Even as he took his seat, Bai Shanbao was somewhat nervous; after all, it was his first time taking such an exam.
But once the test papers were distributed and he saw the questions, his heart gradually settled down.
It wasn't that he felt fully prepared, but rather he experienced a sense of finality.
Since he was already seated and had seen the questions, and couldn't go out to consult his books, feeling nervous at this point was useless.
Bai Shanbao calmed himself, carefully read through all the questions first, and then began to grind his ink stick while thinking about his answers.
By the time he had the ink ready, he already had some ideas in mind and began to write.
His teacher had said that the presentation of the paper must be neat; he looked over the questions, which were difficult, but he believed that one day's time should be sufficient.