Longzang

Chapter 7 Recruitment
The part of the charter that Wei Yuan valued most was the martial arts test, something Zhang Sheng had never mentioned.

The martial arts test involves gathering all candidates in a magical, enchanted space and randomly dividing them into two teams to fight each other. Each team has a key location; victory is achieved by annihilating the enemy and capturing and holding the opponent's key location.

After reading the regulations, Wei Yuan still had many questions. For example, how would the two teams be divided during the martial arts test? Who would command them? How would the disciples get to know each other and cooperate? Would they be issued weapons, and would the equipment be appropriate? Although Wei Yuan had read many historical battle examples and studied some basic military strategy, there were too many unknowns to deduce anything.

Wei Yuan pondered repeatedly, realizing that the only option was to improvise during the exam. After all, the score was based on eliminating enemies, so he could eliminate as many as he could. Having personally fought and killed refugees since the age of three, Wei Yuan was naturally unafraid of battle.

At that moment, there was a soft knock on the door.

Wei Yuan opened the door and saw several teenagers standing outside. One of them, with delicate features and dressed in a blue robe, was only slightly shorter than Wei Yuan. By the standards of the Ye County mountains, this teenager should be about eleven or twelve years old.

These young men all exuded an air of noble bearing. Some people looked at Wei Yuan's tall stature and then at his coarse clothes, and their faces showed some disdain.

The young man in the middle was impressed by Wei Yuan's tall stature and said, "I am Li Zhi, the eldest son of Duke Hui'en of Southern Qi. May I ask your name, senior brother?"

Wei Yuan was slightly surprised. He could tell at a glance that the young man opposite him was of noble status, but he did not expect him to be the son of the Duke of Nanqi.

Although Wei Yuan had never heard of who Duke Hui'en was, he was familiar with the official systems of various states. Duke Hui'en was not only a duke but also a member of the royal family. Moreover, the Southern Qi was currently very powerful, and in recent battles, it had utterly defeated the State of Ji.

Why would the son of the Duke of Nanqi travel all the way to Fengyuan County in Ji State to seek advice?
Upon hearing Li Zhi's inquiry, Wei Yuan recalled the young Taoist's instructions and said, "I'm truly sorry, but the Taoist priest just said that I cannot reveal my identity or name."

A young man next to Li Zhi sneered, "These rules can't possibly restrain us! Senior Brother Li finding you is your good fortune! If you don't seize this opportunity, it'll belong to someone else soon. You're so old and dull-witted, you can't really be a local from Fengyuan, can you? Haha!"

Another boy said, "You can tell by their clothes. The locals from Fengyuan ahead of us were all dressed in tattered clothes."

Wei Yuan remained silent.

Li Zhi neither stopped the two boys nor joined in their mockery. Instead, he glanced around the room and saw the regulations on the table. He smiled and said, "So you're working hard, Senior Brother. But the regulations are all nonsense. I, Li Zhi, don't like beating around the bush. I've come to you for the martial arts test."

Martial arts test? Wei Yuan's heart stirred, and he said, "I would like to hear the details."

Seeing that he finally reacted, Li Zhi perked up and said, "The martial arts test actually examines the way of gathering people. On the surface, everyone will be evaluated according to their own actions in the martial arts test. The winner is not necessarily highly regarded, and the loser is not necessarily lowly regarded. But if you think about it carefully, you will know that if you really lose, how high can your evaluation be? So the key to winning the martial arts test is actually before the test."

These were all things Wei Yuan had never thought of, so he pricked up his ears and listened attentively.

Li Zhi continued, “Why gather us in the dormitories beforehand, yet not forbid us from meeting each other? This is to allow us time to organize and communicate on our own, and to clarify the distinction between superiors and subordinates. This martial arts test will be conducted according to the military system, with positions such as general, guerrilla, and vanguard appointed in advance. The rest of us will act as soldiers, assembling immediately upon entering the test site, and acting according to military orders, with strict adherence to commands. Only in this way can we plan carefully before acting, and operate with perfect coordination! When our elite troops face the enemy's rabble, how can we not be victorious?”

At this point, Li Zhi looked Wei Yuan up and down and laughed, "Judging from your aura, Senior Brother, you are the one who should be the vanguard! As long as you pass the martial arts test smoothly, how about I guarantee you a third-class blessed land spot? If you make great contributions, Senior Brother, a second-class grotto-heaven spot is not out of the question."

Wei Yuan was taken aback, never expecting that the extremely precious spots in blessed lands and grotto-heavens were something Li Zhi could give away so casually.

Wei Yuan still remembered that before his departure, his father, Wei Youcai, had hoped that he would join the Crimson Tide Sect, officially embark on the path of immortality, and thus live for several more decades. However, in Li Zhi's eyes, a spot in such a sect as the Crimson Tide Sect was too meager to even offer as a gift, and he wouldn't even mention it. Wei Yuan was still young, and at this moment he only felt a strange sense of oppression, without understanding why. However, he did have a question, and since Li Zhi was willing to speak, he continued, "What if I'm recruited by my senior brother, but we're assigned to different teams?"

Li Zhi smiled and said, "Senior Brother, you've grown quite a bit over the years, that's a good question. The team assignments are decided by the powerful figures themselves, and I don't know who will be on which team. If you're assigned to another team, you can turn against them at a crucial moment. Even if your evaluation is lowered, the scores of the others on your side will be lower, and your ranking will actually rise. To put it another way, even if your final score isn't good, I'll give you extra compensation; at least a spot in a third-tier blessed land is guaranteed. So, Senior Brother, would you like to tell me your name now?"

Wei Yuan shook his head and said, "The regulations stipulate that it is strictly forbidden to disclose one's background and name before the exam."

Li Zhi's smile froze on his face.

He forced a smile and said, "Rules are chains for ordinary people, but in our hands they are whips to drive us. Since you've followed me, you don't need to care about rules."

"If Senior Brother Li has nothing else, I'll continue reading the regulations." Wei Yuan cupped his hands in greeting to Li Zhi, then returned to his room and closed the door.

The surrounding youths could hardly contain themselves. Those with good manners accused Wei Yuan of being blind to a true immortal, while those with poor manners simply cursed him out.

In their eyes, Wei Yuan was nothing more than a mere native, old and frail, and it was already a stroke of good fortune that he could even enter the Crimson Tide Sect. As for fourth-rate sects, let alone new disciples, even their core disciples didn't have the right to speak to them. Now that Li Zhi was willing to bestow a third-rate favor, how dare he not kowtow and kneel in gratitude?

Li Zhi was not angry. He calmly said, "It's alright. There will always be people who think they're superior. They'll regret it when they see the final scores."

Li Zhi bypassed Wei Yuan's room and headed for the next door. Before he could knock, the door opened by itself, and a young man rushed out, beaming, "I am Lü Duan from Linghe County, Yongzhou... no, Fengyuan County, I wish to follow in my senior brother's footsteps!"

Another door opened, and a young girl came out, bowing gracefully: "Wang Siqiao of Yanzhou wishes to follow Senior Brother Li."

Then several doors opened one after another, and several young men and women came out.

"Duan Qian is willing to follow his senior brother!"

"Cao Wan is willing to fight alongside her senior brother!"

……

Li Zhi's smile blossomed like a flower as he helped up the young men and women one by one, offering words of comfort and promises. His voice was gentle, like a spring breeze and rain, creating a scene of harmonious harmony between ruler and subject.

Inside the room, Wei Yuan continued reading the regulations.

Li Zhi's statement that rules are chains that bind others, but whips that wield power in one's own hands, is not wrong in itself. While this might fool others, it wouldn't be so easy to deceive Wei Yuan, who is well-versed in history. Li Zhi's special status allows him to openly break the rules without consequence. However, if Wei Yuan were to reveal his name and identity before the exam, this alone would immediately disqualify him from the unified examination. Therefore, if Wei Yuan had answered, he would have essentially handed his life and death to Li Zhi.

There are countless examples like this in historical records; how could Wei Yuan be fooled?

(End of this chapter)