Chapter 70

Next to the "Wen Hall," an ancient building stands majestically and grandly, towering over the land. The gray-black roof ridges, gilded by the morning sun, resemble a giant golden Peng bird, spreading its wings and swallowing the world.

This is the "Wu Hall," the official venue for the Wu Examination!

At this moment, the Wu Hall is heavily guarded, exuding a sense of solemnity and danger. Although both the Wu Examination and the Wen Examination are major events of the imperial court, the importance placed on the Wu Examination far surpasses that of the Wen Examination.

Imperial soldiers, their bodies hidden in thick armor, emit a dangerous aura as they stand motionless. These soldiers possess an incredibly powerful aura, each one having achieved the Martial Dao realm. The intense bloodlight from their bodies seeps through the gaps in their armor, like burning flames.

These soldiers are clearly the elite of the military. Just by standing there, their long halberds give off a sense of overwhelming power, as if capable of piercing the heavens.

Every "student" who looks at these silent soldiers can feel a suffocating force, like a heavy stone pressing on their chest, forcing them to turn away.

"Such military discipline, this is the way of the righteous army!"

Yang Ji收回目光，心中暗道。

In the Han Dynasty, to join the military, one must at least have achieved the Martial Dao realm. Starting as a soldier, one can rise through the ranks from squad leader, company leader, and battalion leader, to major and colonel. If one is lucky enough, one might even reach the rank of general, commanding a large army with great prestige.

This is another path for those without a background to rise to prominence, apart from the Wu Examination and the Wu officials. Although this path can also lead to the rank of general, commanding a large army with great prestige, it is extremely difficult and tortuous. Once one joins the military, there is no freedom, making it the least desirable of the three paths!

Those who generally choose this path are usually commoners outside of noble families and clans. Yang Ji glanced at the dense crowd in front of the Wu Hall and was almost certain that after this failure, many students would join the military.

Even those who have not reached the eighth or ninth stage of breathing, if selected by the court and sign a contract, can receive several years of training and be assigned to the military once they reach the Martial Dao realm.

In Yang Ji's original plan, if he had not accidentally obtained Yang Erniu's "meteorite," he might have chosen such a path.

"Hisss!"

Yang Ji took a deep breath and came back to his senses. The Wu Examination had not yet begun. On the city tower of the grand hall, two chief examiners, resembling deities, stood on either side, their eagle-like gazes sweeping over the crowd below, their imposing auras enveloping the entire Wu Hall square.

In the middle, the position of the chief examiner was empty, and the whereabouts of this Wu Examination chief examiner were still unknown.

Yang Ji watched for a while, knowing it was not yet time, so he closed his eyes and waited silently.

"It's so hot!"

After an unknown amount of time, a student's voice suddenly rang out in the crowd.

"It's really hot!"

After a while, another student chimed in, even wiping the sweat from his forehead. At first, only a few people felt the heat, but soon more and more people felt the rising temperature, and many looked up at the sky.

The sun was not particularly large, and normally it would not be so hot. After all, the resistance of "warriors" is not the same as that of ordinary people; even the scorching sun would not easily make them feel this hot. Even Yang Ji opened his eyes at this moment.

"This is not a natural temperature!"

A flash of insight crossed Yang Ji's mind. With his cultivation, he could feel some stuffiness, a sense of being unable to breathe, which was not a normal phenomenon. Even at noon, it would not be this hot!

Yang Ji quickly realized that this unnatural temperature rise was radiating from the same direction. His heart stirred, and he soon looked over. At that moment:

"Silence! ——"

A powerful and resonant voice, like a thunderclap, echoed in the air above the Wu Hall. The originally noisy crowd suddenly fell silent.

Between the "Wu Hall" and the "Wen Hall," a black shadow appeared, clad in heavy armor, with blood qi rising to the sky like flames, burning the void. The vision around him was distorted, and the heat felt by the crowd radiated from him.

The man stood motionless, his stern gaze bright and sharp, slowly sweeping over the ground. In an instant, all was silent, and everyone's attention was focused on the deep, unfathomable black shadow, like the vast sea.

Even the most dull-witted people realized that this black shadow was likely the chief examiner of this Wu Examination, and they fell silent.

"At least a colonel, but I don't know which rank."

Yang Ji, staring at the black shadow in the center of the two grand halls, thought to himself. The blood qi from this person was very intense, making him think of the scorching, boiling lava deep in the earth.

In the Han Dynasty, "majors," "colonels," and "generals" are divided into three ranks, and only those above these ranks are considered to have "merit."

Yang Ji's knowledge of military ranks was limited, but he knew that the chief examiner of this examination was at least a colonel, and a high-ranking one at that.

According to the rules of the Han Dynasty, high-ranking colonels preside over the "child student" level examinations, while generals preside over the "scholar" level examinations... To see a martial god, one would have to wait for the "top scholar" level examination!

The "black-armored colonel's" gaze swept through the crowd like lightning. Everyone who met his gaze felt as if they had been struck by lightning.

In just a moment, the "black-armored colonel" quickly withdrew his gaze, his armor trembling as he turned and walked toward the top floor of the Wu Hall, displaying the decisive and swift style of a soldier.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

His steps were heavy, like those of a prehistoric beast, each step resonating in the hearts of the crowd. The ground in front of the Wu Hall rumbled, as if unable to bear his weight, making the candidates tremble with awe.

Such strength, such aura—this is a true powerhouse!

Step by step, he ascended the stairs, and in a short time, the "black-armored colonel" stepped onto the top floor of the Wu Hall amidst the reverent gazes of many candidates.

The moment he sat down on the wide chair on the top floor of the Wu Hall, the entire Wu Hall seemed to sink a few inches.

"Begin."

The powerful colonel chief examiner waved his hand, and the two assistant majors understood. One of them stepped forward, glanced at the sun, and then unfurled a list.

"The rules for this Wu Examination are as follows, everyone listen carefully."

"The purpose of the imperial court in holding the Wu Examination is to select capable talents, not to have you kill each other. Each student is an important reserve talent for the court, so—first, no attacks on the temples; second, no attacks on the groin; third, when using sharp weapons, no attacks on the heart; fourth, no continued attacks when the opponent concedes; fifth, once off the stage, it is considered a concession..."

...

The Wu Examination has a total of twelve rules, aimed at protecting the candidates. If someone is found to have knowingly violated the rules, they may be disqualified from the examination based on the situation.

This is something everyone must take seriously.

"Have you all heard clearly!"

On the top floor of the Wu Hall, the major looked down and waved his hand after a moment: "Now, everyone enter the hall."

"Long live the Emperor, may he reign for ten thousand years, ten thousand, ten thousand years!"

The crowd looked up at the golden "Emperor" statue on the top floor and knelt down.

"Boom!"

At the command, four elite soldiers pulled open the heavy steel doors of the Wu Hall. The competition finally began.

"Buzz!"

The crowd沸腾 again, with hundreds and thousands of candidates bustling excitedly toward the grand hall doors.

The Wu Examination officially began!

The number of participants in the Wu Examination is not as large as in the Wen Examination, but the momentum of thousands of people, a sea of people, and a multitude of horses, looks even more spectacular than the Wen Examination.

Yang Ji收敛了心神，握着手中的木牌，随着身边的人流，穿过“武殿”的大门，进入了大殿里面。

"Wow, so high!"

Yang Ji took his first step inside and immediately felt the difference.

The "Wu Hall" is different from the "Wen Hall." The Wen Hall is divided into three sections, with each floor having a similar height. However, the Wu Hall is different. The ceiling of the first floor is the highest, reaching over thirty feet, almost equivalent to more than two floors of the Wen Hall. It is the main venue for the Wu Examination and is usually closed, only opening during the official competition.

The second floor is the venue for the "Wen Test" part of the Wu Examination.

The grand hall was crowded with people, and soon the test papers were distributed. There were only a few thin sheets, much less than the Wen Examination.

Yang Ji flipped through them and found that most of the content was rote memorization, with some content from the "Wu Canon." Compared to the Wen Examination, these were much easier. As long as one had studied hard and memorized the content, this exam would not take much time, and half a day would be more than enough.

"Eliminating one in ten would be considered good!"

Yang Ji thought to himself.

The Wu Examination, the Wu Examination... the key part is still in the "Wu," and the "Wen Test" part is just to eliminate those who are not literate and are just filling the ranks.

Most of those who sign up for the Wu Examination are very confident. This level of exam would not be difficult for many.

Yang Ji dipped his brush, feeling confident, and began to write on the test paper with ease.

The "Three Classics" and "Five Canons" were already memorized by Yang Ji to the point of being able to recite them fluently, and he was also familiar with the "Wu Canon." Writing down the answers was smooth and effortless, like a flowing stream.

...