The two left the Book Pavilion and headed for the Blacksmith Room.
They fell silent along the way.
Wu Zhiai suddenly spoke. "You must be wondering why I'd wager a tenth of the caravan's interests on your future, right?"
Chen Mo had more or less guessed the reason. "Because even Wu Laoda would have trouble swallowing a tenth of the caravan's interests?"
Wu Zhiai's brow relaxed into a smile. "That's one reason. A tenth of the caravan's interests isn't that much to me, but Wu Laoda would be ravenous for it, even if it were only half that."
"The other reason is that I have no choice."
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"No choice? There are dozens of Ming Jin fighters in Black River Town, aren't there?" Chen Mo asked, puzzled.
Wu Zhiai shook her head. "There are dozens on the surface, but most already belong to someone. And those who entered Ming Jin long ago have already hit their ceiling. They can't compare to you, a nineteen-year-old Ming Jin fighter."
She paused, then continued, "So when I say I have no choice, I mean I can't find anyone more suitable than you."
With that, she smiled, her figure taking on a singular grace in her blue-green dress.
The Wu Family's third young miss had reached marriageable age, yet she had never sought out a suitable match. Instead, she was cutting through the increasingly murky, stagnant waters of the Wu Family.
Perhaps she wanted to prove something.
Or perhaps she simply hadn't met the right person yet.
The two arrived at the Blacksmith Room.
"I won't keep you," Wu Zhiai said. "If there's anything else you need, just tell me."
"Actually, there is." Chen Mo thought for a moment. "Sister Ai, could you help me buy some refined iron?"
"Refined iron... You can probably only find it in the county town. I'll ask the people going to buy supplies today to pick some up."
After Wu Zhiai left, Chen Mo immediately immersed himself in Mountain and Water Cultivation...
Another ten days passed.
At dawn, spring sunlight glimmered faintly.
After completing his morning training, Chen Mo checked the progress of Mountain and Water Cultivation in his mind:
He was now on the verge of reaching the late stage of Ming Jin. He had fully mastered the first four forms of Fuhu Fist and had gained an initial grasp of Luo Smoke Steps.
He rose to his feet and stretched. The injury from last time had healed completely, leaving not the slightest trace.
"It's time to head to Tianqing Martial Hall. I have to claim a slot in the Martial Examination."
He hadn't gone to the martial hall these past few days, but Yin Tianqing hadn't taken issue with it. The Hansha Gang had sent people to spy on the Wu Family, but hadn't made a direct move.
"I'll go after breakfast."
Chen Lan had kept him back. When the maid brought breakfast, Chen Mo ate with his usual ravenous appetite, and the dishes were empty in no time.
"Be careful on the way," Chen Lan reminded him, her face tinged with worry.
She had known about the assassination attempt on Chen Mo for some time. She hadn't blamed him for keeping it from her, but ever since, she had been on edge every day.
"Don't worry, Sis. I'm not the same as I was before."
Chen Mo left the Wu Family, crossed the streets, and entered Tianqing Martial Hall. The shouts of people training rose and fell around him.
When he arrived, two pairs of eyes suddenly flashed with light.
One belonged to Ji Chang, the other to Yin Shanshan.
Ji Chang walked up to Chen Mo and clicked his tongue twice. "Tsk, tsk. The man rumored to have killed two Ming Jin fighters from the Hansha Gang is standing right in front of me."
"Oh, right." Ji Chang changed the subject. "The selection for the Martial Examination slots has begun. Senior Brother Yue Lun has already secured one of them."
"The remaining two slots will be decided among all the Ming Jin senior and junior disciples."
Chen Mo heard this and swept his gaze around.
Aside from him and Ji Chang, six others had reached mid-stage Ming Jin or higher, including Luo Heng, Zhou Pi, and Yin Shanshan.
He clenched his fist in silence.
With his current late-stage Ming Jin strength, and the boost to his Comprehension from Mountain and Water Cultivation, claiming a slot wouldn't be difficult.
"What are the selection rules?" he asked.
A trace of worry crossed Ji Chang's eyes. "One-on-one matches. The final two victors get to take part in the Martial Examination."
He clearly lacked confidence. "There'll be four matches this morning to pick four people. Then, in the afternoon, two will be chosen from those four."
Chen Mo understood.
At that moment, Yin Tianqing came out of the inner room. His eyes swept over the disciples like lightning.
When he spotted Chen Mo, surprise crossed his face. He strode over with tiger-like steps. "You brat. I didn't expect you to reach late-stage Ming Jin in just a few days."
His words left several senior and junior disciples stunned, Ji Chang among them.
That kind of progress was among the best in the entire martial hall.
Zhou Pi, who had already been unable to withstand a single exchange with Chen Mo, now showed a trace of fear. Beside him, Luo Heng clenched his teeth, already bracing himself for the fierce battle ahead.
"Let's begin the selection matches now." Yin Tianqing took out a wooden box he had prepared earlier. Seven or eight slips of paper lay scattered inside.
"Everyone, draw a slip at random. Each slip has an A or B and a number. The two people with matching numbers will fight."
"For example, A1 will fight B1, and A2 will fight B2. The winners of matches one and two will face each other, as will the winners of matches three and four."
After Yin Tianqing explained, the disciples took their slips one after another.
Chen Mo opened his and saw the words "B3."
Ji Chang held up his "A2" slip to Chen Mo, then looked around. When he saw Junior Brother Li, a peak-stage Ming Jin fighter holding the "B2" slip, his heart sank halfway.
Yin Shanshan had drawn "A1," making Zhou Pi her opponent. Luo Heng had drawn "B4," and his opponent was another senior brother at mid-stage Ming Jin.
Chen Mo saw Senior Brother Liang, a late-stage Ming Jin fighter, holding the "A3" slip. The two clasped their fists in greeting.
Senior Brother Liang had been in Ming Jin for a long time and was gentle by nature.
None of the four matchups this round involved any personal grudges.
The matches began. Yin Shanshan faced Zhou Pi. Both were at mid-stage Ming Jin. Yin Shanshan's Soft Cloud Hand was like cotton fluff: seemingly limp and powerless, yet its force flowed on without end, wave after wave.
In the thirteenth exchange, Zhou Pi was knocked out of the ring. Yin Shanshan won.
Next, Ji Chang faced Junior Brother Li, the peak-stage Ming Jin fighter. He lasted only a few exchanges before falling to his opponent's casual punch.
No matter how hard Ji Chang had trained these past few days, he still hadn't advanced to late-stage Ming Jin. The gap between mid-stage and peak-stage Ming Jin was plain to see.
His face darkened as he left the ring.
Who didn't want to show off their skills in the Martial Examination, earn a high placing, and soar to the top?
Seeing him like this, Chen Mo patted his shoulder but said nothing.
He and Senior Brother Liang stepped into the ring at the same time and bowed to each other.
Their match was as "calm as still water." Senior Brother Liang's Crane Walk Palm wasn't known for destructive power; it focused instead on sustained attacks and unending force.
But the longer the fight went on, the more deeply he furrowed his brow. No matter what he tried, he couldn't break through Chen Mo's defense. Chen Mo's mysterious footwork was like a sparrow darting through the clouds, impossible to approach.
In the end, in the nineteenth exchange, Chen Mo used Stone-Crushing Strike with only eighty percent of his strength and knocked Senior Brother Liang out of the ring.
The final match was the most unpredictable. Both fighters were at mid-stage Ming Jin. Luo Heng attacked fiercely, but his opponent was no pushover either.
They traded blows, their fist force scattering like locusts.
At last, after they exchanged all-out punches, both staggered toward the edge of the ring.
Luo Heng won by half a step.
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