"It's Fang Xusheng!" someone shouted from the foot of the mountain.
"Really? Oh my god, he is standing on the Seventh Mountain! Could it be that he had already reached the Seventh Mountain when he was still a scholar? He clearly said before that he had reached the Sixth Mountain!"
"So that's how it is. Fang Xusheng was deliberately keeping it to himself to avoid causing too much of a stir."
"Meet Fang Xusheng!"
Many newly-appointed scholars came to pay their respects to Fang Yun, especially the one from Jing State, whose faces seemed to be emitting a bright glow.
Even many of the main families, such as the Lei family or related people, performed the ceremony in a proper manner.
The top leaders of those families might become enemies with Fang Yun for the benefit of their family or school, but young people rarely get involved in disputes. They have read all of Fang Yun's poems and essays, and heard about his great achievements every day, which has greatly influenced them.
In the future, they may be hostile to Fang Yun for their family, but nothing can make them deny Fang Yun’s talents and achievements.
Fang Yun nodded slightly to the people at the foot of the mountain, recalled his two experiences of going up Shu Mountain, sighed, and without wasting any time, turned around and walked towards the eighth mountain.
There is a canyon between the seventh and eighth mountains, and a wide black chain connects the two mountains.
A strange wind was howling between the two mountains.
A look of emotion emerged on Fang Yun's face. He still remembered that day when he was at the edge of the seventh mountain, he could not see the rope bridge leading to the eighth mountain at all. No matter what, he could not get through the strange wind belt ahead. He could only reach the second level of Wendan when he reached great success.
At that time, Fang Yun also asked Old Man Shushan how to get to the eighth mountain. Old Man Shushan replied that you can naturally walk when you can.
And now, Fang Yun’s literary talent has reached the third level.
Fang Yun smiled indifferently, stepped onto the black chain, and in the strong strange wind, with the protection of the third-level literary courage, he moved forward freely and elegantly.
Dressed in white, he climbed the eighth mountain.
The eighth mountain was like the other mountains, with a platform on the top, and a chain connecting the two mountains in front and behind. However, there was nothing on this platform.
Fang Yun looked at the eighth mountain with doubts. He looked at it several times in a row, but did not find anything special. On the previous mountain, there was at least one light gate.
Fang Yun thought for a moment, and without stopping, stepped towards the chain bridge leading to the Ninth Mountain.
The strange wind between the eighth and ninth mountains was even stronger, and even though Wen Dan had already entered the third realm, Fang Yun also felt exhausted. However, Fang Yun was even more surprised that he could step directly here, which meant that he had passed the test of the eighth mountain.
Even the literary advisors of the Grand Secretary found it difficult to advance to the third realm. Most people could only have the third realm literary advisors after being promoted to the Great Confucian Scholars. The strength of the third realm literary advisors was obvious to all, so Fang Yun only felt that it was difficult, and he did not feel too much of an obstacle.
As he moved forward, Fang Yun thought rapidly, suspecting that what he saw was an illusion. The power of the Eighth Mountain might suddenly erupt along the way. After all, he had been deceived by the illusion of the Book Mountain in the past.
Fang Yun moved forward cautiously, and finally, he stepped firmly on the ninth mountain.
The Ninth Mountain is different from the other mountains.
Fang Yun stood at the edge of the ninth mountain. He could clearly see green grass and roads within a hundred feet ahead. The top of the mountain was flat, but beyond a hundred feet, there was a fog.
Fang Yun looked at the fog and thought for a moment. Now he had no other choice but to move forward.
After only nine steps, an old man appeared in front of him.
Fang Yun showed a nostalgic smile, bowed, and said: "Old sir, we meet again."
The old man Shushan smiled and nodded slightly, saying, "Not bad, very good."
Old Man Shushan has a very broad and slightly protruding forehead, his hair and beard are all white, and he is a little thin, but his eyes are like lakes and seas, deep and mysterious.
"You are too kind, old sir." Fang Yun spoke modestly, but he felt somewhat happy in his heart. His identity and status were now completely different from before, and he knew more inside information about the human race. He had guessed that this old man was either a spirit born from the Mountain of Books, or a wisp of thought from Confucius. He could not have any other identity.
Regardless of his identity, Old Man Shushan is no less than a semi-saint among the human race, so he is naturally happy to receive his praise.
"Do you have any questions in your mind?"
Fang Yun nodded and said, "Since you showed up, it means that my journey from the Seventh Mountain to the Ninth Mountain was not an illusion. I want to know why I was able to pass directly through the Eighth Mountain."
"The eighth mountain is the palace examination." The smile on old man Shushan's face grew even bigger.
Fang Yun was stunned, and suddenly felt a little lucky. Fortunately, during the palace examination, he just wanted to use what he had learned as much as possible to open up an absolutely correct path for the human race. If he had concealed his shortcomings in the palace examination and only sought a first or double first place, he would probably not have been able to pass the eighth mountain, and San Shang Shu Shan would have been doomed to fail at that time.
"I see. If you are obsessed with the mountain of books, you will be at a disadvantage. I admire you." Fang Yun said.
The old man on the mountain nodded and said, "This eighth mountain is not only a test of 'ruling the country', but also a test of governing the country without the knowledge of the scholars. I don't like everything you did in the palace examination, but I have to admit that in many cases, no one can do better than you. You are very smart and did not establish the Jinguo Academy during the palace examination, otherwise, you would not have been able to climb the ninth mountain."
"It seems that the old gentleman is very dissatisfied with my establishment of the Jinguo Academy." Fang Yun said with a smile.
"It's not that women can't read, it's just that the time is not right now. Do you think the saints don't know what a blessing it is to let women, who make up half of the human race, read? That is at least the achievement of a sub-saint!" said old man Shushan.
"Of course I know that. I also know that they are not sure about the timing and are afraid that doing it too early might damage their own holy path." Fang Yun said.
"Oh? Are you sure about the timing?" asked old man Shushan.
Fang Yun's eyes fixed, and he said firmly: "I'm trying to create an opportunity!"
Old Man Shushan looked at Fang Yun quietly, and after three breaths, he nodded slightly.
"good."
The nine mountains shook at the same time, and more than a hundred thousand newly elected scholars looked around in panic.
Fang Yun continued, "The holy way is what I want; the human race is what I want too. I can't have both. I won't give up anything. I will try my best to have both."
"Do you know the cost?"
"If I succeed, I will be cursed for a hundred years. If I fail, I will be cursed for a thousand years. That's all." Fang Yun said nonchalantly.
"Good!" the old man praised again.
Fang Yun glanced at the fog on the Ninth Mountain and said, "If you have anything to say, please tell me as soon as possible. I want to break into the Ninth Mountain."
Old Shushan laughed and said, "You are impatient. Have you arranged all the things at home?"
"It's arranged... What do you mean?" Fang Yun asked, his eyes slightly alert.
"Nothing. You have to challenge the Ninth Mountain next. After you succeed... we'll talk about what happens after that. I have to say that this Ninth Mountain is not something that can be passed overnight."
"I'm ready." Fang Yun said.
"That's good." After the old man said this, he reached into his sleeve and took out a scroll of bamboo slips.
Fang Yun took a closer look and found that the scroll of bamboo slips kept changing. Sometimes it was one scroll, sometimes it was two scrolls. It was in a completely unstable state and seemed different at every moment.
Not only the number was changing, but the words on the bamboo slips were also constantly changing. Fang Yun couldn't see what was written on them at all. He only felt that the words were flickering and dizzying.
.(To be continued.)