The Breakthrough

A moment later, Zhang Sheng finally looked up and asked, "Isn't there still an internal review by the sect? What are the standards this time?"

Sun Yu said, "The internal review only looks at the unified exam scores. I heard the standard this year is five points above or below. There's room for flexibility within five points, but beyond that, they'll show no mercy."

Zhang Sheng said, "So as long as Yuan'er scores five points more than the person in fourth place, there'll be a spot."

"More or less."

Zhang Sheng lightly tapped the armrest. The regulations, the backgrounds of all the candidates, and Wei Yuan's strengths and traits flowed through his mind one by one. His thoughts lingered for a moment on Wei Yuan's fortune, but then he shook his head.

These days, fortune was as common as ox-hairs in the world. The children of those wealthy, powerful clans all had at least a little fortune with them. Otherwise, how could they have been born into such good families instead of Wei Yuan? Even if they had no fortune of their own, as long as they were born into a great clan, someone would naturally take another person's fortune and give it to them.

That was why people had long said that being born into the right family was the greatest fortune of all.

After a moment's thought, Zhang Sheng settled on a plan and said slowly, "Yuan'er is my personal disciple. For three whole years, I haven't cultivated the Dao or traveled the world; I've taught only him! He should have no rival in the Literary Assessment. With Yuan'er's foundation and fortune, the Dao Assessment won't be a problem either. The key is the Martial Assessment."

Zhang Sheng took a sheet of paper, swiftly wrote out a set of incantations, and handed it to Sun Yu. "Sorry for the trouble, Senior Brother. Please give this to Yuan'er."

Sun Yu took it and glanced at the page, surprised. "The Southern Vermilion Bird Unclear Technique? Isn't this the Azure Hall's secret art of fortune?"

Zhang Sheng said, "Those scions of the great houses all have fortune at their backs. How could they not know secret arts of fortune? The Azure Hall's art of fortune may not be as good as the Four Saints Academy's Xing Li Chapter, and certainly not as good as the Bao family's Forget Flowing Years, but neither of those two houses has their sights set on Taichu Palace this year. This will be enough to deal with the other five families."

Before the unified exam, candidates were strictly forbidden to cultivate in private, lest they contaminate their foundations. But the great clans had their own ways around the rules, and secret arts of fortune were one such method. These arts drew on one's own fortune to empower the self, transforming it into all manner of supernatural abilities, and didn't count as cultivation. Without cultivation, the arts' effects were limited, but in the Martial Assessment, having a secret art and not having one was the difference between a cultivator and an ordinary person.

Zhang Sheng was no fool. At a glance, he had seen what the great clans would do in the Martial Assessment, and immediately set about filling the fatal gap in Wei Yuan's abilities.

Cradling the Southern Vermilion Bird Unclear Technique, Sun Yu said slowly, "When I first joined the sect, I was bullied and insulted by the children of those great clans more times than I can count. I was too timid to hit back then and there. I still regret it when I think back on it. This time, I'll share the blame with Junior Brother! Why should they be allowed to do it, but not us?"

Zhang Sheng said, "Then I'll leave Yuan'er in your hands, Senior Brother. I'm going into seclusion now. I have to recover my Dao Power before the Martial Assessment ends."

Sun Yu was shocked. "How can you do that? Li Quan Powder is extremely potent. After taking it, you have to stay in seclusion for a full three days! If you don't stay in long enough, you could damage your Dao Foundation!"

Zhang Sheng said calmly, "Whatever those people take a fancy to, they naturally think it ought to belong to them. If Yuan'er can break through their encirclement, we'll only be taking back what's ours. But they'll see it as Yuan'er snatching food from their plates. Given their nature, will they really let it go? Once Yuan'er finishes the exam, he'll most likely have to 'reason things out' with them. In a matter like this, it's only right for me, his teacher, to handle it."

In the dormitory, Wei Yuan had already set the regulations aside and was sitting at his desk, reviewing everything he had learned from the beginning.

After Li Zhi left, three or four more groups came knocking, all with much the same pitch. None of them came close to Li Zhi in either bearing or presence, so Wei Yuan turned them all down.

After hearing Li Zhi out, Wei Yuan had understood his situation. Li Zhi's words sounded pleasant, but Wei Yuan might not know much about the Art of War; he had, however, read history books so often he could recite them backward. He knew that once he was folded into the military system, he'd no longer be his own man. If they told him to charge, he'd have to charge; if they told him to die, he'd have to die. Being called the vanguard commander sounded impressive, but when two armies clashed, if he wasn't cannon fodder, then who was?

There was nothing to think about for the Martial Assessment. He would have to adapt as things came and take down as many opponents as he could. So Wei Yuan was silently reciting The History of Tang, recalling every explanation Zhang Sheng had given during their lessons.

Before long, dusk fell, and the door opened without a sound. Sensing something, Wei Yuan turned to look.

Sun Yu stood in the doorway, a little surprised. This boy's instincts are sharp!

Wei Yuan recognized Sun Yu and knew he was on excellent terms with his teacher. He quickly rose and bowed. Sun Yu handed him a sheet of paper. "These are the techniques your master gave you. Memorize them first. If anything doesn't make sense, you can ask me. I can stay another quarter of an hour."

Wei Yuan took the techniques. The heading read Southern Vermilion Bird Unclear Technique, followed by several hundred characters of incantation. This was only a portion of the complete secret art, meant for use before one had begun cultivating, so it was very simple. Wei Yuan read it through once and grasped most of it. He asked Sun Yu about one or two unclear points, and soon understood the whole thing.

Seeing that Wei Yuan had grasped the techniques, Sun Yu gave him a few pointers on using secret arts of fortune, then left as quietly as he had come.

As soon as Sun Yu left, Wei Yuan began to practice.

The Southern Vermilion Bird Unclear Technique was the Azure Hall's secret art. Its strength lay in its balance; it had no obvious weaknesses. Once the art was activated, Wei Yuan felt something intangible inside him stir, turning into a gentle warmth that flowed through his entire body. Then the room seemed to grow brighter, and surging power filled his limbs. He tried gripping the desk and lifting it. The several-hundred-pound desk rose into the air.

After setting it down, Wei Yuan took a single step and crossed from one side of the room to the other. Then he tried a few more leaping and dodging movements before ending the art.

All secret arts of fortune drew on one's own fortune as the source of their supernatural power. The techniques explicitly warned against using them for too long, so Wei Yuan stopped after testing them. But even after he was done, he felt that the intangible mass inside him hadn't diminished at all.

Wei Yuan sat cross-legged and carefully considered what he had just felt. With the Southern Vermilion Bird Unclear Technique empowering him, every aspect of his physical ability improved, and both his strength and speed increased by about half. Wei Yuan had been unusually strong since childhood; with this secret art behind him, he was like a tiger with wings.

Wei Yuan stopped reciting history and focused all his attention on studying the Southern Vermilion Bird Unclear Technique. He knew full well that this art was the key to the Martial Assessment.

There were no days or months on Immortal Mountain. As the mountain's colors shifted from light to dark, the second morning arrived.

Wei Yuan and the other candidates were called to the square early and handed breakfast. The so-called breakfast was actually just a cup of clear water. After drinking it, they were refreshed, and their fatigue and hunger vanished.

A few cultivators then led the candidates out of the dormitory and into a square. At the far end stood a great hall, inside which were twenty jade-colored meditation cushions. Two incense burners sat beside each cushion, sending up thin curls of smoke.

An elderly Daoist emerged from the hall carrying a stack of white sheets. With a sweep of his sleeve, a sheet appeared in the hands of every candidate. As soon as the paper touched their hands, a cultivation method appeared on it.

The elderly Daoist said in a deep voice, "This is the examination technique. Read it until you know it by heart. When you hear your number, enter the hall and circulate the technique on the assigned cushion. This technique will awaken the innate gifts of your destiny, and is the key to the Dao Assessment. You must not let yourselves be distracted. When you hear the bell, stop immediately and leave the hall. Is that clear?"

"Clear!" all the candidates answered together.

The elderly Daoist nodded, drew out his words, and called, "The Dao Assessment begins!" His voice rang out like a crane's cry, soaring into the clouds.