Flipping the Table

When the bell signaling the end of the Literary Assessment rang, all the exam papers appeared in the Evaluator's Grand Hall. Each paper was automatically bound into a booklet with the name and number written on the cover. Six evaluators sat at the head of the hall; they were only responsible for the essay portion. The first two parts of the Literary Assessment had fixed answers, requiring no effort from the evaluators. A few low-level disciples scanned them with magic treasures, and the scores were automatically generated.

The six evaluators all had profound cultivation. Multitasking was merely a basic skill for them. At this moment, multiple exam papers were spread out before each of them simultaneously. Some had seven or eight papers, while others had over ten. That monk even had twenty papers spread out at once, and within the time it takes for a cup of tea to brew, he would already be switching to a new batch.

In the eyes of these evaluators, grading papers was not a difficult task. The candidates were, after all, just children. Writing the essays according to historical facts in a satisfactory manner was already considered good. Being innovative was rare, and being able to justify one's arguments was even rarer.

In the Literary Assessment, the children of prominent families clearly performed a cut above the rest. After all, they had guidance from renowned teachers and started their training earlier. Furthermore, the Literary Assessment had been conducted for hundreds of years, and many prominent families were already familiar with the general scope of the exam. Many teachers had become famous specifically for researching the Literary Assessment's question patterns, and once famous, they would naturally be recruited by these prominent families.

The evaluators' grading speed was not slow; it would take less than an hour to finish evaluating all the papers.

As he was reading, the old Confucian scholar suddenly slammed the table heavily and roared, "This is utter nonsense!"

How could grading papers make him so angry?

The other evaluators looked over and saw the old Confucian scholar was looking at Wei Yuan's paper. They then beckoned, pulled Wei Yuan's paper over, and each began to review it.

The young cultivator lightly tapped the armrest and said while looking at the paper, "This answer to the Book of Recommending the Virtuous is quite novel. Hmm, using virtue to govern in times of peace, and using talent to govern in times of chaos. It's somewhat interesting."

Liu Sigu looked around and said solemnly, "The ancient sages long ago said that when employing people, one should only consider virtue. This child is not from our Confucian school. If he could steadfastly insist on employing talent, then so be it, and I would think highly of him. But how can there be a principle of using virtue at one moment and talent at another? The principles of the sages are eternal and unchanging; how can they be swayed? Such fence-sitting behavior, if not severely punished, will likely fail to win popular support!"

The middle-aged Confucian scholar from the Four Saints Academy also said, "Old Liu's words might be a bit harsh, but the principle is correct. The regulations encourage originality, but that doesn't mean one can deviate from the orthodox path and propose heretical theories. Since this child has some entanglement with Taichu Palace, how does Daoist Fu Feng see it?"

The Daoist priest looked at the two Confucian scholars, his brow gradually furrowing.

The old Confucian scholar suddenly sneered and said, "Taichu Palace seems to be involved quite a bit this year. If this old man's eyes are blurry later and my writing is too heavy, Junior Brother Fu Feng, please do not take offense."

The old Confucian scholar's words were very clear. This year, the five major sects were competing for three spots in Taichu Palace. As an evaluator, Daoist Fu Feng was naturally in a sensitive position. Some wanted him to support a particular faction, some wanted him to suppress another slightly, and some wanted him to be impartial. The balance was delicate, and the Daoist priest was already overwhelmed. If Liu Sigu were to arbitrarily criticize and alter the results, ruining the plans of any one faction, the blame would fall on the Daoist priest.

Therefore, although the Daoist priest was angry in his heart, he could only remain outwardly calm and said, "I will be just."

The old Confucian scholar nodded with satisfaction and gave Wei Yuan's essay two annotations: Earth Grade C, 8 points.

The essay portion was capped at 20 points. With this 8-point score, Wei Yuan was immediately pushed out of the Blessed Land category.

The other evaluators said nothing more and continued grading the papers in their hands. A moment later, the scores from each section were compiled, and a line of small text appeared on the stone tablet:

Wei Yuan, Earth Grade A, 19.

This 19 included the scores from the previous two sections. Wei Yuan received the maximum 10 points for the first two parts of the Literary Assessment, which no one could tamper with. In the essay portion, Wei Yuan ultimately received 9 out of 20 points, totaling 19.

Late at night, a side hall was still lit.

Sun Yu sat at a table, occasionally checking the time, his expression fluctuating. Just then, the hall door was pushed open, and Zhang Sheng walked in.

Seeing Zhang Sheng, Sun Yu was greatly surprised and said, "Why are you out of seclusion already? Weren't you supposed to be in seclusion until after tomorrow's Martial Assessment?"

Zhang Sheng's face was somewhat pale. He said, "I've been feeling uneasy, so I paid a price to come out of seclusion early. The Dao Assessment and Literary Assessment are over now, right? How did Yuan'er do?"

"I'm also waiting for the results; they should be out by now." Sun Yu then called over a young Daoist priest and said, "Go and get the results for the Dao Assessment and Literary Assessment."

The young Daoist priest was startled and hurriedly said, "This seems to be against the rules."

Sun Yu's face stiffened, and he said coldly, "Are you shirking your duty over such a small matter? Do you look down on my Xuanming Hall? If you don't go, I'll get it myself. Afterward, your evaluation in this unified examination will be marked as inferior, and you can look forward to thirty more years as a menial servant!"

The young Daoist priest was greatly alarmed and dared not say anything more, rushing off.

While waiting, Sun Yu gave Zhang Sheng the Literary Assessment questions. Zhang Sheng glanced at them, and his expression eased somewhat. He said, "Although the questions for this Literary Assessment are strange, they are actually not difficult. With Yuan'er's cultivation, even if he can't get full marks, it should at least be 29 or 28, it's impossible for it to be lower."

A moment later, the menial servant Daoist returned and placed a jade slip before Sun Yu. "This is the result of the Dao Assessment and Literary Assessment. I secretly copied a duplicate. Senior Brother Sun, please do not tell anyone, or I will be expelled from the palace."

Sun Yu waved the young Daoist priest out and then handed the jade slip to Zhang Sheng. Zhang Sheng took it and immediately frowned. Sun Yu knew something was amiss and leaned over to look.

The first place on the results list was Li Zhi, with 38 in the Dao Assessment and 30 in the Literary Assessment, totaling 68 points. Second place was Bao Yun, with 40 in the Dao Assessment and 27 in the Literary Assessment, totaling 67 points.

Zhang Sheng looked at the names one by one. By the end of the first page, Wei Yuan's name was nowhere to be seen. Sun Yu was also very surprised. The first page had thirty people; Wei Yuan didn't even make the top thirty, meaning his chances of entering Taichu Palace were now nil.

Zhang Sheng's face turned ashen as he continued to flip through the pages. After three pages, he finally found Wei Yuan's name. Wei Yuan's total score for the Dao and Literary Assessments was 49 points, ranking him 95th among all candidates.

Sun Yu frowned. This score was far from enough to enter an Immortal Sect, let alone be close to a Cave Heaven. At this point, whether or not to take the Martial Assessment was meaningless.

Zhang Sheng, however, became calm. He carefully reviewed Wei Yuan's individual scores and closed his eyes in thought.

After a moment, Zhang Sheng opened his eyes and said calmly, "Even if I only taught him for six months, his Literary Assessment score would be more than 19. His foundation and fortune are only Earth Grade A, hehe, Earth Grade A... Good, very good! Senior Brother might not know, but Yuan'er's foundation and fortune are only slightly inferior to mine."

Zhang Sheng slowly placed the results sheet on the table and said grimly, "If I, Zhang Sheng, were to only achieve Earth Grade A in the Dao Assessment, would anyone dare to claim the Heaven Grade?"

Sun Yu didn't know what to say and could only sigh, "Junior Brother, please calm your anger. This, this matter..."

"Since their methods are so despicable, then I have no need to show them any respect!"

Zhang Sheng stood up and walked towards the hall door. Sun Yu couldn't stop him and could only call out, "Junior Brother, what are you going to do?"

A voice echoed from afar in the night:

"Flip the table!"

PS: No update tonight.