Fairness

Inside a quiet hall, Zhang Sheng and Sun Yu sat on opposite sides. After they were seated, Sun Yu handed Zhang Sheng a jade-colored paper and a black jade box, saying, "This is the new charter, and this is Li Quan Powder."

The jade-colored paper was blank at first, but after falling into Zhang Sheng's hands, dense small characters appeared, layer upon layer, totaling dozens of layers. The charter was tens of thousands of words long, but it only took Zhang Sheng a few breaths to read it.

With just a glance, Zhang Sheng said, "Such a big change, is this the work of the Ding Xin Sect?"

Sun Yu picked up his teacup and took a sip. "By the time Junior Brother went down the mountain, the Ding Xin Sect had already gained the upper hand. In recent years, a large number of young disciples have joined them, and their influence has grown. The Zhi Gu Sect has gradually been unable to resist. This unified examination charter indeed comes from the Ding Xin Sect, and then various prominent families have also gotten involved to varying degrees, resulting in this outcome."

Zhang Sheng frowned. "Isn't this Martial Assessment specifically for the prominent families? They can form a team just by reporting their identity, while children from ordinary families can only be cannon fodder. Besides, where would ordinary children get the chance to learn the Art of War? Even if they wanted to learn, where could they find truly accomplished masters who have won battles? Even if they could form a team themselves, they would ultimately be stepping stones for others."

"The Martial Assessment is indeed set up for the aristocratic families, otherwise, the new charter could not be implemented. The Ding Xin Sect has far-reaching goals, and the new charter is just the first step, thus requiring the support of the aristocratic families."

Zhang Sheng said slowly, "But the palace specifically gave these slots, intending to recruit Children of Fortune. Now they have become possessions of the prominent families. What's the difference?"

Sun Yu sighed. "When Junior Brother's Dao cultivation reaches great heights in the future, if you can't stand these things, it's not impossible to change them."

Sun Yu spoke tactfully, but Zhang Sheng naturally understood his meaning. He sighed, "Forget it, I can't manage so many of other people's affairs. Anyway, my Azure Hall has specifically allocated a slot for Yuan'er. The sooner I finish the assessment, the sooner I can return to the mountain to recover my Dao Power, saving me the annoyance of watching them."

Sun Yu remained silent, staring straight ahead as if the wall opposite him had the Dao Ancestor lecturing and Celestial Immortals revealing mysteries.

Zhang Sheng's smile gradually disappeared, and he said in a deep voice, "What, someone dares to have designs on Yuan'er's slot?"

Sun Yu's expression was blank. "Junior Brother, the unified examination is such a major event, with countless people watching. I'm afraid favoritism cannot be shown."

"Favoritism? I reported this to the palace a month ago. This slot was bestowed by our Azure Hall's Xuan Yue Patriarch, and it has nothing to do with others. How is that favoritism?"

Sun Yu gritted his teeth and said, "Let me tell you the truth! This time, the palace originally allocated two slots to recruit Children of Fortune. But there were too many people vying for the slots, and they couldn't be divided. So, someone set their sights on your Azure Hall's slot. Several prominent families united to pressure the palace, demanding that all slots must be competed for fairly based on merit and cannot be privately transferred. According to the charter, this is indeed how it should be, and the palace has no choice but to release all three slots and recruit based on merit."

"Their appetites are truly growing, they're even snatching from my Azure Hall..." Sharp light gradually appeared in Zhang Sheng's eyes, and he said chillingly, "How many families are competing for these three slots?"

"As far as I know, there are five disciples whose strength and pre-exam preparations are similar, making it difficult to distinguish between them."

At this point, Zhang Sheng naturally understood. At least five prominent families were competing for the three slots in Taichu Palace, with equal footing. Since they all had their methods, they had to exclude external means and let the five families compete fairly.

Seeing Zhang Sheng's expression, Sun Yu quickly said, "True Person Fen Hai also asked me to relay eight words to you: 'Do not transgress the rules, let nature take its course.'"

Zhang Sheng's expression was unreadable.

Sun Yu gritted his teeth and lowered his voice, "Your disciple is still young, and the next session is only for eleven-year-olds. By then, we can find a way to get your disciple to a commandery with available slots. Others can find blood relatives, can't we?"

"Also, when you returned this time, several True Persons were very happy and specifically appointed you as one of the seven evaluators for this unified examination. With this position, the matter of the next batch of disciples should be secured."

As he spoke, Sun Yu handed over a jade token. The token was palm-sized, carved with immortal mountains and auspicious beasts, with the words "Evaluator" in the center, Dao Power flowing through the strokes.

According to the unified examination charter, the position of evaluator was crucial, allowing for the manipulation of candidate scores within a certain range. Therefore, becoming an evaluator came with various overt and covert benefits. Firstly, all candidates who passed the exam would regard the evaluators as semi-teachers, and their families would seek to befriend them. This time, Fengyuan Commandery was a convergence of fortune, with unprecedentedly fierce competition and a gathering of famous families, comparable to the most renowned commanderies in the world. Thus, the weight of this evaluator position was ten or even a hundred times greater than usual.

Once an evaluator, the famous families vying for the slots would owe Zhang Sheng a favor. Then, when it was Zhang Sheng's turn to send Wei Yuan into the palace in the next session, they would have to contribute to some extent. With proper maneuvering, a slot would have a sixty to seventy percent chance of success.

Zhang Sheng knew that this was compensation for the Azure Hall's slot.

Zhang Sheng's gaze deepened, and he said slowly, "Yuan'er possesses fortune, how can it be delayed for five years? What if his fortune dissipates, and his Dao path is severed? The immortal path is arduous; every moment counts. This is a struggle for the Great Dao, and as his teacher, I must stand in front of him! Since those people have such large appetites, I will test their methods!"

"Junior Brother..." Sun Yu tried to persuade him, but Zhang Sheng stopped him with a raised hand.

Zhang Sheng stood up and paced back and forth in the hall several times before stopping. His clear gaze fixed on Sun Yu. "Senior Brother is the Inspector of this unified examination, correct?"

Sun Yu nodded. "I merely oversee all the mundane affairs."

"Does our Taichu Palace have any other evaluators?"

"There is one more, Senior Brother Fu Feng from Tian Ji Hall. Senior Brother Fu Feng is straightforward. Although we don't interact much usually, he should lean towards us during the evaluation."

Zhang Sheng shook his head. "Not necessarily."

Sun Yu was taken aback, then understood. Daoist Fu Feng was different from Zhang Sheng. If he served as an evaluator, he would surely have his own inclinations. Otherwise, how would those aristocratic families allow him to hold this position? Now that young Wei Yuan was trying to snatch food from the tiger's mouth, he would be naturally opposed to Daoist Fu Feng.

Zhang Sheng extended his hand. "First, let me see the list of students participating in this examination."

Sun Yu was shocked. "This, this is not in accordance with the rules! I..."

Under Zhang Sheng's clear gaze, Sun Yu's expression changed several times. Finally, he gritted his teeth and said fiercely, "Since it's about fairness, then it must be absolute fairness! They've already riddled the rules with holes, so we don't need to be pedantic! Junior Brother, please wait, I'll go get it now!"

A moment later, Sun Yu returned and handed Zhang Sheng a jade slip, which detailed the information of all the candidates for this session. Zhang Sheng took it and began to examine it carefully.

The hall was silent.

Sun Yu poured himself a cup of tea, but his hand trembled slightly, spilling a few drops. However, by the time the cup reached his lips, he was as steady as an old dog.