The Martial Affairs Department's Red Line

Clearwind Martial Arts Hall.

In Qi He's courtyard, besides Chen Chunfeng, there was also Zhao Ce.

Qi He was the Deputy Hall Master of Clearwind Martial Arts Hall, handling the daily affairs of the hall. Zhao Ce was responsible for recruiting new students, and Chen Chunfeng was the Instructor for the new class of students.

The three of them were gathered here discussing Lin Chen.

"Senior Brother Qi, Lin Chen has very high comprehension in Clear Wind Palm. With his talent, he might reach minor completion within half a year and is highly likely to reach mastery within three years."

Chen Chunfeng looked at the silent Deputy Hall Master Qi and stated his estimation of Lin Chen's Martial Path progress.

"Senior Brother Chen, you were the one who initially wanted to revoke Lin Chen's Grade A Student treatment, and now you're the one who wants to give it back to him. You're so wishy-washy..." Zhao Ce said with some dissatisfaction.

"Junior Brother Zhao, at that time, we didn't know about Lin Chen's talent in Clear Wind Palm. Now that we do, naturally, we need to re-evaluate," Chen Chunfeng frowned.

"What about Lu Shuyu? The hall has already promised him the spot. Now you're telling him the spot is gone, how is he supposed to feel?"

Facing Zhao Ce's question, Chen Chunfeng also found it difficult and said with a bitter smile, "It's precisely because the decision is too hard that I came to ask Senior Brother Qi to make the decision."

Lu Shuyu had already opened three apertures. Although he was slightly inferior to the four students who had opened five and four apertures, this didn't mean Lu Shuyu couldn't open four apertures. It was a long-term consideration for studying the Martial Path at the hall.

The Martial Path was not something achieved overnight. Those few students who had opened five and four apertures came from excellent families. Even after reaching ten apertures, their families still had enough financial resources to support their cultivation.

Lu Shuyu's family situation was slightly worse. He didn't dare to spend lavishly in the early stages, but if he were given Grade A Student treatment, it could make up for this gap.

Saving twenty-five taels of silver a month amounted to over two hundred taels a year. Coupled with the hall's later expenses, the treatment of a Grade A Student could save nearly a thousand taels of silver over three years at the hall.

Qi He rubbed the teacup in his hand, not speaking.

"Senior Brother Qi, perhaps we can give both Lin Chen and Lu Shuyu Grade A Student treatment simultaneously," Chen Chunfeng suggested.

"Senior Brother Chen, are you suggesting we take away one spot from the four of them, Shao Hong and the others?"

"Naturally not." Chen Chunfeng shook his head. "I mean, whether the Grade A spot is given to Lin Chen or Lu Shuyu, we can privately give the other person equivalent treatment."

"Inappropriate. This is a strict prohibition from the Martial Affairs Department. Junior Brother Chen, don't be foolish."

Qi He's expression turned serious, his demeanor extremely earnest. "The Martial Affairs Department's most stringent rule for us martial halls is that we are not allowed to privately reward students in various forms. The Eight Halls Rebellion twenty years ago must not be repeated."

Chen Chunfeng's face showed a helpless expression. Twenty years ago, during the Eight Halls Rebellion, he happened to be a student at the martial hall and knew how bad the impact of that incident was.

Twenty years ago, the Martial Affairs Department did not strictly limit the recruitment of students by martial halls. Except for the fixed number of Aperture Opening Pill spots, everything else regarding student recruitment was decided by the martial halls themselves.

At that time, Cloud Concealment Martial Arts Hall was consistently at the bottom of the annual martial hall competition. The newly appointed Hall Master of Cloud Concealment Martial Arts Hall, in order to get rid of the bottom position, privately promised various Martial Path resource subsidies to those students from extremely wealthy families.

The result was obvious. The students with the best family backgrounds in that generation were all recruited by Cloud Concealment Martial Arts Hall. Facing thousands of taels of Martial Path resources, even the children of city magnates couldn't resist the temptation.

In that year's competition, Cloud Concealment Martial Arts Hall swept the top three positions, which was quite glorious.

In the following year's new recruitment, other martial halls also learned this trick. In order to compete for potential disciples, they even offered conditions such as free tuition and expenses for three years at the hall.

The various martial halls made various highly attractive promises, which resulted in huge expenses for the martial halls, and some martial halls even operated at a loss.

The resources provided by the martial halls to students, such as various meats and pills, also had costs; they were not risk-free businesses.

The income of the martial halls came from student registration fees and a percentage of the money students spent on purchasing goods at the hall.

A portion of this income was used to pay the Instructors' salaries, and they also had to obtain slightly lower-priced goods from the Martial Arts Administration. Under the conditions of offering free expenses and even subsidies to compete for students, Cloud Concealment Martial Arts Hall was drained.

In order to maintain the operation of the martial hall, the Hall Master of Cloud Concealment Martial Arts Hall actually increased the price of goods in the martial hall. Although it was still cheaper than outside, it still caused dissatisfaction among the students, and several students directly went to the Rao Prefecture Martial Affairs Department to complain.

The Director of the Martial Affairs Department was furious. After a thorough investigation, the Director of the Poyang County Martial Arts Administration and the Hall Master of Cloud Concealment Martial Arts Hall were demoted and exiled to the frontier. The Hall Masters of the other seven martial halls also lost their positions.

From then on, the Martial Affairs Department set rules that major martial halls recruiting students could only have ten Aperture Opening Pill spots and five Grade A Student treatment spots, and were not allowed to privately give students any other resources.

No additional subsidies were allowed to students in any way.

For example, under the guise of being favored by a certain Instructor, the Instructor privately provided financial assistance, but in reality, this money was advanced by the martial hall. If it were discovered, it would be a serious crime.

No martial hall dared to cross this red line!

Unless, of course, they paid for it themselves. But a Grade A spot, which cost nearly a thousand taels of silver over three years, was not something everyone could afford.

As Organ Refining martial artists, they had possessed a thousand taels of silver, but the Martial Path was a money pit. By this stage, most of their money had been spent. Only those martial artists who gave up on the subsequent Martial Path after reaching the Organ Refining stage, accumulating for several years, might be able to save a thousand taels of silver.

"Let's not discuss other methods. Now, the two junior brothers should just say who the Grade A treatment spot should be given to."

Chen Chunfeng hesitated for a moment. "Whether it's given to Lin Chen or Lu Shuyu, this junior brother has no objection."

Qi He nodded and looked at Zhao Ce. "Junior Brother Zhao, who do you think it should be given to?"

"Give it to Lu Shuyu!"

Zhao Ce did not hesitate and directly gave his answer, while also explaining, "Senior Brother Qi, Senior Brother Chen, no matter how high Lin Chen's talent in Clear Wind Palm is, what does that matter? What is more important now is the martial hall competition. In the competition held every three months, the level of a student's Martial Path realm is more important."

"Lin Chen has cultivated Clear Wind Palm to proficiency. Even if he can fight across one aperture, he might have a chance to win in next month's competition. But what about the competition in the sixth month? Can Lin Chen cultivate Clear Wind Palm to minor completion in such a short time? On the contrary, by then, the Martial Path techniques of the top students in the major martial halls will also have reached the proficiency stage. With no difference in Martial Path techniques, Lin Chen's advantage will no longer exist, and the gap in realms will instead widen."

Chen Chunfeng frowned slightly and asked, "Junior Brother Zhao, is it because you refused Lin Chen initially, and then Lin Chen joined our martial hall, that you hold a grudge?"

"What do you mean by that, Senior Brother Chen? It wasn't just me who refused Lin Chen initially; Senior Brother Qi also agreed. I don't hold any grudge against Lin Chen. Choosing Lu Shuyu is also because giving Lu Shuyu Grade A student treatment is the most beneficial for the martial hall."

Zhao Ce had an open and honest expression. Chen Chunfeng sighed and said nothing more.

"Since Junior Brother Chen has no objection and Junior Brother Zhao supports Lu Shuyu, then the Grade A treatment will be given to Lu Shuyu."

Qi He made the final decision. Although he was the Deputy Hall Master, the Hall Master was focused on breaking through to the In-Grade realm, and many matters of the martial hall were decided by him.

Still Water Martial Arts Academy.

"Clearwind Martial Arts Hall revoked Lin Chen's Grade A treatment?"

Kong Yinglei's face was etched with shock as she listened to her senior sister. With Lin Chen's talent in Clear Wind Palm, it wasn't worth a Grade A spot?

"In previous years, a Grade A spot would naturally have been given to Lin Chen, but this year is different. Qi He is too focused on results, fixated on this year's martial arts hall competition. From the perspective of the competition, a student's rapid increase in cultivation level is far more worth cultivating than their comprehension of martial arts techniques."

Zeng Qingyao knew what her junior sister was confused about and directly explained Qi He's intentions.

"You think Qi He is like you, junior sister? Besides Jiang Qing, none of the other disciples were given a Grade A spot."

"Based on the attitude of Fu Jingya and a few others towards the Martial Path, they shouldn't have been given Grade A spots. However, these few have performed well this month, so I can consider giving them Grade A spots next month."

Kong Yinglei gave a light snort. Zeng Qingyao smiled but didn't speak. This was what was special about their Still Water Martial Arts Academy – because they were all female disciples, even if they placed last in the grand competition, it wouldn't be particularly embarrassing.

"Senior sister, couldn't Clearwind Martial Arts Hall be a bit more flexible and compensate a certain student privately?"

"Junior Sister Kong!"

Zeng Qingyao's expression turned serious. "The Eight Halls Rebellion twenty years ago, and the strict laws of the Martial Affairs Department, have you forgotten?"

"Senior sister, the Eight Halls Rebellion and the current situation can't be lumped together. Lin Chen truly deserves a Grade A spot. This isn't just making random promises to steal students."

Kong Yinglei didn't think there was any problem with doing this. Inspector Shu arranging for Lin Chen to come to their Still Water Martial Arts Academy and giving him an Aperture Opening Pill spot wasn't that a good flexible approach?

"The Director of the Martial Affairs Department's fury back then was far less simple than you see it, junior sister. It involved the imperial court's positioning of martial arts halls."

Zeng Qingyao looked at her junior sister's confused eyes and felt it was necessary to explain the stakes involved, lest her junior sister inadvertently cross that red line when she was in seclusion.

"Talented students should receive preferential treatment; this is only right and proper. But how do you determine if a student is a genius? Someone like Jiang Qing, who reached five apertures upon entering the martial arts hall, does that count as a genius student?"

"Naturally, it does," Kong Yinglei nodded without hesitation.

"Jiang Qing counts as a genius. If our Still Water Martial Arts Academy gives Jiang Qing a large amount of resources because she's a genius, what about the other students? Martial arts hall resources are ultimately limited. If other martial arts halls learn that we are cultivating Jiang Qing, for the sake of the grand competition, will they also follow suit and cultivate the talented students in their halls?"

"If that happens, won't most of the martial arts hall's resources be monopolized by one person?"

"The most important point is, those powerful aristocratic families, if they use this as an opportunity, spend more money in the early stages to make their clan's children meet the martial arts hall's so-called genius qualifications?"

"After that, when these children of the powerful enter the martial arts hall and occupy many of its resources, won't the martial arts hall become a bloodsucking pool for the various powerful aristocratic families to cultivate their descendants?"

Seeing her junior sister's stunned expression, Zeng Qingyao said word by word, "Martial arts halls are for selecting Martial Path talents for the Great Liang Dynasty, not for becoming a backyard for the powerful to cultivate their descendants."

"If you want Martial Path resources and treatment, you can. The Martial Affairs Department has set a goal, and that is assessment. As long as you pass the assessment, you will receive rewards. This forces even these powerful families to spend a lot of money, because the opponents these children of the powerful face are of similar backgrounds."

"Our Great Liang Dynasty's Martial Path is prosperous, with martial arts halls everywhere. If martial arts halls only relied on the resources provided by the Martial Arts Administration, they wouldn't be able to sustain themselves at all. Only by setting assessments and forcing these children of the powerful to also get involved, those who win can receive rewards, and the money spent by those who lose in the martial arts hall happens to make up for the martial arts hall's expenses."

"Junior sister, you only need to remember one thing: assessment results come first, rewards and resources come after. This is a rule set by the Martial Arts Administration from top to bottom, and no one is allowed to change it."

"Students spending money to train their Essence Energy in the martial arts hall first, and then receiving the reward of an Aperture Opening Pill, is the best example of assessment coming first and rewards coming after."

Listening to her senior sister explain it word by word like this, Kong Yinglei also understood the importance of this red line.

The Martial Affairs Department doesn't look at a student's potential, only their results!

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