Free Web NovelChapter 475: Chapter 210: Provincial Martial Arts Examination, Destroyed with a Single Punch (Part 2)
Time flew.
It was gone in the blink of an eye.
The day of the Provincial Martial Arts Examination finally arrived, eagerly anticipated by all.
Early that morning, Chu Lingguang, Hei Hu, and Wang Chao followed Guo Wei to the examination site. Yang Shaorong was in charge of maintaining order and security. The three of them waited at the examination grounds, fully prepared and closely watching everything going on around them.
"Master, we’re heading in."
Chu Lingguang and the other two said their goodbyes to Guo Wei. Guo Wei then sat down in a seat with an excellent view that Yang Shaorong had prepared for him.
"I wish you a triumphant start and a place on the golden roll!"
Guo Wei said encouragingly.
"Thank you, Master."
The three then entered the candidates’ preparation area together.
The Provincial Examination was different from the Daoist Examination. Not only were its standards strict and its challenges numerous, but it was also the best opportunity for every candidate to leap the dragon gate.
Once they passed and became Martial Arts Scholars, they could serve the Court and receive an official position, no matter how great or small. Compared to the mere title of a Martial Scholar, becoming a Martial Arts Scholar meant genuinely rising above the common person. Not only could they exempt their families from taxes, but they would also command respect and obedience in their local region.
Therefore, every Provincial Martial Arts Examination attracted a large number of Martial Scholars from all over.
Among these Martial Scholars, candidates like Chu Lingguang, who was taking the Provincial Examination just one year after passing his initial test, were a small minority. The majority had either deliberately waited for four years after becoming a Martial Scholar to prepare thoroughly for this examination, like Yan Zhen and Zhang Yan,
but even more were candidates like Wang Chao and Lin Yuanfu. They were not only familiar with the rules of the Provincial Examination but had also participated before, failing to pass, some even for several consecutive sessions.
Martial Arts Cultivation required not only talent and hard work, but also all sorts of cultivation resources.
’Chu Lingguang admitted to himself that if it weren’t for the two boons from the academy and the Trial Ground, plus Guo Wei holding nothing back in his teachings, and the boost from his own Favor Points, he too would be among the failed candidates. It might have even been as hard as ascending to heaven just to become a Martial Scholar.
’It could be said that anyone who managed to become a Martial Scholar possessed a certain degree of cultivation talent. Unfortunately, once cultivation entered the Dragon Elephant awakening stage, without the support of advanced Breathing and Operation Techniques, even the most diligent efforts were futile.
’And that was the situation for the vast majority of candidates.
’Not everyone could be like him, learning the Day and Night Breathing Technique at the academy, nor could everyone find a master like Guo Wei.
’Even someone like Guo Wei couldn’t guarantee that every one of his disciples would become a Martial Arts Scholar. Take Wang Chao, for example. He had already failed three times in a row. This wasn’t just an issue of his personality and talent; it was also related to the limits of Guo Wei’s own strength and resources.
’Though Guo Wei was powerful, compared to the academy’s teachers and the Martial Artists of some great families, there was still a gap in the cultivation resources he could provide.
’His own success to this day was inseparable from Guo Wei’s meticulous guidance, but it was also heavily related to his time cultivating in the academy and the Trial Ground. This was especially true of that bottle of Bone Marrow Cleansing Liquid. The Washing Marrow process that granted him a Pure True Body was a treatment that not even the children of Mr. Du could enjoy.’
Thus, countless candidates failed every Provincial Examination, and the backlog of Martial Scholars grew larger and larger. But just as with seeking fame, it was better to start practicing martial arts as early as possible. For this reason, the Great Yuan had a clear rule: Martial Scholars over the age of thirty-five could no longer participate in the Provincial Examination.
Some Martial Scholars who had aged out and lost their eligibility for the Martial Arts Examination would go to the military camps to seek a position as a Decurion. For someone like Wang Chao, who had failed several times, to become a Chief Constable in his local area still required some connections.
Therefore, some Martial Scholars who couldn’t endure the hardships of military life, or felt there was no hope for promotion, would join an Escort Agency or form hunting parties to make a living in the mountains.
But even more were like Li Yishan, becoming guards for wealthy households. A small number were lured by bandits or joined gangs and, through a stroke of luck, their power would greatly increase, eventually allowing them to become mountain kings or formidable figures of their generation.
In any case, anyone who could become a Martial Scholar had the ability to feed themselves in this world. In the eyes of the common folk, they were, at the very least, a person of some note.
Chu Lingguang and the other two entered the preparation area.
Older candidates like Wang Chao made up the majority.
"Chu! Hu!"
The three had barely sat down when two familiar figures approached them. It was Teng Qingshan and Lin Yuanfu. Teng Qingshan had waited four years and was from the same Daoist Examination cohort as Da Wu and Xiao Wu. Lin Yuanfu had failed the last examination but was now full of confidence after three years of arduous training.
A moment later, Chu Lingguang also saw Da Wu and Xiao Wu, as well as Da Wang and Xiao Wang.
"We two brothers know it’s basically impossible for us to pass, so we’re just here to round out the numbers,"
Da Wang said with a laugh.
"I originally wanted to wait a few years and participate in the next one. But my master said that other people wait and lie low so they can pass all three stages and go straight to the Palace Examination. If my brother and I could even pass the Provincial Examination, it would be a miracle great enough to make our ancestral graves smoke. So he had us come and participate together,"
Xiao Wang explained.
"Hahaha, Leader Ma is a straightforward man."
Everyone laughed together.
"Wang, you’ve taken the Provincial Examination three times. Could you tell us what we need to watch out for?"
Da Wu said to Wang Chao, cupping his fist.
"Alright. We’re just sitting around anyway, so I’ll say a few words."
Wang Chao didn’t refuse.
In reality, everyone had heard the rules of the Provincial Martial Arts Examination many times. Both Leader Ma and Guo Wei had explained them repeatedly, and Chu Lingguang and Hei Hu had even privately asked Wang Chao and Yang Shaorong about them.
But since the examination hadn’t started yet, there was no harm in hearing a few more words from Wang Chao, so they all gathered around him.
"The biggest difference between the Provincial Examination and the Daoist Examination is that most candidates have awakened their Dragon Elephant Power, some have even manifested a Dharma Aspect and condensed their Dantian Qi Sea. Therefore, the Qi Power assessment isn’t tested by lifting Stone Locks like in the Daoist Examination, but by measuring the strength of one’s Fist Force."
