complete.
As for the reward for Top Scorer... Wang Linchi eyed a mass of substance confined within his Thought Field. It sowhat resembled the innate material he had once used to increase his Potential positions. However, this particular innate material had limitations.
It can only be used to enhance Spirit Bones, Spirit Veins, and Spiritual Talents, he noted, and the quantity is rather small.
This was just the reward for being Top Scorer (Anshou). Subsequent titles like Jieyuan (top scorer in provincial exam), Huiyuan (top scorer in tropolitan exam), and Number One Scholar (Zhuangyuan, top scorer in palace exam) also had rewards, and they were even more generous. Not only could they enhance Spirit Bones, Spirit Veins, and Spirit Law, but they could also strengthen Spiritual Talents, including Innate Talents. If one achieved the "Triple Crown" (Lianzhong Sanyuan) by consecutively winning first place in these major examinations, they could trigger the highest reward.
As for what that ultimate reward was, Wang Linchi didn’t know. The number of Spirit Masters who managed to obtain the titles of Top Scorer (Anshou), Jieyuan, Huiyuan, and Number One Scholar (Zhuangyuan) was exceedingly small. In all the years of the Dajing Dynasty’s existence, there had only been two such individuals.
Naturally, those two wouldn’t publicize such a secret. Even if word did get out, those privy to such information wouldn’t go around blabbing carelessly.
And those two individuals had indeed left an indelible mark on the Dajing State, elevating it to new heights.
Ti to pack up and head to the County Governnt, Wang Linchi decided. He planned to first go to the local governnt office to update his household registration, then return ho, pack his belongings, and head to the County Governnt of Baishan County to register for the provincial examination and strive for the scholarly honor of a Lifted Person.
As for his house in Zhenhai City, he would sell it directly. He had no great desire to continue living there.
In fact, he had realized that the Great Families of Zhenhai City could no longer tolerate his presence.
His smooth success in the Spirit Master examination, culminating in achieving Top Scorer, coupled with his rejection of their recruitnt offers, had pushed their vigilance towards him to its peak.
If Wang Linchi had married into a Great Family, they might have rely suppressed him at most.
But Wang Linchi had not only refrained from joining any Great Family, he had also risen as a commoner, a "mud-legs." This directly threatened the status of the established local Great Families.
None of them wanted to see the ergence of a new Mud-legged Aristocratic Family; that would an a division of their interests.
If Wang Linchi were to attempt to take root in Zhenhai City while also pursuing the Lifted Person scholarly honor, he would likely face underhanded tactics such as assassination or poisoning.
His selling the house and heading to the County Governnt signaled he didn’t plan to return. Consequently, the Great Families wouldn’t pursue him relentlessly. As long as he wasn’t vying for their slice of the pie in Zhenhai City, they had no reason to take dangerous risks against him.
Wang Linchi wasn’t afraid of these Great Families either. A re low-level martial world, can they even compare to my Combat Armor?
However, provoking a conflict was largely unnecessary. So, after he had ostensibly left, he quietly snuck back at night to plunder the wealth of the Great Families and the governnt office.
Since they hadn’t offered him a parting gift, Wang Linchi decided to take one himself. He wouldn’t have to worry about arousing their suspicion either; after all, he had already "left," so naturally, he couldn’t be responsible for such misdeeds.
Perhaps it will even lead to a dog-eat-dog situation among them later, he mused. The thought alone is rather amusing.
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