Martial Dao Fist Intent, Dao Examination Earthly Soul

"Your aura is purer than before," Xi Yun said, glancing at Qiu Yan with a hint of dissatisfaction in his voice, "However, your strength hasn't improved much."

Qiu Yan narrowed his eyes and said, "What brings you here at this hour?"

"I'm here to tell you that time is running out," Xi Yun with a cold smile. "Even the most useless fool, after spending two years repeatedly searching through this one prefecture, would eventually find some clues."

As he spoke, he took a step forward. "I heard you're going to take the Imperial Examinations. I wonder what your plans are for this Imperial Examinations? Are you content with just a Xiucai degree?"

"Hmm?" Qiu Yan was taken aback, wondering why the other party would ask this question. This Xi Yun gave people a cold and unapproachable feeling. The information revealed in his words indicated that he should be a person of the Upper Spirit Sect, and that he was an enemy rather than a friend of Qiu Yan. Such a person suddenly asked Qiu Yan about his Imperial Examinations examination as if he were an old friend, which naturally aroused suspicion.

Seeing Qiu Yan remain silent, Xi Yun wasn't surprised. He suppressed his smile and said, "Judging from your appearance, you're quite ambitious. A mere Dao Examination Xiucai a lower-level scholar) certainly won't satisfy you. Once you decide to participate in the Provincial Examination, under the influence of the Heavenly Heart, the Karma will deepen. At least during the Imperial Examinations period, your Fortune will be linked to the Great Rui Dynasty. Those with insufficient cultivation won't dare to easily attack you. It's a good way to delay things, but unexpected events may still occur..."

At this point, his expression suddenly changed, his brows furrowed, and then the long sword in his hand hummed and rang out, followed by its direct unsheathing. The sharp Sword-Ray seemed to have a tangible presence as it thrust rapidly towards Qiu Yan.

A cold glint flashed, tearing through the air, sending chills through the air. In the blink of an eye, the sword tip was in front of Qiu Yan!

"Hmm?" Qiu Yan's pupils contracted!

The sword tip came too fast, exceeding Qiu Yan's movement speed. Fortunately, he remained vigilant and quickly raised his hand, flicking his finger!

In the nick of time, Qiu Yan flicked his right hand on the blade. Two talismans on his finger spun rapidly, one of them covered in black cracks.

Absorption and corrosion, two opposing forces roared forth!

Below, the study in the Qiu Family courtyard trembled slightly, emanating wisps of strange energy. One could vaguely sense the artistic conception of the Law Script within it, an artistic conception that surged forth!

All around, light and shadow distorted, and streams of People's Wishes rose from several parts of the city and converged!

Two auras, the artistic conception of the article, Votive Thoughts of the people, all converged on Qiu Yan's fingers in the blink of an eye, causing his strength Qi and Blood to explode!

With a clang, the longsword was deflected!

"Huh?" Xi Yun was taken aback, a look of surprise in his eyes.

Opposite him, Qiu Yan, who had deflected the longsword, advanced instead of retreating. He took a step forward, grazing the blade, causing the roof tiles to tremble, and then charged towards Xi Yun!

Shoot!

Qiu Yan deflected the longsword and slapped forward, the Soul Seizing and Poison Erosion Divine Ability Talisman shifting and transforming, about to cover Xi Yun.

Just then, a scarlet pattern flashed between Xi Yun's brows, and a strange aura rose from his body, revealing a resolute, cold, and indomitable spirit!

This artistic conception was so tangible that it forced both of the Divine Ability Talisman to pause for a moment. Then, Xi Yun moved his feet, taking five zhang in one step, and disappeared in an instant.

"We will clash one day, but it's not the right time yet. I need some time to break free of my shackles, and you need time too. Your flick of the finger has truly opened my eyes; I underestimated you..."

These words were transmitted, but Xi Yun's men had already disappeared into the distance.

Qiu Yan did not chase after him, but remained where he was. His body was entangled and bound by rings of seemingly tangible artistic conceptions, all of which were unleashed by Xi Yun in an instant.

Martial Dao Fist Intent!

Slap! Slap!

A series of crisp sounds rang out as the Martial Dao Fist Intent shattered like a solid object, turning into fragments and vanishing without a trace. Qiu Yan broke free from it, looked in the direction where Xi Yun had disappeared, and fell into deep thought.

"What exactly is this person's purpose?"

Recalling what the other party had said on two separate occasions, Qiu Yan felt that he had grasped some of the key points.

"His thrust lacked any killing intent and appeared extremely hasty, seemingly not intentional but merely a simple sword strike. Yet even so..."

As he pondered, Qiu Yan raised his right hand, sticking out his index and middle fingers. His two fingers were covered in blood, the skin and flesh on the surface were almost completely torn apart, and the white bones could be vaguely seen.

"If this sword strike was truly intentional, even if it only relied on a little force or Vibratory Force, I'm afraid it would take me more effort to deflect the longsword, and I might even have to avoid its edge!"

Thinking of this, he took out a porcelain bottle from his bosom, poured out the Blood Pill, wiped it on the wound, and then, with a thought, Divine Ability Talisman floated over and circled around the wound on his finger.

This talisman has healing properties.

The next moment, the wound on my finger grew back, the bleeding stopped, and it healed rapidly, returning to normal in the blink of an eye.

Wiping away the blood, Qiu Yan rolled over and landed on the roof.

Just as he landed, the door to the main room opened, and Liu Huai and the others rushed out with expressions of surprise and uncertainty. Qiu Yan's kick had not only made the bricks and tiles bounce, but the entire house was shaking, which naturally alerted the people inside.

As soon as they came out, Liu Huai hurriedly asked, and Qiu Yan responded gently. His words had a calming power that quickly quelled their panic, though they were still somewhat surprised. After everyone returned to the house and took their seats again, it was quite a while before they dispersed.

Throughout this process, Qiu Yan kept replaying the scene before Xi Yun left in his mind.

"A line appeared between his brows, conveying a profound meaning. What level is this? He used his physical body to perform this, so it must be the realm of Life Cultivation. He said he would have a final battle with me. Although his words weren't particularly intense, the sense of life or death was still very clear. Was it after the Imperial Examinations?"

As thoughts raced through my mind, night fell.

Tonight, however, Ma Yang's reading voice was absent. In an instant, subtle changes were taking place throughout the city, and the entire city was gradually enveloped by a dark aura that was making a comeback.

Time passed.

After Xi Yun left, nothing else happened, and Qiu Yan's life returned to normal, with him spending his days reading and writing.

Soon, the day of the Dao Examination was approaching. Qiu Yan tidied up a bit, bid farewell to Liu Huai and the others, and arrived in Yuanning City in Zhang Zhen's carriage. He declined Zhang Zhen's invitation and checked into an inn.

Upon returning to Yuan Ning this time, he showed no unusual behavior.

April 11th, sunny.

As dawn broke, the area outside the Prefectural Academy was already bustling with activity, filled with students dressed in Confucian robes. Some were talking, some were silent, some were muttering to themselves, and others were acting suspiciously.

There were young children, old men, dignified teenagers, and burly men who remained calm and silent.

Regardless of age, they all strive diligently, all for the sake of passing the exam one day.

Qiu Yan stood in the middle of the group, holding a test basket in one hand, looking calm.

Not far away, someone was subtly pointing at Qiu Yan and whispering.

"That person is Qiu Yan? I heard that he has risen to fame in Qingchang in the past two years, even surpassing the well-known scholars Liu Kuang and Zhang Jue. I wonder what kind of results he will achieve this time."

"I heard he took the Dao Examination before, but failed twice, so I guess his talent is limited."

"True skill is revealed in one's actions. No matter how great one's reputation, it's useless if one can't even pass the Xiucai examination. In the end, one is just a commoner and cannot be respected."

As they were still talking, the gates of the Prefectural Academy suddenly burst open, and soldiers carrying swords filed out, forming two lines.

Then, several clerks came out with a roster and began to call out names.

"Here we go!"

The noisy crowd fell silent instantly; you could hear a pin drop!

"The Dao Examination officially begins!"

Each student held their breath, listening intently, waiting for their name to be called.

"Hu Qi, Liu Peng, Yu Yong, Wang He..."

Those whose names are called often jump up and rush forward to get their number. A heavy and tense atmosphere spreads and permeates the entire street, making even the air seem to stagnate!

"Qiu Yan!"

Upon hearing his name called, Qiu Yan did not hesitate at all and stepped forward. Looking at the gate of the Prefectural Academy, he felt even calmer.

"My Earthly Soul resides here."