The chirping of the birds in the morning ushered in the beginning of a new day.
Mo Qingkuang also woke up from his long night of cultivation.
He rolled off the bed, his bones cracking. Taking a deep breath, a stream of pure True Qi floated out of his mouth and gently hit the wooden table not far away from him, cutting a well-proportioned cut.
"Thank you for protecting me, Ancestor," Mo Qingkuang bowed deeply to Mo Fan, who was floating in the air.
"You've reached grade two. Not bad. Now go," Mo Fan nodded and returned to Mo Qingkuang's ring like smoke.
The martial arts examinations of the Tianxuan Kingdom had always been held in the Imperial Academy.
The directorate had two courtyards. The School of Martial Arts was located in Jingdou, occupying almost half of the eastern part of the city. The theory examination was held here.
The martial arts academy was located in the Crouching Dragon Mountain Range outside the capital city and occupied an extremely large area. Surrounded by mountains and forests, wild demon beasts and spirit herbs were not an uncommon sight. It was a very suitable place for cultivation.
The training method of the Martial Arts Department was simple and direct. Survival of the fittest was the rule. The academy never prohibited private fights. Therefore, there were many arenas within the academy for students to duel at any time and place.
The theory examination was closed, but the martial arts examination had just opened.
The triennial Tianxuan Era had been going on for thousands of years, attracting a large number of people to watch the battle. All kinds of betting tables had been prepared.
Every three years, the Martial Arts Academy would only open to the public this time.
In the martial arts academy, the white-robed Zheng Tao stepped into the air as if he was climbing up a flight of stairs, walking step by step into the air.
"Look, it's Headmaster Zheng of the Martial Arts Department!"
"He's flying in the air! A true Martial King realm expert!"
"Mighty Headmaster Zheng! Greetings, Headmaster Zheng!"
The people had heard of the reputation of the Golden Generation. Zheng Tao's appearance caused a warm cheer.
'That old man is not young yet likes to be in the limelight.' Mo Qingkuang cursed in his heart. He was still deeply envious of the appearance of a Martial King. He didn't know when he would be able to reach such a level.
Zheng Tao pressed his palm down, and the crowd quickly quieted down obediently.
"This time, I, Zheng Tao, will still be the main examiner! The academy's hundred instructors will be supporting me as ringmasters in the arena!"
"There are a hundred arenas in the academy. The preliminary test will begin from now until sunset. A hundred arena masters will be selected to obtain the qualifications to enter the martial arts academy!"
"These 100 ringmasters will enter the second round and draw lots in pairs to determine the top 16 to participate in the court examination!"
"The final sixteen will compete for the title of the top scorer, second runner-up, and the top ranking in the court examinations against the number one expert in the Tianxuan Kingdom, the Empress! The top three will directly obtain the qualifications to enter the inner court!"
Zheng Tao spoke very softly, but his voice carried loudly into everyone's ears.
"I wish every participant an excellent result! I hereby announce that the martial arts competition has officially begun!"
The entire venue was in an uproar! With Zheng Tao's announcement, the real curtain officially opened.
As soon as Zheng Tao finished speaking, a well-dressed young master jumped onto the arena first with a sword in hand, "I am Liu Xuan of the South Region. Who dares to challenge me?"
Deacon Lin was so angry that his eyes twitched. Liu Xuan did not disguise himself nor kept a low profile. He only cared about being in the limelight.
He really didn't know if his behavior was the result of growing up in the inner sect or was driven crazy by the elders who doted on him.
He turned to Lin Yang and the others, "Don't be the first to go on stage like him. You have to conserve your strength and try to avoid being taken out!"
"Yes, sir!" Lin Yang and the others nodded.
Although Liu Xuan was unruly and arrogant, his strength was impressive.
The bird that stuck out would be shot with a gun. He, the bird that stuck out, had actually pecked off a few insects that came to challenge him in just a short while. He looked calm and composed.
Han Yan'er watched from afar and narrowed her beautiful eyes, "A third-grade martial master. He is probably an inner sect disciple from the Origin Sword Sect!"
"So powerful!" Gu Hongyi exclaimed. She did not expect that the inner sect disciples of the Origin Sword Sect were so different from them. He was the same age as them yet also two ranks higher.
"Is this all you stinky fish and shrimps from the capital can do? You're not even qualified to warm me up!" Liu Xuan said arrogantly as he casually sent a challenger flying out of the arena.
This was already the fifth challenger he had defeated in a row. He had defeated all of them in one move without any fancy moves.
Chen Shi looked at Liu Xuan, who was showing off in the arena. His eyes were burning with flames of war as he stepped forward to challenge him.
However, Mo Qingkuang stopped him, "Don't worry, someone will take care of him."
As they were talking, a young man with a giant hammer jumped onto the stage.
"Don't be so arrogant! I, Yan Xiu, will fight you!"
This young man had a strong body and a round waist. He was a second-grade Martial Master and was holding a huge hammer that weighed several hundred pounds. One look and one could tell that this was a martial artist with astonishing strength.
"Hmm? A dumb head is challenging me now?" Liu Xuan sneered as he gave his opponent a casual glance.
"You're courting death!"
There was a saying that one should not expose one's shortcomings when scolding others. The young man had a burly body and a huge head. How could he not be angry when he was mocked by others?
He waved his hammer and aimed a smash at Liu Xuan. This hammer, coupled with the force of a martial artist, probably had the power of a thousand pounds!
Liu Xuan didn't panic when he saw this. He turned his body lightly and dodged this powerful attack.
The giant hammer landed on the ground, creating a deep pit.
Liu Xuan stepped on the giant hammer and looked down at the burly young man with his elbows on his knees, "What powerful strength. I'm so scared."
The burly young man was furious. He was about to pull out his giant hammer and smash Liu Xuan into meat paste.
However, he discovered that he could not pull the giant hammer from under Liu Xuan's feet. It felt as though it had been nailed to the ground. No matter how much strength he exerted, it did not budge one bit.
The burly young man took a horse stance and held the hammer with both hands, trying to pull it out with all his strength. Unfortunately, even though his face was red and his veins were bulging, the giant hammer under Liu Xuan's feet remained unmoved.
"What?" Liu Xuan laughed mockingly and said in an exaggerated tone, "Want to take it back? You should have said so earlier. I'll return it to you!"
His feet loosened, and the giant hammer that the burly youth had used all his strength to pull finally loosened. However, because the burly youth had used all his strength, he suddenly lost his balance.
He staggered back a few steps, lost his balance, and fell out of the arena with his giant hammer. He fell heavily on the ground, causing a cloud of dust to rise.
Everyone was in an uproar! They all had thought that this burly young man had immense strength and would be able to teach Liu Xuan a lesson. Who knew that he would be played like a child?
Liu Xuan stood proudly on the stage, "I've always heard that there are many talents in the capital. Is this your talent?"
Everyone saw that even a second-grade martial master had been defeated. Who would dare to step forward to challenge him? None of them dared to say anything. They only hoped that one of the geniuses in Jingdou would step forward to defeat this arrogant kid.
On the high platform in the distance, Zheng Tao sipped his tea and watched this scene.
"Headmaster, this person should be the inner court disciple from the Origin Sword Sect. Do you want to…" a middle-aged man whispered beside him.
Zheng Tao shook his head slowly, "Let's let them be smug for a while and carefully observe the people from the Origin Sword Sect. Who will sneak in next, I wonder."
"The group arena doesn't matter. The elimination round of the top 100 is the time to deal with them."