Zhao Xing had originally planned to turn in his paper and rush off to eat, but since Chen Shijie had said so, he could only stand by and wait.
The examiners reviewed the papers separately, each responsible for a portion, and then cross-read them.
In total, there were only a little over five hundred papers, which wasn't a lot.
But there could be no mistakes.
Xue Wenzhong first saw the question, 'There is wind in the south of the city, acting tyrannically.'
Seeing that Zhao Xing had not fallen into the trap of the question and had answered it perfectly, half of the weight on his mind was lifted.
"He has indeed memorized True Lord Cao Xi's methods; it's true, most of his Spells were taught by the True Lord."
Then he saw the question, 'The earth is cold and dark, spring wood is useless, summer sun steams, locusts thrive.'
After reading Zhao Xing's answer, Xue Wenzhong's heart was completely at ease.
His expression changed from gloomy to bright, even revealing a smile.
"I misjudged him. To answer this question perfectly, his understanding of the Five Elements and the four seasons is already very profound. The other questions are simply not a challenge."
The Old Si Nong was very relieved, and his mood brightened, his demeanor much more relaxed.
He no longer worried that Zhao Xing would become arrogant due to his grades.
Gao Linong, Tang Wanchun, and Pang Yuan looked at the section where Zhao Xing had memorized and transcribed classic works.
All the easy questions were answered correctly, without a single error or omission.
Extensive knowledge and strong memory were not the main point; it was Zhao Xing's speed. He had thirty papers, and to work through the night without a single mistake was truly rare.
"Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!" Chen Shijie suddenly exclaimed three times.
This startled the other examiners.
Because Chen Shijie's voice was too loud, it was likely that even the candidates outside had heard him.
Indeed, some candidates outside had heard him; they weren't deaf.
Some also saw Zhao Xing submit his paper early and enter the hall.
However, the candidates who heard were puzzled. How wonderful was Zhao Xing's answer that the chief examiner was even meowing like a cat!
"Among the Five Elements, Earth is the most noble. Earth resides in the center and controls the four directions, commanding all things without contending with Fire for glory."
What Chen Shijie was looking at was precisely Zhao Xing's answer to the last question.
The reason he was so happy was purely because Chen Shijie himself was a 'Geomancy Faction' member.
Zhao Xing's answer, without a doubt, suited his taste again.
Moreover, these words were very much in line with the Geomancy Faction's ideology; any Geomancy Faction member would love them.
Because it further elevated the Earth Element, even crowning it with the title of 'controlling the four directions.' Although there was a hint of flattery, one had to consider how it was presented.
Zhao Xing's answer hit the mark; it wasn't baseless flattery, but rather an itch scratched for Chen Shijie!
"Ahem, this official was a bit out of line." Chen Shijie, seeing the surprised looks of the others, quickly realized his impropriety and could only give a dry laugh to cover it up. "It's nothing, everyone, please look at this answer sheet and review it impartially."
"Why are you still pretending? Your lips are harder to suppress than a waterwheel. With the chief examiner's attitude so obvious, how are we supposed to review it impartially?" Gao Linong grumbled inwardly, finding this chief official truly unreliable.
He didn't take the answer sheet because he didn't want to give Zhao Xing a high score against his conscience, even if Chen Shijie had made such a clear statement, it was still unacceptable! Gao Linong's personality was rather straightforward.
The others were different; they immediately took the answer sheet and began to read it carefully.
"Hmm? Truly wonderful!" Tang Wanchun praised after seeing it. Although he was not a Geomancy Faction member, objectively speaking, such an answer could indeed earn a high score.
Pang Yuan and the other reviewers also felt the same. Disregarding Chen Shijie's attitude, Zhao Xing's answer to the last question truly gave a refreshing feeling, and it was well-reasoned and not fabricated.
When they cross-reviewed the papers, the other officials also recognized Zhao Xing's intelligence.
"Returning to the Heavenly Timings, supplementing one watch in spring, one watch less in summer? Bing Fire adjusts the Yin, Ding Fire continues the Yang. This answer is even more complete than what this old man had thought previously."
"Building mountains by using the earth veins in the south of the city, the mountains block the wind; digging canals in the east of the city, diverting water around the city, creating Origin Qi waterwheels—isn't this what True Lord Cao once did?"
"This question was set by me, specifically using True Lord Cao and the ancient city as examples. I didn't expect him to see through it at a glance."
Seeing so many colleagues begin to praise, Gao Linong couldn't help but examine it closely.
A moment later, his gaze towards Zhao Xing was somewhat complex.
Why isn't this person my student? He was specifically discovered by the Old Si Nong!
"Hmph, at least his handwriting is bad!" Gao Linong thought sourly. "Right, among the top grades, his handwriting must be the worst!"
Without suspense, the participating examiners unanimously gave a top grade.
Even Gao Linong did not go against his conscience to give a middle grade, because the examiners' scores and comments also had to be recorded and reported.
Giving a middle grade due to ugly handwriting would leave a biased and negative impression on the superiors, and ugly handwriting was not a big deal in this era.
Because after officially entering the ranks, one's Origin Qi is sufficient to precisely control oneself, and writing becomes like block printing. So this is just a minor detail, and it is absolutely impossible to disqualify a candidate for such a reason.
By rights, a top grade slot shouldn't be given out so quickly, but because the opinions were very unified, Zhao Xing, who submitted his paper first, received the first top grade rating.
Others still had to continue their exams, and the examiners couldn't keep him there for further questioning. Zhao Xing cupped his hands and silently left the examination hall.
The next day, people gradually turned in their papers, and the exam results for over five hundred clerks were released that afternoon.
Zhao Xing once again received a top grade. This theoretical exam was quite difficult, and besides him, only two others also received top grades.
They were Ding Shan and Liang Bai.
Ding Shan was somewhat familiar to everyone; he was the oldest clerk in the Huailiu Academy, always assisting Xue Wenzhong with documents and classics.
His Comprehension Ability in Spells was mediocre, so getting a top grade was purely due to his age and the sheer number of problems he had solved.
Liang Bai received a top grade for the first time. This type of theoretical exam did not assess Spell proficiency, but purely theoretical knowledge, so it was normal for someone with mediocre cultivation to get a top grade.
Besides these, there were nine others on the A-list, including Li Chengfeng, Wen Nanxing, Xiao Ze, and others.
Zong Shichang received a B grade; Young Master Zong was not proficient in this area.
"He actually got a top grade again. His Spells are exquisite, but even his theory is so profound? Is this person truly destined to be an official?" Wen Nanxing and Xiao Ze had exerted themselves, hoping to surpass Zhao Xing in this exam.
However, when the results came out, they were greatly disappointed.
How could he get a top grade again?
"It must be the Old Si Nong showing favoritism and malpractice, giving his beloved disciple hints, or providing him with special tutoring beforehand," Huang Tao said bitterly.
"Brother Huang, just because you didn't do well, you can't stand to see others do well?" someone retorted.
"Exactly, the questions weren't set by the Old Si Nong alone; your teacher also saw them."
Madam Cai had cooked so many meals, and it wasn't in vain; more people around started to speak up for Zhao Xing.
"You lost to Brother Zhao, but there's no need to hold such a grudge. You were the one who challenged him and tried to take over his territory first."
"Brother Huang, stop lying to yourself, it's meaningless."
..." Huang Tao felt deeply stung, but seeing more and more people speaking up for Zhao Xing, he immediately dared not argue further, otherwise he would be the one losing face, so he slunk away.