Huawen Grotto-Heaven.
The great river flowed eastward, and a five-towered warship sailed downstream along the current.
"The river stretches like a jade band across the sky, reflecting the crimson cinnabar of the heart! Emperor Guwen's talent was truly beyond imagination. Back then, at only seven years of age, he was already capable of composing such poetry." Su Qihan gazed out over the wide river and let out a wistful sigh.
She was the daughter of the current Minister of Works — slender and graceful, lovely and pure, refined and elegant, carrying the air of a scholarly house. Beyond her beauty, what she was most renowned for was her talent. She was well-versed in poetry and literary criticism, thoroughly learned in historical texts, and could put the vast majority of men in the world to shame.
"Miss, the wind is picking up. Be careful not to catch a cold. Let's head back inside," her maid urged.
Su Qihan sighed, yet remained standing by the inner railing, watching the torrential river flow past.
The maid pressed on: "Miss, are you worried about the journey ahead? That villain was beaten off by you, wasn't he? If you ask me, we've already selected eight of the Ten Great Scholars of this generation. The last two — can't we just pick whoever?"
Su Qihan shook her head. "You don't understand. The selection of the Ten Great Scholars is not merely an imperial decree. It concerns the future prosperity of our Su family."
The maid pouted. "Miss, I may not understand the grand principles of the court, but you absolutely must drink your medicine."
Su Qihan gave a bitter smile. "These injuries of mine — how could ordinary medicine possibly help? It's nothing more than a comfort. I'd rather not bother."
The maid stamped her foot. "Miss, don't you try to fool me! That medicine may do nothing for your injuries, but you've been constitutionally cold since childhood. If you skip even one dose of the warming tonic, your lungs could suffer cold damage. So you must drink it!"
"Fine, fine, fine — bring it here." Su Qihan had no way of dealing with her devoted maid. She took the bowl and drained it in one gulp.
She had barely finished when a burst of wild laughter rang out.
Then a figure burst through the water's surface with a splash and landed on the deck.
"Who goes there?"
"It's you again, you villain!"
The ship's guards immediately mobilized, surrounding the intruder.
But the intruder was extraordinarily powerful. In a flurry of chaotic strikes, he sent the guards scattering in every direction.
"You're no match for him. Fall back for now." Su Qihan's face was grim as she stepped forward, bracing herself for battle.
The intruder had a face full of coarse flesh, a broad, powerful frame, and dark blue-black skin that resembled shark hide — the effect of the Shark Skin Gu.
"Miss Su." He greeted her with a grin, baring sharp teeth that made him appear all the more savage and ferocious.
Su Qihan sneered. "Shark Bandit, you were defeated by me not long ago. Haven't you learned your lesson yet? And now you dare come back!"
Shark Bandit let out a sinister laugh. "Miss Su, I'm no match for you — but that was before you drank that bowl of medicine. Tell me, are you feeling a little numbness in your hands and feet right about now?"
Su Qihan's expression changed the instant she heard his words.
"Is there something wrong with this medicine?!" She immediately turned to look at her personal maidservant.
The maidservant hurriedly shook her head, her face pale as paper. "That's impossible! I watched over this medicine the entire time and never left it for even a step. Miss, you have to believe me."
"The medicine is of course... *cough cough*, fine. *cough cough*, but as for the ingredients, *cough*, I did tamper with them." Just then, another uninvited guest climbed over the ship's railing and stepped onto the deck.
Su Qihan's brows knitted tightly, her heart sinking to the pit of her stomach. "Medicine Demon, you're still alive?!"
The Medicine Demon looked like an old man, but was in truth only in his twenties. He had devoted himself to the Dao of poison, pursuing power obsessively, which resulted in severe backlash — his entire being, inside and out, was withered and decrepit.
Deep hatred shone in the Medicine Demon's eyes. "Thanks to your dear cousin, I won't live much longer. But before I die, getting to taste the sweetness of the Su family's eldest young lady — that alone makes it all worth it."
Su Qihan's face went pale and she took a half-step back. "What kind of drug did you give me?"
She felt her entire body beginning to go numb.
The Medicine Demon burst into raucous laughter. "Why, the most potent aphrodisiac, of course! It can turn the most virtuous woman in the world into the most shameless, wanton harlot!"
Before he had even finished speaking, Shark Bandit lunged forward.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A series of explosions rang out as Su Qihan was forced to retreat, step by step.
"Miss, run! I'll hold them off!" At the critical moment, the maidservant stepped forward, sacrificing herself to buy Su Qihan time to escape.
Su Qihan was caught in deep hesitation.
"Miss, run!" The maidservant activated a forbidden technique, her combat power surging dramatically — but the consequence was certain death.
Tears streaming down her face, Su Qihan pulled back and flew away, stepping across the water. "Shark Bandit! Medicine Demon! I will never forgive you! The imperial court won't spare your nine generations either!"
A pavilion by the riverbank.
Only two people were there.
One was Li Xiaobai, Fang Yuan's clone, and the other was his teacher, Mr. Jiang.
Mr. Jiang gazed out at the river's surface under the night sky, then said to Li Xiaobai, "Come, compose a poem for me. You have the time it takes to walk ten steps."
Ten steps, as the saying went, meant the time it took an ordinary person to walk ten paces.
Li Xiaobai's natural talent did not match his original self's, but after this period of diligent study and practice, he had made considerable progress. He immediately opened his mouth and recited two lines of verse.
After pondering for a moment, he then recited the following two lines as well.
Mr. Jiang was silent for a moment, then shook his head slightly. "Xiaobai, you have indeed made great progress during this time. But with your current level of talent, it still isn't enough to compete for the position of Scholar."
"Master, I know that composing a poem within ten steps is the trial of the ancient Literary Emperor. The Literary Emperor established the Scholar selection — every twenty years, the court chooses the Ten Great Scholars. This ten-step poem composition is the first test of that selection. I've already passed it, so why don't you recommend I participate this time?" Li Xiaobai asked, puzzled.
Mr. Jiang turned his body to face his favorite student before him and smiled. "Xiaobai, you know only one side of the matter, not the other. The selection of the Ten Great Scholars, on the surface, appears to be merely a matter of glory and competition. In truth, it is a means of cultivating future court officials."
"Master, are you speaking of becoming an Immortal?" Li Xiaobai asked in surprise.
Of course, Li Xiaobai was only putting on an act. In reality, he already knew everything.
The Heavenly Aspect killer move in Fang Yuan's hands was a powerful means of scouting grotto-heavens. Even with an Eighth Transformation Gu Immortal stationed within the Hua Wen Grotto-Heaven, they could do nothing about Heavenly Aspect continuously scouting from outside the grotto-heaven.
Within this Hua Wen Grotto-Heaven, the path of literature was the undisputed mainstream. Every time a Gu Master composed a magnificent literary work, they would receive a reward from the grotto-heaven.
Originally, this grotto-heaven had been a landscape of towering peaks, with Gu Immortals each carving out their own territories. But later, an Ancient Literary Emperor emerged. This individual possessed extraordinary talent and remarkable brilliance, cultivating into a Gu Immortal at an astonishing speed. He then turned on the other Gu Immortals — slaying some, subduing others — and forged a court that brought the entire grotto-heaven world under its dominion.
In his later years, he established the selection of the Ten Great Scholars. He picked the most talented scholars and gifted individuals from across the land and bestowed upon them prestigious court titles.
The court selected suitable candidates from among these scholars, recruited them, provided them with resources, and cultivated them into Gu Immortals, appointing them to official posts.
Thus, the court within the Hua Wen Grotto-Heaven was the most powerful super faction. Every first-rank official was a Gu Immortal, without exception.
The reigning Emperor was, naturally, a Gu Immortal as well. And the Eighth Transformation Gu Immortal currently stationed here was none other than the Grand Supreme Emperor Emeritus.
Because the selection involved the opportunity to become an Immortal, the Ten Great Scholars competition was ostensibly glorious and splendid on the surface, but in reality, undercurrents surged with the stench of blood.
Every faction was vying and competing, deploying all manner of connections and relationships, with schemes and stratagems playing out in turn.
"The Great Scholar Shen who competed against Mr. Jiang before — he was one of the Ten Great Scholars in a previous selection. However, his political standing was not high enough, or rather, his ideological credentials were not considered sufficiently orthodox, which is why he remains at the Fifth Transformation Peak Stage to this day."