The day for the retake of the Metropolitan Examination soon arrived. As countless scholars were about to enter the Imperial Academy, thunderclaps erupted across the sky, lightning piercing the dark clouds, momentarily lighting up the heavens as if it were daytime.
Under the gaze of the crowd, bolts of lightning struck the periphery of the Imperial Academy, setting the wooden buildings ablaze in an instant. The fire spread rapidly toward the Academy.
"This..."
As everyone stood in confusion and panic, shadows zipped through the darkness unnoticed by all.
"It's over! It's over! The Metropolitan Examination will be postponed again! And the Imperial Academy has been burned down—who knows how long it will take to rebuild."
"What should I do? I haven't enough money for lodging; staying in the capital is entirely beyond my means."
A scholar's eyes flashed with venomous resentment. "If not for Liu Baiqing's cheating, I would already be a Jinshi by now!"
