Luck entry, starting from the Nine Dragons' succession

Chapter 187 Eleven Prodigies, See the Divination Again

After a moment of silence in the secluded and quiet courtyard, a weathered voice slowly drifted out.

"come in."

Upon hearing this, Lin Qihe was overjoyed and his steps became much lighter as he quickly pushed open the door and entered.

The man in the courtyard, Lin Qihe had grown up hearing his name since childhood.

Although he is now down on his luck, his martial arts skills have regressed, he has resigned from his position as Heavenly Marquis and is living in seclusion here.

But if the other party is unwilling to see him, Lin Qihe cannot force them.

Since this person invited him in, it means...

I'm absolutely certain that this trip will be a success.

In the small courtyard, there was only Jiang Chaosheng, without even a servant to attend to him.

Under the grape trellis, Lin Qihe met the former Marquis of Tianhou, whose face was full of vicissitudes and whose snow-white beard was somewhat messy.

The recliner swayed and creaked as Jiang Chaosheng lay there, watching Lin Qihe cautiously approach.

"Lord Lin, you are so busy with state affairs, what brings you to this old man's place?"

Hearing Jiang Chaosheng's slightly self-deprecating tone, Lin Qihe's expression sharpened. Without beating around the bush, he went straight to the point:

"I implore Marquis Jiang Tian to come out of seclusion and lend me a hand!"

"I am no longer the Emperor of the Imperial Court!" Jiang Chaosheng said coldly, as if he had no attachment to the Imperial Court or to his struggles in the first half of his life.

Hearing Jiang Chaosheng's blunt rejection, Lin Qihe was not discouraged, but instead tried to persuade him patiently.

"Lord Jiang, His Majesty now intends to hold the imperial examinations, which is a tremendous opportunity for us poor scholars."

"I am trusted by His Majesty and the Right Chancellor to serve as the chief examiner for the imperial examinations. However, I feel that my abilities are limited and I am not up to the task. Therefore, I have no choice but to ask Marquis Jiang to take up this post."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Chaosheng did not reply, but simply smiled, a smile tinged with a hint of mockery.

I don't know if I'm mocking myself or mocking Lin Qihe.

"I'm old!"

"I stopped interfering in matters of the imperial court a long time ago."

Jiang Chaosheng appeared to have long been disillusioned with the court, living a carefree life and refusing to get involved in the political turmoil any longer.

Lin Qihe's expression was solemn, and he said in a deep voice:

"Lord Jiang, no matter how wrong the late emperor was, the poor and humble children of the world are innocent."

"Please reconsider, lest you disappoint the respect these poor students have for you."

"When I was young, I grew up listening to stories of your deeds, senior."

Hearing this, Jiang Chaosheng was somewhat moved, but the flame that had just ignited in his eyes instantly died down when he thought of what happened thirty years ago.

"Don't bother."

"This imperial court is beyond saving!"

"Who do you think sits on the dragon throne? The emperor?"

"hehe--"

"They are nothing more than puppets of the Ten Great Dao Courts."

These words struck Lin Qihe like a thunderbolt, sending a chill down his spine.

Jiang Chaosheng's words can be described as outrageous.

If this were to fall into the ears of someone with ulterior motives, Jiang Chaosheng would undoubtedly face imprisonment.

Lin Qihe knew that Jiang Chaosheng still harbored resentment about what happened thirty years ago and was extremely dissatisfied with the late emperor's decision.

only……

The current emperor is not the weak former emperor.

"Lord Lin, let me give you a piece of advice: don't have too much hope for the imperial examinations."

"You think this is an opportunity for those from humble backgrounds? Ha! It's just the powerful officials and nobles playing tricks on everyone else."

"This top scholar position was probably decided long ago..."

Jiang Chaosheng sneered, his words revealing a cynical and misanthropic air.

But before he could finish speaking, Lin Qihe interrupted him.

"Jiang Tianhou, you are unaware of something."

"The current emperor is diligent and ambitious, unlike the previous emperor."

"This imperial examination is far more complex than you think; it involves a grand plan between the Emperor and the Ten Great Courts..."

Then, Lin Qihe recounted the whole story of his invincible body in detail.

After a short while, Jiang Chaosheng listened to the whole story and was deeply moved.

"Lord Jiang, this time the Emperor truly wants to open up a path for us poor folks to rise in society, and he is not just putting on an act for the powerful and wealthy."

"I beg Marquis Jiang Tian..."

Before Lin Qihe could finish speaking, Jiang Chaosheng waved his hand and said in a deep voice:
"Tell me about the specific arrangements for the imperial examination."

Upon hearing this, a faint smile appeared on Lin Qihe's face. He had finally persuaded Jiang Tianhou.

Even with countless grievances in his heart, when it comes to the future of countless poor students, Jiang Tianhou is still the same Jiang Tianhou he always was, still willing to hold up an umbrella for the masses.

……

Three days later.

The preliminary examination for the imperial examination has officially begun.

Any monk under the age of thirty can participate.

Due to the large number of participants, the preliminary examination was divided into twelve examination rooms, each named after one of the twelve Earthly Branches.

Inside the Prince's residence, Fang Heng glanced at the avatar and gave the following instructions:

"Now it's up to you!"

"Defeat Li Qingya, stop the others, and pave the way to invincibility."

"Understood, Your Majesty!"

Having said that, he transformed and got up, heading to the examination hall.

Fang Heng's goal was not easy. One of them was to defeat Li Qingya fair and square and avenge the arrow wound.

In addition, it is to prevent candidates from other Daoist courts from achieving an invincible body.

As long as an invincible body cannot be cultivated, the imperial examination system will continue indefinitely.

This could be considered... a tiny bit of Fang Heng's personal motive.

He disguised himself and went to the examination hall alone, while Fang Heng went to the viewing platform to watch the preliminary examination.

On the viewing platform, Fang Heng saw many familiar figures.

Second Prince, Third Prince, Fourth Prince...

Basically, all the princes who harbored ambitions to seize the throne were present.

After all, this imperial examination was a once-in-a-millennium event.

The second prince and others planned to recruit talents through the imperial examinations to strengthen their own capabilities.

After greeting the princes, Fang Heng sat down next to the second prince.

After all, he is still nominally an important member of the Second Prince's faction.

"Ninth Brother, do you have any targets to recruit today?" The Second Prince asked after slowly taking a sip of spiritual tea from a white porcelain teacup with blue and white decorations.

"Second brother, you're joking. I'm just here to watch the fun. I don't have any recruitment targets at all."

"If there really is a prodigy, then he will definitely fall into your trap, Second Brother."

"Even if things don't go well, there are still my third and fourth brothers. How could it be my turn?"

The Second Prince was not surprised by Fang Heng's reaction and smiled broadly. However, when he heard the names of the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince, a deep shadow flashed in his eyes.

"Ninth Brother, don't underestimate yourself!"

"Your reputation in the art of breeding is renowned far and wide, and it is very attractive to cultivators who are skilled in the art of cultivating spiritual plants."

"This is a list that I, your second brother, have compiled. Ninth brother, take it and work hard so you don't lose to your third and fourth brothers."

As he spoke, the Second Prince handed a list to Fang Heng.

The list included many cultivators who participated in the imperial examinations, with detailed descriptions of their names, preferences, personalities, cultivation levels, and potential.

In terms of intelligence, it is extremely comprehensive.

The Great Qian Dynasty of today is not the internet age of Earth; investigating a person's life is no easy task. The fact that the Second Prince was able to thoroughly investigate the lives of so many examinees suggests that he must have gone to great lengths.

Even with money, it's impossible to do this without having immense power.

She raised her head slightly and glanced at the Second Prince out of the corner of her eye.

The booklet of names in the second prince's hand was slightly thicker than his, indicating that he had withheld some information from the list.

Fang Heng didn't care. If he wanted to recruit martial artists to participate in the imperial examination, he didn't need to go through all the trouble that the Second Prince did.

The "Gentleman Observes Qi" destiny is not to be underestimated.

No matter how detailed the investigation, can it be more direct than observing a person's popularity?

Back then, Fang Chongyue was chosen by him from among a group of peasant boys using the "Gentleman's Aura" destiny chart.

A few days ago, he successfully advanced to the sixth realm of martial arts.

Even for martial arts, which require fewer resources, such a cultivation speed is terrifying, leaving Fang Heng astonished.

Apart from the Second Prince, the other princes present also held small booklets of names.

While looking at the detailed information on the list, he pondered how to recruit the martial arts prodigies they had their eye on.

Fang Heng took a sip of spiritual tea, composed himself, and smiled. He seemed to be looking at the list in his hand, but in reality, he was secretly activating the [Gentleman's Aura Observation] destiny.

Fang Heng observed the fortunes of all the candidates present.

Fang Heng's first glance was naturally at Li Qingya.

Li Qingya is the candidate for the Qiankun Sect that Fang Heng currently knows of.

By activating the fortune of nine generations, the Qiankun Sect has placed a heavy bet on Li Qingya.

A dazzling golden light suddenly appeared in Fang Heng's pupils, causing his pupils to shrink slightly and his eyes to narrow.

Li Qingya's fortune remains golden.

However, compared to when he first met Li Qingya in the Cloud Sword Pavilion, the golden aura above his head had dimmed.

If you don't look closely, you can't see it at all.

"To unleash the fortune of nine generations is ultimately like water without a source or a tree without roots; it cannot last long."

“Even if I’m not there to stop him, Li Qingya’s good luck will only last for a year at most.”

"A year later, his luck dropped to the level of an ordinary person."

"Within two years, he will be plagued by misfortune and everything will go wrong."

Fang Heng withdrew his gaze, no longer paying attention to Li Qingya, and instead looked at the other candidates in the examination room.

Besides the Qiankun Sect, what about the candidates from other Daoist courts?
And then there's the First Emperor of Yuan...

Given my father's methods, it's impossible that he wasn't prepared.

After all, when it comes to understanding the timing of the birth of the Yin Emperor, Emperor Yuanchu was second to none.

It can be said that Emperor Yuanchu's preparations far surpassed those of the Ten Great Dao Courts.

"Ok?"

"A purple-gold fortune!"

"I wonder whose work this is?"

Soon, Fang Heng found a martial artist who seemed to be one of the top ten candidates for the Dao Court – Lin Ying.

This person was indeed on the list given by the Second Prince, but not at the top. Clearly, the Second Prince's intelligence system had not detected the other party's true strength.

Following the same method, Fang Heng quickly found the other nine people.

The ten major Taoist courts, plus the Yuan Chu Emperor.

There were exactly ten candidates.

Nine men and two women.

Fang Heng is currently unable to match these martial artists with the Ten Great Dao Courts and the Primordial Emperor one by one.

However, one of those two female martial artists must be from the Guanghan Palace.

Guanghan Palace is one of the ten major Taoist temples.

It is also the only one among the ten major Taoist temples that only accepts female disciples.

In addition, the techniques of Guanghan Palace have beauty and skin-nourishing effects, and the disciples trained there are all fair-skinned and beautiful, making it the happiest place in the world for all men.

Just as Fang Heng was observing the candidates, his avatar also began registering.

"Name, place of origin!" the clerk asked. He had been asking the candidates for their names and places of origin all morning, and it felt like his throat was on fire.

"Jiang Pojun, a refugee from Longxi."

The avatar spoke in a low, muffled voice.

The clerk engraved the three characters "Jiang Pojun" on a token, then turned it over to the north and engraved the two characters "Longxi" on it.

Registration is now complete!
The clerk had absolutely no doubts about Fang Heng's background.

The refugees from Longxi in Yujing City?
So common!

Since last year, there have been migrants from Longxi coming to Yujing City.

As a result, the price of servants in Yujing City also plummeted.

The wages of shop assistants and servants in the shops have also decreased due to competition from the migrants from Longxi.

The high-ranking officials and nobles in Yujing City were happy to see this happen.

Unfortunately, with the emergence of the Holy Emperor Rice and the departure of the Left Prime Minister from the capital to promote it, the number of migrants from Longxi visibly decreased.

The good days of the past two years will soon be gone forever.

The avatar was unaware of what the scribe was thinking. He took the token and left the registration point without a word.

Fang Heng frowned slightly as he looked at the simple token, and couldn't help but mutter a complaint in his heart.

"Too rudimentary!"

"It's completely inappropriate!"

"Aren't you afraid of cheating?"

Compared to the ancient Chinese imperial examination system that Fang Heng was familiar with, the imperial examination system of the Great Qian Dynasty was extremely rudimentary, with no means of preventing cheating whatsoever.

Of course, this is not to blame Lin Qihe for being incompetent.

After a thousand years, the imperial examination system was reopened. It was already quite an achievement that this system could be set up. We can't expect too much more.

As for the methods to prevent cheating, they were gradually developed in the struggle against cheating candidates.

The devil is always one step ahead of the saint!
Due to the large number of applicants, the preliminary examination for the imperial examination was divided into twelve separate examination rooms, each named after one of the twelve Earthly Branches.

Just as the avatar was pondering which examination venue to choose, the "seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune" destiny indicator reacted.

[Those participating in the imperial examinations were divided into examination halls according to the twelve earthly branches, with celestial officials from previous dynasties secretly observing them.]

[Upper hexagram: Choosing the examination room marked "Yi" to participate in the preliminary examination will result in outstanding performance, a fortunate opportunity, and a worry-free future.]

[Middle Hexagram: Choose another examination venue to participate in the preliminary examination, conceal your strength, and you will gain nothing and lose nothing.]

[Lower hexagram: Choosing another examination venue to participate in the preliminary examination will result in outstanding performance, making one a target of public criticism, bringing great disaster, and a near-death experience.]

After reading the three hexagrams given by the "Seeking Good Fortune and Avoiding Misfortune" method, Fang Heng's expression became quite interesting.

The lower trigram is easy to understand: someone who makes a name for themselves without any background will inevitably attract suppression.

This is a battle for the invincible path.

The path to invincibility requires defeating everyone; only one person is destined to complete it.

Fang Heng's avatar, with no background, has made a name for himself and will surely attract the combined forces of the Ten Great Dao Courts and the Primordial Emperor to suppress him.

Fang Heng had no intention of making a name for himself.

He only intended to participate in the imperial examination in a lukewarm manner until the final exam, when he would defeat Li Qingya in front of everyone and shatter his invincible spirit.

Fang Heng's plan almost perfectly corresponds to the middle hexagram in the hexagram of "seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune".

However, the hexagram above caught Fang Heng completely off guard.

Former Heavenly King!

Observe secretly!

What's going on here?
There are only four Heavenly Marquises in the entire Great Qian Dynasty, and they are all at least eleventh-level experts.

Even the retired Marquis Tianhou should not be underestimated. Perhaps after going into seclusion and focusing on cultivation, his strength can be further improved.

"Who was the former Heavenly Marquis?" Fang Heng fell into deep thought.

(End of this chapter)