The Dao Sovereign of Shennong

The exam location was in the county yamen since the Shennong Division didn't have enough tables and chairs.

The County Magistrate also handled civil affairs, and any theoretical exam was typically held in the examination rooms of the yamen.

Although County Magistrate Li Wenzheng wasn't present, the main proctors and invigilators were still familiar faces from the Shennong Division. However, the number of invigilators from the county yamen increased to fifty, with additional clerks delivering food and water.

Since this exam didn't test endurance, meals would be delivered directly to the exam rooms.

The exam lasted two days, so the number of test papers was naturally substantial.

After Zhao Xing found his designated exam room and sat down, he waited for the test papers to be distributed. When they arrived, there were a total of forty sheets!

Among them, thirty were for answering questions, and ten were blank sheets.

Zhao Xing didn't rush to write but first skimmed the questions and requirements, checking for any errors or omissions.

The first fifteen pages consisted of easy questions, where rote memorization would suffice for points.

For example: "Which ancient text does the 'Seventy-Two Seasonal Phenomena' come from, and who compiled it, and when?"

Without hesitation, Zhao Xing wrote: "It comes from the Shixun Jie compiled by Grand Shennong Wu Cheng during the ninth year of the Kai Ping era."

Or: a sentence would be extracted from a text, and the task was to fill in the sentence before or after it.

For instance: "Duckweed does not grow, yin energy accumulates. ________"

Answer: "The dove does not shake its feathers; the nation does not wage war. The hoopoe does not descend upon mulberry trees; the government and teachings are not in harmony."

This question, an 'Yin-Yang Phenomena' one, described how an imbalance of Yin energy would lead to abnormal natural occurrences. During such times, it would be unwise for the country to engage in warfare or implement new policies, as their effectiveness would be diminished.

Zhao Xing smoothly answered these, quickly finishing the easy points section.

Then he moved on to the scenario-based questions designed to filter out weaker candidates.

"South of the city, strong winds frequently ravage the area, causing droughts in spring and autumn. To the east, the river overflows in the summer and winter, leading to floods. Crops cannot survive. What is your solution?"

A less knowledgeable official might immediately answer: "Use wind and rain adjustment spells to ensure a bountiful harvest."

Such an answer, if worth 10 points, might only earn 2, or even 1, because it lacked a detailed explanation. For theoretical exams, this was unacceptable.

Furthermore, such an answer missed the key issue. It indicated a failure to properly assess the problem or a lack of sufficient theoretical knowledge about spellcasting.

"The city suffers from southern winds that blow away the rain clouds in spring and autumn, causing droughts. Meanwhile, the river to the east generates moisture, leading to floods in the summer and winter. This is not a problem related to weather control spells but rather a land management issue. Using any kind of weather-based spell is wrong." Upon identifying the trap in the question, Zhao Xing began to answer.

The solution was actually straightforward, akin to what True Lord Caoxi once did.

"Strengthen the earth veins to the south, raise the land to regulate the wind. Build canals to the east, diverting the water around the city. Select a low area in the east to create a reservoir, and then install the Return-to-Origin Waterwheel. Within three years, the seasons will stabilize, and rainfall will be balanced."

Zhao Xing finished writing, confident that he had answered perfectly. He then moved on to the next question.

Finally, he reached the last and most challenging question.

This was a scenario-based question involving the interaction of the Five Elements and seasonal calamities:

"The land is cold and yin, spring wood cannot be used, summer's heat breeds locusts. How do you resolve this?"

The fewer words in the question, the more difficult it was.

Moreover, it was a question involving multiple factors.

Since the question described a disruption in the seasons alongside a natural disaster, the answer had to address both issues simultaneously; separating them would result in an incomplete response.

The standard answer needed to come from the perspective of the Five Elements and seasonal theory, preferably citing references from classic texts. If the answer lacked citations or seemed like the candidate's personal opinion, it would be less convincing, leading to point deductions.

Understanding this, Zhao Xing began to recall various texts, seeking the perfect answer.

After fifteen minutes of contemplation, he began to write.

"In spring, excess cold results in a yin-heavy land, causing wood to not grow. You must use the earth's Bing Fire to adjust the climate. If the land lacks Bing Fire, use Ding Fire. If both are unavailable, defer to the changing seasons."

"In summer, the excess heat shortens spring, leading to locust plagues. To fix this, revert to spring by applying Ding Fire, restore one seasonal cycle, and then resume summer. Reduce summer by one seasonal cycle to align the four seasons properly."

This standard answer referenced the Five Elements and Four Seasons Theory, specifically the chapters on Earth Manipulation and Seasonal Management.

The question dealt with a situation where spring's wood element couldn't be used due to the cold, and locust plagues emerged in summer due to excessive heat. The solution had to employ the Five Elements theory, blending seasonal control and earth manipulation techniques.

First, Zhao Xing used earth-based methods to adjust the earth's yin-heavy condition. Different earth veins have different attributes: Bing Fire is the strongest and can be used to mitigate cold. Ding Fire is weaker but still effective.

If the environment is too harsh to draw upon Bing or Ding Fire, one must move forward to the next season, skipping spring entirely to avoid exacerbating the locust problem caused by the shortened spring.

Next, Zhao Xing recommended reverting the time to spring to address the locusts, since locusts thrive most in summer. The short spring caused the locust plague, and reverting back would solve the problem.

In his answer, Zhao Xing also considered the possibility of locust re-emergence, so he suggested reducing summer by one seasonal cycle. Shortening summer slightly while extending autumn wouldn't cause significant harm, whereas shortening spring would cause major issues.

"If the proctor isn't blind, this answer should score full points," Zhao Xing thought as he finished the page and moved on.

Time passed steadily, and as night approached, many examinees stopped writing since most officials didn't have Night Vision abilities.

Not wanting to waste time, Zhao Xing planned to finish and hand in his paper early.

Even as the light dimmed, he continued to write without pause.

After completing all the questions, he began reviewing his answers, ensuring there were no areas where points could be deducted.

After thoroughly checking several times, he moved on to the final category of questions.

This last category had only one question but was the most challenging: a philosophical question about the alignment of the Five Elements, heavenly stems, earthly branches, and the seasons.

"Explain how the Five Elements, heavenly stems, and earthly branches correspond to the seasons, and elaborate on the reasoning behind these alignments."