Food gives me an entry, I will be invincible if I stay alive

Chapter 315 Within the Examination Hall, Life and Death hang in the balance

In the silent examination hall, only a majestic voice could be heard coming from the high-up Observatory.

"Respect Heaven and Earth, respect our ancestors, respect all living beings!"

Heaven and earth, sages, and all living beings!

The official in charge of the ceremony recited the inscription aloud.

The long, drawn-out voice seemed to travel through time, bringing all the candidates back to the scene of their first time entering the examination hall.

Yesterday seemed to repeat itself, but everyone's feelings were ultimately different from before.

Some people cleared away all the clutter, while others sighed inwardly.

All the candidates stood up solemnly.

They bowed to the north, where the Confucian temple was located, and respectfully chanted: "Respect Heaven and Earth, respect the sages, respect all living beings!"

Bang Bang Bang!
Three sounds rang out. On the Star-Examining Platform, the chief examiner and the assistant examiners sat motionless, while only the ceremonial officer issued the command: "Divide the papers! Prepare the questions!"

The so-called "distribution of scrolls" refers to the process by which the supervising clerk, along with the inspecting soldiers, distributes blank scrolls one by one.

As for the test questions, they were not on the test paper, but written on test paper cards.

The examiners, carrying signs, walked through the passageway between the examination cells.

The candidates in the examination cells had to strain their eyes to read the words on the examination paper, write them down from memory, and then answer the questions accurately.

This question format immediately drew a series of soft gasps.

The morning light was just right, and although the weather was hot, the inside of the cell was still relatively cool.

Inside the cells, some people remained calm, while others couldn't help but feel restless.

The format of the provincial examination questions changes every year, and sometimes the question-setting methods from a few years ago are used in rotation. However, the difficulty of this year's questions is something that has not been heard of for many years.

This method not only tests the candidate's eyesight and memory, but also their hand speed and mental fortitude.

At this moment, no one dares to delay.

After a few gasps, the only sounds in the examination room were the rapid grinding of ink and the soft scratching of the brush on paper.

The soldiers who patrolled the examinations were specially trained. They walked slowly and silently through the cell passages.

Although the pen made a sound as it fell, the entire examination room was clearly plunged into an indescribable silence.

The key to this is like "the birdsong makes the mountain more secluded" or "the wispy clouds over the Milky Way".

Until, without anyone noticing, the sun rose high in the sky.

The bright sunlight shone down, and the cell gradually filled with heat.

The soldiers holding up signs went through round after round.

Half a morning had passed, and judging from the number of times they raised their placards, they had already created a hundred questions that morning!

Although most of these one hundred questions are just from the "Ink and Brush Classics", how many people can easily handle such a large number of questions?
Inside the examination room, one could hear increasingly heavy breathing.

Next door to Chen Xu lived an old man. When the sun was high in the sky, suddenly the old man let out a loud "hoarse" sound.
"It hurts so much! I only copied 78 out of 100 questions, how could this be? Waaah..."

The old man burst into tears, overwhelmed with grief.

As he cried out, he suddenly fell forward towards the front of the cell.

boom!
The old man climbed over the horizontal board in front of the cell and fell straight to the ground.

The inspecting soldiers reacted swiftly, rushing over to help the old man up, only to find his body stiff, with only his crooked lips still struggling to cry out in pain:

"I will not give up the exam, I cannot give up the exam. I have sold all the land in my family to earn money for the exam."

I can't skip the exam, waaaaah...

Yes, at eighty years old, he was still striving to participate in the provincial examinations. Could he have come from a wealthy family?

Even if they originally had some wealth, it has probably been gradually depleted during these repeated journeys to take the imperial examinations.

Seeing this, none of the other candidates said a word, but they couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness in their hearts.

Those who embark on the path of the imperial examinations, who doesn't know how difficult it is?

There are no open battles in the examination hall, but there is an invisible bloodbath.

In the end, the old man was still carried away.

The soldiers and clerks inspecting the examinations seemed like emotionless objects. They coldly shouted, "Silence! No noise allowed. If you make a fuss again, your family will be disqualified from taking the imperial examinations for three generations!" The old man immediately dared not shout anymore.

Chen Xu saw him being dragged away, saw saliva spitting from the corner of his mouth, and saw his eyes, which had been bulging, filled with despair...

Then, for some reason, it suddenly started to emit a series of low, hoarse laughs while being dragged.

"Hehehe... I passed the imperial examination! Mmmmm..."

The soldiers gagged him, and the man was tied up and thrown into Fulin Road.

The examination hall is now closed, and entry and exit are no longer permitted.

Although the old man was expelled from the examination hall, he could not leave the examination hall.

Even if he were to die before the provincial examination ended, he could only die in the examination hall.

The sun rose to its highest point, and a restless atmosphere filled the air.

Inside the examination hall, it was as if a huge, heavy monster was pressing down on everyone's heart, lurking silently and invisibly.

On the Star-Gazing Platform, the clapper sounded three more times.

The official in charge of ceremonies shouted, "Rest! The test will resume in one hour!"

Wow.

Then came a series of sounds of carefully tidying up the roll of paper.

Chen Xu was also tidying up the rolls of paper.

Although he wasn't tired, he had finished all one hundred questions in the morning. He couldn't just write randomly, so he had to tidy up his answer sheet to avoid any accidents that would make all his hard work go to waste.

He discovered that the feeling of the provincial examination was completely different from that of the previous prefectural and provincial examinations.

Although this is only the first session of the provincial examination, what is being tested so far is only the "simplest" ink-writing classics.

However, the provincial examination required three sessions, lasting nine days and eight nights!

Such a long examination process is a huge test for the physical and mental health of all candidates.

This is the extraordinary world—

Yes, the extraordinary world.

With nine consecutive days of exams, any candidate who hasn't cultivated their inner energy to a certain level before taking the exams will likely be eliminated.

Unless one is truly gifted and has an exceptionally strong physique, it is impossible to persevere for the entire process without cultivating one's inner energy or consuming spiritual substances.

Chen Xu silently felt the cruelty of the provincial examination, and suddenly a strange feeling arose in his heart.

Looking up, he saw a cold-looking young man staring intently at him from a cell about five or six cells away.

Chen Xu raised his eyebrows slightly; he did not recognize this person.

Judging from the man's slightly provocative gaze, it was clear that the other party knew him.

who is it?

Chen Xu glanced at it casually, not paying it any mind.

With over ten thousand candidates in the room, does it matter who is who and what their identities are?

Nature is not important.

Because no matter who it is, they are all the same to him.

Chen Xu remained calm and composed, offering no response.

He simply took out his water pouch and drank a few sips of water.

After eating a couple more handfuls of fried rice, he sat quietly in his cell, closing his eyes to rest.

Having learned from the experience of the previous imperial examination, Chen Xu simply didn't bring any pancakes; he only brought fried rice ground into fine particles.

So, who could possibly tear those pieces of rice to shreds again?
Of course, Chen Xu could actually choose not to eat it.

But he didn't want to stand out too much and attract attention, so he ate a few bites just to fill his stomach.

However, his nonchalant demeanor only made the young man opposite him look even colder and more profound.

What Chen Xu didn't know was that the young man opposite him was none other than Luo Wenhuan, who had once been so angry at his dragon bone waterwheel blueprints that he vomited blood!

(End of this chapter)