With the thought of venturing beyond the city's walls, the wildness that had been suppressed in Jiang Chen's bones across both his past and present lives suddenly erupted, becoming impossible to restrain.
Of course, venturing out wasn't something Jiang Chen could do entirely as he pleased.
First, he had to get out through the Hidden Dragon Examination. Otherwise, leaving the Royal Capital without permission would mean forfeiting the trial altogether.
The Hidden Dragon Examination was Jiang Chen's first major goal since arriving in this world. He couldn't give it up.
For one, he needed to fight to keep the Marquis's Seal in his father's hands.
Beyond that, the undercurrents swirling through the Royal Capital had left him with no way to retreat. He had no choice but to press forward.
Early the next morning, Jiang Chen was up. He ran through a round of drills at the martial training ground in the Marquis's estate, and once the sun had climbed well past the third hour, he decided to pay a visit to the Alchemist's Hall.
He'd signed a contract with the Alchemist's Hall, so naturally he had no intention of breaking his word.
But before he even made it out the door, Fatty Xuan and Huqiu Yue came rushing in, faces pale with panic. Judging by their expressions, you'd think the sky was falling.
"Brother Chen, how can you just stand around like nothing happened?!" Fatty Xuan practically rolled through the door, and the moment he spotted Jiang Chen, he blurted out the question without preamble.
"What's wrong with me?" Jiang Chen asked, bewildered.
"Brother Chen, something huge has happened!" Huqiu Yue's usually simple, honest face was twisted with anxiety, radiating the kind of urgency that comes when the world is about to cave in.
"What is it?" Jiang Chen could tell from their expressions that this was no joke.
"Brother Chen, you failed the foundational assessment!" Fatty Xuan was so worked up he was nearly in tears. "You were just lecturing us yesterday, and now… how…"
"Failed? Impossible!" Jiang Chen shook his head firmly. He was absolutely certain — there was no way. "You saw my assessment yourselves."
"We saw it, sure. You passed the first test and the second test. But the third one — you didn't pass."
The third test was the theoretical exam, and that was something no bystander could have observed.
"I failed the theoretical exam?" Jiang Chen thought back for a moment, then shook his head resolutely. "I still don't buy it. The rote memorization section — I couldn't have gotten a single answer wrong. That alone was enough to pass. And for the free-response portion, I'm confident I performed well. Unless the examiner was blind."
Fatty Xuan was spinning in circles like an ant on a hot skillet.
"We can't just sit here and wait for it to be over! Brother Chen, weren't you getting along with the Princess? Hurry to the palace — ask the Princess for help! Once the final results are published, there'll be no taking it back!"
According to the rules of the foundational assessment, if you failed even one of the three tests before the deadline, it counted as failing the entire evaluation.
Failing the foundational assessment meant losing eligibility for the subsequent Hidden Dragon Examination.
And that, naturally, meant there'd be no basis for retaining the Marquis's Seal.
Though Jiang Chen was somewhat stunned, he didn't panic. While he was deep in thought, Marquis Jianghan strode out from the manor, having clearly just received the news as well.
"Chen'er, you…" Jiang Feng approached.
"Father, I believe something fishy is going on here. The only thing I can guarantee is that my answers could not possibly have failed the assessment."
Jiang Chen's tone was ironclad, brooking no doubt.
Jiang Feng had originally come to comfort his son, but hearing him speak like this, he paused for a moment, then raised an eyebrow. "If that's the case, then someone is targeting our Jiang family!"
"Damn it, they dare cheat in the Hidden Dragon Examination? Are they slapping the royal family in the face? No way, Brother Chen — we can't just let this go!"
"Right. We have to get to the bottom of this. If I'm going down, I'm going down knowing why!"
Jiang Chen waved his hand. "I will get to the bottom of this. Father, stay in the manor and don't lose your composure. I'm heading to the examination grounds to check my answer scrolls. If it really was my mistake, then I, Jiang Chen, am not someone who can't take a loss."
He paused, then his voice sharpened, growing cold. "But if I find out someone pulled strings, they have truly succeeded in making me angry this time."
News of Jiang Chen's failure in the foundational assessment spread through the Royal Capital like a plague. Remembering how he'd swept through the first two tests with unstoppable momentum, some people found it unbelievable, while others gloated with schadenfreude.
Most people, however, chose to watch and wait. Anyone with half a brain could smell the clash of hidden currents beneath the surface, could hear the clashing of swords and iron hooves in the distance.
When Jiang Chen arrived at the Hidden Dragon examination grounds, the area was already packed with onlookers, all eager to enjoy the show.
"I want to review my papers!" Jiang Chen cut straight to the chase.
With people trampling all over him, there was no reason for him to play humble anymore.
"Review your papers? According to the rules, you're only eligible to submit a request three days from now." The steward in charge barely twitched an eyebrow, didn't even lift his head, and spoke in a languid drawl, as though he were on his last breath.
"I want to review them now," Jiang Chen said calmly.
"Who do you think you are? You say review, so we review? What gives you the right?"
"This!" Jiang Chen slammed his palm down on the desk. The dragon-shaped gold medallion bearing the royal seal embedded itself into the metal surface, stamping a clear and unmistakable mark.
"What?!" The steward's eyes went wide the moment he saw the object. He snapped to alertness, scrambled to his feet in a panic, and blurted out the words in a flustered rush. "Please… please wait. I'll go report to my superiors."
With the dragon-shaped gold medallion paving the way, it was tantamount to carrying Dongfang Lu's personal edict within the Hidden Dragon examination grounds. All petty obstructions crumbled to nothing before the weight of royal authority.