Building a Martial Dao Celestial Family by Laying Low

Chen Shouheng led Zhu Shizhao out of the forest, returning to the camp at the foot of the mountain.

The clearing in front of the tents was no longer empty.

More than twenty candidates had already returned. They stood about in twos and threes, their expressions varied.

Each was accompanied by a few prisoners—some by just one, others by as many as three or four.

However, the two groups standing at the very front were undoubtedly the most eye-catching.

One group was led by Li Jiyan.

He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, a look of restrained triumph on his face.

Eleven prisoners followed him. All were injured and had fierce eyes, yet they stood obediently behind him without making a sound.

The other group was led by the black-clad youth who had cooperated with him.

Seven prisoners with formidable auras stood behind him as well.

But the two groups of prisoners glared daggers at each other, the air thick with a tension that crackled like gunpowder.

Chen Shouheng’s return didn’t attract much attention.

After all, he had only brought one person down from the mountain.

Among the candidates who had already returned, his result seemed rather pitiful.

Li Jiyan’s gaze swept over Chen Shouheng and the single, complicated-looking prisoner behind him. The corner of his mouth curled into an undisguised, mocking sneer.

’Three days of effort, and he only found one reject?’

’Is that all he’s capable of? Utterly laughable!’

The arrogance and contempt were practically written on his face.

Chen Shouheng led Zhu Shizhao to a quiet corner at the edge of the camp and stood there in silence.

Time passed quietly.

The final, long toll of a bell echoed across the isolated island.

The three-day time limit for the assessment was up.

The remaining candidates returned one after another. Some, though weary, couldn’t hide their delight, returning with one or two prisoners.

Most, however, were dejected and empty-handed, having clearly accomplished nothing.

The Academic Administrator, Lu Zhongping, made his appearance.

A clerk stepped forward to tally and verify the results, which were staggering.

Of the sixty-four candidates, only thirty-one had brought someone back to be reformed.

More than half had failed this level.

Li Jiyan glanced around. Seeing that his achievement of eleven prisoners put him far in the lead, he grew even more smug, certain that victory was his.

Unable to restrain himself, he stepped forward and cupped his hands toward Lu Zhongping. "Academic Administrator, I wonder what evaluation I will receive for my performance?"

He already considered himself the top performer of this level.

Lu Zhongping gave him a mild glance, his expression unreadable. "The merit of reformation is not merely in controlling their bodies; it lies in correcting their hearts. Bringing them back is only the first step."

He paused, then continued, "We must use the Heart Inquiry Skill to test the efficacy of your reformation."

At these words, the smile on Li Jiyan’s face instantly froze. His heart sank as a sense of foreboding washed over him.

’Heart Inquiry?’

Before he could dwell on it, a boundless Power of Divine Sense emanated from Lu Zhongping, spreading like a tide to envelop the eleven prisoners.

Under this power, the eyes of the eleven men instantly grew vacant and lost.

"Are you willing to heed Li Jiyan’s commands?"

Lu Zhongping’s voice was like a great bell, striking directly at their Heart Spirit.

"We are willing to obey Young Master Li’s orders."

The eleven men answered in near unison, their reply crisp and decisive.

Seeing this, Li Jiyan breathed a small sigh of relief, and a hint of triumph returned to his face.

However, Lu Zhongping’s next question sent his spirits plummeting. "Are you willing, from this day forward, to turn over a new leaf, forsake evil for good, accept the Court’s reformation, and start anew?"

"Reform my ass!"

The words had barely been spoken when a burly, fleshy-faced man leaped up, his eyes bloodshot, and began to curse. "I’ve roamed the Jianghu for more than a decade! Drinking heavily, eating my fill of meat, and cutting people down—it’s been a blast! Why should I change? You want me to accept some bullshit reformation and become a bootlicking, obedient dog? In your dreams!"

His outburst was like lighting a powder keg. The men beside him, their own ferocity stirred, began to clamor as well.

"I’d rather die than change!"

"You dog official! Don’t think you can fool us!"

"Young Master Li promised he’d help us get revenge!"

The scene descended into chaos. Where was there even a trace of them being "reformed"?

They were clearly just a pack of cornered beasts whose claws had been temporarily clipped.

"Hmph! Utterly incorrigible!"

Lu Zhongping snorted. He unleashed an even more powerful wave of Divine Sense, and the eleven men grunted as if struck by a heavy blow, collapsing to the ground unconscious.

With a flick of his sleeve, Lu Zhongping ordered the soldiers behind him, "Drag them away. Send them back to the island to continue tempering their minds."

Li Jiyan watched this unfold, his face deathly pale as cold sweat dripped from his brow.

He had never imagined that Lu Zhongping would actually conduct a Heart Inquiry.

’Was all my careful planning going to be for nothing?’

Fortunately, Lu Zhongping’s next announcement allowed him to breathe a little easier. "Candidate Li Jiyan gathered eleven prisoners. Score for this portion: Grade A-Upper."

A sliver of hope had just risen in Li Jiyan’s heart when Lu Zhongping continued, "However, of the eleven supposedly reformed, not one has genuinely repented. Score for reformation: Grade D-Lower. Comprehensive evaluation: Grade B-Upper. You pass this level."

’Grade B-Upper?’

Though he was unwilling to accept it, Li Jiyan had at least passed the level.

He glanced around and saw that none of the prisoners brought back by the other candidates looked repentant either.

’I’m slightly relieved,’ he thought. ’As long as no one *actually* managed to reform anyone, my Grade B-Upper is still first place.’

Next, Lu Zhongping tested the seven men brought back by the black-clad youth.

The result was largely the same.

The black-clad youth ultimately received a "Grade B-Lower."

As the subsequent candidates were tested, some of their prisoners stammered, but not a single one expressed genuine repentance.

Most scores hovered around Grade C, or even Grade D.

Some results were even more disastrous.

Some prisoners turned on their captors on the spot, accusing the candidates of deceit.

Others went even further, accusing the candidates of using despicable methods.

After these claims were verified, Lu Zhongping would reprimand the candidate and fail them on the spot.

’It seems everyone else is just as pathetic. As long as I’m still in first place, that’s all that matters.’

Li Jiyan’s sense of superiority returned.

Finally, it was Chen Shouheng’s turn.

Lu Zhongping’s gaze fell upon Chen Shouheng, a flicker of imperceptible surprise in his eyes.

He remembered this young man.

In the first level of discerning wickedness, this man had been the first to return, taking only half an hour.

It had surprised him at the time, and he’d thought the man was extraordinary.

But now, in this Second Level, after three days, he had only brought back one person?

The disparity between this and his performance in the first level was far too great.

’It seems his performance in the first level was just luck,’ Lu Zhongping thought to himself.

He motioned for the clerk to make a note and said nothing more.

As before, he used his Grandmaster’s Divine Sense to perform the Heart Inquiry Skill.

But this time, Lu Zhongping’s placid, imperturbable face showed a flicker of emotion.

"My lord, I am willing to heed my benefactor’s commands."

"My past sins were all caused by a heart clouded by hatred. Fortunately, my benefactor enlightened me and allowed me to see the light. This sinner, Zhu Shizhao, swears that if I can receive the Court’s clemency, I am willing to turn over a new leaf and start anew. I will never transgress again."

Lu Zhongping was instantly stunned.

’He succeeded?’

’How is that possible?!’

When he designed this level, he was well aware of how difficult reformation was.

It is easier to move mountains than to change a person’s nature.

Weren’t all of these criminals twisted individuals with deeply ingrained vices?

The rule he had laid out—"judging based on the number of people reformed"—was a compromise in itself.

After all, they only had three days.

What he had been looking for were the candidates’ skills at winning people over.

However, such a thing couldn’t be said out loud.

The Court, after all, had to maintain its dignity.

So, of course, it had to be done in the name of reformation.

But he had never, ever imagined that someone would actually succeed!

Three days!

In just three days, he had made a prisoner—one who had committed an unpardonable crime, the slaughter of an entire family—genuinely willing to repent and accept reformation?

’This young man is no simple character.’

Lu Zhongping suppressed the storm of shock in his heart and stared intently at Chen Shouheng. "How did you do it?"

Chen Shouheng cupped his hands and replied, "My lord, I believe the path of reformation is to teach those who can be taught. I observed that although Zhu Shizhao committed a grievous crime, there were reasons behind his actions. His fundamental nature is not that of an unpardonable villain. Therefore, I attempted to guide him. Fortunately, I did not fail in this task."

"Teach those who can be taught..."

Lu Zhongping repeated in a low voice.

The look he gave Chen Shouheng was now incredibly complex—a mixture of shock, confusion, curiosity, and even admiration.

He fell silent for a moment, took a deep breath, and announced the results.

"Candidate Chen Shouheng gathered one prisoner. Score for this portion: Grade C-Upper. The person he reformed, after inspection via Heart Inquiry, has been confirmed to be genuinely repentant and voluntarily accepts the Court’s reformation. Score for reformation efficacy: Grade A-Upper."

"Comprehensive evaluation: Grade A-Middle!"

An uproar erupted at his words.

Everyone, from the candidates in the Second Level to the ten who had stayed behind to watch, looked at each other in utter disbelief.

"Grade A-Middle? But he only reformed one person!"

"Genuinely repentant? Can those hardened scoundrels really repent?"

"How did he do it? Does he have some kind of Secret Technique?"

Whispers spread like a rising tide, filled with shock, doubt, and an irrepressible envy—even a hint of jealousy.

Li Jiyan’s face instantly turned ashen.

He had schemed and toiled to bring back eleven men, only to receive a Grade B-Upper.

How could he tolerate that this Chen Shouheng, with only one person, received a higher overall evaluation?

"Academic Administrator!"

Li Jiyan stepped forward, suppressing his anger. "I venture to ask, Academic Administrator—Chen Shouheng reformed only one person. Even if that person is genuinely repentant, the quantity is far less than what others achieved. How can his comprehensive evaluation be Grade A-Middle? Is this scoring standard not... unfair?"

A hush fell over the crowd.

Many of the other candidates looked over, clearly sharing his sentiment.

Lu Zhongping’s gaze turned cold. "The detailed scoring rules for this level were proposed by the Jiangzhou Daoist Academy, personally reviewed by the Lord Governor, and filed with the Ministry of Rites in Kyoto. If you insist it is unfair, you are free to go to the State Government Office right now and file a complaint. Or you can travel to Kyoto and beat the drum before the Ministry of Rites. I shall await the review!"

Li Jiyan’s face went from ashen to white. He was left speechless, not daring to utter another word.

The look he shot Chen Shouheng was filled with venom.

Lu Zhongping surveyed the crowd, his tone softening slightly. "The two assessment levels on Sin Island—discerning wickedness and reforming the masses—are now complete. The twenty-nine of you who have passed both have earned the rank of Martial Scholar. I congratulate you in advance! I will, of course, report the results of these two levels to the Lord Governor for his final decision."

He paused briefly before announcing, "As for the Third Level, the arena competition, it will be held in three days at the Jiangzhou Imperial Examination Hall. I trust those who have passed will use these three days to prepare well and strive for excellence."

With that, he said no more and waved for the soldiers to arrange the ships for the return journey.

His gaze fell on Zhu Shizhao, and after a moment’s thought, he said, "Since you have genuinely repented, you will return to Jiangzhou with us and remain under observation for three years. If you are sincere in your reform and do not relapse, I can allow you to atone for your crimes through meritorious service during that time, and perhaps even grant your release to return home."

"This sinner... thanks you for your grace, my lord."

Zhu Shizhao’s body trembled violently. He looked toward Chen Shouheng, his eyes filled with gratitude.

Chen Shouheng gave him a slight nod.

Soon, everyone boarded the Official Ship and departed from Lake Heart Island.