The Martial Exam Champion

Reality was always cruel.

Three months later, Li Ji'an had entered the Golden Strength Technique. A wisp of qi and blood had formed, and he had begun tempering his skin.

Meanwhile, Qingyun had only just managed to begin the Seventy-Two Stance Forms. Who knew when he would truly master them?

"Four months! Four whole months! You... have you even been trying?" Ma Yuan's attitude toward Qingyun gradually turned less amiable.

Qingyun's face was full of grievance. "I'm sorry, Instructor Ma. I'm stupid... I really have tried my best. Maybe... I really don't have the talent for this. I'm too ashamed to stay under your tutelage. Why not let my father come and take me home?"

"Hoo... hoo..." Ma Yuan took a deep breath, forcing down his temper.

"It's not that bad, not that bad! Still, knowing shame can spur you on. I still believe in you. Put in a little more effort. You have an upper-grade Root Bone; once you start practicing the Golden Strength Technique, your advantage will burst forth. By then, your junior brother won't be able to catch up even if he rides a horse after you."

Seeing that Ma Yuan still hadn't given up, Qingyun looked a little disappointed. He had no choice but to find a way to make him lose all hope.

Meanwhile, Wu Cheng kept a close eye on Li Ji'an, occasionally reminding him not to become arrogant or complacent. A little better comprehension meant faster progress with the stance forms, and even quicker entry into the Golden Strength Technique. But the gap in Root Bone would show in the quality and quantity of qi and blood he could build up later, as well as in how quickly that qi and blood could temper his skin.

So he should stay humble and keep working hard.

Li Ji'an agreed on the surface, but deep down, he still couldn't contain his excitement.

His ten years of skin-tempering in his previous life had made him keenly aware of the advantages his comprehension and Root Bone gave him in this life.

He had only just entered the Golden Strength Technique, yet the qi and blood he had built up inside him already matched what he'd had when he reached minor mastery in his previous life. He could also clearly feel that the qi and blood were washing over his skin more than thirty percent faster than at the same stage before.

"If this continues, and I build up more and more qi and blood, I might reach perfection in skin tempering in just a year!"

At that moment, he finally understood firsthand the gulf between a genius and an ordinary person.

Half a year later,

a full ten months after they had entered the academy!

"What? He's reached perfection in skin tempering?"

"How is that possible? That kid... what kind of Root Bone does he have? Don't tell me it's upper-grade too?"

"Perfection in skin tempering in ten months? Even someone with an upper-grade Root Bone might not manage that!"

"Hiss... Old Wan kept saying Qingyun had an upper-grade Root Bone, but never said anything about Li Ji'an. Could it be they really got two geniuses at once—and Li Ji'an has an even better Root Bone?"

"Is he really Old Cripple Li's son? I remember Old Cripple Li had a terrible Root Bone."

The news, passed around among Instructor Wu's disciples that day, set the entire martial academy ablaze.

Soon, curious people also found out that Qingyun, who had begun receiving private instruction from Ma Yuan half a year earlier, still hadn't built up a trace of qi and blood.

For a time, malicious rumors and gossip flew everywhere.

"Instructor Ma ruined a genius!"

"Instructor Wu is the true judge of talent!"

"Qingyun worked so hard and took it so seriously, and yet... sigh."

Ma Yuan had been holding back for a long time. After these rumors and slights got under his skin, he finally exploded.

"You really are as stupid as a pig! No, even a pig is better than you! You've got an upper-grade Root Bone, yet you're not even as good as that cripple's son. You've wasted Heaven's gift! How dare you keep living in this world? Get out! Get out of my courtyard!"

That day, Qingyun finally got his wish: his father, Houde Zhenren, came to fetch him.

Other people didn't know Qingyun well and could be fooled by him, but his father knew him far too well. After asking just a few questions, he suddenly turned to look at Qingyun.

Just as he put on a fierce expression, as though ready to kill his own son for the greater good, Li Ji'an stepped forward at the right moment.

"Master, everyone has their own aspirations. Senior Brother has no interest in martial arts. Forcing him won't make him succeed.

"Besides, he can take over for you and lead Pure Heart Hall in the future. Perhaps that's a good thing. At least the incense and offerings will continue without end."

As the second generation of the Daoist Temple, Qingyun wasn't actually bad. He was content to stay in the temple and enjoy a steady life, without reaching for the impossible or trying to prove himself. That already made him a worthy heir.

With his contented nature and the foundation Liu Deshan had laid for him, barring any mishaps, he would live a happier life than ninety-nine percent of the people in the world.

What was the meaning of life?

To live according to your heart, within the limits of what you could manage, until you died.

Of course, that didn't entirely apply to Li Ji'an, who had "returned to youth." There was still a difference, after all—he could avoid "dying" in the true sense.

And that had become one of his own deepest convictions: to do everything in his power to avoid being "killed."

The second was never to let himself fall into the despair and misery of his childhood in his previous life again.

Liu Deshan was as easygoing as ever when it came to taking advice. It wasn't that he lacked opinions; he simply couldn't be bothered to think through a lot of things.

In the end, Qingyun got his wish. Overjoyed and in tears, he bade Li Ji'an farewell, then left with Liu Deshan.

A year later,

Li Ji'an was fifteen and had reached great mastery in Muscle Compaction!

The Martial Exam, held once every two years, was only two months away.

In past years, the bar for the Martial Exam had generally been entry-level Muscle Compaction. With minor mastery, success was all but certain. As for those who reached great mastery before the preliminary exam, there had been only three in all of Shangyi County's hundred-year history.

Li Ji'an's reputation as a genius had spread across almost all of Shangyi County.

Some busybodies even made up countless stories about his life.

The most widespread tale claimed that his father, despite his disability, had persevered and worked for his son's future, raising a genius. They even invented convincing details about things Li Ji'an himself hadn't yet figured out.

That swept away Li Ji'an's worries from before his "return to youth" in his previous life—that he wouldn't be able to make every detail fit together seamlessly.

"The ancients never lied to me. Once I pass through the pass, Great Scholars will argue my case for me!"

Meanwhile, Instructor Ma's reputation at the martial academy had collapsed, while Instructor Wu was thriving, showered with praise.

Two months later, Li Ji'an reached perfection in Muscle Compaction and, as expected, won first place in the Shangyi County Martial Exam. Across the three cities and eighteen counties of Chong'an Prefecture, he ranked second, earning admission to the Prefectural City Immortal Seeking Academy.

For three days, fireworks burned without end throughout Shangyi County.

There were no duels or fights in this world's Martial Exam, nor any separate categories of tests. The sole measure was the degree of bodily tempering, judged alongside Bone Age: the younger the Bone Age and the greater the degree of tempering, the higher the ranking.

At fifteen, Li Ji'an had reached perfection in Muscle Compaction, setting a new record for Shangyi County.

He had also filled the Shangyi County Martial Academy with boundless hope.

If an immortal master took Li Ji'an away during the next selection of immortal disciples, the martial academy's head and its instructors would each be promoted three ranks at once.

Even if he failed to become an immortal disciple, there was almost no doubt he would become a Qi and Blood Grandmaster.

Thus, before he set off for the Prefectural City Immortal Seeking Academy, the martial academy rewarded him with a thousand taels of silver. The head added another thousand from his own pocket, and all the instructors pooled their money to give him yet another thousand.

Before heading to the Prefectural City Immortal Seeking Academy, Li Ji'an returned to Purple Heaven Temple to bid farewell to old friends and pay his respects at his master's grave.

The prefectural city was three hundred li from Shangyi County. Given the state of transportation here, an ordinary person making that journey might never return.

At fifteen, Li Ji'an was in the prime of life, the sun just rising over his future. Looking at his senior brother, who had passed the age of fifty and now had graying temples and fading vitality, he couldn't help feeling a touch of sorrow. Given his senior brother's age, this parting might truly be forever.

The Abbot, representing Purple Heaven Temple, generously gave him three thousand taels in silver notes and urged him to write often. His words made it clear he hoped Li Ji'an would look after the temple in the future.

When he left Purple Heaven Temple again, Li Ji'an felt much more at ease. He had safely passed through the seven most precarious years of his "return to youth" in this life, from age eight to fifteen, and now had some confidence to fall back on. Beyond the six thousand taels of silver notes in his arms, the main thing was his own strength, now that he had reached perfection in Muscle Compaction.

With skin tempering at perfection, his skin was as tough as cowhide, and ordinary blades and swords could scarcely injure him. He also had three hundred jin of strength, along with reaction speed and agility beyond an ordinary person's. Even throwing a flurry of wild punches would be enough to take on three to five ordinary, burly men. He could at least manage to protect himself.

With Muscle Compaction at perfection, he was thick-skinned and tough, with five hundred jin of strength. Even if he ran into a small band of mountain bandits or highwaymen, he could protect himself. He had begun to acquire the strength needed to travel the martial world.