Picking Up Stones (Seeking Daily Reads)

He wore a black gauze cap, his features refined and elegant, dressed in the green-patterned official robes of a seventh-rank official, with a jade belt wrapped around his waist and black boots on his feet.

It was said that the new County Magistrate from the Prefecture City was quite young, and looking at him now, the rumors were clearly true.

This was also Zhao An's first time seeing this new County Magistrate.

The man possessed both the scholarly elegance of a noble family's scion and the solemn, upright air of a high-ranking official.

His eyes were long and narrow, radiating a cold chill; at a glance, he seemed like a man who could not tolerate a grain of sand in his eyes, someone not easily approached.

"Tao Heng..." Zhao An saw the true name above this new County Magistrate's head—milky white, with a radiating halo and six feet of rising smoke!

"This man's virtue..."

Before this, the person Zhao An had seen with the most virtue was Meng Wanyi, whose head was crowned with three feet of white light, as bright and clear as the moon.

Yet now, this newly appointed County Magistrate's white light was even more intense, reaching over six feet!

He was truly the person with the most virtue Zhao An had ever seen!

If one considered that Meng Wanyi had healed countless people and saved them from suffering to earn her three feet of merit, it was quite reasonable.

Could it be that this County Magistrate has saved even more people? Zhao An pondered.

Occupying a high position with power in his hands, one could theoretically influence the fates of many.

Sometimes, a single policy or a law benefiting the people enacted by a County Magistrate could accumulate a share of virtue for himself.

Thinking of it this way, an official was indeed more capable of accumulating virtue than the vast majority of ordinary people.

Of course, the prerequisite was that this official had to be a good one who sought the welfare of the people, a man of integrity.

If there were acts of corruption, the virtue on one's body would diminish, and if one spent their time as an official doing evil, leaving the people under their rule in misery, they would be the greatest of villains in this world!

If conditions permit, and this good official falls into misfortune, it might be worth considering saving him, Zhao An thought to himself.

Of course, such a golden opportunity to obtain Virtue Fruit might not necessarily present itself before him.

After all, the guards by the man's side, as well as the County Soldiers and Prefecture Soldiers in the city, were not just for show.

Zhao An's gaze naturally fell upon the guards and attendants.

Four of them drew his attention.

The martial aura on those four was on an entirely different level compared to the surrounding bailiffs and County Soldiers.

They were simply holding their blades, doing nothing at all, yet the aura of strength they exuded was so prominent and sharp that it made others afraid to meet their eyes.

These must be the experts brought from the Prefecture City... Zhao An concluded in his heart.

"Why isn't the County Commandant here this year? In previous years, wasn't the County Vice-Magistrate in charge of the civil exams and the County Commandant in charge of the martial exams?"

"I heard the County Commandant was dismissed from his post long ago; some say he's already eating prison food in the dungeon!"

"What a pity, that such a strong man couldn't escape the disaster of imprisonment..."

"Don't think about that; the County Exam right now is what matters! I heard that entering the army with the status of a Martial Student allows one to take a key position directly, without having to start as a lowly foot soldier!"

"That goes without saying; that is exactly why I am here..."

"..."

"Silence!"

As the County Magistrate took his seat, an official at his side gave the order, and the entire arena quickly fell silent.

At a time like this, if one were not sensible, there was a high chance of being dragged away.

The County Magistrate first swept his gaze across the candidates, nodded in satisfaction, and then spoke.

"Since ancient times, literature has carried the Way, and martial arts have protected the people. Today, the county opens the martial exams to select the brave and talented of the countryside. We prioritize martial virtue first, technical prowess second, and martial strategy third."

"This official guarantees that the County Exam will be fair and just; there will be no favoritism, cheating, or deception..."

The County Magistrate delivered a long-winded opening statement before finally announcing that the martial exam had begun!

On the Martial Arts Arena, flags were raised and horns were blown, stirring the spirits of the masters and family scions watching from outside the field.

The officials and minor clerks below stood at their respective stations, calling out registration numbers so that candidates could proceed with the assessment items in order.

The first item was the simplest: lifting stones.

It was a test of pure martial physique and strength.

Rows of stone locks were placed on the ground, each one heavier than the last, and at the very end stood a Bronze Tripod.

The tripod was taller than a man's waist and over a meter wide; it was a Thousand-Catty Tripod.

The Great Wu Dynasty had a long-standing tradition of lifting tripods. Setting this Thousand-Catty Tripod in the County Exam meant that anyone who could lift it would receive a perfect score for the stone-lifting portion.

Of course, ordinary people could certainly not lift this tripod.

Usually, one had to be born with divine strength or be a Martial Master with profound Internal Breath to have any hope of lifting it.

Those martial artists with weaker Internal Breath could not even budge it.

"Number one, Li Dabao, three-hundred-catty stone lock, lifted to the chest!"

"Number nine, Feng Er, three hundred and fifty catties, lifted above the chest!"

The minor official on the side recorded the examinee's results, and whenever someone lifted a stone lock exceeding three hundred catties, he would shout it out, drawing attention from all sides.

Even the County Magistrate up on the high platform would cast a glance over upon hearing the announcement.

As for the masters from the Inner City outside the examination grounds, they would also have people note down these brawny, powerful men.

If those who performed exceptionally well failed to make the list later on, they would be recruited as guards or laborers.

And if they did make the list, they would be courted and sponsored, with the expectation of future returns.

The process for each person to test their strength only took a minute or two, and in the blink of an eye, over a hundred people had finished.

Among them, only fewer than ten had their names called out.

Zhao An took a glance; among those few, three were martial artists who had cultivated Internal Breath, while the rest were simply brutes who relied on pure arm strength to heave the weights up.

The highest weight lifted so far was four hundred and fifty catties, achieved by one of those martial artists.

If one hasn't cultivated Internal Breath, the chances of making the list, while not zero, are incredibly slim, Zhao An thought to himself.

And the reality was exactly that; in the Martial Examination, martial artists held an absolute advantage.

The reason ordinary people participated was, in truth, rarely for the sake of making the list; they were mostly looking to use the occasion of the county examination to secure a good path for themselves.

If they could get into the Inner City to guard the homes of those noble families, they would be more than satisfied.

After another while, sudden exclamations erupted from both inside and outside the Martial Arts Arena.

"Number two hundred and seventy-seven, Shen Pan, eight hundred catties, lifted above the head!"

Zhao An looked over and saw a familiar face in the arena.

The youth Shen Pan had flipped a thick stone lock wider than his own body and hoisted it above his head.

His entire body was taut, yet there wasn't the slightest tremor; his delicate features were filled with determination, exuding a resilience that made people instinctively cheer for him.

The weight of the eight hundred catty stone lock was currently the best strength result.

"Jin Yi, what do you think of this lad?" County Magistrate Tao Heng asked after gently clapping his hands.

One of the guards at his side spoke up: "This lad is young, possesses two hundred units of Internal Breath, and his physique is stronger than his peers. He likely practices fist techniques; he is quite good."

"Does he have the potential to be cultivated?" Tao Heng asked again.

"Even if placed in the Prefecture City, he would be considered of above-average talent," the guard nodded.

"Hmm..." Tao Heng smiled slightly and said nothing more.

After the result was announced, Shen Pan set down the stone lock and glanced at the Bronze Tripod not far away.