During the conversation, Fu Leisheng had already penned a well-structured eight-legged essay. Although it also contained over two hundred characters, it was stable and balanced, encompassing an introduction, continuation, exposition, commencement, initial argument, middle argument, final argument, and conclusion—concise yet profound, with resplendent parallel prose, easy on the tongue.
Tian Huaiyi praised its ingenuity and, after blowing dry the ink, said, "The County Magistrate has just passed away, and Xinxiang County is currently without a leader. This makes cheating in the county examination much easier. By the time a new Magistrate is appointed, this incident will have long passed, and no one will investigate."
Fu Leisheng replied, "He’s just a Scholar; who would bother investigating?"
Tian Huaiyi said, "There’s also Shen Yusheng, with a surging literary fortune, having received the favor of a True God and obtaining a Divine Embryo. I’m afraid this will attract the jealousy of many. The mentor must take extra care to protect him. He has boundless prospects—if he does not partake in the county examination, he will at least attain the status of a Scholar."
Fu Leisheng nodded in agreement but worriedly said, "The village examination is not until autumn. Only after being acknowledged as a Scholar there will he not have to worry about his Divine Embryo being taken. We must protect him until autumn. Fortunately, the Zhao family has fallen."
Hearing this, Tian Huaiyi also smiled, "Indeed, it’s fortunate that the Zhao family has fallen. If they hadn’t, Junior Brother Shen’s Divine Embryo certainly wouldn’t have been safe!"
Although there were still some powerful families in Xinxiang County, none wielded influence as vast as the Zhao family.
The new governor had not yet taken office and was still executing members of the Zhao family. Unfinished with the task, the gentry of the capital were many, but all were anxious and concerned for their own safety, probably without the time to dig up a Divine Embryo in the rural areas.
Fu Leisheng reflected upon the past and said, "Our county once produced a Supreme Divine Embryo, surpassing the First Grade, known as the Innate Dao Embryo. It was said to have been taken by someone."
Tian Huaiyi responded, "I’m aware of this incident. He was in the same session of county examination as me. During the main exam, a True God bestowed his favor while I was still propelling my True Qi, trying to unleash a Spell, I heard an uproar proclaiming that a village child had been granted a Divine Embryo by a True God. It caused quite a sensation. Later, I heard that this village child’s Divine Embryo was not preserved, and he died."
Fu Leisheng sighed and said, "I’ve also heard about this incident. It is said that the child ranked first in fifty provinces in the literary examination. Everyone who read his essays praised them highly. He also broke the record in the martial examination, extending the reach of his Spell beyond the limits of the Meridian Evil Slayer Sword to thirty-six zhang. Before that, the furthest record for the Meridian Evil Slayer Sword was only twenty-seven zhang. He pushed the record forward by nine whole zhang! To this day, no one has been able to break that record."
Tian Huaiyi asked, "Does the mentor still remember the name of that boy?"
Fu Leisheng shook his head, "It’s been too long; who would remember?"
Tian Huaiyi said, "I was next door to a few examiners at the time, and I heard them discussing that the child’s Innate Dao Embryo could fetch a good price, and certainly someone from the Western Capital would offer a high amount. Interestingly, the person who got the Innate Dao Embryo was also named Chen Shi."
He raised Chen Shi’s test paper and smiled, "Same as our rebel Junior Brother’s name."
This coincidence amazed Fu Leisheng, who remarked, "Just what kind of heaven-defying talents did that Chen Shi have to receive the Innate Dao Embryo? If this Chen Shi has even half of that talent, it would be a blessing to my Wencai Academy."
He shook his head, turned, and was about to leave when suddenly he halted.
"Huaiyi, you must protect Shen Yusheng as I protected you back in the day!"
Fu Leisheng spoke sternly, "It is difficult for children of poor families to become nobles, and even if they do, they cannot keep it. This is just the way of the world, but no matter what, we must try to protect him; otherwise, there really is no hope!"
Tian Huaiyi, with a solemn face, bowed deeply, "Mentor, rest assured, Huaiyi will do his utmost to ensure Junior Brother Shen’s safety!"
The Divine Descent had caused a considerable stir. Tian Huaiyi ordered that no one was to disclose Shen Yusheng’s name or the rank of his Divine Embryo.
However, by the afternoon, almost everyone in Xinxiang County knew there was a child named Shen Yusheng who had been blessed by a True God in the literary examination and had been granted a Divine Embryo, a First Grade Divine Embryo known as Wenchang Mysterious Embryo, on par with the Purple Jade Divine Fetus.
This news infuriated Tian Huaiyi, who convened the examiners for a reprimand and demanded to know who had leaked the information, but no one confessed.
Although he knew the leak came from someone inside, he had no evidence and could only suppress the matter for the time being.
The next day brought the martial examination, held on a training ground outside the city.
The martial examination was straightforward: without the help of a Divine Embryo, the students were to condense True Qi into Sword Qi and punch through a straw mat suspended ten zhang away to pass the test.
However, they needed to perform six different Sword Qis.
Chen Shi, Hu Feifei, and other students from Wencai Academy arrived at the testing grounds, each preparing themselves. Outside the martial examination, a crowd buzzed with activity as many students’ relatives came to watch, along with some academy teachers.
Cheating in the martial examination was difficult, so officials were more lenient about spectators.
On the martial training ground, only thirty percent of the students could fully release all six forms of Sword Qi, and even fewer could project them ten zhang away.
Most struggled to complete all six forms, and those who could project to ten zhang while maintaining accuracy were even rarer. Although many hit the straw mats, they often ended up striking those belonging to other rows.
Seeing this, Chen Shi eased up.
He had originally thought the randomly learned Meridian Evil Slayer Sword would not suffice to pass, and it was certainly not perfect, but now it appeared to be far better than most students’ attempts.
"I’m definitely not going to score especially well in the martial examination," he thought, "but as long as I do well enough in the literary examination, I can easily pass as a Scholar!"