Chapter 6: Reform and Innovation
At this time, two Taoists appeared in the form of light and landed in front of Zhang Sheng and Wei Yuan. The older Taoist looked at Wei Yuan, then at the book in his hand, and said, "Wei Yuan from Fengyuan County, I have confirmed that everything is correct. Take him to the dormitory!"
Zhang Sheng was startled and said, "Why do we have to go to the dormitory now?"
Sun Yu entered the fairy gate a step later and appeared beside Zhang Sheng, saying, "Brother, don't worry. There are many candidates in Fengyuan County this year, so we have set a rule that all candidates must live in the dormitory as soon as they enter the fairy gate. They are not allowed to communicate with outsiders until the exam is over."
Zhang Sheng looked at Sun Yu, the two Taoists, and the countless auspicious beasts of the fairy state on the square. He seemed to be thinking about something, and said to Wei Yuan in a gentle voice, "Then go, don't be afraid, just show what you have learned, and I will take care of the rest."
Wei Yuan nodded vigorously. He was born with precocious wisdom and could already feel that the atmosphere was different at this time.
Zhang Sheng took a step back, and the young Taoist pulled Wei Yuan, his figure flashed, and disappeared in the blink of an eye. The older Taoist ticked the book, apologized and left.
Zhang Sheng's eyes slowly swept across the square.
Although his Taoist power was sealed, his vision was still there. He could recognize most of the mounts and auspicious beasts just by looking at their appearance. Although there were many styles of flying boats and fairy cars, most of them had family emblems on the body, and Zhang Sheng could recognize most of them. With just one look, he saw seven or eight prominent mounts, either from a certain noble family or the descendants of a leader of a major fairy sect.
The two nine-colored treasure deer in the East China Sea could not squeeze into the top five here.
Sun Yu said, "Brother, don't worry. You know the rules of the dormitory. Besides, there are great scholars watching us now, so no one dares to do anything."
Zhang Sheng said calmly, "No one dares to do anything? I'm afraid few people dare not!"
Sun Yu pretended not to hear and said, "This time, not only our Taichu Palace came, but also the Four Saints Academy and the Dabaohua Pure Land."
Zhang Sheng immediately remembered the many terrifying fortunes on the Heguang Array of the Water six years ago. After six years, these fortunes should also begin to combine with people, and many corresponding strange people will be born. It seems that the great power above has already calculated this matter, so three people from the four major immortal palaces have come, and there are even more caves and blessed places, all ready to snatch the son of fortune.
But when Zhang Sheng thought of those fortunes, he felt a little strange. The Immortal Sect called these people back. I don't know what King Ji would think when he knew, and what would Emperor Tang think.
At this time, the white jade boat in the East China Sea finally stopped, and a group of people walked down from the boat, surrounding a young man like stars surrounding the moon. The boy was about eight or nine years old, with dark skin and slightly curly hair. There were a few fine pearl-colored scales on his neck, protecting his throat, and his pupils were bright amber. This boy was of pure East China Sea descent, and his pupils were proof of that.
Seeing the boy's appearance, Zhang Sheng's face was different, so he asked, "Is he from Fengyuan County?"
The Xianzong unified examination has always stipulated that candidates must have three generations of blood relatives living in a certain county before they can apply for the examination in that county, otherwise they must take the unified examination in their original state or county. This rule has always been strictly enforced, without exception. Even if the distance between East China Sea and Yongzhou is not one million miles, it is still hundreds of thousands of miles. It is reasonable for the Yan family to have a collateral mixed-blood, but how can the direct blood be related to Fengyuan County?
But Sun Yu looked at the tip of his nose, and his voice did not fluctuate at all: "He is indeed a native of Fengyuan County."
Zhang Sheng sneered: "The Yan family of Donghai, the great elder of the Bishui Liushang Sect, and the little saint of Shiming Academy, these three families are close to Fengyuan County, nearly a million miles away, and several million miles away. Do they have blood relatives within three generations here?"
Sun Yu sighed and said, "All of them do. But I heard that some blood relatives only recognized their ancestors last month. But there are both witnesses and evidence, so those are real blood relatives, and you can't overturn them, junior brother."
Sun Yu emphasized the word real blood relatives. It was not easy for Sun Yu to say this. If these words were heard by the relevant aristocratic families, it would be the rhythm of offending them to death.
Zhang Sheng's face showed sarcasm, and he said slowly: "You don't even bother to cover it up?"
Sun Yu sighed: "Isn't it always like this? Follow me to Qianxin Palace first, it's convenient to talk there. In addition, the regulations of the Fengyuan County unified examination have been greatly changed this time, saying that it is to reform the old and establish the new, you also need to read it."
Zhang Sheng stood still until he saw the two Taoists also taking the young man from the Yan family in Donghai away, and then he left with Sun Yu.
The young Taoist took Wei Yuan to a beautiful valley. There were rows of two-story buildings in the valley, and all the room doors were opened on the corridor, and each door was numbered.
As soon as Wei Yuan came in, he saw a number light up.
The young Taoist took Wei Yuan and walked to the room, saying: "This is number 77, which will be your code name during this unified examination. Before the examination, you can move freely in the dormitory, and you may meet other candidates. You can communicate, but remember not to reveal your identity and name. Once discovered, you will be severely punished! Remember?"
Wei Yuan nodded.
The young Taoist pushed the door open. The room was simply but exquisitely furnished, with a bed, a desk, a chair, and a sandalwood flower stand, on which was placed a pot of an arm-sized fruit tree, which was full of golden fruits and exuded a faint fragrance.
"This is the Chonglou fruit tree, which can help you clear your mind and stabilize your heart. The fruit cannot be eaten, or you will die."
"This is the Beihai Ice Pear Bed. Sleeping on it can drive away the demons in your heart and nourish your soul. You haven't practiced yet, so you can't get these benefits. But sleeping on this bed for an hour every day can replenish your energy."
"This is the Tianji Case, this is the Lihuo Inkstone, this is the Shuiyuan Pen..."
After introducing the functions of each object in the room, the young Taoist said, "The unified examination regulations will be issued at the hour of You. Read them carefully to avoid being caught off guard. Tomorrow morning is the Taoist test, so don't miss the time."
After giving instructions, the young Taoist pushed the door and left.
Wei Yuan suddenly saw an extra book at the door, as if the young Taoist had accidentally left it behind. He picked it up and saw the words "Da Tang Xianzong's Unified Examination Regulations for Recruiting Disciples" written on the cover.
Originally, the regulations were to be issued at the hour of You, but it was only past noon, and there were still two full hours before the hour of You. Wei Yuan understood that this was a little convenience secretly given by the young Taoist.
Wei Yuan sat down at the desk and began to read the regulations. As he read, he was a little surprised. The examination rules in the regulations were very different from what Zhang Sheng said.
According to Zhang Sheng, the Xianzong unified examination consists of two parts: the Dao test and the literary test. The Dao test tests the foundation of cultivation talent and whether there is luck. The literary test tests all things in the world, including articles, history, policy essays, military tactics, etc. Generally, two or three questions are given, and each question requires an article.
The literary test not only tests whether the answer is accurate, but also tests the understanding. A candidate may have an extreme argument, but as long as he can be original and justify his own argument, he can get extra points for understanding.
However, the regulations in Wei Yuan's hand said that in addition to the Dao test and the literary test, there is also a martial test this year. The foundation and luck part of the Dao test has also been divided into more detailed levels, and each level has a corresponding score.
Because the martial test has been added, the proportion of each test in the total evaluation has become 40% for the Dao test, 30% for the literary test, and 30% for the martial test. The original ratio was 60% for the Taoist test and 40% for the literary test.
The rating of the three tests is no longer the vague three-grade classification of heaven, earth and man in the past, but a point system instead, with 40 points for the Taoist test, 30 points for the literary test and 30 points for the martial arts test, and finally a total of 100 points, and the ranking is determined by the total score.
Zhang Sheng had previously said that Fengyuan County was remote and had just suffered a major disaster, with countless deaths, so there would be no more than 20 candidates this year, but now it can be seen from the dormitories that there are more than 200 people. After entering the Immortal Gate, Wei Yuan knew that countless prominent figures had come, obviously all for the unified examination.
The regulations were greatly changed, and the competition was unprecedentedly fierce. Wei Yuan vaguely felt that lead clouds began to gather above his head. But he had been a disciple of Zhang Sheng for three years, and he inherited the character of being more courageous and going against the current. At this moment, the pressure was unprecedented, but Wei Yuan calmed down and began to study the regulations carefully.
As Zhang Sheng taught, you must be calm when facing major events.
(End of this chapter)