Chapter 343 - 133: Companionship

Chapter 343: Chapter 133: Companionship

The years passed like a river, flowing ceaselessly day or night.

「Eight years later.」

"Today, the state examination begins."

Fang Rui gazed toward the Capital Magistrate’s Office, and a smile touched his lips as he recalled the endless stream of students who had visited him before the examination.

In those eight years, with a new class every two years, he had already taught four graduating classes. Now, his very first students were taking the state examination.

The Sanwei Bookstore selected only the best students and offered a compressed curriculum. Its graduates stood head and shoulders above those from other private schools, so much so that it had earned the nickname "Shen Tong Private School."

’I hope a student makes it onto the Osmanthus List in this examination. That would truly cement our reputation!’

Fang Rui stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the osmanthus flowers blooming furiously in the courtyard as this thought crossed his mind.

High in the sky.

ROAR!

As the grand pre-examination ceremony began and the candidates took their places, Qi Fortune Golden Dragons—invisible to the common person—rose from all directions, crying out as they vanished into the heavens.

’What a magnificent sight!’

Fang Rui sighed in awe, and a thought suddenly surfaced in his mind. ’From ancient times until now, over the countless years of the Great Yu, the amount of Qi Fortune harvested must be as vast and boundless as mountains and seas. But where is it all being used?’

...

「One month later.」

The state examination results were out. The Innate Supreme Treasure, the Chaos Four Symbols Banner, was activated, projecting the Luo River Water into the sky above Shangluo to form a light screen visible to the entire city.

The center of the light screen was temporarily blank, framed by a complex border woven from thousands of species of flowers, as luminous osmanthus blossoms drifted down like snow.

For this reason, this list in Shangluo was known as the Luoh River Celestial List, or the Osmanthus List.

「A short while later.」

At the stroke of noon, the list finally began to appear amidst the city’s breathless anticipation.

First Place: Tang Shiliang.

The name appeared at the top of the screen, glowing with golden light. At the same time, the image of a middle-aged man materialized just below it to prevent any confusion with others who might share the name. This display lasted for a full one hundred breaths.

...

Third Place: Yu Qian.

Beneath the glittering golden name, the image of a young, boyish-faced youth appeared.

—That’s right. Unlike the first and second-place winners, both middle-aged men in their thirties or forties, the third-place winner was a young man with a boyish face!

Although his name was only displayed for sixty breaths, the sensation it caused was far greater than the one for the top scorer.

...

After the top three, the golden light gave way to a shimmering silver. From here on, each name was displayed for a standard ten breaths.

...

Forty-fourth Place: Zhang Heng.

...

Finally, after all one hundred names had flashed by, the light screen resolved into a single massive list, which would hang in the air for three days for all the world to see.

...

’Not bad. Two of my students made the list.’

’Yu Qian and Zhang Heng, those two kids... this kind of server-wide—no, city-wide announcement is countless times more glorious than the victory parades on horseback from my past life!’

Fang Rui’s expression was pleased. ’These two little leeks are finally showing some results. I can put them in the high-priority section of my basket.’

’Besides, with these two setting the standard, my name is made. From now on, my Sanwei Bookstore will attract even more outstanding students.’

It was a virtuous cycle!

By sending his students out one by one, like dandelion seeds, into the Central Hub of the Great Yu Divine Capital, he was certain that after a sixty-year cycle of cultivation, he would eventually catch one that yielded a return.

’What a long harvest this will be!’

...

While Fang Rui was merely pleased, the news caused a massive sensation as it spread through Shangluo City.

If calling the Sanwei Bookstore the "Shen Tong Private School" had once been an exaggeration, it was now a title truly earned, with Yu Qian and Zhang Heng—two fifteen- and sixteen-year-olds—having made it onto the Osmanthus List.

That day, countless people in the city were buzzing with an excitement that far surpassed that of Yu Qian and Zhang Heng themselves, or even their teacher, Fang Rui.

It could be said that not only did Yu Qian and Zhang Heng become famous overnight, but Fang Rui and the Sanwei Bookstore also shot to fame. In fact, the buzz around the teacher and his school was just as intense.

"Those who make the Osmanthus List are usually in their thirties or forties. It’s rare to even see someone in their twenties. To have two fifteen- and sixteen-year-olds make the list, one of them in third place no less—this is a sign of a great revival for us scholars!" one person sighed emotionally.

"Hah, you must not have heard! Those two young men on the list have one thing in common: they’re both students of Master Fang!" another person chimed in, putting on the air of an expert.

"Master Fang is a man of great talent!" someone immediately added at the mention of his name.

"Isn’t that the truth? Great teachers produce brilliant students. Elder Cai once prophesied that within forty years, one of Master Fang’s students would surely enter the Purple Cloud Pavilion in the Central Hub. I didn’t believe it then, but I certainly do now."

"I heard that Shen Tong Private School, the Sanwei Bookstore, compressed its foundational studies from three-to-five years down to just two. The curriculum is shorter, but the students they produce are more exceptional than anyone else’s. How bizarre is that?"

"Master Fang is a truly remarkable man! From practicing medicine to teaching students, he succeeds at everything he puts his mind to." The speaker’s voice was filled with admiration.

"Sigh, a school that famous must be impossible to get into. It’s not something families like ours can even dream of."

"My friend, you’ve got it wrong. Didn’t you know? Master Fang accepts students based on talent and character alone, not their family background. He’ll even waive the tuition for a truly gifted child."

"It’s true! My neighbor’s cousin’s uncle’s brother’s son was accepted with his tuition completely waived."

"Well... when you put it like that... My own good-for-nothing son... Sigh, let’s not talk about it. Let’s change the subject. Did you guys hear about that ’Black Beast’ that recently appeared in the Two Realms Mountain...?"

...

The thank-you gifts delivered by the Yu and Zhang families filled an entire room.

Parents of his other students from the past eight years, both former and current, also came to join the celebration, arriving in an endless, enthusiastic stream to offer their own gifts.