Not Transgressing Its Rules

Among the boys and girls in the square, twenty of them heard a summons. After entering the hall, they saw different numbers appear on the prayer mats. The crowd dared not delay, quickly finding their respective numbered positions to sit cross-legged and circulate their cultivation technique.

High above, another hall actually hung in the air, but the examinees below occasionally looked up and saw only the clear blue sky and white clouds.

Inside the aerial hall, seven tables were arranged, six of which were occupied. The six individuals were dressed differently: a Daoist Priest, two cultivators, two Confucian scholars, and a monk. In front of these six, the hall below was completely transparent, revealing the examinees sitting cross-legged inside.

The six were the evaluators for this unified examination, holding the power of life and death over the examinees. Each possessed an extraordinary demeanor, yet they all ignored the empty table beside them.

At this moment, in the hall below, incense burners beside the first batch of examinees began to emit pillars of light, varying in thickness and brightness.

These two pillars of light, the left representing root bone talent and the right representing destiny and fortune, were only halfway through their growth when over half the examinees' pillars stopped increasing, reaching only about a foot high. After a few more breaths, only the last examinee's root bone talent pillar was still growing, finally reaching three and a half feet, as thick as a fist, with a golden thread constantly moving within. However, his destiny and fortune pillar, though two feet high, was dull and unremarkable.

In the aerial hall, the elder cultivator said, "The root bone is average, but with the sharpness of gold, the evaluation can be slightly raised."

The other evaluators nodded in agreement. Since there was no dispute, the six evaluators wrote their evaluations on their respective rosters. In the center of the evaluation hall stood a stone tablet. As the six evaluators finished writing, the examinee's name and final score appeared on the stone tablet. The final score was the average of all the evaluators' scores.

With the chime of a bell, the examinees in the hall departed, and the next batch of examinees filed in. Li Zhi was among the second batch.

Li Zhi sat down and closed his eyes. In an instant, two pillars of light erupted from the incense burners on either side!

The left pillar was azure, displaying rolling waves within, and stopped at just over eight feet. The right pillar was a bright golden color, reaching nearly ten feet! Countless light spots then appeared within the bright golden pillar, converging into a small cauldron.

In the evaluation hall, the elderly Confucian scholar stroked his beard and smiled, saying, "Both root bone and destiny are of the highest grade, and the cauldron is also an auspicious sign. I, Liu Sigu, have rarely seen such talent in my life. Duke of Grace has indeed fathered a good son!"

The elder cultivator said, "It seems the Four Saints Academy has gained another excellent disciple this time, perhaps even one who will serve under Old Master Liu."

The Confucian scholar smiled even more heartily, "You are too kind, too kind!"

In fact, each evaluator had a list in hand, clearly indicating which Immortal Sect each child was destined for. Li Zhi, the eldest son of Duke of Grace of Southern Qi, was to enter the Four Saints Academy. However, the lists and quotas were not always equal. For example, Taichu Palace's three spots were being contested by five families. Who would ultimately get the spots depended on the examinees' performance and the evaluators' decisions.

For those not on the list, their fate was unspoken, as even the quotas for the second-tier Cave Heavens had already been distributed, leaving only scraps for them to fight over.

Liu Sigu picked up his brush and wrote 'Heavenly Grade A' and 'forty' after number nineteen, representing Li Zhi on the roster.

According to tradition, whether for root bone or destiny pillars, below three feet was considered human grade, four to six feet was earth grade, seven to nine feet was heaven grade, and above ten feet was super grade. If a pillar could resonate with heaven and earth, various anomalies would occur. Common anomalies were also divided into three, six, and nine ranks, with ritual vessels like bells and cauldrons being of the highest grade. If an anomaly occurred, the evaluation would be correspondingly adjusted.

Liu Sigu's 'Heavenly Grade A' was the old evaluation system, while forty was the score under the new system; both were top marks. The other evaluators gave the same evaluation under the old system, all 'Heavenly Grade A'. However, the new scoring system was more detailed, with slight variations.

Ultimately, Li Zhi's evaluation was 'Heavenly Grade A' with a score of thirty-eight. Although Li Zhi's score was not the absolute highest, he was to cultivate the Imperial Way of the Human Realm, which prioritized fortune, making his foundation not the most crucial aspect.

In the next two batches, several more geniuses appeared, with either root bones of nine feet or fortune of nine feet, but none were as well-rounded as Li Zhi.

When the fourth batch of examinees arrived, suddenly one person's fortune surged, breaking through ten feet in the blink of an eye!

The evaluators were startled and focused their gaze. They saw a young man with delicate features as refined as a girl's. His foundation was ordinary, only five feet, but his fortune was astonishing, exceeding ten feet and continuing to grow for another half a foot before finally stopping. The first super-grade had appeared!

There truly was a Child of Fortune!

The six evaluators immediately became serious and fell silent, pondering.

The original intention of the Immortal Sects was to recruit a few Children of Fortune in Fengyuan Commandery, a place where winds and clouds gathered, which was why they had allocated quotas. However, the problem was that these quotas had already been divided before the examination. This examinee was not on any of the evaluators' lists, which was awkward. If a Child of Fortune appeared and the Immortal Sects refused to accept him, it would be too obvious.

Just then, the person's fortune changed again. The pillar turned dark red, revealing a surging blood sea!

The young monk suddenly smiled and said, "So it's the Buddha's Blood Sea! This fortune is too hot to handle for you families, but my Great Precious Flower Pure Land has some use for it. I will take this child!"

The Daoist Priest in the attire of Taichu Palace opened his eyes and asked calmly, "Do you have a spare quota?"

The monk chanted a Buddhist name and said, "There are no spare quotas, of course, but I can go and request one immediately. I will request it right after the Dao Assessment."

Everyone nodded and said no more, inwardly awed. The monk could request a quota as he pleased, clearly indicating his deep roots within the Great Precious Flower Pure Land, making him someone not to be easily offended.

No one intended to compete with him for this youth. As the monk had said, although this youth was a Child of Fortune, he carried a heavy karmic debt of killing, both for himself and for others, making him very troublesome to deal with. Moreover, each evaluator had their lists, so where would they find a spot for this youth?

The evaluators opened their rosters, about to write, when the monk suddenly said, "I am determined to have this child. Please be lenient when you write. If this child's ranking is too low, and I lose my destined connection with him, it would be unfortunate. I, who have let go of all worldly attachments, have only one lingering obsession: remembering grudges."

The evaluators expressed that they would certainly not let the Master's opportunity slip away, and only then did the monk cease.

A line appeared on the stone tablet: Duan Yusheng, Heavenly Grade C, thirty-five.

In the hall below, after another batch of examinees had been replaced, Wei Yuan heard his number.

Wei Yuan followed the other examinees into the hall and saw his number flashing on a prayer mat. He walked over and sat down.

With the clear chime of a qing stone, the Dao Assessment began.

Wei Yuan calmed his mind and circulated his energy according to the methods described in the cultivation technique.