Chapter 17: From the Heart

An apparition appeared at the opening of the temple door. Several disciples from various sects who were serving inside hurried over to stop him, but they soon saw the protective Formation of the Judgment Hall open by itself in front of the man, prompting them to stop in their tracks in shock.

The man was dressed as a scholar, with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes; it was Zhang Sheng. Seeing Zhang Sheng appear, some among the judges were surprised, some disdainful, and others remained inscrutable.

Despite the unnatural pallor on Zhang Sheng's face, his very presence there made everyone in the hall feel a slight prickling and burning sensation on their skin, filling their hearts with alarm.

An elder cultivator ventured to ask, "Junior Brother Zhang, I had heard that your Dao Power had not yet recovered, but seeing you now, restored to your former state, is truly a cause for celebration."

Zhang Sheng responded indifferently, "Only by recovering my Dao Power could I come to meet the various demons and ghosts of all paths."

The old Confucian, fiery by nature, could not stand such sarcasm and immediately furrowed his brows, barking, "How dare you..."

Before he could finish, Zhang Sheng casually waved his left hand, then there was a sharp slap sound. The old Confucian was struck solidly across the face mid-air, blood streaming from his nose and mouth!

The whole hall was shocked!

"I didn't let you speak," Zhang Sheng said blandly.

The middle-aged Confucian Scholar was furious. He leaped to his feet, pointing at Zhang Sheng. Before he could open his mouth, there was another slap sound, and he too received a solid slap across the face!

"Nor did I permit you to speak."

The Judgment Hall erupted into chaos. The two Confucians were high cultivators from the Four Saints Academy, yet how could they not have the strength to even retaliate? Their anger roiled, Mana rising, as they seemed ready to make a move!

Zhang Sheng's long, snow-white finger was held to his forehead; suddenly, a burst of green light floated out from his fingertip, and instantly, the entire Judgement Hall was enshrouded in a misty drizzle. This rain was warm and gentle like the spring rain in the south, but to everyone caught in the rain, it felt as though they were being crushed by mountains, completely immobilized!

The two Confucians' bones rattled, their Mana dispersed, and they slumped back into their chairs, unable to lift a finger.

At this moment, other than Daoist Fu Feng, who moved freely, the rest of the judges were struggling bitterly, combating the oppressive force of the rain threads that rendered them unable to even speak. They now understood the terror of Zhang Sheng, who alone had suppressed five judges with his power!

Not only that, their Dao Foundations were trembling and wailing, showing immense fear towards the rain threads.

Those with broad knowledge immediately recalled a legendary Dao Foundation: the Immortal Sword 'Green Silk Rain'!

This sword was supremely soft yet unbending, known for its ability to erode Dao Foundations. A few slashes could lower the rank of one's Dao Foundation. This was no trivial matter, as it could potentially sever one's path of cultivation, so everyone dared not let even a thread of rain touch them.

Zhang Sheng slowly walked to the center of the great hall and announced, "There's no need for concern, gentlemen. I merely wish to have a calm and peaceful discussion."

The hearts of the judges cursed him, thinking, "An Immortal Sword looms over us, and you speak of peace?" But they only dared curse in their hearts, carefully maintaining their expressions, for fear that the rain threads would turn into Sword Qi and leave them riddled with holes.

Hearing Zhang Sheng's words, the Monk quickly said, "Brother, feel free to speak!"

Although the judges couldn't move, their eyes all focused on the Monk, shocked: This fellow can still speak?

Realizing something was amiss from the stares, the Monk hurriedly grabbed a fruit and stuffed it in his mouth.

Oh? He can still move? A dangerous glint flashed in Zhang Sheng's eyes, with the vague silhouette of another Immortal Sword emerging deep within his pupils.

The monk was shocked, his bald head breaking out in sweat as he immediately gazed at his nose, his nose at his mouth, his mouth at his heart, and entered a state of meditation to wander spiritually.

After intimidating the entire crowd, Zhang Sheng said, "I knew that the unified examination always had incidents of rule-breaking, but I never expected you to dare to act so recklessly, arbitrarily suppressing scores with unfounded reasons! Those two slaps just now were on behalf of my disciple. If you two are not convinced, I will withdraw my Immortal Sword later and you are welcome to challenge me in a duel!"

Zhang Sheng looked towards the old Confucian scholar and said, "If three swords can't kill you, I will reincarnate and cultivate anew immediately!"

He then turned to the middle-aged scholar and said, "You might be more troublesome, probably needing four swords."

Liu Sigu's face swelled up red, while the middle-aged Confucian Scholar's face turned alternately pale and flushed. Neither of them spoke, nor could they find the words to speak. They both shifted their gaze around, but everyone else either looked up at the sky or closed their eyes and reflected inwardly, avoiding eye contact with them. The evaluators all knew that they had specific grievances and debts, none wishing to associate with the two scholars at this time, especially since they had never benefited from them in the past; why should they suffer for them?

Zhang Sheng slowly retracted his Sword Qi Rain, looked at the two scholars, and sneered, "You can't change the scores of the previous two rounds, but I'll see how you score this round! You can do as you please, but my Immortal Sword is quite temperamental; if it doesn't like what it sees, it might just slash out! Then, I will return to Taichu Palace to accept my punishment. As for trading lives, haha, do you even qualify?"

Everyone trembled inwardly, now understanding Zhang Sheng's determination.

The evaluators, now free, sighed in relief and all glanced at the two scholars. Just moments ago, they were raging, but now that they could act, they remained as calm as mountains, expressionless, focusing only on observing the martial test, without mentioning anything about the earlier incident.

Had it not been for Liu Sigu's half-swollen face and the middle-aged scholar's slightly bruised lips, it would have seemed like those two slaps had never occurred.

Zhang Sheng waited a long time but did not see the two scholars challenging him, nor did he hear any harsh words. It left his Immortal Sword hanging awkwardly in midair and the situation felt strangely frustrating.

Such self-restraint, though humiliating, forced Zhang Sheng to admire their tolerance.

"They really can endure!" Zhang Sheng could only sigh.

The two scholars focused on the martial test, not hearing anything else.

With the Immortal Sword drawn, his opponents lowered their heads, and it was hardly appropriate to force their heads out and simply chop away. After all, Zhang Sheng was not like the two scholars, he couldn't bring himself to do such a thing.

The evaluators were crystal clear that for a genius like Zhang Sheng, even if he killed someone on the spot in the Judgement Hall, would Taichu Palace really demand his life in return? At most, they would punish him to face the wall for decades, then negotiate some terms with Four Saints Academy, exchange some pleasantries, compensate with some Immortal Silver, and it would be settled. It wouldn't take many years for Zhang Sheng to be released, but the dead would truly be dead.

The crowd still had doubts; the current special circumstances of the Fengyuan County unified examination surely involved more than just those in the Judgement Hall—there must be powerful beings from various sects watching from above. But with Zhang Sheng's actions, why was there no reaction at all from these powerful beings, even from those of Four Saints Academy?

The martial test had been underway for some time now, and the situation on the field was beginning to clarify.

The Green and Yellow Teams each held positions in the south and north, both having completed reconnaissance of the terrain and the enemy's deployments. Throughout this process, neither side's scouts suffered casualties, which was somewhat of a minor miracle.

In the south, Li Zhi arranged his formation near the Eastern Mountains initially, but after being scouted by the opponent, he moved it to the western side.

In the north, the Central Army was stationed around a delicately beautiful girl, who moved the Central Army forward a hundred feet to occupy a small high ground near the Central Zone after Li Zhi's scouts had investigated.

In the south, Li Zhi stared intensely toward the north, but he could only faintly see the edge of the Central Zone. To his left stood a girl holding a Jade Plate, neatly stacked with hundreds of elixirs. All the regular warrior's elixirs were contained within this plate.

Li Zhi said, "In war, quality trumps quantity. I have gathered all these elixirs, allowing my thirty elite personal troops to each receive three pills. With these, my personal troops can fight from the beginning to the end!"

The girl looked up at Li Zhi, admiringly saying, "Brother Li truly commands troops divinely!"