Great Zhou Wensheng

Chapter 176 A Poem to Protect the Nation! A National Treasure—Dragon Liver Melon!

Hundreds of candidates stood frozen on the sea, their throats bobbing, but no sound came out.

Their gazes were fixed on the entire sea of ​​knowledge, their pupils trembling as if witnessing a sacred event.

—The entire raging sea surrendered completely at this moment!
The raging waves have subsided, and the once roaring [First Sea] is now as smooth and clean as a mirror.

The sea and sky merge into one, the vast expanse of clear water stretching to the horizon. A lone blue lotus-shaped boat soars through the air, leaving a trail of brilliant literary light on the calm, still sea of ​​learning before vanishing in an instant.

The sea of ​​learning is calm and tranquil!
All because of one person, all because of one poem or article!
"What grade of article is this?"

Some looked anxiously at the other candidates, but could only utter these few words.

Currently, they are all in the virtual realm of the Confucian Temple's Sea of ​​Learning, unable to hear the temple bells and thus unable to judge the quality of the essays based on the sound of the bells.

Given their own mere literary rank, they were not qualified to judge the grade of such an astonishing article!
"This...this strange phenomenon, it's probably most likely a masterpiece that can protect the nation!"

Cao Jin, the top scholar of the Central Plains region, guessed, his face pale, and his folding fan snapped shut.

He had originally planned to conserve his energy, relying solely on a few articles about leaving the county to safely cross the sea—

After all, even a top scholar like him could write poems of the "Da Fu" level if he forced himself to activate his literary talent and exerted all his strength!
But this is too mentally taxing—

The intellectual capacity of every scholar is limited.

The higher the quality of the poems and essays, the greater the mental and physical strain they take on the scholar.

This is also why many scholars, when trying to write articles about [Dazhou and Mingzhou], find themselves exhausted and their minds blank as soon as they pick up a pen.

Once mental energy is exhausted, one will inevitably fall into a deep sleep afterward, which may take several days to recover before waking up.

Some scholars even spent months of painstaking effort, working through the night to revise their essays repeatedly, finally producing a masterpiece, but afterwards they vomited blood and fainted, never to wake up again.

But what he saw before him shocked him to his core!
Jiang Xingzhou casually wielded his brush as if strolling in a garden, creating a masterpiece that suppressed the sea of ​​learning and made the first sea with its thousand-year-old raging waves completely submit!

"Doesn't he... feel exhausted and powerless?"

Cao Jin murmured to herself, her fingertips trembling slightly as she gazed blankly into the distance.

The light of literature still shines brightly on the sea of ​​knowledge.

The Azure Lotus Flying Boat had long since departed, leaving behind an invisible pressure that brought the entire sea to a standstill, with the wind and waves ceasing and all sounds falling silent.

"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!
This is an exceptionally fine article.

Absolutely wonderful!

Ji Beidao Zhang Heng's wolf-hair brush broke. He stared blankly at it, ink splattered on the unfinished manuscript, his eyes filled with shock.

He was completely oblivious, simply gazing intently at the sky above the sea of ​​learning—

There, the sun and moon shine together!
Behind Jiang Xingzhou's retreating figure, the morning sun and the bright moon rose simultaneously, and countless stars hung upside down in the sky.

The glittering stars, along with the fragrance of ink, intertwined in the sky above the Sea of ​​Learning to form a vast star map, as if the entire universe of the Sea of ​​Learning was annotating his masterpiece!
Under the starlight, the figure in the blue robe has long since disappeared into the distance.

Only on the vast sea of ​​learning, under the same sky as the sun and moon, and with the eternal brilliance of the Milky Way.

"This this."

Zhang Heng's Adam's apple bobbed, his voice so dry he could barely utter a sound: "It's actually a [National Guardian] level?"

He trembled all over, and a storm raged within him—

Such a masterpiece, how could Jiang Jieyuan have casually penned it in the vast sea of ​​learning?!
Shouldn't it be reserved for the provincial examination? To allow people to compete for the top scholar position?!
Even more remarkably, he made a stunning debut in the palace examination personally presided over by His Majesty, astonishing everyone present!
This piece, this sentence, is a masterpiece that could move even the emperor, and could absolutely make him the top scholar in the imperial examination!

"Could it be that Jiang Jieyuan was completely unconcerned about the mental and physical strain of writing poems and essays?!"

He completely disregarded the fact that poems and essays of this caliber could be used in a wider range of settings.

Or perhaps, to him, this kind of article was completely commonplace and he had no intention of hiding it at all?!

Bashu Liu Chun looked bitterly at the trembling Xuan paper in front of him and the buzzing sound of the scholar's pendant at his waist, unable to stop the trembling from the resonance with the Way of Literature.

He barely managed to write half an article, which had some of the style of a [Da Fu]. The second half was not yet finished.

The ink on the Xuan paper was not yet dry, yet it paled in comparison to Jiang Xingzhou's brilliant writing!
"Jiang Jieyuan is terrifyingly strong!"

Liu Chun's throat tightened, and his voice became hoarse as if sandpaper was being rubbed: "Such a national treasure-level essay would be enough to alarm the emperor in the palace examination, yet it seems to him as if it were something he could write with ease?!"

"Where exactly is his limit?"

Li Yuankui, Wang Wei, Mo Yanqing, and the other nine top scholars simultaneously pressed down on the trembling pendants at their waists and exchanged glances.

These exceptional talents, who had emerged from among countless scholars, now wore expressions of unprecedented solemnity and pressure.

Jiang Xingzhou's displayed strength has exceeded their comprehension—what unfathomable literary and Daoist attainments are hidden behind that snow-white crane cloak?

But did they just surrender like that?!
Do not!
Never give up!

Lu Mengzheng, the top scholar from the northern route, suddenly clenched his fist, a trace of literary energy seeping out from between his fingers, his eyes firm: "We are also top scholars from the ten routes of the Great Zhou Dynasty. We have traversed countless mountains of corpses and seas of blood to stand here!"

We, too, are the pride of the candidates in the eyes of all!

"That's right!
Hahaha—that's great!

Song Chuwang, the top scholar of the Jingchu region, tilted his head back and drank deeply, the strong liquor flowing freely down his neck.

“I, Song Chuwang, come from the Jingchu Road. Looking around, I have no equal. What’s the point of standing out from the crowd?”

He laughed heartily, his sleeves billowing as he revealed his wild and unrestrained nature: "Next year's imperial examination, I hope to meet a prodigy like Brother Jiang—"

This truly demonstrates the qualities of a top scholar like myself!

"boom!"

The wine jug splashed, and a spark ignited!
The nectar in the pot transformed into a blazing, gentle flame, flickering and spitting out at the rim!

A crimson flame, like a dragon emerging from the sea, tore a dazzling trail across the calm sea of ​​knowledge.

Poems and verses faintly appeared in the firelight, carrying the unrestrained literary spirit unique to the Chu region, turning half of the sea area crimson!

Before the echo had even faded, Song Chuwang had already stepped onto the flaming wine jug Wenbao and was flying rapidly through the sea and sky.

He used his literary talent, fueled by fire, to carve a fiery path through the oppressive literary aura left by Jiang Xingzhou!
"Qiang——!"

A clear, resonant sword cry echoed through the sky, and the ancient bronze sword Wenbao beneath Qin Wen's feet in Guanzhong suddenly emitted a dazzling, cold light.

The seal script inscribed on the sword lit up one after another, like a reversed Milky Way!

"It was only after meeting Jiang Jieyuan in this lifetime that we realized there are mountains beyond mountains, and heavens beyond heavens!"

Qin Wen let out a long roar, his robes fluttering in the wind, and laughed loudly: "What about holding back strength? What about hiding your edge and concealing your weaknesses?!"
This petty scheming, compared to Jiang Jieyuan's, is nothing short of the narrow-mindedness and pettiness of a country bumpkin, utterly laughable!

"bass!"

A thousand-foot sword light poured down like a silver river, drawing an astonishing trajectory in the sky above the Sea of ​​Learning.

The ancient charm of "Qin Feng" faintly emerged from the sword energy, and the fierce sword intent tore a crack in the clouds!
The other seven top scholars felt a stinging pain in their cheeks, a result of the scattered sword energy.

But no one backed down at this moment; instead, a burning fighting spirit ignited in everyone's eyes.

These prodigies were forced to unleash unprecedented potential under Jiang Xingzhou's pressure.

Mo Yanqing, the scholar from Lingnan who had been silent all along, suddenly produced twelve golden pages from his sleeve and wrote them down in one go.
Zhang Heng of Jibei Road even bit his fingertip and used his blood as ink to write wildly.

At this moment, the nine prodigies held nothing back, and their various literary brilliance soared into the sky—

In an instant, the literary spirit of the academic world soared to the heavens.

Faced with Jiang Xingzhou's poem that calmed the sea, all attempts to conceal one's shortcomings and methods seemed laughable!
Jiang Xingzhou's brilliant talent, like a blazing sun, only highlighted the arrogance and fierce spirit in the bones of these geniuses!
These true geniuses and top scholars of the ten provinces of the Great Zhou Dynasty will never easily bow down!

Hundreds of candidates stood frozen in place, staring at the backs of the ten top scholars who were riding the waves ahead.

Someone suddenly awoke with a start and shouted, "Everyone! The sea of ​​learning is calm and tranquil. If we don't cross it now, when will we?"

One stone caused a thousand waves!

"Jiang Jieyuan's poem 'Viewing the Sea' is a masterpiece that can suppress the entire sea of ​​learning!"

Such an opportunity is a once-in-a-century occurrence!

"Hurry! Follow me!"

In an instant, hundreds of figures shot out like arrows.

Some people walk on inkstones and precious writing implements, while others wield pens and write swiftly.

Even more extreme cases involve people whose original vehicles have been damaged, who immediately produce a treasured manuscript of poetry, using literary talent as their vessel.

"Whoosh—!" Hundreds of ripples were created on the calm sea surface.

The candidates chased each other, but all tacitly maintained a certain distance.

Faced with this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to cross the first sea, no one wanted to jeopardize the important matter by scrambling for it.

In the distance, Jiang Xingzhou's figure had already transformed into a tiny green ray on the horizon of the sea of ​​learning.

But the entire First Sea changed color because of his poem "Viewing the Sea"—the originally raging sea breeze became docile, and even the waves became gentle.

Jiang Xingzhou, draped in a snow-white crane cloak, stood with his hands behind his back on the boat. The flying boat soared through the air and suddenly reached the horizon.

Suddenly, the clouds and mist cleared in front of us—

A fairy island rises from the vast sea of ​​learning, its lush greenery concealing a magnificent palace.

The pavilion's eaves soared like a phoenix spreading its wings, and its glazed tiles reflected the morning light, shimmering with seven colors. It was clearly the legendary sacred place of literature and Taoism!

"This is.?"

The sea breeze carries the clear, melodious sound of bells, and the pavilions and towers of Sendai seem to hold ancient sages reciting timeless texts.

The island is home to many rare and exotic fruits.

The surrounding air was filled with a scholarly atmosphere, which condensed into golden lotuses floating on the sea surface, blooming with the rise and fall of the waves.

Jiang Xingzhou's eyes flickered slightly.

He clearly saw—

On the plaque above the highest pavilion, the three characters "Viewing the Sea" exude the literary brilliance of heaven and earth, echoing the poem "Viewing the Sea" that he had just composed!

As the flying boat drew nearer, a flock of white cranes suddenly soared into the sky above the island, circling around with spirit fruits in their beaks.

Jiang Xingzhou flew down through the clouds and stepped onto the jade steps of the immortal island.

"Could this be a resting place set up by Xuehai here?"

He thought to himself.

Having just crossed the sea of ​​knowledge in one go, I have already exhausted seven-tenths of my talent.

If one were to force one to cross the second sea, one would likely lack the necessary talent and fall into the sea.

Looking up, one sees pavilions and towers scattered across the Spirit Island, each revealing a hidden mystery.

At the highest point of the mountain, the golden plaque of the "Viewing the Sea" pavilion gleams, as if echoing his earlier article.

With a thought, Jiang Xingzhou leaped into the air.

The moment my toes touched the ground, I saw a jade stele, ten feet tall, standing in front of the building.

The inscription on the stele, flowing like dragons and snakes, was actually the full text of his poem "Viewing the Sea" that he had just composed!
What's even more alarming is the signature—

The First Sea at the Great Zhou Confucian Temple
The foremost figure in crossing the sea: Jiangnan Daojie Yuanjiang Xingzhou, [Zhenguo] poem: "Viewing the Sea"

The three lines of gilded characters shone brightly in the sunlight, and between the lines, there seemed to be dragons formed from the essence of literature, coiling and swirling.

The vermilion doors of the attic opened by themselves without any wind, and melodious zither music drifted out from inside, as if welcoming the author of this article.

Jiang Xingzhou surveyed the entire island, his heart and soul trembling—

Amidst the thousands of peaks vying for beauty, magnificent palaces and pavilions are scattered like stars in the sky.

In front of each pavilion stands a jade stele, its gilded inscriptions gleaming in the sunlight.

Upon closer inspection, one realizes that only the most exquisite writings of the [Dafu] level or above can manifest their brilliance here, leaving their mark as a pavilion to forever guard the sea of ​​knowledge!

"I see."

He stood with his hands behind his back, his clothes fluttering in the wind.

This fairy island is no ordinary place to rest, but a sacred place where the culture and Tao of the Great Zhou have accumulated over millions of years.

Only those exceptionally talented individuals who have navigated the sea of ​​learning throughout history can leave their mark here with a masterpiece!

As he was deep in thought, he suddenly heard a series of whooshing sounds behind him.

In a moment,

Nine top scholars and hundreds of other candidates arrived one after another, like stars falling onto a fairy island.

They rode flying swords and flying boats, carrying literary treasures, or stood on brushes, ink, and poems, their faces filled with shock and ecstasy.

After all, in previous years, before the Spring Examination, the Confucius Temple would open the sea of ​​learning on the day of Lidong, and only a dozen or so people could cross the "first sea". When has there ever been such a grand occasion as today?
"Look! That's..."

One of the candidates exclaimed in surprise,
Suddenly, the clear cry of cranes was heard, and dozens of white cranes gracefully descended from the clouds.

One of the cranes, pure white in color, was particularly extraordinary. It carried an amber-colored spiritual fruit in its beak and slowly landed in front of Jiang Xingzhou amidst the gasps of the crowd.

The spiritual fruit was about a foot long, crystal clear like amber, with a flowing stream of literary energy beneath its skin.

The mere fragrance emanating from it was enough to make the scholars around it feel their inner energy subtly boiling!

These spiritual fruits carried by the many white cranes are the prizes given to them for crossing the first sea!

With a long cry, the crane flapped its wings, and the amber-colored fruit fell into Jiang Xingzhou's palm.

The fruit peel felt warm to the touch, and even seemed to pulsate slightly, as if it were alive.

The flesh was as translucent as jade, with golden light seemingly flowing within, as if it were alive. Upon the slightest contact, one felt a tremor in one's literary palace, and even one's literary heart leap with joy.

"What kind of fruit is this? I've never seen anything like it before!"

Song Chuwang's pupils contracted sharply. Suddenly remembering something, he unfolded his feather fan with a whoosh. "The Records of the Cave of Darkness states: 'The dragon liver melon of the East Sea is one foot long, amber in color, and tastes like honey when cut.'"

This treasure is named for its resemblance to a dragon's liver!
Legend has it that the Taoist immortal Xia Qiuzhong, while gathering medicinal herbs, obtained this melon. After eating it, he lived a thousand years without thirst! The melon's surface is always covered in frost and snow, and when scraped and tasted, it is like honey.

His voice trembled: "When Emperor Wu of Han performed the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai, he searched the whole country for all kinds of divine objects, and he once used this dragon liver melon to offer sacrifices to heaven."

Unexpectedly, at the very end of this sea of ​​knowledge, I would find such a rare and precious fruit!

Upon hearing this, the surrounding scholars were immediately in an uproar.

Someone exclaimed, "This...this really is a dragon liver melon? Isn't that the legendary national treasure?"

"Indeed! It is said that this item can refine a scholar's literary foundation, making his literary palace as solid as a rock, his literary mind as clear as the bright moon, and his literary courage as radiant as the rising sun!"

"Such national treasures, if discovered outside the country, would surely be presented to the royal family for use in grand festivals such as the Heaven-worshiping and Fengshan ceremonies!"
However, this is the Confucian Temple and its academy; all rare and exotic fruits and vegetables harvested here cannot be taken out and must be consumed on the spot!

The candidates discussed it animatedly, their expressions filled with envy.

Jiang Xingzhou lowered his eyes and examined it closely. He saw that the melon rind had naturally formed mysterious patterns that resembled an ancient sacrificial text.

A gentle sniff reveals a unique fragrance that permeates the senses, invigorating both the writer's spirit and courage.

Even more remarkably, after the fragrance entered the body, the energy in the meridians accelerated its circulation, more than three times faster than usual!
Song Chuwang, the top scholar of Jingchu Dao, was the second person to set foot on Ling Island after Jiang Xingzhou, and he also received the favor of a crane.

A red-crowned crane gracefully arrived, carrying a peach the size of a fist in its beak.

The peach skin is as thin as a cicada's wing, revealing the amber-like flesh inside. The tip of the peach is a touch of bright red, like the morning glow. Even before you take a bite, its unique fragrance is already irresistible.

"This"

Song Chuwang's eyes widened, his hands trembled slightly, and then he suddenly burst into laughter: "The 'Inner Biography of Emperor Wu of Han' says: 'The Queen Mother's peaches only bear fruit once every three thousand years!'"

This peach before me, though not the legendary three-thousand-year-old celestial fruit, judging from its spiritual energy, is at least a spirit peach that ripens once every three hundred years!

He carefully picked up the peach, and saw a faint flow of spiritual energy beneath its skin.

Just smelling its fragrance makes one feel the pores of the body open up, and even the ailments accumulated from years of hard study are relieved a bit.

"Wonderful!"

Song Chuwang clapped his hands and exclaimed, "With the nourishment of this spiritual peach, I will live at least several decades longer! It will also greatly benefit my literary mind and refine my talent!"

At this moment, white cranes and auspicious clouds swirled around the island, and the scholars who arrived later also gained something.

The first ten top scholars to land on the island obtained the most precious items, either the "Vermilion Fruit" that could refine the literary palace or the "Jade Marrow" that could nourish the literary mind.

The other candidates, though slightly inferior, still obtained rare and precious materials such as "Lingzhi" to strengthen their bodies and "Bodhi seeds" to enhance their understanding.

“In previous years, only a dozen or so people were able to cross the first sea during the spring imperial examinations.”

An elderly scholar, holding a piece of "three-hundred-year-old Solomon's Seal" he had just acquired, exclaimed excitedly, "Today, this old man has actually obtained such a treasure, greatly increasing my literary cultivation by ten years!"

The candidates looked at each other and smiled, their eyes revealing undisguised joy.

In previous years, their group of hundreds of scholars would not have been able to reach the end of the first sea and obtain this harvest.

(End of this chapter)