Martial Sage from the Vajra Skill

Xu Yang paid no mind to Zhu Yang’s provocation. With over one hundred and sixty participants in this Martial Arts Examination, the chances of running into Zhu Yang were slim.

’If they did happen to meet, it wouldn’t be too late to settle scores then. A war of words was pointless.’

He continued to watch, spotting several familiar faces. Yang Jun had also reached Qi Gathering Great Success and was assigned to Group A.

He saw Lin Wei in Group B, as well as the Liu Family’s Fifth Miss, Liu Qian.

There were not many female examinees, but there were a dozen or so in total. His own Group C had three of them. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

"Participant C-8, you’re up!" the proctor’s voice rang out.

Xu Yang looked over and saw that Participant C-8 was none other than Zhang Yong.

Xu Yang stopped scanning the crowd, his attention drawn to the field. He saw Zhang Yong step up with a solemn expression and choose the one-thousand-jin iron lock.

"Participant C-8, forty lifts. Grade: Upper D-class."

Zhang Yong had lifted the one-thousand-jin iron lock forty times to earn an Upper D-class grade. His Martial Dao foundation was decent enough; both his True Qi and his physical body were well-honed.

Securing the title of Martial Scholar wouldn’t be a problem for him, but he would need a bit of luck to obtain a Dragon Ascension slot.

At that moment, Zhang Yong’s face was pale and sweat poured down like rain. He nearly collapsed to the ground before Zhang Hong rushed up to help him off the field.

"You should’ve stayed within your limits. If you injure yourself and it affects tomorrow’s matches, it’s not worth it."

Seeing Zhang Yong looking like he was on his last legs, Sun Tao knew at a glance that he had reached the point of exhaustion.

Zhang Hong looked grim. He had only barely reached Qi Gathering Great Success five days ago. Forget Dragon Ascension; even securing the title of Martial Scholar was uncertain for him.

Zhang Yong could at least go all out and fight for it. He, on the other hand, was afraid he wouldn’t even get the chance to give it his all.

"That woman is incredibly strong!"

Suddenly, gasps of astonishment came from the distance. Xu Yang and the others turned to see the demure Fifth Miss of the Liu Family, Liu Qian, hoisting a three-thousand-jin iron lock into the air.

The scene was as jarring as it was shocking.

Late Stage of Qi Gathering Great Success!

With that kind of power, as long as her luck wasn’t terrible enough to pit her against the few top contenders multiple times, a Dragon Ascension slot was practically guaranteed.

"Congratulations, Patriarch. The Liu Family has produced another Dragon Ascending Genius."

On a nearby viewing platform, Zhang Bo smiled and cupped his hands in salute to Liu Hongchang.

For the great families of Qingyuan County, a single Dragon Ascending Genius was the key to the clan’s prosperity for decades to come.

Liu Hongchang was all smiles, yet he shook his head and said, "Ultimately, she still falls quite short of her older brother."

Liu Qian’s older brother, Liu Xiao, had placed third in the previous examination. If not for a bit of bad luck, he might even have taken the top spot.

Liu Qian only performed twenty lifts before setting the iron lock down. Her cheeks were merely a little flushed; she clearly still had strength to spare.

In fact, Xu Yang noticed that many participants stopped once they felt they’d done enough. They weren’t truly lifting with all their might, partly to conceal their true strength and partly to conserve stamina and True Qi for the second trial.

Only the weaker participants would desperately try to prove themselves in this first trial.

Soon it was Zhang Hong’s turn. He managed to lift the one-thousand-jin iron lock a mere twenty times before collapsing from exhaustion, earning him a Lower D-class grade.

Pale-faced, he was helped off the field by Sun Tao.

His score wasn’t dead last, but it was close. Having just broken through, he hadn’t had time to properly hone his body and True Qi. To manage that many lifts under the circumstances actually spoke to a decent foundation.

He was deeply frustrated. He had worked so hard to squeeze his way into Jiang Ping’s circle, and now he feared this result would get him pushed right back out.

"It’s Lu Ren’s turn!" Sun Tao suddenly exclaimed in a low voice.

Xu Yang looked over. Lu Ren was walking slowly to the center of the field. After a moment’s hesitation, he chose the two-thousand-jin Stone Lock.

"Lu Ren is already at the Mid-Stage of Qi Gathering Great Success?"

"An Upper Grade B Root Bone is truly extraordinary."

"He’ll get a Middle C-class grade at the very least. The Martial Scholar title is a sure thing, and as long as his luck isn’t too bad, Dragon Ascension won’t be a problem either."

...

Lu Ren was quite well-known, and his turn quickly drew the attention of the crowd.

If not for the fact that he had only been training for just over a year, many believed he would have had a chance to contend for the top three spots in the Martial Arts Examination.

Even on the high viewing platforms, the eyes of many hall masters were fixed on Lu Ren.

"This young man is quite decent. To reach the Mid-Stage of Qi Gathering Great Success after only a year of training... he must be the most outstanding disciple of your Weiyuan Hall."

Ji Yun said with a smile, offering a fair assessment.

"I heard the young man’s reputation is poor," said the master of the Tongbi Fist Hall. "That he’s ungrateful. He abandoned the family that nurtured him just to latch onto someone more powerful."

Lin Cheng was about to nod in agreement, but his face darkened instantly upon hearing this.

"It’s natural for a man to climb higher. I, for one, think he’s quite promising," Ji Yun added. "Favors can be repaid later, but one’s progress in the Martial Dao cannot be delayed."

「On another viewing platform.」

Several leaders of the Huang Family were also in attendance.

"So that’s the boy, Lu Ren?" This was the first time Huang Xu had seen him.

Huang Ping nodded. "Yes, that’s Lu Ren. From the looks of it, he has a very high chance of achieving Dragon Ascension. It’s a shame the Gu Family poached him. Otherwise, the Huang Family would be the ones producing a Dragon Ascending Genius."

Huang Xu nodded. "He’s likely an aide the Gu Family is grooming to help Gu Haoming enter a Sect. His chances for Dragon Ascension are high. After the examination ends today, send a gift over. The Huang Family did him a great service in the past. If we ever need to call on him in the future, he won’t just stand by and do nothing."

Down in the field, Lu Ren let out a sharp cry. His feet dug into the ground, sending dirt flying as he heaved the two-thousand-jin Stone Lock into the air.

His knotted muscles bulged, and his entire presence pulsed with power.

"If I, Huang Ling’er, am to marry, it must be to a brilliant talent like him!"

Huang Ling’er’s eyes were glued to Lu Ren, filled with admiration.

Daring, brilliant, and full of vigor—that was the ideal husband she envisioned.

HUFF... HUFF...

A series of CRACKS and POPS echoed from Lu Ren’s bones and sinews as, with a burst of frenzied energy, he pumped the Stone Lock up and down. He reveled in this feeling of being the center of everyone’s attention.

In the end, he lifted the two-thousand-jin Stone Lock thirty-three times before his strength finally gave out, earning him a Middle C-class evaluation.