167: Chapter 167 The Imperial Examination System

He spoke slowly, his voice not loud, but it sounded like thunder from the Nine Heavens, clearly reaching the ears of everyone present.

Today is the day of the first imperial examination in my Panshi Land.

I know that many of you are waiting to see me make a fool of myself.

They say I am just a martial artist, who does not respect the Saint or ancient traditions.

They say I am a monkey wearing a crown, talking nonsense about education, making a laughingstock of the world.

His gaze suddenly hardened, like two invisible sharp swords, piercing directly at Zhang Wenlin and the others on the high platform opposite, who were already intimidated by his Aura and had turned slightly pale!

But today, I want to tell you, and tell the whole world!

What my Panshi Land wants to select are not those corrupt scholars who only know how to shake their heads and recite classics, yet know nothing of the people's suffering!

What my Panshi Land needs are pillars of talent who can truly serve the country and the people, and apply their learning to the world!

Today, all who enter this examination hall, regardless of your background or past, from this moment on, you are the future hope of my Panshi Land! You are the pillars of talent that I, Gao Feng, value the most!

Anyone who passes this imperial examination will be granted an official position immediately! I will not break my word!

And the top three—the Champion, the Second Place, and the Third Place—may enter my Yan Kings Residence to discuss state affairs with me and govern the world!

Boom!

Gao Feng's words were like heavy bombs, exploding in everyone's hearts!

Especially those hundreds of scholars from humble backgrounds who had long since lost hope; upon hearing Gao Feng's sincere and expectant words, they were moved to tears, their bodies trembling!

They never dreamed that this high and mighty king of the northern border would value them so much!

Their hearts, long frozen by worldly prejudice and cold glares, were ignited by a warm flame at this moment!

Long live the Prince! Long live! Long, long live!

It was unknown who led the chant, but immediately, the hundreds of scholars from humble backgrounds knelt before Gao Feng, letting out fanatical shouts from the depths of their Souls!

We are willing to die for the Prince!

We are willing to give our all for Panshi Land, until our hearts stop beating!

Those shouts, filled with determination and loyalty, converged into a thunderous sound that echoed throughout Ji City!

Just then, Zhang Wenlin, already intimidated by Gao Feng's Aura, could no longer sit still.

He braced his weak legs, stood up from the high platform, bowed to Gao Feng from afar, his voice filled with suppressed anger and questioning.

Your Highness, the Prince, that is incorrect!

Since ancient times, imperial examinations have taken the Saint's classics as the standard and poetry and prose as the measure.

Your Highness now ignores the classics and only tests policy essays; this is putting the cart before the horse, violating the laws of the ancestors, and even more so, disrespecting the Saint!

I dare to ask Your Highness, since you take it upon yourself to educate the world, have you yourself read even half a sentence of the Saint's books? Have you ever written a single world-shaking piece of literature?

If Your Highness cannot even be considered a scholar, how can you claim to be a role model for the scholars of the world? How can you convince the masses?!

Zhang Wenlin's words were vicious; he wanted to put Gao Feng on the spot in front of the whole world, forcing him, a martial artist, to make a fool of himself in the field he was least skilled in!

However, facing his trap-filled, direct questioning, there was not a hint of panic on Gao Feng's face.

He just smiled faintly, a smile filled with endless confidence and the supreme dominance of someone looking down upon the world!

Saint's books? I have read them.

World-shaking literature? I have also written it.

He slowly walked to the very front of the high platform, his gaze crossing the dense crowd, looking toward the vast northern land.

He stood with his hands behind his back, his clothes fluttering, and a supreme heroic spirit that seemed to want to trample this whole world underfoot erupted from his body!

He spoke slowly, his magnetic voice, bolstered by the powerful Mental Energy brought by the Supreme Visualization Chapter, resonated like the sounds of the Dao throughout the world!

The scenery of the north, a thousand leagues of ice, ten thousand leagues of swirling snow.

Looking inside and outside the Great Wall, only vastness remains; up and down the great river, the rushing currents suddenly cease.

The mountains dance like silver snakes, the plains charge like wax elephants, wanting to compete with Heaven in height.

Wait for the sunny day, see the red adornment, exceptionally enchanting.

The landscape is so beautiful, causing countless heroes to bow in homage.

Pity the Summer Ancestor, Fire Emperor, slightly lacking in literary talent; High Ancestor, Qian Emperor, slightly inferior in flair.

A generation of Prodigy, Zhou Yuan Saint, only knew how to pass on the Dao through books.

All that is in the past,

Count the romantic figures,

Look to the present!

Boom!

When that last sentence, full of supreme dominance and immense heroic spirit, look to the present, was slowly uttered from Gao Feng's mouth, the whole world seemed to lose its voice at this moment!

An indescribable, majestic spirit and supreme Concept erupted from those few dozen words, actually causing the winds and clouds in the Nine Heavens to change!

The Origin Qi of heaven and earth resonated!

Brilliant golden rays of light descended from the sky, setting off Gao Feng's tall figure like a supreme poet-immortal who had descended to the mortal world!

The terrifying mental pressure contained in that poem was like two invisible ancient divine mountains, pressing heavily onto the hearts of all the aristocratic representatives on the opposite high platform!

Pfft!

Zhang Wenlin felt his mind being smashed by an invisible, ten-thousand-pound heavy hammer.

His corrupt Dao Heart, which had been imprisoned by so-called Saint's Dao for decades, shattered like a fragile eggshell in the face of this supreme dominance that could look down on the past and present!

He spat out a mouthful of blood, his whole person drained of all energy, collapsing onto his chair, his turbid eyes filled with nothing but endless horror and disbelief!

Outside the examination hall, all the scholars who came to watch, whether they were noble aristocratic youths or ragged scholars from humble backgrounds, were completely shocked by the supreme spirit of swallowing the world and looking down on the past and present contained in this timeless masterpiece that could make the sun and moon dim!

Their bodies trembled uncontrollably, their eyes filled with endless fanaticism and worship!

They never dreamed that this martial artist Yan King, who they thought only knew how to kill, possessed such earth-shattering literary talent!

How is this a martial artist? This is clearly a peerless hero of the ages who can write to pacify the world and ride a horse to secure the universe!

Good! What a 'All that is in the past, count the romantic figures, look to the present'!

Such breadth of mind! Such spirit! Truly a role model for us scholars!

To be able to follow such a majestic leader is the greatest fortune of my three lives! No regrets in this life!

After a brief silence, there was a sky-piercing, fanatical shout!

It was unknown who led the way, but immediately, the hundreds of aristocratic students who were still hesitating and watching could no longer suppress the excitement and fanaticism in their hearts!

They threw away the folding fans in their hands, tore off the luxurious Confucian robes that symbolized their status, and let out shouts full of determination and longing, rushing crazily toward the examination hall that had become a supreme Holy Land in their eyes like a tidal wave!

We are willing to die for the Prince!

We are willing to offer all our talent and hot blood for the rise of Panshi Land!

The seemingly unbreakable joint boycott of the aristocratic families completely declared bankruptcy in the face of this timeless masterpiece!

Watching the examination hall that was instantly packed, and those young faces filled with fanaticism and excitement, a satisfied smile curled at the corner of Gao Feng's mouth.

He knew that his game of chess had succeeded.

Through this large-scale Panshi Imperial Examination, Gu Changfeng and the others had indeed unearthed a large group of scholars from humble backgrounds who were truly capable and ambitious for Gao Feng.

Although they came from poor backgrounds, each of them possessed astonishing talent not inferior to those aristocratic youths, and an even more precious, soaring fighting spirit to change their own destiny!

Among them, the Champion who took the top spot made even Gao Feng feel a hint of amazement.

His name was Zhang Bo, only twenty years old, from the poorest hunter family in Youzhou.

But with his astonishing photographic memory and monstrous logical deduction ability, he wrote a world-shaking, tens-of-thousands-word essay in the policy examination—Panshi Ten-Year Strategy—which put forward extremely profound and forward-looking insights on the future ten-year development of Panshi Land in military, political, economic, and livelihood aspects!

Many of the viewpoints in his article coincided with the final conclusions that Gao Feng and Luo Qin had reached after days of deduction!

My Lord! This child has the talent to govern the world! He is a candidate for a Prime Minister!

After reading Zhang Bo's examination paper, Gu Changfeng was so excited he couldn't sleep, and he immediately presented this paper to Gao Feng.

After reading it, Gao Feng was also very pleased, and on the spot, he broke the rules and appointed Zhang Bo as his personal attendant, letting him follow by his side, personally teaching and cultivating him, with the intention of making him his future choice for Prime Minister!

Besides the Champion Zhang Bo, this imperial examination also produced several other top talents who made Gao Feng's eyes light up.

The Second Place, Zhu Zhengyu, was steady in character, meticulous in thought, and especially good at criminal law and statutes.

He knew various laws and regulations by heart and could draw inferences, proposing many constructive amendments.

Gao Feng immediately appointed him as Gu Changfeng's deputy to assist him in compiling the fundamental law that concerned the future of Panshi Land—the panshi code of law.

The Third Place, Yao Ping'an, although his literary talent was not as good as Zhang Bo's and his strategy not as good as Zhu Zhengyu's, he had a truly innocent heart that cared for the people.

Although his policy essay was simple and unadorned, every suggestion he put forward was a profound insight gained from his deep immersion in the countryside and personal observation, pointing directly to the root of people's livelihood.

Gao Feng knew deeply that such talent was the most indispensable cornerstone for him to govern this vast territory in the future.

He immediately appointed Yao Ping'an as the Inspecting Censor, granting him the authority to 'execute first and report later,' and tasked him with patrolling the three provinces of the northern border on his behalf, monitoring officials, and listening to the will of the people.

Besides this, a failed scholar named Gao Lin also caught the attention of Gao Feng.

Although this man's performance in the policy essays was mediocre, he had presented, in public at the examination hall, a 'Map of Water Conservancy and Mineral Distribution in the Northern Border' that he had drawn himself and was detailed to the extreme!

The precision of the drawing and the detail of the exploration were even three parts more thorough than the intelligence that 'Tianwang' had spent months to obtain!

The moment Gao Feng saw this map, he knew he had found a treasure!

He immediately summoned the young man, who appeared somewhat dull and reticent, and after an in-depth conversation, he was pleasantly surprised to discover that this person was simply a natural geographer and engineer!

He immediately appointed Gao Lin as the Vice Minister of the newly established 'Ministry of Works,' to assist Gongshu Ban and take full responsibility for the construction of water conservancy, road paving, and the exploration and development of mineral resources throughout the entire northern border!

For a time, all of Panshi Land was filled with talent, and a hundred schools of thought contended!

A golden age, full of vitality and endless hope, quietly began to unfold in this land that was once regarded as a 'bitter and cold place,' with an unstoppable momentum!

Wang Ergou, a young blacksmith from a small border town in Suzhou Province, was wiping the hundred-refined steel blade he had spent half a year of painstaking effort to forge, his heart filled with excitement.

Under the dim oil lamp, the blade reflected a chilling, eerie light, and the fine folded patterns were as beautiful as flowing water, making it the proudest work of his life.

His ancestors for three generations had been blacksmiths, but in this era where 'all professions are base, only studying is high,' his family had always been regarded as 'craftsman households' of the lowest class, suffering endless cold shoulders and bullying.

He had the skills of a blacksmith and a head full of wild ideas, yet nowhere to display them. Every day, he could only forge hoes and kitchen knives, barely scraping by under the disdain of fellow villagers and the exploitation of government officials.

That was until half a month ago, when that king's decree, like a thunderclap, spread throughout the entire northern border.

The King of Yan, Gao Feng, that legendary guardian deity who had slain the Azure Wolf King in battle and repelled ten thousand cavalry, was actually going to personally host a grand event called the 'Heavenly Craft Conference' for them, these 'stinking blacksmiths' and 'rotten carpenters'!

Regardless of background, only skill matters!

The winners would not only receive heavy rewards but could also obtain the 'official status' they dared not even dream of, and even enter the Holy Land that legend said gathered all the skilled craftsmen of the world—the Hundred Crafts Institute—to participate in the creation of the nation's most important artifacts!

'Official status... that's official status!'

Wang Ergou clenched his fists, which were covered in calluses and burn scars, his eyes shimmering with crystalline tears. He seemed to see his father, who could never straighten his back from being choked by coal dust all day, and his mother, who had aged prematurely from years of toil. Their faces could finally bloom with proud smiles, and they would never have to hang their heads in front of others again!

'Father, Mother, wait for me! This time, your son will definitely win some dignity for our Wang family!'

He bid farewell to his aged parents, who had given him a thousand instructions, shouldered the hundred-refined steel blade that carried all his hopes, and resolutely embarked on the long road to Yan King City, which was the former Youzhou City.

Along the way, he saw countless craftsmen just like himself. There were carpenters carrying huge woodworking boxes with faces weathered by the wind; stonemasons carrying heavy stone hammers with bulging muscles; mechanics with nimble eyes, hiding various intricate parts in their arms; and even weavers pushing carts of magnificent silk and potters holding exquisite porcelain.

Their clothing was different, and their accents varied, but in their eyes, they all shone with the same light—that was an infinite expectation for the future, and heartfelt, endless gratitude toward Gao Feng, the king of the northern border, who had pulled them out of the mud!

In Yan King City, on the newly completed, massive square in front of the Hundred Crafts Institute that could accommodate tens of thousands of people, it was already packed with people, bustling with activity.

Thousands of craftsmen from all over the world gathered here, and the works they brought were dazzling, filling the entire square. There were precious swords and blades that gleamed with cold light and could cut iron like mud; ingenious mechanical wooden birds capable of flying on their own; magnificent silk as thin as cicada wings and colorful; and exquisite porcelain that was as warm as jade with elegant shapes... it was overwhelming and breathtaking.

Wang Ergou stood in the crowded throng, looking at the grand scene he had never seen before, feeling the fiery atmosphere full of creativity and passion around him, and felt a surge of excitement, his blood boiling.

He raised his head and looked with reverence at the massive bronze statue standing three zhang tall in the center of the square—that was the statue of Gao Feng.

The statue was jointly crafted by the masters of the Hundred Crafts Institute, lifelike and imposing. Gao Feng was clad in armor, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword, his gaze staring deeply into the distance. That supreme Aura of looking down on the world, of 'who else but me,' rushed toward them, making everyone who saw it unable to help but feel awe.

'Dong!'

A long, resonant bell chime rang out, and the originally noisy square instantly fell silent.

Only to see the Dean of the Hundred Crafts Institute, that Great Grandmaster of mechanical arts who existed like a god in the hearts of all craftsmen—Gongshu Ban, dressed in a simple gray craftsman's robe, slowly walking onto the high platform.

'Everyone, welcome to my Panshi Land to participate in this first 'Heavenly Craft Conference'!'

Gongshu Ban's voice was not loud, but it clearly reached the ears of everyone present.

'I am Gongshu Ban, and by the order of His Highness the king of the northern border, I am presiding over this conference. The Prince has ordered that this conference will not ask about background, only look at skill! It aims to discover true skilled craftsmen, the pillars of the nation, for our northern border and for the world!'

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the expectant faces below, and continued loudly: 'This conference is divided into three major categories: 'Sharp Weapon', 'Mechanism', and 'Livelihood'. Each category has gold, silver, and bronze awards. All winners will receive heavy rewards! And the person who ultimately wins the gold medal will not only receive a reward of one thousand taels of gold but will also be personally conferred the supreme honor of 'Heavenly Craft Great Master' by the Prince, entering the core of our Hundred Crafts Institute to participate in the research and manufacturing of the nation's most important artifacts!'

'Boom!'

As soon as Gongshu Ban's voice fell, the entire square instantly erupted into a huge cheer like a mountain avalanche and a tsunami!

The faces of all the craftsmen were filled with uncontrollable excitement and fanaticism!

However, just as the grand event opened and all eyes were upon it, a harsh voice full of disdain and provocation rang out from the crowd without warning.

'Hmph! Old man Gongshu, stop bragging here! The flashy things you've made are nothing more than toys to please children! You dare to call them 'nation's most important artifacts'?'

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw a middle-aged man dressed in black, with an arrogant face and eyes as sharp as an eagle's, pushing aside the crowd and slowly walking to the bottom of the high platform.

A cold and murderous Aura, completely out of place with the surroundings, radiated from his body, as if he were a drawn sword, its sharpness fully exposed.

'I am Descendant of the Mohist school, Descendant of the Mohist school.' The middle-aged man bowed from a distance toward Gongshu Ban on the platform, but there was not a hint of respect in his tone; instead, it was full of thick provocation.

'I heard that you, Gongshu Ban, are called the number one person in mechanical arts in the world today. Seeing you today, it is nothing more than that. True mechanical arts are the arts of slaughter for battlefield conquest and invincibility! Not that scrap metal of yours that can only be used for plowing fields and pumping water!'

'Do you dare to compete with me on the spot? Let's take 'Mechanical War Puppet' as the topic! Let the world see who is the true king of this mechanical art!'

As the voice of the Descendant of the Mohist school fell, the entire square instantly fell into a dead silence.

Everyone was looking at this man who didn't know the immensity of heaven and earth with the eyes of someone looking at a madman.

Who is Gongshu Ban? He is the Great Grandmaster of mechanical arts who was treated as an honored guest by His Highness the king of the northern border and personally appointed as the Minister of Works! The 'Earth Fire Dragon' core he developed has changed the production methods of the entire northern border!

This guy named the Descendant of the Mohist school actually dared to publicly challenge Gongshu Ban's authority in front of so many people? Does he not want to live anymore?

However, contrary to everyone's expectations, after hearing this gunpowder-filled provocation, Gongshu Ban on the platform not only felt no anger at all, but a brilliant light, unprecedented, burst out from his cloudy old eyes!

He stroked his beard and laughed loudly, his voice filled with endless pleasure and pride!

'Good! What a good art of slaughter! What a good Mechanical War Puppet!'

'I have been waiting for this day for a long time!'

'Since Mr. Descendant of the Mohist school has this elegant interest, then today, I will accompany you to the end! Let me show you what true mechanical arts are!'

As the words fell, a Peak showdown of mechanical arts, enough to go down in history, began!

The eyes of the entire audience were focused on the two huge workshops in the center of the square that had been built overnight by the Hundred Crafts Institute.

The Descendant of the Mohist school was indeed a Descendant of the Mohist school; his movements were as fast as lightning and as smooth as flowing water. Various precise parts of different sizes and shapes seemed to be given life in his extremely dexterous hands, combining and splicing at a dazzling speed.

Wang Ergou stood in the crowd, watching in astonishment, his heart yearning. For the first time, he knew that besides blacksmithing, there was such an exquisite and peerless skill in this world!

In less than an hour, a metal war puppet, more than half a person tall, made entirely of the hardest black iron, shaped like a leopard poised to strike, appeared before everyone.

This leopard war puppet was pitch black, with smooth lines and full of explosive power.

Its limbs were strong and powerful, its joints gleaming with a chilling, eerie cold light, and its eyes, inlaid with red crystals, emitted an even colder and more deadly Killing Intent!