Li Weiru chuckled and said no more. Smiling, he picked up the brush and ink before him and began writing on the slip of paper.
Gu Yunfu had already noticed the paper laid before him. It was divided into four columns, headed "One, Two, Three, Four." Not knowing what it was for, he now leaned over curiously and saw that the old man had already written "Shang Huaitong" in the first column.
Li Weiru smiled. "Did you think I asked for your assessment merely to make conversation?"
"...Oh!" Gu Yunfu understood. "You only use this method of assigning matches once you reach this stage."
Li Weiru chuckled. "Talent is scarce. Usually, only once we reach the Top Eight can we see the contestants' abilities clearly enough to have a basis for judging them."
Gu Yunfu nodded slowly, lowered his head, and looked at the slip before him.
Not every Martial Competition used this method, but it was certainly not uncommon-rating or ranking the contestants about to enter the next round, then using those results to assign their opponents.
The method had been inspired by the Crane and Teal Register. At first, Martial Competitions had all assigned matches by random draw. Naturally, luck played a considerable part, but anyone who drew a powerful opponent could only admit their bad luck.
Later, this had led to the introduction of a losers' round, providing something of a safety net for those with ability but no luck. Yet another problem remained difficult to avoid: the Martial Competition did not, after all, use wooden blades and swords, nor did its contestants dispel their true qi. Many inevitably suffered injuries after a single round and struggled to face their later opportunities in normal condition.
Thus, the best approach was still to reduce clashes between two strong