Breakthrough Failed?

After Wu Zhiai left.

Chen Mo counted on his fingers. "There are sixteen days left until the Martial Examination."

With so little time, breaking through to Dark Jin would require some special means.

He took out the Tianxin Sunflower Yin Shanshan had given him. He had boiled and taken it that very day, and for the first time, he had experienced what a heavenly treasure could do.

Once the Tianxin Sunflower's medicinal liquid entered his belly, it transformed into a steady stream of pure medicinal power that flowed through his bones, muscles, and meridians.

Taking advantage of the surging medicinal power, Chen Mo went back into the Blacksmith Room and practiced his stance and fistwork.

Every few steps, he would pause, lost in thought, and mull things over.

When his legs grew tired from practicing his stance, he would stoke the fire and forge iron. He placed both crude iron and refined iron in the furnace. Once they had heated to a rosy red, he took them out to hammer, quench, and carve patterns into them, finally turning them into weapons.

Whenever he finished making a weapon, a flash of insight would spark in Chen Mo's mind. He would immediately sit down to reflect, then incorporate what he had realized into his stance technique.

Time flew by.

On the eighth day, dusk settled all around.

After practicing the Dragon-Subduing Stake Technique dozens of times, Chen Mo stilled his mind and entered a meditative state.

[Thousand Hammer Refinement, Mountain and Water Cultivation]

[Dragon-Subduing Stake Technique: basic stance technique, training the legs below and fist power above]

[Comprehension: 99/100 (Minor Mastery)]

"I'm just a hair away from minor mastery, but I was already at ninety-nine yesterday. I haven't made the slightest progress today..."

It seemed just as he had suspected: his Comprehension of the Dragon-Subduing Stake Technique needed to reach minor mastery before he could break through to Dark Jin.

"Looks like having Mountain and Water Cultivation doesn't mean there's no threshold to overcome."

"But I can faintly feel the power in my body growing denser."

At the peak of Ming Jin, one gained the rudimentary ability to probe the muscles and meridians within one's body.

He slowly turned his awareness inward, examining the paths of his meridians. To his surprise, he found that some had begun to connect and merge.

And the merging of one's meridians was the sign that one had stepped into Dark Jin!

His brows lifted with delight.

Even the slightest sign meant that Mountain and Water Cultivation could indeed help him overcome the threshold between realms.

Even with his mediocre physique!

"There's still some medicinal power left in the Tianxin Sunflower. I can't waste it..."

Chen Mo felt even more driven. He added more charcoal to the furnace, where flames roared and hissed.

While the iron billets inside were still heating, he rolled up his sleeves and practiced his stance and fistwork.

The firelight faintly revealed the lines of his hardened muscles, already beginning to knot and bulge. He looked nothing like the scrawny boy who used to be covered in soot.

With such grueling practice, and the continuous replenishment from the Ningjin Pill, his meridians gradually connected and merged.

Three days before the Martial Examination, dawn broke.

Chen Mo examined his meridians from within and found that they were more than ninety percent connected. Though they were not yet fully linked and his Comprehension of the Dragon-Subduing Stake Technique had not reached minor mastery, he felt he was close to Dark Jin.

"Three days left. I'll push a little harder."

After these days of intense practice, he had discovered that he understood the Dragon-Subduing Stake Technique in an entirely different way.

Some of its principles that he had once thought he understood now yielded fresh insights as he worked them out again.

He almost felt as if the Dragon-Subduing Stake Technique was no longer the Dragon-Subduing Stake Technique, but had become an even more profound form of martial art.

"Once I truly break through to Dark Jin, I'll see what changes the Dragon-Subduing Stake Technique has undergone..."

Chen Mo said goodbye to Chen Lan and Wu Zhiai, then headed for Tianqing Martial Hall.

He had been away from the hall all this time. Yin Tianqing had deliberately let him train in seclusion on his own, and they had agreed to meet at the martial hall on this day before setting off together for Anyang County.

Today was the day they had agreed on.

He stepped inside.

Several sharp gazes swept over him.

Ji Chang was the first to hurry over and greet him with an enthusiastic hug. Then he slapped Chen Mo on the chest, producing a series of solid thumps.

Chen Mo was now even broader than Ji Chang. He was nearly as big as Yue Lun had been before his injury.

"Not bad. A few days apart, and you're looking like a real bruiser."

On the other side, Yin Shanshan lifted her eyes to look at him, a faint blush creeping onto her face. At heart, she was still a young girl.

Just then, Yin Tianqing came out of the inner room. When he saw Chen Mo, he approached and studied his complexion, then let a trace of disappointment show.

Yin Tianqing had only ever held a faint hope that Chen Mo might break through to Dark Jin.

Seeing that he truly had not, the last glimmer of hope was snuffed out.

"Reaching the peak of Ming Jin in such a short time is no small feat."

His words sounded as though he were comforting Chen Mo, though perhaps he was comforting himself as well.

Then he said to Chen Mo and Li Xuan, "Just do your best. Keeping yourselves safe matters most."

The two clasped their hands in salute and assented.

After a quick final check of their belongings, Yin Tianqing led Chen Mo and the others out.

Besides Chen Mo and Li Xuan, several of the hall's key disciples, including Yin Shanshan and Ji Chang, were also going to Anyang County.

They climbed into a Ziyuan Carriage.

The brown horses galloped north, the wheels spinning swiftly.

Clip-clop, clip-clop!

Inside the carriage.

Yin Tianqing began explaining the rules of the Martial Examination.

"This year, because of the limited number of places, only fifty-one martial artists will compete. The top ten will earn the title of Martial Scholar."

Chen Mo mused to himself that fifty-one were competing for ten spots. No wonder the Martial Examination was so fiercely contested—and in previous years, even more people had taken part.

But then again, earning the title of Martial Scholar would be like being reborn for a poor commoner. No wonder martial artists clamored for the title.

Yin Tianqing continued, "The Martial Examination has two trials. The first is called the Strength Trial. Each person lifts a stone lock; the heavier the lock they lift, the better their score."

"The second is the Technique Trial, where competitors face off and test their martial arts and techniques. Their opponent in each round is decided by drawing lots. The further they advance, the better their score."

"The results of the two trials are added together to determine each person's final score. That's how the ten places are awarded."

Chen Mo understood.

Whether in the Strength Trial or the Technique Trial, the gap between Ming Jin and Dark Jin was enormous.

Taking advantage of the quiet, he began contemplating the last few parts of the Dragon-Subduing Stake Technique that still gave him doubts.

Golden light suddenly blazed in his mind, transforming into countless streams of glowing characters that joined and rearranged as they worked out the possibilities.

Meanwhile, Yin Tianqing continued explaining: "The Xie Family, the Qi Family, the Iron Palm Gang, the Fengfeng Pawnshop, and the other top forces in Anyang County will all send young experts. They're the cream of the county's younger generation.

"If either of you runs into them, you can broaden your horizons and gain experience. Even if you lose, you can compete again next year."

Li Xuan hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Where would Zhang Chong and Yue Lun rank among them?"

He wanted to work out his own standing based on how those two ranked.

Yin Tianqing thought for a moment, then replied, "Zhang Chong can make the top ten, and might even have a shot at the top five. Yue Lun is probably around twentieth."

Li Xuan's heart tightened when he heard that.

"Even Senior Brother Yue can only rank around twentieth?"

Just then, a muffled sound like a firecracker suddenly burst from within Chen Mo.

Yin Tianqing reacted first. He abruptly turned toward Chen Mo and immediately placed a hand on his shoulder, sensing the state of his body.

A moment later, Yin Tianqing's expression darkened.

"What's wrong, Father?" Yin Shanshan asked from beside him.

Yin Tianqing shook his head gravely. "Chen Mo's breakthrough to Dark Jin failed..."