Chapter 129: The Grand Elimination, Intervals and Benchmarks

This line of questioning for the examinees served as an assessment of their theoretical knowledge.

The rule was clearly written on the wooden tablets in the preparation area: regardless of the testing item, examiners and inspectors could question any examinee at any time. However, the questions were limited strictly to the content currently under assessment. They were not allowed to question candidates during rest periods, nor could they ask questions unrelated to the test at hand.

For example, if Wang Ge had finished carving the “inch distance” segment but failed to answer the theoretical questions, she would be eliminated at that moment, rendering her practical assessment futile.

The timing drum sounded again, marking the end of the first half of the inch distance assessment.

Once more, rows of craft officials surged forward, inspecting with the standard measuring instruments made by the Directorate of Works. They would report either “pass” or “eliminated.”

Those eliminated were directed by patrol officers to the exit passage, where they would beat a dismissal drum.

The candidates who remained had no idea that after beating the dismissal drum, the eliminated ones would enter a gradually narrowing passageway. This passage was unusually long, with branching paths merging in. Without the patrol officers urging them onward, those eliminated might have thought they had taken a wrong path leaving the venue.

The candidates entering from the branching paths were those eliminated from the blacksmith major exam.

Where were they headed?

Why wasn’t it as the wooden tablets stated—that after leaving the examination hall, they would return to the preparation area to collect their belongings?

Within the examination hall, the results were announced.

“Giant square ruler line carving… Zone Two, first half of the competition, thirty-one candidates eliminated, leaving one hundred seventy-four candidates. After three beats of the timing drum, all candidates shall proceed to the second half of the competition… mastering the short straight wood ‘segment distance.’”

“First, the rules: on the short straight wood, only ‘segment distances’ are to be marked and carved, stopping when the distance falls short of one segment. Do you all understand?”

“Understood!”

“The starting point of the line carving… can be chosen from either edge of the wood plank. Because the plank is slightly thick, it need not be cut through entirely from front to back; only one side’s measurement will count. Do you understand?”

“Understood.” Such a simple assessment? Surely there must be a catch.

Indeed! “But each segment line’s vertical length may only be one ‘segment distance.’ All segment lines, when completed, must have their bottom ends aligned on a straight line! Do you understand?”

“Understood!” Both horizontally and vertically segmented, once carved, each small section would form a perfect square.

“A half-zhang equals five chi; one chi equals ten cun; one cun equals ten fen. When mastering the rules of measurement, do not forget the principle of straightness… Attention all candidates, the second half of the competition is untimed. Those who finish carving segments first should voluntarily report their count, return to their original position, and put down their carving knives. Reporting an incorrect count results in elimination. After all have reported, measurements will be taken uniformly. Ten lines not aligned on the reference line will result in elimination. If more than one hundred twenty candidates pass, elimination will proceed from the end of the self-reported count. Do you understand?”

“Understood!” Wang Ge, along with the other candidates, cried out with determination. In other words, the second half of the competition tested not only accuracy but also speed. Thinking inversely, mastering both precision and speed was the true foundation of skill.

The pressure on everyone’s hearts intensified. Only a maximum of one hundred twenty candidates would remain, meaning nearly a third would be eliminated—truly ruthless.

With a wave from the examiner, the timing drum sounded.

Boom!

Wang Ge immediately sketched a three-dimensional mental model of the short wooden board’s line segments. Starting from either edge of the board’s length, lines densely packed—at least five hundred equally spaced segments. Viewed from the side, they appeared as over five hundred small square partitions.

Boom!

Each segment’s length had to be exactly one “segment distance” to ensure the ends of all five hundred segments aligned horizontally. Even ten segments that were too long or too short would result in elimination.

Boom!

At this drumbeat, all candidates banished distractions and moved like startled hares.

Wang Ge knelt before the short wooden board and began carving at the edge, steady and swift. Her craftsmanship from a past life as a carver made her stand out clearly among the candidates. Each cut into the wood and withdrawal of the knife seemed as precise as using a measuring tool. Her expression betrayed no hesitation; the confidence within was the fruit of years of relentless practice.

In her previous life as Wang Nanxing, she had talent, though not the highest caliber. But when it came to enduring hardship, she was unmatched by any artisan!

Each cut was neither too long nor too short.

Each cut was exactly one “segment distance” in length.

The spacing between each cut was precisely one “segment distance” in width.

Impressive, wasn’t it? The result of a life of turmoil, sleepless nights, long isolation from the internet, surrounded by wood shavings in a workshop! Old injuries beneath new wounds on her hands!

Ten cuts, fifteen cuts, thirty, sixty...

One hundred, one hundred seventy, two hundred eighty, three hundred sixty...

Four hundred sixty, four hundred seventy...

Only twenty left, counting down!

Ten, nine, eight... Five hundred exactly! Counting again, one, two... eleven... nineteen!

The length of this short wooden board was five cun plus nineteen fen in total.

As Wang Ge rose, she loudly reported, “One!” As she lifted her eyes, residual images of the line segments remained in her vision.

She hadn’t even returned to her original position when the next count came: “Two!”

The boy reporting the count was in the sixth row, seemingly younger than her.

Because she faced him, Wang Ge glanced over, surprised to find he was also watching her.

It was truly pressure-inducing. She had risen above others thanks to her past life carving skills. But what about him? One could only say he was extraordinarily gifted; comparing oneself to such a person was futile.

For ordinary people, trying to catch up to those with innate talent was nearly impossible. Wang Ge’s strengths were her resilience and steady mindset. Only by working harder could she ensure she wouldn’t be left far behind the prodigies.

In the distance, examiners spoke quietly, “That boy is Zheng Que from He Fang Township?”

“Yes. Nine years old, the youngest candidate in this county. He left the craft examination hall after completing nine tools.”

“Heh heh, didn’t expect a top-tier craftsman to appear.”

“Indeed. If there were no top-tier craftsmen, any rank would be acceptable for such a young lad destined for master craftsman. A craftsman is a craftsman; what difference does ‘superior’ make? But ‘top-tier’ is different. Regardless of age, all top-tier craftsmen must be recorded in the Directorate of Works’ ‘Classed Apprentices’ roster. Such an honor! I’ve heard this boy was originally scheduled to take the master craftsman exam next year. But here he is early, and he’s come across Wang Ge.”

“One misstep, and every step that follows falters. Each county may recommend at most one Classed Apprentice every three years, and the Directorate of Works often rejects applications. Zheng Fang—it’s a pity.” The speaker shook his head.

The age limit for Classed Apprentices is twelve years, except for top-tier craftsmen. With Wang Ge occupying this spot, He Ji County would have no quota for the next three years. The “Classed Apprentice” title was useless in the short term, but craftsmen needed it to qualify for the “Grand Master Craftsman” exam!

This effectively blocked Zheng Que’s path to Grand Master Craftsman. No matter his talent or family background, he could only reach “Associate Grand Master Craftsman” in his lifetime.

But who was to blame for this?

Finally, a third candidate reported their number.

The intervals between reports were still long.

After the eleventh, the counts began to come more rapidly.

Twelve followed by thirteen.

Seventeen followed by eighteen.

“Twenty-five!”

“Forty-seven!”

“Eighty-seven!”

Candidates still adjusting the ends of their carved lines grew impatient. Maintaining equal spacing across over five hundred segments was already a major challenge. Ensuring each line was equal in length and connected in a straight line made it even more difficult.

Without a “reference line” measuring tool, who could visually verify whether the ends of the carved lines were perfectly straight? Only by inspecting segment by segment. Within each chi, were the bottom ends of a hundred carved lines aligned truly straight?

Counting had reached one hundred ten.

One hundred eleven, one hundred twelve...

They could wait no longer!

The next counts overlapped. The craft officials recorded the candidates’ positions and reported numbers as usual. This was manageable, but if overlaps occurred at the cutoff line for admission, all involved would be eliminated. In any case, no more than one hundred twenty could be admitted.

Reference line: a tool used to determine whether an object is straight. One could imagine it as a string.

(End of chapter)