Everyone in the group that came out of the martial arts academy was dressed in official robes. The person who walked at the front was the headmaster of Qinghe County’s martial arts academy. He was a middle-aged man who appeared to be in his fifties and had a tanned face, a thick beard, and also a seemingly dignified fortitude. Beside the headmaster was also a scholarly man in his forties with a fair and clean-shaven face. Both of them walked at the frontmost position. The two people behind that trailed behind them were some bureaucrats.
The exam candidates were quite worked up at the appearance of Qinghe County martial arts academy’s headmaster because this headmaster was a very famous figure in Qinghe County. His surname was Shen and he was known as Shen Hongbing. He was the clan head of the Shen Clan in Qinghe County and he was also the headmaster of the Qinghe County’s martial arts academy. Not only that but everyone also knew that he was a ‘great expert’ and was Qinghe County’s ‘legendary figure’ after he established his foundation and became a Martial Warrior. He managed to move another step further in his martial arts cultivation and successfully advanced into the realm of being a Martial Master.
The position of Shen Clan in Qinghe County was almost akin to the position of the Lu Clan in the Huanglong County. Both were large clans and were local tyrants with immense power within their respective counties.
He heard that this Shen Hongbing either cultivated or went out to visit his friends on normal days. Although he was the headmaster of the martial arts academy, it was almost impossible to see him in the academy. He might not even show up in the martial arts academy to host the examination during the martial arts examination period. Well, at the very least he had never shown up for a martial arts examination, including last year and the year before that. So this year, his appearance caused a commotion on the training grounds. Many exam candidates were indescribably excited as each and everyone of them craned their necks to catch a glimpse of Shen Hongbing who was making his way towards the arena in the center.
Yan Liqiang’s gaze was also affixed on this Shen Hongbing.
His powerful perception that was tempered from Muscle Tendon Changing and Marrow Cleansing cultivation allowed Yan Liqiang to instantly sense the formidable strength within Shen Hongbing’s body as soon as he came out. In Yan Liqiang’s perception, he could sense a different aura and might on Shen Hongbing which stood out from the commonfolk. They were akin to a ferocious tiger, extremely capable. When he walked past Yan Liqiang at a proximate distance, Yan Liqiang could feel the immense energy in his every step on the blue bricks. He walked at a normal pace and yet the strength from his feet was equivalent to how an average people would stomp on the floor with force.
He heard that one would be able to carry out internal cultivation after opening their dantian and establishing their foundation. Only people who cultivated internal cultivation would be able to possess immense power with their every movement. Not only that but they were also able to bring many martial techniques and secret techniques to their peak potentials.
Without a doubt, the people who managed to advance to become Martial Masters were definitely cultivating some sort of internal cultivation techniques.
Yan Liqiang was very curious about the internal cultivation technique that Shen Hongbing had been cultivating.
The person walking beside Shen Hongbing had a temperament that paralleled Shen Hongbing. He was refined. Shen Hongbing was like a scorching fireball while this man was like the wind. His feet landed on the ground extremely lightly.
The exam candidates that were present on the scene including Yan Liqiang seemed to have no idea who he was. However, the temperament of this person walking alongside Shen Hongbing wasn’t any inferior to him. Not only that, Shen Hongbing seemed to be very courteous towards this person. The two of them walked together but the strides that Shen Hongbing took wouldn’t exceed this person.
Yan Liqiang sensed that the realm of this person with a refined temperament was definitely not lower than Shen Hongbing. He couldn’t quite put his finger on why he even had a feeling that this refined man seemed to be slightly superior of the two.
The group passed through the training grounds and directly went into the arena in the middle and stood in a line.
Shen Hongbing, who was in the middle, took a step forward. With a solemn face, he spoke up in a loud voice. "To all the exam candidates. Before this Martial Arts County Trial Examination begins, I’d like to introduce someone to you all. Standing beside me is the academy tutor from the Pingxi Prefecture Martial Arts Academy, Shi Changfeng, Lord Shi. Today, Lord Shi has some good news to share with all the exam candidates…"
Standing in the arena, Shi Changfeng politely who stood on the arena told Shen Hongbing, "Headmaster Shen, you are being too courteous. It doesn’t matter if the headmaster is the one to announce this news!"
"Oh no, oh no, the news will be more exciting if Lord Shi is the one to announce it!" Shen Hongbing declined with a smile.
Both of them exchanged a few modest words with each other on the arena before Shi Changfeng stopped being courteous and took two steps forward. "Everyone, the Pingxi Prefecture Martial Arts Academy has always taken it up upon themselves to develop talented individuals in the Pingxi Prefecture. Qinghe County has always been a place where the talented individuals of the Pingxi Prefecture pour forth. This year, the Pingxi Prefecture Martial Arts Academy shall recruit fifty exam candidates from Qinghe County. This recruitment number far exceeds the number from previous years. This also means that more people among the exam candidates will have the chance to join the Pingxi Prefecture Martial Arts Academy. Not only that but any exam candidates that specialize in spear techniques and the art of archery may show them here today. The Pingxi Prefecture Martial Art Academy shall offer a special recruitment for these individuals…"
What? The Pingxi Prefecture Martial Arts Academy is going to recruit fifty people this year? Isn’t that almost twice the number compared to last year? This also means that the exam candidates who participate in this year’s martial arts examination will also have a higher chance of getting into the Pingxi Prefecture Martial Arts Academy.
After every exam candidate on the training field recovered from their daze, they immediately cheered. Quite a few were extremely excited and they were all eager to get into action.
Unlike the people around him, Yan Liqiang was neither smiling nor happy after hearing this news. He instead frowned a little as his brain spun quickly. He had learned from his experience in his past life that there was no such thing as free lunch in this world. Just when you thought a pancake had fallen onto your head, most of the time there wasn’t any second pancake behind that pancake but a bomb instead.
Shi Changfeng had announced that there would be an increase in the number of recruitments, but he didn’t explain the reason behind the recruitment. He had put it quite vaguely, and that was exactly where the problem was.
To imagine the ruling classes of an enormous country as too kind or too dumb would be a childish thing to do. Although Yan Liqiang was only fourteen years old in age, he was actually not that naive anymore. If there was a time that you thought a ruling class was being too kind or too dumb, chances were that you didn’t know what they were planning behind the scenes and you didn’t possess the information they had in your hands. The many impressions you had towards the ruler was a misconception that was simply caused by false information.
However, at this moment, Yan Liqiang equally didn’t understand why he had managed to make it to such a ‘good timing’...
On the main arena, Shi Changfeng retreated a couple of steps back after he was done speaking, leaving some space in front to host the martial arts examination. Shen Hongbing moved forward. "I shall announce that this year’s Martial Arts County Trial Examination for Qinghe County of the Pingxi Prefecture has officially started!"
After the commencement announcement was made, Shen Hongbing and Shi Changfeng retreated to the seats behind the main arena. Both of them sat down like invigilators and watched from an elevated position that overlooked the training field and all the arenas. Those who had followed them out here were already making their way towards each arena on the training field as they began to host the examination.
An academy bureaucrat came over underneath the Liuhe Town flag and then took a look at Yan Liqiang and the rest. "Is there anyone who isn’t from the Liuhe Town among the exam candidates here? Or is there anyone suspects another of posing under a false name?"
Everyone understood that this was a formality and usual practice prior to the examination. The objective was to verify everyone’s identity and verify if anyone was cheating with a replacement among them. Everyone looked at each other and shook their heads. This was a very great way to do it. Any suspicious individual would be ferreted out in front of everybody right now because no one could possibly bribe all the exam candidates in the entire town. Even if they could, such a large scale of cheating would probably be known by everyone in Qinghe County. Except for twins, 9,999 out of 10,000 cheaters would be exposed at this stage.
That academy bureaucrat waited for half a minute. He nodded when he saw that there wasn’t anything unusual going on with everyone. "Well then, please proceed to your own respective arenas according to the arena number plate you have with you and begin the examination!"
Yan Liqiang took a glance at that metal number plate in his hand. There was a ‘C’ at the topmost part of that metal plate and number ‘64’ in the middle. On the bottom was his name that was written by the person at the entrance just now.
He didn’t delay for a moment longer as he quickly strode over to the Arena C with the number plate in his hand. When he arrived at Arena C, he immediately put his number plate into the wooden box in front of the arena.
In just less than a minute, all the exam candidates that were assigned to Arena C had gathered here. Only four of these candidates were from the Liuhe Town while the rest were from other towns in Qinghe County.
The judge, the academy bureaucrat, and the rest also quickly got into their positions on the arena.
An academy bureaucrat stopped in front of the wooden box that contained the number plates. He picked up the wooden box and shook it vigorously for a moment before pulling on a small mechanism underneath the box, causing two number plates to fall out at the same time. The academy bureaucrat then held the two number plates high and showed it around for awhile. "Number 11, Su Zhihe, and number 75, Huang Xiaotian, please proceed to the arena…"
The two young men below the arena took deep breaths before walking out from the crowd at the same time and went up the arena. They stood outside on the two red lines that were three meters apart from each other and cupped their fists in their hands towards each other in greetings.
"START…!" The martial arts academy judge in the arena wasted no time and ordered for them to begin.