Just as the Captain had said, this ‘assessment of the heart’ was essentially just a swearing-in ceremony. When the divine likeness of the Grand Emperor asked a question, and the answer given, it was a method to confirm that the candidate was human, and also assess their temperament. It wasn’t very important in the sense that, even if one completely failed, they would still become a swordsage.4

It was important in the sense that the results could affect future promotions and assignments. Generally speaking, when matters relating to humankind itself were involved, the light emitted during the Grand Emperor’s assessment would be a very important factor. Though cheating was possible, the only way to succeed at that would be to have the power to swindle the divine likeness.12

Though the statue was not actually the fallen remains of the Grand Emperor, it was connected to the statue in the imperial capital, by means of a fragment of the Grand Emperor’s soul. And because all of the various statues had been worshiped by humans for many years, they had developed shocking abilities. That was why the statues were the epitome...2