“Hand over the Dao technique!”
Sun Wenyuan glared angrily at Zhang Shengcai.
“That technique… it’s not part of the literary arts,” Zhang Shengcai stammered, his face pale. Despite his fear, he stubbornly turned to Master Chen Jinbei for help. “You’re shielding Lin Yi!”
Chen Jinbei’s expression was cold. “You seem quite knowledgeable about the realm of the literary arts… But my methods are beyond your comprehension.”
With a simple gesture of his right hand, a surge of radiant white energy burst forth. Pressing downward, it unleashed an oppressive force.
Thud!
Zhang Shengcai crumpled under the invisible pressure, falling to his knees. The floor beneath him cracked from the impact.
Chen Jinbei’s eyes glimmered with a sharp energy. He demanded, “Where is the Dao technique?”
Splat!
Zhang Shengcai spat a mouthful of blood. His knees, crushed under the immense force, were mangled and bloody. His entire body trembled uncontrollably, his eyes momentarily losing focus.
Raising a trembling hand, he pointed weakly at the plaque hanging in the county hall. “It’s there… Please, don’t kill me…”
Whoosh!
Chen Jinbei leapt gracefully toward the plaque inscribed with Justice Shines Bright. Hidden behind it, he retrieved a scroll.
Lin Yi recognized it immediately. The scroll was identical to the phantom one he had seen in the Hall of Demon Suppression.
It was indeed the stolen Dao technique.
Gasps!
The gathered crowd erupted in shock. No further explanation was needed—this was irrefutable evidence.
The missing Dao technique from the Hall of Demon Suppression was stolen by none other than Zhang Shengcai, the county aide.
Sun Wenyuan’s face darkened as he shouted, “I must have been blind to trust you as my advisor!”
Chen Jinbei carefully tucked the Dao scroll into his sleeve and looked down at Zhang Shengcai, his tone icy. “Stealing a Dao technique is a capital crime.”
Zhang Shengcai coughed up blood, his voice barely audible. “Please… I haven’t even practiced it yet… I don’t deserve to die.”
“True,” Chen Jinbei replied thoughtfully. “But it’s not up to me to decide…”
Turning to Lin Yi, he gave a faint smile, signaling for him to take charge.
Lin Yi nodded slightly. It was time to bring this to a close.
However, a lingering doubt gnawed at him: with Chen Jinbei’s intervention, would the Haoran Righteous Qi still recognize him?
What a headache.
Lin Yi fixed his gaze on the battered Zhang Shengcai. “Zhang Shengcai, you’ve been caught red-handed stealing the Dao technique. Do you have anything to say?”
“I… have nothing to say.”
“Do you confess?”
“I confess.”
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Zhang Shengcai’s spirit seemed utterly crushed.
As his words fell, a golden radiance suddenly burst from the Haoran Seal imprinted on his brow. Simultaneously, Sun Wenyuan’s Haoran Seal began to shine as well.
Two beams of golden light shot into the air, converging above Lin Yi’s head to form a brilliant pillar of light that engulfed him.
“What’s this…?”
The onlookers were stunned, their mouths agape. None of them could comprehend what was happening.
“Haoran Righteous Qi infusion?” Chen Jinbei’s eyebrows shot up before he shook his head. “No… this is the summoning of Haoran Righteous Qi itself… directly opening the Ninth Grade!”
“Two days ago, Lin Yi composed a poem that shook the province, awakening his Literary Heart. And today, he’s directly entering the Ninth Grade with Haoran Righteous Qi? Such speed is unparalleled in the entire Great Yan literary domain!”
“And the Qi he’s summoning… it’s pure Haoran Righteous Qi…”
Chen Jinbei couldn’t help but feel a pang of envy. He clenched his fists and dug his toes into the ground, clearly struggling to maintain his composure.
Haoran Righteous Qi!
Aside from the Emperor himself, Lin Yi might very well become the second person in all of Great Yan to command this sacred power. No matter what, Chen Jinbei was determined to bring Lin Yi into the Pingzhou Academy.
Fortunately, the other two academies in Nanxiang Prefecture hadn’t caught wind of this yet. Otherwise, they would undoubtedly come to snatch him away.
At that moment, Lin Yi stood bathed in the golden light of Haoran Righteous Qi, his entire being suffused with a comforting warmth.
----------------------------------------
Meanwhile, in the Imperial City of Great Yan, within the inner palace…
A middle-aged man in the Imperial Study suddenly raised his head, his gaze piercing toward the south. Pressing a hand to his chest, his eyes flickered with an intense light.
“The south… Why do I sense the pulse of my bloodline stirring? Could it be…?”
His breathing quickened. “Long San!”
Whoosh!
A figure emerged from the shadows, kneeling on one knee. “Your Majesty!”
“Reinvestigate the fire in the harem eighteen years ago… discreetly.”
“As you command.”
Long San vanished back into the darkness.
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At the Sacred Academy’s Observatory in the capital…
A white-haired elder in pristine robes stood with his hands behind his back, gazing southward with a furrowed brow.
“Haoran Righteous Qi isn’t something that just anyone can resonate with or integrate…”
Extending his right hand, he pressed gently into the void before him.
In an instant, boundless literary energy surged, glimmering like a starry river.
The elder’s voice resounded like thunder: “What is righteousness?”
His words echoed through the river of energy, rippling across the heavens.
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Back in An County of Jinzou…
Lin Yi suddenly felt an immense pressure descend upon him, as if a colossal force was blocking the Haoran Righteous Qi from fully descending.
At the same time, a solemn voice reverberated through the county hall, carrying a profound question:
“What is righteousness?”
The voice spread throughout the entire county and beyond, resonating in the hearts of all literary cultivators in Jinzou.
Chen Jinbei’s expression shifted drastically. “Lin Yi! It’s a question from the Sacred Academy! They are testing you… If you pass, you’ll qualify to compete in next year’s Sacred Assembly for the title of Saint’s Disciple!”
Even Chen Jinbei’s breathing grew rapid with excitement.
But… the challenge was formidable.
What is righteousness?
The answer couldn’t be a simple platitude like “moral uprightness” or “the primordial energy of heaven and earth.”
The Sacred Academy’s tests were never that straightforward.
“Sacred Assembly? Saint’s Disciple?”
Lin Yi had never heard of these terms before and felt little attachment to them. What concerned him more was the consequence of failing this test.
“What happens if I don’t pass?” Lin Yi asked.
“You won’t be able to fully integrate Haoran Righteous Qi or break into the Ninth Grade,” Chen Jinbei replied gravely.
“Damn it!” Lin Yi cursed inwardly.
The Sacred Academy was meddling too much. Haoran Righteous Qi wasn’t even theirs to bestow, yet they dared to interfere?
Jealousy! Pure jealousy!
But Lin Yi wasn’t about to give up on such an extraordinary gift. Compared to ordinary literary energy, Haoran Righteous Qi was the ultimate high-tier power.
Fine.
Lin Yi steadied himself against the overwhelming pressure, his thoughts coalescing. With a clear voice, he began:
“Heaven and earth possess righteousness, which manifests in myriad forms.”
As the words fell, the golden pillar of light surrounding him grew even more dazzling, the pressure easing significantly.
This gave Lin Yi some relief.
“Heaven and earth possess righteousness, which manifests in myriad forms…”
Chen Jinbei was shaken to his core. “What a profound declaration!”
Sun Wenyuan stood dumbfounded; his eyes wide. He silently thanked his own foresight—any further delay, and he might have ended up like Zhang Shengcai.
Lin Yi didn’t pause. His voice grew more resolute:
“Descending as rivers and mountains, ascending as sun and stars…”
“Within humans, it is called the Vast Righteousness, filling the heavens and earth.”
“When imperial pathways are clear, harmony flows through the courts. When times grow desperate, virtue stands firm, immortalized in history!”
The moment his words ended…
Boom!
A deafening thunderclap rolled across the skies of An County, as if heralding the dawn of a new era.