Unable to Become an Immortal, I Had No Choice but to Take the Imperial Exams

[Wrapping up the later chapters; updates are irregular...] #Raising a child in the early chapters, with a protagonist who grows up# The Xie family welcomes a treasured son, perhaps an immortal reborn into the world. The day Xie Shi was born, a shooting star fell into his arms. From then on, he dreamed every night of a wonderland: immortal palaces rising into the clouds, birds of steel soaring through seas of cloud, reaching up to pluck the moon from the heavens and diving down to catch turtles in the deepest seas. I dream of a wondrous realm, where I am not bound by the common world. While the village children imagined whether they would farm or become carpenters when they grew up, young Xie Shi stunned everyone with his declaration: “I’m going to become an immortal!” The [Endless Sea of Learning System] jolted upright on its deathbed: ...Cultivation is impossible. You’ll never cultivate in this lifetime! Your future should be among the stars and the sea. Only studying can change your fate! Xie Shi: ? I’m an immortal reborn. I have to study? Isn’t climbing the mountain to catch birds fun? Isn’t fishing in the river exciting? What kid would actually like studying? (shouting)!! Faced with a Host who was hopelessly obsessed with cultivation, the System had a sudden inspiration: Here’s the thing: studying is cultivation, and cultivation is studying. Once you’ve read a thousand volumes, the path to immortality will naturally open before you. Xie Shi: ! Study, you say? Piece of cake. Leave it to me! · At first, Xie Shi only wanted to soar through the skies, burrow into the earth, and roam the four seas. So the System set up one trial after another, weaving a dream of cultivation for him. Believing it to be real, Xie Shi embarked on a path to greatness. He brings peace, ushers in a golden age, unites the four seas, and secures the land. The immortal realm is too distant to reach, so I will build one here in the mortal world. Looking back, my name shall be recorded in the annals of history! ■■■■ [Reader’s Guide]■■■■ ① Set in an ordinary ancient world with no supernatural powers. The protagonist is a native who grows from a child into an extraordinary adult. The #Time Travel# tag is related to the System. The System is purely a tool to help the native protagonist broaden his horizons. Apart from intangible knowledge and memories, it will not provide anything that can be brought into the real world. ② This is not a conventional imperial examination story. I want to tell a story about changing the world, and the examinations are only one part of it. There is a female lead. The plot and career-building take center stage, with romance as a secondary thread, as the protagonist goes from looking after himself to working for the good of all. ③ Set in a fictional world. Some government offices, customs, and historical details may draw on ancient China, but most are invented. This is very much a fictional setting, so please don’t nitpick the historical details. ■■■■ [Completed Works]■■■■ "The Seat of Radiance", a behind-the-scenes story featuring secret identities "They Say I Win People Over with Reason [Quick Transmigration]" "The Absolute Protagonist [Quick Transmigration]" "The Demon King’s Advent [Quick Transmigration]" "The Legendary Lord of the Gods [Quick Transmigration]" "The Divine Throne Awaits Me [Quick Transmigration]" . Theme: Turn the tide when all seems lost, and bring peace to the land.