Primordial Era: A Counterattack Against Hongjun Daozu at the Start

Unbeknownst to him, Zhou Yi's strength had reached a terrifying level, even touching the threshold of the Saint Realm that many experts found difficult to cross. This insurmountable barrier had blocked the footsteps of countless powerful individuals.

At Wuzhuang Temple, Zhenyuan Daxian felt the powerful aura of the Book of Changes and was greatly shocked.

He flashed and flew through the air towards where Zhou Yi was.

"He's trying to break through to the Quasi-Saint realm, and he's taking a path never seen before!" Zhenyuan Daxian muttered to himself.

Not only him, but also the great powers of the prehistoric world, such as Styx, Taiyi God, Di Jun, Kunpeng and the Twelve Demon Gods, all sensed the change in Zhou Yi's aura.

They all soared into the air, eager to find out what kind of miracles this genius, who had enabled humanity to achieve such success in just a century, could create.

"If he can break through to a new path, I am willing to become a disciple of the human race!" Zhenyuan Daxian said without hesitation.

Upon hearing this, everyone around him showed expressions of surprise.

As a top expert who possesses the Earth Book, Zhenyuan Daxian's willingness to become a disciple of a junior demonstrates the extraordinary significance of Zhou Yi's breakthrough.

Styx responded calmly, "Zhen Yuanzi, you hold the Book of Earth in your hands, yet you wish to become a disciple of a junior. Isn't that far too humble?"

Zhenyuan Daxian let out a contemptuous sneer. At the same time, as the Earth Book slowly unfolded, a powerful pressure spread out.

Styx was startled and immediately used magic to quickly increase the distance between himself and Zhenyuan Daxian.

"What do you know!" Zhenyuan Daxian shouted, "What do these things matter as long as one reaches the realm of a sage?"

He continued, "Didn't Nuwa and the others become saints by becoming disciples of Hongjun? If we had also successfully become disciples back then, how would we be any different from those saints?"

Upon hearing these words, the expressions of the people around them changed. They hadn't expected Zhenyuan Daxian to utter such bold words.

However, who can truly understand the unwavering determination in Zhenyuan Daxian's heart?

Hongyun's death remained a thorn deeply embedded in his heart. Years ago, Hongyun had met a tragic end in the struggle for the chance to become a saint.

If one can reach the level of a saint, perhaps he will have the ability to resurrect his old friend.

In Zhenyuan Daxian's view, any price is worth paying to achieve this goal.

All the sages were alarmed by Zhou Yi's actions and awoke from their seclusion, turning their attention to the human race.

The Book of Changes is taking a completely new path. If he can successfully break through, then the status of the sage will face an unprecedented challenge.

On the tranquil Tongtian River, Taishang's expression turned serious. "Brother, why don't we join forces and finish him off?"

The Supreme Being said, "If a sage were to appear among the human race, it would pose a tremendous threat."

The Supreme Being looked up at the sky, seemingly waiting for some kind of instruction, but he was unable to make a decision for the time being and remained frozen in place.

At this moment, the exam below was nearing its end, and the candidates were submitting their answer sheets one after another.

A scholarly aura emanated from the examination hall, converging towards the Book of Changes.

The Book of Changes uses supernatural powers to merge these literary energies, attempting to use this power to break through the barriers to the realm of sages.

Despite trying every method, Zhou Yi was still unable to overcome the final obstacle. A resolute glint flashed in his eyes.

"If you want to stop me, then try and see if you can stop me!" Zhou Yi roared, the flames in his hand becoming even more intense, and everything around him was reduced to nothingness in the flames.

Then, a long sword appeared in his hand, its blade as white as jade.

Zhou Yi raised his longsword, concentrated all his strength into this one strike, and slashed fiercely at the tightly closed door.

A deafening roar resounded, as if the entire world trembled. The gate shook violently under the force of the sword strike. Even the Hongjun Patriarch within the Zixiao Palace was shaken by this sight.

He was originally prepared to intervene and stop Zhou Yi's breakthrough.

"Someone has actually managed to forge their own new path. If this kid succeeds, won't my Xuanmen Taoist arts become a laughing stock?"

Just as Hongjun was about to make his move, an unexpected event occurred: after trembling, the door slowly opened a crack, and a faint ray of light shone through it.

Zhou Yi sensed that faint glimmer of hope and felt a surge of excitement, wanting to seize the opportunity and rush forward.

However, at this moment, he had no more cards to play.

All his merits and virtues had been burned out, his righteous spirit had been exhausted, and even his literary energy had been used to forge the longsword in his hand.

The steps beneath his feet lost their strength at that moment, no longer able to support him as he took that crucial step.

Looking at the Quasi-Saint realm that was so close yet so far away, Zhou Yi sighed deeply, "It seems this is as far as I can go."

He unleashed his full power, and in an instant, the onlookers turned pale as they felt a powerful and profound aura wash over them.

Although this aura has not yet reached the level of a saint, it is already infinitely close.

The other sages breathed a sigh of relief. They knew that Zhou Yi's current level was above that of a quasi-sage but below that of a sage, putting him in an awkward position of being neither here nor there.

Although he possesses great power, it is not enough for him to become a true saint, and therefore he can still be defeated or destroyed.

"In this chaos, to break through to the realm of saints, we still need to rely on the methods taught by our masters," the saints thought to themselves.

Even the Tongtian Sect Leader couldn't help but feel a pang of regret.

"From this day forward, I will call myself the Sage of Literature!" Zhou Yi's voice resounded like thunder throughout the chaotic world.

As he finished speaking, a miracle occurred: countless rays of light suddenly rained down from the sky, falling on Zhou Yi like snowflakes. This was the recognition and reward that heaven and earth bestowed upon him.

Zhou Yi reached out and used these rays of light to condense into a huge list. Then, the scores and names of all the candidates appeared on the list in turn, and slowly rose into the air to show everyone the results of this human race's imperial examination.

"This is our clan's List of Successful Candidates, which records the scores of the human race's imperial examinations over the years. The rankings must be accurate every year."

Upon seeing this, those below bowed respectfully and responded in unison, "We humbly obey the decree of the Sage!"

This highly anticipated imperial examination competition has now come to a close.

Because of the Book of Changes, the grand event that should have attracted the attention of the chaotic world seemed much dimmer. People looked at the proudly standing Zhou Yi with a bit of fear, a genius recognized by heaven and earth.

Just as Zhou Yi was landing, a white shadow flew towards him like lightning. Fang Yun and Shi Hao's expressions changed drastically upon seeing this, and they prepared to intervene.

However, Zhou Yi simply raised his hand and pointed, and a glowing "fixation" character shot out rapidly. In an instant, time and space around them seemed to freeze, and everyone was frozen in place.