Eternal Life: I Have the Favor System

Chapter 487: Chapter 213: Provincial Martial Arts Examination, The Final Round

Chu Lingguang muttered to himself.

He remembered the Saber Technique event in the Daoist Examination’s Martial Arts Examination. It involved listening for the Sword Cry, observing the Sword Force, and finally, sparring. But now, it seemed that for the Provincial Examination’s Martial Arts Examination, every event besides Qi Power was related to actual combat.

The day passed quickly as well.

Neither Hei Hu nor Wang Chao ran into Hu Yuanwu, and both of the martial brothers’ scores were decent. Although Hei Hu was injured, he pushed on with grim determination, managing to snatch a horse and become the first person in his group to break through.

Wang Chao also snatched a horse without issue, charging out second. He took longer than Hei Hu, but only because he had been surrounded during his charge and had to break through the encirclement. He would likely earn an A Class score for this round. This was largely thanks to his training in the military camp under Yang Shaorong, and Guo Wei was very pleased with his performance.

In this round, Chu Lingguang’s turn came before Yan Zhen’s.

As expected, he easily snatched a warhorse. With a single slash, he unleashed a tyrannical wave of Sword Qi that sent the ten Government Soldiers scrambling aside. He then charged out as if they weren’t even there.

Yan Zhen’s performance was similar. The moment he mounted his horse, the ten Government Soldiers thought a Grand General had descended from the heavens. They were stunned by his imposing presence. A casual slash from his saber cut two of their weapons in half. The warhorse beneath him neighed excitedly, spurred on by his aura and eager to follow him off the examination grounds.

Feng Junyi, Fan Zhibian, and the others watched with gleaming eyes. Yan Zhen’s Saber Technique had already formed its own powerful momentum, transcending mere forms and techniques. Any casual slash from him could unleash the true power of the Ultimate Killing Saber Technique.

If he had a personality like Hu Yuanwu’s, a single slash would have likely sent all ten Government Soldiers to their graves.

After Yan Zhen finished, it was soon Zhang Yan’s turn. She also took first place in her group, breaking out of the Government Soldiers’ encirclement without breaking a sweat.

She was extremely popular among the crowd.

Next up was Hu Yuanwu. The man was exceptionally brutal, and his reputation thundered through the examination grounds. The other contestants in his group trembled at the mere sight of him. All five horses were left for him to choose from.

But Hu Yuanwu didn’t appreciate the gesture. He turned and, with a single slash, knocked the sabers from the hands of the other nine contestants. Another slash sent all nine of them sprawling. Then, he mounted a horse, charged out, and toppled the ten Government Soldiers with yet another slash.

Once the ten Government Soldiers got back on their feet, they relentlessly pursued the now-injured nine contestants. In the end, five contestants from Hu Yuanwu’s group had to forfeit. The remaining four only managed to break out of the encirclement after a great struggle.

Everyone who witnessed this felt that Hu Yuanwu was vicious and cruel. You’d be in trouble if you ran into him, even if you did nothing to provoke him. In their hearts, they all prayed to avoid him in the upcoming events. His notorious reputation only grew louder.

His immense power left many fuming but too afraid to speak out.

By evening, the Saber Technique competition was over.

Half an hour later, the new rankings were posted.

Hu Yuanwu remained in first place.

Yan Zhen was second.

Ye Zhongsheng was third.

Zhang Yan was fourth.

Ma Weibing was fifth.

Chu Lingguang, however, had dropped to ninth, behind Nong Yiyi.

The Provincial Examination’s Martial Arts Examination valued practical combat ability. As long as a contestant remained in the top fifteen, they could advance to the final round of one-on-one duels to compete for a spot in the top three and top ten.

Therefore, neither Chu Lingguang nor Yan Zhen were worried. As long as they stayed in the top fifteen, they could enter the final round and compete for the title of Jie Yuan.

The days passed quickly.

In the blink of an eye, the fourth round of the Martial Arts Examination arrived: the Spear Technique competition.

This round was a cavalry charge.

Contestants were allowed to bring their own horses.

Once again, contestants were in groups of ten. This time, however, they had to break through a formation of twenty Government Soldiers, each of whom was also mounted on a warhorse. This stage tested not only their Spear Technique, but also their Riding Skill and courage.

The scoring method was also relatively simple: points were awarded based on how many Government Soldiers a contestant could unhorse. The more soldiers unhorsed in the shortest amount of time, the higher the score.

"Contestant Chu Lingguang..." the examiner announced.

"HYAH!"

Chu Lingguang spurred his Little Red Horse forward, charging toward the twenty oncoming Government Soldiers. His Long Spear shot out. A single Thrust unhorsed four of them. He followed with a sweeping strike, stirring up the Wind and Wave Power and sending another five soldiers flying from their saddles. Catching a soldier attempting a sneak attack from the corner of his eye, he unleashed the fourth level of his Flying Leaf Lotus Spear: Gathering. He seized control of the soldier’s attack, redirecting its force into another charging soldier. Breaking through the encirclement was almost too easy.

BOOM!

Yan Zhen swung his spear in a simple motion, but an arc of Potential Energy surged forth from his Spear Technique. It swept aside more than a dozen Government Soldiers in his path, sending them to the ground. The few who remained stared, dumbfounded, as he charged past them.

"RAAAGH!"

With a furious roar, Hu Yuanwu attacked. His Long Spear didn’t just knock Government Soldiers off their horses; it sent the warhorses themselves flying, crashing into another group of soldiers. Wielding his Long Spear with the principle of Lifting Light as if it were Heavy, he swung it like a ten-thousand-pound Iron Hammer. A single casual sweep could bend or break the Iron Spears in the soldiers’ hands, forcing them to drop their weapons as both man and horse were sent tumbling to the ground.

Everyone was stunned by his sheer power. Not only were the other contestants in his group trembling, but even the Government Soldiers wanted to avoid him.

When the Spear Technique competition ended, the rankings were updated once more.

Hu Yuanwu was once again in first place.

Yan Zhen was ranked second.

The top ten rankings remained unchanged. Chu Lingguang was still ninth, with Nong Yiyi in tenth.

The fifth round, held the next day, took everyone by surprise.

The Staff Technique and Archery events had been combined.

In groups of ten, contestants, armed with iron staffs, had to snatch bows and arrows from Government Soldiers. They then had to shoot moving targets. The targets were hung on five parallel ropes, with five targets on each rope. Multiple Government Soldiers stood on either side, pulling the ropes back and forth to create the moving targets.