Chapter 516 - 498: The Martial Examination Begins

Conference Hall, the Tiemu family.

Tiemu Xiaoyun’s face was slightly pale. Although his arm had been reattached, it clearly hadn’t fully healed and might even suffer from lasting complications. After all, the human body contained numerous great tendons and meridians; without at least a Profound Tier Treasure Pill, a complete recovery was impossible.

"Tiemu Xiaoyun, since you lost to Su Yu, all previous agreements are voided," the grand elder of the Tiemu family, Tiemu Yan, announced with an authoritative voice. "From today onward, Tiemu Xiaoxiao will marry Zhuge Hong of the Zhuge family as a daughter of our clan."

Tiemu Xiaoyun’s face turned even paler. Inside his right sleeve, his fingers dug fiercely into his flesh. "Grand Elder, Xiaoxiao is still young. Could this matter be delayed for a year?"

"You piece of trash. You lost to Su Yu, who is merely in the Little Dragon Tendon Realm, yet you still think you have the face to negotiate?" Tiemu Nan’s voice abruptly cut in from the side, laced with undisguised coldness.

Tiemu Xiaoyun suppressed the killing intent in his heart, his eyes locked onto Tiemu Nan in a death glare. "Grand Elder, give me one year, and I will definitely break through! When that time comes, I am willing to spend the rest of my life in the Tiemu family and make even greater contributions for the clan!"

Hearing this, a flash of satisfaction passed through Tiemu Yan’s eyes. "Tiemu Xiaoyun, since you possess such resolve, I will give you one more chance. The battle at Cangya Pass is currently dire. If you represent our family there and establish enough merit, I can agree to delay Xiaoxiao’s matter for a year. However, if you fail to break through to the True Dragon Tendon or Profound Bone Realm after a year, I will personally take action and cripple you!"

"Thank you, Grand Elder!" Tiemu Xiaoyun respectfully cupped his fists, then turned and left.

"Grand Elder, that trash’s arm has suffered hidden injuries. His chances of breaking through have drastically decreased!" Tiemu Nan said, a gloomy look flashing through his eyes.

"Fetch a Profound Tier Creation Pill and have it delivered to him."

"Ah, Grand Elder, why give him a chance? Tiemu Xiaoyun is ultimately not a true member of our family. He’s an ungrateful wolf cub that can never be tamed!"

"Indeed, Grand Elder. Since he lost this time, we might as well seize the opportunity to extract his and Tiemu Xiaoxiao’s bloodlines. It might help elevate the younger generation of our clan once more."

"Elder Tiemu Nan is right; I agree as well. With the great turmoil approaching, it is time we close the net on this Tiemu Xiaoyun—no, Dugu Xiaoyun!" another elder chimed in.

Tiemu Yan waved his hand, silencing the crowd. "I have my own judgment on this matter. Tiemu Xiaoyun possesses astonishing talent. If he can break through to the True Dragon Tendon or Profound Bone Realm, his bloodline talent will surely awaken once more. Do not be impatient. If anyone disagrees, they can send their own children to reinforce Cangya Pass in his place."

Upon hearing this, the elders instantly shut their mouths. Chaos was brewing at Cangya Pass, and those who went faced grim odds. It was certainly not an enviable task.

Three days later, Black Stone City’s Martial Examination officially began.

The venue for the examination was chosen near the Inner City’s South City Gate, not far from the Outer City. Several lavish arenas and various spectator areas were specially constructed for the event. The Outer City’s Security Guards and the Inner City’s Silver Armor Army worked together to maintain order. Because even Outer City factions had been granted permission to watch, the Martial Examination was a massive spectacle with an enormous crowd.

On a towering platform, auspicious Xianhe called out in melodious, lucky cries. A Five-Colored Divine Deer BLEATED, the sound instantly reaching the ears of the tens of thousands of commoners below. It approached the center of the platform and lowered its head toward the path it had come from.

Following closely, a beautiful woman with her black hair elegantly swept up, dressed in a white court dress with profound-colored sleeves, slowly stepped onto the platform. Exuding a stunning yet dignified charm and an unruffled gaze, she was none other than Bai Qian, the widow of Black Stone City’s previous City Lord.

Bai Qian held a prestigious status. After her husband died in battle defending Black Stone City, she was officially bestowed the title of "Lady Jingcheng" by the Great Xia empire. Grand events in Black Stone City like this one always required her presence to host.

Among the vast sea of spectators, very few did not recognize Mrs. Bai. As she raised a hand to signal, the crowd immediately quieted down.

"Everyone, Black Stone City is restarting the city-wide Martial Examination today after a three-year hiatus. This is a momentous occasion...

"This Martial Examination aims to select the most outstanding members of the younger generation. As I am sure you are all aware, the fires of war have reignited in the north. Those who stand on this arena today may very well stand atop our city walls tomorrow, shielding thousands of citizens!

"For this Martial Examination, background and lineage do not matter; only skill does. On the arena, both unarmed combat and weapons are permitted. However, Pills, talismans, Spirit Beasts... all external aids are strictly forbidden. Surrendering, falling out of the ring, or becoming incapacitated will result in defeat..."

Her composed voice carried a natural authority, effortlessly echoing across the entire venue—a clear testament to her astonishing strength.

"The rewards for this examination are also extremely generous," she continued. "The champion will be granted entry into Black Stone City’s Armory to choose any one Spirit Tier Martial Arts manual, along with a piece of Spirit Tier Divine Gold, a stalk of Spirit Tier Treasure Medicine, and numerous other prizes...

"Black Stone City is investing heavily in the next generation not for the sake of today’s spectacle, but to ensure we have defenders on our walls in the future! I hope those who make a name for themselves in this examination will remember my words today!

"Now, I declare the Martial Examination officially open!"

As Mrs. Bai’s words fell, the Xianhe cried out in unison, and fireworks blossomed in the sky. Spectators from various factions and participating Martial Artists alike felt their hearts surge with unparalleled excitement.

This grand Martial Examination would handpick the most brilliant geniuses of Black Stone City for the coming years. In the future, these individuals would undoubtedly become honored guests and leaders among the major factions. Achieving fame in this examination would bring a double harvest of both reputation and fortune!

Take the champion’s reward, for instance—a Spirit Tier Martial Arts manual, a Treasure Medicine, and Divine Gold! Any one of these three items was valuable enough to serve as the ultimate trump card for a large family or major faction! Past Martial Examinations had awarded one at most. To give out all three at once this time was a truly mind-boggling prize!

Even the seed candidates from the three great families had fiery looks in their eyes.

Zhao Qingyue, dressed in plain clothes with a sword at his waist, radiated an aura of concealed Sword Stance. He turned to look at Wang Jifan beside him and said, "Brother Wang, the rewards for the champion this time are unusually lavish. Being able to choose anything from the Armory... how interesting."

Wang Jifan lightly clapped his large, callus-covered hands. Instantly, a thunderous crack erupted from his palms, startling the people around them. "Zhao, you seem quite confident. I wonder how your practice of the Qingyue Sword Manual is coming along?"

Naturally, Zhao Qingyue had no intention of directly answering such a probing question. He smiled faintly. "When it comes down to it, the title of champion will be contested among the four of us. I heard that Li Lishu guy recently made a breakthrough; you’d better be careful if you run into him, Brother Wang. Then there’s Gu Changfeng, that stubborn bull. If he faces your Mountain-Suppressing Coiling Dragon Hand, I wonder who would come out on top?"

"Words are useless. We’ll find out when we meet in the arena."

"That may be true, but I wonder what the bookies’ odds look like," Zhao Qingyue chuckled. "Haha, don’t be angry if your odds turn out to be a bit low, Brother Wang."

Day one of the grand Martial Examination.

Possessing the Martial Arts Examination Nomination Order, Su Yu bypassed the qualifiers and advanced directly. He, Li Jingfeng, and Gu Changfeng stood by the edge of the arena, casually watching the matches.

The skill level of the participating Martial Artists varied wildly. Since the registration only imposed age and Realm limits without many other restrictions, many felt they had to participate in this grand event no matter what. Even if they just showed their faces, it was considered a surefire win.

After watching a few matches in a row, Su Yu noticed the glaring gap between the Inner City and the Outer City. Most of the Outer City’s Martial Artists were knocked out in the first round. The Inner City’s Martial Artists, even when in the same Realm as their Outer City opponents, were vastly superior.

"The level of these Outer City Martial Artists is pure trash. They’re just here wasting our damn time. If you ask me, they shouldn’t even be allowed to participate! With their meager skills, how many can actually place? Forget about the top thirty; I doubt even a few will make it into the top one hundred!"

"Haha, you don’t know the half of it. There are still experts in the Outer City. Take Su Yu, the number one person in the Outer City, for example. He is extraordinary. In the Zhenwu Mansion, he already defeated three Great Commanders in spars, not to mention Tiemu Xiaoyun!"

"Su Yu? Who is that? Never heard of him! What are the bookies’ odds for him?"

"Thousand Mechanism Tower’s latest intel on the Martial Examination participants! Come take a look! Four True Dragon Seed Candidates, the strong contenders for the top ten..."

Su Yu casually bought a copy of the Thousand Mechanism Tower’s intel and flipped through it. He had long since obtained information on the dozen or so seed candidates from Li Jingfeng; thumbing through this booklet was merely to verify what he already knew.