Episode 17
Two hundred and thirty-one students signed in the Imperial Examination this year.
Among them, three quit.
The actual number of test takers is two hundred and twenty-eight.
All young Shifu-hands on Qingyun Standings.
What a national event!
All heroes and talents get together here,
In our Zhou Empire.
Your majesty is benevolent and wise.
So talents from all quarters come here.
Congrats, your majesty.
You've been worn out.
Invigilation awaits tomorrow.
Have an early rest.
Yes.
Lady Mo
Have you arranged it well?
Everything is well-arranged according to your commands.
But...
But what?
I'm afraid if her majesty will be upset
since we make it so hard for Guojiao Academy.
Don't be.
Guojiao Academy is just a chess piece of her majesty.
Now that it's a chess piece,
It can be sacrificed.
Besides, it's not some important chess piece,
Just a pawn to be took advantage of.
Let the pawn break through into enemy ranks.
Without other people's help,
He cannot escape death.
Your holiness
How is it going with the Imperial Examination?
Everything is ready.
But I've found
that someone seems to target at Changsheng and Guojiao Academy.
Do I need to stop that?
Everything is meant to be.
Everything is destined.
No one can take away
Whatever belongs to Changsheng.
I got it.
Yourong
Are you concerned about Chen Changsheng?
We've searched for such a long time.
But failed to find any lead to Zhou Garden's key.
Is it because we're on the wrong track?
Let's wait for a while,
See if there is any turnaround.
Lately, someone told me,
Except his dead brother Zhou Yuren,
Zhou Dufu had a beloved girl.
But she's so mysterious that no one knows her.
If that girl is still alive,
Perhaps she knows whereabouts of the key to Zhou Garden.
But, Yourong,
We don't even know her name.
How could we find her?
We may go back to Sacred Capital first
To make inquiries about that girl's whereabouts.
Back to Sacred Capital?
Are you going to meet Chen Changsheng?
What's he has to do with this?
Yourong...
Yourong
There's a thunderstorm ahead.
How about we leaving after it stops?
The Imperial Examination is about to begin.
We don't have time waiting.
No, Yourong,
It's too dangerous!
Fifteen, sixteen, seventeen
Eighteen, nineteen,
Where is he?
Didn't see him.
Where has he gone? Haven't seen him.
Have you seen him?
I don't know, either.
Coming! Over there. He's coming.
Hurry up! Hurry up!
Hurry!
Hurry. Hurry.
Coming. Coming.
Okay. Everybody is here.
Let's go.
[Guojiao Academy]
[Qingyao Academy]
[Lishan Academy] [Zhaixing Academy]
[Tiandao Academy]
[Guojiao Academy]
The Imperial Examination begins now.
Let me read out the rules.
Your holiness, which one
Do you think will be the champion?
If no accidents,
The champion
will be either Gou Hanshi or Chen Changsheng.
I'm pretty bullish about Gou Hanshi.
Why?
It looks gloomy between Chen Changsheng's eyebrows.
Seems that he doesn't have good luck.
Destiny is insubstantial by its nature.
No one knows for sure what will happen the next minute.
I think highly of Changsheng.
Because he's the one who can take Fate by the throat.
Hope so.
The first round is about spiritual sense.
The eighteen books are secret collections of Zhou Royal Family,
Never opened up to the outside world,
Let alone been read.
You gotta use your spiritual sense to memorize their content as possible as you can,
Before sand in the hourglass runs out.
Start now!
How could we memorize so much?
You know what to do next?
Yes.
Senior!
Stay out of other people's business.
[Lishan Academy]
In Guojiao Acedemy, only Chen Changsheng is left to memorize the books.
It seems
that he doesn't take the Fate by the throat,
But being taken by the throat.
Maybe not.
We gotta know,
Someone was born to pit one against ten.
Stop!
Now,
Every one of you will get a jade slip.
Questions will emerge on the slip.
You just need to put your hand on it,
Then read your answers silently.
If your answer is right,
A chess piece will be lightened up randomly.
With two adjacent chess pieces lightened up,
A chess line will be formed.
Then the line will come into an enclosed pattern.
The pattern can be everything.
But the bigger it is, the better.
Every examinee gotta give thirty right answers at least.
Otherwise he'll be knocked out.
In the end, all patterns added together,
The academy with the biggest pattern will prevail.
Then it may enter into the second round one hour in advance.
While the academy with the smallest pattern
will be knocked out directly.
That's our rules.
Any questions?
Senior,
Now that chess pieces can form patterns,
They can also destroy any other academy's pattern.
We gotta look out for Tianhai Ya'er.
Don't worry.
Speaking of group fights,
We Lishan Academy won't be afraid of anyone else.
Shifu,
I didn't memorize well.
Don't worry, I got an idea.
Changsheng,
We're counting on you.
Start now!
Thank you, Shifu!
How dare they!
Now Gou Hanshi is in the lead.
He makes Lishan Academy well organized.
The champion is probably theirs now.
The next is Tianhai Ya'er.
As for Chen Changsheng...
He's busy helping other people in Guojiao Academy.
Hasn't answered his own questions.
You're right, your holiness.
Someone can pit one against ten.
Although he can resist for a while,
Still, ten is ten,
One will always be one.
Why do you only see one?
But I've seen one hundred?
Look at Guojiao Academy,
Seriously?
Not a single completed pattern!
You'll lose in this way.
You forgot two things.
Firstly,
We're not competing for the number of patterns,
But the biggest area of patterns in total.
Secondly,
I haven't answered questions yet.
Come on, Shifu!
Senior,
What's that?
At this speed. That only can be him.
This...
According to Three Thousand Taoist Scriptures,
When perimeters are the same, the circular one is the biggest.
You have many patterns.
But your areas added is smaller than mine.
I see.
At the very beginning,
Changsheng made patterns at corner deliberately
for the last resort.
He also made them look patchy.
So no one would notice that.
Just because of such unimpressive ones,
One hundred came out in the end.
Game over.
The last place,
Qingyao Academy.
Knocked out!
The one who can enter into the next round in advance,
Also the first place, is,
Lishan Academy!
The second place,
Guojiao Academy!
Yeah!
That's impossible!
Why should they be ranked second?
Great!
Shifu, we passed the test!
Easy.
It's just the first round.
We're just the second place.
We'll get the first place!
I'm also confident!
Shifu, Yuren,
Have you seen this?
I'm already in the Imperial Examination.
Don't worry.
I'll try my best to be the champion and change my destiny.
Then,
I'll go back to see you two..
Shifu,
Where are we going?
Moving away.
The further, the better.
Why do we have to move away?
The Imperial Examination begins today.
We should go help Changsheng!
Don't worry.
Changsheng will be okay.
Just an Imperial Examination.
Won't be a problem for him.
Why can't we go to Sacred Capital?
Don't you forget Changsheng is sitting the exam there?
That Imperial Examination,
Once he becomes the champion,
People will come to our Xining Town to investigate his background.
If we stay here,
We'll become a problem for him, right?
I didn't get it.
Why do they have to invastigate Changsheng's background?
Changsheng is clean.
Why should we run away?
Of course you can't figure it out.
I'll let you know later.
Move, now!
I won't.
Stand up!
You were sitting on my clothes.
I promised Changsheng,
I will wait at the crossroad for him.
What if he can't find me after he comes back?!
Well,
Trust me, once.
I promise you,
As long as Changsheng comes back, He'll find you!
Okay?
Fine. Never mind.
You stay. I'll leave alone.
Shifu!
Shifu, you're really leaving?
Help me take the drugs!
Shifu, wait.
The second round of the Imperial Examination,
Every six examinees form as a group.
According to the result of the first round,
You'll enter the Time Forest Maze in sequence.
And you gotta walk out of the maze within four hours.
There are two flags at the exit of the maze.
The first two pluck out the flags will enter the final directly.
If you can't walk out of the maze within the stipulated time,
You'll be knocked out.
Why a maze?
Winding and meandering, feels so dizzy!
I hate it the most!
Relax,
I'm good at that.
You guys just need to follow me.
But I'm afraid of dogs.
After we get into the maze,
If any one of Guojiao Academy is left alone,
Just...
The Time Forest Maze is notoriously dangerous.
Don't get separated when you're in the maze.
Yes, senior.
Listen,
When we're in the maze,
Don't clash with any other academies.
Seize the time,
Pass through it quickly!
What if someone attacks us sneakily?
If he dares to do that,
We gotta fight back!
The second round, start now!
Lishan Academy, please.
Other examinees should enter the formation after this incense runs out.
Your majesty,
It's very bustling in the Imperial Examination.
Doesn't it look the same every year?
Maybe there is some surprise this year.
Surprise?
Maybe.
That's odd.
It seems that the forest is swaying.
Shifu, look
It's Visional Mirroring.
Geo-magnet is very chaotic here.
Yi and Yang reversed.
Can't tell directions.
From now on,
Don't believe our eyes so quickyly.
Let's go, Shifu.
Look, what's that?
Stop!
Let's go!
Stay still.
What the hell are they?
My father told me,
They seem to be guards subdued by Emperor Taizong from another clan.
Look so ugly that they can't be valets.
So they're ordered to guard the Time Forest.
Shifu, look!
Why do they keep such a stuff?
I got it.
We must calculate orientation of the sun
and the time when they walk away.
So we can avoid those guards,
Find out the rule,
Find out a way out.
Counting rods is a tool of deduction.
What are we waiting for?
For they to show up.
Only one of the three light gates is the way out.
The other two are traps.
Later, let's run into the left light gate when I say run.
Five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One,
Run!
Finally, we escaped.
Five Elements Guards are so amazing!
So lucky that we escaped.
Right, senior Li?
No.
What?
I mean,
You're not lucky
at all!
Lady Mo
How does it go?
Although I mobilized the guards,
Chen Changsheng avoided them.
They seem to have found the rule of guards' presence.
Shall I mobilize some more powerful mechanism?
No.
Princess Luoluo is still with Chen Changsheng.
We gotta find some way to separate them.
I got it.
Shifu!
Look, I've found them.
So fast!
Made of jade,
But not those good ones.
Done. Let's go.
Where are Changsheng and Luoluo?
Right.
We were all together.
Why did they disappear suddenly?
Why didn't Thirty-sixth follow us?
Will they be in danger?
Shifu...
Aren't they from Tiandao Academy?
This... Who killed them?
Could it be the guards?
Guards won't kill without permission.
This killing way looks so familiar.
I remembered it.
This is the same as the way Huo Guang was killed.
You mean,
Demons have sneaked into the Imperial Examination?
Well, will it be dangerous for Thirty-sixth and Xuanyuan ?
Relax, Thirty-sixth is good.
They won't be in danger.
Chen Changsheng,
How dare you kill students of our Tiandao Academy?!
It has nothing to do with us.
They died before we came here!
He's your love.
Of course you'll speak for him!
Luoluo
Let's go.
Chase!
Still hurts?
As long as you're here,
It doesn't hurt at all.
It's all my faults.
If...
I took good care of you,
You wouldn't be hurt so much.
It's not your fault.
It's all because of Zhuang Huanyu kept pestering us!
I will kick his ass when I see him next time!
Done.
Come,
Be careful.
Shifu, I'm badly injured.
I'll drag you down.
How about you leaving first?
Perhaps we've already lagged behind.
Anyway, people will come to save me!
No.
As your Shifu
How could I run away leaving my disciple behind?
Besides,
We're not necessarily lagging behind.
What are you watching, Shifu? The sun.
I thought those light gates led to the exit.
But in fact they're distractions.
The problem lies in this space.
Look,
If we're in a real space,
How could we have four suns at the same time?
What you said really makes sense!
If I'm not mistaken,
The space which we're in now
is a little world.
Now I can say,
Those light gates are used to confuse us.
How could we get out, then?
Close your eyes, everyone.
Sense which direction the sword points to.
Follow the sword.
Our Lishan's sword spirit will lead us to find out
what's true in this space.
Yes.
Stars sink, moon falls, sword spirit clears mind!
Motion and standstill fit each other; Hardness and softness push one another.
I got it!
Come with me.
Let's go.
Your majesty,
The sun is extremely powerful today.
Seems that it's gonna melt someone.
The maze and guards in the Time Forest
will cost these kids some time.
Your majesty, back to the resting palace?
Let's go.
Shifu,
I still can't figure out anything.
The suns are also misleading.
We can't be disturbed by the enviornment.
If only black dragon is here!
She'll take us out of here!
The dragon-soul jade pendant is a magical item.
Can't take it here.
What should we do, then?
I started to think just now.
Since this is a puzzle,
There'll be leads to the answer.
The beginning?
At the very beginning,
We got into the maze,
Found four suns.
Then we ran into the light gate,
Arrived in the stone maze,
Found the counting rods.
You figured out which light gate is safe.
Then we walked through the light gate,
Arrived in the grass maze.
Then we found another counting rods.
-Again, you started to calculate... -Wait a minute!
We walked through the stone maze and the grass maze repeatedly, didn't we? Out of the stone maze, there is the grass maze.
Out of the grass maze, there is the stone maze.
But counting rods in the stone maze are made of bamboo.
While rods in the grass maze are made of jades.
Why are they made of different materials?
Either in shortage of jades or bamboos?
No.
Two kinds of rods are the crux of the matter.
They're not used to calculate.
They should be leads to unlock rules of this time-space.
Rods are leads?
The rods represent intertexture of Yin and Yang.
Yin and Yang interlace, so everything grows,
Without stopping.
The stone maze represents Yang.
So the grass maze represents Yin.
Bamboo is a plant.
So bamboo rods represents Yin.
Jade is a stone.
Jade rods represent Yang.
The mazes are
one divided into two, also two combined into one.
Shifu,
Although we've known so much,
We can't get out.
We've found the truth.
Of course we can find a way out.
We're in the grass maze. It's Yin.
Yin spills, then Yang comes out.
If we want to get out of here,
We should use the jade rods which represents Yang,
To make an exit.
Shifu, you're so awesome!
Let's go.
Come.
Let me carry you on my back.
No.
Hurry.
We'll lag behind if we don't leave now.
Well, if you get hurt in the future,
I'll carry you on my back.
Pah... That's nonsense.
Well, You gotta be healthy, Shifu.
You won't get hurt.
Come, I got this sword.
Senior,
We arrive at the terminal.
Shifu, we're at the terminal!
Hanshi and the others also arrived.
Not bad.
You've also found this place, Changsheng.
-Senior, -They're also here.
Go take that flag.
We'll stay here guard for you.
Hurry...
Hurry, the flag is over there!
Why are they still together?
I'll find some way right now!
They're almost reaching it!
Shifu, put me down!
I can't drag you down!
No.
Senior,
Why they all come at Chen Changsheng?
Can't help them now.
Let's get the flag first!
I get it!
Well-done!
Great! Well-done!
Why all the guards are getting together towards Changsheng?
Go check it out.
Yes, I'm on it.
Great!
Let me go! Let me go!
Qijian!
Shifu
I owe you this time.
Shifu,
They accepted our help this time.
Let's go grab the flag.
Hurry, help me!
Shifu, look!
Put me down, please.
I don't wanna slow you down in flag-grabbing!
You're my disciple.
How could I possibly put you down?
Shifu!
Over these years,
I've been studying on how to control the force of stars in your blood.
Look,
This silver line represents that your heart is attacked by the force of stars.
At this speed,
I'm afraid that one year later, you'll...
Here is the question,
Why did you come for the exam before any cultivation?
I must sit the Imperial Examination this year.
And I must take the champion.
That's to say,
Only you take the champion in the Imperial Examination,
Can you have a slim chance of survival.
I don't know
whether I will succeed.
Heaven helps those who help themselves.
You will succeed.
It hurts...
Xu Yourong!
You destroyed my flag!
-Shifu -Sorry.
I didn't notice that.
I win! I'll enter the terminal!
How could you enter the terminal with that crap stick?
I have a whole flag here!
You're back.
I'm back.
Look throughly into the Time Forest.
Find out demon assassins!
Yes.
So,
Saintess destroyed the flag unwittingly.
Now it's not sure
which one of you will enter the terminal.
Unwittingly?
What's called unwittingly?!
She...
She did that on purpose!
In this case,
You two might as well have another competition
to decide which one goes to the terminal.
How do you think of it, your highness?
Fine!
But I shall decide compete on what!
Why should you?
Why should you decide?
Yes! It's not a place you can talk!
Anything is good with me.
Your highness,
What are you going to compete?
During the fight,
Neither side shall remove your blinder.
If either side gives up or walks out of the circle,
He will be considered as defeated by the other side.
Now,
Let's get started!
Senior,
Do you think Chen Changsheng will win?
Can't tell.
I've heard that Tianhai Ya'er is the best at teling positions acording to sounds.
If being blinded,
I don't know if I can defeat him.
Let alone,
Being disturbed by drumbeats now.
Tell me, will mister win? I've never seen him practicing this.
Nonsense!
Whose Shifu he is?!
It's said that Tianhai Ya'er has a pair of magical ears,
Which are very sensitive to sounds.
I'm afraid that he's second to none in terms of telling positions according to sounds.
Then he'll definitely win.
Shifu, watch out!
That's impossible.
Nothing is impossible.
Admit it or not?
If not, I'll beat your grandsons to admit it!
Mister! Mister! Mister!
Shifu, watch out!
Mister!
Yourong!
Shifu!
Tianhai Ya'er!
I'll beat you up to end your offsprings, see?!
You brat,
Do you think I can't take care of you?!
Tianhai Ya'er, there'll be consequences!
It's the amulet!
Tianhai Ya'er abused hidden weapons,
Violated the rules of the competition.
He shall no longer sit the examination.
Winner in this round is,
Guojiao Academy, Chen Changsheng.
Yeah! Shifu wins!
Shifu, you're so awesome!
Mister! Mister! You're the best!
This was invited by my mom
from a magical mountain in our beast clan.
Makes its holder safe and successful.
I'm gonna give it to you as a gift.
Thanks.
Besides,
My father has hidden a protective golden light in it.
At the critical moment,
It'll protect you from a fatal attack.
Yeah, Shifu wins!
So awesome!
Shifu, you're so awesome!
We win!
Mister, you're the best! We win!
Mister is the best!
It proves that everything is destined.
Saintess,
What do you think of Chen Changsheng?
Fortune favors the fools.
He's a fool?
But I think he's rather schemed.
Tianhai Ya'er must be tricked by him.
Why did you say that?
When it comes to telling positions according to sounds,
He's definitely weaker than Tianhai Ya'er.
If I'm not mistaken,
He exploited the formation set up on Zhaowen Square.
He knew every move of Tianhai Ya'er
Based on the formation's fluctuations.
In this case,
Tianhai Ya'er had lost the upper hand to him.
I see.
Well, Qiushan Jun, who do you think will win in the next round?
If we don't give him any chance to gain advantage by trickery,
I think the winner must be our Lishan Academy's
Gou Hanshi.
What's your opinion, saintess?
If taking advantage of the environment means trickery,
He will still find a chance to gain advantage by trickery.
I think Changsheng will win.
Let's wait and see what will happen, then.
Ever since the Ivy Banquet,
I've been thinking about fighting with you again.
Today, this chance finally comes.
Me, too.
Thank you for saving Qijian.
But this time, I won't give ground to you.
You don't need to.
I'll go all out.
Hope you can also pull out all the stops.
You spoke my mind!
Your highness,
I think mister will win again this time.
You don't say. After all, he's my Shifu!
Shifu, you must win.
We all believe that you will.
What a marvellous green-leaf space!
His holiness made such a wonderful world,
Indeed admirable.
Chen,
Let's get started.
Please.