Scripture of Days Past

Ye Ye's eyes lit up at the sight of Chu Qiguang.

"Chu Qiguang! I hear you're taking part in the martial examination? Do you know that you've taken my spot?"

"So what? Do you have a problem with that?" Chu Qiguang challenged in an indifferent voice.

"I've already been a third-state Dao artist for three years, and while you've been skipping lessons, I've been cultivating diligently at the academy every single day!" Ye Ye declared. "If you think you're more worthy of a spot in the martial examination than me, then fight me right now and prove it! The winner gets the spot! Or are you just a coward who can only get what he wants by leveraging his connection to the Hao Clan?"

Get him! Qiao Zhi called out from a nearby rooftop.

Ye Ye was trying to provoke Chu Qiguang into agreeing to the fight, confident that he would be able to come out on top.

Initially, Chu Qiguang had intended to go easy on Ye Ye, but after hearing those provocative words, a sense of irrational aggression welled up in his heart.

Again?! I just beat up Chen Gang yesterday! Why is my condition recurring so frequently and so easily now?

Ye Ye could sense a shift in Chu Qiguang's demeanor, and in the next instant, the latter had already crossed a distance of over ten meters with a single explosive stride. In the blink of an eye, the gap between them had been closed. Chu Qiguang was moving so fast that Ye Ye was barely even able to track him with his eyes. All he saw was a rapid blur, followed by a gust of fierce wind blowing straight into his face.

The explosive power displayed by Chu Qiguang was far beyond anything that Ye Ye had expected. He could only react on instinct, lashing out with a punch. He had thrown countless straight punches during training, and in that moment, his muscle memory took over. His fist shot toward the figure charging at him.

Ye Ye was confident that his fist carried enough force to smash through a wall!

However, the instant his fist clashed against Chu Qiguang's, a jolt of excruciating pain shot up his right arm. It felt as if he had just punched a wall of iron. The bones in his fingers were instantly shattered, and blood gushed out, but he ignored the pain and threw his other fist at Chu Qiguang with an animalistic roar.

The thought of losing to Chu Qiguang in a single punch was completely unacceptable to him. However, Chu Qiguang was already a fourth-state martial artist, and even though he was restricting his cultivation base to the pinnacle of the third state, fighting Ye Ye was still nothing more than child's play to him.

He casually caught Ye Ye's second punch, then pressed down on his shoulder. Ye Ye instantly felt as if a mountain were bearing down on him, forcing him to crash to his knees.

"How?" he exclaimed in disbelief. "Didn't you only just reach the third state? How are you already this strong?"

"I spend more money on my cultivation in a month than you do in a year! What makes you think you can compare with me?" Chu Qiguang sneered.

"Is money the only thing that matters in cultivation?" Ye Ye asked indignantly.

"Of course, you also need aptitude like mine," Chu Qiguang replied coldly. "You can't match me in wealth or aptitude, so what makes you think you can be better than me?"

Chu Qiguang sent Ye Ye flying with a forceful kick to the chest, and he was already unconscious before he even reached the ground. The aggression in Chu Qiguang's chest slowly faded away, and he returned home to continue his daily cultivation.

***

The first segment of the martial examination was the local test, which was set to take place in Azure Sun County. After that came the manor test, where all of the martial artists who had passed the local tests in the nine counties would gather to compete in Northern Mountain Manor.

The local test wasn't difficult at all. All the spots had already been monopolized by the prominent clans, so it was nothing more than a formality.

Chu Qiguang went to the local test venue in the county early in the morning. There were only three people taking the local test in Azure Sun County, including Chu Qiguang. The other two were Wang Chaoqun and Zhang Yuntian, both of whom were also students of Wise Hero Academy.

The three of them took the written examination in the morning, followed by the physical examination in the afternoon. Of course, during this process, they also underwent identity verification and assessments from Daoist priests to ensure that they weren't fiends disguised as humans.

Fortunately, the Heavenly Fiend Foundation Establishment Technique was a technique that had been created many years in the future, so the current imperial court and Daoist temples had no way of detecting its effects.

As the county magistrate, He Wenyan had to personally oversee the examination. Ever since the fall of the Ding Clan, He Wenyan had switched sides and pledged himself to serve Grand Secretary Wu. He even invited Chu Qiguang to a meal, seemingly in an attempt to mend their relationship.

After the meal, He Xian entered the room and asked, "Father, has Chu Qiguang really reached the third state already?"

He Wenyan nodded and replied, "He has displayed his ability to transmit his qi and blood to his four extremities, so there's no mistaking it."

"Didn't he only reach the second state three months ago?" He Xian exclaimed. "He must be a true prodigy to make another breakthrough so soon after the last one. It looks like he should have the wusheng title in the bag."

"I doubt it," He Wenyan said with a shake of his head.

"Why?" He Xian asked. "Do you not like his chances because he only just reached the third state?"

"Right now, Chu Qiguang has a terrible reputation in the northern martial arts world," He Wenyan explained. "Everyone sees him as a sly, underhanded coward, and many martial artists from the other counties are looking to teach him a lesson so they can curry favor with former grand secretary Fei Yi."

"But that doesn't make any sense!" He Xian exclaimed. "Do these people actually think someone like Fei Yi would be impressed with them just for teaching Chu Qiguang a lesson?"

"Of course Fei Yi won't care, but that won't stop those people from trying," He Wenyan sighed. "Given how many people are out to get him, Chu Qiguang would be lucky to avoid serious injury during the martial examination."