Chapter 16: Genius

Once this answer was given.

Wen Daozi’s body trembled. He looked at Wuque in disbelief.

Wuque’s answer really was like a sharp sword, piercing through his mental defenses.

It was too stunning!

Once this answer came out, no other words could compare.

When he was young, Shen Gong’ao’s tribe was destroyed by others. His father led the clansmen into exile, like a stray dog, in a pitiable state. Even with astonishing talent in martial arts, military strategy, and so on, he had no chance to use them. It could be said he was a hidden dragon in the deep abyss.

Wen Daozi wanted with all his heart to educate foreign tribes. By chance, he discovered Shen Gong’ao and took him as a disciple for training. The other soon stood out. Wen Daozi introduced him to the thousand-year-old Hua clan, the Mi Clan. At this stage, Shen Gong’ao could be said to be like a dragon seen in the fields, like a gem hidden in the mud being discovered.

Next, Shen Gong’ao was victorious in a hundred battles, achieving countless merits, creating unprecedented glory for the Shen Gong Clan, becoming the overlord of the south. Countless small states trembled at his name. This, of course, was the flying dragon in the sky.

But at this time, Shen Gong’ao’s radiance was too dazzling, his rise too fast. A naturalized foreigner actually had a fief of fifteen thousand square kilometers and tens of thousands of private soldiers. No one knew how many people were jealous, how many secretly watched. It could be said enemies surrounded him, and these enemies were hidden in the dark, their allegiance unknown. The entire clan was in constant danger. At this stage, Shen Gong’ao, of course, was the overreaching dragon that will regret.

“The hidden dragon in the abyss, the dragon seen in the fields, the flying dragon in the sky, the overreaching dragon that regrets!” Wen Daozi recited these lines over and over, pondering each word. It was truly marvelous.

The literary and philosophical levels reached an astonishing height.

After a long while, Wen Daozi looked at Wuque and said, “Wandering outside for eight years has indeed greatly increased your understanding. Although father and son are at odds, blood is still thicker than water. If you had not constantly cared about your father, you would not have such a profound insight.”

“Good, we accept you.” Wen Daozi continued, “Back then, I shamefully resigned from the position of Mountain Master of Tianshui Academy. Over a dozen people followed me into seclusion. Although their personalities are eccentric, their abilities are first-class. No matter the subject, they can be considered the best mentors.”

“First, tell me, what is your reason for taking the Academy Grand Examination?”

Wuque said, “According to Imperial Law, one must pass the Academy Grand Examination to be qualified to inherit the Heir Apparent Position.”

Wen Daozi said in disbelief, “You want to seize the position? Do you know how outstanding your two elder brothers are? What kind of reputation they have? What kind of power they wield?”

Wuque said, “I know.”

Wen Daozi took a deep breath and said, “The Scholarium’s principle is to never interfere in politics. Your fight for the Heir Apparent Position has nothing to do with me. But for a noble’s son to inherit the family’s legacy, especially in your family, Martial Arts is indispensable. Others might avoid it, but you must choose it.”

The Scholarium’s Grand Examination had five subjects.

Classic Texts, Policy Essay, and Mathematics were the three compulsory subjects. The remaining two were elective.

Among subjects like Magic Arts, Alchemy, Occult Studies, Martial Arts Theory, Martial Arts Practical, and Military Strategy, one had to choose two.

Martial Arts Theory was more about theoretical knowledge, like analyzing ancient texts, bone structure and spiritual vein talent, and parsing world energy, and was not about actual combat.

Martial Arts Subject, however, was entirely about practical combat exams.

Magic Arts was very broad, obscure, and a subject recently added to the Grand Examination.

Although there were monsters in this world, they were extremely rare, so magic was not popular. It could also be used for practical combat, like strange stone arrays, insect control spells, etc., but few chose it.

However, it was said the Scholarium valued the Magic Arts subject very highly and would gradually increase its weight in the future.

As for Alchemy Subject, many big shots in the Scholarium wanted to rename it to the Science of Material Studies, but all attempts failed. Because these alchemical secrets truly were filled with mystery, even containing strange powers.

But without a doubt, Alchemy was the hardest and most difficult subject in the Grand Examination, simply outrageous.

Everyone agreed that to get a high score, one should never choose this subject.

Moreover, those who excelled in Alchemy could not become administrative officials or generals; most pursued scholarship.

Noble youths usually did not choose Alchemy Subject.

This study was too difficult, too obscure. The textbooks alone numbered several volumes, and they were constantly being added to, changed, and revised.

Wen Daozi said, “If you want to seize the position, then Martial Arts Subject is a must. That leaves one more subject. What will you choose? Let me tell you, Occult Studies is the easiest to bluff points. Even if you know nothing, writing random nonsense can still get you some points.”

In this world, Occult Studies was also called Yin-Yang Studies, somewhat similar to philosophy, but not entirely. It contained doctrines from Taoism, Buddhism, and so on.

In short, to get a high score, never choose Alchemy.

Wuque said, “I choose Alchemy.”

Grandmaster Wen Daozi’s face was expressionless, but the Page Xiao Chong beside him looked at Wuque as if he were an idiot.

With only a month left, choosing the hardest and most obscure Alchemy Subject—what was that if not seeking death?

Wen Daozi took a deep breath, suppressing his urge to complain.

Then, he slowly said, “Classic Texts is the most basic subject. It relies entirely on rote memorization, has the least tricks, and tests the most fundamental skills. It also carries the largest fraction of the score. You should start with Classic Texts. I’ll take you to meet the Classic Texts teacher, Fu Baoshi. He is also Tianshui Academy’s top master of Classic Texts, almost knowing everything about the classics.”

Then, Wen Daozi brought Wuque to the front of a courtyard and said, “Mr. Fu Baoshi, have you eaten?”

As he spoke, Wen Daozi pushed the door open and entered, with Wuque following.

Then… he was directly stunned.

This… this was a mountain of books, a sea of scrolls?!

There were far too many books here.

Several thousand? Tens of thousands?

Inside a house of several hundred square meters, it was entirely filled with bookshelves.

There were also countless books on the floor. An old man was practically buried in piles of books.

This old man wore rough hemp clothes, his hair completely white, and he was very thin.

“Have you eaten?” Mr. Fu Baoshi wondered; he himself didn’t know if he counted as having eaten.

“I brought a student who will take the Academy Grand Examination in a month,” Wen Daozi said.

Mr. Fu Baoshi said, “Coming to guess the exam questions?”

Mr. Fu Baoshi could be considered the king of predicting exam questions.

Wen Daozi said, “Not exactly. Mainly, I want you to highlight the key points for him, so he can memorize them in the shortest time and master the Classic Texts Examination for this Academy Grand Examination.”

Fu Baoshi was still organizing books and asked, “What is his foundation in Classic Texts?”

Wen Daozi said awkwardly, “Almost starting from zero.”

Fu Baoshi raised his head and frowned, “What kind of joke is this? Has your brain gone hazy? The Academy Grand Examination is in a month, and he’s only starting to learn Classic Texts now?”

Historically, Wen Daozi was the leader, and Fu Baoshi was the subordinate, but it was always the subordinate who bluntly criticized the leader.

“I can’t teach a student like this. I still have several thousand books to proofread,” Fu Baoshi waved his hand. “Go, go, go.”

Wen Daozi’s expression turned serious and said, “Fu Baoshi, I promised.”

Fu Baoshi raised his head and also became serious. “Old Wen, we are already old. We need to use our remaining precious time to do more valuable things. I’m worried that on the day I die, I still won’t have proofread all these books. That would leave me unable to rest in peace. Besides, this child needs to learn Classic Texts from zero and take the Academy Grand Examination in a little over a month. Do you think that’s possible?”

“Indeed, Classic Texts is the most basic subject in the exams, but it’s also the most time-consuming. There is no room for any shortcuts.”

“Over a dozen sets of Classic Texts must be learned word for word without omission. It’s all about rote memorization. How many years did you study? Ten years or eight?”

“I, Fu Baoshi, am already a genius in Classic Texts. How many years did I study? A full five years!”

“Child, what is your name?” Fu Baoshi turned his head and asked.

“Shen Wuque.”

Fu Baoshi said, “That Shen Wuque? The one who caused a city-wide scandal with Fu Caiwei, who studied astronomy and ancient history every day, who ranked last in the academy exams, who scored seventeen points in Classic Texts—that Shen Wuque?”

Wen Daozi said embarrassedly, “Yes, that Shen Wuque.”

Scoring seventeen in Classic Texts was practically a disgrace to Tianshui Academy.

That was out of a hundred points.

Fu Baoshi said, “And these past few years?”

Wuque said, “I wandered the world these past few years, had quite some unusual encounters, and am now exceptionally talented.”

Fu Baoshi said, “Have you touched Classic Texts?”

Wuque said, “That… who would bother with that stuff for no reason?”

Fu Baoshi was speechless. That meant in these eight years, his Classic Texts level had not improved but regressed?

Fu Baoshi said, “Then what gives you the courage to take the Academy Grand Examination in a little over a month?”

Wuque said, “Exceptionally talented, afraid I might amaze everyone.”

Fu Baoshi said, “What talent do you have?”

Wuque said, “Photographic memory, a genius of recall.”

“Hahaha…” Immediately, Mr. Fu Baoshi’s competitive spirit was roused. “Old Wen, tell him? Who in this world is the real master of photographic memory? Talking about photographic memory in front of me is truly like showing off one’s skill before an expert?”

Wen Daozi said, “In my life, I have seen many geniuses, but regarding photographic memory, no one surpassed Mr. Fu Baoshi. A five-thousand-word text; he could memorize it in just one hour, without a single mistake.”

That truly was genius, and astonishing genius at that.

But… this was definitely not the limit.

In the Great Xia Empire’s spy organization, there was a true memory genius named A Bing.

He was a dwarf, and his intelligence was low, with no ability to care for himself. In the modern world, he would be called a Rain Man.

It seemed all his skill points were allocated to memory—true photographic memory. He was discovered by the Great Xia Empire’s spy organization and became their treasure. He was only responsible for one task: memorization.

Countless top-secret documents: after he read them, they were immediately burned.

He was also taken to identify faces. At most, he had to memorize the faces of several thousand people in a day.

He became one of the most important members of the Great Xia Empire’s spy agency, like a human computer, his memory never making mistakes.

But one day, he was killed because his existence posed a threat to certain people.

After he was killed, his body was casually thrown into a Nameless Graveyard.

Five years ago, Wuque prepared his body for burial and extracted his ability!

…