Ming Dynasty, New Rome, and Infinite Divine Machine

"Hey, you scared me. I thought you were already at the Foundation Establishment stage."

"You know?" Shangluo lowered his voice.

"Yes, yes. Sometimes I'm also surprised that more people know about cultivation than expected. Not only those involved like us, but even ordinary citizens who have nothing to do with it know something. However, it's not surprising that there have been people cultivating immortals since ancient times."

"That's true. Hey, you guys are from Wuhu? You came pretty early too?"

"Ah," the other person shook his head. "We took the intercity tram for nearly two hours early in the morning to get here. Sometimes I think it's better to go to other places to compete, at least you can stay in Beijing. For us who are not too far away, it's the most troublesome. But you better be careful, we brought some goodies this time."

"what?"

"Well, it's a secret. But you'll see it soon."

"Puff, puff, puff~" A sound like frying beans popping came from the workshop next door. Every time the throttle was turned, the frying bean sound would continue for a while.

"It's a ramjet." Qi Yuan flipped through his notebook. "It seems the intelligence is correct. This time, the Rockets have added a complete ramjet turbine system to the engine. However, it's not the solid rocket that was almost a performance art in the past. This time, they installed a ramjet in front of the booster turbine. It uses the engine's oil-rich exhaust gas to generate power. This small rocket will spray towards the booster turbine, so as soon as it starts--"

She made a slingshot gesture:

"The whole car is like a catapult. The entire engine sprints to its theoretical limit and then launches out. It's almost like the explosive start of an electric motor. This is a very useful tactic, because the preliminaries are held on the infield, and the track is very narrow. As long as they get off the start first, they can always suppress the group behind them. Of course, they may not be able to suppress you, because our continuously variable transmission is perfect for overtaking on corners."

"But... how do they do it? I mean, how do they control the process of ejecting 'fuel-rich exhaust gas' from the engine? I remember it seemed to require automated control."

Yes. From the information you provided, it seems this is a process that requires the use of an onboard electronic control unit (ECU). A car using this system competed in the WRC World Rally Championship in the 20s, winning 90 races. It was a very powerful car.

As they spoke, Team Rocket's car drove out of the garage. As it drove, they could see a constant stream of flames emanating from the three specially designed exhaust pipes—the unburned fuel from the ramjet. This didn't provide much thrust, but it meant the turbines were primed, and a simple tap of the accelerator would launch the car forward.

The racing conditions appear to be very stable, without any sense of restraint due to technological breakthroughs, but rather very mature.

"Could it be," he asked Qi Yuan in a low voice, "did they use the Tianyi Guiren?"

"It's very likely. That's because it requires precise injection during a certain stroke during idling, which is not something that can be done by human power. To be able to achieve such precise and microscopic control, one must have used the help of Tianyi Guiren."

"Is this in accordance with Zhou Li? No, is this in accordance with the competition rules?"

"There are no restrictions in this regard in the competition." Qi Yuan shook his head. "If you have the ability, it's not impossible to let Tianyi Nobleman drive the car and run a perfect route. This is completely in line with the rules."

"This isn't a race! This is a battle of wits!"

"Of course, so I don't object to you using the power of a celestial being to drive. Having a celestial being as a driver is our advantage. All middle school students in the country can benefit from spiritual energy, so it's fair. Therefore, everyone can use spiritual energy to solve problems, there's nothing wrong with that."

Shangluo thought about it carefully. It seemed to be true. The first time he got in the car, he had asked Apollonia to play for him. The "bespectacled guy" in the car was furious because he was looking for help from outside the field. Later, when Shangluo drove himself, the bespectacled guy was quite cooperative.

"Then I'll be serious."

If everyone was competing, then this was a competition that determined the prestige of the supernatural world. Although the various teams did not directly participate in the competition, everyone was directly or indirectly influencing the results of the race.

Whether it's cultivation, skills, connections, or funding, everyone can compete on the track; everything comes down to lap time. The winner will undoubtedly be the team that best integrates resources. Whoever wins this nearly unlimited race will represent this generation.

So, Daozu told him before that he must win this game.

“So that’s how it is”

Chapter 323: Yanshan Gao Shiyu

"Now I understand why this looks like the imperial examination. Isn't it the same when taking the imperial examination? Did anyone go in and cast a spell?"

"Hmm," Qi Yuan thought for a moment, "At the Jinshi stage, memorizing isn't enough; you still have to write essays. The Jinshi exam doesn't have multiple-choice questions or fill-in-the-blank questions like those kiddie-style questions; it's filled with long essays like policy papers. Cheating tricks like using magic might work for the Juren exam, but don't forget that the chief examiner for the Jinshi exam is the Emperor himself."

She whispered, "His Majesty, the Holy Emperor, is said to have dragon energy protecting him, the Ziwei Emperor Star shining upon him, and the Dao Ancestor supervising him. Even if he managed to get through the previous tests with magic, he wouldn't be able to get past the Emperor."

"So, that's an interview, right?"

"Although candidates took the examination with their papers, the ranking was entirely determined by the emperor himself, so it was indeed similar to an interview. At that stage, the rules were merely symbolic. After all, all Jinshi candidates took the palace examination after the provincial examination, and they were only examined in person by the emperor, who decided their ranking. So it was essentially an interview, and the balance of power was controlled by the emperor himself."

"Oh, I sometimes think he's quite free."

"You often see him in the Imperial Guard, right? My dad does too. But the Emperor is actually a very powerful man, completely different from his lazy appearance."

So that's how it is. If Zhu Xianxun were to control the imperial examinations, it would be like a "Formula Racing" of tactical combat, a test of celestial strength. There's no fairness or unfairness here, because everyone has a spiritual foundation, and this competition is entirely based on strength.

In matters of heaven, it's not necessary to choose the most capable fighter. Rather, it's essential to choose a leader who can unite and coordinate all factions, a leader with many supporters. Only those with many supporters can achieve the Way. Only those who have achieved the Way can benefit the world and lead the world to achieve the Way together.

"It looks like the situation is getting more challenging."

The Rockets, right next door, were able to pull off something this big. Not to mention that the Longjiang team was only the representative team of Jiangning County, and they only used resources and sponsorship within the county.

"Oh my god." He held his forehead. "I don't know what big things Fengjing, Lanfang, or the Guangzhou team will do after they gather their strength."

"Team Toyou's day has arrived."

"Have they arrived yet? Where are they?"

"That's in the stands over there. You can see it when you go out."

Shangluo walked outside the maintenance area and stood at the edge of the track, looking up. The people watching the race a few stories above were the members of the Yanshan team. They were all wearing black sportswear with a flying swallow painted on their left chest, symbolizing victory.

One of them, sitting in the middle surrounded by the other team members, had a black cloth covering his eyes. Although it was a sunny day, he was holding a long-handled umbrella with both hands.

When Shangluo looked over, he also looked over.

He extended his hand in greeting.

"Huh?" Shangluo didn't know how he found out, but he waved back.

"Did you see it?" Qi Yuan was sitting in the rest area drinking soy milk.

"Yes, I saw them. They were wearing black uniforms and looked very powerful. There were two Qigong practitioners, who also looked very powerful. But why was one of them blindfolded?"

"The blindfolded one is Gao Shiyu, the captain of the Yanshan team. Their management style is different from ours. I'm just the team manager, not the captain."

"Wait, is he the captain? But I don't see any spiritual energy in him."

"He's certainly not a Qigong practitioner, but he seems to have some kind of talent. It's said he's born blind. It's said he's the disciple of a certain master, but his cultivation seems to be focused on another aspect, and he's not rushing to improve his realm. He usually walks with a cane, but he doesn't want others to notice, so he wears an umbrella-like cane."

"Then why doesn't he wear sunglasses instead of a blindfold?"

"Well, I heard he used to wear sunglasses. I don't know why he's wearing a cloth covering this time."

"I know! Because Wang Lingguan's partner, the Blind Ape General, is covered with a cloth!"

Wen Yuan suddenly appeared from nowhere and greeted them: "Good morning, you guys are here quite early."

"Is there such a role? Why didn't I see it last time?" Shangluo asked him.

"Yes, but that's a character from the previous movie, who appeared last year. I don't know why he's not appearing this year. Why, did you see anyone playing the role of the Blind Ape General?"

"Yes, it's outside the door. You can see it when you go out."

Wen Yuan stuck her head out and greeted everyone outside.

"Huh? Why is he ignoring me?"

Wen Yuan walked back in confusion. "It was only when the people around him reminded him that he lowered his head to greet me. Is he blind?"

"He seems to be blind."

"Oh, sorry, sorry. I shouldn't have said that." He quickly bowed to the empty space. It would be fine for a normal person to say "blind", but saying that to a blind person made him feel a little guilty.

"But he didn't seem to be completely blind. He seemed to notice me when I waved at him."

"It's said that he can indeed see things that ordinary people can't see," Qi Yuan replied. "That's what I heard as well."

Wen Yuan tilted her head. "This is unbelievable! How can he see something that ordinary people can't? Then ordinary people can see me, so why can't he see me?"

"Well, maybe it's because you're not that important."

"Hey, hey, hey, I've already practiced the Thunder Lang Heaven Scripture to the third level, and my master has only practiced to the ninth level of the third level. How can I be unimportant?"

"Oh my, let's not talk about this for now." Shangluo pulled Wen Yuan aside and said, "Most importantly, Wen Yuan, your good friend needs your help with something very important."

"what's up?"

"Have you copied the 'Ode to Afang Palace'?"

"I've copied it. This is our homework for Wednesday."

"Lend it to me to copy."

"Isn't your squad leader here? Why are you copying mine?"

Shangluo whispered to him for a while.

"Ah, handwriting, right? You want to copy my handwriting? Those Tianyi nobles have to see the handwriting before they can imitate it. What you see is what you get. No wonder you can't copy your class monitor. You two have to hand in your homework to the same teacher. It would be ridiculous if the handwriting is exactly the same."

"She wouldn't have lent it to me in the first place. She would have made sure I finished it. Hurry up, get it out."

"I didn't bring it with me. I'll get it for you when I get back. Let me make it clear first, don't blame me if anything happens. Our handwriting is different."

"Just say I wrote it with my left hand—that's perfectly fine, the glove is definitely left-handed."

"Then I'll agree to it, but there's a condition." Wen Yuan put her hands on her hips.

"Tell me, what are the conditions?"

"Let me drive all day today! Let me satisfy my driving addiction. Let me play with everything today, and I'll lend it to you to copy your homework."

Chapter 324 Intelligence

There was still an hour before the meeting time, and this time he arrived especially early thanks to his magical speed.

Sitting stealthily in the corner of the table, he hid his eyes from Qi Yuan, while Wen Yuan was doing his homework for him - he planned to give it a try first.

If Wen Yuan went back to get her homework, it would be too much trouble to run back and forth. He wanted Wen Yuan to write a line first, and then let the young player follow and learn from her.

While keeping watch, he looked at Wen Yuan's words.

"Hey, your handwriting is pretty good."

Shangluo had seen this calligraphy before. It was a meticulously crafted official script, worthy of even the top-ranking scholar's exam. The structure of the characters, the flow of the strokes, the lift and fall of the pen, all had the grace of a master. Simply describing this kind of calligraphy as "well-written" lacked strength; it was as neat and tidy as a copybook.

"My grandfather was the Minister of Rites. He taught me calligraphy himself. Why, is that weird?"

"Nothing, just a consistent impression that doesn't match up."

"Hey, hey." Wen Yuan paused. "I have reason to suspect you're insulting me. What do you mean by 'consistent impression'? Do I look like a reckless person?"

[Looks like a miscellaneous soldier.]

"No, no, I don't look like a reckless man at all."

"Tsk tsk." Wen Yuan shook his head, said nothing, and continued writing with his head down. He wanted to drive more now.

He finished a line quickly, and he didn't just write one. He wrote with calligraphy-like precision on the grid, but with remarkable speed. Copying an entire paragraph was a piece of cake for him, so he did just that.

"Is that all right? Are you satisfied?"

"Thank you! You helped me with my homework, and you are my big brother today! Thank you, big brother, please come this way, the car is ready." He made a gesture of invitation.

"Why do I always feel like something's not right? Forget it, just let me drive. Then be careful and don't get caught."

He put his coat on the table and went to the locker room to change into a flame-retardant racing suit.

"Hehe~~Hehehe~~" Shangluo crouched in the corner, holding his homework. He pulled out his gloves and spread out his homework book.

"Ex-boy, it's time to test you. I've prepared a sample font for you. Can you write according to it? Apollonia, please help him."

[Why are you so lazy? Can't you do your own homework?]

"I'm busy with official duties and have important matters to attend to. The two capitals and thirteen provinces of the Ming Dynasty are sitting on my back seat. How can I be distracted?"

[Ah, former young general, I'm counting on you. 】

He raised his thumb in the air with the glove and began to write with his head down.

This time, the speed was the same as before; it wasn't "writing" at all, but still "drawing" line by line like a printer. The tip of the pen scraped against the paper, making a "sizzle-sizzle" sound.

Imitating Wen Yuan's notes, the former young general copied up to the paragraph "The garrison soldiers shouted, the Hangu Pass was taken, the Chu people set it on fire, leaving only a pitiful scorched earth."

[Okay, it's done. I think it's okay this time.]

Shangluo took the homework book from the young man.

"Um"

This time, the situation was a bit more complicated. First, it looked fake, not printed. But since Wen Yuan only provided two lines of calligraphy, it seemed like too little sample for the young player to imitate. Many characters looked forced, stiff, even unnatural. Repeated characters were written identically, lacking variety.

Although it is not easy to see at first glance, the teacher checks very carefully. If the writing is so strange, you will definitely be called in for questioning.

A voice suddenly said from behind: "If you train with more samples, you should be able to write more natural characters."