Free Web NovelChapter 478: Chapter 211: Grade A+ Upper Grade, Government Soldiers’ Charge
Yan Zhen took first place in the group stage without any dispute. As people looked at the shattered wooden stakes and recalled how calm and composed she was, how she had thrown just a casual punch, they couldn’t help but gasp in shock.
Feng Junyi, Fan Zhibian, and several other examiners were whispering to each other, their eyes filled with approval and amazement for Yan Zhen.
In the preparation area, Zhang Yan quietly clenched her fists. Every year, plenty of women took the Provincial and Daoist Examinations, but very few actually passed.
Like Yan Zhen, Zhang Yan had also bided her time and trained for four years. She wanted to prove that women were in no way inferior to men, but unfortunately, she had suffered successive setbacks at the hands of both Yan Zhen and Chu Lingguang.
Now, seeing Yan Zhen shatter sixteen wooden stakes with a single casual punch, her proud heart was instantly overcome with a sense of powerlessness.
Her expression grew incomparably dark.
’It’s not over until it’s over. I can’t give up on myself. Even if my Qi Power is no match for Yan Zhen’s or Chu Lingguang’s, defeating them in the other events would still be a glory in itself. Even if I can’t beat them from start to finish, I must have a place in the top three.’
Zhang Yan’s confidence returned, and her gaze grew resolute once more. Zhang Tao’s words were vivid in her mind, making her acutely aware of the importance of her Mental Realm.
BOOM!
But just at that moment, on the sandy field, a man from another group—one with bronze skin and sharp, well-defined features—also obliterated all sixteen wooden stakes with a single punch.
When the man threw his punch, the Qi Force on his fist shimmered like a coat of oil. He had clearly used his Qi Sea Power. The Qi Power assessment involved mobilizing one’s full strength, so both Primitive Power and Sea of Qi Power were permitted.
The man was not breaking any rules.
That shattering display made everyone instantly take notice of him.
"Hu Yuanwu. That guy has also reached the Qi Sea Perfection realm, and his bloodline has evolved Divine Abilities. In the last Daoist Examination, he was number two on the Jin City rankings, outmatched by Yan Zhen. He disappeared without a trace for four years and has now returned at full strength. He’s probably here to fight Yan Zhen for the title of Jie Yuan."
Zhang Yan exclaimed in surprise.
As Zhang Tao’s daughter and the "First Lady" of the Qiling Governor’s Mansion, Zhang Yan had taken the previous Daoist Examination here in Qiling Prefecture. She was exceptionally talented and, like Liu Qingqing, had placed first on her local leaderboard.
A woman winning the top prize drew widespread attention. Coupled with the fact that she was Zhang Tao’s daughter, Zhang Yan’s fame in the Qiling Governor’s Mansion was no less than Yan Zhen’s.
As someone determined to win the Jie Yuan title, she was quite familiar with all the major contenders. The only exception was Hu Yuanwu. He had been missing for a full four years, and she had no idea what he had gone through.
Chu Lingguang’s gaze was also drawn to Hu Yuanwu.
He instantly felt a sense of pressure.
Unlike Yan Zhen, Zhang Yan, and many others, he was taking the Provincial Examination after only a one-year break. Most people aiming for the Jie Yuan title, or even a spot in the top ten, would disappear after finishing the Daoist Examination and wait four years before trying for the Provincial Examination.
This meant they had three more years of preparation than he did.
Those extra three years were enough for many prodigies to grow to a level far beyond the reach of ordinary people.
Chu Lingguang understood that the competition in every Provincial Martial Arts Examination was fierce. Monstrous dark horses often emerged, leaving all others in the dust and shaking the world with their fame.
He knew that if he wanted to face Yan Zhen, he would have to defeat all of them.
However, Hu Yuanwu’s appearance was still quite a surprise to him.
To help him eventually face Yan Zhen, Mr. Du had once used his influence to compile a list of everyone who might pose a threat to him in the current Martial Arts Examination.
Hu Yuanwu was on it.
There was information about Hu Yuanwu on the list as well. It noted that after losing to Yan Zhen in the previous Daoist Examination and placing second in Jin City, he had vanished. Even Mr. Du hadn’t been able to find out where he had been during those four missing years.
The list even suggested that he might have met an untimely end.
Now he had returned to stage a comeback. And although he’d had to mobilize his Qi Sea Power to shatter the sixteen stakes with a single punch, the fluctuations of Qi Power rolling off his body still put considerable pressure on Chu Lingguang.
Hu Yuanwu swept a cool gaze over the crowd.
When his gaze swept into the examinees’ preparation area, he immediately spotted Zhang Yan and gave her a slight nod from across the distance.
Chu Lingguang felt a Spiritual Sense Fluctuation wash over him.
Hu Yuanwu’s Sea of Consciousness Power was considerable; with a single thought, he could cover the entire preparation area with his Spiritual Sense Fluctuation.
’I can feel his Spiritual Sense Fluctuation, so when our eyes met, there’s no way Hu Yuanwu didn’t notice me. But his gaze just swept coolly past, not lingering on me for even a moment.’
This blatant disregard subtly stirred Chu Lingguang’s fighting spirit.
His Mental Realm was stable and his Heart Guarding Skill was outstanding, but that didn’t mean he was without ambition. He was participating in the Martial Arts Examination to make a name for himself and, more importantly, to make it easier to earn Favor Points. That had been his primary goal from the start.
Besides, if he wanted to face Yan Zhen, he had to get past Hu Yuanwu first.
So, while Chu Lingguang remained impassive on the surface, he was inwardly replaying the moment Yan Zhen and Hu Yuanwu had thrown their punches, sensing the fluctuations of their power and trying to find a weakness.
Before his Sea of Consciousness Power had evolved, he only knew how to train blindly. But now that his Spiritual Wisdom had undergone Enlightenment, Chu Lingguang also understood the importance of planning ahead—of analyzing others’ strengths and weaknesses to devise a proper strategy.
Just like when he faced Guer Khan, he knew when to endure, when to strike, and when to kill. Before acting, he would not only weigh the pros and cons but also assess the current conditions—even the terrain—to determine how to turn the tables.
’Although Hu Yuanwu had only thrown a single punch, compared to Yan Zhen’s, it was clearly one he had built up power for. It’s obvious that his bloodline is probably somewhat inferior. Of course, I can’t rule out the possibility that he was deliberately holding back. After all, the man disappeared for four years; even Mr. Du couldn’t find out what he had been doing. How could he possibly reveal the full extent of his skills in a single punch?’
