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Thirty days until the Dragon Palace opens!!

As the alliance agreement of the four powers was reached, the once chaotic Central Plains finally stabilized, which was a good thing for the local populace.

After all, with wars breaking out all around, no ordinary family wanted to face such turmoil, especially in the north during the autumn harvest. If the Ancient Desolate Country were to cause more trouble, most of the farmers would likely have to flee their lands.

However, the stabilization of the Central Plains was not welcome news for the Ancient Desolation Country of the north...

The weather on the northern steppes had not been favorable this year, particularly in the Northern Wolf Country.

The grass was sparse, and the sheep were thin, leading to many being sacrificed to the wolves of the steppes.

According to the wizards’ predictions, this year’s winter would probably be even longer than the last, making their suffering even greater.

Normally, with the Central Plains in internal disorder, the Imperial Court would cast aside their pride and ally with the north, allowing them the opportunity to plunder the Central Plains.

However, this time, for some unknown reason, they suddenly agreed to a ceasefire under the mediation of a power they had never heard of before!

According to frontline reports, the Duke of Wei had withdrawn half of his army to focus on defending the Youyun Seven Provinces.

As a renowned military general of his time, the Duke of Wei, with his full defensive focus, made it impossible for the scattered Northern Alliance to see even the slightest chance of success.

If this continued, in order to survive, the four Northern Wasteland countries would probably soon start fighting amongst themselves, as the resources of neighboring countries were easier to plunder compared to those of the stout Duke of Wei!

It was now midday when a squad dressed in white leather armor entered the city district under the strict supervision of northern soldiers. The one responsible for receiving them was the Duke of Wei’s eldest legitimate son.

Judging by who was sent to receive them, it was clear these people from the steppes were of no low status. But when dealing with people from the Ancient Desolate Country, the Duke’s Heir, born a military general, did not have the slightest bit of good grace on his face!

However, there was no helping it. The leader, Murong Bingyun, was a direct descendant of the Murong Family from the Northern Wolf Country and one of the three leading candidates for this generation’s high priest, holding an esteemed status.

The person who invited him had once been the fearsome Wind King on the steppes: Murong Yunji.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Princely Heir," said the people from the steppes. Although barbaric, every son of their clans was exceptionally graceful, often displaying Central Plains etiquette better than the great families themselves.

Yet the Duke’s Heir was not impressed. In his view, these scions of the Ancient Desolate Country were like demons clothed in human skin, and no matter how well they imitated humans, they could not change the beast-like nature in their bones.

He genuinely didn’t understand what Chen Qing was thinking, actually allowing the Northern Wolf Country’s priests’ children to attend the Jiangnan Academy for evaluation and study.

"There’s no need for thanks, after all, as guests, you should at least be fed, right?" the Princely Heir said with a smile that was not quite a smile. "As long as you, Murong gentlemen, behave like guests from hereon."

Facing the sarcasm, the teenage boy simply smiled faintly, "When we are guests, naturally we must follow the rules of the guest. Please be assured, Princely Heir."

"You’d better remember that..." the Princely Heir huffed coldly. A Northern Aristocratic Family magician who followed them smiled bitterly at this sight. Just as the atmosphere was easing a little, the Princely Heir truly didn’t give an inch of face.

How were they to play one side off against another with such an attitude?

It was known that the four Northern Wasteland countries were still ostensibly an alliance, and no one knew whether they would collaborate to invade again.

Though they had a temporary ceasefire with the Imperial Court, thanks to that individual from Jiangnan, the saying went: in war, deception is key.

If the Ancient Northern Countries really did come invading, who could guarantee the Imperial Court wouldn’t deploy troops?

Moreover, resolving the northern trouble as soon as possible would make it easier to fully dedicate themselves to the grand scheme of cleansing the Royal Side in the coming year.

With the resources of the north far from matching those of the Central Plains, the longer the delay, the dimmer the hopes.

With this in mind, he quickly changed the subject, "Murong gentleman, you brought so many young ones to take part in the exams this time?"

Upon hearing this, Murong Bingyun nodded with a smile, "My aunt mentioned in her letter that the assessments in Jiangnan are strict.

To earn the chance to witness the unique techniques rumored in the academy, our family first conducted a selection internally.

Those who passed are all adept in the science of reasoning within the family. "

Upon hearing these words, the Duke’s Heir furrowed his brows.

The Northern Wolf Country seemed to be adopting the doctrines of Jiangnan’s science of reasoning even more swiftly!

Chen Qing’s grand formation had not only deterred the other powers but also significantly promoted Jiangnan Academy.

After careful consideration, his father took the initiative to act as a middleman and arrange for Chen Qing to cooperate with the Northern families.

Like the Capital City, they allowed additional admissions, but entrants must pass rigorous assessments.

Those with deeper study could exchange their family’s techniques for those of Jiangnan Academy based on the situation.

Actually, many great families were willing to do this business. With numerous techniques in their reserves, many of which were challenging to pass on, it was better for the families to exchange them for better techniques rather than let them go to waste at home.

But the drawback was that Jiangnan Academy’s admission required a solid foundation in miscellaneous studies.

Yes... miscellaneous studies!

Like the Capital City, the Northern Aristocratic Families still did not value so-called ’Art Calculation’, physics, medicine, geomancy, and divination.

Even though they had begun enrolling a large number of miscellaneous study tutors influenced by Chen Qing, the shift in mindset was not immediate.

They were content with letting the less important family members test the waters and remained indifferent to the science of reasoning, which was held in high regard in Jiangnan.

This, in his view, was not a good thing!!

He had spent some time in Jiangnan, and after his own father made arrangements with Chen Qing, he increased the trade volume even more, exchanging a great number of horses for a stockpile of food reserves.

He was in charge of this business, and so over the span of a month, he had already been to Jiangnan three times.

Each visit gave him a considerable shock.

The large shipyards of Yunzhou, the astronomical observatory of Lyuzhou, and the Art Energy cannons of Nanyang all had a tremendous impact on him.

He had never before imagined that those so-called engineering skills could, in a short period of time, bring about such changes among the common folk.

After several careful inspections, he was convinced that the study of Reason was not the debased and strange doctrine scorned by the Scholarly Families but a branch of learning beneficial to the state and its people!

However, changing the views of these literary aristocratic families in a short time was practically impossible, and even his highly esteemed grandfather could only proceed slowly.

But while you’re proceeding slowly, others are not!

From the two words "study of Reason" he almost inferred from the opponent’s mouth, he saw that the Northern Wolf Country was changing even faster!(p)Not only did they value the study of Reason, but even the young offspring they sent were different from those of the Central Plains...

The Princely Heir glanced over and immediately recognized, given his comprehensive knowledge of the Northern families, that most of those who came with Murong Yunbing were talented offspring from various families, completely different from the meddling riffraff sent by the aristocratic families on his side!

Without going too far, just take the child who looked to be only eight or nine years old sitting behind Murong Yunbing.

With his youthful complexion and a purple scar on his forehead, he almost immediately recognized him.

The child was from the Yunke family—one of the three great Priest families in the north—and the purple scar.

.. was a mark of the Technique inheritance within the Yunke family.

The only one who could inherit the Yunke family’s Technique at the age of eight or nine, according to intelligence, was the High Priest Yunke Langye’s most favored direct grandson: Yunke Chen!

Murong Yunbing was also one of the candidates for inheritance in the Murong Family. Coupled with Yunke Chen, the importance the Northern Wolf Country placed on this was obvious, not at all on the same level as his own side.

This discovery made the Duke’s Heir increasingly agitated!

The accompanying Magician seemed not to focus on this point but instead said with a smile, "Oh? So as Murong (no specific name given) said, these young ones are all carefully selected? Then, you must be quite confident in the upcoming Jiangnan examination, right?"

"Not at all, not at all!" Murong Yunbing waved his hands repeatedly.

"The Array techniques passed down by Lord Chen Qing are intricate and profound, and this is just the basic textbook.

Given this, one can imagine the level of proficiency that the Jiangnan Academy now possesses in Arrays, integrating Art Calculation and the study of objects within the Technique, truly astonishing.

People from the Central Plains possess outstanding talents, causing envy in others. "

"Hahaha, you flatter us too much."

"Our superiors sent us younger generations here for two reasons: firstly, to witness the reputed academies of Jiangnan, and secondly... to take a good look at our peers from the Central Plains. It’s also an opportunity for us to broaden our horizons and avoid becoming frogs in a well."

"You are much too modest..." The Magician continued laughing, obviously impressed with the proper comportment exhibited, completely unaware of the Duke’s Heir standing to the side with a face as dark as iron.

It seems he would need to discuss with his father. If things continued this way, it might not bode well!!

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Meanwhile, the aristocratic families from Capital City, who had prepared for a month, also sent out a large number of their young ones. Unlike those old-fashioned Northern aristocratic families, many families in Capital City were willing to let the direct descendants participate in the examination.

However, the basic understanding of the study of Reason for most direct descendants was too poor, and one month was simply not enough time for proper examination preparation.

Since each family had a limited number of slots available, in the end, the majority of families had no choice but to compromise and allow those peripheral offspring with a better foundation in the study of Reason to become the main force for this examination.

Yet there were exceptions.

There were some families in which the offspring with sufficient qualifications had too much sway, and were still able to secure a slot to try their luck. After all, no one wanted those peripheral offspring of their household to overtake them on a curve.

And among them, the Shen Family was typical.

Among the young participants, nearly half had unsatisfactory preliminary examination results in mathematics and science. However, they still occupied the slots, and the worst-performing Shen Yu still became the lead of the Shen Family’s offspring for this round!