Astonishment

"This is... over?"

"Too fast! I didn't even see what happened!"

"That big guy looked so scary. How was he so useless? Did he miss his kick and fall over?"

"Bullshit! Look closer! That kid Chen Yue's footwork was too fast. He slipped in at the perfect moment, and there was something strange about the force behind that palm. It looked light, but he pressed the man straight to the ground!"

"Hiss... now that you mention it, you're right! This kid's no ordinary fighter!"

"Not just no ordinary fighter! If he'd turned that palm into a claw, or used a stabbing or jabbing technique, that big guy would probably be dead by now!"

Many of the examinees and spectators who had paid Chen Yue little attention before now put aside their contempt. Their gazes grew more serious.

Winning quickly was nothing remarkable, but winning with such effortless ease showed absolute strength and control.

Down by the ring, Zhou Qi's face had darkened until it looked ready to drip.

The strength Chen Yue had just displayed was completely beyond his expectations.

That ghostlike footwork and seemingly effortless strike were beyond what a country bumpkin who had only recently taken up martial arts could manage!

If Chen Yue senses something's wrong after the County Examination and flees at once... With the footwork and speed he just showed, and his grasp of timing, escaping in the chaos isn't impossible. If he gets away into the mountains or disappears to another town, catching him again will be harder than climbing to heaven.

I can't wait any longer... I have to inform the gang immediately and make them move! Zhou Qi made up his mind in an instant.

He had to report the situation before Chen Yue could get away and mobilize enough men to seize Chen Yue—and his parents in Pearl Village—as soon as the County Examination ended.

On the other side of the training ground, Yu Kan and Ma Jun both sucked in a sharp breath almost simultaneously. They exchanged a look, disbelief in both their eyes.

The step Chen Yue had used to close the distance had clearly been Loach Drilling Through Cracks from Roaming Mountains and Rivers!

And that final palm, which looked light but actually contained supple inner force, had a distinctive trace of the pressing and penetrating force of Iron Mountain Fist in the way it was delivered and the angle of impact.

"Could he... really have learned it? And practiced it to this level?" Ma Jun couldn't help recalling what had happened more than twenty days ago.

In front of them, Zhou Jingfeng, master of Iron Mountain Hall, raised his eyebrows slightly. A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.

He looked at Yu Kan and Ma Jun, his tone puzzled. "The footwork and force-generating techniques that young man just used bear traces of our Iron Mountain Hall's teachings. Is he one of our disciples? When did he join? How come I have no recollection of him?"

Zhou Jingfeng generally knew how far his disciples had progressed in their cultivation. He couldn't recall anyone who had mastered the basic techniques so thoroughly, much less a young man who seemed to have surpassed his teachers.

At his words, Yu Kan looked slightly embarrassed. But he didn't dare hide the truth from his master, so he braced himself and quietly recounted how Chen Yue had come to them and how they had taught him the techniques that day.

"You taught him just once?"

The surprise in Zhou Jingfeng's eyes deepened. "In such a short time, he's managed to use Roaming Mountains and Rivers with such agility and control the force of Iron Mountain Fist with such precision? Even if it's only the basic techniques, his talent and hard work are extraordinary! What family is he from?"

Zhou Jingfeng instinctively assumed that someone who had progressed so far must come from a family with a martial arts tradition or have ample resources.

"Master, he... is a Pearl Diver from Pearl Village," Ma Jun added from beside him, lowering his voice further.

"A Pearl Diver? One of the pearl gatherers from Pearl Village?" Zhou Jingfeng's expression froze. He stared blankly for a moment, seeming to doubt his ears.

He turned again, his gaze like lightning, and fixed it on Chen Yue in the ring. This time, his expression was entirely different from the simple appreciation he had shown before. Disbelief and deep thought had replaced it.

A Pearl Diver, from the lowest rung of society, struggling every day just to survive and tightly constrained by the Sea Shark Gang—someone who could barely afford enough food and warm clothes, let alone the money and time to practice martial arts...

How could someone of such humble origins, without guidance, reach this level in the Iron Mountain Hall's basic martial arts in just over a month? Talent alone couldn't explain it!

"Number five of the Wu group, Chen Yue, wins!" the Official of Records announced loudly.

Chen Yue cupped his hands to the referee and Zhao Kui, who had managed to struggle back to his feet, then calmly walked off the ring. When he returned to where he had been standing, he discovered that Zhou Qi, who had been shadowing him all along, was gone.

His gaze swept across the crowd, and he spotted Zhou Qi near its edge not far away.

Zhou Qi was looking at him, too, but the moment their eyes met, he immediately looked away and refused to meet Chen Yue's gaze again.

What made Chen Yue's heart tighten was that the almost overflowing madness, hatred, and killing intent on Zhou Qi's face had now subsided. In their place was a colder, more sinister look.

It was like a poisonous snake that had stopped hissing and slipped silently into the grass, preparing to strike a fatal blow.

Is he going to bring the Sea Shark Gang's power to bear? Chen Yue frowned slightly, his guard rising to the highest level.

An hour passed in the blink of an eye. The Official of Records once again held up his roster and called out, "Weapon match! Number five of the Wu group, Chen Yue, versus number three of the Xin group, Liu Tong! Enter the ring!"

His opponent immediately bounded onto the ring with a blade in hand, scanning the crowd for Chen Yue.

Chen Yue, however, did not take the ring. Under everyone's gaze, he stepped forward and cupped his hands to the Official of Records beside it. "This student, Chen Yue, concedes this weapon match."

A low murmur rose from the people around them.

Some thought he was afraid to fight; others considered him sensible. After all, the rules of the Martial Examination were clear: win either the unarmed or weapon match, and you passed.

Chen Yue had already won the unarmed match cleanly and earned the title of Martial Licentiate. There was truly no need to risk competing in the weapon match. Blades had no eyes, and there were more variables. If he got hurt or made a mistake, it could affect his later Prefectural Examination. It simply wasn't worth it.

The Official of Records glanced at him, then checked the roster and the victory recorded beside Chen Yue's name for the unarmed match. He nodded, marked a "conceded" beside the weapon match, and announced, "Number five of the Wu group, Chen Yue, concedes. Number three of the Xin group, Liu Tong, wins!"

Chen Yue let out a quiet breath of relief. He had conceded not only out of caution, but also because he didn't want to reveal too much of his saber technique in front of everyone.

More than an hour later, the final weapon match ended, and the County Examination finally drew to a close.

The training ground, once paved with neat blue bricks, was now in utter disarray. Dust mingled with patches of dark red blood, glaring beneath the sunlight.

Along with the smell of sweat, the air carried a faint tang of blood.

During the unarmed matches, people had been injured, spat blood, and suffered broken bones, but deaths had been rare. Most could still be helped away.

But when the weapon matches began, the brutality had suddenly escalated. Amid the flash of blades and swords, victory and defeat were often decided in the blink of an eye. One moment of failing to pull back in time could cost someone a limb—or even leave the ground soaked in blood.