“Kong Li, was it? I think I’ve heard that name before.”
Dean Li spoke coldly, his tone completely different from the respectful gentleness he used when addressing the Holy Maiden Jing Xin.
“Why am I ranked dead last?”
Jiang Li asked through clenched teeth. If he had been given second place from the bottom, he might have accepted it and said the mission failed—but last place? What kind of nonsense was that?
Was he the idiot here, or was the examiner?
“You still have the face to ask?”
Dean Li was so furious that he actually laughed. He pulled out Jiang Li’s exam paper and, using an incantation, projected it into the air for everyone to see.
“Let everyone see for themselves what kind of ridiculous things you’ve written!”
Even the Holy Maiden Jing Xin was taken aback. The dignified Human Emperor Jiang—his exam paper was filled with content related to his own writings—and yet he scored the very last place? Curious, everyone leaned forward to read what Jiang Li had written.
But after reading it, most of them were stunned. Jiang Li’s answers were logical, well-structured, concise in wording yet rich in meaning, even referencing knowledge that most of them had never heard before. His answers clearly displayed remarkable intelligence and learning.
Compared to him, the rest of them were mere parrots repeating memorized texts. Seeing the confusion of the students, Dean Li began to explain.
“At first glance, this paper may appear fine, but in truth, it carries a major problem.”
“The answers to these questions can all be found directly in the books. In other words, as long as you study diligently, you won’t perform too badly.”
“But Dean Li,” the Holy Maiden Jing Xin voiced the students’ doubts, “although Kong Li’s answers aren’t word-for-word from the book, they can’t really be considered wrong either.”
Dean Li shook his head.
“Close enough? These books were the lifelong effort of the Human Emperor Jiang himself—every word is like a pearl of wisdom, layered with endless meaning. How could one simply use their own casual words to replace his?”
“I have dedicated my entire life to studying the theory of the Human Emperor Jiang, and even now, when I reread the Comprehensive Treatise on Cultivation, I can still gain new insight.”
“With your current abilities, you are far from understanding the deeper meaning in the Human Emperor’s writings. Therefore, you must memorize them word for word first. Only when they are fully familiar to you can you begin to comprehend them.”
Dean Li’s tone carried the self-righteousness of someone who believed he truly cared for his students’ learning. Jiang Li really wanted to sneer and say, I wrote the Comprehensive Treatise on Cultivation for cultivators in the Qi Refinement to Golden Core range—it’s only meant as an introductory guide!
What kind of “insight” could a Union Stage cultivator like you possibly get from it? Dean Li continued, “For example, this question asks for the definition of cultivation. In the Comprehensive Treatise on Cultivation, a whole page is used to explain that term, and yet Kong Li simplified it into just one sentence.
How could that possibly be correct?” Jiang Li asked slowly, “Is it not possible that the Comprehensive Treatise on Cultivation was not written for Union Stage cultivators, but rather for those at Qi Refinement or Foundation Establishment? That’s why it was written in great detail, yet could indeed be summarized in one sentence?”
“Absolutely impossible!”
Dean Li stated firmly.
“The Human Emperor Jiang was of tremendous greatness. His writings transcend age and cultivation level—they are universal truths readable and meaningful to all!”
“I have studied the Human Emperor’s teachings for over a hundred years. Every time the Human Emperor visited our academy’s lecture platform, I was the one to receive him. There is no one who understands his thoughts better than I do!”
The Vice Dean standing at a distance remained silent. He knew Dean Li well—the man could not tolerate a single criticism about the Human Emperor Jiang. He treated studying Jiang’s writings as an act of worship, insisting that not a single word could be altered.
In his eyes, every phrase was precious beyond measure.
“And this reading comprehension question—how dare you say that the passage merely means ‘it was a sunny day’ with nothing deeper? How could that be possible? Do you think the Human Emperor Jiang would ever write something without profound meaning?”
“It rained for several days straight, and yet it was clear only on that particular day—and that just happened to be the day the Human Emperor wrote his essay. Of course there was meaning! He was expressing that in our path of cultivation, we face many hardships—like endless rain—but there will always come a day when the clouds part and the sun shines through. We will surely overcome all obstacles and continue advancing.”
“This was the Human Emperor encouraging us!”
Jiang Li frowned.
“Why must everything the Human Emperor wrote have deep meaning?”
Dean Li’s expression stiffened, and then he roared, “Insolent! How dare someone like you slander the Human Emperor Jiang!”
“What? So the Human Emperor is now some sort of saint, whose words must be sacred and perfect, beyond correction or doubt? Every action immaculate beyond reproach, every word filled with hidden wisdom? You don’t even allow discussion about him?”
Jiang Li’s voice grew colder. Dean Li shouted back furiously, “With such an attitude toward the Human Emperor, you are not fit to be admitted to this academy!”
“The Human Emperor Jiang is our academy’s Honorary Graduate! Someone like you studying at the same academy as him would only disgrace our institution—and smear the Human Emperor’s face!”
A suffocating pressure exploded from Dean Li, a coercion belonging to a Union Stage cultivator, attempting to crush the blasphemous youth before him into submission. The students in the hall immediately trembled; it felt as though a mountain had landed on their backs. Breathing became difficult.
The Holy Maiden Jing Xin frowned, her heart stirred with anger, prepared to release her Union Stage aura to counter Dean Li’s oppressive force. But before she could act, she realized someone else was much angrier than she was.
“Smearing the Human Emperor’s face? I’d say it’s you who’s smearing mine!”
A voice thundered like divine punishment. Endless fury surged through Jiang Li’s chest, and with it came the phantom of ancient divine spirits dancing behind him. His aura surged like the tides across five lakes and four seas, yet it pressed down only upon Dean Li alone.
He could no longer tolerate Dean Li’s shameless nonsense. His figure flickered, and his true appearance was fully revealed. The hall erupted into chaos.
There stood the very image from the statue in front of the academy—how could anyone present not recognize him? It was the Human Emperor Jiang himself! The hall exploded with exclamations and gasps.
What followed were endless snickers and laughs at Dean Li’s expense. They too had long felt that rote memorization was meaningless—but because Dean Li was the dean, and a Union Stage cultivator at that, they could only obey. If he said memorization was right, then they had no choice but to pretend he was right.
Now, with the Human Emperor himself slapping him across the face in public—it was glorious. A wave of long-suppressed pride rippled through the students.
“Back when I first came to this academy,” Jiang Li said, his tone resonant, “the atmosphere was open, students free in thought, and various theories of learning contended brilliantly.”
“And what of it now? The academy has turned into Jiang Li Academy! You’ve taken the introductory text I wrote for Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment cultivators and turned it into a sacred classic of unchallenged doctrine. You claim to find new insight from it—I really want to ask you, what insight have you actually gained?”
Jiang Li’s voice grew ever more severe, his expression grave and dignified. His heart ached at the state of the academy—because the dean set the course for its future. With someone like this leading, how could the academy produce any true scholars?
A stagnant pool! And yet the man still dared to hold lectures. Jiang Li’s lectures, back in the day, lasted only two days each.
Two days—what could one possibly teach in two days? Of course they were meant to guide students to enlightenment, to help them reflect deeply on cultivation and broaden their minds. Judging by the state of things now, all those lectures had been wasted.
Dean Li was drenched in cold sweat. He hadn’t imagined, even in his wildest dreams, that the student he had been scolding so arrogantly turned out to be the Human Emperor Jiang himself. The very person whose works he had just been criticizing!
All his reasoning and pride now turned to dust.
“Hu–Human Emperor Jiang, it’s a misunderstanding! I—I didn’t know that you were Kong Li. If I had known, the paper would, of course, have received a full score!”
“Dean Li Hengshan,” Jiang Li said darkly, “this isn’t about who I am. It’s about the fact that you still haven’t recognized your mistake. I am truly disappointed in you.”
Jiang Li no longer looked at Dean Li. He turned to the Vice Dean instead—Vice Dean Meng—whose face was filled with excitement.
“Vice Dean Meng, notify all students. Tell them that Jiang shall be giving a lecture.”
Meng immediately bowed deeply and went to carry out the order. For the first time in years, he felt a weight lifted from his shoulders. Finally—finally—they no longer had to endure that rigid doctrine!
That very day, Jiang Li sat atop the statue modeled after himself, and gave a lecture titled “Authority Should Not Be Blindly Trusted.”
(End of Chapter)