P. S.: This is a fictional world; please do not take the Martial Examination examinations personally.
After that, life returned to normal.
The last person to want to see Jiang Ping's Painting scroll was Wei Rou.
The woman became even more enthusiastic than before, and every time she sought Jiang Ping's help to share the Golden Severing Saber, she would intentionally or unintentionally steer the conversation toward the Heavenly Might Technique.
Jiang Ping ignored her, which made Wei Rou sigh inwardly, "Drinking really leads to trouble!"
Time flies by.
Finally.
The day for Martial Examination for duty arrived.
Changping Prefecture City is bustling with activity, with more than double the usual number of people.
This is a grand event held every few years in the Da Li Dynasty, a feast for geniuses.
Jiang Ping and Chen Qingyan, along with a group of seven, arrived at the registration area.
More people signed up than expected.
Jiang Ping looked at the people in line and roughly counted them; there were two or three hundred.
This was not only a grand gathering to select Martial Graduate, but also a selection process for martial arts Xiucai to be assigned as Military Official in various counties.
Unlike the Martial Graduate, which relies heavily on talent and resources and requires extremely high skill levels, the number of places is limited.
The selection of martial arts Xiucai, numbering thirty to forty per three years with no age limit, actually made the competition even fiercer.
After all, First-rate Genius are rare, and the vast majority of Martial Artist do not possess such innate talent.
Many Martial Artist with average talent but good family backgrounds would strive to improve their strength to the Sixth Grade and then compete for the title of Xiucai (a scholar who passed the county-level Xiucai examination). In the future, they would become local gentry and live a comfortable life. If their descendants were talented, they could use their family wealth to try to become Martial Graduate and gradually grow stronger.
In fact, many Great Era have developed in this way, little by little.
Of course, there were also Cold Gate students who wanted to become martial arts Xiucai, but they were few in number and accounted for only one or two out of ten.
Among them were two First-rate Genius. It is said that they came from poor families and started practicing martial arts too late, only at the age of twenty-four or twenty-five. Everything was too late, so they could only quickly break through to the Sixth Grade and change their fate, and then live a life of wealth and honor.
"Jiang Ping, are you aiming to become a martial arts Xiucai?" Fang Yong was ahead of Jiang Ping in line, asked.
Jiang Ping had already demonstrated Sixth Grade Blood Art, so he broke through without refining his Golden Bone; his future was already set.
"And what about you? Aren't you currently refining your Golden Bone?" Jiang Ping retorted.
"I see the Martial Examination as a test to hone my skills." Fang Yong was full of ambition.
"Great job!"
Jiang Ping shrugged.
Before long, it was their turn.
The registration was handled by officials in the Prefecture City. One person was in charge of registration, while three other officials verified the place of origin of the Martial Artist registered in Changping Prefecture.
The Da Li Dynasty governed the country through military force. There were no conditions for participating in the Martial Examination, and there was no such thing as recommendation. Apart from the age requirement for the Juren examination, anyone who had practiced martial arts and had no criminal record could register for the County Examination.
"Fang Yong, exceptionally talented, twenty-three years old, not bad." The official in the black robe offered a few words of praise, then inquired Fang Yong would be taking the Provincial Examination or the County Examination.
Fang Yong chose the County Examination.
His skill level is still a bit low, so it's best for him to hone his skills against those Martial Artists who have no future.
The clerk nodded, then graded Fang Yong as "B-Middle" on his registration page.
Fang Yong raised an eyebrow and asked what the evaluation was.
"The Style of a General," the clerk replied.
Fang Yong didn't understand, but Song Yuanshan behind him replied, "They're scoring people by appearance and height. Hurry up and get down, the people behind are waiting."
"..." Fang Yong.
He didn't rush to leave, but watched Jiang Ping's score from the side, and was greatly shocked by the result: "A-Upper".
"Jiang Ping, you are twenty-five years old. Which subject will you choose?" the official asked.
"A scholar who has passed the imperial examination!"
Jiang Ping spoke slowly, eliciting a slightly surprised look from his companion.
"You don't want official rank?" Fang Yong glanced at him. With Fang's comprehension, obtaining the title of Xiucai (a lower-level scholar) should have been no problem, but he chose the Provincial Examination.
"Making a rational choice will be good for your future," even Chen Qingyan couldn't help but advise.
"I see the Martial Examination as a test to hone my skills," Jiang Ping replied.
Fang Yong: "..."
Everyone: "..."
After the remaining people registered, the group left.
On the way, Fang Yong said, "The County Examination will start first, and the Provincial Examination will be held in seven days. You're here to watch my examination."
"Okay." Everyone nodded.
Back on Chen Family Street, the group noticed several middle-aged men standing by the roadside. Upon seeing them, they approached them.
Seeing that the Fang Yong was somewhat embarrassed, Song Yuanshan:
"They are the Head Escort) and the Chief) of the Four Seas Escort Agency). They must have come to see Brother Ji and Brother Jiang take the imperial examination."
Jiang Ping was delighted to see Escort Huang he hadn't seen in a long time, and the Chief Escort, and couldn't help but smile.
There was also a rather dignified middle-aged man, who looked to be in his early forties.
The other person was seven feet tall, dressed in a plain robe, with a short beard and bright eyes.
Lin Yi is the Chief of the Four Seas Escort Agency.
Lin Yi sized up Jiang Ping, whom he was meeting for the first time. "Hmm, a handsome young man, not bad."
"Chief." Jiang Ping clasped his hands in a salute.
Lin Yi nodded in response, said a few words of encouragement, and then went to the latter's courtyard with Ji Baichuan.
Jiang Ping then invited Escort Huang, and the Chief Escort into the house and served them Prefecture City specialty tea.
"Is the skill you acquired very valuable?" the Chief Escort) couldn't help but ask as soon as he sat down.
Jiang Ping nodded. It was a treasured possession of a transcendent family, but it was very difficult to master.
"Since it was so difficult to practice, why didn't you just be more generous and share it with Ji Baichuan in the first place?"
The Chief Escort) didn't question the matter, but merely mentioned that the Chief had some reservations about it.
He felt that Jiang Ping and Ji Baichuan were both trained by the Escort Agency and should support each other, instead of causing trouble for him.
"It must be because Little Jiang has no future, Ji Baichuan underestimated him; that's why they don't get along."
Escort Huang, knew Jiang Ping quite well and didn't think he was a stingy person. He believed that Ji Baichuan had slighted him, as evidenced by the way he had spoken ill of Jiang Ping over three thousand taels of silver.
"Sigh." The Chief Escort sighed, believing that Jiang Ping shouldn't have written to confirm repeatedly, especially since it clearly implied a favor to the Chief, which would cause the two to sever their relationship.
Otherwise, the Chief wouldn't be speaking to Ji Baichuan alone; instead, everyone would be sitting down together for tea and a lively chat.
"Perhaps." Jiang Ping did not deny it.
If the Chief hadn't asked him to share his Heavenly Might Technique, he would have just Ji Baichuan a nobody on the roadside.
"I read Little Jiang's letter, and it clearly indicated his refusal. Why does the Chief still insist on him sharing his skills? It's a bit unreasonable," Escort Huang couldn't help but ask.
As elders, we shouldn't force the younger generation; after all, they were raised by our own family.
"Despite the promise, they've spent a long time together, and the Chief still has feelings for Ji Baichuan, so it's inevitable that he'll be a little biased," the Chief Escort) said, having a better understanding of the Chief.
"Forget it, this skill is very valuable, exceeding the favor bestowed by the Chief. We're even now. From now on, Little Jiang will have more freedom to act without any constraints."
The Chief Escort) chuckled again, saying that he had spent time with both Ji Baichuan and Jiang Ping, and found the young man before him to be to his liking, showing great respect for his seniors, while the other had a sharp edge.
"That's right." Escort Huang, was quite proud, his face beaming with smiles. It proved that his judgment was far superior to Head Escort Liang's.
"By the way, I heard you just went to register for the Martial Examination. Are you aiming to obtain the title of Xiucai and become a great Military Official?" Huang Youren asked again.
"The Provincial Examination!" Jiang Ping replied.
The two senior scholars were immediately taken aback. "A scholar who passed the imperial examination?"
Seven days passed in the blink of an eye.
The day of the Provincial Examination arrived.
Jiang Ping donned the blue robe specially given to him by his two seniors, with swords and knives hanging at his waist. His hair was tied up with Jade hairpin, and his eyes beneath his sword-like eyebrows were clear and bright. As his strength grew, his features became even more exquisite.
Accompanied by Escort Huang and the Chief Escort, Jiang Ping walked out of the courtyard gate.