Each to His Own

With a weapon chosen, Wei Yuan picked the strongest piece of armor among them: a suit of heavy armor. Its helmet came with a face guard, and its armor extended all the way down his limbs, covering him from head to toe. The longswords most candidates had chosen were useless against it. The Treasure Chest had actually offered weapons effective against heavy armor—a flanged mace, a heavy spiked club, and a triangular dagger—but perhaps because they weren't elegant or imposing enough, Wei Yuan hadn't seen anyone choose them.

Once he had selected his weapon and armor, the Treasure Chest vanished on its own. The heavy armor appeared directly on Wei Yuan's body and fitted itself into place. But it was undeniably heavy armor, and once he had it on, he could do little more than jog.

Just then, two more people climbed onto the hill. Both wore Green Team uniforms. The one in front was short and thin: the same scout Wei Yuan had seen at the beginning. Beside him was a Green Team disciple who was quite burly, only a little shorter than Wei Yuan.

The small candidate was saying to his companion, "I'm telling you, there's a lone big fool over here who doesn't even know how to use a weapon. We'll team up in a moment and score an easy—"

He broke off when he spotted Wei Yuan standing atop the hill, heavy armor on and spear in hand. He swallowed the rest of his words.

Wei Yuan didn't bother talking to them. He strode forward, his spear flashing like a dragon, and ran them both through with a single thrust each. Their leather armor was stylish and didn't restrict their movement, but against a longspear, it might as well have been made of paper.

In the southern part of the illusion, Li Zhi stood at the front of his ranks, armored and carrying a sword. He had already gathered a hundred and twenty candidates, divided into four units: front, center, left, and right. They stood in impressively neat formation.

Li Zhi was very satisfied with the well-ordered ranks. Before the exam, he had painstakingly drilled formation tactics with several trusted followers. He had just spent even more time organizing everyone, and now the hundred-odd candidates looked a little like an elite force.

Outside the formation, a dozen or so people in dark yellow uniforms stood scattered about. These were all candidates whom Li Zhi hadn't recruited; they had come over on their own and joined the different units. A tall candidate holding a saber stood before them, pointing at a small mound nearby. "You'll defend that spot. Not a single step back without my order! Wait—in fact, before you go over, hand over all your pills. We'll distribute them as needed!"

The mound lay in front of the formation, where its defenders would have to block the enemy's advance. Posted there and stripped of their life-saving pills, they'd likely all be wiped out in a single charge.

The scattered candidates weren't fools. One of them immediately stepped forward and shouted, "We came over in good faith, and you treat us like idiots? We'll die the moment the enemy reaches us there. How many points would that get us? We won't even have a chance of earning a place in the Crimson Tide Sect! We get nothing out of this, so why should we listen to you?"

Li Zhi slowly turned to look at the candidate, his expressionless face giving nothing away. "Disobeying orders in front of the ranks and undermining morale. Execute him!"

The candidate stared in shock, not yet understanding what was happening, when the burly candidate beside him swung his saber and cut off his head!

The headless body fell to the ground, then dissolved into light.

The remaining unaffiliated candidates trembled and didn't dare resist again. They obediently handed over their pills. The rules clearly stated that killing a teammate on the same team would lower one's evaluation, but they didn't say by how much. Li Zhi had dared to kill someone to make an example of him, which showed he didn't care about that rule. Besides, Li Zhi hadn't been the one to do the killing.

Li Zhi turned back to the formation and called out, his voice ringing clear. "You've all seen it. There are no idle threats in an army! This is a Martial Assessment, but in truth, it's a real battlefield! We have fewer people than the enemy, so we must stand together all the more. The other side is just a rabble. As long as you follow orders, I, Li Zhi, will lead you in crushing their camp, and we'll all enter the immortal sect together!"

At the words "enter the immortal sect together," the candidates in the ranks knew their chances were slim, yet each and every one of them was fired up.

Inside the hall in the sky, the six evaluators had taken their seats. Looking down, they could see everything happening in the illusion.

The old scholar stroked his beard and smiled. "Li Zhi managed to whip a group of children into something resembling an army in a single day. He knows how to kill to establish authority and how to inspire morale. Duke of Grace is fortunate to have such a fine son."

The old scholar didn't say Li Zhi took after his father. Everyone present knew what sort of person Duke of Grace was.

The middle-aged scholar cupped his hands toward the others. "You've all seen what Li Zhi is like over the past two days. This final round means a great deal to him, so I hope you'll show him some consideration. The academy will be sure to repay you."

The young cultivator suddenly smiled. "You want Li Zhi to take first place, so you can use that title to build momentum and send him soaring. That makes sense. Unfortunately, Miss Bao happens to be the sort who refuses to lose, and now she wants first place too. What are we to do?"

The middle-aged scholar furrowed his thick brows and pleaded, "Miss Bao is only acting out of pride. First place won't bring her any real benefit. Surely it wouldn't hurt to yield to her?"

The young cultivator chuckled. "It wouldn't hurt to yield? Tell that to the Bao family. It won't do you any good to tell me!"

"If Miss Bao is willing to do us this favor, we will naturally reward her handsomely."

The young cultivator scoffed. "The trinkets you poor scholars can offer aren't worth Miss Bao's attention!"

Seeing the two of them grow more and more at odds, the senior cultivator stroked his long beard and coughed. "Since neither side is willing to give way, let each prove their own merit."

The middle-aged scholar nodded. "That's for the best."

The young cultivator shot the senior cultivator a glare, then turned to look at Daoist Fu Feng and the monk. Since accepting Duan Yusheng, the monk had made no further moves, and he had scored with impartiality. But from another angle, he was also the sort who couldn't be swayed by reward or threat. Nothing anyone said would change his mind. The evaluators had all given up on winning him over long ago.

Daoist Fu Feng had once been a wily old fox, deep and inscrutable. After the first two assessments, no one knew whom he truly wanted to protect. The young cultivator looked to him on the off chance he might get a response, without expecting much.

Of the six evaluators, only the two scholars from Four Saints Academy were firmly united. The others belonged to different factions, each with their own agenda and their own candidates to protect. This gave Four Saints Academy a huge advantage when the evaluators scored the candidates: if they wanted to push down someone's score, they could potentially drive it all the way into the abyss. Only the powerful Bao family dared to openly compete for first place in the unified exam without fearing Four Saints Academy.

When it came to scoring, the young cultivator stood alone and was naturally at a great disadvantage. It went without saying that the two scholars would lower Miss Bao's score. To turn the tide, he would need another ally—someone willing to lower Li Zhi's score as well.

The young cultivator looked indignant, but his mind raced as he calculated whom he could win over, and when he might get the chance to stab Four Saints Academy in the back. No matter how he considered it, he found no solution.

Just as the young cultivator was at a loss, Daoist Fu Feng suddenly said, "During the Dao Assessment and Literary Assessment over the past two days, the two gentlemen took good care of the disciples of my Taichu Palace. After returning, I thought it over and over, and felt I had no way to repay you. So today, I'll be sure to respond in kind."

The young cultivator was both surprised and delighted. The two scholars from Four Saints Academy were stunned. They couldn't understand what had gotten into Daoist Fu Feng that he would insist on opposing them. Wasn't he afraid they'd join forces and give terrible scores to the candidates competing for places at Taichu Palace, ruining his plans?

The old scholar's long brows shot up. He said coldly, "Then I'll hold nothing back either. Don't blame me if my brush is merciless!"

Daoist Fu Feng spread his hands, inviting him to go ahead.

The old scholar was so angry his face darkened. He sat rigidly still, silently plotting something, and from time to time exchanged glances with the middle-aged scholar.

Just then, there came a sudden bang. Someone had kicked the great hall's doors wide open!