When the dean saw that the person arriving was Li Heng, he understood something and quickly stood up, changing his shoes. Soon, he arrived at the palace.
It was already afternoon and the sun was already gradually moving westward. The Great Liang emperor sat on the doorstep outside the Empress' chamber, while a group of imperial physicians were kneeling there.
The palace attendants in the distance dared not look over here and could only keep their heads lowered in silence.
The dean walked over from afar and Li Heng stopped his footsteps even further away, standing there quietly without approaching any closer.
The Great Liang emperor waved his hand and the group of imperial physicians quickly expressed their gratitude and left.
The dean came over and casually sat beside the Great Liang emperor.
The dean of the academy and the Emperor were close friends. They often did not adhere to the etiquette between ruler and subject; they were friends at present.
"We still want to ask one more time, is there really no way?"
The Great Liang emperor looked at the dean and said, "If there's a way, We will do anything."
The dean looked at him and asked, "If the Infatuation Daoist Temple has the medicine, will Your Majesty go on your knees and beg?"
"We won't."
The Great Liang emperor shook his head and said softly, "If that's the case, We will personally go and get it."
The dean smiled and said, "I heard that Your Majesty regrets fighting the war."
The Great Liang emperor was silent. He naturally had some regrets.
The Dean said softly, "Let go of the things you've done and don't dwell on them anymore, Your Majesty."
The Great Liang emperor looked at the Dean and said softly, "Perhaps We are just unwilling. Nation Teacher left Us back then, and now, she's leaving too. There are hardly any people left by Our side."
The dean looked at his old friend and sighed before slowly saying, "After death, the soul must endure three calamities and six tribulations. If it's not resilient enough, it might not even have a next life. Even if there's a next life, all memories of the past life will be completely forgotten. Therefore, being together in this lifetime is a great fortune. Your Majesty has cherished it. Now, it's time to let go."
The Great Liang emperor glanced at the dean and said, "In the 11th year of Tianjian, there were rumors in Ying Prefecture about an immortal descending to the mortal realm. We sent people to search for them. Since it was an immortal, there's naturally eternal life and immortal medicines too. But it was all just a fantasy. We gained nothing."
The dean said, "Reaching Nepenthe Realm can be hailed as reaching the end of cultivation. Even if there are higher cultivation realms, it presumably only offers more lifespan. The idea of eternal life is truly illusory."
The Great Liang emperor said, "We know. We just can't bear to part, can't bear to part."
The dean said softly, "One day, we'll all have to leave."
"But, We still can't bear it."
The Great Liang emperor said with a slight smile, "Really can't bear it."
……
……
With this year's reform of the martial exam, cultivators no longer need to draw lots and compete against each other in separate groups, competing round after round. Instead, everyone would enter a microcosm together, and the competition was based on the number of demons they killed. The competition had become more straightforward, but for the cultivators, it had become even more challenging.
In the past, they only needed to defeat their opponents,
Now that it became battling against demons, each fight would be a life-and-death battle. Although they could leave by breaking the bamboo token, competition was different from life-and-death showdowns. How could it be so simple?
The prominent figures arrived by the lake.
Wei Xu, this scholar who had disappeared ever since hosting the start of the Myriad Willow Convention, arrived too.
Wei Xu glanced at one of the big shots by the lakeside. It was the Chief Enforcer daoist of the Heavenly Water Daoist Temple. He was responsible for overseeing the microcosm.
The reform of the martial exam had long been discussed among the important figures, and the preparations in the early stages were actually very thorough.
The Chief Enforcer daoist handed over the courtyard-like object in his hand to Wei Xu and calmly said, "Mr. Wei, most of the demons inside were found within the borders of Great Liang's borders, but there is also a small number captured from the Northern Frontier. Some of these demons are even mutated variants. Although their highest cultivation realm is only Bitter Sea Realm, dealing with them is definitely not easy."
Wei Xu nodded and said, "If there are no issues with the bamboo tokens, there shouldn't be any major problems."
The Chief Enforcer daoist did not say anything. He just smiled faintly.
In the distance, someone hung an incredibly huge list on the mountain wall. It was densely packed with countless names. Those names were currently arranged randomly. Once the actual martial exam began, the names on the list would change, and the rankings would depend on the number of demons killed as well as the cultivation realm of those demons.
They had already planted mystic arts on those demons in advance, and combined with the mystic arts on the bamboo tokens, the cultivators did not need to worry about anything. As long as they personally killed the demons, their achievements would be recorded.
The cultivators looked at the huge list and were naturally filled with excitement. Although the martial exam had attracted many people in previous years, it naturally paled greatly in comparison to this year.
Their only regret was that they could not witness the martial exam firsthand this time. They could only judge who was leading in the microcosm through the changes in the rankings on the list.
However, some cultivators looked up and noticed a huge mirror in front of the big shots on the pavilion. It was called the Heavenly Light Mirror, an exceedingly famous magic artifact in the cultivation world. By connecting it with the magic artifact they placed in the microcosm, they could see the scenes inside.
Since it was a martial exam, the prominent figures naturally wanted to see which young cultivators performed well here.
Wei Xu stood by the lake, watching the young cultivators who had come here. Then, he opened his hand up and threw that microcosm out.
Then, there was someone who distributed bamboo tokens by the lakeside. The cultivators who received the bamboo token walked toward the lake and entered the microcosm.
The martial exam lasted only ten days. They needed to kill enough demons within that time and strive for the best ranking.
So naturally, many people did not want to waste time and entered directly without much thought.
The cultivators with the bamboo tokens quickly entered the microcosm.
Soon, only one bamboo token was left in the bamboo basket by the lake, and it had two words written on it: Chen Chao.
Chen Chao arrived the latest.
Countless cultivators were watching him this time as well, but he did not pay much attention. Dressed in black, he slowly walked in front of the bamboo basket by the lakeside. Reaching out to pick up his own bamboo token, he casually tied it to his waist. Then, instead of immediately entering, he stood next to Wei Xu and opened his mouth to ask, "Mr. Wei, I won't die inside, will I?"
Wei Xu glanced at him and smiled, "Not entirely sure, it's possible."
Chen Chao sighed, "You know what I'm talking about."
Wei Xu nodded and said, "I know. It's not a big issue. Even if I wanted to argue with them, it would be difficult to make them understand too."
There was another unspoken sentence in his mind: Why should I argue for you?
Chen Chao frowned and asked, "Isn't this blatantly bullying me?"
"Little Junior Sister is already first place in the literary exam, which has made things a little troublesome. So, I can't help you with your matter."
Wei Xu was very calm.
Could not help, or did not want to help.
These were two different answers, but Chen Chao knew they were practically the same.
"Since they are just minor actions, they won't be too significant. With your abilities, you just have to be a little more careful. If you really can't accept it, you can withdraw now."
Be it the literary exam or the martial exam, withdrawal was always allowed.
However, even Zuo Qing who experienced humiliation by the lake did not withdraw because he could not stand the mockery. If Chen Chao were to withdraw now, he would also be subject to ridicule.
Chen Chao fell silent for a moment and said, "I really do feel like withdrawing."
Wei Xu did not say anything, he just quietly watched him.
Chen Chao stood by the lakeside, thinking about the bracelet on Xie Nandu's wrist and how Xie Nandu had emerged as the victor by the lake. Shaking his head, he said, "Some things cannot be changed, but it's not a big deal either. Since it has to be this way, then I'll slash through it with my saber step by step."
Wei Xu said, "Be careful, the problem isn't really that big."
Chen Chao did not say anything, he just walked towards the lake.
……
……
Further away, Xie Nandu and Zhu Xia were each holding a bag of honey dates, looking over here.
Zhu Xia asked, "Big Sister Xie, do you think he can really emerge as the victor?"
Xie Nandu ate a honey date and said, "Not entirely sure, but I think staying alive shouldn't be too much of a problem."
Zhu Xia, not quite understanding, pouted and asked, "What do you mean?"
She could not comprehend the intricacies involved and only thought about the cultivators joining hands to deal with Chen Chao.
Xie Nandu shook her head and said, "The problem isn't significant, there's not much to say."
Zhu Xia responded with an "oh" and suddenly laughed as she said, "Big Sister Xie, everyone has come here to watch the show today. If we go and buy some food, we definitely won't have to wait in line. After we buy and come back, there might be some changes here."
When talking about food, Zhu Xia's eyes lit up. She had already fallen for the Divine Capital, but her greatest love was naturally still the food here.
Xie Nandu thought about it and said with a nod, "That's fine with me."
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