Lee Zhi really knew that his chances of obtaining victory were slim, but to be honest, the outcome had been decided before the military test had begun. It wasn’t him, Lee Zhi, who lost to Bao Yun. It was Duke Hui’en who had lost to the Bao Clan. Even so, he refused to march north and engage the girl in a decisive battle. He clung to the sliver of hope and resolved to hold the southern front no matter what.

As he waited, the forty candidates Lee Zhi dispatched to hold the wings had all perished. Jiang Qun and Hsu Yu’s remaining forces combined didn’t even total up to twenty people at this point, but they still remembered Bao Yun’s order. Thus, they mustered their remaining numbers and charged the enemy’s main force instead of heading back to reorganize themselves.

Lee Zhi let out a deep sigh knowing that Bao Yun’s main force had to be on the way already. They should appear at any minute.

He knew he was going to lose, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to fight to the bitter end. He finally mobilized his main force to attack Jian Qun and Hsu Yu.

The outcome of this battle came as a surprise to no one. Lee Zhi’s main force was well-rested, whereas Jiang Qun and Hsu Yu’s remnant forces were few and weary. Like a wave that crashed against a rocky shore, they were shattered in the blink of an eye.

However, Bao Yun’s main force never showed up even after Jiang Qun and Hsu Yu themselves had dissolved into light.

Lee Zhi wasn’t expecting this outcome at all. His main force still numbered over fifty people, and Bao Yun was probably sitting at ninety or so. It was still a massive, almost insurmountable gap. However, Lee Zhi’s personal guard of thirty was perfectly intact. Moreover, the only subordinate capable of using a secret technique of fortune that he lost was his vanguard commander, Wang Fang, while Bao Yun had lost both Jiang Qun and Hsu Yu since she failed to follow up their assault in time. This meant that the actual gap between them was narrower than it should have been.

Lee Zhi was just about to dispatch a few men to find out what was going on when a scout emerged from a side forest. He practically ran up to the boy on all fours while yelling frantically, “Senior Brother Lee! The blue team’s main force is routed! Bao Yun herself was killed in action!”

His first thought was that his scout was talking horseshit. Who else beside him stood a chance at eliminating Bao Yun?

The scout was gasping for breath, but he still forced himself to give a full report, “Some guy rode a boar and wiped out the blue team. I swear it’s real; I saw it with my own eyes! But—”

Lee Zhi didn’t hear the “but” or whatever came after it. After all, that was the best news he had ever heard in this martial test!

He was still shaking with joy when suddenly, the ground beneath him shook a little, and a massive silhouette leisurely emerged from the horizon. Lee Zhi was apprehensive at first, but he let out a sigh of relief when he noticed that the person riding the creature was wearing yellow. It wasn’t just him either. Arrogance replaced the fear and nervousness that were previously present on the faces of the boys standing beside him.

“Who’s this guy?” Someone asked.

Hands clasped behind his back, a boy declared arrogantly, “Who cares? Since he’s wearing yellow, he must be one of our—excuse me, I mean, Junior Brother Lee’s. I wonder where he got this massive boar? In any case, I can see why he managed to eke out a win against Bao Yun. This is a great merit. I believe we can reward him with a spot in a blessed land. Bring him over!”

Another youngster replied, “You really should fix your easygoing nature, Senior Brother Cui. I bet you that that big oaf is a filthy peasant, and a spot in the Scarlet Tide Sect is the highest we can afford such a person. Any higher than that, and someone would inevitably claim that we do not know how to dish out rewards or punishments appropriately.”

The boy with the surname Cui nodded. “As usual, you’ve thought of everything, Brother Wang.”

The two boys kept talking as if Lee Zhi didn’t exist. Irritation and anger flashed in his eyes, but he didn’t allow his emotions to show on his face. He kept his attention on the newcomer and observed them closely.

The one thing he was certain about was that this person wasn’t one of the men he recruited. It wouldn’t have mattered even if he was. Disregarding their impudence, Cui and Wang’s assessment was right. This was an easy matter to settle as long as the newcomer belonged to the yellow team. As the leader of the yellow team, their victory would naturally earn him the greatest merit. To put it bluntly, it didn’t matter how many kills an individual obtained because their merit would ultimately fall into his pockets. Of course, he would have to share them with the select few standing beside him. After all, even the lousiest among them was reserved a spot in a grotto-heaven.

As for the warriors who actually fought and bled on the battlefield, they would realize only at the very end that their score was way lower than it should have been.

Lee Zhi’s eyes twitched involuntarily when he saw just how big the boar really was. He was beginning to understand why Bao Yun had lost. If he was the one being charged at by this animal, even he, the possessor of a secret technique of fortune, didn’t dare to claim that he would always emerge as the victor.

When Wei Yuan was close enough, Lee Zhi looked down on him from a tall hill and called out, “Greetings, Senior Brother. I am Lee Zhi, the leader of the yellow team. May I know your name?”

Underneath his helmet, Wei Yuan frowned slightly. It was one thing for those recruited to acknowledge Lee Zhi as their leader, but did that mean even someone like himself—someone who had been explicitly excluded from recruitment—would ultimately have to submit to his authority as well? What kind of bullshit was that?

He wasn't stupid. History books were full of examples where subordinates fought bloody battles only to have all the credit go to their commanders. Just now, Lee Zhi had named himself the leader of the yellow team. If he acknowledged it, wouldn’t his credit for destroying the blue team singlehandedly go to the boy?

Having studied under Zhang Sheng for so long, Wei Yuan came to deeply despise those petty individuals who exploited their birthright or schemed to usurp others’ achievements. In fact, he loathed the former more than the latter. After all, a schemer ultimately relied on their cunning to succeed. Despicable it might be, their wealth and status weren’t entirely underserved. On the other hand, those who seized what wasn’t theirs through birthright needed only to be born into the right family.

Thus, Lee Zhi acting like he was his superior and welcoming a capable underling deeply annoyed Wei Yuan to say the least. The pretentious boy just couldn’t see it because his visor was blocking the view.

Inside the examiner hall, the Old Confucianist was stroking his beard and smiling. He believed that Lee Zhi had made a wise move. On the other hand, the younger cultivator was wearing an expression of fury. He only wished he could possess Wei Yuan and give Lee Zhi the scolding of his life.

Back in the illusory realm, Wei Yuan didn’t respond immediately to Lee Zhi’s greeting. But before the latter could get angry, the boys and girls led by Cui and Wang flew into a rage first.

Every single one of their backgrounds was at least as good as Lee Zhi’s. Cui and Wang’s backgrounds especially were better than his. The only reason they let him become their leader and commander was because they were aware that their natural talent and knowledge were inferior to his. They only obeyed him inside the battlefield, however. Outside of it, even he had to treat them with due respect. The two boys, Cui and Wang, especially were used to being above everything. They couldn’t stand anyone condescending them, much less one coming from a peasant.

Fiery light burst out of Wang’s body as he crossed ten zhang in one leap and landed in front of the boar. He then pointed a finger at Wei Yuan’s nose and yelled, “Where are you from, peasant? You should be kneeling and greeting us respectfully!”

Wei Yuan finally lowered his head and looked at the boy. At that moment, Wang felt like someone had just poured a bucket of ice water over his head, freezing him in place!

As their fortunes mingled, Wei Yuan realized that the youngster wasn’t just slow. He was as fragile as a newborn egg with a soft, somewhat warm shell. He only needed to apply a bit of strength to squish the yolk out of him.

There was no point in listening to the youngster’s barks, so he simply raised and lowered his spear. White light rose into the sky the next moment.

Zhang Sheng had ordered him to crush all opposition, not chat with them.

For a few moments, the boys and girls surrounding Lee Zhi could not believe their eyes. The self-proclaimed leader especially was shaking with fury. He was the leader of the yellow team, but not only did he refuse to heed his order, he even attacked one of his own!

Cui was enraged by the murder of his companion, so he leaped into the air and burst into colorful flames. While dragging a rainbow-colored trail of light behind him, he thrust his sword straight at Wei Yuan!

Wei Yuan didn’t make any wasteful movements. He simply raised his spear and waited. Like a rainbow-colored meteor, Cui slammed head first into the spearhead and dissolved into light. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

His desire to talk only lessened further after killing two teammates in a row. As if on cue, the boar exhaled thick puffs of steam from its nostrils and growled like thunder. It had grown a little in size as well.

Lee Zhi blanched. It was explicitly stated that killing a teammate would cause one’s score to be deducted, and the peasant had just killed two. There was no way he would stop here. Heck, he wouldn’t stop if he was in his shoes. After all, any straggler he left alive would potentially get a better score than him.

Wei Yuan pointed his spear forward, and the boar immediately picked up on his intentions. Its eyes grew dark red, and it spat out two puffs of thick, hot steams that shrouded its figure. The next moment, the hill-sized boar and the reaper sitting on its back charged toward the yellow team’s military formation as one!

Lee Zhi unsheathed his sword and yelled, “Form up and face the enemy!”

Although he knew that the average, fortuneless person stood no chance against the hill-sized boar whatsoever, he only needed them to buy a bit of time. That would be sufficient.

As soon as the command was given, his prided elites, all thirty of them, immediately scattered in every direction. Not a single boy or girl had held their ground.

Stunned and furious, Lee Zhi scanned his flanks and noticed that everyone else had escaped as well. The girl carrying the pill tray was the one who ran the fastest and farthest of them all. She hadn’t left behind even a single pill for him.

No one here was stupid. This living reaper had killed anyone he faced in one hit, and he hadn’t spoken a single word since he showed up. It was clear that he could not be reasoned with. And if he could not be reasoned with, then their greatest tactics—showing off their background and using their connections to their advantage—were useless. Thus, when should they run if not now? As if they actually wanted to die for Lee Zhi. At the very least, Duke Hui’en’s favor wasn’t worth that much.

In the blink of an eye, Lee Zhi found himself completely alone. His army had fled faster than even the wild boar charging toward him. At that moment, he was overcome by a profound sense of desolation—as if his grand ambitions had vanished into thin air. Just moments before, he was surrounded by trusted generals and loyal retainers. Now, he was standing utterly alone against a mortal foe. Truly, nothing in this world changed more swiftly than human affairs.

As the darkness closed in, and the wind howled in his ears, Lee Zhi abandoned any thought of flight. He resolved to face his own death with dignity.

As if responding to his sorrow, his Chapter of Departure came to life, and a massive golden pillar shot into the sky!

Wei Yuan didn’t pause for even an instant. He swung his spear and brought it down right on top of Lee Zhi’s head, shattering the golden pillar. He then leaped into the air and landed gently on the hilltop.

The boar kept running forward, but not because Wei Yuan had commanded it to do so. There was a sword stuck all the way to the hilt in its chest. It kept running for a couple dozen meters or so before finally, inevitably, it collapsed to its feet and let out a mournful wail. It began rapidly shrinking while a wisp of black qi flew out of its body and returned to Wei Yuan.

Lee Zhi heard a heavy thud beside him. He knew that his mortal foe had landed right next to him. However, he was so severely injured that even getting up was a supremely difficult task. Suddenly, he recalled that the examiners were watching all this happening from the sky, not to mention the higher-ups watching from an even higher place. Thus, he sucked in a deep breath and readied himself to sing a poem to declare his will.

Unfortunately for him, Wei Yuan didn’t wait. The spear went up and down, and white light rose into the sky.

Throughout his three years of study, there wasn’t a day that went by that he didn’t spend memorizing the books. Because of this, he loathed nothing more than dying people singing poems during their last moments. They were extra homework he never asked for and could have skipped if they had just died quietly.

Standing on the hilltop, Wei Yuan looked around and confirmed that dozens of yellow groups were scattering in every direction. He had to compliment their wisdom and adaptability. At the very least, they hadn’t stuck together or stayed behind to watch him kill Lee Zhi.

Of course, he wasn’t going to let them live. A boar immediately ran out of the distant forest straight toward Wei Yuan.

The boar leaped into the air, but a bell chime resounded throughout the illusory realm before it could join the wisp of black qi he sent its way.

In the end, the boar wasn’t destined with Wei Yuan[1].

The martial test was over.

1. Keep this line in mind, for it holds more meaning than you know. ☜