Great Zhou Wensheng

Chapter 175 Cao Cao wields his whip, and with one poem he calms the sea: "Viewing the Sea"!
The face beneath the gilded crown of Prince Li Yiguang of Langya suddenly paled, his expression one of astonishment.

He watched helplessly as the dozen or so scholars, like moths to a flame, crashed into Jiang Xingzhou's flying boat, the splashing sound of them plunging into the sea like a heavy hammer blow to his heart.

He was confused.

Amidst the turbulent air currents, Jiang Xingzhou's Azure Lotus Flying Boat seemed to veer out of control, suddenly veering off course, yet it appeared as a ghostly figure blocking the path in front of Li Yiguang's [Dafu]-class gilded warship.

The crimson lotus blossoms blooming on the hull suddenly flipped back, their petals gleaming with a chilling sharpness, like hundreds of quenched blades piercing the air towards the ship.

"not good!
Turn the rudder!

"Quickly turn the rudder to avoid it!"

Prince Li Yiguang of Langya was immediately horrified, his fingers digging deeply into his palm beneath his python robe.

The dozen or so scholars accompanying the ship frantically tried to maneuver the sails and change the direction of the flying tower.

The gilded warship groaned under its own weight, and a thin crack appeared on the mythical lion-shaped carving on its prow.

"boom--"

A red lotus, sharp as a blade, crashed into the side of the ship.

The hull, made of gilded solid wood, was torn open like paper, with a gaping hole several feet wide, allowing the raging sea wind, carrying a salty, fishy smell, to flood into the cabin.

The [Dafu]-class literary treasure ship, which the Prince of Langya was so proud of, now appeared so fragile under the power of the Red Lotus Flying Boat.

The priceless Wenbao was instantly shredded into pieces, the fragments flying like snowflakes.

"Your Majesty, be careful!"

Amidst the piercing cries of the surrounding scholars, the ship tilted visibly in the gale.

"Brother Yuan Kui, save me!"

Li Yiguang's face was ashen. He staggered and grabbed the railing, watching helplessly as his treasured ambergris incense burner rolled off the deck—amidst a flurry of shouts, the entire ship was rapidly plummeting.

Li Yuankui, the top scholar from Longyou, remained silent. He glanced at the prince of Langya who had fallen into the sea, but did not go to rescue him. He remained indifferent and continued to fly in his bronze boat.

This has nothing to do with him, and he's not going to jump into the pit and cause himself a lot of trouble!
Jiang Xingzhou stood with his hands behind his back at the bow of the Qinglian boat when he suddenly heard a deafening explosion behind him.

He tilted his head slightly, turning back with a look of confusion.

Li Yiguang's gilded warship had transformed into a dazzling fireball on the sea, its shattered hull crashing onto the surface, fragments scattering like gold foil.

"what?

How did the Prince of Langya's ship sink into the sea?

Jiang Xingzhou raised an eyebrow, revealing just the right amount of surprise, and turned to the surrounding scholars, asking, "Did any of you see what happened just now?"

The air within thousands of feet suddenly froze!

To conserve their energy and withstand the fierce sea winds, they stayed close together, like a flock of geese learning to fly at sea.

Several scholars nearby hurriedly moved away from Wen Bao, putting some distance between themselves and Jiang Xingzhou.

One of the scholars in blue robes couldn't dodge in time. Looking at Jiang Xingzhou's gaze, he could only laugh awkwardly twice, cup his hands, and say, "Jiang Jieyuan, you are wise. Brother Li's ship may have encountered a whirlpool in the sea eye and accidentally plunged into the water!"

"That's right! This happens quite often during the Trials of the Sea of ​​Learning!"

Before the words were even finished, the magical treasures that everyone was riding retreated another three zhang (approximately 10 meters) in unison, moving even further away from the boat at the head of the goose.

The sea breeze carried the smell of burning as it swept by, and Jiang Xingzhou's lips curled up almost imperceptibly.

These scholars, who used to drink and make merry with the Prince of Langya, now all wisely turned a blind eye.

But this is good, it saves him from having to waste his breath.

He casually dusted off his sleeves.

Jiang Xingzhou, riding his Azure Lotus Flying Boat, broke through the clouds and waves, leaving hundreds of scholars far behind.

In the deep sea ahead, hundreds of candidates in the first tier could be seen flying in formation like geese.

Two of the candidates, as steadfast as rocks, flew at the forefront.

Song Chuwang, the top scholar of Jingchu Road, leaned against a vermilion wine pot that was more than ten feet tall. The pot was inscribed with a large cursive script that gleamed with an amber light.

"Huh? I haven't crossed the first sea yet?!"

Song Chuwang's previously hazy, drunken eyes suddenly cleared, and a yellowed copy of "Chu Ci" appeared in his hand without him noticing. The sea breeze turned the pages, and a faint scent of herbs wafted through the air.

Dozens of feet away to one side, Qin Wen, the top scholar of Guanzhong, stood on an ancient bronze sword. The hilt of the sword was decorated with a taotie pattern that emitted a blue light, making his dark robe appear as black as jade, giving him an air of ease.

Qin Wen suddenly realized something, glanced back, and saw Jiang Xingzhou approaching.

"Brother Jiang, you're pretty fast!"

Qin Wen couldn't help but smile. He slightly raised his right hand behind his back, and the sword light beneath his feet suddenly increased by three inches, drawing out ripples like a silver river on the sea.

"Brother Qin is truly extraordinary!"

Jiang Xingzhou smiled and caught up.

The three people stood in a tripod formation, and the seawater within a radius of a hundred feet inexplicably sank three feet.

Those scholars who had been following closely behind slowed down. Wen Bao trembled and dared not take another step forward. In the fierce competition for knowledge, the leading geese could clash at any moment for the position of the leader, and they could be caught in the crossfire if they were not careful.

The sea of ​​knowledge is vast and boundless.

The dark blue waves roared beneath my feet, and the deeper I went, the fiercer the wind became, as sharp as a knife.

The robes of the scholars fluttered in the wind, and the brilliance of the inscriptions beneath their feet flickered uncertainly in the wind pressure, as if they might be swallowed up by this raging sea at any moment.

Everyone remained silent, struggling against the sea breeze.

"call--!"

Some people's faces turned red, their talent pushed to its limit, but the literary treasures under their feet seemed to be stuck in the mud, suspended in the air, unable to move forward an inch.

Large beads of sweat rolled down their foreheads, only to be torn apart by the gale before they hit the sea.

"Brothers!"

Suddenly, a scholar shouted hoarsely, his voice faltering in the wind, "This first level of the Sea of ​​Learning, with such a fierce wind, could it be a dead end?"

Why is it that we are unable to fly across?
Has anyone been here before? Tell me what's going on!

Panic spread like a plague.

Some scholars' talents are already waning, their brilliance is fading, and they are on the verge of following in the footsteps of those scholars who drowned at sea.

"Silence! This is the first time any of you have entered the Sea of ​​Learning. Who among you has ever been here before?!"

Qin Wen from Guanzhong suddenly shouted coldly, and the ancient bronze sword emitted a dragon's roar.

He looked around at everyone and said slowly and deliberately, "A senior scholar who had passed the imperial examination once told me..."

The sea of ​​learning is boundless—let poetry and prose be your boat.

To cross this sea, one must compose a poem of at least the level of "seeking shelter from the wind" on the spot, in order to have any hope of continuing onward!

As for how many articles he would write, he didn't say, he just smiled—a smile that sent chills down your spine!

Jingchu and Songchu looked on to reply, their drunken eyes suddenly clearing.

"That's easy!"

[The Sea Treasury]

The raging waves swallowed the sun and moon.
I lie in the shade of the reef.

The waves surge with immense force.
The boat is hidden deep within a crevice.

] ”

Song Chuwang opened the wine pot, took a big gulp and exhaled the aroma of wine. With a flick of his finger, a wisp of wine fragrance condensed into lines of text, creating a three-foot-wide space of peace in the raging wind.

Sure enough, he placed the precious wine pot at his feet and continued on his way.

"I'll write one too!"

The scholars suddenly realized what was happening and quickly took out their brushes and ink, writing various poems and essays on how to avoid the wind.

In the depths of the sea of ​​knowledge, the talent of the candidates suddenly shone like sparks. "Let me write one!"
[Where do the raging waves lead?]

Return to the boat and enter the small bay. .]"

A scholar, having just passed the imperial examination, wielded his brush and wrote a poem in an instant, which was a piece titled "Hearing of My Hometown." The Xuan paper beneath his brush shimmered with a faint white light.

He had only rushed a hundred feet when the poetic light withered and died out suddenly, like a candle flickering in the wind.

"Is the poetry of one's hometown only enough to fly a mere hundred feet across the vast ocean of learning?"

The scholar staggered, so angry that a mouthful of blood stained his blue robe.

How many poems and essays on "Hearing the Hometown" would he have to write to cross this first sea?

"Hahaha--!
Hearing a folk song from my hometown, how can I possibly cross the sea of ​​learning?

Suddenly, a loud laugh was heard from not far away. Then, Qin Wen, the top scholar from Guanzhong, was seen writing a poem, "Zhenhai Yin," with each word bursting with golden light.

The moment the poem was completed, the ancient bronze sword beneath his feet transformed into a dragon, carrying him through the waves for thousands of feet, carving out snow-white ravines on the sea surface.

At the forefront, Qin Wen's chant pierced through the wind and waves: "Riding the wind and breaking the waves, traversing the eight directions,"
Suddenly, dark clouds appeared, obscuring the light of the sky. —

With each word uttered, the sword's light surged by ten feet, its azure glow paving a golden road through the raging sea.

The waves of the sea of ​​learning, stretching for miles ahead, were driven back by a single poem he wrote, causing the wind and waves to recede by half a mile!

The scholars were then astonished to realize that the difference in the quality of poetry and lyrics had a world of difference in effect in the vast sea of ​​learning!
Poems written outside the county can easily travel dozens of miles, while poems written outside the village can only travel a hundred feet.

The top scholars from various regions of the Great Zhou Dynasty, including Liu Chun from the Bashu region, Zhang Heng from the Jibei region, and Cao Jin from the Central Plains region, all composed poems.

However, they seemed to hold back, producing only some excellent works around the county level, while observing the actions and performances of others.

Then decide which poems to use to cross the first sea.

With their talent, their poems could easily be categorized between "hearing of the village" and "leaving the county".

Of course, it would be much more difficult to make a [Dafu], but if you rack your brains and put in all your effort, it is not impossible.

The Qinglian Flying Boat rose and fell amidst the raging waves, and Jiang Xingzhou's clothes were torn by the salty sea breeze.

He gazed at the inky black waves that seemed to engulf the heavens and earth, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the jade pen handle within his sleeve—

The various poems, lyrics, and prose about the sea, wind, and waves from China's millennia-old cultural heritage are now revolving in my mind like a revolving lantern.

With so many options, it can be difficult to make a decision.

"Ode to the Sea is too ornate, and Waves Washing Sand is too gentle. It's hard to choose!"

Suddenly, a thunderbolt cleaved the chaos of the sea.

Jiang Xingzhou suddenly recalled that autumn day in the twelfth year of Jian'an, when the warlord Cao Cao poured wine by the river and won a victory in his northern expedition against the Wuhuan, he climbed Jieshi and wrote the four-character ancient poem "Viewing the Sea"!
"Amidst the turbulent seas, the legacy of Cao Cao remains!"

—A masterpiece by the King of the Sea!
"Let's use this!"

Jiang Xingzhou suddenly looked up, his eyes seemingly filled with inverted stars.

The moment the three words "Viewing the Vast Sea" rolled between his lips, the scholar's pendant at his waist suddenly trembled like a dragon's roar.

The majestic winds sweeping across the summit of Jieshi Mountain are piercing through a thousand years of time and space!

"Viewing the Sea"

[Looking eastward to Jieshi Mountain, I gaze upon the vast sea!]

Jiang Xingzhou sat upright on the flying boat, writing on the Xuan paper in front of him while chanting.

The brushstrokes fell like a cleaving wave; the ink was barely dry before the sound of thunder could be heard.

"boom!"

The raging sea of ​​knowledge suddenly split apart, and a giant black rock island rose from the abyss, its jagged rocks standing like Cao Cao with his hand on his sword.

"The waters are calm and still, the mountains and islands stand tall and majestic."

"Trees grow in abundance, and grasses flourish."

The moment those words left his lips, the raging tide around the island suddenly froze.

The gentle ripples of water transform into a bronze mirror, reflecting the majestic outline of the towering mountains and islands.

The towering waves crashed against the rock walls, shattering into countless stars that fell among the lush vegetation—the island was covered with exotic flowers and trees, no ordinary species, each leaf shimmering with the golden light of the Jian'an era.

"The autumn wind is bleak, and the waves are surging."

The entire sea suddenly lost its color.

Thousands of snowy waves condensed into countless naval armors, and the sounds of clashing swords and galloping horses could be faintly heard in the howling hurricane.

It's like Cao Cao throwing his whip to stop a river!
The raging waves that had been avoiding the island suddenly surged upwards, but could not shake the Jieshi rock.

But then, the sea of ​​learning ahead was cleaved open by these half-stanzas of poetry, and a path to heaven paved with starlight and wave foam was rising straight from the top of the reef into the depths of the clouds!
The surrounding scholars were immediately horrified, stopped writing, and looked towards Jiang Xingzhou.

"Crack——!"

Ji Beidao Zhang Heng's wolf-hair brush snapped in two, ink splattering onto the unfinished draft, spreading out in a panic.

Bashu Liu Chun pressed down hard on the trembling Xuan paper, but couldn't stop the buzzing sound emanating from the scholar's pendant at his waist—it seemed to be trembling!

"Half a poem is finished, yet the image of the vast ocean being cut off is already visible!"

Cao Jin, the top scholar from the Central Plains region, swallowed hard and widened his eyes. "If the second half of the poem is included, wouldn't that be..."

The sea of ​​knowledge suddenly fell into an eerie silence!
The talents of hundreds of candidates were as if choked by an invisible hand, and the precious light of those poems [leaving the county] floating in mid-air dimmed, as if the stars had shamefully hidden their light under the blazing sun.

Amidst the surging waves of learning, Jiang Xingzhou piloted his Azure Lotus Flying Boat, soaring through the air, his robes fluttering in the wind, the still-wet ink flowing like a dragon on the rice paper.

His lips curled into a hint of Cao Cao's style, and his brushstrokes hovered after the four characters "surging waves"—

"The movement of the sun and moon seems to originate from within it!"
The starry sky is brilliant, as if emerging from within it!
How fortunate I am! Let me sing to express my aspirations!

Jiang Xingzhou continued writing, pen in hand.

In an instant,
Behind him, countless phantom images of Wei Wu soldiers were seen whipping their whips towards the sea.

Suddenly, the image of the sun and moon shining together appeared in the void, with the red crow and jade toad taking turns, and in the splash of ink, they transformed into a blood-red sunrise, which emerged powerfully from the lines of poetry.

The sea of ​​knowledge rises with the sun and moon!
In an instant, thousands of stars hang upside down, and the brilliant stars all flow with the fragrance of ink, weaving a star map in the sky above the sea of ​​learning.

The Xuan paper under Jiang Xingzhou's brush suddenly radiates brilliant light, and the ink characters transform into golden dragons bursting forth from the scroll.

"Boom!"

In an instant, the celestial phenomena changed drastically.

Jiang Xingzhou stood atop the Azure Lotus Flying Boat!
His robes fluttered, and his black hair flew wildly!

Behind them, the crimson sunrise shone brightly alongside the radiant moon!

The sun and moon hung in the sky, the Milky Way rolled upside down, and the vast sky slowly unfolded behind him like a scroll painting.

Billions of stars move like a game of chess, as if the entire universe has become his backdrop.

On the sea of ​​learning, the wind has ceased, the waves have calmed, and the world is silent.

In that instant, he became the king of the first sea at the pinnacle of literature!

Upon hearing this heavenly music, the raging sea ahead was as if it had seen a sage, and the towering turbulent waves bowed down in submission, instantly transforming into a clear, bright mirror.

Like a king descending, the raging sea surrenders in his presence!
The raging tide of the Confucian Temple's academic sea [the first sea] actually bowed and swayed before his essay "Viewing the Sea," and was completely subdued.

Jiang Xingzhou held "Viewing the Sea" in his hand, and the blue lotus flying boat formed from "On the Love of Lotus" under his feet suddenly burst forth with brilliant literary light.

The boat shuddered, like a rainbow piercing the sun, and instantly swept across a hundred miles, breaking straight to the end of the first sea in the sea of ​​learning!
The candidates stood frozen in place, their expressions utterly shocked, their eyes filled with horror.

"This this……"

"He...he's suppressed the first sea?"

"What kind of poetry could possibly dominate the entire field of learning?"

They looked at each other, their throats dry, unable to even utter a cry of surprise.

Since the Confucian Temple opened up the sea of ​​learning, for thousands of years, no one has ever been able to use such domineering power to calm the sea with a poem and set the world in motion with a stroke of the pen!
(End of this chapter)