Chapter 60

"War Pet!"

A bolt of lightning flashed through Yang Ji's mind. Having been involved in the martial arts for a long time, he gradually learned that many "warriors" tamed fierce beasts as pets. Especially those with a flicker of bloodlight in their bodies, possessing strength comparable to that of a warrior, were no small matter.

Whoosh!

The fierce wind howled, and the giant shadow moved swiftly, disappearing into the high sky in the blink of an eye. With the faint light, Yang Ji vaguely saw that it was a giant eagle with a wingspan of three to four zhang, its eyes gleaming like lightning, looking incredibly majestic. In an instant, it soared high over the city wall and vanished into the dark night.

Yang Ji watched the direction in which the giant eagle disappeared, his eyes flickering with uncertainty. After a long while, he leaped out and headed toward the inn.

"Fang Xiong?"

When Yang Ji stepped into the room, he was taken aback. Fang Buxiang, who usually shared the room with him and was often mysterious and unseen, had actually returned and was drinking alone at this hour.

"Yang Xiong?"

Fang Buxiang was also surprised to see Yang Ji, a hint of astonishment in his eyes. He seemed to have not expected Yang Ji to return at this time. In terms of mysterious movements, Yang Ji was no less than him.

"Ha, it's better to meet by chance than to set a date. We are both very busy, and it's a rare encounter. Why don't we have a drink together, Yang Xiong?"

Fang Buxiang quickly recovered, smiled slightly, and took a wine glass, immediately filling it for Yang Ji.

Yang Ji glanced at the wine and dishes on the table, remaining silent.

"What, Yang Xiong, do you still suspect that the wine and dishes are poisoned?"

Fang Buxiang joked, his eyes fixed on Yang Ji's.

"Ha, not at all. Since Fang Xiong has the interest, I will naturally accompany you. Pass me the cup, let's have a drink."

Yang Ji smiled and quickly regained his composure, took the wine glass, and sat opposite Fang Buxiang.

They clinked their glasses. Fang Buxiang's eyes stared over the wine glass at Yang Ji until he slowly drank the wine, the sharpness in his eyes gradually fading but becoming even more peculiar.

"Yang Xiong, don't you remember me? Last time at Shuangji Ridge, I had a deep impression of you!"

Fang Buxiang suddenly said, finishing the wine in his cup in one gulp.

"Shuangji Ridge?"

Yang Ji's eyebrows twitched, his face full of confusion. Then he seemed to recall something and said, "So Fang Xiong was at Shuangji Ridge that day! Unfortunately, I left in a hurry and might not have noticed you."

"Ha ha, Yang Xiong, you are a man of high status and forget things easily. That's normal."

Fang Buxiang picked up a piece of food, saying casually, "Recently, Yang Xiong has been elusive. I wanted to treat you to a meal, but couldn't find you. Fortunately, I knew the martial arts examination was approaching, and you were busy. Otherwise, I would have thought you had something against me!"

Yang Ji just smiled and did not respond.

They drank and chatted, discussing trivial matters. After a few cups, Yang Ji waved his hand.

"Fang Xiong, it's late, and I can't hold my liquor. I won't drink more today. I'll go to bed and rest. We can talk another day."

Yang Ji said.

Fang Buxiang was slightly taken aback, looked at Yang Ji, and saw his cheeks slightly red, indeed unable to hold his liquor. He then nodded, "Alright, let's talk another day."

Yang Ji said no more, did not take off his clothes, and lay down on the bed, covering himself with a blanket, and soon snored.

Fang Buxiang, alone, tidied up the food box by the candlelight. By the time he finished, it was already very late.

Fang Buxiang lay on the bed but did not sleep. His eyes occasionally glanced at Yang Ji, sometimes puzzled, sometimes cold, the sharpness in his eyes flickering, and no one knew what he was thinking.

Bang!

Around dawn, the window frame vibrated, and something seemed to slip out of the window. The room then returned to silence.

At the same time, Fang Buxiang had also disappeared.

"Ha!"

Almost simultaneously, Yang Ji smiled and sat up from the bed. He glanced at the direction Fang Buxiang had left but did not pursue him. After washing up and eating something, he went to the city to register for the martial arts examination.

The format of the literary and martial arts examinations was the same, both requiring advance registration. After participating in the literary examination, it was almost time to register for the martial arts examination.

"Name?"

"Yang Ji!"

"Place of origin?"

...

Several powerful martial officials, sitting majestically, asked without looking up, with a table in front of them.

Yang Ji, who had participated in the literary examination, was already familiar with the process. After registering and receiving the wooden token for the martial arts examination, he left the city gate.

In the deep mountains outside Pingchuan City, a huge waterfall cascaded down, the impact sound deafening.

Yang Ji took a deep breath, feeling the dense essence in the air. He then trained intensely on the cliff top as usual, the loud roar of the magic tiger shaking the heavens and earth.

"Hmm?"

Yang Ji's gaze swept over the deep pool below and then looked at the waterfall, which hung like a white ribbon and contained tremendous force. Suddenly, he had an idea:

"The waterfall rushes down from a great height, with tremendous impact. I doubt my fist can be as powerful. If I practice the 'Taihe Magic Tiger Fist' while using the waterfall to rinse my body, it might have unexpected effects."

Yang Ji recalled the 'Shenlong Bone Strengthening Pile Method' taught by Lu Ling. Using the waterfall to rinse the body was similar to the 'Shenlong Bone Strengthening Pile Method,' except that one method compresses the body's strength onto the bones, while the other uses the powerful impact of the waterfall to train the entire body!

Yang Ji circled around and quickly reached the deep pool.

"I wonder how strong the impact of the waterfall is!"

Yang Ji thought and quickly waded through the pool.

Boom!

As soon as he approached the waterfall, a tremendous force hit him, like being struck by a large hammer, sending him flying.

"What tremendous power! Even before reaching the center of the waterfall, the impact is comparable to that of a first-level martial artist."

Yang Ji's body ached, and he was shocked. However, after the pain, he felt even more excited.

"This impact is perfect for training my body's resistance to strikes!"

Yang Ji said excitedly.

The strength and resistance to strikes of a 'warrior' are two different concepts. Having the strength of a first-level martial artist does not necessarily mean one can withstand a first-level martial artist's punch.

Almost the moment Yang Ji entered the waterfall, he understood the significance of the waterfall and the deep pool for him. Using the waterfall to train his body, while not necessarily increasing his strength more than practicing the 'Taihe Magic Tiger Fist,' would greatly enhance his resistance to strikes in battle, which would be extremely beneficial for his performance in the martial arts examination and in defeating strong opponents.

The greatest advantage of the waterfall is its continuous and unbroken force, which no single martial artist can match.

Boom!

Yang Ji adjusted his mindset and entered the waterfall again...

Again and again, Yang Ji adjusted, and the blood and qi in his body continuously circulated, finally allowing him to stand steadily at the edge of the waterfall.

Time slowly passed.

Using the tremendous impact of the waterfall was initially a spontaneous idea of Yang Ji. Now, however, he became deeply interested in this training method.

After six hours, with the mobilization of his entire body's blood and qi, Yang Ji finally managed to stand steadily at the edge of the waterfall, though he was completely exhausted.

In the deep pool, undisturbed, Yang Ji gradually forgot about time.

Three days later, he finally adapted to the impact of the waterfall and began practicing the 'Taihe Magic Tiger Fist' in the deep pool.

Six days later, Yang Ji finally took a step forward from the edge of the waterfall.

Ten days later, Yang Ji could endure for one and a half hours in the waterfall...

...

Yang Ji, like an tireless challenger, continuously attacked the waterfall. Each time, he was almost exhausted, his blood and qi drained, then he would climb to the edge of the pool, rest for a while, and return to the deep pool to continue his training.

In this way, Yang Ji made progress every day. His skin and muscles became increasingly tough, his bones and tendons more dense, his resistance to strikes stronger, and his punches more powerful!

At the beginning, Yang Ji's practice of the 'Taihe Magic Tiger Fist' in the pool was not smooth, and the water resistance slowed him down. Later, he was completely unaffected by the water, standing in the pool and able to punch with normal speed, each punch creating massive waves.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Yang Ji, like a mad beast, trained fiercely in the pool, forgetting to eat and sleep, day and night...

While Yang Ji was self-imprisoned in the deep mountains, diligently training, in the year 23 of the Hongyuan era of the Han Dynasty, the seventh literary examination in Pingchuan City entered a tense and busy stage.

The "Child Scholar Examination" ended on the second day. A total of 10,120 examination tokens were issued, but only 9,800 test papers were actually collected, the rest not participating for various reasons.

Of these 9,800 test papers, nearly 2,700 were incomplete, with many unanswered questions. This situation almost certainly ruled out any chance of being on the "Golden List."

However, even so, the review of the remaining 7,000 test papers was still a daunting task. All the civil officials in Pingchuan City were busy.

The gates of the Pingchuan City government office were tightly closed, with soldiers lined up on both sides, presenting a more solemn scene than in previous years. For those who followed the annual literary examinations, this year's examination seemed unusual, but no one knew what had happened, and most people were confused.

In the grand hall of the government office, candles burned brightly for 16 days and nights. The hall was piled high with test papers, and a fully armored soldier guarded each pile, strictly preventing any mishaps.

All the officials were busy in the hall, working day and night to grade the test papers...