Provincial Examination (Six)

The arena battles in the Provincial Examination proceeded continuously.

All the martial artists entered the arena at the same time and fought one after another, leaving no room to question the fairness.

This was itself another test of a martial artist's endurance.

Such a system naturally favored those with abundant stamina, while proving especially harsh for those with explosive strength but insufficient staying power.

Yet wasn't endurance itself also a powerful manifestation of strength?

When Qi Yu left the arena, several other arenas had also finished deciding their winners.

By regulation, he was not allowed to move about freely and could only stand where he was, quietly awaiting the examiner's next arrangement.

However, during this interval, his gaze still swept inconspicuously toward the distant arenas.

Just then, a rough roar tore through the air:

"Your defeater is Han Yan of Black Bear Martial Hall!!"

The roar had not yet faded...

When, not far away, the clear announcement of a minor official rang out:

"Chen Feng of Black Bear Martial Hall, victory!"

Immediately afterward...

From even farther away, two faint proclamations of "Black Bear Martial Hall, victory" drifted over.

This meant that in the first round of the thirty-two-to-sixteen competition, Black Bear Martial Hall had actually advanced four people at once!

The martial forces participating in Mount Wei City's Provincial Examination were numerous. To claim four of the sixteen places in the third round of the Provincial Examination at one stroke immediately stirred up a commotion in the stands.

People from every side turned their heads and began whispering among themselves, probing into the background of this "Black Bear Martial Hall."

Some hoped to recruit them, some intended to befriend them, and quite a few were already calculating whether to send their own children there to study martial arts. The name of Black Bear Martial Hall in the east of the city had, for the first time, burst so directly into everyone's view.

Qi Yu's expression shifted slightly.

All four martial artists from Black Bear Martial Hall had entered the top sixteen. This could only mean one thing: Black Bear Martial Hall had most likely been controlled by the Umbrella Sect and had obtained some kind of secret power from the sect.

Since it was in the east of the city, he had previously learned quite a bit about this martial hall...

The four martial halls of the east of the city.

Spirit Serpent Martial Hall: upright in conduct and conventional in style. Most of its Eighth Rank disciples used long spears as weapons.

Clear Wind Sword Hall: women made up the majority of its members. It maintained good relations with many forces in the inner city and was also the only martial hall in the east of the city to have opened a branch in the inner city.

Old Mountain Martial Hall: a typical blend of martial hall and gang. Most of its members were woodcutters, hunters, or herb gatherers. It occupied the foot of Mount Wei where the northern and eastern parts of the city met, believing that "those who live by the mountain eat from the mountain." It had little interest in fame or official honors and had not even sent anyone to participate in this Provincial Examination. Its disciples used a wide variety of weapons—bows, sickles, axes, and all the rest.

Black Bear Martial Hall: its methods were the wildest, making it practically a hotbed for the many small gangs in the east of the city. The gangs here changed like the revolving lights of a lantern, one troupe taking the stage after another, but tracing their origins carefully revealed that most had countless tangled connections to Black Bear Martial Hall. The former gang leader of Black Tiger Gang who had died horribly, as well as Wolf Bro, had both come from there. Its members mostly used saber techniques and were fierce and fond of fighting.

If the Umbrella Sect had controlled Black Bear Martial Hall...

And if that was combined with the situation on his own side, even including Yuanzi's performance...

Then the Umbrella Sect had already begun quietly devouring the entire eastern district without anyone noticing.

They had made such a grand display during this Provincial Examination. They likely intended to use the opportunity to make a name for Black Bear Martial Hall and pave the way for further expansion in the future?

If Golden Wind Jade Dew Pavilion in the south of the city and Zhen Ke'ai in the west of the city were counted as well...

At that thought, Qi Yu felt a chill rise within him. What he had seen so far was probably only the tip of the iceberg... The Umbrella Sect's arrangements were far larger and more far-reaching than he had imagined.

Qi Yu was just thinking...

When a cry suddenly came from the distance.

A man's cry.

The sound was exceptionally jarring in the schoolyard beneath the broad daylight, carrying even a hint of something sinister.

Next came the voice of a minor official: "Do you surrender or not? Why keep stubbornly holding on!"

The spectators watched the arena and discussed it among themselves.

"Isn't that Cao Jin from the south of the city? He's been beaten into this state. Why hasn't he surrendered?"

"Exactly. He keeps falling down and climbing back up. He's already bleeding from head to toe..."

"What kind of grudge does he have against that Young Master of the fourth branch of the Zhen Family? The winner has clearly been decided, yet he insists on being beaten like a sandbag up there."

"Cao Jin, surrender! It's not worth it!"

On the arena, fists and feet had no eyes. If the rules prohibited injuring one's opponent, both sides would only hide their strength and hold back, becoming constrained at every turn and losing the sharp spirit of martial artists competing for supremacy...

Therefore, the third round of the Provincial Examination had no strict rule that "casualties must not be caused." It only stated that casualties should be avoided and that blows should stop once the point had been made.

As for the standard of "stopping once the point had been made," so long as one side fell and could not rise or verbally admitted defeat, the other side was absolutely forbidden to press the attack. This was the red line of the Provincial Examination. Anyone who ignored it would be punished according to the severity of the offense, and the punishment was generally extremely harsh.

However, if one did not verbally admit defeat... in theory, the beating could continue indefinitely.

Now, even the minor official maintaining order had spoken up to urge Cao Jin to surrender, making it clear that his situation was already perilous.

But why was he still stubbornly holding on?

Very soon...

Another "boom" rang out.

The arena's edge immediately erupted in an uproar.

"His leg! His leg bone is broken!"

"Cao Jin is finished..."

"That fourth Young Master of the Zhen Family is actually so vicious?"

Seeing this, the minor official immediately rushed forward and announced loudly: "Zhen Family, Zhen Tianshuang, victory!"

Because Cao Jin had stubbornly held out, Zhen Tianshuang became the final victor to be decided among the sixteen.

Not long after he won, the matchup list for the next round, the sixteen-to-eight competition, had already been arranged.

On the elevated platform...

Spirit Serpent Martial Hall's side room.

Song Qinghong was somewhat surprised, and somewhat gratified.

Chu Xiao entering the top sixteen was the result he had expected, but Qi Yu entering was truly beyond his expectations...

He stroked his beard and pondered. The more he thought about it, the more puzzled he became.

Qi Yu had turned over a new leaf, and he had personally instructed him without charging a fee. That had been out of consideration for their relationship; he had never placed any hopes on the boy.

After all, although this boy had worked hard after birth and trained diligently enough, the limitations of his innate bone structure lay plainly before them.

Changing one's bone structure was something only those of the middle three ranks could accomplish...

But without superior bone structure, even breaking into the Seventh Rank would be difficult, let alone what came afterward.

Entering the Ninth Rank after a full month was proof enough of his bone structure. His prospects were truly limited.

He looked at his proud disciple, Ghost Hand Seven, beside him and asked, "A-Qi, have you seen how your junior sister Song Xue has been teaching Young Master Qi these past few days?"

Ghost Hand Seven said, "They've been practicing behind closed doors. I couldn't see clearly."

Song Qinghong laughed heartily.

A daughter grown was a daughter lost...

As he laughed, his eyes narrowed.

Could they really have used some kind of secret medicine?

He knew about the secret spiritual fields in the Qi Family's core estate. Heaven knew what strange and wondrous things might grow in those fields.

He also knew that the three branches of the Qi Family were fighting among themselves.

Could it be that, to help Qi Yu obtain a good ranking, the third branch had gone so far as to force-feed him some fierce medicine, using the act of pulling up seedlings to help them grow at the cost of ruining Qi Yu's future martial foundation?

At this thought, he slowly shook his head and sighed inwardly.

It was a matter of time, a matter of fate...

Still, that worthy nephew had truly done his utmost. Whatever the result... at least he was a responsible man.

Dong...

Dong...

Dong...

The bronze gong at the side of the arena rang out.

The sixteen-to-eight matches were about to begin.

Song Qinghong collected his thoughts and turned his gaze back toward the arena where Chu Xiao stood.

The arena was an empty patch of ground. The two contestants entered from opposite sides.

Chu Xiao stood on the left, while on the right was a disciple of Black Bear Martial Hall named Liu Zhen.

Song Qinghong unconsciously clenched his fists. His expression was calm, his gaze blazing as it locked tightly onto his proud disciple.

Chu Xiao stood with his arms folded, coldly watching the black-robed disciple slowly ascend the arena from across the way.

The bear emblem on the man's sleeve swayed with each step. His tiger-like eyes brimmed with savage light as they fixed fiercely upon Chu Xiao.

"Not Han Yan?"

Chu Xiao raised his brows slightly, undisguised disappointment leaking into his tone.

Liu Zhen laughed loudly. "What, still reminiscing about Senior Brother Han's soles?"

A cold glint flashed through Chu Xiao's eyes. He slowly raised his right hand, pressed his four fingers together, and beckoned inward.

"No matter. I'll use you to offer up the victory banner first."

At another arena...

"Qi Family, Qi Yu."

"City Lord's Manor, Zhou Qing."

Zhou Qing's gaze lingered on Qi Yu's face for a moment. "You're Zhou Wen's brother, aren't you?"

Zhou Wen was the legitimate son of the third branch of the City Lord's Manor. At the gathering before last year's New Year, he had sat beside Qi Yu, and the two had indeed been on good terms, more or less like Qi Yu and Wang Yuan.

Qi Yu glanced at the opponent. "25–48."

"Yes."

The corner of Zhou Qing's mouth hooked up. His knuckles cracked as he warned, "Brothers are brothers, but don't meddle in matters you shouldn't. Understand?"

Qi Yu did not answer. He merely raised a hand and made an inviting gesture.

Zhou Qing saw that he had not taken the warning seriously. He let out a derisive laugh, a trace of disdain flashing in his eyes. Then he burst into loud laughter. When he finished, his feet suddenly spread apart, forming a strange boxing stance.

His knees turned inward and his back humped slightly. Wisps of blood energy steamed up around his ankles, as though he were treading upon clouds.

As his body began to twist strangely, Qi Yu stood motionless, his gaze narrowing slightly.

Although this was their first exchange, the man's movements carried an indescribable familiarity.

After giving it a little thought, he matched the twisting trajectory with part of the movements in the nineteenth posture of Hunyuan Contending Force...

Immediately afterward, without needing to continue thinking, the path of his opponent's force circulation and the optimal angle of attack became as clear as a painting in his eyes. They even began deducing themselves within his mind...

His feet covered the earth without a sound. He was not stepping forward but pressing into the ground, spiraling and sinking the force of his entire body inward. Through the ground's rebound under the pressure, he burst forth with astonishing speed.

In this way, not the slightest bit of strength was wasted; all of it transformed into forward momentum.

His figure skimmed through the air like he was rising upon the wind.

The blood energy beneath his feet seemed to carry him through the mist.

Riding the wind and driving the mist... This should be the path of the Heavenly Soldiers secret technique.

And against such speed, the best method of exerting force was undoubtedly to make one's leg like a long spear and stab straight through the air!

A spear thrust straight at the face, followed by a chain of explosive kicks, made it difficult to withstand.

However...

Once it had been seen through, combined with the disparity in strength, it was enough to crush him completely.

As Qi Yu's thoughts raced, he had already seen through the opponent's foundation.

Whoosh!

Zhou Qing moved.

Just as Qi Yu had expected, his speed was swift, and a vicious thrust-kick shot straight for Qi Yu's face.

Almost simultaneously, Qi Yu slid sideways. His right hand darted out like a spirit serpent—not blocking or parrying, but catching the opponent's ankle and giving it a light tug with exquisite precision before cutting into his guard.

White Serpent Throat Seal!

He sank slightly, ensuring the strike would not be fatal.

Bang!!

A muffled sound...

One move decided victory and defeat!

"Qi Family... Qi Yu, victory!"