Cultivation is Just That Scientific

Li Shiming sat in a simple horse drawn carriage. On the driver’s seat sat the coachman and his servant, Mo Yan. Inside the carriage, Si Qin repeatedly checked the contents of the examination basket, fearing something might be missing.

He originally hadn’t wanted to bring Si Qin along, but no matter what, she insisted on accompanying him. Considering all the preparations she had made over the past few days for the Autumn Examinations, he finally relented and let her come.

Not far behind the carriage, several guards from the Li residence followed; an essential precaution whenever Li Shiming left the house.

Although several major incidents had recently occurred in Nanling Prefecture, they hadn’t dampened the festive atmosphere of the day.

The main roads were crowded with people. Besides the examinees and their families, many onlookers had come to witness the event. Extra bailiffs and soldiers patrolled the streets to prevent any incidents.

“Young Master, we’ve arrived at the examination hall!” Mo Yan called from outside the carriage.

“Si Qin, stay in the carriage and don’t get out!” Li Shiming stopped her as she attempted to step down and gave her firm instructions.

The area outside the examination hall was packed with people. Even the low walls and trees were occupied by children. Many parents had brought their children along, hoping to absorb some of the scholarly aura, wishing their offspring could one day follow in the footsteps of these scholars and participate in the Autumn Examinations.

In the eyes of commoners, scholars who qualified to take the Autumn Examinations were like stars descended from the heavens, embodiments of literary excellence. This perception was understandable; after all, each of these scholars ranked among the top in their respective regions, local stars in their own right. And should they pass the Autumn Examinations, they would no longer be mere Xiucai (秀才 means scholars) but would earn the title of Juren (举人), qualifying them to hold official positions.

Carrying his examination basket, Li Shiming approached the entrance of the hall. A few scholars he recognized exchanged glances with him but refrained from greeting him.

The soldiers conducting the searches at the gate were not locals from Nanling Prefecture but had been brought in from other regions. Since they didn’t recognize Li Shiming, they subjected him to the same body search as every other examinee.

The Great Xia Dynasty held the imperial examinations in the highest regard, treating any form of cheating as a capital offense. Due to the importance of the exams, the dynasty had implemented numerous anti-cheating measures.

Even as the son of the Prefect, Li Shiming couldn’t expect any special treatment during the Autumn Examinations in Nanling Prefecture. Watching as the soldiers crushed the snacks that Si Qin had painstakingly prepared, he was thankful she couldn’t see this; otherwise, she would have been heartbroken.

After the search, a soldier led him into the examination hall. His luck wasn’t bad; his assigned cubicle in the rows of examination cells wasn’t the best, but at least it wasn’t next to the latrines.

Li Shiming took out the pens, inkstone, and paperweight from his basket, then mixed some water with his ink to prepare for writing.

Thanks to the space within his server room, he essentially had every book in his study memorized. With the computational power of the IBM z15 server, along with the foundational knowledge of countless outstanding essays from his previous life, he felt exceptionally well-prepared. Moreover, his cultivation level had reached the first layer of Qi Refinement. The spiritual qi nourishing his mind had greatly enhanced his memory, analytical skills, and computational ability. For him, the Autumn Examinations posed no challenge at all.

When the exam questions were distributed, Li Shiming saw that the first day’s topic was Tie Jing, a test on the classics.

Although he had studied the Four Books and Five Classics, he approached the examination with the detached mindset of an observer. Only after truly participating in the exam did he realize just how difficult it was; not for him, but compared to the academic challenges students faced in his previous life.

The simplest part, Tie Jing and Mo Yi, involved filling in blanks from random passages within the 170,000-character Four Books and Five Classics. This required scholars to have memorized the entire text to succeed.

Glancing at the questions, Li Shiming immediately knew the answers without needing to utilize his IBM z15 server. All he needed to do was write neatly and avoid smudging the exam papers.

After completing the entire test paper in less than half an hour, he realized he had finished far too quickly; this was supposed to occupy the entire day. Around him, the groans of struggling scholars filled the air, followed by stern warnings from the patrolling soldiers.

As night fell, lanterns were hung up, and the examinees in the cubicles lit their oil lamps.

Li Shiming sat on the simple wooden plank that served as his bed, took out a Spirit-Gathering Disk from his server room, and placed it beneath him to begin cultivating the Five Elements Qi Absorption Technique.

Even during the Autumn Examinations, he couldn’t afford to halt his cultivation. The four glowing stones embedded in the Spirit-Gathering Disk were already dim and wouldn’t last much longer. Wasting any opportunity to cultivate would be a significant loss.

spiritual qi flowed into his body, coursing through his opened meridians and gathering in his Qi vortex. At a certain point, the vortex contracted and then expanded, growing larger.

A mysterious wind swept through the examination hall, causing lanterns to sway. Soldiers rushed to investigate but found nothing unusual, dismissing it as a weather anomaly.

Li Shiming opened his eyes, a flash of light flickering before fading away.

“Finally, the second layer of Qi Refinement!” he thought joyfully.

Reaching the second layer meant he could start learning cultivation techniques, marking his true entry into the world of cultivation. He stored the Spirit-Gathering Disk back into his server room, wasting no time.

From what he could tell, the Spirit-Gathering Disk would only last for three more days. After that, his cultivation conditions would deteriorate significantly. Moreover, he hadn’t found any source of the glowing stones in Nanling Prefecture, nor did he have a method to recharge the Spirit-Gathering Disk.

He lay back on the wooden plank, spending his first night in the examination cell.

The second day’s topic was Jing Yi, an analysis of the classics. Judging by the sighs coming from other cells, the questions were exceptionally difficult this time.

However, no matter how obscure the questions were, they couldn’t escape the Li family’s extensive research into the classics. Over the years, the Li family had expanded the 170,000-character Four Books and Five Classics into a 600,000-character compendium of interpretations and essays, demonstrating their deep study of the material.

On the third day, the topic was Ce Lun, which tested literary skill and practical application of classical knowledge.

Rather than composing his own essay, Li Shiming selected a masterpiece from the IBM z15’s historical archives that aligned perfectly with the examiners’ tastes. This time, he deliberately delayed his writing by an hour to avoid standing out.

By the hour of You (酉时 between 5 to 7 pm) on the third day, the Autumn Examinations had finally concluded.

Si Qin stood on the carriage, her eyes fixed on the examination hall’s gates. One by one, exhausted scholars emerged, having poured every ounce of their energy into the grueling three-day ordeal. Some needed assistance from soldiers to leave, and it was common for scholars to fall ill after the examinations, with a few even succumbing to their ailments.

“Young Master is out!” Mo Yan exclaimed excitedly.

There was no mistaking it; among the sea of weary scholars, Li Shiming stood out as the youngest and the only one radiating vitality. He was instantly recognizable.

From atop the carriage, Si Qin waved enthusiastically to catch his attention.