Rumor had it that this assessment would be extremely rigorous.

The rumors were true. Those who came were all renowned, stern vanguards.

Yet the scene inside the cabin was quite unexpected. The law enforcement vanguards were gathered together, drinking and playing finger-guessing games, enjoying themselves immensely, more like a senior citizens' travel group on vacation.

If this assessment team was sent at the behest of Zhao Lao, did that mean the upcoming assessment would be strict in appearance but lenient in reality?

Luo Er and Zhong Wei felt a chill in their hearts... They dared not ask further.

"It's almost time. I have to go." Mister Shu smiled, tilting his head back to drain the wine in his glass, patting the Grand Judge beside him affectionately, reeking of alcohol. "Mister Tang, you have a truly impressive alcohol tolerance! Next time, we'll battle again!"

He stood up and swayed as he left the cabin. Raising his arms, Luo Er and Zhong Wei quickly stepped forward to support their teacher. They left the noisy cabin, and the cold rain beating against their faces sobered them up slightly.

"Teacher..."

Luo Er spoke. She had too many questions.

"The content of the assessment the day after tomorrow is 'dream interpretation.'" Mister Shu's voice suddenly became incredibly clear, not at all like a drunkard. He said coldly, "Those old fogeys in the assessment team aren't as simple as you think. Where's Gu Shen? Let's head out first, and we'll talk on the way."

...

...

A black, old-fashioned business car drove through the rainy night.

Zhou Jiren leaned back in the rear seat, the flush of intoxication still lingering on his cheeks. He tugged at the collar of his shirt, adjusting it uncomfortably, so he forcefully loosened it.

From the moment he attended his impeachment meeting in Dadu District until now, he had been wearing a decent, well-fitting Zhongshan suit. The lingering alcohol felt sharp like knives. Usually, he exuded a warm, spring-like aura, but when serious and silent, Mister Shu was like an underground godfather with "Keep Out" written all over him, inspiring awe.

"I caused a lot of turmoil because of the 'amnesty order,' and made you worry."

He closed his eyes, spread his arms, and slowly processed the alcohol, then apologized to his two prized students.

"It's all over!"

Zhou Jiren laughed heartily. "You should have seen the impeachment meeting in Dadu. It was extremely interesting. One after another, people stood up to speak on my behalf, and the situation looked promising, but when the anonymous vote came, these people revealed their true colors, and the votes overwhelmingly favored impeachment. Since they hoped I would fall quickly, why didn't they dare to stand up and openly state their true feelings?"

Zhong Wei, who was driving, said, "They didn't dare."

An old lion is still a lion.

"Zhao Xilai did me a great favor. Because no one dared to stand up, he used his veto power." The teacher recalled the scene at the impeachment meeting, imitating in a low voice, "'Since everyone doesn't want Zhou Jiren to be dismissed, then the voting result is unimportant'—"

"It's a pity you weren't there to see the wonderful expressions on the faces of those who were originally speaking up for me." He couldn't help but laugh, his face full of mockery. "That old fox Zhao Xilai isn't easy to deal with either. He didn't want me to be impeached, not because he admired me or because of our friendship, but simply because no one is more suitable than me for the position of Grand Judge of the Tribunal."

This reasoning.

Zhong Wei and Luo Er actually understood.

Since its establishment, the Tribunal had attracted a large number of geniuses, a large number of transcendent powerhouses... These people had solved many troubles for the council and resolved countless transcendent events. The person sitting in the highest position looked at more than just strength.

If the Grand Judge consolidated everyone within the Tribunal into an unbreakable whole, then that person's "power of speech" would be too great to control, and the council didn't want to see that happen.

The most uncontrollable people gathered together, controlled by one person.

Then, without a doubt, the council's position would be greatly threatened.

Therefore, the person who held the position of "Grand Judge" of the Tribunal should ideally be someone with extraordinary abilities who was also isolated by many people.

"Zhao Xilai is very clear about this. He can't find someone like me in the entire Eastern Continent, even with a lantern..."

Zhou Jiren stretched lazily, mocking himself with a faint smile. "After decades of fighting and killing, wholeheartedly serving the continent and its people, I don't have many friends left in the Tribunal. I've only taken in a few students, and they're all five-star model workers who only know how to work hard. If they remove me and replace me with someone else, who knows what kind of turmoil they'll stir up."

Luo Er sighed softly after hearing this.

She said, "But isn't that what the Tribunal is supposed to do?"

"There are too many messy things in the Eastern Continent, so I won't tell you about them to avoid upsetting you." The teacher rubbed his forehead and said, "Zhao Xilai vetoed my impeachment and also appointed a strict assessment team to balance those people's resentment."

"I saw on the plane just now... Teacher, you seemed to be getting along well with them?" Zhong Wei asked cautiously.

"Bullshit."

Mister Shu laughed. "The more cunning and treacherous they are, the more subtle and amiable they appear. If they were unyielding, that might not be a bad thing. Then we could just put on a show of force and let Gu Shen go all out. It would be fair, just, and reasonable. But considering Zhao Xilai's assistant's face, we were on the same plane, six hours back and forth, drinking three rounds of wine, but not a single useful word was uttered. The only assessment content they revealed was 'dream interpretation'..."

"But... what's the use of just knowing 'dream interpretation'? Who knows what strange dreams they'll pull out!" He was a little melancholy. "These people have studied Gu Shen's files dozens of times. The Skytop case was taken to Deep Sea for analysis. Deep Sea believes that Gu Shen is a mental-type transcendent, so the assessment team decided to only test Gu Shen's mental potential."

Luo Er and Zhong Wei both frowned.

As expected!

Things were not as simple as they had thought.

These people weren't playing by the rules at all... The results of the past few days of special training could be said to have been completely in vain, but judging from Gu Shen's training results, being in vain might not be a bad thing.

If the assessment team really wanted to assess him in terms of strength and physical fitness, things would only be worse.

Gu Shen might create an "unprecedented" assessment score.

"Among the dead transcendents, one was a melee-type who enhanced his torso. Deep Sea believes that Gu Shen may have hidden strong power and means." Mister Shu smiled. "So the assessment team only tested his mental potential, intending to prevent Gu Shen's other aspects from raising his score."

"This should be good news. However, Gu Shen's mental potential..."

Zhong Wei's face showed concern. He hesitated for a moment and said euphemistically, "Teacher, Gu Shen may not be as talented as you think."

Mister Shu raised his eyebrows. "Oh?"

"I pulled him into the Jingzhe Dreamscape." Luo Er directly cut to the chase. "It took him four hours and thirty-nine minutes to complete the comprehension. This result isn't too bad, but it's far from being an 's' in the mental category."

Mister Shu asked with a smile, "This result is indeed very average. What about other aspects?"

"Judging from the training in the past few days, if I were to give him a rating, Gu Shen's physical fitness would be around d+, and his strength and speed would be about e." Zhong Wei shook his head, speaking frankly. "His mental strength would be a little better, about B+, and his overall assessment would be C at most."

Mister Shu still had that calm and unhurried expression, as if none of this was unexpected.

Senior Sister Luo said, "I have a guess... Gu Shen may not be a normal three-system transcendent, so the normal rating may not be accurate for him."

Mister Shu narrowed his eyes.

He smiled. "You mean... Gu Shen might be a Special Ability type?"

"I can only say... we can't rule out that possibility." Luo Er struggled for a while, trying her best to say, "Isn't that 'Fire Thief' in Central Continent someone who can steal other people's transcendent powers? The Special Ability type's abilities are still a blank space in the transcendent spectrum and have not been fully explored. This assessment shouldn't only test mental potential. It's not fair to Gu Shen."

"We can't get that condition. Those old fogeys on the assessment team only care about the assessment and don't care about fairness."

Zhou Jiren shook his head, his face serious. "They came from all the major districts of the Eastern Continent to conduct this assessment in the strictest way possible... Zhao Xilai's attitude is very strange. He sent Cui Zhongcheng to Da Teng City for supervision and specifically told those old fogeys not to hold back. I don't understand whether he wants Gu Shen to pass the assessment or wants Gu Shen to fail."

The car fell into a brief silence.

After a long time, Mister Shu murmured to himself, "Perhaps, he just wants to see whether Gu Shen's abilities can reach the legendary 's' grade?"