Myriad Immortals

Chapter 228 Entering the Armory Again

Li Rou's arrival in the capital did not significantly alter Zhong Xuan's cultivation life.

Time flies when you're in the Hanlin Academy.

Half a year has passed in the blink of an eye.

The bright moon hangs high in the sky.

Zhong Xuan sat cross-legged on the bed, holding his breath and concentrating on practicing the Feather Transformation Guidance Technique.

Focus your inner vision on the dantian.

Four Qi pills in total!

The results were fruitful.

"In terms of internal strength alone, I can now be considered to be among the top in the Hanlin Academy."

Zhong Xuan's lips curled up slightly.

From then on, relying on his hard skills, he was able to perform quite well among the junior scholars.

This is the advantage of the Hanlin Academy: it allows potential to be realized more quickly.

of course.

Although theoretically one can attempt to cultivate innate true qi with just one breath, and many people in the martial arts world have succeeded, they all succeeded only after countless failures and a stroke of luck.

Moreover, even if one manages to break through by sheer luck, there will be no further progress in this lifetime.

Having finally obtained the status of a probationary official, Zhong Xuan's expectations were naturally higher than when he was in Yunzhou.

"According to Scholar Zhou, each member of the Hanlin Academy should be able to condense at least ten Qi pills. My external skills are too weak, so I'm afraid I need more internal energy. I estimate I'll need at least twenty Qi pills."

The more the better.

It's better to accumulate more points during the Blood Refining stage than to fail to break through due to insufficient accumulation.

Just like Liu Shaohuan and other prodigies.

They had already accumulated enough true energy, but they were still honing it all in the Blood Refining stage.

According to the Hanlin Academy's usual practice, students would probably only choose to attempt Qi Refining in their final year of study, hoping to achieve a good ranking in the final examination.

Zhong Xuan heard it from Wang Kuan.

The assessment at the end of the training camp is not only about absolute strength, but also about potential, or rather, the foundation laid during blood training.

The imperial court spent a lot of money to train these people, hoping they would become pillars of the state.

At this time.

A night breeze blew in through the window.

Slightly cool.

Zhong Xuan looked at the trees in the courtyard. When he passed the imperial examination, they were still lush and green, but now half of them were withered and yellow.

Autumn is coming.

Of course he remembers.

Marquis Rong'an once said that if he performed well in the Hanlin Academy, he would be given the qualification to become the Autumn Sacrifice Son. Now there is about a year left.

Zhong Xuan did not become complacent because he had cultivated the four elements in just half a year.

The Hanlin Academy is never short of geniuses.

While he was making progress, the other junior scholars were not lagging behind at all.

Not to mention that if he wanted to become a sacrificial son, his opponent would be the Dingjia.

Thinking about this...

Zhong Xuan took out the merit jade talisman from his bosom.

At this moment, the number on the jade talisman is "twenty-two".

After the Huai River incident, the Hanlin Academy became much more cautious in its assessments. The subsequent three assessments not only did not involve field trips, but also became much more routine.

Besides physical combat, there is also a ranking based directly on performance over the past month.

Zhong Xuan was not at an advantage in these situations.

But at least they managed to maintain a middle ranking, so they didn't end up with absolutely no achievements.

In fact.

There were many junior scholars who had not earned a single point after six months of study.

Take, for example, the ill-fated literary star Wang Zonglin, whose achievements on the jade talisman are still zero.

In a more stable year, if the Hanlin Academy had held more civil service examinations, his results might have been much better.

"It's all about timing and fate."

Zhong Xuan thought to himself.

When the hour of Mao (5-7 AM) arrives.

Zhong Xuan was among the first batch to report for duty.

There was still some time before the lecture, so he habitually found a quiet place to cultivate.

It's almost Chen Shi (7-9 AM).

Zhong Xuan then stood up and prepared to go to the schoolhouse.

On the way, they happened to meet Lian Yuheng, who had the same goal.

Zhong Xuan didn't have much of a relationship with this top scholar who had achieved the highest honors in all three categories. He originally intended to just nod as a greeting.

But this time, Lian Yuheng took the initiative to speak, which was rare for him: "Mr. Zhong, I only heard today that the three wolf demons in the West Market were captured because of you. I was tricked by them before, so I should thank you for this."

Zhong Xuan smiled faintly: "Even if it's the top scholar, there's no need for you to thank me. That wolf demon harmed me first. Even without the matter of the top scholar, I would have taken action anyway."

Lian Yuheng sighed softly, "Mr. Zhong, please don't blame me for being cold. In the Hanlin Academy... everyone is a rival."

Having been at the Hanlin Academy for half a year, Lian Yuheng rarely spoke to others and always kept to himself.

Zhong Xuan smiled and nodded: "I understand."

Upon hearing Zhong Xuan's words, a smile appeared in Lian Yuheng's eyes: "Mr. Zhong, we both come from humble backgrounds. If we ever have any conflicts in the future, I hope you will be understanding."

Done.

Lian Yuheng stopped looking at Zhong Xuan and quickened his pace toward the schoolhouse, as if he didn't want anyone to know what had happened today.

Zhong Xuan smiled and shook his head.

The title of top scholar is not so easy to inherit.

This position was originally the result of a struggle and weighing of power between the royal family and the aristocratic families.

Neither the emperor nor a noble family would want to see the top scholar win all the favor. Perhaps even Yuheng understood this principle, and his aloofness was just for show.

"Becoming famous at a young age is not all a good thing."

Lian Yuheng's fate can only be one of two things: either he gains the Holy Emperor's approval and soars to great heights three years later, or he will never achieve anything significant in his life.

of course.

This "great" is relative to the status of the top scholar in the imperial examination; becoming a third or fourth-rank official in the capital would certainly not be a problem.

Zhong Xuan was the same.

However, the pressure on him was far less than that on Lian Yuheng.

Entering the school building.

Today's lecturer is Scholar Shangguan.

Scholar Shangguan walked slowly to the desk, not in a hurry to start today's lesson, but took out a small booklet from his sleeve: "Before the lecture, announce the rankings of this assessment."

"Lu Yue is number one."

"Liu Shaohuan is second only to Liu Shaohuan."

"Zhong Xuan is seventh."

Having gone through the previous assessments, the young scholars were now quite used to the fact that the assessments ended without any warning.

According to Zhou Xueshi.

The Hanlin Academy was no leisurely place; one had to be prepared to be assessed at any time.

Zhong Xuan heard that the ranking was seventh.

A surge of joy filled my heart.

According to past practice, at least four merits should be earned this time.

Adding the previous "twenty-two" points, there are now a total of "twenty-six" points.

"That's enough to get into the first level of the armory."

Zhong Xuan had already planned this out.

Although there is a high possibility that there are visualization techniques like dragons on the second floor and above of the armory, the days of hardship would be too long for Zhong Xuan. In comparison, it would be better to secure the prize.

After Scholar Shangguan finished his lecture, Zhong Xuan, unusually, did not seek a place to practice his skills, but instead walked straight out of the Hanlin Academy and came to the armory.

Unlike last time.

That time, Scholar Zhuang personally led the team, but this time he came alone.

The armory has been guarded by a new squad of Imperial Guards.

"I heard that Cui Wu will also be on duty at the armory, but there's no need to wait until that day."

Zhong Xuan thought to himself.

He respectfully handed the waist token to the commander of the Imperial Guard.

After a full fifteen minutes of inspection, they were finally allowed to re-enter the armory.