Above the plaza, a Water Mirror hung high, clearly reflecting the various changes within the Spirit Realm.
"Not bad. A few of them have already seen through the true purpose."
Judge Li watched the agile students on the screen as they rampaged through the Demon Beasts. He nodded slightly, a rare hint of satisfaction appearing on his perpetually stern face.
"These three rounds of the assessment are interlinked. Not a single one can be omitted."
"If anyone thinks they can slack off in this second round to conserve their strength, believing that everything will be fine as long as they survive until the third round, they are completely and utterly mistaken."
Beside him, Vice Dean Lu Hex stroked his long beard and agreed, "That’s precisely it. Upper Grade Dharma Artifacts are excellent, but for these kids who are only in the Early-stage of Qi Cultivation, they are ultimately a bit beyond their current level."
"With their meager Cultivation, trying to activate an Upper Grade Dharma Artifact is, at best, just for show. Not only is the consumption of energy massive, but it’s also incredibly difficult to unleash the artifact’s true power."
Lu Hex pointed to Chu Bai’s fluid and seamless suppression technique on the screen and lamented, "Take Chu Bai, for example. If he hadn’t hunted a few Demon Beasts earlier and accumulated a body full of Evil Qi, he would have likely been drained of Spiritual Power trying to suppress that herd of Iron Armor Pigs so easily."
"The amplification from Evil Qi not only strengthens the body and Magic Techniques, but it also serves as a ’bridge’ for these Low-Tier Cultivators to wield High-Tier Dharma Artifacts."
"Those who gained an advantage in the first round and obtained an Upper Grade Dharma Artifact must risk it all in this round to hunt enough Demon Beasts and accumulate sufficient Evil Qi. Only then can they truly unleash the sharpness of their Divine Weapons in the third round’s arena battles!"
"Therefore, they must give their all in every round, with no room for slacking."
At this point, Lu Hex paused. He turned to Judge Li beside him, his eyes filled with a bit of confusion and hesitation. "It’s just... there is one thing I don’t understand."
"We designed these three rounds of assessment together, but the rule for the second round—’no limits on methods, no limits on cooperation’—was single-handedly decided by you, Lord Li."
"Lord Judge, why not place restrictions on this?"
Lu Hex’s worries were not unfounded.
The Daoist School had always been a place that sought talent, and its students came from all walks of life.
There were Noble Family Descendants from Dayuan Prefecture itself, as well as Lower-class Youths from the surrounding counties. Normally, there was already some distance and friction between the two groups due to issues like background and resources.
If regular assessments were unrestricted, it would be easy for small cliques led by the Noble Family Descendants to form, suppressing and marginalizing the scholars from humble backgrounds. Sooner or later, they would split into two factions.
This would not only violate the Daoist School’s founding principle of "teaching all without discrimination," but it would also intensify the antagonism among the students.
Furthermore...
"If in this second round, some people form cliques and gather their collective strength to gang up on the truly strong contenders..."
Lu Hex’s brow furrowed, his tone tinged with worry. "And that leads to prodigies like Ji Li and Chu Bai being unexpectedly eliminated because they were ganged up on, or allows those mediocrities who only know how to cling to the strong to slip into the next round..."
"With such an outcome, how could anyone be convinced of its fairness? And how could we select the true pillars of the future?"
Hearing this, Judge Li’s expression remained unchanged. Instead, he gave a meaningful smile.
"Dean Lu, you are too focused on appearances."
He turned, his gaze profound as he looked down upon the teeming masses below, and said slowly, "The examination for Immortal Officials was never about selecting the single, flawless, strongest individual, nor is it about ranking the Daoist School."
"It is about selecting—the most suitable person."
"And what is ’suitable’?"
Judge Li extended a finger and tapped gently at the empty air. "This world is a complex place. To navigate it, one must face not only demons and monsters, but also the treacherousness of the human heart."
"Being adept at social maneuvering, able to form cliques, knowing how to use Borrowing Force to Strike... are these not also skills for survival in the official court and in the Cultivation Realm?"
"If they are unlucky and get eliminated early..." Judge Li’s tone was indifferent, as if he were discussing a trivial matter. "Then so be it. If they lack even this bit of luck and the ability to handle a crisis, they would only end up dead if they were to face a true catastrophe in the future."
Hearing this, Lu Hex’s brow furrowed even tighter.
Those words were cruel, but they held a certain logic. It was just...
His gaze couldn’t help but drift to the few proud, solitary figures in the Water Mirror.
Take someone like Chu Bai. Although his combat power was astonishing, he had only been at the school for a year. His foundation was still shallow, and he wasn’t familiar with the third-year veterans. No one would team up with him.
Then there was Ji Li, a person so proud and arrogant, who had always been a lone wolf.
Under these rules, the solitary nature of these mavericks had become a natural disadvantage when it came to interpersonal relationships.
What if they were to be targeted by an organized group of mediocrities...
Seeing Lu Hex’s worried expression, Judge Li laughed heartily, patted his shoulder, and reassured him, "Don’t worry, Dean Lu."
"Since we established the Evil Qi amplification component, we’ve already provided the strong with a way to ’break the game.’"
He pointed to the young man on the screen, who had just slaughtered the entire pig herd and was now wreathed in Evil Qi like a Demon God, a sharp glint in his eyes:
"In the face of absolute power, numbers are meaningless."
"As long as an individual is strong enough, kills enough demons, and has their power amplified fiercely enough by Evil Qi... even a coalition of ten or a hundred people would be nothing but clay chickens and pottery dogs, crumbling at the first touch."
"The way I see it, the strongest group will still maintain their lead in this round."
"This is true survival of the fittest."
「At the foot of the mountain, behind a relatively hidden thicket of bushes.」
Three students dressed in the Daoist School uniform were gathered together, talking in low voices.
They weren’t among the top prodigies of the Daoist School. On a normal day, they ranked about average. If they were to fight alone against the Evil Qi Demon Beasts that often moved in packs, they would feel utterly overwhelmed.

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