"It's already a big deal to teach in an ordinary lecture hall, let alone teaching in Yuexi Academy among the academies in Jingguo." A Jinshi sighed.
"At least one must be a Grand Secretary to be able to teach at Yuexi Academy. It is unprecedented for a Juren to give lectures at Yuexi Academy. Generally speaking, it is a great honor for a Juren to be able to attend lectures at Yuexi Academy!"
"Ever since Fang Zhenguo left Jingguo, there have been more and more strange things happening."
Fang Yun smiled helplessly and said, "Lord Wen Xiang really thinks too highly of me. In fact, an ordinary lecture hall is enough for me. Why should I choose the largest Yue Xi Academy?"
"Why not use the largest lecture hall? Why use the smaller ones? Do you want others to squat on the wall to listen to the lecture?"
Fang Yun imagined the scene and laughed with everyone else.
Fang Yun looked out the window and saw the crowd starting to move outwards, with fewer and fewer people in front of Lingyun Tower.
The restaurant owner came in to express his gratitude and presented a jar of good wine.
Many students were laughing and chatting in the Tianzi Room. After eating and drinking, Fang Yun wrote the "Shen Ce Army Stele" in public, which drew praises from everyone. Some people who were proficient in calligraphy even looked intoxicated and asked Fang Yun for advice after the evaluation.
When someone asked Fang Yun what he got for the full chips of Qiting, Fang Yun just smiled and said nothing.
While they were eating, Zeng Yuan, who was far away in Kongcheng, sent them a letter.
"Fang Yun, on the demon world's Grand Scholar Hunting Ranking, you rose from eleventh to tenth yesterday, and rose to ninth today. The Grand Scholar Hunting Ranking only changes once every ten or so years, but you have risen several times in just one month."
"As long as you don't get the top spot on the Grand Scholar Hunting List, the demon tribe won't take action. If nothing unexpected happens, we can hold out for a while."
"The problem is that at this rate, the demon world may initiate the Moon Tree Divine Punishment ahead of schedule. Fortunately, more than 30% of the demon saints are wandering around the world. There is only one sub-saint left. If all the saints in the demon world gather together and initiate the legendary Ten Thousand Saints Divine Punishment, no one will be able to save you. It may even destroy everything you left in the world, your poems and articles, and even our memories of you may be erased."
After reading the letter, Fang Yun couldn't help but frown, and continued to communicate with Zeng Yuan in the noisy Tianzi Room.
"I have sworn a great oath between the two worlds with the saints. If they use the Moon Tree Divine Punishment against me within the three years of the oath, they will inevitably be retaliated by the great oath between the two worlds and pay a heavy price. Although this price is bearable, it is a great blow to the demon race, and they must be fully prepared. Why do they take such a big risk?"
"I got the news from the Northern Saint Pavilion. The only sub-saint of the demon race seems to be preparing to leave the demon world. Once he is far away from the demon world, the backlash of the two worlds' great oath will be very weak to him. Therefore, if you enter the Grand Scholar Hunting List too early, the demon race sub-saint will join forces with the saints to punish you with the Moon Tree God. He will resist the backlash of the two worlds with his sub-saint body and then flee far away, which is enough to minimize the cost."
Fang Yun replied: "In that case, it is more likely that the demons will attack me in advance. I have no other options now, and can only pray for help from the saints."
"This... Once the Moon Tree Divine Punishment is triggered, I'm afraid that the saints of our human race can only stop a part of the power, and a part of the power will inevitably affect you. Even if it is only one ten-thousandth of the power, it is enough to turn you into ashes. You are now in a dilemma. If you can't make progress in your literary rank, you may be killed by the rebels or the demons; if you make progress too quickly, you will face the Moon Tree Divine Punishment. Alas..."
"I know about this, too. Rather than being killed by those rebellious species or ordinary monsters, it is better to die under the punishment of the Moon Tree God. Once the monsters use the punishment of the Moon Tree God, coupled with the departure of a sub-saint, the monsters' power will inevitably shrink, and the Two Realms Mountain and other places will be much more stable, at least giving the human race ten years of stability. My death is worthy."
"When you reach the mountain, there will always be a way out. The saints will definitely find a way. But it involves a world of divine punishment, and you are no longer able to do anything. The only thing you can do is to continue your studies."
Fang Yun smiled and replied: "Then I will work harder and try to pass the imperial examination before I die. At least I can leave my name in history after my death."
"Don't say such depressing words. Oh, I forgot to congratulate you on becoming the first son of the Lingyan Pavilion! What a flawed literary mind you have!"
"Let's not talk about this."
"Okay, this is a secret. It may be a way to save your life in the future. It cannot be leaked in advance. Are you prepared for the Ten Nations Competition?"
"I know a little bit, but I'm not prepared yet."
"The Jinshi exam is in September, and the Ten-Nation Grand Competition is in October. Ten Jinshi from each country's academy are eligible to participate. There are very few people like you and Yan Yukong who were admitted to the upper class when they were Juren, but many Juren from Shengxu passed the Comet Corridor, and this year several Juren were admitted to the upper class. The rankings in the annual competition determine the number of Juren and Jinshi in each country the following year, so the Ten-Nation Grand Competition is particularly important."
"I know all these things. Starting from tomorrow, I will probably prepare for the Ten Nations Competition. If the Denglongtai is not opened, I will concentrate on studying until the Jinshi Examination."
"In this year's Ten Nations Competition, Jing will rank higher with you. Ji Zhibai is also a great man. If the two of you work together, you can help Jing recover. But I heard that Ji Zhibai is a disciple of Zuo Xiang, so you have to be careful."
"After all, he is a Jing countryman. At least nothing will happen during the Ten Nations Competition. You can rest assured about that."
After a long while, Fang Yun did not see Zeng Yuan's reply and started chatting and laughing with others. Not long after, Zeng Yuan replied: "I have told my family to pass on all the news about you to me as soon as possible. I just got a piece of news related to Ji Zhibai. I never thought that the Lei family would get involved."
"What's wrong? Ji Zhibai is colluding with the Lei family?"
"You can say they colluded, but there is no evidence. Ji Zhibai has already issued a letter saying that he was surrounded by the barbarians and fought to the death, but his literary courage was damaged, so he resigned from the academy and gave up his position as the upper chamberlain."
Fang Yun looked at the letter in shock.
Qiao Juze, who was standing by, was clearly chatting happily, but Fang Yun looked unhappy. He asked softly, "Brother Fang, what's wrong?"
The room fell silent and everyone looked at Fang Yun.
Fang Yun slowly raised his head and said, "Maybe a senior scholar is going to quit the academy. Who can verify it?"
Many students' faces changed, the Ten-Nation Competition was about to begin, and this was not good news.
"Let me ask." Qiao Juze said.
Afterwards, many students used their connections to make inquiries.
Soon, a Jinshi shouted, "Ji Zhibai, leave the academy!"
"What? How can he retreat! Without him, the Ten Kingdoms would be in a more dire situation than our Jing Kingdom!"
"Why did Ji Zhibai quit? How could Ji Zhibai quit!"
"The hope of our Jing country has been placed on him and Fang Yun. How can he escape from the battlefield?"
"Everyone, please be patient. I have received accurate information. Ji Zhibai encountered a surprise attack by the barbarians when he was out. In the end, he tried his best to kill all the barbarians. However, in order to save the rest of the officers and soldiers, he repeatedly used the power of the literary advisor, causing damage to the literary advisor and the palace. He needs to rest for a long time. He can continue to govern Ning County, but he cannot participate in the Ten Countries' Literary Competition."
There was silence in the guest room, followed by sighs.
Only a few people seemed to be thinking about something, occasionally glancing at Fang Yun. (To be continued)