Shennong Dao Master
Chapter 159 - 100: There is an island in the North Sea, and a Hou Change every hundred years? I’ve done this problem before! _3

Chapter 159: Chapter 100: There is an island in the North Sea, and a Hou Change every hundred years? I’ve done this problem before! _3

He saw some familiar questions several times.

Unknowingly, only one sheet of paper was left in front of him.

There was only one question on it.

[Please match the Five Elements, Heavenly Stems, Earthly Branches, and Four Seasons, and explain the matching concept.]

"Teacher predicted the question."

Zhao Xing smiled slightly.

The theoretical question of the Bailu assessment was proposed by Xue Wenzhong.

The final big question was identical to the one before him now.

"The Old Minister of Agriculture is truly a good teacher. Today, all fifteen people from Gucheng will benefit from him."

Back then, after the exam, he even made his perfect answer public for everyone to study.

This would give Gucheng’s officials an advantage in the final big question.

Zhao Xing sighed with emotion in his heart and then began to answer.

This time he wasn’t planning to make any changes and answered according to the previous standard.

The last answer had made Chen Shijie, a judge from the Earth Advantage Sect, imitate a cat’s meow; it was more than sufficient for this temple examination.

"The current mainstream theory is the Soil King in Late Summer. If I answer the Soil King of Four Seasons, it would be too advanced, and I might get the opposite result."

Having made up his mind, Zhao Xing began to write.

He wasn’t worried about other officials surpassing him because the previous questions were already challenging enough. Moreover, his standard answer was only seen by the people from Gucheng, and the temple examination selection was organized by the court.

Since they were colleagues, it didn’t matter if they benefited a little.

"Among the Five Elements, none is more precious than Earth. Earth, in the Four Seasons, commands all but shares no glory with Fire."

"Wood, Fire, Metal, and Water each govern one season, while Earth resides in the center, holding the cord and controlling the four directions."

"The theory of the Soil King in Late Summer states..."

....

After finishing, Zhao Xing reviewed all his answers twice.

After ensuring nothing was missed, he got up and left his seat.

"Buzz~"

As soon as he stood up, he immediately saw the other officials and the proctors again.

There was still a Yin God patrolling outside to ensure no one could cheat with external help.

"Official Zhao Xing, can you confirm you have finished answering?"

An official asked.

"Yes, sir, I confirm." Zhao Xing cupped his hands.

"Whew~"

As soon as the words fell, the test paper flew up automatically and entered the incense burner in Tianxin Hall, where it burned.

The answer sheet glowed with golden flames but did not burn to ashes. After flipping a few times, it disappeared.

"You are the first to submit. You can choose to rest for an hour or proceed immediately to the second half of the temple examination." The proctor said expressionlessly.

"I choose to proceed immediately with the practical examination."

As soon as Zhao Xing finished speaking.

Buzz~

The divine statue in Tianxin Hall emitted waves of golden light.

Then Zhao Xing found that the other officials had disappeared, the sky was dark, and he was in a golden-yellow field.

Zhao Xing knew this was the internal examination space within Tianxin Hall.

It was refined from fragments of a Grotto Heaven small world.

Though it was a fragment of a small world.

The place was still vast.

Zhao Xing looked around with his Bright Eyes Skill, unable to see the end.

"Buzz~"

As he was observing, a golden document floated down from the sky, landing and opening in front of Zhao Xing.

"Official Zhao Xing, the scope of this examination space follows the standard of a county."

"The examination time is 24 hours."

"You need to observe the Heavenly Time, Earth Advantage, and hours by yourself."

"And complete the exam according to the following requirements."

Zhao Xing took the document and looked at the examination requirements:

"Clouds at Chen hour, thunder at Si hour, rain at noon, rain stop at 13:00, with a total rainfall of 48 points, and it must cover the entire examination space?"

Zhao Xing frowned, finding the task was not simple.

"The sky is dark. Without cultivating the Bright Eyes skill known to all, it would be hard to see, greatly increasing the difficulty of casting spells. This is the first difficulty."

"Clouds at Chen hour, thunder at Si hour, rain at noon, and rain stopping at 13:00, lasting for four hours, testing the perseverance of officials. This is the second difficulty."

"To cover the area of a county, the realm of the Four Heavenly Time Techniques must not be too low. This is the third difficulty."

"The rain needs to be exactly 48 points, requiring precise control of spellcasting. This is the fourth difficulty."

"Officials did not carry a calendar, and in this dark environment, it is difficult to determine the current hour through external means. If the timing is wrong, it will result in significant point deduction! This is the fifth difficulty."

There were five difficulties in total, each of them challenging.

An official wanted to become permanent and join the ranks, like crossing a single-plank bridge with thousands of troops and horses.

Practical examination weighed heavily.

No matter how excellent the theory, if the practical examination scores were too low, one could never become a Minister of Agriculture Official.

If one couldn’t even pass, becoming a Minister of Agriculture Official could lead to widespread displacement and suffering among the people.

How could anyone let someone like that govern? It would harm others and themselves, wouldn’t it?

"If even the Literary Minister of Agriculture is like this, it shows how difficult it is for the Military Minister of Agriculture Officer." Zhao Xing sighed with emotion. "But this won’t be hard for me."

With the max level Bright Eyes Technique, the night was not an obstacle for Zhao Xing. He quickly jumped to a high place and observed the surroundings, finding plains and fields with no significant differences.

Based on the humidity and temperature in the air and observing the growth of the plants in the fields, he deduced that it was early summer.

The rainfall in the world was at a relatively balanced level.

For an official, these were neutral conditions for spellcasting.

The examiners didn’t make things more difficult with terrain and topography; otherwise, facing extreme landscapes and weather conditions would surely trouble the candidates.

Covering a county’s area, sustaining for four hours, with precise spell control, these were not difficult tasks for Zhao Xing.

The only mildly challenging part was accurately calculating the hours.

"No calendar, no sunrise, even the darkness was purposely set, hindering most methods officials use to judge hours."

"The cloud formation, rain-making, and thunder all had to start and end precisely on the hour, with any deviation resulting in point deductions."

"Not knowing the time means you can’t start. I need to determine the current hour first."

Zhao Xing thought for a moment, then immediately crouched down and touched the soil on the ground.