Primordial Era: A Counterattack Against Hongjun Daozu at the Start

"The human race's imperial examinations benefit all living beings." Zhou Yi's gentle yet clear voice rang out, echoing throughout the entire prehistoric world like thunder.

The voice seemed to transcend the limitations of time and space, spreading to every corner and shocking all living beings who heard it. At this moment, he was not speaking to a specific person, but communicating with the entire primordial world.

These words, spoken softly, caused all the powerful beings in the primordial world, including those holding high positions of sainthood, to feel an undeniable force. They all opened their long-closed eyes and turned their gazes toward the human race.

Inside the Jade Void Palace, the Primordial Celestial Venerable, who was originally cultivating in peace, frowned upon sensing this power.

He had always been indifferent to the human race, but because of the recent actions of the Tongtian Sect Leader, he developed a slight aversion to them.

Seeing the human race create such an astonishing commotion, his first reaction was to intervene and stop them, lest the human race take this opportunity to rise and threaten the status of the Chan Sect.

Just as he was about to act, the Supreme Being suddenly appeared and gently raised his hand to stop him.

"No need to be impatient, the human race is getting stronger," Taishang said expressionlessly.

Yuanshi Tianzun looked at Taishang, his heart filled with questions: Why would Taishang support the rise of the human race? After all, Taishang had been stripped of his destiny connection with the human race by Hongjun Laozu.

However, before he could even ask, he was surprised to discover that a subtle connection seemed to have been re-established between the Supreme Being and the human race.

"Brother, what's going on?" Yuanshi Tianzun couldn't help but ask.

The Supreme Lord simply shook his head slightly, offering no further explanation.

Although on the surface the connection between the Human Sect and the Supreme Being has been severed, he still has one disciple remaining in the mortal realm, and this connection has never been truly broken. More importantly, the Supreme Being deeply understands that the importance of this human race's imperial examination far exceeds what appears to be.

"Let him go. This time it's in our favor, there's no need to stop him."

Taishang's words made Yuanshi Tianzun even more confused, and he even suspected that Taishang had some secret plan with his master Hongjun Laozu, which was why he was helping the human race to restore their destiny.

This thought took root in his mind, making him consider whether he should go to his master to find out the truth.

Unlike the attitudes of Yuanshi Tianzun and Taishang, the two Western Saints showed shock on their faces when they witnessed all this.

"What are they doing? That's the energy of merit, displayed without reservation!" Zhunti Daoist exclaimed.

The aura of merit that illuminated half the sky was, in his eyes, priceless. How wonderful it would be if this merit could fall into the hands of the Western Religion.

The guide was also speechless, stunned by the sight before him.

He stammered, "No...it's not just that, there's also the aura of another great road there."

"I always felt that thing wasn't simple."

"Perhaps it will be another great opportunity."

His eyes revealed longing, and he inwardly regretted not sending disciples of the Western Cult to the human race sooner. He had missed such a golden opportunity.

"What a pity, why didn't we let our compatriots go to the human realm?" the Guide Daoist thought to himself. "Otherwise, the two of us could have gone and obtained a portion!"

The more Zhunti Daoist thought about it, the more annoyed he became.

Just as the two Western saints were filled with regret and shock, Zhou Yi's next move made them even more astonished.

Zhou Yi slowly raised his hands, and a mysterious power surged from his palms, igniting all the merit energy that illuminated half the sky.

Instantly, golden flames roared and illuminated the entire sky.

"What is he doing?" Zhunti Daoist's face was full of horror, and his voice changed. "This is simply insane."

"Indeed!" the Guide also exclaimed.

Such a bold act was unprecedented, even in the eyes of a sage.

The Book of Changes uses merit as fuel to ignite a golden divine fire to temper the path to heaven beneath one's feet and the righteous energy permeating the other half of the sky.

This behavior inspires both awe and fear.

Under the influence of this powerful energy, Fang Yun and Yu Hao felt as if their bodies were being torn apart, and they could hardly bear it.

They dared not linger in the air any longer and hurriedly used magic to return to the ground and come to the side of the Emperor Sui.

"Ancestor, what's going on?" Emperor Sui asked anxiously.

Fang Yun and Yu Hao exchanged a glance and sighed helplessly.

At this moment, everything the I Ching was doing was beyond their comprehension. All they could do was wait and observe.

"Let's continue with the task over there. We'll personally grade the papers after the candidates finish answering the questions and announce the results as soon as possible," Fang Yun said.

Suihuang nodded silently. Due to the presence of the examination hall barrier, the events on Zhouyi's side did not affect the candidates who were taking the exam.

Inside the examination room, all the candidates were completely focused on answering the questions.

For them, this exam paper is not just an exam, but an opportunity to change their destiny and realize their ideals, representing the future and hope.

As time passed, three hours later, a candidate finally finished his exam and became the first to leave the examination hall.

Yu Hao and Fang Yun immediately stepped forward, took the test papers, and began to grade them carefully.

The results were quickly released and updated rapidly on a huge list outside the examination hall, making each candidate's score and ranking clear at a glance.

"Someone has emerged, and their results are outstanding!" someone who had been keeping a close eye on the leaderboard exclaimed excitedly.

This shout instantly shattered the silence outside the examination hall.

The previously quiet crowd immediately erupted in excitement, with everyone gathering around, eager to see who this outstanding candidate was.

"Qualified, Good, Excellent, and Recommended—these are the four evaluation criteria." Someone said, "I didn't expect the first one to be rated as Excellent; it's truly impressive."

"With this excellent evaluation, his future career prospects are incredibly bright." This was a topic of discussion among the crowd: "Whose child is this? Whose pride is he?"

Just as everyone was cheering for this outstanding candidate, a mysterious cultural aura slowly rose from the exam paper and drifted into the sky.

This was just the beginning. As time went on, more and more candidates handed in their papers, and a cultural atmosphere flowed out of the examination room like a gentle stream, converging into a vast expanse in the air.

Zhou Yi gazed at the gradually thickening cultural atmosphere in the sky and chuckled, "All the literary energy in the world belongs to me." Standing on the path leading to the sky, he was surrounded by golden flames.

He continuously integrated those meritorious flames into himself, and each integration enhanced his power, triggering subtle changes in his body.

With each step you take, a radiant staircase appears beneath your feet; take another step, and another staircase shines with the light of justice.

And so, Zhou Yi continued to rise without stopping, his power growing stronger and stronger, rising from the mid-stage of the Middle Saint realm all the way to its peak.