The Martial Examination Begins (Seeking Follow-up Reads)

Since ancient times, the martial path has had its teachings.

From Ming Jin, breaking through to Dark Jin is said to offer two chances, but strictly speaking, people believe there is only one.

This is because if the first attempt fails, the difficulty of the second attempt increases drastically; those who succeed on the second try are few and far between, and they are invariably children of wealthy families who treat rare treasures and herbs as their daily meals.

Yin Tianqing spoke these truths aloud.

The group fell into silence.

The mountain wind whistled through the window curtains, howling.

As for Chen Mo himself, he hadn't actually processed it yet.

Just moments ago, he had been circulating the Dragon-Subduing Stake Technique in meditation, attempting to break through that final barrier.

But just as he was a hair's breadth away from the breakthrough, the meridians he was about to connect became obstructed once more.

However, Chen Mo had made a strange discovery.

Although the breakthrough had not succeeded, his meridians had been widened slightly, allowing them to hold more internal energy than before.

And by relying on the Mountain and Water Cultivation, he could initiate a breakthrough every time he digested his comprehension points.

While others were limited to two chances in a lifetime, he had almost no limit.

As his meridians continued to widen, when the time finally came for him to break through to Dark Jin, would his internal energy not surge like a flood?

This surprising discovery made Chen Mo's heart race.

But he forcefully suppressed his joy, showing a look of confusion on his face, "Then... do I still have a chance to break through to Dark Jin?"

Yin Tianqing paused, regretting that his previous words might have damaged Chen Mo's martial heart, and quickly comforted him, "Since a second breakthrough is possible, then there is still hope. Set your mind at ease; I will find a way to help you break through."

Chen Mo nodded, but his expression remained dejected.

The others nearby knew that this was merely their master offering comfort.

In the past few years in Black River Town, not a single martial artist had ever achieved a second breakthrough.

Those who truly succeed on a second attempt are rare, perhaps not even one in a hundred.

Chen Mo's martial path could be considered completely severed.

While a peak Ming Jin practitioner is safe enough to protect himself, it is unlikely he could compete for the title of Martial Scholar, let alone step onto a higher stage.

Everyone cast a sympathetic look at Chen Mo, wanting to say something, but the words stuck in their throats, unable to be uttered.

The horses galloped, and the carriage wheels rumbled loudly.

I do not know how much time had passed.

The carriage drove into the county town and finally stopped in front of an inn.

Chen Mo followed the others as they jumped off the carriage and looked up, seeing the plaque on the door inscribed with the three bold, sweeping characters "Jucai Building," which fit the atmosphere of the Martial Examination in Anyang County quite well.

The group walked into the inn, Yin Tianqing paid the silver, and everyone went to their respective rooms to rest.

Except for Yin Tianqing and Yin Shanshan, who had a room to themselves, the other men shared rooms in pairs.

Ji Chang, who was staying with Chen Mo, spoke up, "You're much better off than me. I participated in the Martial Examination last year and placed forty-fifth; this year, I can't even participate. If you manage to get into the top twenty or thirty, you'll have left me far behind."

Chen Mo knew the other man was trying to liven the mood, so he didn't let the conversation die, replying, "I wouldn't even look twice at the top twenty or thirty. You had the nerve to participate at forty-fifth? My goal is naturally the top ten!"

The top ten meant passing the Martial Examination to become a Martial Scholar, truly making a name for oneself.

Ji Chang was startled, then realized that Chen Mo was willing to joke, which meant he had largely resolved the knot of his failed breakthrough.

Ji Chang laughed heartily and then said, "Then this senior brother will wait for the moment you return in glory!"

Speaking of which, he seemed to remember something and said in a mysterious tone, "I hear that those Martial Scholars who make the list go to Qingmei Workshop to celebrate all night."

"Qingmei Workshop is the most famous Hua Pavilion in Anyang County. The singers there have voices like celestial music, and the dancers are as beautiful as fairies."

As Ji Chang spoke, his eyes narrowed, and his right hand made a gentle grasping motion in the air, as if he were intoxicated by the thought, "Singers on the left, dancers on the right, surrounding you on all sides—that scene, tsk tsk..."

Chen Mo watched him, continuing to practice his stake and fist techniques on his own.

When Ji Chang came back to his senses and saw Chen Mo had already "circled the stake" to the corner of the room, he wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth and said, "Junior brother, how about this? I'll go scout the situation for you first, and if I find anything, I'll come back and tell you."

"Suit yourself."

Having received permission, Ji Chang immediately pushed the door open and left.

Chen Mo remained in the room alone, immersed in his stake training.

"I must succeed in breaking through before the Martial Examination trials!"

He thought to himself.

The third day, morning.

The sun was warm.

The Anyang County training grounds were hosting the Martial Examination, and the venue was packed.

Chen Mo and Li Xuan were lined up in the competition queue, divided into A and B columns. Chen Mo was B-22, and Li Xuan was A-19.

Directly in front of the training grounds, seven or eight officials sat in neat rows. The one in the center wore a crimson official robe and looked dignified, while those on both sides wore cyan official robes.

The Martial Examination is held to select talent for the government, so these men in crimson and cyan represented the authorities, their every word and action exuding the aura of officialdom.

In the areas closer to the sides of the training grounds, the major families had carved up all the best viewing spots, leaving the few members of Tianqing Martial Hall to look on from a distance.

After the chief official in the crimson robe finished his speech, the war drums on the field thundered, suddenly sweeping across the entire grounds and stirring everyone's hearts.

Before the drums had even ceased, the first trial—the strength test—began.

Chen Mo waited on the sidelines, lifting his eyes to see over a dozen stone locks of varying sizes placed in the center of the field.

The stone locks weighed anywhere from three hundred to eight hundred catties, with each increment being fifty catties.

The heaviest stone lock that each martial student could lift and hold for ten seconds would be recorded as their score for the strength test.

Those who lifted a three-hundred-catty stone lock received a grade of C, those who lifted five hundred catties received a grade of B, and those who could lift seven hundred catties received a grade of A.

"Every year, no more than fifteen martial students achieve a grade of A, so if you want to make the rankings, it is best to get an A in this strength test," a martial student nearby said to the group.

Chen Mo looked closely and saw that the sturdy outfit the student wore was made of fine material and clearly expensive; he was surely a scion of some noble family.

"Brother, may I ask which family you are from?" Chen Mo asked proactively.

After all, these noble scions knew a great deal of inside information, and if he could glean some news from him, it would be twice the result for half the effort.

The other party sized Chen Mo up slightly, and seeing that he was not from a rival faction, he let down his guard. "I am Xie Jinnian of the Xie Family. How should I address you, brother?"

"The Xie Family, the largest in Anyang County?"

Chen Mo was startled, then cupped his hands and said, "My name is Chen Mo, from Tianqing Martial Hall in Black River Town."

In Anyang, the Xie and Qi families were the two dominant powers.

The Zhao Family, which acted like a tyrant in Black River Town, had to take a backseat in front of the Xie and Qi families.

And between the Xie and Qi families, the Xie Family was faintly a cut above the rest.

Chen Mo had not expected that upon arriving at the Martial Examination grounds, he would immediately encounter a scion of the largest family in Anyang.

Upon hearing it was Black River Town, a flash of surprise crossed Xie Jinnian's eyes. "I have heard that the Black Tiger Hall of Black River Town dominates its region and is quite famous throughout all of Anyang."

Taking the opportunity to speak, Xie Jinnian scanned Chen Mo's entire body intentionally or otherwise, roughly concluding that he had not yet reached the level of Dark Jin. He calculated inwardly: This person should be nothing to worry about, and that is one less competitor.

Just then, a muffled shout erupted from the center of the training grounds, followed by an uproar from the entire crowd.

"Seven hundred catties! The first seven-hundred-catty lift of the year has been born!"