There was less than a month left until the second round of the Imperial Examinations. It would take at least half a month to travel from the Northern Mountain Village to the capital.
Fang Zhengzhi did not waste any more time in the Northern Mountain Village. After settling some matters, he kowtowed to Zhang Yangping, Fang Houde, and Qin Xuelian in the ancestral hall.
After everything was settled, he rode alone towards the direction of the Flame Capital City.
Just as he left the Northern Mountain Village, a shocking piece of news spread throughout the Great Xia Dynasty. Chi Guyan did not return to the Divine Constabulary. Instead, she returned to the Heaven Dao Pavilion.
Furthermore, she swore an oath in front of the Heaven Dao Pavilion.
She would accept Fang Zhengzhi's challenge on the condition that he pass the Heaven Dao Pavilion's disciple selection. Then, she would duel him in front of everyone.
The loser would become a slave for a month.
Once the news spread, it was like a tornado that swept through the entire Great Xia Dynasty. Even five-year-old children began to sing nursery rhymes.
Everyone was wondering if Fang Zhengzhi had gone mad.
He actually dared to challenge Chi Guyan!
If Fang Zhengzhi had followed the promise from eight years ago and waited for two years to fight with Chi Guyan, it would have been fine if he had been defeated in an embarrassing manner.
However, Fang Zhengzhi did not do so.
Not only did he issue a challenge, he even took the initiative to push the date of the challenge forward by two years?!
One could overestimate one's capabilities, but one should not be so shameless as to insult the Double Dragon Roll Champion, the inheritor of the Heavenly Prophecy.
This was like a supreme deity that was revered by tens of thousands of people suddenly being looked down upon. Moreover, this deity was said to be a bastard who was just eating and waiting to die. Then, this deity was splashed with a basin of dirty water.
Who could take this lying down?
Not to mention now, even two years later, no one felt that Fang Zhengzhi had the slightest chance of winning this duel.
"How arrogant!"
"Shouldn't a person know his place? What was that saying again? "
"A person should know his place!"
"Yes, a person who doesn't even know what he's capable of. He's simply the scum of the literati! "
Intense voices of condemnation spread throughout the various prefectures and counties of the Great Xia Dynasty, like a spark falling into a pile of dry firewood, burning everyone's hearts with the force of a prairie fire.
In fact, a challenge really didn't need to cause so many people's anger.
But if the person being challenged was Chi Guyan. And the challenger was a commoner from a village. Furthermore, he had just entered the Heavenly Reflection State.
This result was very different.
It was a wonderful feeling.
It was like a goddess in one's heart being called ugly by someone else, so one had to argue with her.
Especially. When the commoners tried to challenge the authority of the aristocratic families, this kind of anger and incitement was further fueled by many people with ulterior motives.
Be a slave or a maid!
The Double Dragon Roll Champion, the daughter of the Divine Constabulary, the pride of the heavens, the future Marshal of the Great Xia Dynasty, the number one goddess in the hearts of the sons of the aristocratic families, how could she be the servant of such a shameless person?!
Not to mention a month, not even a day!
No!
He couldn't even think about it!
Chi Guyan was pure, generous and noble. She could ignore Fang Zhengzhi's provocation and accept his challenge calmly. But we can't accept it.
When the crowd is angry, there will always be people who go with the flow.
For example, Ping Yang.
Originally, Ping Yang didn't know that Chi Guyan had accepted Fang Zhengzhi's challenge and made such a bet. Because, that night, she was sleeping soundly in her room.
But, after knowing about this bet, Ping Yang very 'benevolently' let Fang Zhengzhi off the hook.
"That shameless guy, he is such a bully. He actually dared to act like a host. He forced Sister Yan to spend 15,000 silvers to stay in his house for a night! "
Ping Yang used one sentence to describe the 'darkness' in Fang Zhengzhi's heart.
And very smoothly pushed Fang Zhengzhi to the point where it angered even the gods. No wonder the Double Dragon Roll Champion couldn't take it anymore. No wonder he accepted such a challenge.
"Fang Zhengzhi must go to the Heavenly Dao Pavilion to repent for his actions!"
"He must kowtow from the foot of the Heavenly Dao Pavilion all the way to the peak to atone for his actions!"
"Such actions. Shameless to the extreme! "
Voices reverberated throughout the Great Xia Dynasty.
Everyone was denouncing Fang Zhengzhi for using such a shameless method to 'force' Chi Guyan to fight him.
Ping Yang was very satisfied with this result. Who asked Fang Zhengzhi to not tell her how he convinced the 50 instructors? Who asked Fang Zhengzhi to always act so arrogantly?
"I'll wait until that guy is badly battered by the scolding, then I'll 'generously' lend a helping hand, hahaha …"
She thought of Fang Zhengzhi's expression when he begged her to explain to everyone. Ping Yang could even wake up in her dreams with a strong sense of anticipation in her clear eyes.
Is this what it means to hate each other?
Pfft!
Who would fall in love with that shameless guy!
Ping Yang's fanning of the flames was very obvious. Then, all the talents of the Great Xia Dynasty gathered in Flame Capital City, discussing how to give Fang Zhengzhi an unforgettable memory.
Among them were the top 10 talents of the Hidden Dragon Roll and Rising Dragon Roll.
Because Fang Zhengzhi was already in the Heavenly Reflection State, even though the elites of the Hidden Dragon Roll were furious, they were still rational. Many of them joined in the denouncing.
However, the Rising Dragon Roll was different.
To be in the top 10 of the Rising Dragon Roll, all of them were in the pinnacle Heavenly Reflection State.
Any one of them could easily crush Su Dongling, who was in the advanced stage of the Heavenly Reflection State. The higher one went on the Rising Dragon Roll, the harder it was to climb up.
This represented the difference in power between two people of the same cultivation state. Those who were in the top 10 were all true talents of the dynasty.
Next, these talents began to announce their participation in the court examinations, or the Heaven Dao Pavilion disciple selection.
After all, some of them had already passed the court examinations and were qualified to participate in the Heaven Dao Pavilion disciple selection.
It was a pity that...
However, the most anticipated piece of news had yet to arrive.
Nangong Hao, the genius of the Nangong Family, ranked second on the Rising Dragon Roll, did not announce his intention to participate in the court examinations.
As such, whether Nangong Hao would participate in the court examinations became everyone's concern.
After all, if Nangong Hao announced his participation in the court examinations... He would definitely challenge Fang Zhengzhi. As for why Nangong Hao would challenge Fang Zhengzhi...
There was no need to explain it.
Everyone only cared about one thing. If Nangong Hao challenged Fang Zhengzhi... Then Fang Zhengzhi would not be able to pass the Heaven Dao Pavilion disciple selection. If he did not even have the chance to participate...
How could he challenge Chi Guyan?
All of this was a joke.
...
Fang Zhengzhi accurately calculated the time it would take to travel from the Northern Mountain Village to the capital. It did not take much brain power to calculate this. All he had to do was divide the distance by the speed.
However... He did not account for the trouble he would encounter along the way.
The last time he traveled with Yan Xiu, no one dared to provoke them due to the Snow Treading Dragon Stallion. They arrived at the capital like a gust of wind.
But this time...
Wherever he passed, it was as if he was illuminated. No matter where he passed, he could see the crowd pointing at him from behind.
As such, out of curiosity, Fang Zhengzhi spent some money to brew a pot of tea in the teahouse and listened to the rumors outside.
He understood very quickly.
Chi Guyan had kept her promise. She had announced their battle in front of everyone. His Snow Treading Dragon Stallion had become a living signboard.
As such, the main roads in the capital were no longer easy to travel on. He had to take small roads.
He could also go sightseeing.
Fang Zhengzhi's idea was beautiful, but reality was cruel. He did not know if he had checked the almanac before he left, but all the bridges he wanted to cross were broken. Then, all the small roads he wanted to take collapsed. Torrential rain... all sorts of unavoidable factors.
"What the hell is going on?" Fang Zhengzhi looked at the broken bridge in front of him and cursed. Then, he dismounted and took off his clothes.
He could only swim across.
...
Not far from the bridge, an old man with a white beard. He was barefooted and wore a loose white robe. He looked at Fang Zhengzhi, who was swimming across the river with his Snow Treading Dragon Stallion.
His face was expressionless.
After Fang Zhengzhi changed his clothes and rode off on his Snow Treading Dragon Stallion, the old man slowly walked towards the bridge. He walked very slowly, his steps small. However, what was very strange was that …
He took very little time to reach the bridge.
What was even stranger was that he did not swim across the river like Fang Zhengzhi. Instead, he stepped on the wooden bridge. However, the moment he stepped on the wooden bridge, it was as if the broken bridge had a life of its own and quickly recovered to its original state.
"Everything is formed, born of Heaven and Earth. Lonely and solitary, independent and unchanging. It is the mother of Heaven and Earth. I do not know its name, but it is called Dao. The strong are called great... Man follows Earth, Earth follows Heaven, Heaven follows Dao, Dao follows nature. "
"Such is fate, one must follow nature. Forcefully changing one's fate is tragic!"
The old man muttered in a low voice. Then, his figure also slowly disappeared. In a moment, there was no longer a trace of him on the wooden bridge. Everything returned to its original state.
...
Fang Zhengzhi felt that it was not an exaggeration to say that his journey had been filled with 81 trials and tribulations. As such, when he left the Northern Lands and arrived at Dong Lin City, which was the border between the Northern Lands and the Eastern Capital, he decided to change his outfit.
"I just put on a disguise. Do you think you can recognize me?"
Fang Zhengzhi had never felt that he had anything to do with being a mediocre person. As such, he did not feel that there was anything to be angry about. Instead, he had always been mentally prepared for it.
However, time was of the essence.
If he had to overcome all the obstacles along the way, it would be too late by the time he reached the capital. He would not even be able to make it to the preliminary court examinations.
However, it was clear that...
He had underestimated Chi Guyan's influence in the Great Xia Dynasty. He had also underestimated the number of admirers and admirers of Chi Guyan.
When he entered Dong Lin City with his Snow Treading Dragon Stallion, he was stopped.
"Fang Zhengzhi, I advise you to go back to your village. Don't participate in the court examinations. It would be bad if you lose an arm or a leg!"
Amidst the maniacal laughter, a large wave of scholars arrived in front of Fang Zhengzhi.
At the front of the group was a youth of about 26 or 27 years old. His face was slightly tanned and he had a pair of thick eyebrows. However, he wore a white robe.
"Aish... I'm in a rush. Let's attack together!" Fang Zhengzhi sighed. He had fought off countless waves of such 'motley crew' along the way, and he was too lazy to waste his energy on them.
"Attack together?! Hahaha... Fang Zhengzhi, open your eyes wide. This is Yu Wengu, ranked 10th on the Rising Dragon Roll. He is in the pinnacle Heavenly Reflection State! " One of the youths standing next to the man in white robes laughed so hard that he was in tears.
"Ranked 10th on the Rising Dragon Roll?" Fang Zhengzhi smiled as he looked at Yu Wengu.
"Fang Zhengzhi, I don't know if it's your misfortune or my luck. I had already announced that I would be participating in the court examinations, hoping to defeat you there. I never expected to meet you here." Yu Wengu chuckled. His laughter was unforgettable.
"So?" Fang Zhengzhi asked curiously.
"I am helpless too. Heaven is not on your side. You won't be able to go to the capital!"
"Why?"
"How can someone with a broken leg participate in the Court Examinations? Am I right? Oh... I almost forgot. You are now a rank four Sword Envoy. I can't just break your leg like that. That would be a disgrace to the officials. I need to change. "
As Yu Wengu spoke, someone behind him respectfully presented a set of court robes for him to wear. Yu Wengu leisurely put on the robes with a bright smile on his face, "A minor fourth rank Ming Tai Commandant. Although it can't compare to Official Fang's rank as a major fourth rank Sword Envoy, it doesn't matter. With the addition of a hereditary title, it should be enough! Right? Sword Envoy! "
"What you say... makes sense!" Fang Zhengzhi nodded in agreement.
...
Life was unpredictable.
Just as countless talents were rushing to the Yan Capital, trying to use Fang Zhengzhi as a stepping stone to the top. They wanted to defeat Fang Zhengzhi in one fell swoop and gain a good reputation.
A shocking piece of news struck like a storm, causing the entire Great Xia Dynasty to tremble. It even caused a large wave of scholars who were walking to be struck by lightning, frozen to the spot.
The reason was...
Yu Wengu, ranked 10th on the Rising Dragon Roll, had met Fang Zhengzhi in Dong Lin City and had his leg broken. He had no choice but to announce his withdrawal from the court examinations.
Fang Zhengzhi's ranking on the Rising Dragon Roll had jumped from 53rd to 10th.
He was the first person in the history of the Great Xia Dynasty to enter the top 10 of the Rising Dragon Roll less than half a year after breaking through to the Heavenly Reflection State.
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