How can one cultivate immortality without learning modern knowledge?

He watched Xiang Yuezhou approach step by step, finding it quite interesting.

As discussed below, this literary gathering was a purge initiated by He Wenxin, who represented the mainstream of the Beijing literary scene.

Besides Zhou Wenju, another target for elimination was Xiang Yuezhou.

Zhou Wenju launched a counterattack on the spot, using orthodox tactics to defeat the enemy's orthodox tactics.

After this attack, He Wenxin is essentially finished.

Because He Wenxin's poetic talent was not outstanding, and his only reliance was his "Twelve Poetry Criticisms", when Zhou Wenju's "Twenty-Four Poetry Criticisms" came out, it crushed his only pillar to pieces from every angle. What qualifications did He Wenxin have to attend the meeting?

Just as things were settling down, another competitor entered the fray.

Towards Moon State!

he came!

This person, like him, lacks literary talent.

However, they all contain genuine ingredients.

What kind of sparks will fly when two genuine talents from outside the mainstream literary system come together?

"This old man, Xiang Yuezhou, greets Young Master Zhou!" Xiang Yuezhou bowed slightly from a distance of ten steps from Zhou Wenju.

"Greetings, Mr. Xiang!" Zhou Wenju returned his scholarly greeting.

Xiang Yuezhou smiled gently: "Today, all the distinguished scholars are gathered here vying for a single path. I know that I am only here for a ticket to the Qingshan Literary Gathering. I wonder what Young Master Zhou's opinion is on the Qingshan Literary Gathering?"

Upon hearing this, the entire room fell silent.

Because this statement is extremely sensitive, it is not appropriate to mention it in public.

However, Xiang Yuezhou brought it up anyway.

No one seemed to think there was anything wrong with it.

This person is arrogant and thinks highly of himself, and this is how he always acts.

"The Qingshan Literary Gathering concerns the safety of the Great Yu border. The identities and literary ranks of the participants are not important. What matters is only one word: Victory!" Zhou Wenju said.

"Young Master Zhou's insight is truly profound!" Xiang Yuezhou laughed. "The Qingshan Literary Gathering is about poetic talent, not mere literary skill. Given a single topic, seven colors surpass five, and a poem surpasses seven. Naturally, the one with superior talent should be chosen. Some self-proclaimed mainstream figures in the literary world can't even understand such a simple matter, and they've been arguing endlessly for a month. I really don't know if they're stupid or malicious!"

He spoke as if no one else was around.

The Confucian scholar in the front row was so angry his nose was crooked.

But can everyone fight for it?

No!

Because he's right!

The Qingshan Literary Gathering is a competition of poetic talent; if your poem is good, you will win a point in the two countries' literary gathering.

It's that simple!

Simple things are handled in such a complicated way, simply because everyone has their own selfish motives. People like He Wenxin don't care whether the border is in danger or not. What does the safety of the border have to do with him? He's not a soldier, so he'll never be on the battlefield.

However, these...

It is not appropriate to discuss this in public.

Therefore, no one dares to cross the line when faced with Xiang Yuezhou's "stupidity" and "evil" gun barrels.

Zhou Wenju nodded and smiled.

I won't say much, I just agree.

Xiang Yuezhou said, "Young Master Zhou's book has established a severe law, filling the gap in our dynasty's lack of such laws. At such a young age, he has made a great contribution to the court. I am deeply moved. If a young man with such a heart can have such sentiments, how can I, who am over sixty, not know the principle of serving my country? At the Qingshan Literary Gathering, I will give it my all!"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the room looked at each other in bewilderment.

Chung-hachi's eyes were wide open...

I was internally screaming, "Damn it!"

You old fool, have you no shame?

I invited you to participate that day, but you asked for an exorbitant price.

Now that they've seen the crisis, they've jumped out themselves, and they're still making grand pronouncements...

"I am truly moved by your generosity, sir!" Zhou Wenju bowed slightly. "However, the Qingshan Literary Gathering is located in the North, a harsh and cold land. How can we bear to see you travel thousands of miles?"

"Though the journey is arduous, I am also burdened by the worries of my country!" Xiang Yuezhou sighed, looking up at the sky. "To this day, in the capital, only I have reached the gate of poetry. If I fear the harshness of the north and do not dedicate myself to serving my country, would I not be worthy of this divine favor?"

This is just Aka LL showing off.

He is the only one who has touched the door to Qing Shi!

He is the best poet in the entire Great Yu Kingdom.

If he doesn't go, who will?

His words sound arrogant, but when combined with his previous conversation with Zhou Wenju, they are quite logical.

Zhou Wenju smiled: "It is true that you are the only one in the capital who has written a poem, as Mr. Xiang said. However, things are always changing, and things may change after today."

"What do you mean?" Xiang Yuezhou frowned.

Everyone in the room looked up at the same time, staring at Zhou Wenju in astonishment.

Zhou Wenju smiled gently: "I have written five poems and two lyrics, all of them colorful. Today is a good day to challenge my limits. Perhaps fate will smile upon me and inspire a new poem? If I can achieve this, wouldn't it relieve you of your worries and save you from the hardship of traveling thousands of miles? It would be a win-win situation!"

The entire audience erupted in uproar!

Qing Shi!

He's going to challenge Qing Shi!

is it possible?

Xiang Yuezhou smiled: "Tonight?"

"Indeed, the Lantern Festival, with its colorful lanterns and revelry, is it not a perfect night for poets?"

"Does the young master wish to compose a wonderful poem on the theme of the Lantern Festival in order to win Yi Qing's favor?" Xiang Yuezhou asked.

"It's not poetry, it's lyrics!"

"Words?" Xiang Yuezhou was stunned.

"Do you know why I wrote lyrics?" Zhou Wenju's gaze swept over He Wenxin, who had already turned deathly pale. "It's because some people say that lyrics are not worthy of being considered refined literature. I'll let these short-sighted people see whether lyrics can truly be considered refined literature!"

The entire stadium erupted in cheers...

The Way of Words!

Before Zhou Wenju even appeared in public, He Wenxin had already made a judgment: the art of lyrics originated from brothel songs and vulgar folk songs, and was not worthy of being considered refined.

He still remembers this debt!

He didn't refute it then, but now it's his turn to refute it.

His rebuttal wasn't in words, but in sermons...

If he can truly write the Qingci (a type of Buddhist prayer), all the rumors will be dispelled.

Because the eternal blue sky represents the ultimate good and beauty, things that are not worthy of being considered refined can never be "eternally blue sky".

Zhong Ba's voice drifted into Zhou Wenju's ears: "Brother Zhou, you need to think this through. The art of poetry is only in its infancy, and it's almost impossible to perfect it. The art of poetry is challenging the eternal heavens—it's simply not possible! You can still make adjustments now..."

Zhou Wenju glanced in his direction and smiled faintly...

With a flick of the wrist, the precious pen is in hand!

The pen fell...

A piece of gold paper, nothingness!

"Green Jade Table - Lantern Festival"!

As soon as those five large characters were uttered, Chung-hachi's eyes snapped shut...

The topic is words!

Moreover, it's a completely new poetic form that I've never seen before.

You're probably still figuring out a new poetic form, yet you dare to dream of it being recognized as perfect? ​​What were you thinking?

You little rascal, you're such a handful!

At that moment, he reached a consensus that anyone who had spent a long time with Zhou Wenju would share: as long as you had any interaction with this kid, you would definitely feel his "troublesome" nature, at some crucial moment, from some angle you would never expect...

"The east wind at night releases a thousand trees of flowers, and blows down stars like rain; precious horses and carved carriages fill the road with fragrance; the sound of phoenix flutes stirs, and the jade pot's light turns."

"A night of fish and dragon dance..."

With a soft "poof!"

His brushstrokes are brimming with vibrant colors!

Only the first half.

It already displayed a seven-colored radiance!

Everyone stood up at the same time, staring in disbelief at the tip of his pen.

Xiang Yuezhou was stunned...

How did you come up with such exquisite words?

Half a poem is already seven colors; what would the complete poem be like?

My God, could it really be...?

Only a top-tier poet of his caliber would possess such an almost insane intuition…

The second half flowed out like water, without the slightest pause...

"Moths and willows, golden threads, laughter and fragrance lingering, I searched for him a thousand times in the crowd, then suddenly turning around, I found him where the lights were dim!"

As soon as the pen was put down, the colorful light that filled the sky suddenly stopped completely.

The entire Drunken Star Tower was completely still...

It seems as if there is a pair of eyes that are scrutinizing everything in this world through the endless river of time and space.

Suddenly, a soft buzzing sound was heard.

The seven-colored light vanished without a trace.

A beam of blue light descended from the sky, and the golden paper transformed into a blue oriole, soaring into the heavens.

All the characters in the Jade Table were disassembled and transformed into countless blue lotuses. Above the heavens, a celestial street scene appeared out of thin air, accompanied by an ancient voice chanting...

"The east wind at night releases a thousand trees of flowers, and blows down stars like rain..."

"Blue Words!" Chung-hachi jumped up.

At this moment, he no longer hid anything.

"Heavenly Dao Qing Ci!" countless people shouted.

The Heavenly Dao Azure Poem is an Azure Poem that was born directly as an Azure Poem. It differs from the Azure Poem of Xiang Yuezhou. His poem was initially only of seven colors, but over time, it acquired the characteristic of "eternal transmission" and was elevated to the status of an Azure Poem, known as the "Flowing Dao Azure Poem." Therefore, the Flowing Dao Azure Poem is a level below the Heavenly Dao Azure Poem.

"The Way of Heaven has been passed down through generations! For the first time in a hundred years, the Great Yu Kingdom has produced poems that have been passed down through the Way of Heaven. The Way of Literature in our Great Yu Kingdom has truly been revived..." A student looked up to the sky and howled, his long cry sounding like a sob.

Deep within the palace, His Majesty's hand suddenly trembled, and he took a step forward, reaching the window, his chest heaving rapidly.

A white figure suddenly appeared atop the Confucian Temple.

This is a white figure in a tall hat and clean robes, standing on the top of the Confucian Temple with his hands behind his back. His face is completely obscured, but the white figure is perfectly clear.

"Good heavens, the night watchman has appeared!"

On the street, countless people stared at that figure from behind, and they were excited.

The night watchman only appears during scientific expeditions.

I personally lit up the flower that ranked among the top three in the scientific expedition.

It represents the highest honor for scholars.

Apart from that, he almost never appears!

But today, he appeared...

Inside the Lin residence, Lin Xiangdao suddenly stood up. Fruits and melons were scattered all over the ground in front of him, but he seemed oblivious, staring intently at the projection in the sky.

Above the sky, the night view of the celestial street is so enchanting and beautiful. A young girl's face appears, and this girl seems to be someone I know from the past.

His thoughts suddenly returned to the foot of Qixia Mountain, to the bright moon, to the dance of the plum blossom, to the lovemaking, and then they knew nothing of each other.

Could it be that there is a divine will at play here?

Tonight, the Heavenly Dao uses this Heavenly Dao Poem to present the shadow that has been buried deep in his heart for twenty years to him in this way.

Lin Xiangdao, a high-ranking official of the second rank and Minister of Works who had spent half his life navigating the treacherous waters of officialdom, was now bewildered...

Upstairs at the Drunken Star Pavilion, Lin Nongyue was also confused...

She looked at the reflection in the sky and felt it was a bit like looking in a mirror...

My goodness, you little rascal!

You...you said you searched for him a thousand times in the crowd, and suddenly, when you turned around, he was there where the lights were dim.

Now, the person reflected in the dim light of the sky is me.

Tell me clearly, is this flirting?

Xiang Yuezhou, who was standing in front of her, stumbled and almost fell over.

I tried to steady myself, but I couldn't steady my mind.

After Zhou Wenju defeated He Wenxin, he felt a sense of crisis. He felt that this kid had suddenly risen to become his main rival.

So he could no longer be coy and stepped out, making it clear that he wanted to attend the meeting.

His reasons were perfectly valid.

However, in the blink of an eye, this seemingly valid reason once again benefited Zhou Wenju.

Zhou Wenju picked up his pen, created a new poetic form, and wrote the poem "Eternal Blue Sky".

In the art of poetry, who can compare with him?

With the rise of the poem "Eternal Blue Sky," the denigration of the poem itself has reached a dead end.

If the words are vulgar or imperfect, how can there be an eternally clear sky?

Are you blind?

The judgment of Heaven has vindicated him!

As a master of ci poetry, his status instantly became unattainable.

With such mastery of poetry, who in the entire Great Yu Kingdom could stop his conquest?

He Wenxin blocked the way, and is still bewildered in the wind.

He shielded Yuezhou...

I experienced firsthand what it felt like for He Wenxin to "want to die"...

The scene in the air shifted, transforming into a three-foot-long green path that stretched straight to the sky...

Above the sky, the Dao Sea opens once more!

And it's even wider than before!

Moreover, it seems to have changed to a different sea area. In this sea area, azure spirit fish emerge from the water, creating a myriad of phenomena...

The three-foot-long green path resembles not a fishing hook, but rather a large net.

With one cast, a dozen or so blue spirit fish swam back with the net.

It disappeared into Zhou Wenju's brow.

Zhou Wenju's expression suddenly changed; he seemed to be in great discomfort...

Yes, he once again tasted the flavor of excessive literary flair...

The cyan literary energy, almost tangible, flowed through his literary mountain in an instant, dyeing the entire mountain a vibrant, verdant green.

It also gave his brain a feeling of almost bursting.

Fortunately, this overwhelming surge of literary energy had an outlet, flowing through the passage opened by the wall between heaven and earth, directly reaching the Five Mountains within the body.

In an instant, the five mountains within his body were filled with boundless wonder, and the seven-colored "fiber optics" merged with the cyan color. The seven colors were no longer flamboyant and became much more restrained.

Wudaoshan is almost integrated into one.

The difference is only a hair's breadth.

If the Five Mountains truly merge and a "Dao Heart" is born, he will have entered the Dao Heart Realm...

He opened his eyes and saw Chung-hachi.

A whispered message from Zhongba entered his ear: "Brother Zhou, let's go!"

Zhou Wenju's gaze swept over the incredibly expressive faces of everyone present, then landed on a certain private room: "Aren't you going to say goodbye to that person?"

That person...

It was that scholar in purple robes in the private room.

It was the person who had just saved the day. Zhou Wenju was unsure whether this person was a "plant" arranged by Zhong Ba.

Since Zhongba is a member of the Dingchao Division, it's really inconvenient for him to openly stand behind Zhongba. Arranging a shill to save the day is the most reasonable choice.

Zhongba smiled gently: "If Brother Zhou remembers this favor, we might as well help each other out at the Qingshan Literary Gathering in the future."

A single sentence conveys two meanings, and it's breathtaking.

The first meaning is... Zhou Wenju, your participation in the Qingshan Literary Gathering is a foregone conclusion.

The second meaning...

The purple-clad man who came to the rescue in the attic was also a participant in the Qingshan Literary Society.