Out of everything that was mentioned in the rulebook, the section that Wei Yuan paid the most attention to was the martial test. After all, it was something Zhang Sheng had never mentioned before.

The martial test gathered all candidates inside a grotto-heaven illusory realm and separated them into two teams at random. The two teams would occupy a base each and attack each other. Annihilating the enemy counted as a win, taking and successfully holding the enemy’s base also counted as a win.

Despite having read every word under the section, there were still many things Wei Yuan were confused about. How were they going to decide everyone’s roles and responsibilities after the two teams were decided? Who would command them? How were they going to familiarize oneself or cooperate with each other? Would the examiners be distributing weapons? If so, would the equipment be allocated in a reasonable fashion? So on and so forth.

Wei Yuan had studied numerous historical accounts of actual battles and the basics of military strategies, but there were simply too many unknown variables to make any meaningful predictions.

Wei Yuan pondered about this for a long time. In the end, he concluded that he could only improvise as the situation dictated. The score was tallied based on the number of eliminated enemies, so he would simply take down as many as he could. Having personally fought and killed a refugee at the age of three, he certainly feared no battle.

It was at this moment a soft knock came from the door. He opened the door to find several youngsters standing outside. The young man at the center of the group was of a handsome countenance and wore a luxurious blue outfit. He was only slightly shorter than Wei Yuan. Judging by Ye County’s standards, the young man was probably eleven or twelve years old.

Every one of these youngsters radiated an air of nobility from their very brows. Some of them wore looks of contempt when they saw his tall stature and his coarse garments.

The youngster at the center perked up when he noticed how big and tall Wei Yuan was, however. He asked, “I am Lee Zhi, eldest son of Duke Hui’en of Southern Qi. How should I address you, Senior Brother?”

Wei Yan was slightly surprised. He knew at first glance that the youngster was a noble, but it still surprised him to hear that he was the son of a duke of Southern Qi. Although he had no idea who Duke Hui’en was, he was familiar with the bureaucratic system of all countries. Duke Hui’en (Duke of Favor and Grace) wasn’t just a duke, he was a member of the imperial clan as well. On top of that, Southern Qi was currently at the height of its power and had recently bested Ji in a dominant fashion in several battles.

Wei Yuan just had one question though. Why had the son of a duke of Southern Qi purposely traveled all the way to Fengyuan of Ji just to take part in the exam?

In any case, he recalled the younger Daoist’s instruction and replied, “I’m truly sorry, but the Daoist who escorted me here warned me not to reveal my identity and name.”

A youngster beside Lee Zhi scoffed instantly. “As if the rules and regulations apply to us! Anyway, if Senior Brother Lee comes looking for you, that means that your opportunity has arrived! If you don’t seize it, then it may fall into another’s hands. You look older than us, so how is it that you don’t understand something so simple? You’re not a Fengyuan native, are you? Haha!”

Another youngster quipped, “Judging from his clothes, he might actually be one. The natives we spoke to earlier wore rags as well.”

Wei Yuan didn’t say anything to that.

Lee Zhi didn’t reprimand the two youngsters, but he did not join in on their jeering either. Instead, he looked into the room and saw the booklet on the table. He said smilingly, “You are quite the hard worker, aren’t you, Senior Brother? Alas, everything mentioned in the rulebook is rubbish. Anyway, I dislike beating around the bush, so I’m just going to give it to you straight. The reason I’m paying you a visit is to discuss the martial test.”

The martial test? Wei Yuan’s interest was piqued, and he said, “Do tell.”

The response invigorated Lee Zhi, and he launched into a lengthy explanation, “The martial test is really a test of one’s ability to rally strength. Looking at the rulebook, it seems that everyone is rated based on their individual performance. The victors might not necessarily earn a higher rating, and vice versa. But if you really think about it, you would understand that there is no way the losers would actually get a good rating, no matter how exceptional their individual performance might be. Therefore, the key to securing victory in the martial test is before the actual test takes place.”

Wei Yuan hadn’t thought about this at all. He paid close attention to every word.

Lee Zhi continued, “Why did they gather us in the dormitories but don’t forbid us from meeting each other? It’s to allow us the time to communicate and organize ourselves, define the roles and hierarchies, so on and so forth. For this martial test, I plan to operate under military protocols. Positions such as general, guerrilla commander, vanguard commander and more will be pre-assigned, whereas everyone else will be serving as soldiers. As soon as the martial test begins, we will assemble and act strictly by military orders. All commands will be obeyed without questions.

“Only by doing things this way can we plan thoroughly before we act; operate with the precision of an arm moving its finger! When the time comes, the enemy’s disorganized rabble would have to go up against our elite forces. How can we not triumph under such favorable conditions?”

Once he was done explaining, Lee Zhi looked Wei Yuan up and down and added smilingly, “I can tell at first glance that you are made for the vanguard commander position! If we win the martial test, I will secure you a spot in a third-rate sect; a blessed land. If your merit is exceptional, I can even get you a spot in a second-rate sect; a grotto-heaven. So, what do you say, Senior Brother?”

Wei Yuan was taken aback. A spot in a blessed land or a grotto-heaven was precious to say the least, but to Lee Zhi, it was something he could give away without a thought.

He recalled his conversation with his father prior to his departure. Wei Youchai’s highest expectation was for him to join the Scarlet Tide Sect, officially embark on the journey of an immortal, and live a couple decades longer than your average human being. However, Lee Zhi seemed to think that a spot in the Scarlet Tide Sect was so petty that it would be an insult to mention it as a gift.

Wei Yuan was still young, so he couldn’t explain why he was feeling uncomfortable. However, he still had questions, and Lee Zhi was willing to answer them, so he kept talking, “If I accept your offer, but it turns out that we are standing on opposite sides, then what is the solution?”

Lee Zhi broke into a smile when he heard this. “You haven’t wasted your years, that’s for sure. That is a good question, Senior Brother. Who will end up in which team is entirely up to the great ones to decide. I do not know which team I’ll end up in either. If it so happens that you and I are on opposite sides, then you simply need to turn against your team at a critical moment. Even if your rating will suffer, your allies would definitely get a worse rating. If anything, doing so will help you boost your final rank.

“If I am wrong, and you are rated poorly in the martial test, then I’ll offer you additional compensation for your loss—at the very least, you’ll be guaranteed a spot in a third-rate blessed land. With all that said, can you tell me your name now, Senior Brother?”

Wei Yuan shook his head and replied, “The rules and regulations state clearly that it is forbidden to reveal one’s identity or name before the exam.”

Lee Zhi’s smile froze on his face. He tried forcing out another smile and said, “rules and regulations are chains to the average person, but it is the whip and spur in our hands. If you come under me, then you do not need to care about the rules and regulations either.”

“If there is nothing else, then I’m going to keep studying the rulebook, Senior Brother Lee.”

Wei Yuan gave Lee Zhi a hand wave, stepped back into his room, and closed the door just like that.

The youngsters accompanying Lee Zhi could not stand such disrespect as a matter of course. The self-possessed ones called him as a bumpkin who had eyes but could not recognize a true immortal[1]. The not-so-self-possessed ones cussed him out right there and then.

In their opinion, Wei Yuan was just an “old” native who should count his lucky stars if he managed to get into the Scarlet Tide Sect or a fourth-rate equivalent, and normally, not even the core disciple of a fourth-rate sect would have the right to speak with them at all, much less a new one. Despite this, Lee Zhi had still offered him a spot in a third-rate sect. No one had expected the bumpkin to dare to not accept this favor with many kowtows and words of gratitude, much less reject it!

Lee Zhi didn’t fly into a rage. He simply said calmly, “It’s fine. There will always be those who think themselves better than others. They will regret it when the final score comes out.”

Lee Zhi walked past Wei Yuan’s room and got ready to knock on the next door. However, the door opened on its own, and a young man wearing an obsequious smile hurriedly rushed out to meet him while saying, “I am Lü Duan of Yong Province... excuse me, I mean Fengyuan Commandery. I will follow you, Senior Brother!”

The door beside Lü Duan’s room opened to reveal a young girl. She bowed gracefully to Lee Zhi and said, “I am Wang Siqiao of Yan Province. I will join you, Senior Brother Lee[2].”

The next few doors also opened one after another, and many boys and girls rushed out to speak with him.

“Duan Qian will follow you, Senior Brother!”

“Cao Wan will fight by your side, Senior Brother!”

......

By now, a smile was blossoming on Lee Zhi’s face. After gently helping every boy and girl to their feet, he offered them promises and words of comfort with a voice as gentle as spring rain. Somehow, he had skillfully orchestrated a scene of harmonious rapport between a ruler and his subjects.

In his room, Wei Yuan resumed his reading of the rulebook.

Technically, the duke’s son wasn’t wrong when he said that the rules and regulations are chains to the average person, but whips and spurs in his hands. However, such a low level ruse wasn’t enough to deceive someone who had studied the history books extensively like him. Lee Zhi was the son of a duke, so he could afford to break the rules and regulations openly. But he, Wei Yuan, was just a nobody. If he revealed his name and identity to the duke’s son before the exam started, then the examiners could disqualify him on the spot. Thus, to do so was akin to putting his life in Lee Zhi’s hands.

History was riddled with countless such examples. Naturally, Wei Yuan would not be deceived.

1. A slight play on words on the idiom, “You have eyes, but you can’t see Mt. Tai. ☜

2. I find it very interesting how the author manages to portray an idiot and a bigger idiot in just two paragraphs. Lü Duan’s mistake is an idiotic mistake, but at least he said, “Yong Province”, which includes Fengyuan Commandery. Wang Siqiao doesn’t even hide that she’s from a completely different province! ☜