Chapter 8: Fairness

Inside a serene hall, Zhang Sheng and Sun Yu were sitting on opposite sides of the room. The Daoist handed his junior brother a jade-colored paper and a black jade box. He said, “This is the new rules and regulations, and this is the Li Spring Powder.”

The jade-colored paper was perfectly blank when he handed it over, but countless tiny words took form on their own when it entered the scholar’s hands. The words stacked on top of each other again and again until they formed tens of layers of text. In total, the new rules and regulations numbered tens of thousands of words.

Despite this, it took Zhang Sheng only a few breaths to read it all. He then said, “This is quite the massive change. Is it the work of the Reform Party?”

Sun Yu took a sip from his teacup before replying, “You are aware the Reform Party had already taken the upper hand when you first set out to the world, yes? As more and more young disciples chose to join the Reform Party, and their influence grew across the years, the Traditional Party found it more and more difficult to push back against them. The first draft had indeed been made by the Reform Party, then the aristocratic families added their own strokes here and there. In the end, this was the final outcome.”

Zhang Sheng asked with a furrowed brow, “This martial test is specifically tailored for distinguished clans, isn’t it? They can form a group just by revealing their identities, while the ordinary folk can only become their pawns. Besides, what ordinary kid would have the opportunity to study military strategy? Even if they are interested, where are they going to find a reputable strategist who is an actual master of the craft with a string of real victories under their sash? Even if, against all odds, the ordinary kids manage to form their own group, in the end, they will only become the stepping stones of others.”

“The martial test was tailor made for the clans. If they didn’t make this compromise, the Reform Party wouldn’t have been able to push out these new rules and regulations. They have far-reaching ambitions they wish to fulfill, and this is merely the first step. That is why they needed the support of the aristocratic families.”

“But the reason the Palace offered these spots was to recruit the Chosen Ones. If they ultimately fell into the pockets of the aristocratic families, then what is the point of this exam?”

Sun Yu let out a sigh. “If it irritates you so much, you can change this once you have attained mastery of the Dao.”

The Daoist was putting it tactfully, but of course Zhang Sheng understood his meaning. He sighed and said, “Forget it. I have enough on my plate already, and the Skyblue Hall has already secured a spot for Yuan’er anyway. The sooner he finishes this exam, the sooner I’ll be able to return and save myself some heartache.”

Strangely, Sun Yu didn’t say a word. He stared straight ahead as if a heavenly immortal was showing off a profound art, or the Dao Founder himself was teaching on the wall opposite him.

Zhang Sheng’s smile slowly disappeared into nothing. “What’s wrong? You’re acting like someone dares to covet Yuan’er’s spot.”

Sun Yu replied with a blank expression, “This is the unified exam, junior brother. Countless people are keeping a close eye on it. I’m afraid I can’t bend the rules and regulations to favor anyone in particular.”

“Bend the rules and regulations? I reported this to the Palace a month ago, and it was the founder of my Skyblue Hall, Xuan Yue himself who bestowed this spot upon Yuan’er. It belongs to no one but him. What rules and regulations are we bending, pray tell?”

Sun Yu gritted his teeth and made up his mind. “I’ll be frank with you, okay? The Palace originally allocated two spots to recruit the Chosen Ones. However, there were so many contenders that two spots simply weren’t enough to satisfy everyone. So, some of them decided to set their sights on the Skyblue Hall’s exclusive spot. Several aristocratic families joined hands and pressured the Palace demanding that all of the spots be filled via fair, merit-based competition, no private allocations allowed.

“The fact is, that is how it should have been according to the rules and regulations. In the end, the Palace had no choice but to open all three spots for fairness sake.”

“Their appetites just keep growing without end. To think they would dare to covet what belongs to the Skyblue Hall…”

Something sharp slowly took form in Zhang Sheng’s eyes as he asked in a cold voice, “How many families are competing for these spots?”

“As far as I’m aware, there are five disciples whose abilities and prep are on even footing. It is impossible to say who is better than the other.”

At this point, Zhang Sheng understood Sun Yu perfectly. At least five aristocratic families were vying for the three spots offered by the Palace of Absolute Beginning. Not only were they all evenly matched, they possessed the means to be underhanded so to speak. The only way to ensure a fair contest between them was to eliminate the possibility of any and all underhanded tactics from the get go.

Noticing his junior brother’s complexion, the Daoist hurriedly added, “Trueman Fen Hai ordered me to pass on this message, by the way: ‘Stay in line and let nature take its course’.”

Zhang Sheng’s face remained as blank as a canvas.

Sun Yu gritted his teeth and said in a hushed voice, “Your disciple is very young. He would only be eleven even if he waits another five years. When the next exam happens, we’ll find a way to set him up for a commandery with an available spot. If they could rediscover their ‘blood relatives’, then why not us?

“One more thing. The Truemen are all incredibly delighted by your return. In fact, they’re so happy that they appointed you as one of the seven examiners in the upcoming unified exam. With this position, your disciple is almost certainly going to get his spot next time.”

Sun Yu handed him a palm-sized jade plaque while saying this. Images of immortal mountains and auspicious beasts were engraved on its surface, and the word “Examiner” was inscribed at its center. The strokes clearly radiated an aura of Dao energy.

According to the rules and regulations of the unified exam, the position of examiner held paramount importance. They possessed the authority to adjust a candidate’s score within a certain range. Thus, securing the examiner role brought all kinds of overt and covert benefits.

First, all successful candidates would automatically regard their examiners as quasi-teachers. Their respective families would also seek to cultivate relationships with them. Second, the quantity and quality of the fortunes gathered in Fengyuan were at an unprecedented level. It was why the competition was fiercer than ever before. Without exaggeration, the sheer amount of aristocratic families present in Fengyuan right now rivaled that of the most renowned commanderies in the realm. Consequently, the weight of this position far exceeded the usual ones by tenfold, even a hundredfold.

If Zhang Sheng accepted this arrangement, then the clans currently fighting for the spots would owe him a small favor. The next time he arranged for Wei Yuan to be accepted by the Palace of Absolute Beginning, they would have to put in at least a bit of effort to see it happen. With the right manipulation, there was a sixty to seventy percent chance that the spot would go to his disciple.

He knew that this was their compensation for taking the Skyblue Hall’s exclusive spot.

Zhang Sheng’s eyes grew darker and darker. He said slowly, “Yuan’er is a bearer of fortune. How can he possibly afford to wait five years? If the fortune disappears, then his Dao path would be severed just like that. The path to immortality is difficult, and every minute counts. This is a battle of Dao, and his very future is at stake here. As his master, it is only natural that I stand in front of him and shield him from the storms! Since these people have such big appetites, then I shall test their skills myself!”

“Junior Brother…”

Sun Yu wanted to say more, but Zhang Sheng stopped him with a raised hand. He rose to his feet and paced back and forth around the hall for some time before finally, he came to a halt. While fixing his senior brother with a clear gaze, he asked, “You are the overseer of this unified exam, am I right, Senior Brother?”

The Daoist nodded. “Yes, but just to be clear, I am merely managing the mundane affairs.”

“Does the Palace of Absolute Beginning have other examiners?”

“There is one other person. He is Senior Brother Fu Feng of the Heavenly Mysteries Hall. Senior Brother Fu Feng is a fairly straightforward man. Although we rarely interact, he should lean toward our side during the deliberations.”

But Zhang Sheng shook his head and said, “Not necessarily.”

Sun Yu was surprised, but he caught onto his junior brother’s meaning immediately after. Unlike Zhang Sheng, Daoist Fu Feng was a biased examiner; one that favored the aristocratic families. Otherwise, they would never have allowed him to come into his position. Since Little Wei Yuan was plotting to “steal their lunch” so to speak, he naturally shared an antagonistic relationship with him.

Zhang Sheng reached out and said, “First, show me the list of participants of this exam.”

Aghast, the Daoist hurriedly argued, “B-but that’s against the rules and regulations! I…”

Zhang Sheng didn’t say anything. He simply looked at his senior brother quietly. The Daoist’s complexion changed several times under his clear, bright stare until finally, he gritted his teeth and growled, “They want fairness? They’ll get it absolutely! They’ve long since turned the rules and regulations into a sieve, so there is no need for us to be overly rigid either! Wait here for a moment, junior brother—I will fetch it at once!”

A few moments later, Sun Yu returned and handed Zhang Sheng a piece of jade paper. It contained the detailed information of every candidate participating in this exam. The scholar accepted the paper and went through it carefully.

For a time, all was silent in the hall. Sun Yu poured himself a cup of tea but spilled a few drops because his hand was shaking a little too hard. That said, he turned as steady as an old dog when the cup finally reached his lips.