Chapter 29: Holy crap! There’s even a Counter-Strike elite!

(Page 1/3)
[Wait... how did this suddenly turn into the channel for the deranged?!]
[You stare, dumbfounded, at this group of croaking "magnetic field frogs," feeling a sense of mental dissonance as if you’ve stumbled onto the wrong film set...]
[Only then do you learn from the resigned Provincial Administration Commissioner: this is the normal process for mortals to withstand divine power!]
["Within His Majesty's divine illusion, any mortal will inevitably feel fear and terror. When this fear reaches one's personal threshold, the mortal loses their sanity..."]
[In short, it is "mental pollution." The stronger one's willpower, the greater their tolerance for the pollution. This manifests as minimal emotional disturbance within the illusion, and a quick recovery of consciousness.]
[Conversely, if your willpower is insufficient, your mind is eroded by this pollution. You might even be driven insane by the terror within the illusion, roaring and screaming about "loyalty" and "gratitude," transforming into a croaking magnetic field frog...]
["This happens in every province every year. Generally, they recover gradually and formally master the divine power... but there are occasional exceptions."]
[The Commissioner says gloomily: "A very small number of people never recover after being driven mad; they continue to roar and scream, unable to care for themselves... We naturally cannot release such wretches to plague the common people, so we usually execute them on the spot, claiming they died suddenly from the shock of their success..."]
["It is the same for the provincial examinations, the metropolitan examinations, and the palace examinations..."]
[Your heart chills as you listen...]
["But you need not fear."]
[As he speaks, he smiles at you with gratification: "Since you were able to shake off the illusion so quickly, it shows your willpower far exceeds that of ordinary people... With this talent, you will surely pass the banquet for the Presented Scholars as well. Your future is boundless..."]
[Huh?]
[You cannot help but feel puzzled: the prestigious rank of Presented Scholar—why does he make it sound as easy as plucking a fruit? That is, after all, the pinnacle of the examinations...]
[Shaking your head, unable to make sense of it, you decide to stop thinking. After all, there will be a way when the time comes... For now, the most important thing is to enjoy the spectacle of the madmen going crazy. After all, it only happens once a year; it is precious indeed...]
["Loyal! ty!"]
["Your Majesty, we will always love you!!!"]
["Your Majesty is the pillar!"]
["..."]

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[Although the scene was chaotic for a while, fortunately, no one went completely insane this time, which made the Commissioner breathe a sigh of relief.]
[After a while, everyone returned to their usual selves. If you didn't remember their unsightly behavior from just moments ago, you would truly think nothing had happened...]
[Thus, this year's banquet for the successful candidates officially concludes!]
[Soon, you are all admitted to the highest institution in the province, where you will specialize in studying the knowledge required for the "Metropolitan Examination" to prepare for the upcoming test next year...]
[...]
[The Metropolitan Examination is generally held in the capital in the second year after the provincial examinations. Those who pass are qualified to participate in the Palace Examination and obtain the highest degree in the imperial examination system: the Presented Scholar.]
[Presented Scholars are different from the Provincial Graduates. While Provincial Graduates are theoretically eligible to hold office, theory is one thing, and reality is another... The Great Ming dynasty's two capitals and thirteen provinces produce two or three hundred graduates each year. If they were all granted positions, there wouldn't be enough vacancies!]
[Therefore, many graduates never actually hold office. At best, they become "substitutes," spending their lives lording over their own small patches of land in their hometowns... Even if they are lucky enough to become officials, they are low-ranking, and the difficulty of promotion is extraordinary...]
[It is much like college graduates in the later ages unable to find work: too many people, too few positions. Each radish needs a hole; those left over must "find employment freely."]
[Facing employment pressure, college students choose to pursue bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degrees to increase their qualifications and improve their job prospects... By the same token, if a graduate wants to become an official, or a high-ranking one, they have no choice but to keep taking exams to become a Presented Scholar.]
[If one is lucky enough to become a Presented Scholar, they can be directly appointed to an office, and the prospects for promotion are great! Those who excel, such as the top scorers, will even be valued by the Emperor...]
[Therefore, although the Metropolitan Examination does not force all graduates to take it, almost every one of them participates spontaneously, hoping to grasp that sliver of hope...]
[The content of the Metropolitan Examination is generally profound knowledge... However, for you, it is not particularly deep. After all, you are all graduates who have studied for many years. What you should know, you already know. At most, you just need to adapt to the focus of the test questions during this year of preparation before sitting for the exam.]
[And these focuses used to be the interpretations of the Four Books and Five Classics, as well as poetry... But now, it is different!]
["Gentlemen, remember this: whether the Metropolitan and Palace Examinations accept you does not actually depend on how profound your knowledge of the Four Books and Five Classics is, nor does it depend on whether you can write timeless poems like Li Bai or Du Fu, and certainly not on how standard your 'eight-legged' essays are. There is only one requirement for recruiting talent!"]
[In the classroom, the old instructor of the Provincial Academy speaks to you sternly: "That is..."]
["Loyal! ty!"]
[His expression suddenly becomes impassioned: "As officials of the Great Ming and running dogs of His Majesty, the most important thing for us is loyalty!"]
["What is an official?"]

(Page 3/3)
["Some might say officials are the kind yet strict parents of the common people, the rulers of the world, the maintainers of the Great Ming's prosperity... but I tell you, these are all wrong!"]
["Officials are merely the running dogs of the Divine Emperor! They were in the past, they are now, and they will be in the future!"]
["As an official, you don't need to worry about whether the imperial court's orders are reasonable. You only need to faithfully execute them. Whatever His Majesty says, we do. If His Majesty tells us to go east, we must never go west. Everything is centered on loyalty..."]
[The old instructor's speech leaves the students below trembling with awe. Most had anticipated this, so they are not surprised; only a few young, newly minted graduates cautiously raise objections.]
["Instructor, why is what you say different from what is written in the books of the Sages? I recall Mencius saying: 'The people are the most important, the altars of the soil and grain are next, and the ruler is the least...'"]
["Those are the demonic books of Confucius and Mencius!"]
[The instructor glares and shouts: "What 'people are important, ruler is least'? His Majesty is the most precious and the most important!"]
["What are Confucius and Mencius? Confucius was a sycophant who would call anyone 'mother' if they had milk! As a man of the State of Lu, he ran all over the world to aid the enemy; he truly lacked even a shred of loyalty to his sovereign..."]
[Everyone: ...]
[Oh my god! An anti-Confucian elite!]
["In any case, remember this: what 'Way of the Sages' of Confucius and Mencius? As long as it conflicts with His Majesty, it is all demonic, heretical nonsense!"]
["Our Great Ming's two capitals and thirteen provinces all rest on His Majesty's shoulders alone! His Majesty toils day and night to extend the fate of the Great Ming; He is the greatest merit! The greatest sage!"]
["There are not two suns in the sky; in my heart, there is only His Majesty, the one true sun!"]
["Loyal! ty!"]
[...]