Chapter 55: Do Not Ask the Heavens
Chapter 55: Do Not Ask the Heavens
Even if the floodwaters reach the heavens, I remain unmoved!
Inside the grand examination hall, everyone was shaken. Watching the frontier army surround them tightly, pressing closer step by step, the eight thousand scholars all turned pale. Even the Scholastic Palace guards positioned outside the gates were no exception. Yet, the person at the center of it all, Mu Feng, sat immobile at his desk, brush in hand. His eyes were fixed, seemingly seeing nothing beyond the exam paper before him.
Wind—wind—wind…
Outside the Shangling Terrace, a hundred thousand frontier soldiers roared as they advanced in perfect unison. With each synchronized step forward came a furious bellow. Their long spears struck the hard ground heavily. Seen from a distance, their armor gleamed dazzlingly. The mass of dark helmets, the shining, weighty plates, the perfectly coordinated tramp… all combined to create an overwhelming sense of murderous intent that crashed over the scene like a wave.
Feeling this palpable killing aura and seeing the border troops pressing in from all sides, the scholars inside the hall turned ghastly pale. Some even trembled uncontrollably.
From the imposing stance of this one hundred thousand strong army, it seemed they intended not only to exact revenge on Mu Feng but to wipe out everyone within the Shangling Terrace!
As the colossal army drew nearer, bringing their icy stares, sharp blades, spears, and ready crossbows into terrifying clarity, many scholars went cold to their very limbs. Shivers ran through their bodies, their teeth chattering involuntarily. At this moment, not one of them had the heart to write; they lacked even the courage to move a finger. All faces were drained of color.
Jianning City lay on the border, adjacent to the territories of the Southern Tribes. Each soldier in this garrison of one hundred thousand border troops had been forged through brutal conflict with the Tribesmen, seasoned by countless bloody battles. When they advanced as one, blades held high, the sheer pressure and murderous aura they radiated could make even a Mortal Realm Peak cultivator pale. But fear aside, after the ill-fated examples set earlier, no scholar dared make a loud noise, terrified of becoming an example made by the expressionless Scholar-Official high upon his platform. As the vast army outside drew ever closer, helplessness seized them all. Even the Scholastic Palace guardians outside gradually descended into disarray.
Finally, a guard who looked like a captain could stand it no longer. He rushed in, knelt, and reported, “Esteemed Scholar-Official, the vanguard of Jianning Frontier Army has already crossed the threshold of the Shangling Terrace gates! We…”
“Kill them! Take the Shangfang Sword, bestowed by the Emperor Himself! Any who trespasses within Shangling Terrace against the rules, be they who they may, is to be executed without exception!” High upon the platform, the lean Scholar-Official remained expressionless. He coldly drew the Shangfang Sword he always carried. Not even the legions outside swayed his resolve.
“Aye!” The guard captain bowed and accepted the command. He took the Shangfang Sword, turned, and hurried out. The next moment, angry shouts erupted from outside:
“Loose! Loose the arrows…! The Shangfang Sword is here! By the Scholar-Official’s decree! Slay them all! Show no mercy!”
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…
Following the captain’s orders, the Scholastic Palace guards outside didn’t hesitate. They unleashed volley after volley of dense arrows. Every trespasser inside the Shangling Terrace perimeter – whether hapless vendors seeking refuge or the aggressive vanguard of the frontier army – faced lethal attacks. One squad of border soldiers, confident in their heavy armor, refused to retreat. Instead, they charged even faster towards the examination hall. Their thick plates deflected countless sharp crossbow arrows. Yet, before they could get close, excruciating pain erupted in their abdomens. They were pierced clean through by crossbow bolts as thick as a man’s forearm.
Heavy Siege Crossbows!
Seeing the situation worsen, the Scholastic Palace guards didn’t hesitate. They pushed forward the siege crossbows, a weapon that struck fear on the battlefield. Densely lined up, their heavy bolts were aimed menacingly at the Shangling Terrace entrance gate. Glancing at the Shangfang Sword hanging above the gate, the massive army finally halted its advance.
“Continue! There is still half an hour left. All who cause disruption and clamor shall be beheaded immediately!”
Standing above them all, the Scholar-Official remained impassive. His cold gaze swept over the eight thousand scholars below, lingering a moment longer, perhaps deliberately, on the unmoving figure of Mu Feng. Seeing Mu Feng neither look up nor stir from his position, his eyebrows arched slightly, a flicker of surprise crossing his features.
The laws of the Tongtian Dynasty were indeed formidable!
Looking from the stern, principled Scholar-Official upon his high pedestal to the bodies littering the ground and the cold, implacable guards, Mu Feng gained a profound appreciation for the strictness of the Tongtian Dynasty’s laws. He slowly drew a deep breath, reassumed his look of deep focus, picked up his brush, and stared again at the exam paper, unmoving.
“‘Literary Excellence to Reach Heaven’… What is ‘literature’? What is ‘heaven’?”
Mu Feng’s brow furrowed slightly. For some reason, he suddenly recalled the hemp-robed old man he’d met unintentionally in the square before the exam. He remembered the old man’s explanation of destiny. Then, an image surged unbidden into his mind: a giant figure, thousands of feet tall, back straight, reaching emptily with its hand. Immortals and ancient Buddhas fell one after another, transforming into countless, shimmering Blood Pearls. A wave of fierce battle spirit welled up within him. The next instant, he dipped his brush and began to write. The words flowed swiftly and smoothly, faster and faster.
Alive without regret,
Dead without remorse;
A man I was born,
Solely to stand firm against heaven and earth, to strive courageously.
Seeking not a spectacular death, nor a name echoing through ages,
But only to die content, with no unfulfilled wish;
What fate decrees will come,
What fate denies, by force I’ll take;
My feet upon the great earth,
My gaze raised towards the boundless sky;
I offer no sacrifices to heaven nor
Bend my knee to the vast earth;
My fate belongs only to me!
…
Filled with passionate blood and indomitable fighting spirit, Mu Feng wrote swiftly on the blank paper. Finally, he inscribed three bold characters: ‘Do Not Ask the Heavens’.
Everyone’s greatest foe in life is themselves. Rather than questioning the heavens and the earth, ghosts and gods, question your own heart!
Each person’s true fate? It rests solely in their own hands!
Within this ancient, magnificent Shangling Terrace examination hall, even as the army of one hundred thousand pressed forward step by step, Mu Feng suddenly experienced profound clarity, gaining deeper insight into the so-called ‘Dao’. As the final stroke of the three large characters – ‘Do Not Ask the Heavens’ – touched the paper, the ancient Shangling Terrace unexpectedly resonated with the combined sounds of bells and drums.
Dong… Dong… Dong…
An immense bell, millennia-old, hanging high within the bell tower suddenly rang—of its own accord. Nine times it chimed. Each toll grew louder than the last, its vibrations echoing through the nine heavens, reaching every corner of Jianning City, and spreading across the Hundred Thousand Mountains that stretched endlessly beyond Mu Manor. Within the grand examination hall, the carved reliefs of ancient sages seemed to shimmer with golden light. Within and outside the Shangling Terrace, a holy reverberation filled everyone’s ears—like the lingering chimes of ancient sages teaching, resonating long after the sound died, as though it circled the raftors for days!
“Bring it! Present to me this candidate’s examination paper!”
High upon his platform, the Scholar-Official, who had shown no change in expression even facing an army of one hundred thousand, abruptly stood. Staring at Mu Feng seated in the last row, his face was etched with shock. Swiftly, guards brought the young man’s paper and presented it before him.
“No sacrifices to heaven… no reverence for the earth… ‘Do Not Ask the Heavens’! Well! Truly, well done— ‘Do Not Ask the Heavens’!”
The Scholar-Official read aloud from top to bottom, his voice rising with each word, astonishment deepening. Then his voice lowered commandingly. “Such spirit! Such talent! So astounding it stirred the very wills of the ancient sages within their reliefs! He shall be conferred the ‘Jianning First Scholar’! Attendants! Bring forth the Nine-Five Supreme Decree!”
At the Scholar-Official’s command, several guards carried out a purple-gold case. Opening it unveiled a brocade wrapping. Layer after layer was unwrapped, revealing a sight that commanded awe: the Imperial Seal of State, symbolizing the absolute authority of the Tongtian Emperor. The Scholar-Official inscribed “Jianning First Scholar” upon Mu Feng’s exam paper in bold characters. Then, gripping the Imperial Seal firmly, he struck it down upon the page—a mark signifying a title personally conferred by the Tongtian Emperor himself.
Jianning First Scholar?
The eight thousand scholars present collectively gasped upon seeing those words on the unfolded examination paper held in the Scholar-Official’s hand.
A Jianning First Scholar and a Xiucai from Jianning – only one character short, yet worlds apart. Xiucai from Jianning numbered in the hundreds yearly; they were commonplace. But one called the “Jianning First Scholar”? None had been named such for thousands of years! To be honored with the name of a prefecture placed before ‘First Scholar’— what glory was comparable?
“By Mandate of Heaven, carrying out the Emperor’s will, as if His Majesty were present Himself, we confer… upon Mu Manor disciple Mu Feng… the… JIANNING…FIRST…SCHOLAR…!”
Escorted by several guards, the aged Scholar-Official climbed the stairs to the cloud-scraping bell tower within the Shangling Terrace. Striking the great ancient bell himself, he publicly proclaimed Mu Feng’s extraordinary title. The resonant bell chimes once more washed over the entire city.