Provincial Examination (4)

The second round followed immediately after the first, without any break.

It was common for martial artists to fight continuously; why would they stop just because of one test of strength?

Group Yin.

The first examinee stepped forward.

This was an examinee who had previously received "Second Class, Middle Grade," with the data "18~26" floating above his head.

This time, he chose the "Iron Man Formation" as his main challenge.

Iron men were powerful and imposing, but slightly slow, allowing for more room for error. Unlike the wooden men, a slight mistake would leave white marks on the lacquered armor.

The wooden men wore lacquered armor, while the iron men were clad in porcelain armor. If one failed to achieve an "A" grade in the first round, breaking five pieces of porcelain armor in the second round would result in immediate disqualification.

The examinee took a deep breath, his Blood Essence surging, but it did not spread to any part of his body.

Doing so allowed the heat to be distributed evenly, preventing any weaknesses from appearing.

After all, once inside the formation, iron hands would attack from all directions. If struck by one of those iron hands, it might not just break one piece of porcelain; it could shatter five or six pieces with a single blow, leading to immediate disqualification.

This stage, strictly speaking, was not a test of "killing techniques."

Killing techniques mobilized Blood Essence to temporarily enhance a specific body part, but the cost was exposing weaknesses elsewhere.

There was no other way...

There was only so much Blood Essence, and so much heat.

The saying "even the best boxer can't fight off four hands" also applied to eighth-rank martial artists.

The examinee entered the formation.

The formation was no more than twenty zhang in length, which translated to about a hundred paces.

Bang!

Bang!

The Iron Man Formation began to rotate.

Each iron man post in the formation was equipped with fists and legs, and they were divided into "regular" and "irregular" types.

Their mechanisms were tricky: whenever the examinee blocked an iron arm, the struck iron man would spin, changing its clockwise sweep to a counter-clockwise swing.

For the first forty-five paces, there weren't many iron men, mostly facing two regular iron men simultaneously, meaning their limbs were positioned symmetrically.

The examinee passed through smoothly.

For the middle forty-five paces, the iron men doubled, facing four regular iron men at once.

When the examinee reached seventy paces, he was struck from behind due to a moment's carelessness.

Crack, crack...

Two pieces of porcelain armor shattered in response.

Cold sweat instantly soaked his clothes. The examinee forcibly steadied his mind, held his breath, and with great difficulty, endured another twenty paces.

Then, he reached the final ten paces.

The final ten paces presented a drastic increase in difficulty, requiring him to face four irregular iron men. The design of each iron man's limbs, their movement patterns, and their speeds were all based on the martial arts of different martial halls.

Once you stepped in, you were essentially facing the attacks of four "dazed" martial artists from various halls, making the difficulty skyrocket.

Qi Yu watched quietly.

The "Provincial Examination Manual" gifted by his cousin had mentioned it long ago: for the wooden man formation and the iron man formation, the first forty-five paces were for warming up, and the middle forty-five paces were to save face. Even if one failed here, they could sigh, "Ah, I was so close," to prevent the minds of those with weak resolve from being damaged.

The Provincial Examination aimed to select talent, not destroy it.

And in reality... the final ten paces were the true test.

Every step taken here required several times the effort of the previous stages.

Bang!

A dull, heavy impact exploded.

Following closely behind were a series of shattering sounds—Crack, crack, crack, crack!!

The first examinee knew it was over. The color drained from his face instantly, and he felt like crying without tears. He quickly withdrew from the Iron Man Formation. Without even checking how many pieces of porcelain armor had shattered, he tore off his armor and left without looking back.

This porcelain armor and lacquered armor were each unique to an individual and were included in the registration fee.

A minor official nearby announced loudly: "Yin One, White Ape Martial Hall, Yu Kai, Grade C!"

The "Martial Hall" and name were announced publicly, as loud as a slap to the face. The examinee's ears turned red, and he felt utterly humiliated.

This was not just losing face for himself, but for the martial hall as well.

As he shamefully departed, a family steward still stepped forward to recruit him.

If an examinee became a Martial Scholar, they would have to consider carefully.

After all, Martial Scholars held official titles, and recruiting them into a family involved significant costs, often including offerings, head of guards, leadership positions, and even arranged marriages.

But if they failed, things were much simpler. Many martial artists who failed the Provincial Examination, in order to continue their cultivation, often chose to be hired by major families, taking on roles as guards or holding nominal positions, which was also a way out.

The testing continued in the examination hall.

The clerks' announcements rose and fell:

"Yin Two, Iron Fist Martial Hall, Zhao Changpeng, Second Class, Lower Grade."

"Yin Three, Shi Family, Shi Yong, Second Class, Middle Grade..."

The man with the honest face heard his result and excitedly raised his arms and shouted on the spot, "I passed! I passed!"

He practically ran out of the end of the formation, running, jumping, and punching as he hurried towards the viewing box where his family was.

If the first round was a selection of nine out of ten, this second round was a brutal test where only one out of six or seven people could stand out.

Passing this stage meant officially becoming a Martial Scholar.

As for the third round, that was a stage reserved for true geniuses.

Soon, it was Qi Yu's turn.

Qi Yu went through the Iron Man Formation first.

Based on his recent observations, he was confident he could pass both formations without using thermal energy.

It wasn't brute strength, but rather the Divine Demon Stance from the Hunyuan Contending Force that gave his body extremely flexible adaptability. When attacked, he would instinctively use strange poses to dodge.

He figured the first forty-five steps of these Iron Man posts wouldn't even touch the corner of his clothes.

For the latter forty-five steps, one hand would be enough.

The final ten steps, however, required two hands.

But even prodigies had tiers.

"I'll just be a regular prodigy, no need to be too outrageous."

Qi Yu decided to be low-key while still being high-profile.

So, he took a deep breath and stepped into the Iron Man Formation.

Many eyes turned to him.

Soon, murmurs filled the air.

"This kid... is he really that arrogant, entering the formation with one hand?"

"Look, he's finally using both hands."

"The last ten steps, no matter how wild he is, he'll have to take them seriously."

"He's nervous! He's nervous!"

Countless eyes focused on the scene. Many failed candidates held their breath, hoping to hear the crisp "snap" that signified failure.

But there was none.

Not a single piece of porcelain armor broke.

Below the stage, Sun Li crossed his arms and sneered, "Still saying you didn't use forbidden drugs? You can't even fake it properly!"

And under everyone's gaze, Qi Yu calmly walked through the Iron Man Formation. He then changed into a black martial uniform and stepped into the Wooden Man Formation.

The wooden figures were agile and swift, their punches and kicks like the wind, yet they still couldn't leave a single white mark on his robes.

"Yin Six, Qi Family, Qi Yu, Grade A Top!"

As the clerk's loud announcement rang out, Sun Li grew even more displeased.

He continued, "He used forbidden drugs, so any cat or dog can pass. What's the point?"

However, not even those around him paid him any attention.

Feeling bored, Sun Li stopped talking.

After a long while...

Sun Li took his turn. After a strenuous effort, he only received a "Second Class, Lower Grade" rating. Combined with his "Grade A Middle" from the first round, his overall ranking was "Second Class, Middle Grade," barely passing the Provincial Examination.

He stepped down sullenly, his gaze menacingly searching for Qi Yu. He wanted to go up and say a few harsh words, but he realized the other party hadn't even glanced at him from beginning to end. He then sheepishly returned to the separate viewing box of the Qi Family's second branch.

Inside the viewing box, the atmosphere was heavy.

The incense burner tipped over, scattering ashes. Madam Peng Wenhua sat at the head seat, her face frosty.

The other three participating martial artists stood to the side, dejected.

Clearly, they had all failed, and none were qualified to enter the third round.

Sun Li remembered the "military order" he had made earlier and felt immense regret. His heart pounded, and he knelt on one knee, "Your subordinate is incompetent... unable to stop that fop."

Peng Wenhua didn't even raise her eyelids. "Did he use drugs or not?"

Sun Li gritted his teeth. "He definitely used them! There's no way he could be this strong!"

"I'm asking you, did he, or did he not, use them?" Peng Wenhua said word by word, her gaze sharp as needles.

Sun Li's body trembled, his scalp tingling. "Perhaps... probably used. Your subordinate... your subordinate doesn't know the truth. I just saw his outstanding performance in the first round and wanted to use the excuse of forbidden medicine to get him to undergo inspection together, to ruin his chance to participate this time..."

After speaking, he quickly added, "I did this all for Brother Feng, all for..."

Peng Wenhua interrupted, "So you didn't use it."

Sun Li knelt down with a thud, his head touching the ground. "Madam, save me! Your subordinate is loyal to the second branch, loyal to Brother Feng!"

Peng Wenhua pondered for a moment, a thoughtful look in her eyes. Suddenly, she said, "Go and withdraw your accusation."

Sun Li was stunned. "This..."

Falsely accusing someone... and then withdrawing the accusation was equivalent to disrupting the examination hall. He would still be beaten with fifty military rods, his record would be tainted, and he would never be employed again.

Peng Wenhua said gently, "Following Feng'er, you may not need a formal career. Go. I will speak to Feng'er about today's events. We see your loyalty."

"Yes... Madam."

Peng Wenhua added, "Now, go and apologize to Qi Yu. Say you acted on your own accord and disrupted the harmony of the Qi family, and ask him to spare you."

Her voice gradually softened, becoming stern by the end. "If he doesn't spare you, keep kneeling."

Sun Li said, "Madam, he's just a mere dandy..."

"Are you going or not?"

Peng Wenhua's tone was devoid of any emotion.

"Your subordinate will go, will go..."

Sun Li's intestines were turning green with regret, but there was no other way now. With a long sigh, he hurried out of the side room.

After he left, Peng Wenhua immediately summoned a trusted guard and whispered, "Quickly report the situation here to the Commandant and ask him to meet the Old Master immediately. Say... that the third branch's disciples performed excellently. Since they have passed the martial examination, they should serve the family and be incorporated into the Poison Water Army."

"Understood!"

The confidant took the order and left.

Only then did Peng Wenhua slowly stand up and walk to the window, her cold gaze fixed on the noisy examination grounds in the distance, her calculations settled in her heart.

"The first and third branches have poured so many resources into this eldest nephew... he can't be suppressed anymore.

Since that's the case, it's better to advance by retreating.

Let him join the Poison Water Army and be a squad leader.

Feng'er is a Brigade General and is in need of junior officers under his command.

Accepting this third brother of his, serving in the same army, directly under Feng'er's command... with this arrangement, no one can say a single word against me."

"Hmph, eldest nephew, it's not that your aunt is heartless, but your third branch insisted on fighting for this opportunity. Now, the opportunity is given to you. It depends on whether you... know what's proper and can grasp it."

Not far away, when Qi Yu returned to his side room.

There was still some time before the third round, so it was a good time to rest.

By the window, Qi Zhao, dressed in an apricot-yellow skirt, stood leaning on the railing, her eyes flickering.

She clearly saw a guard leaving the second branch's side room.

Qi Zhao let out a cold snort, a cold smile playing on her lips, and thought to herself, "Aunt, am I the only one who can make calculations?"

She turned back and saw that inside the side room, the young man was sitting upright in a large chair, his eyes slightly closed, his breathing long and steady.

The midday sun shone through the window lattice, casting a layer of pale gold around him, making him as serene as a statue enshrined in a temple.

Recalling Qi Yu's previous performance, Qi Zhao couldn't help but feel a sense of relief. "Cousin really has undergone a complete transformation..."