tallest building

Chapter 142 First Round

"What merit do I have to be admitted to the Three Paths Academy? It's just that Senior Brother Kang and I were classmates for a few years before he entered the academy," Zhu Hui said.

"I see!" All the children nodded in agreement.

They were led to the front and saw many people dressed in white directing the crowd; these people were all disciples of the Sanjing Academy.

They divided the people who came into teams, with those who were going to compete standing in front and those who were just watching standing in the back.

Gradually, the chaotic crowd became orderly and uniform.

“Actually, if you had a little more patience, you could have come in through the front door,” said Master Kang. “You just had to make a fuss with me at the back door.”

“Old Master, that’s where you’re wrong. If you had said that earlier, we wouldn’t have had to argue like this,” Feng Tianzhu couldn’t help but retort.

Master Kang ignored him and turned to go inside.

"Everyone, please be patient, the first question is about to begin." After the scene quieted down a bit, a tall, handsome middle-aged man walked out from inside.

His clothes were gray, somewhere between those of a disciple in white robes and a teacher in black robes.

"Isn't this Mr. Hua Ying? He entered the Sanjing Academy twenty years ago, but he has never graduated." Someone who knew the details whispered among themselves.

“They are so engrossed in their studies that they are unwilling to graduate. Where in the world can one concentrate on learning more than the Sanjing Academy? And where are the teachers more learned than those at the Sanjin Academy?” someone immediately chimed in.

"But what will be the first question this year?" People are mostly curious.

"Yes! In previous years, the first question alone could eliminate more than half of the candidates."

"Stop talking, the incense burner has already been placed here."

Gong Chang'an saw two disciples on a table with a scroll-shaped top, on which sat a bronze incense burner from the Three Dynasties.

"The first question this year is: memorize an article of nearly a thousand words within fifteen minutes, and then write it down from memory within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn," Mr. Hua Ying announced loudly from the steps.

"Oh dear, this test really tests your photographic memory. It's so difficult, so difficult, so difficult."

“What’s so difficult about that? If you memorize it beforehand, it won’t even take fifteen minutes.”

"What do you think this is? Someone leaked the questions in advance? Let me tell you, this must have been written by a teacher on the spot."

“That’s right, these teachers are highly respected. How could they possibly do such cheating?”

"Besides, even if you manage to get through this, you still won't be able to pass the later questions."

Amid the murmurs of the crowd, two more disciples carried out a large sheet of cloth, about ten feet square, on bamboo poles. They opened the bamboo poles in front of the crowd, revealing a newly written essay with clear ink marks.

"Oh dear, what kind of article is this? I don't recognize any of these complicated words!" Everyone panicked when they saw the title.

The article was titled "Ode to Qu Jianxiong". Not only were the characters in the title difficult to recognize, but the entire text, which contained nearly a thousand characters, also contained many obscure characters, making it a headache.

"This is too difficult! If one could read and write fluently, one might be able to remember it, but how can anyone remember something so convoluted, obscure, and difficult to understand?"

"I've always said that the Three Paths Academy is notoriously picky when it comes to selecting disciples; otherwise, how could they possibly choose the best of the best?"

The scene was noisy, but the people from the Sanjing Academy did not stop it.

The disciples they choose must first have an exceptional memory and be able to remember everything they see, and the more chaotic the scene, the better it will test their true abilities.

The incense had already been lit, and it was all calculated that each stick of incense would burn out in exactly fifteen minutes.

Many of those who had stood at the front to participate in the selection process had become disheartened and were no longer as ambitious as before.

"Chang'an, can you do it?" Feng Tianzhu asked with concern.

"I'll give it a try," Gong Chang'an said calmly.

"Don't bother him." Qiao Ziyu pulled Feng Tianzhu to the back. Because they were children, no one regarded them as competitors at all, but just as people who came to join in the fun.

In the blink of an eye, an incense stick burned out, a drum sounded, and the two disciples put away the white cloth with the inscription written on it.

"Those who wish to try, please come forward." A row of tables had already been set up in the open space in front of the house, complete with paper and pens.

Some people stepped forward one after another, while others shook their heads, clearly lacking even the courage to try.

Finally, Gong Chang'an also went up and occupied the table furthest to the side.

"Hey, did you see that? There's a little baby here." Immediately, someone set their sights on him.

"In my opinion, he's just joining in the fun. How could such a young child possibly remember all those characters when he can't even recognize them all?" Many people believed that he was just a young kid who was fearless and deliberately trying to attract attention.

Another incense stick was lit, another drumbeat sounded, and everyone began to write furiously.

Some people write as fast as they can, as if they would forget their previous memories if they slowed down.

Some people write while thinking, stopping and starting intermittently.

Of course, there were also some people looking around, trying to copy others. Those who did so were all asked to leave by the people of the Sanjing Academy.

Gong Chang'an remained unhurried throughout. The table was a little too high for him, so a disciple from the Sanjing Academy came over and placed a small stool under his feet.

The incense burned shorter and shorter, and the scene became increasingly tense. The crowd watching the spectacle below held their breath, and no one spoke anymore.

"Sigh! Forget it!" With the incense already half burned, several students who hadn't even finished half of the essay chose to give up.

Fewer than thirty people made it to the end.

And this is only the first test.

As the last drumbeat sounded, everyone stopped writing.

Someone collected the papers with the completed dictation and took them inside.

Everyone waited for the results to be announced.

"I wonder how many of these people will eventually make it through the preliminary selection."

"This question is too difficult, so it's understandable that it didn't pass."

"I've said it before: the selection process for disciples at the Three Paths Academy is extremely rigorous. Otherwise, where would its reputation over the past few hundred years come from?"

After waiting for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Mr. Hua Ying came out with a piece of paper in his hand, on which were written the names of those who had passed the preliminary test.

The scene fell silent again, everyone eager to know who had passed.

"Those who have advanced to the second round of selection are: Yu Hanying, Lu Hong, Xiao Manlang, and Lü Song..."

The people being mentioned were already quite prominent, many of them being among the best students at the Imperial Academy.

“…Ye Guanghan, Gong Chang’an.” Mr. Hua Ying finally finished reading the list.

"Chang'an! Well done!" Feng Tianzhu was the first to jump up.

"Well done, Chang'an! You really made us proud!" The other children jumped around along with them.

"What?! The youngest child was selected too?!" Everyone was incredulous.

"Wow, that's incredible. Such talent at such a young age!" Gong Chang'an suddenly became the center of attention.

"A child prodigy may not necessarily be a great adult." Someone immediately began to pour cold water on the idea.

"Exactly. Once the first challenge is overcome, the subsequent problems will only become more difficult."