Chapter 38: Talent

"Zijun, I apologize to you."

Han Sanzhi said this, his face flushed red, and he prepared to kneel.

Previously, in a fit of anger, he had said he would kneel and apologize.

He had always lived his life with integrity; since he had said it, he would absolutely not go back on his word.

"Han Lao, you must not!"

Seeing this, Luo Zijun hurriedly held him back.

If he really let this old man kneel, he reckoned he would never be able to stay at this West Lake Academy again.

However, he could not help but admire him in his heart.

This old gentleman kept his word and was actually going to kneel to him without the slightest hesitation.

"Han Lao, absolutely not!"

The others saw this and were also startled, hurriedly coming over to stop him.

Shangguan Chao directly hugged him.

"Han Lao, words spoken in anger should not be taken seriously!"

Han Sanzhi struggled with a reddened face: "What do you mean words spoken in anger should not be taken seriously? A man without credibility cannot stand; since I have given my word, I must fulfill it!"

"Move aside! Let me kneel!"

The crowd hurriedly tried to persuade him one after another.

"Han Lao, now that the misunderstanding is cleared up, that is enough; there is no need for this."

"At your age, you absolutely must not kneel."

"If you really kneel, Zijun will be condemned by everyone in the future!"

The few of them spoke until their mouths were dry, but Han Sanzhi would not relent; he even flew into a rage, struggling more and more fiercely.

The few of them had no choice but to turn their pleading gazes back to the youth in the room.

Luo Zijun had no choice but to say: "Han Lao, you did indeed say you would kneel, but I, the junior, did not agree to it. If I did not agree, then the matter does not exist, and there is no question of keeping or breaking one's word."

Han Sanzhi said angrily: "I keep my word! I..."

"Han Lao."

Luo Zijun interrupted him: "If you really kneel to me, you would be placing me in an unrighteous position. If others were to find out, how would I be able to continue staying at this Academy?"

Han Sanzhi said with a flushed face: "I have lived for more than half a lifetime and have never broken my word to anyone..."

Luo Zijun said: "I have also lived for nearly half a lifetime and have never been so mortified by an elder. Could it be that Han Lao still feels I am not qualified to be admitted through special entry, and thus you are doing this on purpose to force me away?"

"Fart! You... you..."

"If that is the case, then Han Lao, please do not make things difficult for me."

"I... I..."

Han Sanzhi was suddenly unable to speak.

He had been a teacher for so many years and had always been a man of his word.

To let it go just like that was something he truly could not bring himself to do.

But he also understood.

If he really knelt, then this youth would be finished.

In this day and age, a teacher and master represent a father.

How could a father kneel to a son?

If word got out, not only would all the teachers and students in the school point and curse at this youth, but the youth's future would likely be ruined as well.

"Han Lao, you are an elder."

Luo Zijun said very solemnly.

"If you really kneel to me, you might feel comfortable in your heart for keeping your word, but you would be harming me. Can you bear to see a youth as talented and peerlessly handsome as me have his whole life ruined by your hands?"

"Pfft..."

The people nearby could not help but laugh.

Shangguan Chao laughed: "You brat, if you can talk like that, say more! If you can make Han Lao laugh, we will all apologize to you together!"

Han Sanzhi could not help it either, laughing and scolding: "Go, go, go!"

With this laugh, the atmosphere suddenly changed.

The few of them exchanged a few more jokes, and Han Sanzhi took the opportunity to step down from the situation, abandoning the idea of kneeling.

However, an apology still had to be made.

"Zijun, I am old, my eyes are blind, and I could not see people clearly, nor could I see the quality of your essay. It is your teachers Yuan and Shangguan who are impressive; they saw your world-shaking talent at a glance. I apologize to you here; please do not take it to heart. If you still have resentment in your heart, you can scold me a few times or punch me once, and I will willingly accept it, and no one else will know."

Han Sanzhi apologized very sincerely.

Luo Zijun hurriedly cupped his hands and said: "Han Lao, you are too kind. It was I, the junior, who misunderstood you, and my words were offensive; it is I who should apologize."

Shangguan Chao, who was to the side, laughed: "Alright, alright, we are all our own people now, so let's not be so formal. Han Lao, let's hurry and take Zijun to be verified."

"Verified?"

Luo Zijun was confused.

Yuan Mang was afraid he would misunderstand, so he hurriedly laughed: "Zijun, it is not that we do not believe in your true talent. Only after verification by the Talent Gem can we make your Student Nameplate; after all, your current Scholar rank must be engraved on the nameplate."

Han Sanzhi explained with a smile: "A scholar's talent rank can only be accurately judged by the Talent Gem. Zijun, judging by the talent in your Examination Paper just now, your Scholar talent definitely exceeds Three Dou; let's go take a look."

Shangguan Chao hurriedly said: "Han Lao, should we stamp it first?"

Han Sanzhi slapped his forehead: "I almost forgot!"

Immediately, he hurried to the drawer to take out the seal and stamped the Admission Notice.

Yuan Mang laughed: "Zijun, once stamped, you officially become a student of our West Lake Academy. Even if you don't pass the Talent Gem verification in a moment, it doesn't matter."

Han Sanzhi put away the seal and said, "With Zijun's talent, there should be no problem. If you don't pass, it might just be because the time for this Examination Paper was too short; don't take it to heart. As for the Student Nameplate, there is no need to engrave a rank for now."

Luo Zijun asked the question that was on his mind.

"Teachers, what is a Talent Gem? How is the Talent Gem verified? And what is meant by the time for the Examination Paper being too short?" The few people were stunned.

Shangguan Chao said in surprise, "Zijun, you don't know these things? Scholars, especially those preparing to enter the Academy, should all know this."

Luo Zijun felt a bit awkward.

Just as he was about to explain, Han Sanzhi waved his hand and said, "Let's go, let's head to the Talent Gem and talk as we walk."

The few people nodded and hurriedly went to open the door.

The group exited the door, went down the pavilion, and walked toward the back mountain.

"Talent Gems can be natural or refined by artificial means, and they can clearly distinguish the talent level of every scholar. When you took the exam for the Cultivated Talent rank, the Examiner also had a basic Talent Gem in hand to see if you had reached the threshold for a Cultivated Talent."

"Of course, Talent Gems can also make mistakes; at such times, it requires a capable Examiner to distinguish the truth. Combining the two is the most reliable method."

"Every time a scholar writes an article, as long as three or more people read it, talent is generated, and the Talent Gem can capture it."

"Zijun, the reason we let you take the Examination Paper first is precisely because of this."

"The questions on those Examination Papers are all designed to stimulate the talent within a scholar to the greatest extent. Once completed, the talent is stimulated, and then using the Talent Gem to verify it allows for a more accurate judgment."

!

"However, some Examination Papers are special and may require more time to fully stimulate the candidate's talent..."

Luo Zijun listened carefully, feeling secretly amazed in his heart.

He had not expected that the imperial examination for scholars in this world would actually involve such strange and peculiar things.

He had read books at the bookstore before, but he hadn't seen such specific explanations.

Talent has levels, just like martial arts.

Then, it must surely be usable for slaying demons and eliminating devils to protect oneself.

"Han Lao, then how should a scholar use talent to fight?"

He couldn't help but ask.

Who would have thought that as soon as these words were spoken, Han Sanzhi and the others all stopped in their tracks, looking at him with faces full of confusion.

"Fight?"

"Use talent to fight?"

"Zijun, who did you hear from that talent can be used to fight?"

"A gentleman uses his words, not his hands; we scholars value harmony above all and convince others with reason. How could we fight?"

The few were very astonished.

Luo Zijun: "???"

Han Sanzhi couldn't help but laugh: "The fighting Zijun speaks of must be bickering, right? That is certainly possible. We scholars do love to bicker; for the sake of some articles, we often argue until our faces are red and our ears are hot, unable to control ourselves, and might even spew flowery profanities or fly into a rage and curse. Occasionally, we might even resort to physical scuffles."

Luo Zijun was instantly dumbfounded.

Talent cannot be used for fighting? Cannot be used to brawl, cannot be used to slay demons and eliminate devils?

If one encounters a demon, one cannot protect oneself?

Then what the hell am I studying for!

"Let's go, we're almost there."

The few people smiled and continued walking forward.

Luo Zijun's mood suddenly plummeted to the bottom.

If studying cannot be used for cultivation and cannot be used to fend off enemies, then if one encounters a monster, how can one protect oneself?

It seems he can only continue practicing martial arts.

No!

That voice in his mind clearly said that eight dou of talent can suppress demons!

If a scholar cannot use their hands to deal with monsters, then how is one supposed to suppress demons?

Could it be that when encountering a monster, one spits out poetry or spews flowery profanities to scare the monster away?

Like this:

"You snake demon! I am Luo Zijun, a student of the West Lake Academy! I have talent in my belly, strategy in my chest, and I am proficient in poetry, songs, music, and performance! If you don't stay away from Xu Xian, don't blame me for starting to recite poetry and perform music!"

"Looking at Mount Tai from afar, it's pitch black; thin at the top and thick at the bottom..."

"I'll send you away, beyond the ends of the earth..."

How stupid!

Thinking of that scene, Luo Zijun was instantly so embarrassed he wanted to crawl into a hole.

"Forget it, after I finish my business later, I'll go to the Hidden Book Pavilion and take a look; perhaps there will be new discoveries there."

He could only comfort himself this way.

If that really doesn't work, then he can only continue to work hard at martial arts.

Practice martial arts diligently and find an opportunity to obtain some good cultivation techniques...

Suddenly, he thought of that monk, Fahai!

That monk knows magic...

No!

He cannot let the TV stories and such that he has watched influence him!

The Fahai here might not necessarily know magic.

He must find an opportunity to go and see for himself.

If the other party really knows magic, then perhaps he can trade something for some cultivation techniques.

Buddhist verses, Buddhist scriptures, and the like.

The physique that voice in his mind gave him had astonishing mental power; he seemed to possess the ability to never forget what he had seen, and he remembered almost every book he had read before.

"Zijun, that is the Talent Gem."

Just as he was lost in his wild thoughts, the group stopped, and Yuan Mang pointed at a giant rock ahead, his face full of smiles.

"This is the only natural Talent Gem in our Outer City."

"It has stood for a thousand years without falling!"

(End of this chapter)