novelraw Chapter 988 982: Wenqu Stone Pillar
Chapter 988 982: Wenqu Stone Pillar
An hour later.
Gui Guzi and the others reached the mountaintop and saw the Master of Literature sitting on the throne, eyes closed, as if in a dream.
"Finally, you're here!"
"Indeed, your arrival here indicates that the literary path has successors. The spirits of the ancestors in heaven would be immensely gratified!"
The Master of Literature opened his eyes and spoke jovially.
On his face was a gentle smile, showing no trace of anger, as if the arrivals were guests and he the gracious host.
To Gui Guzi and the others, this expression was nothing but hypocrisy.
They had fought their way here, and no matter how amiable someone was, they wouldn't be smiling.
Yet, despite everything, the Master of Literature's demeanor earned silent nods of approval from many onlookers; this was the way a scholar ought to be!
"No need, we do not follow the Ancestor of Literature's legacy, nor do we need his gratification!"
Unaccustomed to pretentiousness, Gui Guzi shook his head and coldly said, "Enough small talk, let's begin the literary discourse!"
With these words.
The Master of Literature retracted his smile, slowly stood up, and unleashed a formidable wave of literary power, enveloping the surroundings with endless light and causing countless literary auras to cheer.
As he rose, within the Literary Realm, all the rules of Literary Dao bowed down, welcoming the great leader of the Literary Dao.
Everyone felt a chill in their hearts, experiencing immense pressure.
"The Master of Literature has controlled the veins of the heavens' literature, his cultivation and realm in the literary path far surpassing that of the Poetry Ancestor, Wen Moke, and others, making him difficult to defeat!"
"We're only one step away, but it's often the last step that is the hardest!"
"If the Qin Dynasty wins, it will control the literary veins. If it loses, the literary path of the Qin Dynasty will be destroyed!"
Many voices of discussion arose.
"This time in the discourse, within four hours, let us each write an article to determine the victor, how about that?"
The Master of Literature inquired.
"How will the victor be decided?"
Gui Guzi asked, eyes full of vigilance.
They had been duped twice before.
The first time was in discourse with the book's author, who twisted facts and muddled truth.
The second time in discourse with the Poetry Ancestor, who claimed Li Bai's immortal poems as his own.
Thus, before beginning the discourse, he wanted clear rules, especially since writing their own articles could be hard to judge.
"On Literary Mountain, there is a 'Stone Pillar of Literary Talent,' specifically used to test talent. The better the article, the higher the talent aura!"
The Master of Literature pointed to the distant stone pillar and said with a smile.
The Stone Pillar of Literary Talent!
One of the treasured legacies of the Literary Realm, it lacks combat capabilities but can determine the strength of talent.
For other factions, the 'Stone Pillar of Literary Talent' may not serve much purpose, but in the Literary Realm, it is a crucial basis for literary competition.
"Very well!"
After a moment of contemplation, Gui Guzi nodded.
He had also heard of the 'Stone Pillar of Literary Talent,' a treasure forged by the Ancestor of Literature, so it should present no issues.
A few minutes later.
At the pinnacle of Literary Mountain appeared two desks, set with the four treasures of the study.
Under countless gazes, the Master of Literature and Gui Guzi began composing, writing magnificent works.
Both looked solemn, their pens wielded like battle lances; each word and sentence released rich literary aura, accumulating above them like snowballs, growing ever larger.
Above the Master of Literature's head, a man in splendid robes appeared, seated among the clouds, holding an ancient book, spreading knowledge and teaching.
Below, a hundred thousand literati sat cross-legged, faces respectful, listening to the Literary Dao.
"Book of All Saints"!
That was the title of the Master of Literature's majestic work.
Meanwhile, over Gui Guzi's head, the literary scene unfolded like never before, with countless phenomena: the grand workings of the world, sun, moon, and stars, the realm of techniques, and even the supreme saints...
Embracing the infinite, encompassing the world!
This book was the "Vertical and Horizontal Book"!
It was the quintessence of Gui Guzi's thought, the unparalleled legacy of the strategists.
Divided into the world's trends, planning before action, the heart of calculations and the heart of Dao, the four levels of understanding Dao, observing the world, the techniques of open and close, the three paths of the heavenly saints, Sword Dao...
Twenty-two chapters in total!
And now, Gui Guzi was writing the 'Sword Dao' chapter!
"Judging by the literary aura, the two are evenly matched!"
The observing martial artists, not adept in the literary path, could only judge by the amount of literary aura.
"Master of Literature is likely to lose!"
The grand elder of the painting institute stood in the crowd, worry etched on his face, muttering to himself.
From the phenomena, he sensed that Gui Guzi's literary cultivation seemed to be more profound.
"Fortunately, I've prepared well, otherwise..."
Halfway through composing, the Master of Literature glanced at Gui Guzi, saw the vast literary aura, and silently celebrated.
"No matter how well you write, you will lose!"
Then, the Master of Literature sneered slightly and continued composing.
Meanwhile, Gui Guzi remained absorbed in writing, unaware of the Master's change in expression.
Quickly, four hours passed.
The Master of Literature and Gui Guzi stopped writing simultaneously, their faces somewhat pale—the exertion of literary power in composition drained them significantly.
Rumble!
At the moment they stopped.
The sky thundered, a thousand auspicious signs descended, and even the drifting literary aura reached peak density.
So much so that everyone's vision was obscured by the aura, preventing them from seeing the content of the two articles clearly.
"Lord Dong, what do you think?"
Wang Xizhi inquired; his expertise lay in calligraphy, and in composing articles, he was not as skilled as Dong Zhongshu.
"It's secured!"
Dong Zhongshu said with a smile.
Among the few, his literary Dao's realm was the deepest, allowing him to see that Gui Guzi's content, the essence of the strategist, exceeded the Master of Literature's work in both literary aura and artistic conception.
After all, Gui Guzi was the founder of the strategists, while the Master of Literature, borrowing from others, fell far short.
"This doesn't look good!"
The grand elder of the poetry institute, who was not involved in the discourse, appeared gravely somber.
Though the literary aura of the two articles seemed balanced, he sensed in Gui Guzi's aura a more terrifying power.
"Someone, bring the 'Stone Pillar of Literary Talent'!"
The Master of Literature remained calm, showing no worry, and spoke with a smile.
"As you wish!"
Two disciples of the Literary Realm bowed and brought the 'Stone Pillar of Literary Talent' forward.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the 'Stone Pillar of Literary Talent' is a relic of the Ancestor of Literature, flawless for countless ages. Next, I will test the literary aura in your witness, hoping you bear witness!"
The Master of Literature glanced at Gui Guzi, revealing a hint of coldness, and addressed the observing martial artists.
Next, he placed his article on the 'Stone Pillar of Literary Talent'.
Boom!
In an instant.
A towering column of talent aura surged from the 'Stone Pillar of Literary Talent', ascending to the heavens, measuring a million miles, and was still growing rapidly.
"A million miles?"
"When did the Master of Literature's literary power become so strong?"
Countless disciples of the Literary Realm gaped, eyes filled with bewilderment.
In recent years, the literary aura of the Literary Realm had continuously weakened, dropping from millions of miles to the current million miles due to lack of new creations.
They remembered that the last time the Master of Literature composed, it only evoked a ninety-million-mile talent aura column.
And now, just at the start, it brought forth a million-mile literary aura?
Rumbling!
One by one, famous maxims from the "Book of All Saints" turned into golden words the size of fists, drifting to the heavens, infusing into the 'Stone Pillar of Literary Talent', propelling the talent aura column upward.
Five million miles!
Nine million miles!
Thirteen million miles!
Thirty million miles...
Finally, under countless astonished eyes, the talent aura evoked by the "Book of All Saints" froze at a billion miles.
A billion miles!
The maximum talent aura that the 'Stone Pillar of Literary Talent' could measure.