Fiery trees and silvery flowers lit up the night sky!!
Magnificent—truly magnificent. A radiant tree burst forth with silver flames, dazzling the senses like a dream. Even under broad daylight, its brilliance could not be concealed. It was the kind of sight one would only believe in dreams.
Such a phenomenon could only be born from an extraordinary piece of writing—absolutely no ordinary essay.
"As expected, Great Yi is brimming with talent."
Zhuge Liang raised his eyes to look toward the two examination chambers where the phenomena emerged, nodding silently in admiration. A fierce determination was ignited within his heart. No matter what, this imperial examination—he would win it.
"Your talents bloom like fireworks and silvery trees. But I, Zhuge Liang, will not lose to you."
With this silent resolve, his brush moved without pause. Line after line radiated with brilliance.
"To survive, one must be strong."
He struck to the core of the topic with clarity and force, his words infused with essence, spirit, and intent. Naturally, a wave of literary qi leapt from the page.
But he didn't stop writing—his brush raced across the paper.
"That Great Yi could rise amidst chaos stems from its self-strengthening. The movement of heaven is full of power; thus the gentleman makes himself strong and ceaseless. Survival is not granted by others—it must be seized through independence and self-reliance.
When our King led mere commoners and soldiers through bloody battles against fierce beasts, monsters, and foreign races, he carved a bloody path out of a dead-end. That was the road of strength. Thus, it is self-strengthening that gave birth to today's Great Yi."
Zhuge Liang's writing bloomed like a flower.His chosen theme: Self-Strengthening (自强).
There was no doubt that the reason Great Yi had come so far was precisely due to this spirit of unyielding perseverance.
Without the fierce will to survive, they would never have made it. Those early citizens followed Yi Tianxing into battle not because they were fearless, but because they refused to die without a fight. Rather than waiting for death, they sought even a sliver of hope to live. If they truly lacked courage, biting through their own throats would have been far easier.
The blood and guts of the human race had never vanished.
No matter how cowardly, if even a faint glimmer of light shone on them, they would throw themselves into the fight, risking life and limb for a chance at survival.
In Zhuge Liang's essay, he elaborated deeply on the vital importance of self-strengthening.
Self-strengthening created Great Yi, and it will be what makes Great Yi even stronger.
"Every individual must strengthen themselves. Likewise, so must the dynasty…"
For a kingdom to be weak and rotten at its core—like the old Song dynasty—was to invite prey upon itself. Foreign races treated it like a fat sheep, biting down wherever they pleased. Its citizens, stripped of dignity, became feeble and spineless.
Great Yi was different. It was outwardly forceful, inwardly nurturing. It taught its citizens to cultivate and grow stronger, promoting a culture of empowered civilians. Strong citizens made for a strong kingdom. A strong kingdom reaped greater resources in turn. That was the cycle of strength.
Zhuge Liang's words branched out from this foundation, painting a vision for the future of Great Yi and offering strategies for its continued development.
Boom!!
As his essay reached completion, an overwhelming wave of literary qi erupted skyward. It could no longer be restrained.
In the void above, a vast landscape of mountains and rivers materialized—a grand vision of human prosperity, teeming with life and glory.
"Another phenomenon—literary qi soaring to the heavens! Mountains and Rivers of Splendor!!"
Cai Yong looked up at the vision with admiration. Without a doubt, this phenomenon stood shoulder to shoulder with earlier ones like "Fire Trees and Silver Flowers" or "Blooming Flowers of Talent", perhaps even surpassing them in grandeur and emotional impact.
"Survival… is also dignity!!"
Elsewhere, a dark-skinned youth was writing with intense focus.
His chosen theme: Dignity (尊严).
"Some live, but are already dead. Some die, but still live on. Living isn't enough—living with dignity is what matters. The human race must survive—but it must survive with dignity."
His essay, too, was extraordinary.
Essays were the direct embodiment of one's essence, spirit, and intent. If it did not spring from one's true beliefs, it would lack vitality—and therefore fail to generate literary qi or any phenomenon. Only writing that resonated with the writer's soul could earn the recognition of the Sage Statues and the academy.
Unknowingly, literary qi surged.
In a flash, it formed a bright full moon in the sky, rivaling the sun. That moon seemed to reflect the hearts of men—judging good and evil.
"Another phenomenon—Moon in the Sky!"
Huang Chengyan witnessed this with a smile. One after another, similar phenomena appeared.
Sounds of zithers and drums, immortal cranes flying east… While not as overwhelming as earlier spectacles, they were by no means weak. Each one represented a composition of considerable power, recognized by the ancient sages.
Only works approved by the sages could unleash literary qi from within the examination courtyard.
Now, were these sages real? Or not? No one could say for sure.
After the merging of the myriad worlds into the Eternal Continent, it was as if all had reset. Who could tell whether those sages had already existed, or were still waiting to be born again? Regardless, the faith and aspirations of the people had imbued the Sage Statues with divine essence.
If an essay aligned with their spiritual essence and philosophy, it would trigger their recognition—and thus, literary qi could leave the courtyard.
Phenomena blazing across the skies—this was a literary golden age.
Boom !
rumble! rumble!
As the phenomena reached a peak, the Sage Statues within the academy began to tremble in unison.
Only a great many exceptional essays could stir them.
One by one, they began to glow, radiating divine light that enveloped the entire examination hall.
If one listened closely, it almost sounded like the sages were reciting the essays aloud—uttering phrases of eternal wisdom.
Then—countless sage-like statues appeared in the sky.
"The Master does not speak of ghosts, strength, disorder, or spirits!!"
From among the statues came a voice—an invisible utterance that seemed to come from the sages, yet also seemed to arise from the hearts of the people themselves. It echoed across Xuanhuang City, and in a flash, it swept across the entire Great Yi territory.
It manifested above every immortal city, every patch of wilderness.
In the sky, seven massive ancient Chinese characters emerged, each one brimming with overwhelming righteous energy (浩然正气).
"What is this—no, it's righteous energy!"
In the wilderness, within Fengmen Village, countless gazes turned toward the sky, beholding the blazing light emitted by the ancient characters, like seven blazing suns suspended in the heavens.
That light burned away the village's ghostly energy, producing hissing, crackling sounds.
Screams echoed through the darkness.
The ancient stone tablet at the village entrance shook violently—cracking apart with sharp snapping sounds.
The ancient locust tree at the village gate was struck by heavenly fire—burning to ash in an instant.
"No! It's righteous energy—this is the Voice of the Sages, the cry of the people! Run! Hide!"
In the wilderness, countless demons, monsters, and spirits howled in agony.
Chaos erupted like a swarm of scattered chickens.
Lesser ghosts were obliterated on the spot, others severely wounded or reduced to ash by the blast of righteous qi.
This Sage's Voice seemed to specifically target all unholy beings within Great Yi's borders.
Even if they survived, they'd suffer grave damage.
The effect was devastating.
The wildlands, once heavy with dark energy, were instantly cleansed.
Heaven and earth felt newly reborn.
That said, the reach of the Sage's Voice was limited to Great Yi's domain—it could not spread further. After all, this was not a true utterance of a living sage, but a collective cry from the hearts of the people, channeled through the sages' image.
Still, it was enough to heavily injure demons across the land and buy Great Yi precious time.
"To think such a thing could happen. These examination essays—these phenomena—have directly invoked the sages. The Voice of the Sages has been unleashed: 'The Master does not speak of ghosts, strength, disorder, or spirits.'"
Even Yi Tianxing, standing in the royal palace, revealed a look of shock.
He had never expected such a thing to occur.
This Voice wasn't something the sages chose to speak. It was spoken by the people—from their hearts.
And truly, it should have been written: "The Master does not speak: ghosts, strength, disorder, or spirits."
The meaning was utterly different.