The sunrise in Changan was breathtaking, its beauty mesmerizing.
As dawn set in, it was as if a stove had been lit on a cold winter night. A brilliant light dawned upon the world beneath, encapsulating Changan City with purple streaks in the sky.
Above the towering walls of Changan City, armored soldiers stood at the ready to defend the city. They had swords on their waists and stern expressions on their faces.
The rising sun painted the sky purple, dispelling the haze and stale air from the night before.
In the horizon.
A cluster of bright runes was soaring through the sky in the rain, above which sat the hunchbacked headmaster of Luojiang Academy in his grey robe. He was like a fairy soaring in the sky but his eyes were filled with contempt.
Beside him was the head examiner of Luojiang Examination Tower. His face was as pale as snow.
On the high buildings of Changan City, the sound of laughter burst out.
Following the laughter was a group of spell masters with fluttering robes. They stepped into the air and ascended as if there was an invisible flight of stairs. They floated in the sky above the wall.
"Cui Cheng, it's been years. I see you're still as idle and carefree as ever."
A spell master dressed in a loose robe commented while smiling and stroking his beard.
Cui Cheng's eyes shone as he said coldly, "Someone misused Asi Luoshan's soldier as an examiner for the practical assessment in Luojiang Examination Tower! Bullying the students in Luojiang Academy means picking on me!
"I demand to see the Emperor!
"Don't stand in my way!"
After hearing that, the expressions of the spell masters blocking his way changed abruptly.
The incident was becoming a big deal!
The spell masters were not idiots. After recalling the topic that was fiercely debated in the congress, they knew Cui Cheng was not a man they should hinder. Standing in his way would only bring trouble upon themselves.
"We'll allow you to enter the city but bear in mind, there is an ironclad rule against seeking an audience with the Emperor without a formal request."
The spell masters warned.
Having said that, they allowed Headmaster Cui to enter Changan.
In the imperial palace of Changan.
The Grand Palace.
The palace stood majestically under the rising sun. It emitted a glorious golden glow, like a heavenly palace above the skies.
On the four curved corners of the Grand Palace's roof, a sword-wielding royal guard dressed in golden armor stood solemnly at each corner. Their gazes were intense like lightning brewing in the clouds.
The Grand Palace was where the Emperor resided. The four royal guards were all sixth-class martial arts masters of the transformation realm.
A palace eunuch led Headmaster Cui down the street in front of the Grand Palace.
The moment Headmaster Cui looked up, his expression changed.
He clenched his teeth and muttered under his breath. "F*ck!"
The right administrator, Li Puyi, was kneeling on the white jade stairs in front of the Grand Palace with his head held high. A few droplets of dew still lingered on the placket of his robe.
Li Puyi remained kneeling on the stairs, not moving an inch. He looked like a sculpture.
Humble and pious.
…
The adults had their own troubles to worry about. As a measly student, Fang Lang did not bother with those complicated problems.
All he cared about was the Imperial Examination results.
Just as Wen Ting had discussed with him before, the Imperial Examination results would determine whether Fang Lang could live a comfortable life in the future. After all, he had been labeled as a member of the Jiang family's faction. That alone would bring out the wrath of the third prince and the right administrator, Li Puyi.
If he did not make it into the honor roll, his existence would become insignificant in the eyes of the third prince. Nonetheless, the third prince's subordinates would all be scrambling to have Fang Lang's head in an effort to gain the prince's favor.
Fang Lang wanted to protect himself and Old Fang, and the only way to do that was to climb up the ranks.
After all, life was meant to be a game of survival.
Fang Lang let go of the emptied spirit crystal husk in his hands and exited his room. He had just spent the entire night cultivating. In the end, he still rejected Old Fang's suggestion to visit the entertainment house.
The true highlight of the Imperial Examination was the final section. Fang Lang still needed to work hard.
After eating breakfast, Fang Lang left the Fang Manor in a carriage and headed to Luojiang Examination Tower. It was the third and last day of the Imperial Examination. The candidates' core would be tested that day. Moreover, their rankings in the theory and combat exam would be revealed.
Fang Lang arrived at the examination tower to see that it was already packed with candidates.
The moment he got off the carriage, Yang Zhengyi and Liu Bubai sauntered over.
"Lang'zi!"
Both of them yelled as they greeted and smiled at Fang Lang.
Since the theory and combat exams ended, the candidates were all much more relaxed. After all, there was not much to do during the core evaluations.
Even so, Yang Zhengyi had a troubled expression on his face. On the other hand, Liu Bubai was holding his head high with confidence.
"Lang'zi, I heard those of you who went in early for the practical assessment had foreign examiners?" Liu Bubai inquired curiously.
Fang Lang and Yang Zhengyi nodded. Yang Zhengyi was terribly agonized by the practical assessment. He cursed himself for having such bad luck. He was sure he would not score well in that section.
"What a shame… I wish I had a foreign examiner. Too bad, I didn't get the chance.
"Because of what happened with your batch, the new examiners they brought in were all so gentle with us. The fight was no fun at all."
Liu Bubai lamented.
Liu Hao, whose face was covered with bruises, overheard Liu Bubai's words as he passed by. His sorrowful eyes instantly darted toward Liu Bubai, thinking, 'What the hell are you saying?'
Liu Bubai returned his glare. 'What? You angry?'
Liu Hao quickly blended into the crowd.
Liu Bubai did not bother to chase after him. He turned back and continued to chat with Fang Lang.
"Fang Lang, how high do you think your score is?
"What do you think your rank will be in the honor roll?
"I, for one, am very confident that I'll make it into the honor roll!"
Liu Bubai was indeed very confident in his results, and he was not one to hide his confidence.
Fang Lang smiled and said calmly, "Tenth place, I guess?"
The moment he uttered those words, the air turned silent for a while.
Liu Bubai and Yang Zhengyi both glanced at him, thinking that Fang Lang was just making a joke.
No matter how confident Liu Bubai was, he was only certain he could make it into the top 100 honor roll. After all, the Imperial Examination that year was incredibly tough. Moreover, there were 3,000 academies taking part, including well-established academies like Beijiang and Donglu; not to mention academies within the Imperial City, like Changan and Nanyuan, that were littered with geniuses. On top of that, there were the big shots from the Imperial Academy…
Getting into the top 100 was already not an easy task.
Fang Lang's tone was cool as a cucumber, making it sound as if getting into the top ten honor roll was easy-peasy.
Fang Lang's performance in the academy might have been exceptional, but the Imperial Examination was on a different level.
Neither Yang Zhengyi nor Liu Bubai took Fang Lang's words seriously. They continued to chat.
Ni Wen arrived at the examination tower in a floral dress that was as white as snow. The timid girl was a little intimidated by the crowd.
Among the crowd, Fang Lang instantly spotted the petite girl and came up to her.
"Little Wen, how was the exam?" Fang Lang questioned kindly.
He had been a little worried about Ni Wen's mental state ever since he ran into her mother prior to the Imperial Examination.
"O-o-okay…" Ni Wen took a quick glance at Fang Lang and mumbled in a low voice. She was blushing.
To run into her own mother while walking with Fang Lang...
Although there was nothing going on between Fang Lang and her, it still made her feel embarrassed.
Seeing Ni Wen's flustered face, Fang Lang realized she had not been affected by the incident at all. He smiled and rubbed Ni Wen's head. Just then, Yang Zhengyi and Liu Bubai joined in. They were curious to know Ni Wen's predictions about her rank in the honor roll.
Ni Wen waved her hands frantically, claiming she would be immensely thankful if she was lucky enough to get into the honor roll. She did not make any predictions about her rank.
Time passed by quickly.
Rain poured continuously the day before, yet the balmy sun hung high in the skies that day.
Finally, the tightly-shut doors of the examination tower opened up.
The core evaluation session began.
Countless candidates entered the examination tower with their exam handbooks. An examiner had long since been waiting inside the tower with a core compass in his hand.
The order in which the candidates' core would be analyzed was based on the candidate number for the practical section.
Thus, Liu Hao was once again queued behind Fang Lang.
Liu Hao glared at Fang Lang with his swollen eyes—his resentment toward him ran deep.
"This is all your fault! If you hadn't got under the examiner's skin, I would never have ended up like this!"
Liu Hao ground his teeth in rage.
Nevertheless, Fang Lang did not bat an eye at him.
In truth, even if Fang Lang had not pummeled the foreign examiner, Liu Hao would have still ended up in a pitiful state.
When Liu Hao noticed Fang Lang ignoring him, he started mocking Fang Lang.
"If I remembered correctly, when your core was analyzed in the academy, it turned out to be white, right?
"What a shitty core!
"No matter how spectacular your theory or combat scores are, they will never change the fact that you have a trashy white core! At the end of the day, your potential is limited."
Liu Hao clenched his teeth and let out all his spite at once.
He realized Fang Lang's core was the only aspect he could insult.
Liu Hao had a red core and his red core was the only thing he could be proud of when it came to Fang Lang.
"Trash will always be trash. The prominent sects are very strict with their recruitments and a good core is one of the key criteria. No matter how good your scores are, no top-tier sect will ever recruit you!"
Even after hearing the insults, Fang Lang did not show an ounce of reaction.
It made Liu Hao's blood boil even hotter. He felt as if he might lose it. 'Say something, you bastard! How am I supposed to have an argument if you won't say a word!'
"Next, Fang Lang," said the examiner who was holding a core compass.
Fang Lang dusted his green robe and marched forward with confident strides.
"You can't change your fate!"
Liu Hao smirked contemptuously. He could not wait to see the helplessness and despair in Fang Lang's expression when his core came out to be white.
Suddenly, a huge commotion broke out among the candidates who were lining up to get their cores tested.
"They're here!"
"Quick, look! The honor roll has been published!"
…
All the students looked up into the sky.
Above Luojiang Examination Tower, an official from the Ministry of Rites was walking on air. The man in white held a golden scroll in both hands.
He tossed out the scroll, which remained floating in the sky.
"In the glorious Tang Dynasty that is second to none, the honor roll consisting of five hundred top students in the theory and combat assessments is officially released.
"Congratulations to all that made it into the top five hundred!"
The man's ceremonious announcement was loud and high-pitched.
Having said that, the official placed his hands together and made a gesture that unlocked the seal on the golden scroll. A wave of energy rippled out.
The scroll suddenly took flight and expanded in the air. It became bigger and bigger…
The scroll unfurled.
It cascaded down like a golden waterfall.
The golden glimmer of the honor roll bathed the entire examination tower in a sea of gold.
Names appeared one after the other on the honor roll, giving out light that shone as bright as stars.
Jiang Linglong, Li Yuanzhen, Fang Lang, Wei Sheng, Lu Ze…
All these names appeared on the honor roll!
…
Within Luojiang Examination Tower.
All the candidates fixed their gaze on the very top of the honor roll with awe and anticipation.
What an honor it was to be in the top five hundred!
Everyone's gaze was fixed on the honor roll, wondering who would claim the top spot.
However, when the champion was revealed, the entire examination tower fell into silence.
After a period of two or three breaths, someone let out a gasp of shock. The ripple effect was set off.
Gasps of disbelief filled the examination tower. Like a wave crashing onto the shore, the revelation brought disarray upon this land!
Liu Hao, who was standing in line to get his core analyzed, continued laughing about Fang Lang's white core. He lifted his bruised and swollen face to look at the honor roll.
The moment he laid eyes on the scroll, his expression froze.
The first place on the honor roll…
It belonged to Fang Lang!
Liu Hao was completely dumbfounded.
Alas, the joke was on him.
At the same time, the examiner that was holding the core compass let out a gasp as loud as thunder!
Liu Hao looked down instinctively. His contemptuous smirk was still frozen on his face. His gaze landed on the compass reading Fang Lang's core… The outcome was not white!
Instead, it was a brilliant purple!
A purple that represented royalty; a purple that was exquisitely eye-catching.
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