Chapter 2790

Chapter 2790: Black Book Qi

With Liangchen’s guidance, Yun Xi had long mastered the Book Qi.

One day, while continuing his cultivation, Yun Xi noticed something strange about his Book Qi.

"Liangchen, why is my Book Qi black?" It was a known fact that Book Qi came in nine colors: white, cyan, green, yellow, blue, orange, red, purple, and gold. No one had ever heard of black Book Qi.

Liangchen did not hesitate for a moment. "Yun Xi, gather all the colors and mix them in equal proportions. See what color you get."

Yun Xi was slightly stunned. He then fetched some pigments and mixed them together. To his surprise, the resulting color was indeed black.

"Black, Liangchen, it is black," Yun Xi said.

"That is correct. The color of Book Qi corresponds to one's learning progress. Generally, ordinary Confucian scholars have white Book Qi. Those who have learned basic poetry have cyan. Those who pass the child examination have green. Those who study other classics have yellow. Scholars have blue, and those who pass the provincial examination have orange. After the metropolitan examination, the Book Qi turns red, though the shade varies depending on the depth of knowledge. Only those with true achievements possess purple Book Qi. As for gold, it is reserved for those who make epoch-making contributions. Even the current National Protector General, though loyal to the Great Confucian Dynasty, only has purple Book Qi because his deeds were not epoch-making."

Liangchen paused and continued, "Black can fuse all colors and transform into any color. If you don't believe me, try controlling it with your mind. Attempt to manifest white and cyan. They should appear."

Yun Xi calmed his mind and slowly tried to control the color. Sure enough, white appeared first, followed by cyan. He could even maintain green for half an hour.

"Liangchen, it is just as you said," Yun Xi said, his face full of joy.

"Color variability is like the human heart. Yun Xi, what you must learn is to control everything through calculation. This calculation is like the clouds in the sky—ever-changing. Black exists in this way. It is like a tangyuan (glutinous rice ball): white on the outside, black on the inside. But who can say tangyuan is not delicious? One should be the same in life."

Well, Liangchen was clearly teaching Yun Xi to become a schemer with a hidden depth.

Unexpectedly, Yun Xi understood it all. From then on, he moved in that direction.

In the eyes of outsiders, Yun Xi was cute, respectful to teachers, diligent in study, and hardworking in cultivation. Although he was the youngest in the Ding Class, everyone liked to be near him.

Unknowingly, time passed until Yun Xi was eleven years old. He decided to take the child examination.

The imperial examination system was the same for both Confucian scholars and ordinary students. First, one had to pass the county examination to become a child scholar, also known as the child test. Those who passed could take the prefectural examination. Passing that made one a scholar, allowing them to take the provincial examination. Passing the provincial examination made one a candidate, enabling them to go to the capital for the metropolitan examination to become a tribute scholar. Finally, the palace examination determined which of the three tiers one belonged to.

The three tiers were: the first tier, consisting of three people awarded the titles of Zhuangyuan (Top Scholar), Bangyan (Second Place), and Tanhua (Third Place); the second tier, the number of which was determined by the Emperor, awarded the title of Jinshi (Presented Scholar); and the third tier, awarded the title of Tong Jinshi (Equivalent to Presented Scholar).

Of course, for Yun Xi, this was still far away. For now, his only task was to pass the child test.

Actually, with Yun Xi’s ability, he could have taken the child test at age seven. However, Liangchen had reminded him that his aptitude was that of a top-grade Confucian scholar. If he became a child scholar at seven, it would inevitably attract attention from all sides. Since he was still young, the most important thing was to protect himself. Therefore, he did not participate until age eleven, when Liangchen told him it was time to take the child test.

With Liangchen’s reminder, Yun Xi began to prepare for the child test calmly.

Yun Xi needed to submit his application for the child test through the county school. This was a necessary procedure.

Only after successfully submitting the application could he take the child test. This was different from ordinary scholars. Scholars were those who generally participated in the imperial examinations.

Scholars needed a guarantee from a stipend scholar or five scholars guaranteeing each other, with a scholar providing proof and guarantee. Only then could they participate. Confucian scholars did not need this.

Confucian scholars only needed to submit their application to the school where they studied. The school would certify that the student was a Confucian scholar. At the entrance, the person in charge of the academy would verify the identity. This process was relatively simple.

Yun Xi submitted his application to the teacher who taught him at the county school. The teacher smiled after receiving it. "Actually, you could have participated two years ago. Why wait until now?"

"I was young and my character was unstable. I was worried that if I succeeded, I would become arrogant, so I held myself back," Yun Xi explained with a smile.

The teacher nodded slightly. Over the years, the entire county school had a very good impression of Yun Xi. If others might become arrogant, Yun Xi certainly would not. The fact that Yun Xi could suppress his own talent and choose to take things slowly was something the teacher agreed with.

In this era, Confucian scholars with Book Qi were often very proud. Because of this pride, many did not go far and fell early. However, Yun Xi understood this point. This alone earned him the teacher’s approval. He knew that if Yun Xi maintained this attitude, his future would be immeasurable.

"Rest assured, I will handle the application for you. Prepare well and face the child test in your best state," the teacher advised.

"Yes," Yun Xi replied loudly, his expression full of confidence.

Indeed, for Yun Xi, failing the child test would be a joke.

In the following days, besides attending classes, Yun Xi taught his younger brother at home and took care of his younger sister.

Five years after Yun Xu’s birth, Yun Jian had another daughter, Yun Ni, who was the only daughter of the third branch of the Yun family.

Yun Xi and Yun Xu both cherished this younger sister. Yun Xu had also started school. When he was five years old, his Book Qi test showed he was a mid-grade Confucian scholar. Although he could not compare with Yun Xi, he was still a Confucian scholar. This alone brought much glory to the third branch of the Yun family.

Yun Jian himself had no Book Qi, but he had two children with Book Qi. Most importantly, his eldest son was a rare top-grade Book Qi talent. Therefore, even if future children had no Book Qi, it did not matter. With them, the third branch of the Yun family would not decline.

Yun Xu was currently studying at a Confucian scholar academy in the county. The teacher was a scholar who was himself a Confucian scholar, so he only accepted Confucian scholars as students.

Although Yun Xu could not attend the county school, he was taught by Yun Xi, so his knowledge base was already very large. Yun Xu was now eight years old. He could actually take the child test, but he planned to follow his older brother’s example and wait until he was eleven to take the exam.