Everyone figured no one would back Fang Lang up.
They thought even the Jiang family could not relieve him of the pressure he was under at that moment.
It seemed everyone overlooked Martial Arts King Jiang who had been cooped up in his manor for the past ten years.
The people had forgotten about Jiang Wushen, the King of Martial Arts who single-handedly slaughtered five million foreigners of impure blood ten years ago.
No one could have anticipated a mighty person like him would leave his manor for Fang Lang. It was as if a god had torn through the clouds and descended onto the human realm.
Even after so many years, Jiang Wushen remained as fierce and untamed as before.
He crushed the foreign general's blood phantom with one hand and strode from his manor to the imperial court in five steps. His appearance gave the courtiers such freight they struggled to utter a word.
The foreign courtiers kneeling in the middle of the court were trembling in fear. As foreigners, they had seen first-hand the terrors of Martial Arts King Jiang.
In the court of the Taiji Palace, everyone had different expressions on their faces.
Lu Taixuan was grinning while Li Puyi had a dark expression on his face. Meanwhile, a regretful expression flashed across the first prince's face but soon turned into a calm expression. He did not utter a word from beginning till the end, as if it was none of his business.
It seemed like this probing would go up in smokes again. With Jiang Wushen in the mix, the foreigners' probe would be to no avail.
The eldest prince wondered if the purpose of Jiang Wushen's appearance was merely a cover-up. There was also the possibility Jiang Wushen was sent by the Emperor to disrupt his plans.
Within the Taiji Palace.
Silence reigned.
"I think the grand champion's argument makes sense."
Jiang Wushen turned to the Emperor and said.
Those were the only words he said, yet it sent the entire palace into shock.
It was as if the howling imperial censors and wailing foreign courtiers were being choked; not a word could be heard from them.
Everyone assumed the Emperor held some suspicions toward Martial Arts King Jiang. However, at that moment, it seemed like the rumor had no truth in it. There were also those who claimed Martial Arts King Jiang was cooped up in his manor for many years due to the Loulan Demon Portal incident. They theorized the Emperor secretly forbade him from leaving his manor. It seemed like that, too, was just a false rumor.
Many of the kneeling courtiers were stealing glances of Fang Lang, who stood beside the disheveled Martial Arts King Jiang.
It seemed from that day onwards, the grand champion would officially be regarded as a part of the Jiang family.
The grand chancellor, Lu Taixaun, and Martial Arts King Jiang, both supported Fang Lang, and thus bestowed an unprecedented honor upon the champion.
The palace was silent for a long while.
Finally, the mighty figure who sat above and beyond the nine cauldrons began to speak.
"If that's the case, the individual border regiment policy and the decision to put foreigners in major positions… will be discussed at a further date.
"Whether opposing or supporting, write down your opinions in a folded booklet and hand it up."
The Emperor's command echoed throughout the palace.
All the officials bowed down in response.
"First-tier grand champion, Fang Lang, has suffered through three years of bitter cultivating. Through the faith he upheld and his unrivaled talent in poetry, he successfully became the grand champion of the Imperial Examination and will now be rewarded with: three stalks of Blade Energy Accumulation Herb, three drops of Bone Lubricant, three Underworld Spirit Pills, one Golden Dragon Armor and a Champion's Blade. I pray that you will not grow arrogant and impatient as you carry forth on the path of cultivation."
The Emperor's grand and dignified voice reverberated in the palace.
His rewards were not presented to him by Old Man Gao but were personally bestowed upon him by the Emperor himself.
Fang Lang was gifted with an extremely generous amount of rewards!
He cupped his fist with his palm and bowed. "Thank you, Your Majesty."
"Jiang Wushen, stay," the Emperor commanded.
Then, he dismissed the rest of the court.
Thus, the eventful reward-bestowing ceremony came to an end. Only Martial Arts Master Jiang was commanded to stay, letting the people's imagination run wild.
'What is Martial Arts Master Jiang and the Emperor going to talk about?" they wondered.
They were sure that wherever they were discussing was something that would shake the entire empire. Nonetheless, no one could predict the details.
Hundreds of courtiers stood and exited the palace. That day's event was not settled yet. The foreign generals took off into the city. The magnitude of the day's incident would be determined by how the Emperor decided to treat it.
The first prince, Li Tianlin, came out from the Taiji Palace. He sped up in his steps to catch up to the right administrator, Li Puyi. He walked side-by-side with the right administrator, who appeared to have aged a lot. The two looked as if they were discussing something important.
Li Taixuan took out his gourd canteen and gobbled down some wine. He had been resisting the urge for the whole morning.
Fang Lang, Jiang Linglong and Wei Sheng also exited the Taiji Palace.
The moment they left the palace and saw the light snow fluttering down gently from the sky—they felt as if the last time it snowed was a lifetime ago.
The pressure within the palace was intense—suffocating even. The Emperor's gaze from high above seemed to have penetrated through space and time, filling the three with fear and respect.
Even so, Jiang Linglong exited the palace in a joyous mood. Perhaps Jiang Wushen's appearance had cheered her up quite a bit.
Courtiers passed by around them, heading down the stairs like a river flowing between rocks.
Those who still remained in the White Jade Square were promptly urged down the white jade stairs by the palace guards. The crowd headed out the Vermilion Bird Gate and dispersed onto Vermilion Street after a satisfying day of spectating the final section of the Imperial Examination.
They had witnessed the strength and power of the top students from the Tang Dynasty's 3,000 academies.
Everyone went off to do their own thing—those who needed to catch up with sleep went home to rest and those who were supposed to be at the moat went to the moat.
Members of the Ministry of Rites contacted the students who had just finished the final section of the Imperial Examination.
The exam might be over but the moment of glory for the high-achievers was just about to begin.
…
The sky above Changan was enveloped by clouds. A strong wind blew as if a storm was approaching.
Even so, members of the Ministry of Rites still busied themselves with preparations for the examinees' sect-picking event. Only the top 200 students in the final section had the right to pick their sects. The remaining students would be picked by the sects depending on their ranking and scores.
Of course, before the sect-picking event, there was another important matter to attend to—the final results of the Imperial Examination was to be announced to the 3,000 cities. Moreover, the three toppers of the honor roll had a parade to attend in Changan.
An official from the Ministry of Rites came out from the royal palace and invited Fang Lang and the others to the ministry's palace.
Fang Lang, Jiang Linglong and Wei Sheng put on the robes that the official had prepared for them. The ministry had also prepared three magnificent steeds for them.
Fang Lang donned the grand champion's silk robe with his sword box slung on his back. With a golden whip in hand, he hopped onto a mighty steed with a velvet coat.
Light snow fell from the sky, adding touches of joy to the land below.
Having finally escaped from the Taiji Palace's haze and impeachment of the generals from powerful foreign nations, Fang Lang let out a cheerful smile.
Behind him, Jiang Linglong, too, had mounted her steed.
The top trio of the Imperial Examination departed on their horses. Others in the top ten rank followed beside, and so did some officials from the ministry who held the Imperial Examination ranking list in their hands.
Escorts cleared the path in front of them, holding golden lanterns and banging a golden gong as they marched forward.
They exited through the Vermilion Bird Gate and set foot onto Vermilion Street.
In an instant, the slumbering city of Changan was awakened. The frigidity of the year's first snow was thawed by the citizens' warm enthusiasm.
Citizens rushed out from the buildings on both sides of the street. They stood on their toes, widening their eyes to get a good look at that year's grand champion.
The hotels and taverns along the streets had long been packed with customers. Beautiful teenage girls stuck their heads out the open window in anticipation of the glorious grand champion parading on the streets below.
The once empty street of Changan was suddenly overflowing with traffic.
On that day.
Light snow encapsulated Changan.
On that day, the street of Changan flooded with people that had only one purpose—getting a look at the champion.
Fang Lang rode on his steed with an amiable smile on his face. His eyes could not help but twinkle with joy.
Even so, he was a little lost in his thoughts. He wondered how Old Fang would react when he found out about his achievement.
Ximen Xianxian, Li Yuanzhen and the others were not worthy of steeds. They could only follow along on foot.
It was also a glorious moment for them, yet their exuberance was nothing compared to the boy riding at the very front. A sea of eyes was locked onto him.
Li Yuanzhen had a dark expression on his face. He felt as if none of the cheers and applause were meant for him.
In his opinion, not getting into the top three made him an utter failure. There was nothing for him to be happy about.
On the other hand, Ximen Xianxian was grinning without a care in the world. From time to time, he turned to the young ladies in the crowd and waved, making them squeal until they were out of breath.
"Brother Lang, would you like to compose a poem for this occasion?"
Ximen Xianxian smiled and walked up to Fang Lang, who sat high above the ground on his steed with his sword box slung on his back.
"Brother Lang, you'll embarrass me if you don't do it."
Hearing that, Fang Lang held the reins in one hand and raised the other.
A lone snowflake fell onto his palm and melted away from the heat of his hand.
Fang Lang stared into the horizon, gazing at the crowd that had gathered on both sides of the street.
He did not recite it aloud.
Instead, he whispered in a tone only he could hear.
"My high horse proudly gallops in the gentle breeze of spring…
"In one day, I've seen all of Changan's flowers that make my heart sing."
Cheers and shouts sounded from the crowd. The citizens' enthusiasm was enough to set the air on fire.
Many talented fighters glared with envy. Meanwhile, freshmen who were entering the academy that year raised their fists with determination, hoping one day, they could see all of Changan's flowers too.
…
Luojiang City.
It did not snow in Luojiang. Instead, autumn rain continued to fall.
The rain was not heavy, yet it stretched across the vast skies and shrouded the entire Luojiang City in thick mist.
In the Fang family's inn.
Fang Beihe sat next to the window on the third floor in the same position at the same spot. He gazed out the window, glancing through the rain and mist at the direction of Changan.
He had not received news about the Imperial Examination's final results due to the vast distance between the cities.
The final section of the Imperial Examination was an event followed closely by everyone in the empire. Countless academies were established throughout the empire, making cultivation a practice that could be accessed by all.
Although it was true the Imperial Examination was merely the first step in one's cultivation journey, it did not change the fact that standing out among all the students from the 3,000 academies was an astounding feat deserving of glory. Their true cultivation journey was about to begin in the great sects.
The Fang family's inn was packed that day. Every table was occupied to its maximum capacity. The patrons drank and chattered away merrily.
They were all there because they knew that the innkeeper's son had taken part in the final section of Imperial Examination and that his results would be released in the palace court a thousand miles away on that very day.
They were all curious about his son's ranking.
According to Boss Fang, his son was quite skillful. Perhaps the third tier?
Maybe top ten in the second tier?
Or maybe even… third place in the first tier?
Nonetheless, no one dared to predict Fang Lang would be the grand champion.
Everyone waited in anticipation.
The honor roll for the final section would soon be published in all the academies. The names of the geniuses in the top three rank would spread across the 3,000 academies throughout the entire empire.
Its purpose was to motivate all the cultivators in the empire to work hard for the Imperial Examination and perhaps one day, they could obtain the same honor.
On the table in front of Fang Beihe was a pile of peanuts and a bottle of wine.
Yang Zhengyi and his father sat across Old Fang, drinking wine. Yang Zhengyi flipped the fringe that hung in front of his forehead anxiously.
In fact, he was even more nervous than Old Fang. He feared his childhood friend, who was clearly weaker than him, would suddenly rise to become the grand champion of the Imperial Examination.
One cup after another, Yang Zhengyi drank his wine.
Suddenly…
Old Fang froze in the middle of pouring wine. Almost everyone in the inn turned their heads and looked out the window.
Far out in the horizon, they could see a golden beam of light tearing through the sky.
A cultivator arrived on a flight sword with the honor roll in hand. Dressed in golden armor, the man looked as if he just came out of a fantasy world.
The noise in the inn instantly died down.
The appearance of the man in golden armor indicated that someone from Luojiang Academy had made it!
Everyone held their breaths.
In Luojiang Academy, students in green robes looked up in anticipation for the final section's results. Mentors came out of the Mentors' Office and stood in a respectful stand.
The cultivator in golden armor stood upright on his flight sword. He sent out waves of spiritual energy that slowly unrolled the honor roll.
The names on it were no longer blurry. The honor roll was revealed for all to see.
"Here lies the honor roll of the Imperial Examination's final section!
"Congratulations to Fang Lang of Luojiang Academy on achieving first-tier grand champion!
"Congratulations to the grand champion!"
As the honor roll unrolled, Fang Lang's name shone vividly at the very top of the scroll.
In an instant…
Luojiang City fell into pin-drop silence.
A short while passed.
The entire city erupted into cheers and shouts that overpowered even the sound of pouring rain. Their joy and enthusiasm triumphed over that of the citizens in Changan during the champion's parade!
On the streets of Luojiang City.
Drums played and firecrackers went off.
An official from Luojiang City's court followed an officer to visit Fang Beihe's inn personally.
At the Fang family's inn.
The peanut that Old Fang held between his chopsticks fell abruptly onto the table.
Liu Zhengyu tugged on his fringe. A dumbstricken expression appeared on his face.
'Lang'zi… he made it!
'On top of that, he made it as the grand champion!
'He… He succeeded!'
At the moment, the first person to snap out of his daze was Yang Zhengyi's father. He said a sincere word of congratulation to Old Fang then glanced at Yang Zhengyi disgruntledly.
'You little brat, you went to the entertainment house every day! Now, look what kind of results you've gotten!
'I'll break your leg if you go to the entertainment house again!'
On the other hand, Old Fang's grin could not grow any wider.
Gasps and cheers filled the floor beneath. The sound of impatient footsteps echoed in the stairway.
Patrons swarmed around the man, shouting words of congratulations.
Old Fang had no idea how to express his joy.
He laughed out loud and waved his hands wildly.
"Eat and drink to your heart's content!
"There is no greater joy! My son is the grand champion!
"Today, everything is on the house!"
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