"Chen An!"
Jiang Ping looked at the list of his group.
The remaining eighteen people were also divided into three groups, and they competed in a round-robin format. Two people were eliminated from each group, leaving the last twelve people.
He was assigned to Group B, and was in the same group as Chen An.
There will be a battle!
"The third battle will be against Chen An." Jiang Ping raised an eyebrow, seemingly lost in thought.
"The second round will begin in one hour."
One of the proctors said something at the end.
As the afternoon approached, taking advantage of a break in preparations, Jiang Ping went to see Escort Huang and the others.
Huang Youren held his hand, grinning from ear to ear.
The Chief Escort) was also proud of it.
Senior Xie.
When Jiang Ping saw Juren Chen, and his niece approaching, he immediately clasped his hands in thanks.
Without that Innate Blood Technique, his advancement to the second round might not have been so smooth.
"You're too kind. Only a genius like you is more suited to Innate Blood Technique."
Juren Chen smiled, his admiration for Jiang Ping growing with each passing moment.
Then, he grabbed Chen Qingyan with his left hand and Jiang Ping with his right, pressing their palms together, and said:
"From now on, when you two go to the Martial Academy, you should support each other and make progress together. Since you're both from the same place, you should keep in touch."
"..." The girl didn't know how to answer, her fair cheeks flushed slightly.
Jiang Ping felt the softness and warmth, and couldn't help but squeeze it; the girl trembled slightly.
He smiled and said, "You're right, senior."
"Everyone!"
At this moment, Song Yuanshan appeared and interrupted Juren Chen's seemingly matchmaking attempt.
His expression was somewhat complicated as he looked at the two who had let go of each other's hands, his mind filled with a myriad of emotions.
"She made it to the second round; she should be able to Supplementary Admission the Martial Academy." Mr. Wei looked at his daughter, very happy.
"Senior, I..." Ji Baichuan, who was standing with Wei Rou Song Yuanshan, did not know how to speak to the Chief. The arrogance of a genius had faded from his eyes, and he no longer had his former demeanor.
The Chief, Lin Yi, was silent for a moment, then looked up and smiled, "It's alright, just do your best."
Then, Lin Yi led Ji Baichuan away from the Government Office, clearly having lost all interest in watching the Imperial Examination.
"Chief, sigh." The Chief Escort) sighed slightly.
He had previously thought Jiang Ping's actions were inappropriate and severed ties with the Chief.
In retrospect, it was the Chief missed his best opportunity.
It was too late for Lin Yi to make amends.
Jiang Ping would definitely not accept a favor from someone who would force him to do something against his will.
"Oh, right."
At this point, Escort Huang, brought up the matter of Jiang Ping and Chen An.
"Three thousand taels of gold, for an apology?"
Jiang Ping was taken aback. He recalled Chen An's expression; the other party didn't seem to be willing to back down. He still looked arrogant and haughty.
Chen An looked surprised and whispered, "You want me to cripple Jiang Ping?"
In a corner of the Government Office, he looked at the group of people in front of him with an incredulous expression.
Immediately, Chen An shook his head, saying with apprehension, "If I cripple him, the Martial Academy teachers will tear me apart alive."
"Don't worry, if anything happens, we'll take responsibility for you," Jin Ze assured him, patting his chest.
Upon hearing this, Chen An frowned deeply. He wasn't from a prestigious family, so he wouldn't have a powerful Lineage to back him up if something happened.
He didn't believe the so-called guarantee; he believed that if the incident came to light, he would be the only murderer.
"Don't be afraid. The Martial Academy isn't monolithic; there are factions. My uncle's faction is the most powerful and dislikes Mud Leg rising to prominence the most. This isn't the first or second time something like this has happened."
A burly man laughed, saying that he was very powerful and ranked Rank Three on the Martial Examination Ranking.
Chen An was shocked, as if he had heard something he shouldn't have.
"Of course, we will do our best to protect Brother Chen and provide him with resources to grow, so that he may have the potential to become Fourth Grade."
The Rank Three added a sentence, which made Chen An raise an eyebrow slightly.
Fourth Grade!
In this world today, sages are not emerging, and those who achieve the Martial Dao Golden Core are already considered the most outstanding Celestial Person.
However, after a moment's thought, Chen An still refused.
He might dare to try to cripple a First-rate Genius, but Jiang Ping is Super First-rate, and the Martial Academy cherishes such talent immensely.
Once the incident occurs, it will be difficult for him to escape punishment.
"Don't worry, it doesn't need to be too obvious. Just tear off his outer clothes and injure his internal organs, and that will be considered a success. There's no need to risk his life," said Rank Three.
Although Sixth Grade Martial Artist is strong, he also has obvious weaknesses. His internal organs are fragile and he cannot be easily injured.
Once it suffers irreparable damage, it will affect its future Martial Dao, tantamount to being crippled.
Therefore, in every Martial Examination competition, the emphasis was on stopping short of defeat; often, breaking the opponent's Martial Artist uniform was considered a victory.
Chen An pondered, still hesitant.
The Rank Three took out a book from his robes and said, "This is my clan's Innate Blood Technique. You should know that it is stronger than the Blood Art you practice; it is the complete version."
Chen An was instantly moved. A complete Innate Blood Technique was not only usable among Fifth Rank, but also ranked among the top.
But he still shook his head.
He dared not gamble his future based solely on the assurances of a few scions of prominent families.
"I can take you to see my father," Rank Three added.
This made Chen An give him a deep look, then nod and readily agree.
I surrender.
Jiang Ping began speaking as soon as he stepped onto the stage.
His opponents in the second round were all very strong, and he didn't want to waste his energy.
What's more, standing in front of him is the Number One on the Ranking, Cao Qingzhi.
They seem to be destined to be together; they're even in the same group in the second round.
Cao Qingzhi looked at the handsome young man before him and nodded slightly. As expected, the two were not on the same level.
"Be careful," Cao Qingzhi whispered as he passed Jiang Ping.
Jiang Ping was taken aback, not understanding what he meant.
"Someone wants to make a move against me?" he murmured.
But he's already been chosen by the Martial Academy; who would dare to lay a hand on him?
However, if the Number One on the Ranking says this, it must be quite true.
Furthermore, judging from the Number One on the Ranking's words, it's highly likely that they sabotaged him in the arena, attempting to cripple him?
Who could it be?
Jiang Ping was still guessing at first, but by the second game, he was certain.
Boom!
When Jiang Ping faced the Rank Three, the opponent immediately displayed Half-Step Artistic Conception, leaving Jiang Ping no time to even finish conceding defeat.
Call out!
Jiang Ping used Blood Escape to evade the opponent's attack.
He stood at the edge of the arena, looking at the Rank Three, and sensed a hint of Killing intent emanating from his Saber Intent.
"They want to kill me?" Jiang Ping's eyes narrowed slightly as he memorized the face of the Rank Three.
Then, he conceded defeat before the Rank Three player could make another move.
"This Rank Three player is ruthless."
On the stands, the Martial Academy instructor frowned.
"Even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit; my son is just being a little too cautious," the father of the Rank Three son laughed.
The instructor glanced at the head of the powerful family but ultimately said nothing.
On the arena.
The Rank Three stepped down with a hint of regret, without even glancing at Jiang Ping.
The latter stared at the burly man, raising an eyebrow slightly:
"I'll remember this Jiang."
"Mo Zicheng, you'd better not go out alone while you're at the Martial Academy!"
He thought to himself.
Night fell.
The Government Office was brightly lit.
Jiang Ping began his third match in the second round against Chen An.
"Are you going to admit defeat?"
Chen An stood in the middle of the arena with one hand behind his back, watching the young man who had just stepped into the ring.
"Hmm..." Jiang Ping pondered, making Chen An somewhat uneasy.