A Martial Saint Among Men: From Joining a Martial Arts School

It seems my aunt has been implicated because of me!

Seeing everyone looking at him with concern, Chu Xuan didn't say much, but calmly said, "I understand. Uncle, please tell my aunt that after the martial arts examination, I will seek justice from the Bai family on her behalf!"

Seeing this, everyone was relieved.

They were genuinely worried that Chu Xuan might act impulsively and do something outrageous.

As dawn broke, flags fluttered in the wind at the martial arts training ground on the outskirts of the city.

More than two hundred candidates, all dressed in short-sleeved outfits, stood solemnly in the center of the loess training ground.

Everyone held their breath and remained silent. Some shrugged and adjusted their breathing, while others scanned the room, secretly observing their competitors.

In the center of the drill ground, four rows of stone locks were placed according to the weights of ten, fifteen, twenty, and thirty stones. The dark blue stone bodies were engraved with bright red characters. Soldiers holding tallies stood beside the stones, and incense, candles, and rosters were all prepared, waiting for the order.

On the high platform on the north side, three examiners were already in place!

The chief examiner was an elderly man with a white beard dressed in fine clothes. His face was solemn and he exuded an air of authority. He was none other than Jiang Wang, the city lord of Qingshan City and the strongest person in Qingshan City at present!

Beside him were two assistant examiners, one dressed in silver armor, his hand on a long sword, his face dignified yet menacing.

The other was the youngest of the three, dressed in a moon-white robe, with a cynical smile on his face, looking down with great interest.

It didn't feel like proctoring an exam; it felt more like watching a play.

The man in silver armor was the captain of Qingshan City, representing the imperial court.

The cynical man comes from the Xuan Yang Sect!

On either side of the training ground stood the wealthy and powerful families of Qingshan City. A separate viewing pavilion was set up on the east side, reserved exclusively for the five major families.

A vermilion lacquered railing surrounds the pavilion, and carved wooden pillars stand above the eaves.

Each restaurant has its own private room, with tables covered in brocade with subtle patterns, and decorated with exquisite fruits and pastries such as candied kumquats, crisp water chestnuts, and fragrant cakes. Wisps of steam rise from the white porcelain teacups, filling the air with their aroma.

The other companies offer significantly worse benefits.

Even the most powerful establishments barely had a table with some fruits and snacks on it.

The Bai family also came, sitting in the second row at the back on the west side, no different from the other spectators, except for their seats.

"Brother, once Chu Xuan passes the imperial examination, have you thought about how you will handle yourself?" Bai Dongchu asked in a deep voice, his gaze fixed on Chu Xuan in the arena.

Although he still carries the title of Master Bai, he has little say in the Bai family.

Ever since he proposed separating, Bai Dongxu has gradually sidelined him using various excuses.

"Seventh Brother, you think too highly of him!"

Bai Dongxu smiled faintly and said, "Is the martial arts examination so easy to pass? Don't think that your older brother has really gone mad from practicing martial arts and doesn't understand any social etiquette!"

Take Xu Yuan for example. Not to mention passing the imperial examination, he has a very high chance of even entering the Xuan Yang Sect.

So, during this time, have you seen me provoke him? Just a few days ago, didn't I even send him a gift to make peace with him?

As for Chu Xuan, hehe... his potential has already been determined by his inferior physical constitution!

Bai Dongxu looked completely unconcerned.

Xin'er has been in a bad mood lately, so what's wrong with taking it out on Aunt Chu Xuan? She's not his mother!

Could it be that he really dares to turn against the Bai family because of this?

Even if things really turn sour, the Bai family is not afraid!

Lu Tong is just his master, not his father!

Bai Dongchu calmly said, "Brother, don't forget that you said something similar before Chu Xuan broke through to the Dark Force realm."

"hehe……"

Bai Dongxu smiled faintly, too lazy to say more.

To avoid becoming a laughingstock in front of outsiders and letting everyone know that the brothers are fighting amongst themselves.

"Waaaaah..."

Three bugle calls rang out in succession, shaking the leaves in the forest and their echoes could be heard for miles around.

Chief examiner Jiang Wang stood up, his gaze sweeping across the entire room. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly to everyone present:

"Today, the martial arts examination is being held. I hope you will all give your best and compete based on your true abilities. Anyone who dares to engage in favoritism or cheating will be severely punished..."

"Opening Ceremony!"

The clerk called out the names, and the martial arts performers entered according to their numbers.

The martial arts examination consisted of two rounds: the first round involved lifting stone weights, and the second round was a practical combat exercise.

Stone locks are divided into four grades: ten stones, fifteen stones, twenty stones, and thirty stones. They are also divided into four levels: A, B, and C.

Lifting a stone weight is not as simple as just lifting it up.

Lift the stone weight over your shoulder, hold for three breaths, keep your feet on the ground, and keep the stone weight steady so it doesn't wobble and fall to the ground. That counts as one attempt!

Ten times is the lowest, twenty times is the middle, and thirty times is the highest!

To pass the assessment and advance to the next round, one must at least achieve a passing grade.

Otherwise, you can leave the game; you won't even qualify for the next round.

Normally, almost half of the people would be eliminated in the first round.

The ten-stone lock was prepared for Ming Jin.

The fifteen-stone and twenty-stone portions are prepared for internal strength training.

Thirty shi (a unit of weight) is generally used to prepare for the transformation of internal energy.

Of course, martial artists with internal strength can also try lifting a thirty-stone lock. If they can achieve a score of Grade A or Grade B, they can directly advance to the top ten and compete for the top ten ranking in the second round without having to participate in the lottery competition.

The rules are that simple and straightforward.

The purpose of the Xuan Yang Sect is to select disciples, not to screen talents for the imperial court, so there is no need to care about so much.

As for missing out on talent, so be it!

The Xuan Yang Sect didn't care at all.

The geniuses in the eyes of the people of Qingshan City are nothing more than the threshold to enter the Xuan Yang Sect!

Chu Xuan's draw was relatively late, but he didn't let his guard down and carefully observed the performance of the people ahead of him.

Soon, Chu Xuan saw a familiar face.

My cousin, Chu Ming!

He chose the ten-stone lock, but after lifting it seven times, he was exhausted and failed to even reach the minimum standard. He fled in a sorry state amidst laughter and boos.

This is the "Martial Arts Master" that Old Master Chu has been longing for!

Chu Xuan glanced at it and then stopped paying attention!

Then I saw the disciples of Lu's Martial Arts School.

"Yin Liu, Li Xiao, Bing Xia!"

"Mao 7, Sun Dai, Bing Xia!"

……

"Yin Shi, Dongfang Lin, Bingzhong!"

Li Xiao and Sun Dai were both newly recruited Dark Force disciples at the Lu Family Martial Arts School. After coming down with Dongfang Lin, their expressions were quite different.

The score of student C was just barely passing; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that they were at the bottom.

In the second round of actual competition, unless one is extremely lucky, it is almost impossible to pass the imperial examination.

Dongfang Lin, on the other hand, was overjoyed.

The results at Bingzhong were neither good nor bad. As long as the results in the second round weren't too bad, the chances of passing the imperial examination were very high!

The next moment, Chu Xuan's gaze suddenly sharpened.

Liang Qiusong, it's time to go on stage.

As soon as Liang Qiusong stepped onto the stage, he almost instantly drew everyone's attention.

Even the three examiners on the examination platform turned their gazes toward them.

Liang Qiusong was very famous in Qingshan City; almost every martial artist in the city knew of his deeds. Despite having only average physical attributes, he often went to Yunling Mountain alone to hunt exotic beasts when he was at the Ming Jin stage.

This reckless behavior not only didn't kill him, but his strength skyrocketed, and in just a few years, he reached the peak of Dark Force!

Their combat strength is even said to be the best in the Lu Family Martial Arts School!

With no disciples from the five great families emerging, Liang Qiusong could even be considered the number one person below the Transformation Realm!

For someone like that, reaching the Transformation Realm is almost a certainty.

Even the Xuan Yang Sect needs such talent!

As expected, Liang Qiusong directly chose the 30-stone weight, lifted it 20 times in a row and then stopped, achieving a top score.

They advanced directly to the top ten.

Judging from his steady breathing, he clearly still had energy left!

Afterwards, one person from each of the five families also challenged the thirty-stone lock and advanced to the top ten.

Compared to them, the candidates who followed paled in comparison. After that, none of the next few dozen people attempted the thirty-stone lock!

After Lu Xiaoshuang took her turn, she ultimately chose fifteen stones, achieving a grade of C!

However, it also did not go all out.

For the martial artists who passed the first round, the difference between the scores of C1 and C2 is not significant. They will all need to participate in subsequent draws and competitions to determine their rankings!

If you expend too much energy in the previous round in pursuit of a higher ranking, it will be counterproductive.

"Xu Yuan is on stage..."

Exclamations erupted again from the sidelines.