Chapter 201 - 150: Could It Be Him?
Following Fang Yue’s return to the Prefecture City,
fifteen suns had set.
Just yesterday, Tenglong Stronghold in the Boundary Mountains had been overrun by the Prefecture City’s elite forces. All who put up a desperate resistance were slain on the spot.
The surviving Martial Scholars were also brought back.
After a night of tabulating their battle accomplishments, the list of candidates who passed the Prefecture Examination was finalized.
Today was the day the Prefecture Examination results would be posted.
There were a total of thirty spots for the Prefecture Examination. The top ten were known as the A List. A Martial Scholar who made the A List could either remain in the Prefecture City to serve as an official or become the commander of a local Guard Army.
In the future, once their cultivation broke through to the Qi Sensing realm and they became a Martial Master, they would be eligible for appointment as a County Magistrate in one of the various counties.
The remaining spots constituted the B List. Martial Scholars on the B List were typically assigned to the Prefecture City Guard Army as captains of thousand-man units. Only with exceptional performance or meritorious service would they have the opportunity to be transferred to a local post or receive further promotion.
Over a thousand people participated in the Prefecture Examination, with only thirty ultimately passing—a success rate of about three percent.
Still, those who passed would gain official status, hold a government post, and formally enter the bureaucratic system of the Great Wei Dynasty.
Depending on the rank of their post, they could receive a fixed monthly stipend of Secret Medicine and silver taels, as well as a larger allotment of tax-exempt farmland. They would even get one opportunity per year to enter the Classics Room of the Shanyang Prefecture Government Office.
The benefits and compensation were, one could say, excellent. This was precisely why so many Martial Scholars would fight tooth and nail for a spot.
On this day, Fang Yue did not go to see the results list posted at the Government Office.
He already knew the outcome, so there was no need to go look. Taking advantage of the free time, Fang Yue naturally went to cultivate.
’This is the perfect chance to test it out and see what this Qi Sensing Talent is really like!’
[Talent: Beginner’s Qi Sensitivity]
Fang Yue began to cultivate as he always did, the Qi Nourishing and Health Cultivation Skill circulating naturally within him.
A quarter of an hour later, Fang Yue slowly concluded his session.
’My cultivation efficiency has increased by a full ten times!’
’The difference between having Talent and not having it is this massive. A tenfold gap in cultivation efficiency... No wonder a Cultivation Technique like this can only be practiced by those with supreme Talent.’
’And my Talent can even be upgraded further. When that happens, I imagine my cultivation speed will increase even more.’
At this thought, Fang Yue immediately began practicing the Earth Element True Skill again. Sure enough, the once difficult and slow progress of his training showed a marked improvement.
It was as if his progress had gone from a slow drip to a thin, steady stream from a slightly opened faucet.
’Maybe I won’t need twenty years. At this rate, I could master this Cultivation Technique in two or three years and step into the Qi Sensing realm.’
Fang Yue quickly did the math in his head. Before, it would have taken him twenty years, maybe even more...
Just as Fang Yue was lost in his mental calculations,
on the opposite bank of the river, a window on the second floor of an ornate tower creaked open.
Wanting a breath of fresh air, Miss Lian’Er gazed toward the morning sun in the distance. Feeling the warmth of its rays, she spread her arms, lifted her head, and pushed out her chest, revealing her stunning figure in full.
The next moment, a familiar figure came into view.
Fang Yue?!
Miss Lian’Er froze for a second, then her face lit up with delight.
’He’s really here? I’m not just seeing things this time, am I?’
Miss Lian’Er was momentarily doubtful, but she quickly snapped out of it.
She quickly rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn’t mistaken.
"It really is Young Master Fang!" Overcome with excitement, Miss Lian’Er spun around and rushed to pull at Li Xiangjun, who had just woken up.
Li Xiangjun, still groggy with sleep, frowned when she saw how excited Lian’Er was. "Lian’Er, what are you doing?! Why are you making such a fuss!"
"Sister, Young Master Fang is here!" Lian’Er exclaimed, rushing to explain.
"Fang Yue?" Li Xiangjun woke up a little more, though her expression was clearly skeptical. "Are you sure? You said the same thing last time."
But despite her grumbling, she still threw on a robe and went to the window.
Then, she looked in the direction Lian’Er was pointing.
"Where is he? You’re tricking me again! You little rascal, are you asking for a tickle?" As she spoke, she started tickling Lian’Er.
Lian’Er giggled and dodged, glancing back out the window at the same time. Sure enough, the figure she had just seen was gone.
"Huh? Why can’t I see him anymore?!"
Miss Lian’Er blinked, her face full of confusion.
’Was I really just hallucinating? Did I see the wrong person?’
"Alright, that’s enough," Li Xiangjun sighed.
"Hurry and get ready. The Prefecture Examination results are being posted today; we have to go take a look," Li Xiangjun said.
Hearing this, Miss Lian’Er quickly composed herself and went back into the room to get ready.
The morning sun climbed slowly into the sky.
By this time, Fang Yue had returned to his inn, completely unaware that a certain young woman was feeling disappointed at having missed him.
"Well, if it isn’t Fang Yue. The results are being posted today, why aren’t you going to look? Did you already know you failed, so you’re too ashamed to show your face?"
He had just walked into the inn’s common room when he ran straight into an acquaintance.
The newcomer wore a mocking smile that added a layer of viciousness to his otherwise refined features.
It was Liu Chuanzhi from Da Liushu Village.
Fang Yue couldn’t believe he had run into this guy again.
Liu Chuanzhi sneered, but seeing Fang Yue completely unharmed, he couldn’t help but feel it was a pity.
He had originally set Fang Yue up as a target. During the examination’s combat trials, he was sure to be challenged by numerous Martial Scholars; he might have even been beaten to death.
But then the Prefecture Examination had to go and change the rules, allowing Fang Yue to escape that fate.
Liu Chuanzhi had been quite upset about that for some time.
But then he heard the final assessment had been a death trap, and that countless Martial Scholars had perished.