Recruiting

The most important part of the charter for Wei Yuan was the Martial Assessment, something Zhang Sheng had never mentioned.

The Martial Assessment gathers all candidates into a Cave Heaven Illusory Realm and randomly divides them into two teams to attack each other. Each team has a key location. Annihilating the enemy counts as victory, as does capturing and holding the opposing team's key location.

After reading the charter, Wei Yuan still had many questions. For example, how would the two teams be divided in the Martial Assessment? Who would command them? How would the disciples get to know each other and cooperate? Would they be issued weapons? Would the equipment be reasonable? Although Wei Yuan had read many real battles from history and studied a bit of the Art of War, there were too many unknowns to make any deductions.

Wei Yuan pondered repeatedly. It seemed he could only adapt to the situation during the exam. Anyway, the score was calculated by eliminating enemies, so he would eliminate as many as he could. Having personally fought refugees since he was three, Wei Yuan was not afraid of combat.

At this moment, there was a soft knock on the door.

When Wei Yuan opened the door, he saw several youths standing outside. The one in the middle had clear features and wore a blue, ornate robe. He was only slightly shorter than Wei Yuan. By the standards of the Ye County mountains, this youth should have been about eleven or twelve years old.

These youths all exuded a noble aura. Some looked at Wei Yuan's tall stature and then at his coarse cloth clothing, showing disdain on their faces.

The youth in the middle saw Wei Yuan's tall build and his eyes lit up. He said, "I am Li Zhi, the eldest son of the Duke of Grace of Southern Qi. Senior Brother, what should I call you?"

Wei Yuan was slightly surprised. This youth clearly had a noble status, but he hadn't expected him to be the son of a State Duke of Southern Qi.

Although Wei Yuan had never heard of who the Duke of Grace was, he understood the official systems of various countries. The title Duke of Grace not only indicated he was a State Duke but also that he came from the Imperial Clan. Moreover, Southern Qi was currently powerful, having recently crushed Ji State in several battles.

But why would the son of the State Duke of Southern Qi travel thousands of miles to participate in an assessment in Fengyuan Commandery, Ji State?

Seeing Li Zhi's inquiry, Wei Yuan remembered the young Daoist Priest's instructions. He said, "I'm truly sorry, but the Daoist Priest just said I cannot reveal my identity or name."

A youth beside Li Zhi sneered, "Can such a small rule restrain us? If Senior Brother Li has found you, it's your opportunity! If you don't seize an opportunity, it will soon belong to someone else. You're so old and dull-witted, could you really be a local from Fengyuan? Haha!"

Another youth said, "Judging by his clothes, he must be. The Fengyuan locals we saw earlier were also dressed in rags."

Wei Yuan remained silent.

Li Zhi did not stop the two youths, nor did he join in their mockery. Instead, he looked into the room and saw the charter on the table. He smiled and said, "So, Senior Brother is studying diligently. However, the charter is full of nonsense. I, Li Zhi, dislike beating around the bush. I sought out Senior Brother this time for the Martial Assessment."

"Martial Assessment?" Wei Yuan's heart stirred. He said, "I'd be glad to hear more."

Seeing that he finally reacted, Li Zhi's spirits lifted. He said, "The Martial Assessment actually tests the way of gathering people. Looking only at the surface of the charter, everyone will be evaluated based on their actions in the Martial Assessment. Winners won't necessarily get high scores, and losers won't necessarily get low scores. But if you think about it carefully, if you truly lose, how high can your evaluation be? Therefore, the key to winning the Martial Assessment is actually before the assessment."

This was all something Wei Yuan had never considered, so he pricked up his ears and listened carefully.

Li Zhi continued, "Why are we gathered in the dormitories beforehand, yet not forbidden from meeting each other? This is to allow us to organize and communicate during this time, and to clarify the hierarchy. For this Martial Assessment, I will act according to military structure. I will pre-appoint positions such as General, Guerrilla Commander, and Vanguard, with the rest serving as soldiers. We will assemble immediately upon entering the Martial Assessment and act according to military orders, with strict obedience. This way, we can plan before acting and move as one! When the time comes, our elite force will face the enemy's rabble. How can we not win?"

Having said this, Li Zhi looked Wei Yuan up and down and smiled. "Judging by your presence, Senior Brother, you're perfect for the Vanguard! As long as we successfully win the Martial Assessment, I'll guarantee you a third-class Blessed Land spot. If Senior Brother makes a great contribution, a second-class Cave Heaven is not impossible."

Wei Yuan was stunned. He hadn't expected that the extremely precious Blessed Land and Cave Heaven spots would be casually offered by Li Zhi.

Wei Yuan remembered his father, Wei Youcai, had only one great hope for him before he left: to join the Crimson Tide Sect and officially embark on the immortal path, so he could live a few decades longer. Yet, the quota for a sect like the Crimson Tide Sect was something Li Zhi considered too meager to even give away, let alone mention.

Wei Yuan was still young. At this moment, he felt an inexplicable sense of oppression, though he didn't understand why. However, he did have further questions, and since Li Zhi was willing to talk, he continued to ask, "What if I accept your invitation, Senior Brother, but am assigned to a different team?"

Li Zhi smiled and said, "Senior Brother, your age is not for nothing. This is a good question. The team assignments are determined by powerful individuals, and I don't know who will be on which team. If you are assigned to another team, you can switch sides at a critical moment. Even if your evaluation is lowered because of this, the scores of others on your side will be even lower, and your ranking will actually rise. Alternatively, even if your final score is not good, I will provide additional compensation. At least a third-class Blessed Land spot is guaranteed. So, Senior Brother, are you willing to tell me your name now?"

Wei Yuan shook his head and said, "The charter stipulates that it is strictly forbidden to reveal one's origin or name before the exam."

Li Zhi's smile froze on his face.

He forced a smile and said, "Rules are chains for ordinary people, but whips for us to drive with. Since Senior Brother has followed me, there's no need to worry about rules."

"If Senior Brother Li has nothing else, I will continue reading the charter." Wei Yuan cupped his hands at Li Zhi and returned to his room, closing the door.

The surrounding youths could hardly contain themselves. Those with good upbringing accused Wei Yuan of not recognizing a True Immortal, while those with poor upbringing simply cursed him.

In their eyes, Wei Yuan was just a mere native, and old at that. Getting into the Crimson Tide Sect would already be a stroke of luck. For a fourth-class sect, let alone new disciples, even core true disciples didn't have the right to speak with them. Now, Li Zhi was willing to bestow a third-class favor, and he dared not even kowtow in gratitude?

Li Zhi did not get angry. He calmly said, "It's alright. There will always be those who are too proud. When they see the final scores, they will regret it."

Li Zhi walked past Wei Yuan's room towards the next door. Before he could knock, the door opened by itself, and a youth rushed out with a fawning smile. "I am Lü Duan from Linghe Commandery, Yongzhou... No, Fengyuan Commandery! I wish to follow Senior Brother!"

The next door also opened, and a young girl emerged, bowing gracefully. "Wang Siqiao from Yanzhou wishes to follow Senior Brother Li."

Then, several more doors opened, and several young men and women came out.

"Duan Qian wishes to follow Senior Brother!"

"Cao Wan wishes to fight alongside Senior Brother!"

Li Zhi's smile bloomed like a flower. He helped up the young men and women one by one, comforting and making promises in a gentle voice, like a spring breeze nourishing the rain, creating a scene of harmonious lord and subject.

Inside the room, Wei Yuan continued reading the charter.

What Li Zhi had said earlier about rules being chains for others but whips for oneself was not wrong in itself. However, it could fool others, but it wouldn't be so easy to fool Wei Yuan, who had read extensively in history. Li Zhi had a special status, and it was fine for him to break rules publicly. But if Wei Yuan had revealed his name and identity before the exam, this single act alone would immediately disqualify him from the general examination. Therefore, if Wei Yuan had answered just now, it would have been like handing over the handle of his life and death to Li Zhi.

There were countless examples like this in historical records. How could Wei Yuan fall for such a trick?