Chapter 100

Bai Shengming quickly left the examination hall, and Yang Ji had no time to pay attention to him. The next round of the competition soon began.

"Next match, Duan Gang, Shi Qing!"

On the stage, with a loud thud, Duan Gang, like a massive rock, drew an arc in the air and fell heavily onto the golden stage.

In the second round of the preliminary exam, Duan Gang narrowly lost to Yang Ji. However, with his strength at the second level of martial arts, where his blood qi had turned into a paste, Duan Gang still managed to secure one of the seven spots in the final, albeit with a lower ranking.

Duan Gang had defeated countless opponents with his "Lion's Roar," but he was defeated by Yang Ji with the same "Lion's Roar" in the preliminary exam. This had always been a source of shame for Duan Gang.

This time, entering the final, Duan Gang's goal was to challenge Yang Ji again. At the very least, he wanted to regain his lost dignity!

Across from Duan Gang stood a young man with a slender build but an extremely wealthy appearance. This person was Duan Gang's opponent for this round, "Shi Qing."

He was dressed in a brocade robe adorned with cloud patterns and flowers. Although Shen Tong was known as the son of a wealthy family and often threatened to use money to make opponents concede, his clothes were far inferior to those of this person.

"Shi Qing, a distant relative of the powerful Shi family in Langya County, was demoted to Pingchuan County due to a crime..."

Yang Ji's mind naturally recalled the information about Shi Qing from Lu Ling's data.

Shi Qing was a candidate selected from the North District, and Yang Ji was not familiar with him. However, Lu Ling's data gave a very high evaluation of this "Shi Qing," ranking him as the third strongest in the North District, just behind "Bai Shengming" and "Li Chen."

"The power of a powerful family is much greater than that of a clan. The Yang and Li families, though large in Pingchuan County, are like a faint glow compared to the bright moon of the powerful families in the county. Although Shi Qing was demoted by his family and is a distant relative, a dead centipede is still stiff—what skills does he have?"

Yang Ji thought to himself.

"Hearing is believing, but seeing is the truth." For someone who could rank third in the North District, Yang Ji would never underestimate him.

"Match begins!—"

"Come on, let me beat you up!"

As soon as the command was given, Duan Gang immediately let out a "Lion's Roar." He slapped his chest and glared fiercely at his opponent, ready to knock Shi Qing down.

"Wait a moment! If you want to fight, fine, but not with me."

Shi Qing sneered and suddenly called out to the audience, "Xiao Qing, come up!—"

Duan Gang was taken aback. He had seen many people with eccentric personalities, but he had never seen anyone dare to have someone else fight for them in the "Wu Keju" (Martial Arts Examination). In the time it took for him to glance around, Duan Gang saw a tall object in the crowd.

The object was near the stage, close to the array of armored soldiers, covered with a large silk cloth. Duan Gang, along with the other candidates, thought it was a large box placed there by the government.

However, when several candidates pulled off the silk cloth covering the "box," Duan Gang immediately realized he was wrong.

Boom!

A black shadow leaped high from under the silk cloth, almost breaking through the roof of the martial hall, then fell heavily onto the stage. The gold stage, the highest specification in the three rounds, was dented by the impact.

"This, this, this..."

Duan Gang looked up, his throat moving, stammering, and his face turning deathly pale. Not just him, but all the candidates who saw the monster turned pale and looked terrified, as if they were in a terrible nightmare.

"Steel-Backed Ape, it's actually a Steel-Backed Ape..."

Yang Ji was surprised.

The massive creature that appeared on the stage had an ape-like face, a fierce expression, and a body covered in fur, standing over three people tall. Its smooth, green back shimmered with a metallic luster.

This was a leader-level "Steel-Backed Ape" from the deep mountains, incredibly strong and impervious to blades and bullets. Its massive body was as hard as metal.

A "Steel-Backed Ape" of this size must have grown for at least seventy to eighty years. In the deep mountains, it was virtually invincible. If we were to compare strength alone, it could rival a third-level martial artist.

"No wonder he can rank third!"

Yang Ji was secretly alarmed.

"Battle pets" were explicitly allowed in the competition rules and counted as combat power. Lu Ling's data clearly stated that Shi Qing had a battle pet, but Yang Ji had not taken it seriously.

Shi Qing ranked third in the North District and came from a powerful family in Langya County. "A dead camel is still bigger than a horse." Yang Ji had always thought that Shi Qing must have some other means, but he never expected it to be a "battle pet."

A regular martial realm "battle pet" was nothing special and wouldn't change the outcome of the final. But a powerful "Steel-Backed Ape"—

Boom!

When Duan Gang was swept off the stage by the "Steel-Backed Ape's" arm, like leaves in the autumn wind, the usefulness of a powerful "Steel-Backed Ape" became clear.

Yang Ji finally understood why Shi Qing ranked third in the North District. The power of a powerful family sometimes did not manifest in martial arts, and "battle pets" were no exception.

"Shi Qing wins!—"

As the announcement was made, Shi Qing walked down from the stage, looking smug in the fearful gazes of the crowd.

Yang Ji watched Shi Qing's back, lost in thought.

"Next match, Yang Ji, Shi Qing!—"

When the heavily armored captain announced the next match, Shi Qing, who had already walked far into the crowd, was taken aback, but Yang Ji was not surprised.

He was a "seed candidate," with the same status as "Bai Shengming." Since "Bai Shengming" had already competed, it was only a matter of time before it was his turn.

"Hmph! Fine!"

On the other side, Shi Qing's eyes flickered, and he quickly changed his mind.

It was not common for a single candidate to compete consecutively in the final of the Wu Keju, but considering that the opponent was a "seed candidate," Shi Qing was relieved.

"Perfect timing!"

Shi Qing's mind raced, and he had the massive "Steel-Backed Ape" lift him with its hand and jump onto the stage.

"Are you Yang Ji?"

Shi Qing looked down at Yang Ji from above, acting imperiously.

"I don't like talking to people while looking up."

Yang Ji said calmly, not fond of Shi Qing's arrogant attitude.

"Hmph! I've seen your matches!"

Shi Qing ignored him, still acting arrogantly, and said coldly:

"You and Zuo Guangdou from the South District are too weak. You don't deserve to be seed candidates."

This statement didn't matter much, but Zuo Guangdou, who was far away, flashed a cold light in his eyes.

"I smell a strong scent of jealousy."

Yang Ji remained unperturbed.

"Tsk, why would I need to be jealous of you?"

Shi Qing sneered:

"I admit I'm not a match for Bai Shengming, but apart from him, no one in the entire martial hall is my opponent. If Li Chen hadn't cheated in the match, he could have ranked second."

All eyes immediately turned to Li Chen's position. Li Chen remained calm, as if he hadn't heard Shi Qing's words, but when the crowd's attention returned, his face turned cold.

No one likes to be provoked, especially by someone like "Shi Qing."

"Cheated?"

Yang Ji was slightly taken aback. Although he didn't have a good impression of Li Chen, he didn't think Li Chen would stoop to such a level.

Looking at the formidable and fierce "Steel-Backed Ape," Yang Ji suddenly understood.

"Ha, are you saying he bypassed your pet to attack you?"

Yang Ji sneered.

Shi Qing's face changed abruptly, clearly hit by Yang Ji's words.

Although "battle pets" were not prohibited in the Wu Keju and counted as combat power, if the "owner" was knocked off the stage, the match was lost, no matter how strong the pet was.

Yang Ji knew without thinking that if he were "Li Chen" and faced a "Steel-Backed Ape" that was impervious to blades and incredibly strong, he would definitely choose to bypass the "Steel-Backed Ape" and attack "Shi Qing"!