Free Web NovelChapter 479: Chapter 211: Grade A+ Upper Grade
Chu Lingguang silently took note while listening to everyone’s comments about Hu Yuanwu, trying to gather more information to prepare himself.
Over a thousand candidates were being assessed in groups of ten. Although multiple groups were tested simultaneously, it would be a while before it was Chu Lingguang’s turn.
「A short while later.」
The names Hei Hu and Jin Shan were called out one after the other.
They were not assigned to the same group but were being assessed at the same time.
"Watch me."
Hei Hu took a deep breath and said to Wang Chao, Chu Lingguang, and the others.
"Here’s to you making a huge splash, Hu!"
Da Wang, Xiao Wang, and the others cheered for Hei Hu.
Hei Hu stepped onto the sandy field with a confident expression and locked eyes with Jin Shan.
A year ago, at the martial arts portion of the Daoist Examination, Jin Shan’s overall strength had been superior to Hei Hu’s. Now, a year later, they met again at the martial arts portion of the Provincial Examination, each secretly vying to outdo the other.
Both knew in their hearts that their masters weren’t expecting them to pass all three stages and reach the Palace Examination. As Xiao Wang had said, just getting on the list in this year’s Martial Arts Examination would be an immense honor to their ancestors.
They were both first-time candidates, moving on to the Provincial Examination right after completing the Daoist Examination without skipping a cycle. If they made the list, their records would be more impressive than those of candidates who had previously failed, meaning fewer obstacles to future promotions and titles.
"Begin!"
Feng Junyi shouted.
"HAAAH!"
Hei Hu let out a thunderous roar. It was his nature—whether sparring, practicing his Spear Technique, or his Saber Technique, he always yelled.
He instantly stirred his Qi Sea Small Vortex and activated his Dragon Elephant Power. The triple-layered Dharma Aspect of skin, flesh, and sinew erupted at once. It felt as though a wheel of fire was spinning in his chest as his entire body’s Qi Power, linked and focused, poured out of his right fist in a single moment, crashing into the wooden stake before him.
"CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-CRACK!"
A continuous series of splintering cracks rang out.
Eight stakes snapped at once, while the ninth wobbled precariously. The very first stake had burst open at its center, with the gaps on the stakes behind it getting progressively smaller.
"HUPH!"
Staring at the wobbling ninth stake, Hei Hu’s eyes widened. A flash of inspiration struck him. He inhaled, drew back his fist to suppress his roiling Qi Power, and stomped his right foot hard on the ground.
"BANG!"
As the tremor from Hei Hu’s stomp shook the ground, the top half of the wobbling stake finally fell off.
The examiners watching the testing grounds exchanged glances before their eyes all fell on Feng Junyi. They knew Hei Hu was from Baiyang County in South City and had taken the Daoist Examination there just a year ago, with Feng Junyi serving as the chief examiner at the time.
Feng Junyi remained silent, picked up his brush, and wrote down four words: Grade A Middle Grade. In parentheses, he noted: nine stakes.
The other examiners saw this, glanced at Fan Zhibian, and seeing no objection from him, they collectively confirmed Hei Hu’s result as Grade A Middle Grade.
Although Hei Hu’s stomp was a clever trick, the break on the ninth stake was obvious. It was crisscrossed with cracks and held together by only a small strip of wood, making it as good as broken.
Furthermore, Hei Hu had stomped the ground, not kicked the stake, which was a borderline move. Secondly, this was Zhang Tao’s territory, and Hei Hu’s three senior brothers all served under Zhang Tao. While the Martial Arts Examination had strict rules, they couldn’t be overly harsh about minor matters.
Therefore, both Feng Junyi and Fan Zhibian decided to turn a blind eye.
Of course, this all hinged on the fact that Hei Hu’s trickery was a minor affair. Even if his superiors were to investigate, Feng Junyi would be able to handle it.
In the end, Hei Hu received a score of Grade A Middle Grade.
Tie Zhennan’s disciple, Jin Shan, achieved the same score.
When the results were announced, Hei Hu was all smiles. From a distance, he bowed deeply to Wang Chao—it was naturally Wang Chao who had taught him that little trick.
「A short while later.」
Da Wang, Xiao Wang, Da Wu, Xiao Wu, Teng Qingshan, Lin Yuanfu, and the others also successively completed the Qi Power assessment.
Da Wang and Xiao Wang both only achieved Grade B+ Upper Grade in Qi Power. A score like that was enough to advance to the next round, but if they wanted to make the final list, they would need to maintain at least that level in the remaining subjects, or achieve an A Class score in one of the four subjects.
But that seemed a bit difficult for Da Wang and Xiao Wang.
As for Da Wu and Xiao Wu, who had trained for several more years, they, along with Teng Qingshan and Lin Yuanfu, achieved scores ranging from Grade A Lower Grade to Grade A Middle Grade in this round.
「Two hours later.」
Wang Chao took the field.
He threw a single punch.
Ten stakes snapped at the sound.
He secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
More than ten stakes was Grade A+ Upper Grade. Ten or fewer was Grade A Middle Grade, but the exact number of broken stakes would be recorded on the results for later comprehensive evaluation.
Wang Chao was very satisfied with this result.
Walking off the testing grounds, he returned to Guo Wei, knelt, and said, "Thank you, Master, for helping me increase my Qi Power."
"The one who helped you was Lin Guang," Guo Wei explained. "Those Qi Blood Pills were rewards given to him by the Court and Mr. Du. Although he gave them to me to show his respect, if he hadn’t, I wouldn’t have been able to help you."
While Elixir Pills could increase Qi Power, taking too many could make it difficult to break through future bottlenecks. Chu Lingguang had always kept this in mind, which was why he had given basically all the rewards he received for defeating Samba and from Mr. Du to Guo Wei.
"I will not forget your guidance, Master, nor will I forget my junior brother’s generous help," Wang Chao said with a nod.
His cultivation had long since hit a bottleneck, making breakthroughs extremely difficult. Therefore, Guo Wei no longer restricted his use of Qi Blood Pills.
The reason he had hit a cultivation bottleneck at such a young age was related to his personality; he had taken too many different enhancement powders too early, which ultimately led him to this predicament.
