Longzang

Chapter 8 Fairness
Inside a serene hall, Zhang Sheng and Sun Yu sat on either side. After taking their seats, Sun Yu handed over a piece of jade-colored paper and a black jade box, saying, "This is the new regulations, and this is Li Quan San (a traditional Chinese medicine formula)."

The jade-colored paper was originally blank, but after falling into Zhang Sheng's hands, a large number of densely packed small characters appeared, layered upon layered, dozens of times. The document was quite lengthy, containing tens of thousands of words, but Zhang Sheng could read it in just a few breaths.

After just one glance, Zhang Sheng said, "Such a drastic change, is this the work of the Reformists?"

Sun Yu picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said, "When Junior Brother came down the mountain, the Dingxin Sect had already gained the upper hand. In recent years, a large number of young disciples have joined, and its influence has grown stronger and stronger. The Zhigu Sect has gradually been unable to resist. This unified examination charter was indeed written by the Dingxin Sect, and then various prominent families got involved to some extent, and that's how it ended up."

Zhang Sheng frowned and said, "Isn't this martial arts test just for high-ranking families? They can raise an army just by showing their identity, while ordinary children can only be foot soldiers. Besides, how can ordinary children have the opportunity to learn military strategy? Even if they wanted to, where could they find a master who is truly proficient in military strategy and has won battles? Even if they can put together an army, in the end they will only be stepping stones for others."

"The military training program was indeed designed specifically for powerful clans; otherwise, the new regulations could not be implemented. The reformists have far-reaching ambitions, and the new regulations are just the first step, so they need the support of powerful clans."

Zhang Sheng slowly said, "But the palace specially allocated these quotas with the intention of selecting the chosen ones, and now they have become the possessions of noble families. What difference does it make?"

Sun Yu sighed and said, "When you, junior brother, have mastered the Dao, if you still find these things disagreeable, it's not impossible to change them."

Sun Yu put it tactfully, but Zhang Sheng naturally understood what he meant. He sighed and said, "Forget it, I can't control other people's affairs. Anyway, I have a spot that my Tianqing Palace has specially allocated for Yuan'er. I'll finish the exam as soon as possible so I can go back to the mountain to recover my Dao power and avoid getting annoyed by them."

Sun Yu remained silent, staring straight ahead as if the opposite wall held the teachings of a Taoist patriarch or the wondrous pronouncements of celestial beings.

Zhang Sheng's smile gradually faded, and he said in a deep voice, "What, does someone dare to covet Yuan'er's spot?"

Sun Yu's expression was blank as he said, "Junior brother, the unified examination is such a major event, with countless people watching. I'm afraid we can't show favoritism."

"Favoritism? I reported this to the palace gates a month ago. This spot was bestowed by my Heavenly Azure Palace Ancestor Xuan Yue. It has nothing to do with anyone else. How is it favoritism?"

Sun Yu gritted his teeth and said, "Let me tell you the truth! This time, the palace originally allocated two spots for recruiting chosen ones. But there were too many people vying for the spots, and they couldn't distribute them all. So, someone set their sights on the spot for your Tianqing Palace. Several prominent families joined forces to put pressure on the palace, demanding that all spots be awarded fairly based on merit and that no one be given away privately. According to the regulations, that's indeed how it should be, and the palace had no choice but to release all three spots and recruit fairly based on merit."

"Your appetite is really growing bigger and bigger, you're even trying to take over my Tianqing Palace's spots..." A sharp glint gradually appeared in Zhang Sheng's eyes as he said coldly, "How many families are vying for these three spots?"

"As far as I know, there are five families whose disciples are all about the same strength and have made similar preparations for the exam, making it difficult to distinguish who is better."

Having said that, Zhang Sheng naturally understood. There were at least five prominent families vying for the three spots in the Taichu Palace. They were evenly matched, and because they all had their own methods, it was necessary to exclude any additional methods and ensure that the five families competed fairly.

Seeing Zhang Sheng's expression, Sun Yu quickly said, "Master Fenhai also asked me to give you eight words: Do not overstep the rules, follow the natural course."

Zhang Sheng remained expressionless.

Sun Yu gritted his teeth and lowered his voice, saying, "Your disciple is still young; he'll only be eleven in the next batch. We'll find a way to get him into a prefecture with available spots. If others can find blood relatives, why can't we?"

"Also, the True Immortals were very pleased with your return this time, and specially appointed you as one of the seven evaluators for this unified examination. With this position, the next batch of disciples should be secure." As he spoke, Sun Yu handed over a jade tablet. The jade tablet was about the size of a palm, carved with auspicious beasts from immortal mountains, and the words "evaluator" were written in the center, with Dao power flowing between the strokes.

According to the unified examination regulations, the position of the evaluator is crucial, as it can influence the candidates' scores to a certain extent. Therefore, becoming an evaluator brings various benefits, both overt and covert. First, all candidates who pass the exam will regard the evaluators as half-teachers, and their families will also try to curry favor with them. This time, Fengyuan County is experiencing a convergence of fortunes, making the competition unprecedentedly fierce, attracting prestigious families comparable to the most renowned counties in the land. Therefore, the weight of this evaluator position is ten or even a hundred times greater than usual.

Once Zhang Sheng becomes a judge, the prestigious families vying for a spot will all owe him a favor. So when it's Zhang Sheng's turn to send Wei Yuan to the palace next time, they will have to do something for him. If they can manipulate things properly, they will have a 60-70% chance of securing a spot.

Zhang Sheng knew that this was compensation for the spot in the Azure Sky Palace.

Zhang Sheng's gaze gradually deepened, and he slowly said, "Yuan'er is blessed with good fortune; how can he afford to waste five years? If his good fortune dissipates, his path to immortality will be severed. The path to immortality is arduous; one must seize every moment. This is a struggle for the Great Dao, and as his teacher, I should naturally stand in front of him! Since those people have such big appetites, I will test their methods!"

“Junior brother…” Sun Yu wanted to persuade him, but Zhang Sheng raised his hand to stop him.

Zhang Sheng got up and paced back and forth in the hall several times before finally stopping. His clear eyes fixed on Sun Yu: "Senior brother, are you the supervisor of this unified examination?"

Sun Yu nodded: "It's just managing all the mundane affairs."

"Does my Taichu Palace have any other comments?"

"There's another one, Senior Brother Fufeng from the Heavenly Mystery Hall. Senior Brother Fufeng is straightforward and honest. Although we don't usually have much contact, he should be on our side during the evaluation."

Zhang Sheng shook his head: "Not necessarily."

Sun Yu was taken aback, but then he understood. Fu Feng Dao Ren was different from Zhang Sheng. His appointment as a judge must have been biased, otherwise why would those powerful clans have put him in this position? Now that Xiao Wei Yuan was trying to snatch food from the tiger's mouth, he was naturally at odds with Fu Feng Dao Ren.

Zhang Sheng stretched out his hand and said, "Let me see the list of students taking the exam this time."

Sun Yu was shocked and said, "This, this is against the rules! I..."

Under Zhang Shengqing's clear gaze, Sun Yu's expression changed several times. Finally, he gritted his teeth and said fiercely, "If we're going to be fair, then it must be absolutely fair! They've already sieve the rules to the core, so we don't need to be so rigid! Junior brother, wait a moment, I'll go get it right away!"

A moment later, Sun Yu returned and handed Zhang Sheng a piece of jade paper, which detailed the information of all the candidates in this year's examination. Zhang Sheng took it and looked at it carefully.

The hall was silent.

Sun Yu poured himself a cup of tea, but his hand trembled slightly, spilling a few drops. However, when the cup reached his lips, he finally held it steady as a rock.

(End of this chapter)