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

Chapter 316 Who can reach the summit without gazing upon countless withered bones?

Chen Xu didn't care about Luo Wenhuan, but Luo Wenhuan cared about him very much.

Throughout the day, he stared at her repeatedly.

The more composed Chen Xu was, the more unsettled Luo Wenhuan became.

But the provincial examination was a long journey.

This event will last for nine days and includes three major examinations.

The first exam focused on the Four Books and Five Classics, and the questions on the first day were presented in the form of calligraphy interpretations of the classics.

The main challenge on this day was the large number of questions and the difficulty in memorizing them.

By dusk, the number of questions for the day had reached as many as three hundred.

Later, the only sounds in the examination room were the sound of pens and ink falling on paper, and the heavy, anxious breathing of many candidates.

The vast examination hall seemed to have become a bottomless abyss.

The setting sun cast its last rays on the half-lit scene, the light and shadow stretching out long.

The climate was hot and humid, and the air was thin.

Huchihuchi——

That was the sound of test takers desperately squeezing their brains.

Then the clapper sounded three more times.

Bang Bang Bang!
The official on the astrolabe shouted in a drawn-out voice, "Collect the scrolls—"

In a moment of panic, someone knocked over the inkstone.

Immediately, a series of urgent screams rang out in the room: "No, my answer sheet!"

But there was no way to make him retake the exam.

Papers with obvious stains were destined to be rejected.

Of course, candidates can still continue taking the exam, but what the final result will be is another matter.

Don't even mention that these candidates are all scholars; how come they are still so unsteady on the day of the provincial examination?

In fact, even candidates with the title of Juren (举人) could still encounter various problems when they arrived at the metropolitan examination hall.

Missing pens, typos, smudged answer sheets, paper flying away, fainting halfway through... even getting a "poop stamp" because you can't hold it in, are all common mistakes in scientific examinations.

Even towards the end of the exam, quite a few students died from sudden illnesses.

The wronged souls in the imperial examinations, from the prefectural examinations to the provincial examinations and the metropolitan examinations, always progressed step by step.

Who can reach the summit without seeing countless withered bones?

This wasn't Chen Xu's first time entering an examination hall, but this time, his feelings were particularly profound.

After collecting the papers, it was time for lunch.

Chen Xu casually drank a couple of sips of water and ate a handful of fried rice.

Then it's time to close your eyes and rest.

Overall, the first day's exam wasn't particularly difficult; the main problem was the exam format, which put immense pressure on the test-takers' emotions.

In the dead of night, the world is quiet.

The faint starlight shone down from the dark blue sky. Chen Xu lay half-reclined in his small cell, fully clothed, his breathing shallow and almost imperceptible.

This is actually a breathing method that returns to one's innate nature.

Although the presence of the Heavenly Bell at the examination hall prevented Chen Xu from meditating and cultivating at this time, his physique was still far superior to that of ordinary people.

He rested quietly, seemingly asleep but not quite.

When the starlight in the sky dimmed, he had a strange dream.

In my dream, countless pale, translucent giant pythons seemed to soar into the sky.

They flew in from the hell where water and fire intertwined. In the vast and empty world, there was no colorful world of mortals, but there were countless strange and distorted voices shouting.

"Buzzing..."

"Hee hee hee……"

"Heaven and earth are unjust, and even sages are unwise!"

"The sages are ignorant... Why don't I seek the light myself?"

"Ahhhh!"

"Hehehe..." It was a mixture of crying and laughing, seemingly heartbreaking, yet also a frenzied celebration.

A distant and hazy voice asked:

"A thousand years of literary history, a lifetime of studying the classics, the sayings of sages, the vast annals of history... Scholars, you have read so many books, I only ask, have you ever received justice?"

"Excuse me, excuse me..."

Is there any fairness and justice in this world?

"To ensure that the elderly have support, the young are cared for, the older generation continues their studies, and the younger generation has means to make a living..."

"So that all grievances can be redressed, and all injustices can be restored to fairness."

"To sacrifice all spirits and change the world."

"Set things right!"

"Ahhh-"

Finally, all the shouts merged into an endless roar.

The sound waves surged like a raging torrent, crashing towards the sky with a deafening roar.

In the dark blue sky, the giant pythons that rushed out of hell formed a huge archway with upturned eaves.

Above the archway, the dragon's head stands proudly.

This is a dragon gate!
The next moment, a huge object suddenly leaped out from the raging waves.

It was entirely bluish-black, with a long body, a fish tail and fins, and a short-snout fish head.

This is clearly a strangely shaped, dragon-like but not quite dragon-like large blue carp.

Carp leaping over the dragon gate!
A word instantly popped into Chen Xu's mind.

However, the next moment, he immediately became alert and immediately denied it in his mind—

No, how could this thing possibly leap over the Dragon Gate?

At that moment, Chen Xu was clearly in a dream, and he felt an extreme sense of insignificance and emptiness. But as soon as he had the thought of denial, this vast world suddenly seemed to be attacked by some invisible behemoth.

Boom boom boom!
The dragon gate, entwined with giant pythons, snapped instantly, and the hellish scene of churning water and fire vanished like smoke.

Then came an angry scream: "Ah! What kind of demon has ruined my foundation..."

boom!
The grand scene collapsed in an instant, and everything in the dream vanished into nothingness.

Chen Xu then came to his senses and realized that he had just been dreaming.

However, he was already at the Golden Core stage, so how could he easily dream?
Unless one experiences a spiritual connection, one can only glimpse the mystery in a dream.

Or perhaps there was something strange in the examination room that invaded his dream!
Which possibility is it?

Chen Xu opened his eyes, and his gaze suddenly met the lantern hanging on the top of the cell.

The lights were dim, and the yellowish lampshade swayed in the deep night, seemingly coating the whole world with an old, dreamlike color.

In the examination hall, near and far, there were sounds of snoring, mumbling in one's sleep, and sobbing.

And occasionally, a few screams would rang out: "No, save me!"

"No, it's not my fault, why do you want to eat me?"

"Ah! Help! Let me go..."

It's unknown what those exclaiming candidates experienced in their sleep.

Chen Xu had heard Feng Yuanbai say that although the Imperial Examination Hall was a place where scholars gathered, it should theoretically uphold righteousness and survive, and with the Heavenly Bell guarding it, it should be impervious to all evil.

However, in reality, the Imperial Examination Hall was filled with the resentment of countless students who failed the exams, as students lost their lives every year.

As a result, resentment and evil spirits were practically everywhere in the examination hall.

If a candidate's will is weak, they may be affected by evil spirits, which can disturb their mind, deplete their energy, and affect their performance in the exam.

In more serious cases, their life lamps might be blown out!
And this is actually part of the exam.

All candidates take the same exam. If you lack righteousness and are disturbed by evil spirits, who can you blame?

It's just that they're not as skilled as the other person.

Chen Xu regulated his breathing and calmed his mind.

He listened to the various chaotic sounds around him, but a question arose in his mind:
Was everything I experienced in my dream just now truly caused by the evil spirits in the examination hall?

(End of this chapter)