Chapter 17
The next morning—
the Imperial City became lively once again.
But unlike normal days, today's atmosphere was completely different.
More tense.
More crowded.
More chaotic.
Because today was the Imperial Examination.
Normally, the imperial exam was considered one of the greatest events in the empire.
Scholars from all regions gathered here.
Poor students hoped to rise in status.
Rich families hoped to gain influence.
Parents prayed.
Teachers bragged.
And inn owners raised food prices shamelessly.
But this year everything felt strange.
The conflict between the Dong and Dugu families had already shaken the entire capital.
Rumors spread everywhere.
Assassinations happened repeatedly.
Businesses were seized.
People exploded.
People melted into water.
At this point, even storytellers in tea houses were struggling to keep up.
Ordinary civilians only knew that the great families were fighting secretly.
But higher officials and nobles understood something more terrifying.
Prime Minister Yan Pei had somehow become involved as well.
And now the entire court felt unstable.
Outside the city gates a thin young man slowly walked toward the capital.
His clothes were old.
His appearance looked poor.
His body looked weak and malnourished.
At first glance he looked exactly like a struggling scholar who had suffered greatly to reach the capital. He bought a cheap but good looking robe and went to examination center.
Naturally—
this was Uchiha Ryo.
Or more accurately—
An Jin.
The system watched curiously.
"Host…"
"What exactly are you doing?"
"You purposely came from outside the city looking like a beggar."
"Then you bought cheap scholar robes."
The system sounded confused.
"Dong Ji is already dead."
"You killed him yourself."
"So why continue acting?"
Ryo calmly adjusted his sleeves while walking.
"It might be unnecessary."
"Or…"
"…it might not."
The system waited silently.
Ryo continued calmly:
"If the Dong family investigates An Jin later…"
"…they'll naturally discover that he was starving outside the city before the exam."
"They'll think he's unrelated to everything."
"And if they don't investigate?"
Ryo shrugged lightly.
"Then it doesn't matter anyway."
The system immediately understood.
Even now—
Ryo was still preparing layers upon layers of false trails.
Soon—
Ryo arrived at the examination hall.
The place was enormous.
Hundreds of scholars gathered outside nervously.
Some revised notes desperately.
Some prayed.
Some looked as if they hadn't slept for three days.
One scholar was muttering historical dates so quickly that nearby people thought he was casting a curse.
Then the inspection process began.
Every scholar had to strip down to only their underclothes before entering.
This was done to prevent cheating.
No hidden notes.
No secret writings.
No tiny books hidden inside sleeves.
Ryo also removed his clothes calmly.
The guards inspected him thoroughly.
Even the ink and brush he brought personally were checked.
Fortunately—
bringing personal writing tools was allowed as long as they were "normal."
And Ryo's illusionary ink looked completely ordinary.
The system finally asked:
"Host…"
"Why did you tolerate this humiliation?"
"You could've simply cast a large illusion and fooled everyone."
Ryo calmly wore back his scholar robe after inspection.
"I considered it."
"But for some reason…"
"…I felt something watching the examinees."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"If I'm not wrong…"
"…it was the Heavenly Dao of this world."
The system became serious immediately.
"Host, don't underestimate it."
"What you sensed was probably only a fragment of its awareness."
"Unless your real body enters this world…"
"…the Heavenly Dao is still the strongest existence here."
Ryo gave a lazy nod.
"Maybe."
"Still…"
He walked into the examination hall calmly.
"…I'd rather avoid unnecessary trouble."
Then he added casually:
"Besides, I wasn't the only one stripped half naked."
The system: "..."
Sometimes it genuinely couldn't tell whether Ryo was cautious or simply shameless.
Inside the examination hall over two hundred scholars sat in orderly rows.
Each person sat half a meter away from the next.
Guards patrolled constantly.
The atmosphere was extremely tense.
Some scholars looked pale.
Some looked excited.
Some already looked spiritually dead before the exam even started.
Meanwhile—
Ryo looked completely relaxed.
Because unlike everyone else he already knew he would pass.
After all he had prepared his special Illusory Writing Technique.
Combined with illusionary ink, it was practically cheating blessed by evil itself.
Soon—
the exam officially began.
Twenty-five questions.
Six hours.
The first question appeared.
Q1.
What was the name of the First Human Emperor, and what was his hobby?
Ryo looked at the question calmly.
Then began writing confidently.
"The First Emperor was named Cin Tapak Dum Dum."
"He had four fingers on each hand, totaling eight fingers."
"He was also bald."
"His favorite clothing was black-and-white striped robes."
"His greatest hobby was hypnotizing the queen and doing shameless things with her all night."
The system: "..."
The nearby scholar secretly glanced at Ryo's paper.
Then immediately looked away in horror.
The second question arrived.
Q2.
Write a poem about rocks.
Ryo thought deeply for two seconds.
Then wrote:
"You you you,
Rock rock rock.
I I I
See see see a rock."
"It's big when close,
And small when far."
"You you you,
Rock rock rock."
The system felt its nonexistent soul trembling.
"Host…"
"…is this truly a poem?"
Ryo mentally replied calmly:
"Art is freedom."
The system wanted to cry.
the third question appeared.
Q3.
How should corrupt officials within the court be identified and punished?
Ryo's eyes lit up slightly.
This question interested him.
He immediately wrote:
"Tell every official to present gifts to the emperor."
"Those who give too little are nine out of ten times corrupt."
"And those who give too much are also nine out of ten times corrupt."
"Investigate them all."
"Those with evidence should be executed."
"And those without evidence should still have dirt thrown on them so the emperor's reputation won't suffer."
The system: "..."
The examiner standing nearby suddenly felt a strange urge to nod in agreement.
Then he quickly shook his head and walked away nervously.
Question Four.
Question Five.
Question Six.
Ryo answered every single one confidently.
With absolute nonsense.
Yet somehow his writing felt strangely convincing.
Elegant.
Reasonable.
Persuasive.
The Illusory Writing Technique quietly influenced anyone reading the paper.
The more they read the more they subconsciously accepted the answers.
Six hours later—
the exam finally ended.
Scholars exited the hall with exhausted faces.
Some looked confident.
Some looked devastated.
One scholar walked out muttering:
"I forgot my own name during question seventeen…"
Meanwhile—
Ryo walked out looking completely refreshed.
Almost happy.
The system, however had become completely silent.
After reading Ryo's answers for six hours straight—
it no longer knew what reality was.
At one point, it had genuinely started considering whether "Rock rock rock" contained hidden philosophical meaning.
That realization terrified it deeply.
Ryo noticed the silence.
"System?"
No response.
"System?"
Still nothing.
Finally the system spoke weakly.
"Host…"
"…please don't talk to me for a while."
"I need time to recover mentally."
Ryo laughed lightly.
"Well…"
"Results will be announced in two days."
He stretched lazily.
"Until then…"
"…let's enjoy ourselves."
The system silently prayed for the examiners instead.
Chapter End