The method used during the aptitude test was a part of the exam. It was extremely easy to grasp and did not require any prior learning whatsoever. One could practice it simply by following the instructions. Its instructions had only been modified three times in the past couple centuries, and not at all in the past century.

As he practiced the method, Wei Yuan sensed the praying mat and the two censers beside him slowly becoming one with him. The praying mat created a cool, continuous tendrils of coolness that seeped into his body and caused two intangible substances to take visible forms.

As for the censers, their function was to draw in the two intangible substances. They were separate existences, overlapping yet clearly distinct. As he continued to practice the method, the censers’ pull intensified and formed two channels that gradually drew wisps of the two intangible substances into themselves.

The censer to the left drew his foundation, and the censer to the right drew his fortune. Wei Yuan’s foundation was more or less normal, but his fortune was a different story. Like an iceberg that was slowly rising out of the sea, it just kept growing bigger and bigger without showing any sign of stopping whatsoever. In just the blink of an eye, the fortune had swelled beyond the boundaries of his physical body and even formed a connection with the unseen depths of the unknown.

Wei Yuan had no idea what was going to happen in the test. He just assumed that this was normal and kept practicing the method.

Over time, the fortune in his body began to reveal just how vast and heavy it really was. In fact, the channel conducting his fortune was beginning to feel too small for it to pass through smoothly. Wei Yuan could sense this, but he wasn’t taught what to do in this situation. Thus, he could only practice the method with all his might.

He felt like he was physically lifting a small hill and pushing it into the channel little by little. However, the weight on his shoulders only increased as time passed. It even got to the point where the channel conducting his foundation was affected slightly.

While Wei Yuan was practicing the method with everything he got, a commotion had broken out in the hall above his head. In the examiner’s eyes, the light pillar representing Wei Yuan’s foundation was gradually rising. It was scarlet in color and already slowing down as soon as it passed the seven chi mark. It was definitely an above average foundation, but it wasn’t anything particularly noteworthy.

The light pillar representing his fortune was a different story, however. It was as thick as a basin and exceeded the nine chi mark in just the blink of an eye. It was still rising as well.

Wei Yuan’s pillar of light appeared as a pale gray hue. Though exceptionally tall and thick, its essence was unusually sparse. The six examiners had to strain their senses to the utmost degree just to barely perceive its presence. Were it not for the light pillar, those who were less attuned to their senses might have mistaken it for an empty void.

Every once in a while, a wisp of black qi would seep out of the censer beside Wei Yuan and merge into the light pillar representing his fortune, increasing its size. However, its composition remained as thin as ever.

None of the examiners had ever seen such a fortune in their lives. They were still exchanging glances with each other when Wei Yuan’s fortune finally exceeded one zhang. This meant that yet another Superior-grade child had emerged.

The middle-aged Confucianist looked at the Daoist and asked, “Daoist Fu Feng, this matter concerns the Palace. How should we handle this?”

Out of the corner of his eye, Daoist Fu Feng seemingly unconsciously glanced at the empty seat in the hall and replied in an impassive voice, “Impartially.”

The middle-aged Confucianist nodded. “As it should be.” 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Since the Daoist put it this way, everyone else knew what to do. They settled down and looked at the disciples once more. Strangely, both of Wei Yuan’s light pillars were still growing while everyone else’s had stopped a long time ago.

Thang!

An ancient, lingering bell echoed in the air, and Wei Yuan trembled as his connection to the praying mat and the censers were severed. The intangible substances he had yet to transfer over gradually dissipated as well. He didn’t think much about it, assuming that this was simply how things were meant to be. He rose to his feet and hurried out of the hall at the urging of the supervising Daoist.

When Wei Yuan got to his feet and left, the light pillar representing his foundation was seven chi and nine cun, whereas the light pillar presenting his fortune was one zhang and one chi.

The next batch of candidates entered the hall, and the aptitude test began once more. The bell had just rung when a pair of jade-colored light pillars shot into the air!

The two light pillars were so dense they almost looked tangible. It was the complete opposite of Wei Yuan’s. If the boy’s light pillar was a column of smoke, then this candidate’s light pillar was a massive jade pillar.

The examiners looked down and found that the light pillars belonged to a lovely young girl. A lustrous glow covered her cute little face as she practiced the method, and a massive god-devil lurked within each pillar.

The examiners recognized her as soon as they saw her face. Oh, it’s Miss Bao of the Bao Clan.

There was nothing to say about this batch, what with both of the girl’s light pillars racing toward the one zhang mark. To say that she left her competitors in the dust would be an understatement.

It was at this moment the younger cultivator who looked to be in his twenties broke the silence, “I believe there is no need to discuss Miss Bao’s evaluation, but the boy in the previous batch... that is a different story.”

He threw a glance at Daoist Fu Feng, but the man still remained silent. So, he said smilingly, “It looks like Daoist Fu Feng would like to remain impartial. Let’s discuss this among ourselves then!”

Liu Sigu, the old Confucianist, recalled Wei Yuan’s conspicuous pillars of light. Normally speaking, the boy should be scored even higher than Lee Zhi’s. However, for whatever reason, the sight of the fortune left him with a strange sense of disgust. That feeling had only grown now he had had time to think about it.

Miss Bao was both extraordinarily talented and famous. No one was surprised that she would surpass Lee Zhi in the aptitude test. But who was this Wei Yuan? How dare a nobody overshadow the top scorer preordained by the academies themselves!

The old Confucianist went through the list in his head one time and confirmed that Wei Yuan was definitely not on it. His mind made up, he stroked his beard and declared with a straight face, “This boy possesses decent foundation and fortune, but their compositions are hollow and insubstantial. Not a shred of righteousness could be found in his fortune either. If left to grow unattended, he would likely become a rebel in the future.”

The younger cultivator’s eyebrows knitted a little. “Not once since the olden days have we ever graded a person’s foundation and fortune based on their composition, much less your so-called righteousness. Don’t you think your words are a little too biased, Elder Liu?”

The rest of the examiners had to nod in agreement. Since ancient times, the sects only cared if their disciples were empowered by fortune. If they were, then it was a good thing. Who cared if it was righteous or wicked?

The old Confucianist did not try to argue against his logic. “This is my personal opinion. You do not need to follow my example.”

He then ignored the others and picked up his brush. The grade he wrote on his score sheet was: Earth-C, 20!

The other five examiners had to hide their astonishment. By giving such a score, Liu Sigu clearly intended to push the boy all the way down to the range for blessed lands. He wasn’t even going to give him the chance to enter a grotto-heaven.

A glint flickered in Daoist Fu Feng’s eyes. He said slowly, “Don’t you think that your grading is a little too biased, Elder Liu?”

The old Confucianist looked right back at him fearlessly. “This particular Fengyuan unified exam carries immense significance, and the responsibility on our shoulders is heavy to say the least. Is there anyone here who isn’t carrying out their duties like they are treading on thin ice? I heard that a certain fellow from your Palace went missing for six years, but as soon as he returned, he was given the position of examiner. What an extraordinary favor that is! But where is he right now? Does he hold us in any regard? Does he hold the Immortal Sect Unified Examination in any regard?”

The Daoist threw a glance at the empty seat and grunted. He said nothing more.

It was at this moment the middle-aged Confucianist stepped in to play the mediator. “Elder Liu is a forthright man who speaks his mind bluntly, so please don’t take it personally, Dao Brother Fu Feng. That said, it is true that everyone here bears a certain amount of responsibilities on our shoulders, unlike a certain fellow. He and we are ultimately not the same. If he doesn’t wish to show up, then so be it.

“I’m sure you all know how important this unified exam is for Duke Hui’en’s son. If Miss Bao insists on competing against him, then our merits will speak for themselves. If we lose, then we will accept this outcome without complaint. But outside of that... it would be best to avoid any unexpected complications, don’t you agree?”

At this point, it could not be any clearer to the other examiners that the reason the old Confucianist went so far was because he was wary of Wei Yuan. He was afraid that the boy would pose an additional threat against Lee Zhi. Not only that, the middle-aged Confucianist basically admitted that the Four Sages Academies intended to build momentum for him by making him the top scorer of the unified exam. If the boy truly clinched first place, then he could ride the momentum to new heights, and his cultivation path from hereon out would be smooth-sailing.

Daoist Fu Feng’s face was perfectly blank. It was impossible to say what he was thinking. However, the other examiners expected this attitude and knew that he wouldn’t actually get in their way. After all, he had his own duties to attend to. If Wei Yuan actually claimed the top spot, Lee Zhi would only suffer a minor setback in his cultivation journey, but the three spots offered by the Palace of Absolute Beginning would decrease by one. The Daoist would be in big trouble then.

The quota to join an immortal sect had been divvied up a long time ago, and not even a Chosen One was an exception to the rule, not unless someone asked to free up an extra spot for them like the Buddhist monk would soon do for Duan Yusheng. If they botched this, the aristocratic families behind the scenes were going to be furious to put it mildly. Although their position held great authority, how it should be wielded wasn’t entirely within their control.

Daoist Fu Feng pondered for a moment before finally saying, “How you two assess a candidate is none of this poor Daoist’s business, but Junior Brother Zhang is not one to be trifled with, and the dignity of the Palace of Absolute Beginning must not be violated. Should you two show contempt against the Palace, then this poor Daoist will have no choice but to witness the supreme arts of the Four Sages Academies for myself.”

Sensing that the atmosphere was off, the middle-aged Confucianist cupped his hands in obeisance and said smilingly, “Calm down, Dao Brother! The Palace of Absolute Beginning is one thing, and your fellow is another. Of course we hold the Palace of Absolute Beginning in the highest regard, and let’s be honest, whatever assessment Elder Liu gives Wei Yuan will not affect the Palace’s overall interests whatsoever. But Junior Brother Zhang—and I’m going to pretend that he isn’t just another Dao Foundation cultivator like us—can we really show favoritism even if he is an Avatar Trueman? We cannot, can we? If we try, the consequences will be severe to put it lightly.”

At this point, it was made abundantly clear that the two Confucianists from the academies merely wished to suppress Wei Yuan. They had no intention of interfering in the internal competition happening within the Palace of Absolute Beginning, and they would not interfere with Daoist Fu Feng’s business in any way. As for Wei Yuan’s master, the guy was just a Dao Foundation cultivator. Everyone here was a Dao Foundation cultivator, in fact. No one was that much better than the other.

Liu Sigu wasn’t afraid in the first place. He simply stated, “I never take back my words once I’ve put them on the paper!”

The middle-aged Confucianist shook his head smilingly. “Very well. As Elder Liu abhors evil practices and cherishes his reputation, I shall bear the dishonor of slyness in his stead!”

He raised his brush and put down his assessment. It stated: Heaven-C, 25.

Every examiner called him a sly fox in their head then. He made it sound like he would be lenient toward Wei Yuan where his colleague was not, when in reality it was the opposite. Heaven-C was the old classification and was included here solely for reference and a gesture of respect for old practices. The actual determining factor was the score behind it.

25 seemed like a much higher score than Liu Sigu’s 20, but it was really a hair away from the benchmark to enter a grotto-heaven. For two of the six examiners to give Wei Yuan a low score meant that it would be extremely difficult for him to enter a grotto-heaven at this point, much less anything higher.

In fact, suffering such a massive setback in the aptitude test meant that it would be nearly impossible for him to overturn his fate.

A new batch of candidates were taking their test, so the examiners stopped arguing and put down their assessment. A line of text appeared on the stone tablet after that, and it stated:

Wei Yuan, Earth-A, 30.

The old Confucianist’s complexion grew a little ugly when he saw this. He immediately glared at the other examiners hoping to find some sort of clue from their faces and identify who was—or were—the bastards who just had to contradict his will. But of course, he failed. Everyone who became an examiner was a sly old fox. There was simply no way he was going to find out their thoughts from their faces.