With a weapon in hand, Wei Yuan chose the strongest Heavy Armor from all the available armor. The helmet of this Heavy Armor came with a face shield, and the limbs were protected all the way down to the back of the hands and the tops of the feet, almost encasing him from head to toe. Most of the examinees chose longswords, which were quite ineffective against this set of Heavy Armor. Indeed, there were Ridge Hammers, Heavy Maces, and Three-pronged Short Swords in the Treasure Box, which were meant for piercing heavy armor, but perhaps because they lacked elegance and a domineering appearance, Wei Yuan did not see a single person choose them.
After selecting his weapon and armor, the Treasure Box disappeared on its own. The Heavy Armor then directly appeared on Wei Yuan's body, fitting itself to him properly. However, since it was undoubtedly Heavy Armor, he could only jog after putting it on.
Just at that moment, two more people climbed atop the hill. Both were dressed in the Green Team's colors, with the one in front being the slim Scout Wei Yuan had seen at the beginning. The Green Team disciple beside him was fairly burly, only slightly shorter than Wei Yuan.
At that moment, the slim examinee was saying to his companion, "I'm telling you, there's a stupidly large guy here all alone who even doesn't know how to use weapons. In a bit, the two of us can join forces and pick up some easy points..."
He was mid-sentence when he saw Wei Yuan standing at the top of the hill, clad in Heavy Armor and holding a long spear, and swallowed the rest of his words.
Wei Yuan didn't bother talking to them. He stepped forward briskly, his spear thrusting out like a dragon, impaling the two men one by one. They were wearing elegantly designed leather Light Armor which did not hinder movement, but it was as fragile as paper against the long spear.
In the southern part of the Illusion Realm, Li Zhi stood in armor, sword at his side, at the forefront of the array. His side had already gathered one hundred and twenty examinees, now divided into front, middle, left, and right squads, arranged very neatly.
Looking at the tidy army formation, Li Zhi was very pleased. Before the examination, he and a few trusted confidants had painstakingly practiced the arts of military formation. Just now, he had spent a lot of time forming ranks, and now these hundred-plus people looked somewhat like an elite force.
Outside the military formation, there were still a dozen or so scattered individuals, all dressed in dark yellow. These people had not been recruited by Li Zhi; they had come to the divisions on their own. One tall examinee holding a knife was standing in front of these dozen people, pointing to a small mound not far away, "You'll stand guard there later, and without my command, you're not allowed to retreat a step! Before we move out, hand over all your elixirs for unified use!"
The mound was positioned in front of the army formation to block the enemy's charge. Placed there, and having their lifesaving elixirs taken away, these people would likely be entirely wiped out at the enemy's first assault.
The scattered examinees were not fools. Right then, one of them objected, stepping forward to protest, "We came to you with good intentions, and you treat us like idiots? Standing there, we'd be dead at the first clash. How many points would that get us? We wouldn't even secure a position within the Red Tide Sect! What benefit do we have? Why should we listen to you?"
Li Zhi slowly turned around, looked at the examinee without any expression, and said, "Defying orders in front of the formation, disturbing the army's morale! Execute him!"
The examinee was stunned, not yet understanding what was happening, when the muscular examinee beside him swung his knife, beheading him!
The examinee's headless body fell to the ground and dissipated into light.
The remaining Independent Practitioner examinees trembled in fear, no longer daring to resist, and obediently handed over their elixirs. Although the rules clearly stipulated that slashing a teammate from the same team would lower one's evaluation, it did not specify by how much. Li Zhi dared to kill to establish dominance because he obviously didn't care about that rule. Besides, he was not the one who had done the killing.
Li Zhi turned back, facing the entire army, and proclaimed loudly, "Everyone has seen, there is no jesting in the army! This is the martial test, it is the actual battlefield! We are outnumbered, so we must be unified. The enemy is merely a disorganized rabble. As long as everyone follows orders, I, Li Zhi, will surely lead you to crush the enemy camp, and together we will enter the Immortal Sect!"
Upon hearing these words about entering the Immortal Sect together, although the examinees in the army knew the chances were slim, they were still filled with ardor.
In the palace above the sky, six judges had taken their seats. Looking down, they saw everything happening in the Illusion Realm.
The old Confucian Scholar smiled, stroking his beard, "This Li Zhi has managed to whip a group of children into the shape of an army in a single day. He understands both how to inspire awe through killing and how to rally hearts. Duke Hui En is indeed fortunate to have such a gifted son."
However, the old Confucian Scholar did not say that Li Zhi was like his father, for everyone present knew exactly what kind of man Duke Hui En was.
The middle-aged Confucian Scholar now turned to bow to all four directions, saying, "As for how Li Zhi has fared, you have all seen it in the last two days. The final contest is of great significance to him, so I hope you all will show leniency. Our academy will surely reciprocate in due course."
The young cultivator suddenly let out a laugh, "You want to keep Li Zhi in first place so that, with this title, you can rise swiftly to power, which is fine. However, Miss Bao is someone who refuses to admit defeat, and she now wants that first place too. What shall we do about that?"
The middle-aged Confucian Scholar frowned deeply, earnestly saying, "Miss Bao is merely competing out of pride. Winning first place brings no real benefit, so what harm is there in yielding a bit?"
The young cultivator chuckled coldly, "Yielding a bit causes no harm? Tell that to the Bao Family, it's useless to say it to me!"
"If Miss Bao is willing to grace someone else with the victory, we will have ample rewards for her."
The young cultivator sneered, "The pitiful offerings you lot have to give, Miss Bao wouldn't even glance at them!"
As the conversation between the two became increasingly tense, the older cultivator gently stroked his beard and coughed, "Since neither side will budge, then let it be a matter of individual skill."
The middle-aged Confucian Scholar nodded, "That would be for the best."
The young cultivator glared at the older cultivator before turning his head to look at Daoist Fu Feng and the monk. The monk had been quiet since taking Duan Yusheng under his wing, his grading impartial. But seen from another angle, this monk was also the type that wouldn't budge no matter what was said, and the evaluators had long since given up trying to persuade him.
Daoist Fu Feng was originally like a cunning old fox with inscrutable intentions. After two tests, no one could tell whom he truly wished to favor. The young cultivator looked at him only with a try-and-see attitude, not expecting any response.
Among the six evaluators, aside from the Dual Confucians of Four Saints Academy who were wholeheartedly aligned, the remaining evaluators belonged to various factions, each with their own intentions and people they wished to protect. Therefore, Four Saints Academy had a significant edge when it came to grading; if they wanted to compress someone's score, they were likely to push it all the way down to Grotto Heaven. Only the Bao Family, with its substantial influence, dared to openly contend for first place in the examination.
during the grading, the young cultivator was alone and obviously at a disadvantage. One could infer that the Dual Confucians would inevitably suppress Miss Bao's score, so if the young cultivator wished to turn the tables, he would have to find another ally who would also suppress Li Zhi's scores.
The young cultivator's face showed bitterness and discontent, yet his mind rapidly calculated who to align with and when to stab Four Saints Academy in the back. But no matter how much he pondered, it seemed a situation without solution.
Just as the young cultivator felt powerless, Daoist Fu Feng suddenly said, "During the Dao Test and Literary Test in the past two days, the two gentlemen have taken great care of the disciples of Taichu Palace. Having pondered it over the past days, I feel indebted and unable to reciprocate sufficiently, so today I am determined to respond."
The young cultivator was both shocked and pleased, while the Dual Confucians of Four Saints Academy were utterly surprised, not understanding why Daoist Fu Feng would choose to oppose them out of all options. Were they not afraid that the pair would unite to skew the scores of those competing for Taichu Palace's places, thereby ruining his important plans?
The elder scholar immediately bristled with anger, his voice cold, "Then I shall not hold back either—come what may, do not blame my merciless pen!"
Daoist Fu Feng spread his hands, indicating they should proceed as they wished.
The older scholar, black with rage but seated motionless, clearly was scheming something in his mind, exchanging glances with the middle-aged Confucian Scholar from time to time.
At that moment, a loud bang resounded as the great hall's doors were kicked open!