The Grandmaster Artisans' final verdict was that Li Chen received full marks, while every other contestant competing alongside him received zero.
The Art Dao techniques Li Chen had demonstrated were already sufficient to draw a Heavenly Demon into manifestation. This seemed to be an affirmation from the Great Dao of heaven and earth, working in unseen ways.
The Grandmaster Artisans naturally acknowledged this.
That alone, however, could only earn Li Chen an excellent score in this assessment-perhaps ninety, perhaps ninety-five or ninety-nine. Awarding him a hundred would have been difficult.
If they wanted to split hairs, they could always find some fault. It was not like the computer chip assessment, where he had blazed a trail and founded a school, leaving no opening for criticism.
But Li Chen's subsequent performance against the Heavenly Demon made up those missing points, even surpassing full marks in the ordinary sense.
He received a hundred because the ceiling was a hundred, not because his performance was worth only a hundred.
As for the others, their performances appeared far clumsier. They had even failed to finish the competition after being affected by Li Chen.
Although steadfastness of mind was not part of this assessment, a Grand Artisan could not be allowed such an obvious weakness. Thus, they were still eliminated.
Perhaps some outstanding individuals among them would turn shame into courage and stage a comeback ten years later, but they were not ready for this round. They still needed more seasoning.
"Li Chen, are you interested in cultivating the Art Dao as well? I see tremendous talent in you. Even without talent, you can create it for yourself, which makes you precisely the right material for cultivating my Dao. If you wish to learn, I can teach you."
After the assessment, Mo Qing kept Li