Myriad Immortals

Chapter 219 Further Improvement of Root and Bone Structure, Superior Grade!

Time flies when you're at the Hanlin Academy.

In the blink of an eye.

Zhong Xuan had already been here for a month.

"Mr. Zhong, you have good physique. When you finish your three years of training, you might be able to achieve Qi cultivation in one go."

A young man with a somewhat simple and honest appearance looked at Zhong Xuan with envy.

His words carried a simplicity rarely seen in the palace.

"Young Master Wang also has excellent physical constitution; we're about the same."

Zhong Xuan chuckled.

He looked at the young man in front of him.

During his time at the Hanlin Academy, besides Wang Kuan, he naturally got to know some other people, and the young man in front of him was one of them, ranking eighth in the second class of the civil service examination.

His martial arts cultivation was even lower than his; he had only recently entered the mid-stage of Blood Refining, supposedly because his writing was excellent.

If this were in Zhong Xuan's previous life in ancient times, he might have truly become the top scholar in the imperial examination.

It can also be considered a different kind of being born at the wrong time.

The young man named Wang Zonglin sighed, "The assessment will be in another month. Last time I was lucky and barely got some merit, but this time I'm afraid I'll be at the bottom."

Although his surname is Wang, he has almost no connection whatsoever with the two Wangs in Qiwangli.

Perhaps we were one family five thousand or ten thousand years ago.

But now...

The tradition of combining farming and scholarship is passed down through generations.

His father, grandfather, and great-grandfather all made a living by farming. It was only with great difficulty that he became a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examinations), and now he has become a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) and a Shujishi (a junior official in the Hanlin Academy).

He has always been a prodigy.

But the Hanlin Academy is never short of geniuses.

It took him a long time to adjust to this change.

Zhong Xuan: "Being a Hanlin scholar isn't easy."

If you consistently rank at the bottom in assessments too many times, you'll be no different from a regular second-class student, and those three years will be considered a waste.

The pressure is really immense.

Of course, if one is truly exceptional, one can also break free from the cocoon and soar to great heights in such an environment.

We chatted briefly.

Zhong Xuan then entered the spirit chamber.

They came out on time, half an hour later, and then left the palace.

The life of a junior scholar was governed by such a regular pattern.

Back at the Cui residence.

Zhong Xuan was somewhat surprised not to see Cui Ming. Cui Ming's official position was Academician of the Wenyuan Pavilion. The position of Academician was not high, and the power was not great. Correspondingly, it was also relatively leisurely.

Zhong Xuan has been in the capital for about a year.

This was the first time I'd seen Cui Ming come home late.

Even though the host had not yet returned, and Cui Zhu had already instructed the housekeeper to prepare the meal and said it was fine to eat first, Zhong Xuan still felt very much like a guest.

Even if you have a good relationship with the Cui family, you shouldn't do something like this, where the guest is more arrogant than the host.

He had lived for over sixty years. Although he was not a rigid or inflexible person, he still had to abide by the rules.

I waited until Hai hour (9-11 PM).

Cui Ming arrived late, accompanied by Cui Wu as they entered the mansion.

Seeing the two brothers appear together, a rare occurrence, and both looking so worried, Zhong Xuan immediately sensed something was wrong and asked, as if to pry, "What happened?"

Before Cui Ming could answer, Cui Wu had already said: "Lord Dong of the Ministry of Rites has been reprimanded by the Cabinet and will soon be transferred to a post outside the Ministry of Rites."

Zhong Xuan frowned slightly.

He has been at the Cui family's house for so long.

Some things are still clear.

Take this Lord Dong, for example.

When a person dies, it's like a lamp going out.

In the imperial court, retiring from office and going into seclusion is tantamount to having one foot in the ground; no matter how powerful one was before, their influence will be greatly diminished.

With Cui Bai back in Yunzhou, his influence in the capital is bound to decline drastically.

However, Cui Ming and Cui Wu have not yet gained power and still need someone to support them.

Fortunately, Vice Minister Dong, who had an excellent relationship with Cui Bai, took great care of the two brothers, which allowed them to do quite well in the capital.

It's not uncommon for two companies to support each other in Beijing.

Now, Vice Minister Dong has lost power.

There was no one left in the capital.

Without connections in the court, progress becomes extremely difficult.

Even for prominent families, the biggest taboo is the lack of successors.

Cui Ming rubbed his temples: "Father still has some friends in the capital. We should visit them more often these days and see if there's any way out."

That being said.

But even Cui Ming himself wasn't very confident.

How many true friends can one have in life?

It's already extremely rare for my father, Cui Bai, to have such a close friendship with Lord Dong. Others may have had excellent relationships with Cui Bai before, but now, they might not be willing to lend a helping hand.

Cui Wu: "Second brother, there's no need to be pessimistic. As long as we do the right thing, those old guys can't do anything to us."

Let's take it one step at a time.

Cui Ming's expression was solemn.

The two brothers originally had no appetite, but under Zhong Xuan's insistence, they ate dinner anyway.

"No matter how important something is, what's more important than eating?"

We finished eating.

The two brothers, Cui Ming and Cui Wu, went to the study to discuss the matter.

Zhong Xuan and Cui Yi returned to their respective rooms.

Although both were Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations), they were practically powerless to deal with these matters of the court.

With a shallow foundation, they can't be of any help.

Zhong Xuan returned to his room and, as usual, sat cross-legged to practice his martial arts.

He is no longer fixated on the combination of internal and external warfare.

Now that I've become a junior scholar, I no longer need to fight and kill. Rather than trying to manage all three areas, I should focus on maximizing my strengths.

His strength lay in internal martial arts.

Before we knew it.

The time has come to midnight.

Summer has arrived, and the weather in Beijing is becoming increasingly hot and dry. The faint chirping of unknown insects can be heard outside the window.

Zhong Xuan slowly exhaled.

I was just about to crawl into bed and go to sleep.

At this moment—

A series of small texts popped up on the panel.

[Root structure: Crane-shaped, Chi-shaped, Rock-shaped]

[Grade: Top Earth Rank (50 catties and 1 tael)]

"Top grade on earth level!"

Zhong Xuan was startled.

[Everything is renewed] His destiny is activated, and his physical attributes have been upgraded from mid-grade Earth Rank to high-grade Earth Rank.

This is excellent news.

The better one's innate talent, the greater the progress one can make with the same resources.

The time for a junior scholar is crucial. With a superior Earth-rank root bone, he can achieve good results when he finishes his studies, and it is even very possible that he can pass the Qi Refining stage.

Zhong Xuan was in a great mood.

The Qing Kingdom was founded on military might, and ultimately, it is all about strength.

Speaking of those important figures in the court.

The fact that he was promoted to the third rank might also be due to the patronage of the Holy Emperor or some other important figure.

But above the second rank, it's practically a ranking of strength.

The relationship with the royal family could, in a sense, be described as co-ruling the world.

In this world.

The idea that someone with unparalleled strength, commanding a million soldiers, could be bullied is simply impossible.

"Strength is the foundation."

I carefully observed the changes in my body.

Zhong Xuan then fell into a deep sleep, satisfied.

The countdown is complete.