Chapter 121 – Root Bones

Chapter 121 – Root Bones

Master Yao Yu brought Zhan Changfeng to the judges’ station. The first assessment had just concluded, and the judges were tallying the combined scores for root bones and physical constitution.

A round-faced judge stepped out and sized up Master Yao Yu. “What brings you here, fellow Daoist?”

“I am requesting, on behalf of the Qingbai Mountain Community School, that your esteemed academy retest this student’s root bones.”

Community Schools were collectively governed under the Council of Elders, so their words carried considerable weight. By invoking the Qingbai Mountain Community School’s name from the outset, Yao Yu made it difficult for the judge to refuse outright. The judge looked toward Zhan Changfeng. “What was your original grade, and why are you requesting a retest?”

Master Yao Yu didn’t let Zhan Changfeng speak. At a time like this, nothing a student said could match a single word from her teacher. Master Yao Yu turned the question back on the judge. “Root bones reflect both innate qualities and postnatal constitution, manifesting through bone structure, cultivation speed, moral character, comprehension, and fortune among other aspects. Is that not so?”

The round-faced judge nodded. “It is.”

Master Yao Yu continued, “The Qingbai Mountain Community School can vouch for this student’s character and cultivation talent. Even if she doesn’t possess upper-grade root bones, she certainly wouldn’t fall below mid-grade.”

“I can understand your concern for your student, but if everyone came requesting retests, where would the rules be?” The round-faced judge politely declined.

Master Yao Yu’s expression didn’t waver. “And what if she has broken through to the Prenatal realm at the age of a dancing spoon?”

The round-faced judge fell silent for a long moment, staring at Zhan Changfeng in disbelief. “Prenatal realm?”

The difference between Prenatal and Postnatal was qualitative. If she had truly reached the Prenatal realm at twelve or thirteen, direct admission to the Inner Academy wouldn’t be out of the question.

The round-faced judge grew more serious. “Can you project your true qi externally?”

Zhan Changfeng released her true qi outward. The judge took one look and confirmed it was indeed the Prenatal realm, and her foundation was solid at that. Could the bone-testing stone really have made an error?

While he hesitated, the other judges emerged to announce the results. He quickly relayed the situation to Yuan Qiao, the chief examiner among them, since the bone-testing stone was in the chief examiner’s custody.

“Oh?” Yuan Qiao regarded Zhan Changfeng, as though recalling her. “I remember you. You claimed the bone-testing stone was wrong at the time.”

He shook his head. “I’ll say the same thing again. Over two thousand people were tested—why are you the only one saying it’s wrong? Have you been tested before?”

“Innate qualities, even when they manifest outwardly, cannot be fully discerned. Granted, your teacher has vouched for your character and talent, but how can you be certain there aren’t deficiencies in areas that have gone unnoticed?” Yuan Qiao spoke methodically. “Human eyes and ears may occasionally err, but stone does not.”

Master Yao Yu raised an eyebrow. “Are you suggesting I’m showing favoritism toward my own student?”

“No, no, not at all. Please don’t take offense, fellow Daoist. I’m merely speaking to the facts.” Yuan Qiao pointed at himself. “I have a responsibility to uphold as a judge. If I grant you a retest, everyone else will come knocking too.”

“I’ve always heard that your esteemed academy recruits talent without regard for convention. Yet now you hide behind rules while ignoring the person standing right before you. Is this truly the breadth of your academy’s capacity for recognizing talent?”

The round-faced judge also chimed in. “Why not just test her? It wouldn’t take much effort, and it would prevent us from overlooking someone with real potential.”

Yuan Qiao’s expression turned cold. “The Martial Arts Academy is not a marketplace. Rules must never be broken. However, since you’ve made this request on behalf of a Community School, I cannot refuse entirely. How about this—if she can pass all three rounds of assessment, I will arrange a retest for her.”

At this point, Master Yao Yu couldn’t press any further. He reckoned Zhan Changfeng’s strength already surpassed most of the candidates present, so passing the remaining two combat rounds shouldn’t be a major problem. “Thank you, Chief Examiner. But what was my student’s score on the first assessment?”

After all, the deal was to retest upon passing all three rounds. It would be rather pointless if she were eliminated in the first.

Yuan Qiao flipped through the roster and looked up. “Rest assured, she’ll pass the first round.”

“That’s for the best. Pardon the intrusion.” Master Yao Yu took his leave.

Zhan Changfeng, who had been playing the role of backdrop throughout, followed him out and asked with some doubt, “The first test gave me lower-grade. Can the second time really turn out different?”

Master Yao Yu wanted to roll his eyes. “Do you ever stop talking? We have to at least try. I honestly don’t know what possessed you to enter the Martial Exam. Couldn’t you have waited half a year and gone straight through the Six Academies selection? The supervisors for that are experts from all factions, the bone-testing stones are more precise, and it examines temperament and moral character too. It’s far more rigorous than this lousy Martial Exam, and far less likely to produce errors.”

Zhan Changfeng wisely chose not to argue back. This Master Yao Yu might have a sharp tongue and a soft heart, but he really could go on and on.

In truth, Zhan Changfeng had entered the Martial Exam for two reasons. First, she wanted to enter the Six Academies as quickly as possible to avoid the Gongsun Family’s pursuit. Second, she had been a bit overconfident, feeling there was no difference between passing through the Martial Exam or the selection process.

It simply hadn’t occurred to her that she might fail.

Zhan Changfeng reflected on this quietly and gave herself a mental reminder.

Meanwhile, several judges chatted as they walked. One of them said, “If we could actually bring back a young Prenatal realm cultivator, the higher-ups would surely issue a generous reward. Why didn’t Fellow Daoist Yuan help her with the retest? What if we miss out—”

Yuan Qiao’s expression was grave. “Is a young Prenatal realm cultivator really that rare? With enough resources, you can pile one together. Whether it’s a true Prenatal or a false Prenatal—the bone-testing stone is the best judge of that.”

One judge agreed. “Exactly. A mere lower-grade reaching the Prenatal realm at around ten years old? That’s a joke. If you ask me, they’ve gone mad with wanting to get into the Martial Arts Academy.”

The other judges, seeing how certain Yuan Qiao was, were half-convinced and half-skeptical. But since the chief examiner had spoken, how could they object? After all, it was just a child.

Around the hour of Shen, a judge carrying the roster summoned all candidates before the arena platform.

The candidates’ hearts were filled with anxiety. “In previous years, it was always decided by martial combat. With the format changed this time, who knows how they’ll determine the spots.”

“That’s right. Based on fighting ability alone, we independent cultivators naturally have richer experience. The ones who passed the Martial Exam were usually us independents. But now that they’ve brought in root bones and constitution, I feel like it favors those greenhorn kids from the Community Schools.”

“I think so too. After all, the Community Schools pick their students based on talent from the start.”

Yuan Qiao’s sharp, piercing eyes swept over the candidates with their varied expressions. “Silence!”

The scene fell quiet at once, all eyes burning as they fixed on the judges atop the platform.

Yuan Qiao surveyed the crowd with an impassive gaze. “I will now announce the list of those advancing to the next round.”

The judge didn’t even glance at the roster. He looked directly at the crowd and said, “Now, will those with inferior-grade root bones please move to the open space on the right.”

The crowd stirred restlessly for quite a while before people gradually shuffled to the right. When the movement settled, over a thousand had gone.

The judge spoke again. “Those with lower-grade root bones, please move to the field on the left.”

This time it was like a school of fish—they all surged to the left in a wave, leaving only a sparse dozen or so people standing in the center.

Those on the right exchanged suspicious glances, those on the left looked at each other in bewilderment, and in the vast middle ground, the dozen-odd individuals stood scattered about.

Over on the left, Zhan Changfeng spotted several familiar faces—the Leng siblings, Cheng Zhigao. They naturally noticed her as well.

Students from the same Community School gravitated toward one another, drifting into loose clusters.

Cheng Zhigao gazed at the people in the center field. “Luo Qianshan, Li Baimao, and Xiao Shaobai from our school are still in there.”

Leng Yuzi seemed somewhat surprised. “Xiao Shaobai is mid-grade?”

Yuan Qiao spoke again. “Now, when your name is called, step forward. Chu Tiankuo! Shen Qing!”

One was a cold and striking youth with sword-like brows and starry eyes. The other was a serene young woman of about sixteen. Both were quite young, likely below the average age of the candidates.

Yuan Qiao appeared rather pleased. “These two are the only upper-grade root bone holders in this Martial Exam. They will advance directly to the inner gate.”

“Very well, you two go rest to the side for now.” He gave them a few instructions, then turned to the candidates on the right. “Everyone, this is where our paths part. I hope you will stay true to your hearts and continue to work diligently on the path of martial arts.”

An uproar broke out among them. They had been eliminated, just like that?

(End of Chapter)