Ze Tian Ji

Edited by: Michyrr

The Imperial Guards outside the Mausoleum of Books instantly tensed up. With a dense twanging of bowstrings being pulled taut, countless crossbows were aimed at Wang Po’s back.

Dust could be seen rising in the distance as the ground began to shake. Though it was still not possible to hear the stamping of hooves, the black-armored cavalry were probably mobilizing.

By the time these things were happening, warning signals had already been sent out to every part of the capital.

The Orthodoxy cavalry’s reaction was also very fast. Even though they had received no order from the Li Palace, several hundred horsemen immediately galloped over and blockaded the gate into the Mausoleum of Books.

After three years, both sides once more engaged in a tense standoff.

Wang Po appeared unaware of what was happening outside the stone gates. He continued to make his way into the lush and green Mausoleum of Books.

Watching him leave, a Li Palace priest couldn’t help but ask, "Sir, where have you been these last few days?"

Everyone in the capital wanted to know the answer.

Without turning his head, Wang Po said, "I’ve always been here."

Upon hearing Wang Po’s answer, that priest, the Orthodoxy cavalry, and even the Imperial Guards farther out were all shocked.

No one had thought that Wang Po might have been in the Mausoleum of Books these last few days. Ordinary people could not enter the mausoleum, so they naturally would not be able to see him.

That he had appeared today before everyone was precisely because he wanted the world to know that he was going to do something.

But what exactly was he going to do?

It had been many years since Wang Po entered the Mausoleum of Books to view the monoliths and comprehend the Dao, but it seemed like he had not forgotten that experience.

Like an old hand, he found a path in the forest and began to venture southwest.

After some time, he came to a small courtyard.

The orange grove in the early spring naturally had no oranges, but there still seemed to be a faint smell of unripe oranges in the air.

Wang Po had spent the last few days living in this very courtyard.

The dried meat that had once been hung on the roof beam was nowhere to be found. The chairs and table within the room were washed so cleanly that not a speck of dust could be found.

Wang Po did not enter.

He stood outside the fence and calmly said to that old friend who had lived in that house for thirty-seven years, "I am going to walk the Divine Path today."

Back then, Xun Mei had failed in intruding upon the Divine Path. Just when Xun Mei was about to take leave of the world, Wang Po had said that, in the future, when he cultivated to the Saint Realm, he would ascend to the summit of the mausoleum to take a look around in Xun Mei’s place.

It turned out that this was something he intended to do today.

......

......

The Grand Examination had already begun, but Chen Changsheng had still not appeared.

Even if there was no butcher, the people still had to eat pork. Even if the Pope did not appear, life still had to continue, and the examination still had to proceed.

There was no attempt to deliberately innovate in this year’s Grand Examination. As they had been several years ago, the literary test, the martial test, and the one-on-one matches were conducted in order.

The literary test was conducted within the Hall of Announcements according to the old rules. It was supervised by both the Bureau of Ecclesiastic Education and the Imperial Court’s Ministry of Rites, but final approval rested in Gou Hanshi’s hands.

Gou Hanshi was still very young, but no one questioned his qualifications. He was well-versed in the Daoist Canon, and besides, he had been the one to make the questions for this year’s literary test.

In the light of the morning sun, the literary test smoothly concluded without a single incident.

The people and betting house stewards who had gathered outside the Li Palace to see the spectacle felt rather uninterested, but they also felt the air to be somewhat strange.

Following right after was the martial test, which was still the dual trials of the Dallying Forest and the Qu River. Perhaps because Chen Changsheng had ridden across the river on a crane in his Grand Examination, today’s rules were even more complicated and meticulous, and any sort of tricks was essentially forbidden. However, it was not forbidden to attempt to stop one’s opponents, so an occasional sword glow could be glimpsed in the sea of trees, and the danger present was even greater than the examinations from before.

It had already been three years since the Grand Examination had been conducted, so a great number of examinees had come to participate. Although the competition was much fiercer, two-hundred-some examinees still succeeded in stepping onto the opposite shore of the Qu River. Amongst them, Scholartree Manor and Star Seizer Academy had the best grades.

With none of Mount Li’s Divine Kingdom’s Seven Laws taking part, the young scholars of Scholartree Manor were viewed with the greatest optimism in this year’s Grand Examination. Moreover, everyone knew that their principal Wang Po was in the capital, which greatly added to the daring of these scholars, and their grades were naturally amazing. That the young officer students of Star Seizer Academy were so outstanding was instead because the pressure on the capital lately had caused anger to build up in these future stars of the Great Zhou Army, and this anger was being completely converted into motivation today.

The final stage was still being held in the Hall of Washing Away Dust within the Green Leaf World.

The examinees began to file into the Hall of Pure Virtue, walking along the pattern on the ground. They then noticed the black-clothed girl with an indifferent expression.

This apathetic girl held the potted Green Leaf to her chest.

As they looked at her, the examinees began to recall those important matters their teachers had repeatedly warned them about beforehand. Their expressions flickered as they hurriedly looked away.

Only after entering the Green Leaf World and standing outside the Hall of Washing Away Dust did the examinees finally relax. Reverence and delight appeared on their faces as they set about chatting.

Even the old-fashioned youths of Scholartree Manor and the strict young officers of Star Seizer Academy could not help but whisper amongst their schoolmates.

"Was that girl in the black dress the legendary Black Frost Dragon?"

"His Holiness the Pope is truly extraordinary. After all, it’s been thousands of years since a dragon attendant appeared in the Li Palace."

"No wonder Qiushan Jun could never beat His Holiness."

"Quiet. Take care not to let that fellow from Mount Li hear you."

......

......

Putting aside the fact that the conversations of the examinees within the Green Leaf World were getting more and more off-track, the atmosphere outside the Li Palace was already extremely strange.

Whether it was those people who had come to see the spectacle, the peddlers, or the employees of the betting houses, they were all too quiet.

There was no spectacle, so what were all the people watching? No one was betting, so what meaning did all those betting pools have?

Everyone was looking at the Grand Examination, yet their minds were not truly on the Grand Examination, but on other matters.

Because no one believed that today’s Grand Examination would proceed so calmly and smoothly.

Something big was bound to happen today, though no one knew exactly when.

Suddenly, the warning signal arrived.

Ten-some straight and thin lines flew up into the azure sky. Only experts with extremely good eyesight could tell that the lines left behind by those blurs were red.

Ten-some Red Geese were swiftly flying through the sky. One was bound for the Imperial Palace and one for the Li Palace, but the rest were headed elsewhere.

Someone familiar with the distribution of the Great Zhou Army would be able to tell that the Red Geese were headed toward the places where the armies of the Imperial Court were garrisoned.

Linghai Zhiwang often communicated with the Imperial Court so he could naturally see this, but he cared more about where these Red Geese had come from than where they were going.

The traces left by the Red Geese had already vanished from the sky, but they still remained in his sea of consciousness.

His gaze followed those traces and ultimately fell on the southern part of the capital, and his expression turned extremely grave.

The Mausoleum of Books was over there.

Hu Thirty-Two whispered, "The chief of Gentle Stream Monastery left the Hall of Announcements just now. The four Sword Hall elders of Mount Li didn’t even come today."

"The Old Lady of the Mutuo clan left the city."

Daoist Siyuan squinted and said, "If everyone goes to the Mausoleum of Books, what a spectacle that will be."

He did not conceal his ambition and fighting intent, because anyone could see that the Li Palace had to seize this opportunity.

Linghai Zhiwang turned to look at the quiet hall deep within the Li Palace, slightly confused.

Is Your Holiness still practicing the sword?