In a secluded hall, Zhang Sheng and Sun Yu sat across from each other, left and right. After taking their seats, Sun Yu handed over a piece of jade-colored paper and a Black Jade Box, saying, "These are the new regulations, and this is the Li Quan Powder."
The jade-colored paper had been blank, but once in Zhang Sheng's hands, dense and tiny characters appeared, layer upon layer, with dozens of layers in all. The regulations sprawled tens of thousands of words, but for Zhang Sheng to finish reading, it was a matter of just a few breaths.
With just a glance, Zhang Sheng said, "Such great changes, this is the handiwork of the Dingxin Sect?"
Sun Yu picked up his teacup and took a sip, then said, "When Junior Brother left the mountain, the Dingxin Sect had already gained the upper hand, and in these years, a large number of young disciples have joined. Their influence has grown more and more, while the Zhi Gu Sect has gradually been unable to withstand it. This unified examination regulation indeed comes from the hand of the Dingxin Sect, then the noble families each more or less had a hand in it, and in the end, it turned out like this."
Zhang Sheng frowned and said, "Isn't this martial test tailored for the noble families? They report their identity and can pull together a team, while ordinary families' children can only be pawns. Besides, where do ordinary children have the opportunity to learn military strategy, and even if they wanted to learn, where could they find a real master skilled in military strategy and victorious in battle? Even if they could assemble a team, in the end, they would just be stepping stones for others."
"The martial test is indeed specially designed for the Gate Valve, and without such, the new regulations couldn't be implemented. Dingxin Sect has far-reaching plans, and the new regulations are just the first step, so they need the support of the Gate Valve."
Zhang Sheng spoke slowly, "But the Palace deliberately allocated these quotas intending to choose the Child of Luck; now it has become an object in the pockets of noble families, what difference does it make?"
Sun Yu sighed and said, "If Junior Brother attains great accomplishment in Daoist Skill in the future and cannot bear such things, it is not impossible to change."
Sun Yu spoke tactfully, but naturally, Zhang Sheng understood his meaning, and he said with a sigh, "Forget it, I can't manage the affairs of others so much. Besides, my Sky Blue Hall has specially set aside a quota for Yuan'er, the sooner the examination is over, the sooner I can return to the mountain to recover my Dao Power, to prevent being annoyed by their presence."
Sun Yu didn't say a word, only looking straight ahead, as if there were Daoist ancestors preaching the law and immortals demonstrating marvels on the wall opposite.
The smile gradually faded from Zhang Sheng's face as he said in a deep voice, "What, someone dares to covet Yuan'er's quota?"
Sun Yu's expression remained wooden as he said, "Junior Brother, with such a major event as the unified examination, countless people are watching; I'm afraid favoritism cannot be shown."
"Favoritism? I reported to the Palace a month ago; this quota was bestowed by the Ancestor Xuan Yue of my Sky Blue Hall, and it was never related to outsiders, how can it be favoritism?"
Sun Yu clenched his teeth and said, "I'll tell you the truth! For this recruitment of the Child of Luck, originally two quotas were issued from within the Palace. But there are far too many people contending for quotas, and being unable to divide them, some set their sights on the quota of your Sky Blue Hall. Several noble families joined forces to pressure the Palace, demanding that all quotas be competed for fairly according to achievement, and not privately bestowed. According to the regulations, it should indeed be so, and without any options, the Palace had to release all three quotas to be admitted fairly based on performance."
"They're becoming more and more greedy, even robbing the quota right from the head of my Sky Blue Hall..." Sharp light began to emerge in Zhang Sheng's eyes as he said sternly, "How many families are competing for these three quotas?"
"As far as I know, there are five families whose disciples' strength and preparations are roughly equal, and it's difficult to determine who is superior."
At this point in the conversation, Zhang Sheng clearly understood. At least five noble families were competing for the three quotas from Taichu Palace, each as powerful as the next, and because they all had means, they also must exclude external methods, allowing the five families to compete fairly.
Seeing Zhang Sheng's expression, Sun Yu quickly said, "Master Fen Hai also asked me to bring you eight words: 'Do not transgress the rules, let nature take its course.'
Zhang Sheng's face was expressionless.
Sun Yu clenched his teeth, lowered his voice, and said, "Your disciple is still young, and by the next session, he'll only be eleven years old. By that time, we can find a way to transfer your disciple to a county with a quota. Others can find their kin, so surely we can find someone too?"
"Furthermore, now that you've returned, several Masters were pleased and specially appointed you as one of the seven evaluators for this unified examination. With this position, securing a spot for the next batch of disciples should be settled."
As he spoke, Sun Yu passed over a Jade Token. Palm-sized, it was carved with an Immortal Mountain and auspicious beasts; in the center, the word 'evaluator' was inscribed, with Dao Power flowing between the strokes.
According to the unified examination charter, the position of evaluator is crucial, as it allows one to adjust the scores of students within a certain range. Hence, becoming an evaluator comes with various overt and covert benefits. Firstly, all the examinees who pass the exam will regard the evaluators as half a teacher, and their families will seek to court favor. This time, with the convergence of Luck in Fengyuan County, the competition was unprecedentedly fierce, with esteemed families gathering, no less prominent than the most famous big counties in the world. Therefore, the significance of being an evaluator this time was tenfold, even a hundredfold greater than usual.
As an evaluator, the noble families vying for quotas would owe Zhang Sheng a favor; when it was Zhang Sheng's turn to send Wei Yuan to the Palace next time, they would have to exert some effort, however minor. With proper manipulation up and down, a quota was about sixty to seventy percent assured.
Zhang Sheng knew, this was compensation for that spot in the Sky Blue Hall.
Zhang Sheng's gaze became deep and distant as he spoke slowly, "How could Yuan'er, with his Luck upon him, delay for five years? Should the Luck dissipate, his path to Dao would be cut off. The Immortal Path is arduous; every moment counts. This is a contest of the great Dao, and as his teacher, I must stand at the forefront! Since those people have such great appetites, let me test their methods!"
"Junior Brother…" Sun Yu wanted to persuade, but Zhang Sheng raised his hand to stop him.
Zhang Sheng stood up and paced, walking back and forth in the hall several times before he stopped and fixed his clear gaze on Sun Yu, "Brother, you're the chief supervisor of this unified examination, aren't you?"
Sun Yu nodded, "I'm merely in charge of all secular affairs."
"Does our Taichu Palace have other evaluators?"
"There is one more, Brother Fu Feng from the Heavenly Mechanism Palace. Brother Fu Feng is straightforward by nature; although we normally don't interact much, he should lean towards us during the evaluation."
Zhang Sheng shook his head, "Not necessarily."
Sun Yu was taken aback and then realized. Daoist Fu Feng was different from Zhang Sheng; his serving as an evaluator would certainly be biased, or why else would those noble families let him sit in this position? Now, with Little Weiyuan trying to wrestle a spot from the jaws of death, that would naturally put him at odds with Daoist Fu Feng.
Zhang Sheng extended his hand, "First, show me the register of the students participating in this exam."
Sun Yu was shocked, "This, this is against the rules! I…"
Under Zhang Sheng's clear gaze, Sun Yu's face went through several changes and, finally clenching his teeth, he said firmly, "If we're to be fair, then we must be absolutely fair! They've already turned the rules into a sieve, so we need not be pedantic! Wait here, Junior Brother, I'll go fetch it!"
Soon after, Sun Yu returned, handing over a Jade Paper to Zhang Sheng, which detailed the information of all the candidates in this session. Zhang Sheng took it and began to read carefully.
The hall was silent.
Sun Yu poured himself a cup of tea with slightly trembling hands, spilling a few drops. But by the time the cup reached his lips, his hands were as steady as an old dog's.