Chapter 43: Early September, White Dew Examination

After coming ashore, Zhao Xing and Xu Laoba returned to the stall of the river people. They exchanged the pawn ticket, retrieved a tael of gold, and gave Xu Laoba his share. One for one, two for two, the accounts were settled. It was already late, otherwise Xu Laoba would have insisted on bragging for a while.

Zhao Xing glanced at Shi Chen and returned to Valley City.

"Rising Wind~" With a gust of wind underfoot, his walking speed increased, covering two to three meters with each step. He managed to return home by the end of the hour.

"Today's harvest wasn't bad. I only intended to make a small fortune, but in the end, I gained so much more," he mused. "It seems my luck as Yan Er is indeed extraordinary." If it were Yan Yi's level of luck, he might have just brushed past this fourth-grade pearl.

"With this harvest, I won't have to worry about food and drink for a while, and my speed in Gathering Essence won't be slow either." Zhao Xing wrapped the pearl and locked it in a box. He still had some spare money, so there was no rush to sell it; he wanted to sell it at a high price.

For ordinary people, getting a windfall might make them restless, but Zhao Xing ate and slept as usual.

The next day, as usual, he went to the Department of Agriculture for work and study. After the summer heat passed, the old Sinoong began to focus more on theory and less on practice. He directly informed everyone about the next section of theory to be studied.

Reading books became a major task for the Department of Agriculture members.

"Old Sinoong, can you reveal which classics will be tested? Give us some key points?" a member asked.

Xue Wen Zhong smiled slightly, "Of course, listen carefully. 'Grand View Wood,' 'Herbal Classic,' 'Hundred Solutions of Heavenly Timing,' 'Four Agricultural Truths,' 'Monthly Orders,' 'Three Lights of Earth Veins,' 'Ten Thousand Essays on Beneficial Objects'..."

Well, asking was equivalent to not asking; everything was a key point!

Being well-read and knowledgeable is an essential quality for a Sinoong official. The Great Land of the Nineteen States has many varieties of Heavenly Timing and Earthly Advantage, not to mention various plants. If the Imperial Court sends you to a place, and you don't even know what crops are suitable for that land or the timing for planting, what's the use of you?

The above are just basic requirements, akin to begging the heavens for a meal. Many special environments require the Sinoong to apply methods, change the timing, seek earth veins, and create a good environment before deciding what to plant.

"In the southern part of Guangling Prefecture, there's Yiyuan Ling County, where in spring, you can plant the Five Jia Grains. Spring planting and spring harvesting, one harvest can feed five people."

"In summer, you can plant the Hundred Blood Vines. Summer planting and summer harvesting, the vine fruits can replenish various types of blood."

"In autumn... what about autumn?" Chen Ziyu tilted his head to look at Qian Winter.

The latter shrugged, "Why are you memorizing such obscure 'Cave Heaven Beneficial Objects'? Do you think you'll have a chance to be an official in the Cave Heaven Blessed Land?"

"That's true," Chen Ziyu decided to let it go, but only listened to Zhao Xing on the side, who leisurely said, "In autumn, you can cultivate Huang Gold Mushrooms. Autumn planting and autumn harvesting, three suns for Gathering Essence, one month to enter the grade, priced comparable to Huang Gold."

"In winter, you can dig for Continuation Bone Ginseng. Ten suns can connect bones, a hundred suns can regenerate limbs."

Chen Ziyu opened the book to check and praised sincerely, "As expected of Brother Zhao, your knowledge is truly solid."

Zhao Xing, with a hint of nostalgia, said, "Not entirely. If you all could live there for a few years, you'd also know it like the back of your hand."

"Brother Zhao speaks as if he's been there himself. Isn't Guangling Prefecture tens of thousands of miles away from our Pinghai State?"

"Can't I have been there in a dream?" Zhao Xing laughed.

"Sure, of course, you can. Who told you to be the great brother?"

"Hahaha."

Time passed, and soon the White Dew festival was approaching.

Zhao Xing was also preparing day and night for the examination. Once he officially entered the grade, not only could he enter the Qi Yun Wang Dynasty system, increasing his fortune and longevity, but he could also try many things.

For example, the Great Dream Academy, this treasure mountain, once he entered the grade, he could try to gain more benefits.

Becoming a formal Sinoong would also expand Zhao Xing's capabilities, allowing him to learn more Magic Arts, laying a more solid foundation for the future revival version.

Zhao Xing wasn't striving for official recognition for the sake of it, but for longevity. If he were to lose the Great Ancestor version further away, he would have given up directly.

But losing it during the Emperor Jing Shi period, he felt he could still strive to endure until the revival version.

This motivation was both simple and strong. Imagine if someone told you that if you started exercising now, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, you could live another twenty years and witness a technological breakthrough, achieving immortality. Wouldn't you do it?

"Not marrying, not having children, rising in rank and receiving recognition, the fortune and blessings of longevity won't be dispersed, all returning to the official himself."

"Moreover, any Yan Shou treasures, the earlier they are used, the better. Otherwise, the later the obstacles become stronger, the more difficult it becomes."

"Receiving recognition will also bring improvements in other areas, but if I reach the corresponding grade during recognition, it will all be used to increase longevity. Therefore, by the start of spring next year, I should aim to reach the ninth grade of Gathering Essence, so that the benefits of recognition will all contribute to longevity," Zhao Xing calculated in his heart.

Doing so also has another advantage: if he loses his official position and rank, the impact will be minimal, even negligible.

It's like saying I have the ability to jump onto your Great Zhou's fast car of fortune, without needing you to pull me too much, just open the car door. When the time comes for you to kick me off, I can jump off without injury.

"Heaven's mandate is my mandate, Heaven's fortune is my fortune, Heaven's longevity is my longevity, still relying on the dynasty? Not at all."

After planning for the future, Zhao Xing returned to the matters at hand.

On the seventh day of September, White Dew.

The Department of Agriculture welcomed this year's first theoretical examination.

The entire examination lasted two days, with no late entries allowed, but early submission was permitted.

The main examiner was still Xue Wen Zhong, but other Sinoong officials were required to review the papers together, and they had to align with the Nanyang County's examination philosophy, neither too radical nor too rigid.

After the papers were graded, they needed to be archived and submitted to Nanyang County for review. Other festival examination results also needed to be archived and submitted, but Nanyang County generally wouldn't scrutinize them closely, only conducting random checks unless someone reported an issue.

However, the theoretical examination would definitely undergo a comprehensive review.

Because if a member's Magic Arts were flawed, it wasn't a big deal, but if their theoretical thinking was flawed, it could be very dangerous.

During the Great Ancestor period, there was once a Sinoong member in Nanyang County who, for some reason, read a heretical book. During the examination, to show off, he wrote a theory of 'Absolute Heaven and Earth Communication,' which ended up offending both the Heavenly Timing Sect and the Earthly Advantage Sect, leading to his arrest and imprisonment.

Even our faction didn't deny the Heavenly Timing Sect and Earthly Advantage Sect, only having a primary allegiance. But 'Absolute Heaven and Earth Communication' denied the current methods, even denying the Dao itself, belonging to a heretical and deviant thought, which was not just straying from the path but outright betraying and insulting the nation.

The Great Zhou is relatively free in terms of speech, and later this person was investigated and released after half a year, without any major issues. However, those booksellers selling heretical books were severely punished, and after a thorough investigation, they were all exiled.

"For this examination, I must be cautious in my writing, not coming up with any overly advanced ideas. Even a small step beyond the norm could earn me a top grade," Zhao Xing repeatedly reminded himself as he walked into the examination hall.

(End of Chapter)