When the bell signaling the end of the Literary Test rang, all the examination papers appeared in the Judgement Hall, each automatically bound into a volume with the name and number written on the cover. Sitting at the head of the hall were six judges, responsible only for the essay part. The first two parts of the Literary Test had fixed answers, so there was no need to trouble the judges; a few low-level disciples could simply use a Magic Treasure to scan and automatically assign the scores.
The six judges were all profound in their Daoist practices, and multitasking was a basic skill for them, so at this moment, each had several examination papers unfolded in front of them. The fewer had about seven or eight, while the more had a dozen or more. That Monk even had twenty papers spread out at once, switching to a new batch in less time than it takes to drink a cup of tea.
In the eyes of the judges, grading papers was not a difficult task. After all, the candidates were just children; writing an essay that conformed to historical facts was already considered good. There were few who could provide original insights, and even fewer who could argue their points convincingly.
In the Literary Test, the descendants of noble families visibly outperformed the rest, as they had learned from famous teachers and started early. Moreover, after several hundred years of conducting the Literary Test, many noble families had a good idea of what the test generally covered. Many teachers had become famous for specializing in developing questions for the Literary Test and were naturally recruited by noble families.
The speed of the judges was not slow, and it would take less than an hour to complete the grading of all the examination papers.
While reading, Old Confucian suddenly slammed the table and angrily said, "This is utter nonsense!"
Just grading an examination paper, how could he get so angry?
The other judges looked over and saw that Old Confucian was looking at Wei Yuan's examination paper, so they extended their hands, and all drew Wei Yuan's papers towards them to browse through.
The young Cultivator tapped the armrest, glanced over the exam paper, and said, "This Book of Talent is answered quite innovatively. Hmm, 'in times of peace, employ people for their virtue; in times of chaos, employ people for their ability,' quite interesting."
Liu Sigu glanced around and said gravely, "The sage has long said to employ people only for their virtue. If this child were not from Confucianism and insisted on employing people for their ability, then that would be fine, and I would think highly of him. But how could there be logic in sometimes employing for virtue and sometimes for ability? The teachings of the sage are immutable through the ages; how could they waver back and forth? Such fence-sitting behavior, if not strictly dealt with, might hardly convince the masses!"
A middle-aged Confucian Scholar from the Four Saints Academy also said, "Old Liu's words may be heavy, but the rationale is correct. The rules encourage originality, not to stray from the path and propose perverse and heretical ideas. Since this child has a dispute with Taichu Palace, I wonder what Daoist Fu Feng thinks?"
The Daoist looked at the two Confucians, his brow gradually furrowing.
Old Confucian suddenly sneered and said, "This year, Taichu Palace seems overly involved. If I happen to be careless with my writing due to old age, Brother Fu Feng, do not take offense."
Old Confucian's words were very clear. This year, five families were vying for the three seats of Taichu Palace, and as a judge, Daoist Fu Feng was naturally in a precarious position. There were those who needed a little push, those who needed a slight restrain, and those who required utmost impartiality; the balance was delicate, and the Daoist was already under immense stress. If Liu Sigu truly started to recklessly assign grades and ruin the big plans of some families, the responsibility would fall squarely on the Daoist.
Therefore, although the Daoist felt annoyed, he could only maintain a calm expression and said, "To officiate with fairness is the way."
Old Confucian nodded in satisfaction and gave Wei Yuan his mark: grade C, eight.
With a full score of twenty for the essay part, this score of eight instantly pushed Wei Yuan out of the Fudi District.
The other judges continued grading without further comment. Shortly after, the compilation of all parts was completed, and a line of small characters appeared on the stone stele:
Wei Yuan, grade A, nineteen.
This nineteen included the scores from the first two parts of the Literary Test. Wei Yuan scored a perfect ten in the first two parts, which no one could tamper with. In the essay part worth twenty points, Wei Yuan ultimately received nine points, totaling nineteen.
In the deep silence of the night, a side hall was still lit.
Sun Yu sat at the desk, occasionally glancing at the time, his face changing with indecision. Then, the door of the hall was suddenly pushed open, and Zhang Sheng walked in.
Sun Yu saw that it was Zhang Sheng and was immediately shocked, saying, "Why are you out now? Weren't you supposed to stay in retreat until after tomorrow's martial test?"
Zhang Sheng's face was noticeably pale as he replied, "I've been feeling restless, so I paid a price to leave early. Both Dao Test and Literary Test are finished by now, right? How did Yuan'er perform?"
"I'm also waiting for the results. They should be out by now." Sun Yu then summoned a young Taoist and said, "Go get the results of the Dao Test and Literary Test."
The young Taoist was startled and hurriedly said, "This seems to be against the rules."
Sun Yu's expression turned stern as he said coldly, "You're making excuses over such a trivial matter. Are you looking down on my Xuanming Palace? If you won't go, then I will. Afterward, I will give you the lowest mark in this year's comprehensive assessment and you can look forward to another thirty years of doing miscellaneous tasks!"
The young Taoist was terrified and dared not say more, rushing off to get the results.
While waiting, Sun Yu gave the Literary Test questions to Zhang Sheng. After scanning them, Zhang Sheng's expression relaxed slightly as he said, "Although the questions for this Literary Test were strange, they weren't difficult. Given Yuan'er's proficiency, even if he didn't score full marks, he should still get at least twenty-nine or twenty-eight."
After a short while, the Servant Daoist returned, placing a piece of Jade Paper in front of Sun Yu and said, "These are the Dao Test and Literary Test results. I copied a set in secret. Senior Brother Sun, you must never tell anyone about this, otherwise, I could be expelled from the palace."
Sun Yu waved the young Taoist away and then handed the Jade Paper to Zhang Sheng. Upon taking it, Zhang Sheng immediately furrowed his brow. Knowing something was off, Sun Yu leaned in to look as well.
At the top of the results sheet, the first place was Li Zhi, with thirty-eight on the Dao Test and thirty on the Literary Test, totaling sixty-eight points. Second place was Bao Yun, with forty on the Dao Test and twenty-seven on the Literary Test, adding up to sixty-seven points.
Zhang Sheng looked down the list of names, and by the end of the first page, Wei Yuan's name was nowhere to be found. Sun Yu was also extremely surprised; with thirty names on the first page, Wei Yuan hadn't even made the top thirty, putting Taichu Palace out of reach.
Zhang Sheng's face turned ashen as he flipped through the pages, finally finding Wei Yuan's name on the third page. Wei Yuan's combined score for the Dao Test and Literary Test was forty-nine, ranking him ninety-fifth among all candidates.
Sun Yu frowned; that score wasn't enough to enter the Immortal Sect, and it was far from reaching the Grotto Heaven. At this point, it hardly mattered whether Wei Yuan took the martial test or not.
At this moment, Zhang Sheng managed to find his calm, looked carefully through Wei Yuan's individual scores, and closed his eyes in contemplation.
After a while, Zhang Sheng opened his eyes and calmly said, "Even if I only taught him for six months, he should score more than nineteen in the Literary Test. As for foundational luck, he only ranked 'Earth Grade'... Hah, 'Earth Grade'... good, very good! Senior Brother might not know, but Yuan'er's foundational luck is only a hair's breadth from mine."
Zhang Sheng slowly placed the results sheet on the table, his voice growing colder, "If I, Zhang Sheng, were to participate in the Dao Test and only scored 'Earth Grade,' would anyone dare to claim that 'Heaven Grade'?"
Sun Yu didn't know what to say and only sighed, "Junior Brother, calm down... This... this matter..."
"Since their tactics are so despicable, there's no need for me to show them any courtesy!"
Zhang Sheng stood and walked toward the hall exit; Sun Yu couldn't stop him and only called out, "Junior Brother, what are you going to do?"
In the night, Zhang Sheng's voice echoed from afar:
"I'm flipping the table!"