CH 208

As the moonlight faded, the Imperial Scholar who was the master of ceremonies picked up a Mid-Autumn poem written by one of the Accomplished Scholars from the county level and recited it loudly. Every word of his was spoken with the power of "Thunderous Spring", and half of the people in the City of Confucius could hear this poem.

After the county-level poem was recited, applause erupted like waves.

The Accomplished Scholar gave a slight smile and bowed in thanks to all directions.

Then, the people behind him took turns to compose poems. Any poem that reached the county level or higher was loudly recited by the master of ceremonies.

Today, a total of one hundred people obtained the qualification to enter the Holy Land, including twenty Accomplished Scholars and eighty Presented Scholars. Under normal circumstances, the twenty Accomplished Scholars should have taken turns to compose poems in four batches, followed by the eighty Presented Scholars composing their poems in reverse order of their ranking.

However, Fang Yun had passed the path to the Holy Land in one go and won the fourth place. It was impossible for him to compose a poem with the Accomplished Scholars, so he was defaulted as a Presented Scholar and became one of the last five to compose a poem.

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Nineteen Accomplished Scholars took turns to compose poems, and in the end, four of them composed poems at the county level. The audience watching the literary meeting praised them one after another. Only in such a grand literary meeting where the elites of the ten nations gathered could there be so many Accomplished Scholars who could compose county-level poems.

After all the Accomplished Scholars had finished, the six Presented Scholars with the lowest rankings went on stage together. Like the Accomplished Scholars, they composed poems on the theme of the Mid-Autumn full moon. These Presented Scholars were the weakest, and many people did not have high expectations for them. In terms of talent, these people might not even be as good as some of the Accomplished Scholars.

However, among these six Presented Scholars, there was a surprise. One of them composed a poem that reached the prefecture level, earning more moonlight than the others.

Composing a prefecture-level poem was no small feat even in the City of Confucius. The master of ceremonies invited a Hanlin Scholar to come up and appreciate the poem.

Afterwards, the master of ceremonies asked the Presented Scholar a few questions. Both of them conversed with the power of "Thunderous Spring", so everyone could hear clearly. This person was neither from a wealthy family nor from a Semi-Saint Prominent Family, but a fallen scion of a famous family.

Everyone sighed. If such a talented person were born in a wealthy family or a Semi-Saint Prominent Family, he might have been able to rank among the top thirty Presented Scholars.

After that, the Presented Scholars took turns to go on stage. These Presented Scholars also demonstrated the highest level of the Presented Scholars from the ten nations. More than half of the Presented Scholars were able to compose county-level poems. Among every ten people, there was one who could reach the prefecture level, but higher-level State-level poems and essays did not appear for a long time.

The State level was a very high dividing line. The poems and essays at the State level would be recited by thousands of people. Many high-ranking officials spent their entire lives pursuing State-level poems and essays without success.

Most of the people present were scholars. Therefore, every time the master of ceremonies recited a poem or essay, countless people would either recite it, write it down, or discuss and evaluate it.

The moon rose higher and higher, and as more and more poems and essays emerged, the atmosphere at the scene became increasingly heated.

The guests under the high platform were calmer than the people outside. Only when the poems of their own nation or family's Presented Scholars were recited would they cheer.

Those Great Scholars or Grand Academicians rarely spoke. Even when they did, they only said simple words like "not bad", "acceptable", "worth a look", and so on.

Unconsciously, the Presented Scholars ranked from twenty-sixth to thirtieth appeared on the high platform. These five people were even more outstanding in their literary talent, with two reaching the prefecture level and two reaching the county level. The scene immediately set off a wave of cheers.

The moonlight descended, and this time the bright moonlight was much thicker than before. After the moonlight disappeared, all the Presented Scholars' eyes emitted a faint glow, which disappeared after a while.

One by one, the Presented Scholars went on stage, and one after another, poems appeared. With each infusion of moonlight, the frequency of cheers from the people around the City of Confucius became higher and higher.

Many people under the stage initially only chatted with their friends and occasionally paid attention to the people on the stage. But as time went on, they paid more and more attention to the stage. When the five Presented Scholars ranked from sixth to tenth went on stage, everyone stopped chatting and looked at the stage together.

These were the top ten Presented Scholars in the Holy Origin Mainland. Among the Presented Scholars, they might not be the most talented or the most powerful, but they were definitely among the strongest. Every time, those who ranked in the top ten in the path to the Holy Land and could leave the Holy Land alive would inevitably become the leading figures in a nation, and could even shake the ten nations.

Even if they were not in the top five, they were enough to attract everyone's attention.

Even many Grand Academicians and even Great Scholars present admitted that some of these people would surely achieve more than they did.

The five Presented Scholars stood behind the desk and wrote down the results of their deep thoughts over the past few days.

Five streams of talent slowly grew on the paper, and in the end, one reached the State level and four reached the prefecture level!

The talent of these five people far exceeded that of the previous Presented Scholars, and the Presented Scholar from the Kong Family wrote a State-level poem, becoming the first State-level poem in the literary meeting, triggering cheers from all the people in the City of Confucius.

Those ranked in the top ten could receive double the moonlight. After the Presented Scholar from the Kong Family received the moonlight, his whole body was covered with a faint layer of moonlight, which took a long time to be completely absorbed, causing many people to envy him.

With the double State-level moonlight, he would have a smooth journey in the Holy Land.

It was not until this moment that many people understood why this Presented Scholar from the Kong Family did not strive for a higher position. Since the top ten all received double moonlight, and since he had the talent to compose a State-level poem, he would surely surpass the two people from the Mo Family and the Military Strategists. There was no need to compete, so it was better to follow the doctrine of the mean.

Zong Wude, who was ranked fifth, looked at the smile on the face of the Presented Scholar from the Kong Family and suddenly realized. He wished he could slap himself, and then he looked at Fang Yun.

Because he found a big problem, he had to compose a poem on the same stage with Fang Yun after entering the top five!

Zong Wude helplessly gave a thumbs up to the Presented Scholar from the Kong Family.

The treatment of a State-level poem was quite grand. The master of ceremonies invited a Grand Academician to appreciate it. Every word was insightful, leaving everyone with endless aftertastes.

The five Presented Scholars stood on the stage for a full quarter of an hour before they stepped down.

Yan Yukong, Mo Shan, Sun Naiyong, Fang Yun, and Zong Wude walked towards the high platform. Before the five of them even stepped onto the high platform, the whole scene boiled over. Countless people were shouting the names of the five, and the one with the loudest cheers was Fang Yun.

In the City of Confucius, where everyone was a scholar, the respect Fang Yun received was no less than that in the Jing Kingdom.

Fang Yun stood on the high platform, looking at the dense crowd. Wherever his gaze fell, people would cheer loudly. The atmosphere in the City of Confucius was more open than in other nations. Countless women screamed excitedly, causing many men to envy him.

The master of ceremonies originally planned to let the five people write poems as before after saying a few simple words. But the atmosphere on the scene was too heated. The five people hadn't even started writing, and the cheers from the crowd had already surpassed the scene when a State-level poem was composed.

Many guests under the stage didn't expect it to be so exaggerated. The Holy Land was held once every ten years, and there had never been such a heated one before. They shook their heads and smiled, helpless.

The master of ceremonies continued with a voice as thunderous as spring, "Now stepping onto the stage are the top five of this Holy Land journey. They represent the cream of the crop among the Presented Scholars and Talented Scholars from the ten nations. They represent the hope of the human race. Once they enter the Holy Land, they will surely slaughter the Demon Barbarians and make great contributions to our race!"

Amidst the cheers of the crowd, the master of ceremonies began to introduce the five individuals.

"This is Yan Yukong, the first in the Holy Land journey. He is a disciple of the Semi-Saint, a descendant of Yan Zi, and has achieved the titles of Case Leader, Talented Scholar, and Solution Scholar. He is already a triple-crowned scholar and is the most likely candidate for the future top scholar and top scorer of the Jing Kingdom. If he becomes the nation's top scholar, he will be the first six-crowned scholar in the ten nations. This person..."

Next, the master of ceremonies introduced the last two individuals.

"Mo Shan, a direct descendant of the Mo family, is not only outstanding in poetry and interpretation of classics, but also excels in the Mo family's mechanical arts. The Mo family's mechanical arts have sixteen levels in the Five Realms, and he has already reached the middle level of the Second Realm, comparable to many Hanlin Scholars of the Mo family..."

"Sun Naiyong, a side branch of the Sun Wu family, was not outstanding before the age of twelve. However, after becoming a Talented Scholar and joining the army, he rose like the sun, continuously making military achievements. Two years ago, as a Presented Scholar, he defeated three thousand barbarians with just a military book and a mere five hundred men..."

When the master of ceremonies came to Fang Yun, he didn't even have to open his mouth. The audience below was already cheering, and all the guests were looking at Fang Yun.

The smiles of the people from Jing Kingdom, the coldness of the people from Qing Kingdom, the indifference of the people from Wu Kingdom... immediately created the most bizarre atmosphere of this literary meeting.

Fang Yun, who was originally smiling, suddenly changed his expression as if he had been stung by a poisonous scorpion, and looked down at the stage.

At the table of the Meng Saint family, on the Military Marquis's carriage, the Tyrant's gaze finally returned from the distant sky. For the first time, he looked at the high platform, truly appreciating the literary meeting, and looked at the people present for the first time.

The Tyrant was looking at Fang Yun. His gaze was calm, but it was like a hawk looking at a wolf. Wherever his gaze fell, there was prey. Everyone subconsciously avoided his gaze, and his tyrannical aura was overwhelming!

The wolf demon marquis, who had been lying on the ground, also immediately stood up, slightly revealing his sharp teeth, and stared at Fang Yun.

The atmosphere near the high platform suddenly became cold as if frost had fallen, but the people of the City of Confucius in the distance were still unaware of the change here and remained excited.

The master of ceremonies shivered, opened his mouth, but the dignified Imperial Scholar couldn't say a word at this moment. After waiting for more than ten breaths, he sneaked a glance at the Tyrant, then gritted his teeth and straightened his back to introduce Fang Yun.

"He is Fang Yun! He is the double-A child scholar before the Sage in Jing Kingdom! He is the only double-A Talented Scholar in the ten nations! He is the only one who passed the Saint's selection! He is also the 'First Talented Scholar of the Ten Nations' personally conferred by the Semi-Saint! Since April, he has had poems and essays on the Path of the Saints every month, and he is the first person to have four essays at the same time! He is..."

The master of ceremonies did not use any overly embellished words, but like reading from a book, he listed Fang Yun's achievements and fame one by one. These real achievements were more truthful than any words, so much so that as he spoke, everyone fell silent.

Even those who knew Fang Yun very well were shocked when they heard the master of ceremonies list so many achievements.

When the master of ceremonies finished speaking, no one in the audience spoke, and it was still quiet.

His literary fame overshadowed the City of Confucius.

One person stood, and ten thousand dared not speak!

After a while, someone finally spoke. The master of ceremonies bypassed Fang Yun and walked towards Zong Wude, preparing to introduce the fifth person.

Just as the master of ceremonies stopped, a voice as passionate and deep as a war drum suddenly came from below the stage, forming a thunderous sound that echoed in the sky of Sage Confucius.

"Fang Yun, I admit, I underestimated you."

Everyone within ten miles felt an invisible force descend.

The entire venue was silent.

The Tyrant's pressure covered the entire city.

However, unlike the admiration everyone had for Fang Yun before, many people in the guest seats looked coldly at the Tyrant. Some people from the All Saints' families or Grand Academicians and Great Scholars did not hide their disgust for him.

Fang Yun still had a smile on his face and said, "The Tyrant is too kind."

The Tyrant slowly said, "Look at this Military Marquis's carriage. Inside are the sacred texts of Meng Ancestor, the Drinking Pearl of the River, and on it are the Treasures of Literature from the Great Scholars. There is also my position as the head of the Meng Saint family. As long as you agree to one condition of mine, I can give them all to you, even the blood-dripping beast skin you have, I don't want it!" (To be continued.)