Chapter 136: This Is Practically Serving Yourself Up on a Platter

On the stage, the Dragon King listened to the azure poem and could not help but pause. Lowering his head, he silently recited it once, a look of astonishment and doubt flashing through his eyes. Then he read it again, his heart filling with admiration.

Liu Ping was only fourteen or fifteen this year, while nearly all the scholars present were twice his age. Yet not one of them possessed the ability to compose a poem of such caliber. Such a person, with such talent, was truly a rarity in the world. No wonder the people of the Immortal Sects had placed him among ordinary mortals.

Though the Dragon King had long expected him to be extraordinary, he still had not imagined that Liu Ping would be so astonishing.

In the space of mere moments, he had produced two poems destined to be remembered through the ages. From his appearance, he had not exhausted his inspiration; he still had strength to spare. The only word that could describe him was terrifying.

After a brief daze, the Dragon King recovered himself and nodded.

“Excellent. Another work brimming with azure aura. No one has continued composing, so you have won the second round as well.”

After Liu Ping recited his poem, an entire tea-brewing’s time passed without a single person composing another verse. It was not that they had nothing to write. They had simply been so shaken by Liu Ping that they had forgotten to speak.

Only when they heard the Dragon King’s voice did they return to their senses. They felt little regret. After all, none of them had any confidence that they could surpass such a terrifying poem. But a lack of confidence did not mean they had abandoned hope. They had already decided in secret that, during the third round, they would take turns reciting their poems, buying time to think carefully. They refused to believe that Liu Ping could continue winning.

As the Dragon King announced Liu Ping’s victory, he also sent the azure true seed over to him.

Liu Ping put it away. Beside him, Xuan’er and Xuan’er immediately offered their congratulations with envy in their voices.

“Congratulations, Young Master. Congratulations!”

Liu Ping nodded slightly. In his arms, Ao Jinyu looked at him in astonishment and whispered, “I never knew you were so capable.”

“Of course I am.” Liu Ping lowered his head and smiled. “So, do I get a reward?”

“I’ll reward you with a knock on the head.” Ao Jinyu pressed a pale jade finger against his approaching forehead. “You’ve taken all the benefits for yourself, and now you still want a reward from me? Let go of me.”

“I can’t bear to,” Liu Ping whispered shamelessly.

Ao Jinyu’s face flushed crimson. “You can’t bear to? In front of everyone, holding me like this… It’s embarrassing.”

“Why weren’t you embarrassed just now? You even looked like you were enjoying it.”

“You were the one enjoying it. Just now I… I simply hadn’t come to my senses yet.”

“No.” Liu Ping refused with a solemn expression.

Ao Jinyu stared at him. “Why not?”

“Because I can only compose such masterpieces while holding you. You are my inspiration, my light, my one and only—ah, never mind. That’s the general idea.”

“You’re a liar. You lie without even blinking.”

“I’m telling the truth. If you don’t believe me, wait and I’ll compose a few more poems for you.”

“Really?” Ao Jinyu was astonishingly easy to deceive. She actually believed him, though she still asked in half-doubt.

“Shh. The Dragon King is speaking.”

The Dragon King had apparently given everyone a short intermission. After a moment, he finally spoke.

“The second round is over. Next is the third round. The theme is ‘Success.’ The rules remain the same.”

“This time, the reward is a Destiny Azure-Rhyme Pill.”

As he spoke, he produced a round pill from somewhere. Spiritual energy overflowed from it, and everyone who saw it was astonished, sighing in admiration. The Dragon King had truly spared no expense this time. The value of this Destiny Azure-Rhyme Pill far exceeded that of the three azure true seeds. In the past, it had always been reserved as the grand prize of the final, fourth round. Yet now it had appeared in the third.

In other words… could the fourth round possibly offer two Destiny Azure-Rhyme Pills?

“A Destiny Azure-Rhyme Pill?” Liu Ping blinked. He did not recognize the medicine.

“Young Master, you don’t know what it is?” Ao Jinyu asked, looking up.

“No. But judging by the faces of those people over there, it must be something good. I’ll win it first and ask questions later.”

Liu Ping smiled and immediately began to recite:

“Once, all my former frustrations seemed too petty to praise;
Today, my spirits soar without limit.
The spring wind fills me with pride, and my horse’s hooves fly;
In a single day, I see every flower in Chang’an.”

Hearing Liu Ping begin almost at once, the surrounding talents gritted their teeth.

That bastard—he had recited another poem so quickly? Did he not need time to think and refine his words? Did he enjoy doing things that defied heaven itself?

Some looked down on him instead. Producing one poem that had astonished the entire hall had already been an incredible feat. Had he really not exhausted his talent? They refused to believe he could be so formidable again.

Whether they were disdainful or grinding their teeth in frustration, all they could do now was listen quietly to Liu Ping’s poem.

A look of surprise flashed through Ao Jinyu’s eyes. Earlier, Young Master had claimed that he could compose such masterpieces only while holding her. That was clearly nonsense, yet he had spoken with such conviction that she had almost begun to doubt herself. Now, hearing him say with complete confidence that he would simply win the prize first, she was once again stunned.

Everyone gathered here was exceptionally talented. Winning two rounds in succession would already have been an impressive achievement. Yet he spoke as if taking first place and claiming the reward would be as easy as reaching into a pocket.

Nearby, Xuan’er and Xuan’er heard Liu Ping’s utterly unconcerned tone and were deeply shaken.

How overbearing!

Even the Dragon King on the high platform could not help shaking his head speechlessly when he heard Liu Ping begin another poem.

Again? Could he not give the others a chance?

After hearing the poem, every scholar present wore an expression of utter horror.

How terrifying was this Liu Ping?

The terrifying part was not the poem itself, but the person who had composed it. At most, the poem was pure gold; at the very highest, it possessed a faint azure quality. If they racked their brains and staked everything on it, several of them might also be able to produce a work of that level.

But the content of the poem had completely stunned them.

The triumphant splendor of success and fame surged toward them in wave after wave.

Liu Ping was merely a licentiate. Yet his poem described the glory of placing on the imperial examination rolls after the palace examination. The many scholars present might appear radiant enough now, but in truth, most of them had already failed the examination for the Presented Scholar degree once or twice.

The Presented Scholar examination was a step toward heaven. It was held once every four years, and each time, roughly three thousand candidates traveled to the capital, Chang’an, to take the metropolitan examination. Yet there were only thirty places for those who passed. The rate of elimination could easily be imagined.

Worse still, passing did not depend on talent alone. One’s fortune and destiny also played a part.

And yet this poem had described, in perfect detail, the glory and delight of succeeding in the examination—of achieving both fame and accomplishment.

If that was not terrifying, what was?

“Pfft.”

Ao Jinyu, still in Liu Ping’s arms, could not help giggling softly. Shaking her head, she said, “Young Master, you really know how to daydream.”

Her identity was completely different from that of the scholars present, so she naturally could not understand their horror. To her, this was not terrifying but simply delusional.

He was only a lowly licentiate. True, he was the top-ranked licentiate, but a top-ranked licentiate was still only a licentiate. He had not even passed the provincial examination, yet he was already imagining the glory of placing on the imperial rolls after advancing two levels at once.

If that was not delusion, what was?

After Liu Ping finished reciting, time passed quickly. Seeing that he was about to win, the scholars who had been stunned gradually came back to themselves. A talented Earth Immortal was the first to react, hurriedly reciting:

“A hundred-zhang pond, a hundred-zhang wave…”

The assembled scholars then began working together to oppose Liu Ping alone.

You take your time reciting poem after poem, they thought. We will think carefully. I will slowly recite one, and you will think carefully. Together, we will find the decisive method—the poem that guarantees victory.

This continued for nearly half an hour.

At first, Liu Ping listened with great interest. By the end, he had grown sleepy. The whole affair had become rather dull.

In the end, Liu Ping still won.

When the Destiny Azure-Rhyme Pill fell into his hands, his spirits immediately lifted, and all his fatigue vanished.

“What does it do?” he asked Ao Jinyu.

“It is a wood-aspect pill. It greatly aids the process of returning wood energy to the Five Energies Returning to Origin.”

Liu Ping’s eyes lit up. He vaguely recalled hearing of a related medicine and nodded.

“It truly is precious.”

Under the envious and jealous gazes of the other scholars, he put the pill away.

At this point, the Dragon King above could only smile bitterly.

Had inviting Liu Ping here been a blessing or a mistake?

He was delighted to have obtained several such azure poems, but the banquet had now practically become Liu Ping’s personal performance.

This was truly…

The Dragon King lowered his head and pondered. It seemed that the theme of the fourth round would have to be changed. Otherwise, the others would have no chance at all.

But what should he replace it with?

He had to choose something Liu Ping could not handle.

Originally, the four rounds had been themed Sorrow, Striving, Success, and Carefree Ease, each linked to the next. Now the theme of Carefree Ease had to be replaced with something else.

The Dragon King paced about above the platform, carefully turning the matter over in his mind. After a while, he still had no result and could only laugh bitterly.

“The fourth round is the final round. Let us wait a little longer. Everyone, watch the singing and dancing and rest for a while.”

Before long, numerous maidservants entered the hall once more, but the scholars had little interest in watching them.

They were all bewildered.

Wait a little longer?

That had never happened before.

Liu Ping knew nothing of this. At that moment, he was listening to Ao Jinyu explain the effects and composition of the Destiny Azure-Rhyme Pill.

From what she told him, he inferred that it might assist him in creating a wood-aspect divine demon. The realization filled him with wild joy, and he looked forward to the fourth round even more.

They were practically giving him treasures for free.

The scholars might be displeased, but what did that have to do with him? Whether considering his mortal identity—a county’s top licentiate and a student of the prefect—or his cultivation—a second-transformation Human Immortal with a divine-demon body—he possessed more than enough confidence to fear none of them.

After a while, the Dragon King returned. He had finally thought of a solution.

For the fourth round, the theme would be filial devotion.

Liu Ping was only fourteen, an age when one’s heart was proud and one’s spirit high. It was impossible to say that he lacked filial affection, but even if he possessed it, how could he have considered composing poetry on such a subject? How could he have deeper insight into it than older men?

No matter how outstanding his talent, without life experience, how could he create a truly exquisite work?

With this thought, the Dragon King smiled.

“The fourth round’s theme is ‘Filial Devotion.’ The rules remain the same. The reward is two Destiny Azure-Rhyme Pills.”

Hearing the theme and the reward, Liu Ping was overcome with delight.

This was practically serving him a feast on a silver platter!

To be continued.