At this time of year, there were many scholars from various villages and cities in the State of Zhao heading to the Imperial examinations. They were either alone like Wang Lin, or they were in groups of three to five. They were heading to one of the 49 counties in the State of Zhao. Only by obtaining Scholarly Honors in one of the 49 counties and becoming an Elementary Scholar could they head to the city of Su to take the second Imperial examination.
The city of Su got its name because of one person. His name was Su Dao, a great scholar of the State of Zhao. His existence caused the city of Su to become the capital of the State of Zhao.
In the Imperial examination, the person who stood out in the end was called the Grand Scholar of the State of Zhao. At the appointed time, all the Grand Scholars had to go to the capital of the State of Zhao. There, they would either soar to the sky or leave dejectedly.
Wang Lin carried his parents' expectations and his understanding of the future as he walked on the official road. Behind him was a middle-aged man who had changed into a clean set of clothes. He was carrying a bamboo bookcase on his back and was humming a song he had heard from somewhere. He looked very relaxed.
The sky was overcast, but there was no rain. There were only traces of water on the official road. It was cold and mixed with the soil, making it extremely muddy.
Originally, they could have reached the county in half a day, but it wasn't until dusk that Wang Lin and Big Fortune could faintly see the city in the distance.
As the sun set in the west, waves of orange light pierced through the clouds and shrouded the city. From a distance, it gave off the feeling of sunset at the end of Jidao.
"We're finally here."
Wang Lin let out a long sigh and wiped the sweat off his forehead. He had experienced many things along the way. Sometimes when he thought back, even he found it very strange.
"Big Fortune, the county is in front of us. We're going to stay there for a while." Wang Lin smiled and turned to look at the book boy behind him.
"I don't like this name …" The middle-aged man had a bitter expression and shook his head.
"I think it's very good. It's a good name."
Wang Lin laughed and brought Big Fortune to the gate of the city. He handed over the travel permit issued by the village, and after a quick inspection by the city guards, the two of them were allowed to enter.
Although it was dusk after the rain, the county was still very lively. There were many people on the streets, and most of them were scholars like Wang Lin, who had rushed here from all directions. Wang Lin arrived a little late. He and Big Fortune went to four or five inns in a row, but they still couldn't find an empty room.
Seeing that the sky was getting darker and darker, Wang Lin also became a little anxious.
Fortunately, the last inn they went to had an empty room. Although the price was quite high, as Thunder streaked across the sky, the rain that seemed to have stopped for a day showed signs of coming again. Wang Lin gritted his teeth and let Big Fortune take out the silver.
Big Fortune took out the silver from his bosom for Wang Lin. He felt a pang of pain in his heart as he carefully took out a little and reluctantly handed it over.
He muttered, "There isn't much silver left … My heart aches … I seem to have experienced something in the past, so I know that silver is very, very important …"
As he muttered, the waiter glanced at Wang Lin and Big Fortune with contempt and lazily led them to the guest room. He had seen too many scholars like Wang Lin during this period of time. Among them, there were those who were generous, but there were also those like Wang Lin and Big Fortune who looked very poor to him.
Wang Lin had a simple and honest personality. Although he saw the waiter's expression, he didn't take it to heart.
The guest room wasn't large, but it was suitable for the two of them. However, a moldy smell assaulted their nostrils when they opened the door, causing Wang Lin to frown. This kind of smell was unavoidable in this season. Unless it was a good room, it would be the same.
After eating some simple food, Wang Lin lay on the bed with his clothes on. He looked at the oil lamp on the table, and the sound of Big Fortune snoring entered his ears.
The bedding was damp, and lying on it was very uncomfortable. After tossing and turning for a long time, Wang Lin still couldn't sleep. He let out a sigh and got up. While Big Fortune was snoring, he sat down beside the table and took out a book from the bamboo raft to read it under the light of the lamp.
As he read, Thunder rumbled outside the window. Lightning flashed across the sky, and the sound was earth-shattering. It was extremely violent.
This thunderous rumble didn't dissipate in a short period of time, but continued. The thunderous rumble shrouded the entire county and woke up many people who were sleeping.
A violent wind blew as if the sky of the county had been torn apart. The endless wind howled as it swept across the land. It blew up the muddy sand and even the heavy rain that fell on the houses in the county.
Popping sounds came from the window of the guest room Wang Lin was in. It was as if the wind wanted to break through the window and enter. With this sound, Wang Lin couldn't focus on his book. He frowned and raised his head.
But at this moment, the window of the guest room was suddenly pushed open by a great force. The two windows swayed inwards and constantly bumped against the window frame beside them. A gust of wind with water droplets directly rushed in through the opened window.
The candle on the table was extinguished, and the room was immediately plunged into darkness. Wang Lin's hair was scattered by the wind, and even his clothes were violently blown. The rain from the wind fell into the room, and even the book in Wang Lin's hand was almost blown away.
Wang Lin let out a cry of alarm and immediately got up. He quickly walked against the wind to the window and was about to close it again. However, at this moment, the sound of Thunder rumbled as if the window had exploded. The violent sound seemed to turn into a sound wave that caused Wang Lin to tremble.
At this moment, a bolt of lightning flashed in the sky before Wang Lin. A powerful light covered the sky and completely enveloped the county that was sleeping in the storm.
At this moment, under the light of the lightning, Wang Lin saw a small part of the city in the darkness. He was stunned when he saw it.
He once again saw the white bird that he had seen on the way here, whether it was in his dreams or on the road. This bird was circling in the sky where lightning streaked across, circling under the wind, clouds, thunder, and lightning.
As if sensing Wang Lin's gaze, the fluttering white bird lowered its head to look at Wang Lin. At this moment, the eyes of the man and the bird met.
Thunder became even more intense, and lightning flashed incessantly. In that dark and bright world, Wang Lin's mind was blown. He stood there in a daze. It was as if there was an indescribable thought that kept growing in his mind. Sound.
That sound was filled with confusion as it reverberated in his mind.
In the end, it turned into an indistinct, ancient voice that spoke to Wang Lin. "Cause and Effect … What is Cause and Effect … What is Cause and Effect … Cause and Effect, what is it …"
The wind blew in from the window, constantly sweeping across Wang Lin's body. He stood by the window and let the wind blow, the rain fall, the Thunder rumble, and the lightning flash. In his eyes, everything in the world disappeared. The only thing that remained was the white bird in the sky.
The bird flapped its wings, and under the Thunder and lightning, it turned into a ray of white light that shot toward Wang Lin. It closed in almost an instant and landed on the window in front of Wang Lin. It stood there, folded its wings, and silently looked at Wang Lin.
Wang Lin looked at it for a long time.
"Is it you talking to me …?" Wang Lin murmured.
"Cause and Effect, what is it …?" A look of confusion appeared in Wang Lin's eyes. The bird gave Wang Lin a deep look, then flew up and left through the window. It circled outside a few times, then let out a cry and charged into the dark clouds in the sky, disappearing without a trace.
Although it had left, the thunder in the sky continued to rumble. The sound became more and more intense, and it seemed to disturb Wang Lin's thoughts. He subconsciously frowned and raised his right hand to point outside the window.
When he pointed, a mark of Thunder suddenly flashed in his right eye. The moment this mark appeared, the thunder in the sky suddenly stopped. It was as if a will that surpassed Thunder made the Thunder retreat.
It was as if this will was the king of Thunder in the world, and it could command the endless thunder. If it wanted them to retreat, they had to retreat!
Even the crisscrossing lightning seemed to be extinguished by this finger and dissipated.
Even the wind was destroyed by the finger. It was pushed back to face the sky, along with the torrential rain. The rain was pushed back madly. It was as if the rain had a spirit, and the spirit was astonished. In the blink of an eye, the rain completely stopped.
What stopped wasn't just the rain in the county, but the will of the king of Thunder. All of the rain in the country of Zhao suddenly stopped. The Thunder collapsed, the lightning collapsed, the dark clouds dissipated, and the wind and rain were pushed back.
Within the country of Zhao, the Heng Yue Sect cultivators flying through the rain, including Wang Zhuo, Xu Fei, Zhou Rui, and others, were all shocked and filled with horror.
There was an old man in front of them. This old man suddenly turned his head and his eyes were filled with shock.
"This aura … Heavens, what cultivation level is this!?"
In another part of the country of Zhao, as the dark clouds collapsed, two rays of light disappeared, revealing a man and a woman. The woman was Liu Mei. Her face was pale as she looked back with confusion in her eyes.
The expression of the man beside her changed greatly, and he almost cried out in alarm.
Also within the country of Zhao, in Teng Family City, the Nascent Soul old monster, Teng Huayuan, was cultivating. At this moment, he suddenly opened his eyes and was filled with horror. There was a feeling that made his heart skip a beat.
At the top of the Heng Yue Sect, an old man wearing a yellow robe looked at the sky with a frown and his right hand began to calculate. He was Huang Long, but at this moment, his expression was very serious. As he calculated, his right hand trembled and blood came out from between his nails. His eyes revealed a strange expression as if he couldn't believe it.
"This … How is this possible!?"
It was also at this moment that in the country of Rosefinch, far away in Suzaku, there was a very powerful sect. This sect was powerful enough to sweep through a rank 5 cultivation country. This sect was filled with ghostly wails that shook the heavens and earth. From afar, it looked like a giant flag!
There was a person sitting in the lotus position in the sky filled with countless ghosts. This was a middle-aged man, and he was Du Tian's senior apprentice brother.
"I can't calculate it … The Old Man has divined 37 times in his life and has never succeeded. Does my Soul Refining Sect really have no hope …"