Longzang

Chapter 16 Everyone depends on their ability
With a weapon in hand, Wei Yuan then chose the most defensive heavy armor from all the available options. This heavy armor featured a helmet with a built-in face shield, and the limbs were covered from head to toe, extending to the backs of the hands and feet. The longswords chosen by most examinees were completely useless against this heavy armor. The treasure chest actually contained a prismatic hammer, mace, and triangular short sword, all adept at breaking through heavy armor, but perhaps due to its lack of elegance and imposing presence, Wei Yuan didn't see anyone use it.

After selecting the weapon and armor, the treasure chest disappeared on its own. The heavy armor appeared directly on Wei Yuan and was automatically donned. However, this was unmistakably heavy armor, allowing him to only jog while wearing it.

Just then, two more people climbed up the hill. Both were dressed in the green team uniform. The one in front was thin and small, the same scout Wei Yuan had seen at the beginning. The green team disciple beside him was quite burly, only slightly shorter than Wei Yuan.

At that moment, the skinny examinee said to his companion, "Let me tell you, there's a big, clumsy guy here who's all alone and doesn't even know how to use a weapon. Let's team up and get some kills first..."

Halfway through his sentence, the thin examinee saw Wei Yuan standing atop the hill, heavily armored and wielding a spear, and swallowed the rest of his words.

Wei Yuan didn't waste any words with them. He strode forward, his spear flashing like a dragon, piercing through the two men one by one. The two men wore beautifully designed light leather armor that didn't hinder their movement, but it was like paper in front of the spear.

In the southern part of the illusion, Li Zhi, clad in armor and carrying a sword, stood at the front of the formation. He had already gathered one hundred and twenty examinees, who were now divided into four teams—front, center, left, and right—arranged in a very neat manner.

Looking at the neat and orderly military formation, Li Zhi was very satisfied. Before the exam, he and several trusted confidants had painstakingly practiced military formations, and they had just spent a lot of time organizing the troops. Now, these hundred-plus people already looked like an elite army.

Outside the military formation, a dozen or so people, all dressed in dark yellow, stood scattered about. These were people Li Zhi hadn't recruited; they had gathered themselves into their own units. A tall, sword-wielding examinee stood before them, pointing to a small mound of earth not far away, and said, "You'll guard that spot. Don't retreat a single step without my order! Before you go there, hand over all your pills for collective use!"

The mound of earth was positioned in front of the army formation to block the enemy's advance. It was placed there, and their life-saving pills were taken away. I'm afraid that if the enemy charged, these people would be wiped out.

Those scattered examinees weren't stupid either. Immediately, some of them stood up and shouted, "We came here out of goodwill, but you treat us like fools? If we stay in that spot, we'll die in one fell swoop. How many points can we get? In the end, we won't even get a position in the Crimson Tide Sect! There's no benefit for us. Why should we listen to you?"

Li Zhi slowly turned around, looked at the examinee with an expressionless face, and said: "Disobeying orders on the battlefield and disrupting the morale of the army! Execute!"

The examinee was stunned and hadn't even realized what was happening when the tall, strong examinee next to him swung his knife and beheaded him!
The headless corpse of the examinee fell to the ground and vanished in a flash of light.

The remaining independent examinees trembled, no longer daring to resist, and obediently handed over the pills. Although the rules clearly stipulated that killing a teammate would lower one's evaluation, they didn't specify by how much. Li Zhi's willingness to kill to establish his authority showed that he didn't care about this rule at all; besides, it wasn't Li Zhi who killed the person.

Li Zhi turned around and addressed the entire army in a loud voice: "As you all see, there is no joking in the army! This is a martial arts test, which is actually the real battlefield! We are outnumbered, so we must unite even more. The enemy is just a rabble. As long as everyone follows orders, I, Li Zhi, will lead you to crush the enemy camp and enter the Immortal Sect together!"

Upon hearing the words "join the Immortal Sect," the examinees in the military formation, though knowing their chances were slim, were nonetheless filled with fervor.

Inside the aerial palace, the six judges were already seated. They looked down, taking in everything within the illusion.

The old scholar stroked his beard and smiled, saying, "Li Zhi was able to train a group of children to have the basic military bearing in just one day. He knows how to kill to establish authority and also how to inspire people. That Duke Hui'en is truly blessed to have such a good son."

However, the old scholar did not say that Li Zhi had the same qualities as his father, since everyone present knew what kind of person the Duke of Hui'en was.

The middle-aged scholar then cupped his hands in greeting to the four directions and said, "You've all seen how Li Zhi is these past two days. The final match is of great significance to him, so I hope you'll all be lenient. My academy will certainly repay you then." The young cultivator suddenly smiled and said, "You want to ensure Li Zhi's first place, using that title to build momentum for a meteoric rise, which is not wrong. However, it just so happens that Miss is unwilling to admit defeat and now also wants first place. What should we do?"

The middle-aged scholar frowned slightly and earnestly said, "Miss Bao is only fighting on a whim. Even if she wins first place, there is no real benefit. Would it be alright if she gave way a little?"

The young cultivator chuckled and said, "It wouldn't hurt to step aside, would it? Go tell that to the Bao family, it won't do me any good!"

"If Miss Bao is willing to help you achieve your goal, then we will reward you handsomely."

The young cultivator scoffed, saying, "The young lady wouldn't be interested in the things that you poor wretches can offer!"

Seeing that the two were getting more and more stalemate, the older cultivator stroked his long beard, coughed, and said, "Since the two are deadlocked, let's see who has the best skills."

The middle-aged scholar nodded and said, "That would be best."

The young cultivator glared at the older cultivator, then turned to look at Daoist Fufeng and the monk. Since taking in Duan Yusheng, the monk had remained silent, and his scoring was always impartial. However, from another perspective, this monk was also the type who wouldn't listen to reason; nothing anyone said would work. All the commentators had long since given up on trying to win him over.

Master Fufeng was originally a cunning old fox, and after two trials, no one knew which one he truly wanted to protect. The young cultivator looked at him with a tentative attitude, not expecting any response.

At this point, among the six evaluators, only the two scholars from the Four Sages Academy were of one mind; the rest belonged to different factions, each with their own agendas and people they wanted to protect. As a result, the Four Sages Academy held a significant advantage in the scoring; they could potentially suppress the score of anyone they wanted, even to the point of being relegated to the lowest rank. Only the powerful Bao family, unafraid of the Four Sages Academy, would openly attempt to seize first place in the unified examination.

When it came to evaluation and scoring, the young cultivator was alone, putting him at a significant disadvantage. It was easy to imagine that the two Confucian scholars would inevitably lower the score of the young lady from the Bao family. Therefore, to turn the tide, the young cultivator needed to find another ally to also lower Li Zhi's score.

The young cultivator's face was filled with resentment, but his mind was racing, trying to figure out which side he could win over and when he could stab the Four Saints Academy in the back. But no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't find a solution.

Just as the young cultivator was at a loss, Daoist Fufeng suddenly said, "In the Daoist and Literary tests of the past two days, the two gentlemen took great care of my Taichu Palace disciples. After returning, I thought about it over and over again and felt that I had no way to repay them, so I will definitely respond today."

The young cultivator was both surprised and delighted, while the two scholars from the Four Saints Academy were utterly astonished, unable to understand what had gotten into Fufeng Daoist, who insisted on opposing them. Wasn't he afraid that if the two of them joined forces, they would give the candidates vying for the Taichu Palace a random score, ruining his grand plan?
The old scholar immediately raised his eyebrows and said coldly, "Then I will not hold back. Don't blame me for being ruthless with my pen!"

Master Fufeng spread his hands, indicating that he would like to proceed.

The old scholar was so angry that his face turned black. He sat upright and motionless, seemingly plotting something, occasionally exchanging glances with the middle-aged scholar.

Just then, a loud bang was heard, and the main hall door was kicked open!

(End of this chapter)