Provincial Examination (5)

On the side of the Commander's Platform...

Sun Li lowered his head and publicly confessed his false accusation, his voice hoarse. "This student knows he was wrong..."

The chief examiner, Mei Ying, had his eyes slightly closed, as if he hadn't heard, not even casting a glance.

Fang Jiang, standing nearby, remained expressionless. He subtly glanced at Zheng Bao from the corner of his eye, giving him a look.

Zheng Bao raised his voice expressionlessly, "Guards, this boy disrupted the examination grounds and defied the law. Deprive him of his scholarly title and drag him away. Give him fifty heavy military strokes."

Soon, two martial artists clad in silver armor emerged.

The two glanced at Zheng Bao, implicitly asking whether to strike lightly or heavily.

Zheng Bao turned his head and saw Fang Jiang nod almost imperceptibly. A cold glint flashed in his eyes, and he sternly ordered the martial artists, "Hit him hard!"

The two silver-armored martial artists understood. "Yes, sir!"

The second round quickly concluded.

After a simple tally, it was time for the "Top Three Contest."

Three gongs sounded, their vibrations shaking the entire venue.

In the private room, Qi Yu opened his eyes in response to the sound. His gaze was calm and unruffled.

Then, he stood up.

His imposing figure cast a shadow within the room.

He smiled slightly at his relatives and friends to reassure them, then turned and stepped out of the room.

As he walked down from the viewing platform, the sudden clamor and exclamations from behind made him pause slightly.

Qi Yu turned his head slightly, his gaze passing through the gaps in the crowd. He vaguely glimpsed a bloody, mangled body lying on the ground, motionless, seemingly dead.

He couldn't see the face clearly, nor did he intend to join the commotion. He took a few more steps forward, only to see two guards from the Qi family's second branch hurrying over from a distance.

Upon seeing him, the guards immediately stopped.

One of them reported, "Third Young Master, Sun Li acted on his own accord and disrupted family harmony. He has confessed to the false accusation... He has now received fifty military strokes and was beaten to death on the spot."

The guards' voices were not lowered, and people nearby heard them clearly.

"Sun Li?"

"Yes, Third Young Master. This person falsely accused a Qi family disciple and deserved punishment."

Qi Yu's peripheral vision swept over the dead Sun Li behind him again. He paused for a moment and said, "He died for my cousin, didn't he?"

The guard said, "Third Young Master, what are you saying..."

Before he could finish, Qi Yu interrupted, "Bury your people properly."

With that, he strode forward, not looking back again.

Halfway there, Qi Yu unexpectedly encountered Chu Xiao again.

Chu Xiao glanced at him indifferently, did not engage in conversation, and walked straight past.

He was already aware of all the rumors from the first two rounds.

He had also seen the scene of blood splashing and the person being beaten to death just now.

The disgust and contempt in his heart grew even stronger.

Rather than a false accusation, he was more inclined to believe that "this dandy had indeed taken forbidden drugs, then used his influence to force a subordinate martial artist to confess to a false accusation to clear his own name, at the cost of that innocent martial artist's life."

He clenched his fists and thought, "Qi Yu, I hope you and I meet on the arena soon!"

Not far away, Han Yan happened to pass by as well. Upon seeing Qi Yu, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, and his rough voice immediately rang out, "Brother Qi, the third round! Not bad!"

As he spoke, a glimmer of disdain flickered in his eyes.

Qi Yu glanced at the data above Han Yan's head: 27~59.

Was this the strength of lower-grade talent after being baptized by the cipher?

Truly terrifying.

Come to think of it, Han Yan and Chu Xiao's talents should be similar.

The fact that he could beat Chu Xiao last time was probably because he had already received the cipher's baptism then, gaining an additional layer of power. Chu Xiao was naturally no match.

These two were indeed geniuses.

With many thoughts flashing through his mind, Qi Yu also raised his hand in a wave, acknowledging him.

Both of them wisely did not approach each other.

The Spirit Serpent Martial Hall and the Black Bear Martial Hall were in a state of hostility.

Getting too close at this time would inevitably lead to unnecessary trouble.

Around four hundred Eighth Rank martial artists participated in the martial arts examination, but only thirty-two managed to achieve an overall "Grade A Middle" score and advance to the third round.

The matchups for these thirty-two individuals were not determined by random draw; instead, the examiners ranked them beforehand based on their performance in the first two rounds.

The examiners did their best to separate the top sixteen seeded participants, then filled in the remaining spots, ensuring that those with outstanding abilities wouldn't face each other too early.

As the old saying goes, the Provincial Examination aims to select true talent, not to advance through luck.

The examiners continuously assessed the participants' performance during the matches, dynamically adjusting their evaluations to ensure the two strongest contenders would meet in the final battle.

To maintain fairness, sixteen empty spaces were designated as arenas, and the matches began simultaneously.

Soon...

Qi Yu stepped onto his designated arena and looked up at his opponent.

The man opposite him had a square face. Seeing Qi Yu look over, he cupped his fists and bowed, announcing in a deep voice, "Shi Family, Shi Niu."

The Shi Family?

Qi Yu understood.

Of the Five Directions' Military Governors, with the North vacant and the Central Heavenly Soldiers directly under the City Lord's Mansion, the remaining three positions had long been divided among three families.

The Qi Family controlled the Eastern Poison Water, the Shi Family governed the Western Bedrock, and the Zhen Family commanded the Southern Gale.

This Shi Niu before him, and Shi Yong from the same group the previous day, undoubtedly both hailed from the Shi Family.

"Qi Family, Qi Yu."

Qi Yu returned the bow, simultaneously glancing at the "25~48" above his opponent's head and his own "38.8~63.5."

His gaze fell on "48," then swept over his own "38.8," his expression serious.

The data could be used as a reference, but the actual match could introduce variables due to the different fighting styles of both parties.

However, his cousin had already gathered all possible information about potential opponents.

Information about this Shi Niu flashed through his mind instantly.

[Shi Niu]

[Trained under: Iron Fist Martial Hall]

[Specialty: Great Strength Fist]

Great Strength Fist: A compact boxing stance with continuous, interlocking movements. Its many linear, back-and-forth patterns are characterized by "fists that fight the lying ox," making it difficult to escape once entangled in a head-on confrontation.

Killing Move 1: Lion Shakes Snow: Attacks continuously within five steps, swift as a gale, causing robes to flutter, like a lion's mane wildly dancing.

Killing Move 2: General's Seal Slam: A fearsome throwing power. The punch not only contains the charge of a spear but also the slamming force of a whip. Within three steps, its power is extremely terrifying and cannot be met head-on.

Knowing the fighting style, knowing the combat power...

Qi Yu had a good grasp of the situation.

Clang!

The bronze gong sounded.

Shi Niu moved immediately, but his speed was not fast, even revealing obvious openings.

Qi Yu understood at a glance.

The opponent was feinting.

Trying to lure him in.

If he hadn't seen the characteristics of the [Great Strength Fist], he would have definitely charged forward and been immediately entangled.

Therefore, Qi Yu didn't advance. Instead, he retreated, twisting his body and moving sideways like a spirit serpent.

Shi Niu immediately changed direction, pursuing closely, while exposing even greater openings.

As they approached, their fists and feet met, but they separated instantly upon contact.

Shi Niu wanted to entangle his opponent, but Qi Yu's movements were agile. He used the force to retreat and continued to circle.

After several rounds of this maneuvering, Qi Yu suddenly stepped forward, white mist swirling around his right hand. It was the killing move, "Azure Serpent Entwining Kill."

Seeing that his opponent was no longer running, Shi Niu was overjoyed. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes, and he inwardly exclaimed, "Good!" He then took a deep breath, his muscles and bones twisting like a bowstring. Power surged from the soles of his feet, through his waist, into his back, through his arms, and finally concentrated at the tip of his fist.

The stance Shi Niu adopted made Qi Yu's pupils contract slightly.

It was nothing else; he was too familiar with it.

This posture subtly matched a specific movement from the twenty-first posture in Hunyuan Contending Force...

He could even perceive the flow of the opponent's internal energy through this movement and even predict the ultimate trajectory of his punch.

Boom!!

General's Seal Slam.

Shi Niu's punch carried a fierce wind. Before the fist arrived, the wind hit Qi Yu's face.

But just as the fist was about to land on Qi Yu.

The young man's figure suddenly flickered like a ghost.

As if foreseeing it, the moment the fist reached him, he accurately dodged the overbearing strike. At the same time, his right hand shot out, and a punch landed squarely on Shi Niu's chest.

Puff!

Boom!

Amidst the muffled thud of force, Shi Niu lost control of his body and flew backward. After staggering to the ground, he retreated several steps, and finally, he sat down on his backside.

He struggled to get up but felt his chest's Blood Essence surging. Although not seriously injured, the pain was unbearable.

Shi Niu raised his head abruptly and saw Qi Yu standing with his hands behind his back, his breathing steady.

He gave up struggling, knowing he was no match. He said in a muffled voice, "I... I've long heard that the Spirit Serpent Skill is agile and cunning. Seeing it today... it lives up to its reputation."

Qi Yu shook his head slightly and said, "It was just a hair's breadth. If I had been hit by your fist, I would have been the one falling. The outcome of this battle was decided by a hair's breadth, not by much."

Shi Niu was stunned by his words. Knowing Qi Yu was being polite, he laughed heartily, "Brother Qi, if you ever come to the west of the city in the future, I will definitely play the host!"