Immovable as a Mountain

Wang Fang managed to stay calm. "I was wondering who it was. So it's you, Tian Rong! We've had our share of—"

Wang Fang was cut off halfway through. "I'll be damned!"

His face flushed red as he forced himself to hold back. "We may have our grievances, but there's no need to make such a disgraceful scene..."

Tian Rong looked at him with contempt and spat. "I'll be damned!"

Wang Fang's face turned crimson in an instant. He let out a furious roar. "You stay right there! I'll send you straight to the Crimson Tide Sect!"

Seeing Wang Fang charge at him with bloodshot eyes, Tian Rong didn't hesitate. He turned and ran!

Wang Fang immediately chased after him, bellowing, "If you've got any guts, stop running! I'll fight you to the death!"

Tian Rong ran at full speed, glancing back as he shouted, "Like I'm scared of you! If you've got guts, stop chasing me!"

And so the two teams chased and fled, heading north. Then two groups of men in blue suddenly attacked from both flanks, surrounding the yellow-clad vanguard on three sides and swallowing them whole.

Silence fell over the Deliberation Hall in the sky. The evaluators' expressions were a sight to behold.

The middle-aged scholar couldn't hold back. "This... this young lady from the Bao family—how could she be so... It's utterly disgraceful!"

The Bao family wielded great influence, and the middle-aged scholar didn't dare use harsher words. But if he kept quiet, the anger in his chest would be unbearable. In the end, he could only grit his teeth and curse her for being utterly disgraceful.

The young cultivator laughed. "All is fair in war; it's been that way since ancient times! Besides, those three hundred lines were written by someone else. What have they got to do with the young lady? If you dare slander her good name again, I doubt even the academy will be able to protect you. You'd be better off worrying about the Yellow Team! I'd like to see whether you'll still have the nerve to rank Li Zhi first if the Yellow Team loses."

As soon as he said that, several evaluators thought to themselves: Of course we will!

The old scholar's face darkened. He glared at the young cultivator, then began plotting how to push Bao Yun down the rankings. What Li Zhi needed to build was momentum toward first place in the overall exam, not first place in the Martial Assessment. So Wei Yuan was no longer a threat. He could have first place in the Martial Assessment for all they cared—as long as it wasn't Bao Yun.

In the illusion, Wei Yuan stood atop a hill, watching from afar as Tian Rong taunted Wang Fang and Wang Fang flew into a rage. Then Wang Fang fell into an ambush, and his whole team was killed and expelled from the illusion. The blue-clad side had lost only two people, who took a pill and sprang back to life, full of energy.

After wiping out the yellow-clad vanguard, many blue-clad examinees smeared blood all over their faces and bodies. Then they split into two groups and headed south along the eastern and western flanks, clearly intending to outflank Li Zhi.

Even Wei Yuan, with his limited knowledge of the Art of War, could see that the blue-clad team had a clear advantage. The blue team had originally numbered over a hundred and fifty, while Li Zhi had gathered only a hundred and twenty in yellow. After the yellow-clad vanguard of thirty was wiped out, the disparity in numbers became even more obvious: one hundred and fifty against ninety. Unless Li Zhi had a surprise up his sleeve, his defeat was all but certain.

Wei Yuan thought about what kind of surprise tactic might work, but came up with nothing.

Wei Yuan knew his grasp of the Art of War was limited, so when he couldn't think of an answer, he stopped trying. Still, even if he couldn't think of a solution, that didn't stop him from looking down on the yellow-clad vanguard in his heart: They had not a shred of composure. A couple of insults and they lost their heads. How could men like that lead troops?

If it had been him, Wei Yuan, no matter how loudly the other side barked, he would have taken it for the sound of wind and rain.

Immovable as a mountain—that was the foundation of a great general.

Wei Yuan was deep in thought when a voice rang out in the distance. "Hey, look over there! There's a big idiot..."

Wei Yuan slowly turned his head.

A dozen or so blue-clad examinees stood not far below the hill, pointing at him. They were the blue team's vanguard, the very ones who had lured the yellow-clad vanguard into an ambush and wiped them out.

Wei Yuan had been somewhat wary before. He hadn't yet seen how good Li Zhi was, and the commander to the north was truly skilled at deploying troops. Wei Yuan worried that if he left the hill, dozens of men might suddenly appear and surround him. The history books were full of people who had advanced too far alone, only to be surrounded by hidden troops. Not only did they lose the battle and their lives, they were also written into the history books and mocked for generations. Having your name recorded for posterity wasn't always a good thing.

But now, after someone insulted him, Wei Yuan's breathing suddenly grew deep and steady. He drew in a breath that seemed to have no end. Heaven and Earth Madman began to circulate slowly, and an indescribable, unrestrained fury rose within him.

Wei Yuan said nothing. He strode toward the blue-clad vanguard.

Tian Rong was startled. Seeing how fearsome Wei Yuan's presence was, he instinctively turned and ran. Having already once been chased—or rather, lured into an ambush—Tian Rong's men reacted just as quickly. In the blink of an eye, they had run a hundred yards away. Only after they had reached a safe distance did they realize Wei Yuan had taken just a few steps before stopping again.

The blue-clad examinees were immediately ashamed of their cowardice. Then they decided Wei Yuan was all bark and no bite; after all, he was alone, while they had more than a dozen men. Fuming with shame and anger, several of them began cursing and called for them to kill Wei Yuan first. Tian Rong felt it was unwise, since his orders were to harass Li Zhi's main force, but examinees weren't elite soldiers. Once their emotions got the better of them, even their commander could barely keep them in check.

Wei Yuan returned to the hilltop because after charging a few steps, he realized he wasn't fast enough. He could catch up to his opponents, but if they scattered and ran, it would be a real hassle. However, Heaven and Earth Madman had many wondrous powers, and it had a way to deal with that.

Wisps of black mist began to seep from Wei Yuan's body again. As Heaven and Earth Madman accelerated, his spiritual perception rapidly expanded, reaching into the dense forest behind the hill. In an instant, a wild boar burst out of the woods and charged toward him. A faint wisp of black mist flew from between Wei Yuan's brows and sank into the boar.

The wild boar let out a howl and collapsed in agony, experiencing in an instant the torment of a sundered Primordial Spirit, inner fire burning its body, and delusions rising in its heart. As it writhed and howled, it grew larger. In the blink of an eye, it went from the size of a lamb to a monstrous beast with a shoulder height of ten feet!

The pain vanished in an instant. The wild boar struggled to its feet, its tiny eyes blood red. Its tusks had grown to three feet long, their tips gleaming like blades.

Wei Yuan felt his mind had linked with the wild boar. He leapt onto its back and settled firmly into the saddle. At a thought from Wei Yuan, two clouds of white vapor burst from the boar's nostrils. Its four hooves pounded the earth, and it charged toward the blue-clad vanguard like wind and thunder!

Tian Rong's mouth slowly fell open. Before he could even scream, the wild boar was already upon him. He saw a flash of spear shadows, and then his vision was filled with white light.

The wild boar charged at tremendous speed, rolling through the blue-clad vanguard like a mountain. With a single charge, half the vanguard was gone. Many had no idea whether they had been killed by the spear or trampled by the boar. Wei Yuan wheeled the boar around and charged again. Only two of the blue-clad vanguard remained.

Those two were quick-witted enough to scatter and flee. At first, Wei Yuan might have found that troublesome. But now he had a mount. How could two human legs outrun a wild boar? In the blink of an eye, Wei Yuan caught up with them and speared them both.

After wiping out the blue-clad vanguard, Wei Yuan was surprised by how easy it had been. It was like chopping melons and slicing vegetables. It seemed that even if he were surrounded like the yellow-clad vanguard, he could still break through and turn the tables.

Wei Yuan rode the boar in a circle, making sure no one had escaped, then headed north.

To the north, the girl had moved the sand table to a small rise near the central area. Her main force had formed up in front of the slope, arranged in three deep ranks, and stood ready for battle.

The Deliberation Hall erupted in another uproar.