Chapter 80

The initial round of the martial examination had not yet reached its final day, but Yang Ji and Shen Tong, the two major favorites in Zone 10, had already decided the winner, which was truly unexpected by many.

The exciting match between the two quickly caused a great stir in the "Martial Hall."

For a time, many people inquired about Yang Ji's background, but compared to Shen Tong and others, there was very little information on Yang Ji. Apart from his name, almost everything else was a blank.

Although Yang Ji had never been to Pingchuan City before, it wasn't necessarily true that no one knew him. At least, Li Chen knew Yang Ji's background.

Unfortunately, on that day at the "Earth Dragon Inn," most people only paid attention to the incomparable "Third Young Master Li," and hardly noticed Yang Ji. Moreover, their confrontation that day was so subtle that even Han Bin, who was right next to them, did not notice, let alone others.

Although Li Chen knew Yang Ji's background, the Li clan and the Yang clan had always been on bad terms. With his status, how could he possibly lower himself to help others promote him?

By the sixth day of the martial examination, Yang Ji, with his undeniable strength, won first place in Zone 10 and advanced to the second round of the martial test along with another martial student.

At the same time, the 24 district zones also selected their respective qualifiers. Each zone selected 2 people, a total of 48 candidates participated in the second round of the competition, vying for the final spots in the final round.

The next day, the long-absent chief examiner of the martial examination appeared in the Martial Hall:

"Day seven, a day of rest! Candidates who have advanced to the second round, prepare well!"

"Good, it's just in time to prepare."

Yang Ji thought to himself.

During the martial examination, there were two "rest days" in total: one between the first and second rounds, and one between the second and third rounds. This was done to allow all the candidates who advanced to have a period of adjustment, both mentally and physically, to prepare for the more intense competition in the next round.

Yang Ji returned to the inn with a list. This list was issued by the court, and each candidate who advanced received one.

However, unlike the published list, the list in Yang Ji's hand only had 24 names.

"The second round of the retest is divided into two major zones, North and South, with 24 people in each zone. In the end, only 7 people can advance from each zone, and they will compete for the seven spots in this martial examination with the qualifiers from the other zone!"

Yang Ji recalled the information he had gathered from the "Martial Hall."

Unlike the 24 zones in the first round, the second round of the retest only had two semi-zones, North and South, each consisting of 12 zones' qualifiers.

In each semi-zone, only the strongest 7 people could advance, and the rest would be eliminated!

Yang Ji looked at the 24 detailed names on the list. There were a few he recognized, but most were unfamiliar.

These 24 names covered 12 zones, involving three to four thousand candidates. Although Yang Ji had Han Bin's help and had been watching the matches in various venues for the past few days, it was impossible for him to remember everyone.

"Li Chen and Gao Shengming are not here, so they must be in another zone. If there are no surprises, the opponents in the next round will be these people."

Yang Ji thought to himself, falling into deep thought.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

About an hour later, a sudden, crisp knocking sound came from outside the door:

"Is Master Yang Ji here? I am here to deliver something to you on behalf of Master Shi."

"Ah!"

Yang Ji was overjoyed, his eyes brightening, and he stood up excitedly: "Finally, it's here!"

Yang Ji's whereabouts in Pingchuan City were known to only one person: Master Shi. Before the martial examination, Master Shi had promised to deliver the rewards for the literary examination to Yang Ji as soon as possible, but there had been no movement until now.

"Please come in!"

Yang Ji took two steps in one, opened the door, and sure enough, two clerks in black robes were standing outside.

"Master Yang."

The two tall, thin clerks bowed and entered with a respectful look on their faces.

In the government office, Yang Ji's essay, filled with literary grace, had already stunned all the officials and clerks in Pingchuan City. Now, with Master Shi's attention, he was already highly esteemed in the literary world.

This respect was not out of envy for Yang Ji's impending rise to prominence, but out of respect for his literary cultivation. If there were no surprises, the literary champion of Pingchuan City in the future would likely be this young man.

"Master Yang, Master Shi has ordered us to deliver the rewards for the literary examination to you."

The two clerks said.

"Ah, thank you both."

Yang Ji said with a joyful expression, full of anticipation.

The martial examination had already entered the second round, and every opponent Yang Ji faced was strong and the challenges were numerous. The rewards for the literary examination had come at just the right time.

"However, ... the rewards for the literary examination are not with us."

The two clerks looked at each other, somewhat awkwardly.

"!!!"

Yang Ji was startled, looked at the two, and suddenly felt a sense of unease: "What do you mean, both of you?"

They had clearly said they were here to deliver the rewards for the literary examination on Master Shi's orders, so why were the rewards not with them? What did this mean? Had something gone wrong?

"It's simple, your reward is with me! ——"

A brisk voice suddenly came from outside the door, and the inn's door creaked open, allowing the bright sunlight to flood in. A girl in a bright yellow robe, looking spirited and confident, appeared at the door.

Seeing this girl, Yang Ji was dumbfounded.

"Lu Ling! ——"

Yang Ji's body trembled, and he exclaimed in disbelief, standing up abruptly. The person standing before him was none other than Lu Ling, whom he had saved in the deep mountains at the beginning of the year.

Yang Ji's journey on the path of martial arts, if one were to be precise, owed a lot to Lu Ling, who had taught him the "Divine Dragon Bone Strengthening Stance" and "Tiger-Leopard Thunder Sound."

However, Lu Ling's identity was mysterious, and after teaching Yang Ji, she had disappeared, as if she had evaporated.

Yang Ji never expected to see her at this time!

"Haha, didn't expect it, did you!"

Lu Ling, with her ponytail, as usual, walked into Yang Ji's room with a carefree attitude, as if she were entering her own home. Behind her, two heavily armed soldiers with strong auras followed.

"Tsk tsk, not bad, not bad! I taught you the Divine Dragon Bone Strengthening Stance and Tiger-Leopard Thunder Sound, and in just half a year, you've reached this level."

As soon as Lu Ling entered, she sized up Yang Ji like a master examining a disciple, nodding in approval:

"If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it. This Yang Ji is really you!"

Although Lu Ling had not taken Yang Ji as a disciple, the martial arts he started with were almost entirely taught and given to him by her.

Seeing Yang Ji's "success," Lu Ling, as his "master," felt a small sense of pride, and her heart was filled with joy, making every one of her 84,000 pores feel relaxed.

"Lu Ling, why are you here?"

Yang Ji approached, feeling a sense of familiarity.

Although the two clerks had come to deliver the rewards for the literary examination, it was Lu Ling who appeared, accompanied by the court's soldiers. Seeing this, Yang Ji had already guessed something about Lu Ling's identity, but he needed her to confirm it.

"Hehe, my father is the city lord. If I'm not here, where else would I be?"

Lu Ling smiled, with a knowing look.

At the time, there was no need to tell Yang Ji. Now that Yang Ji had proven himself through his own efforts, there was no need for Lu Ling to hide it anymore.

"Indeed, that's the case..."

Yang Ji looked enlightened, but he was deeply moved. No wonder he couldn't find out Lu Ling's identity; he should have realized it earlier.

With such high martial arts skills, able to easily teach him the "Tiger-Leopard Thunder Sound," which the Yang clan did not have, and with the surname Lu, the most prominent person in Pingchuan City could only be City Lord Lu.

In Pingchuan City, apart from the general who guarded the border for the court, the city lord wielded great power, a true local warlord, whose word was law.

Unfortunately, there had never been any news about the city lord's family, so Yang Ji had not particularly thought about it.

Yang Ji never imagined that the girl he had saved by chance would have such a prominent status. After more than half a year, Lu Ling's cultivation seemed even deeper, and the intense blood energy around her was like a lead weight, making even Yang Ji feel a deep sense of pressure.

"By the way, Lu Ling, how did you find me here?"

Yang Ji asked. Although he knew her status was high, he did not feel the slightest bit nervous, neither timid nor fawning.

"Sea accepts all rivers, for it is vast; a thousand-foot cliff stands tall, for it has no desires." Yang Ji did not feel inferior to her.

"Haha, if it weren't for Master Shi sending people to the city lord's residence to claim the rewards for the literary examination, I wouldn't have noticed you..."

Lu Ling explained the whole story.

Originally, the rewards for the literary and martial examinations had to be extracted from the city lord's treasury. As the city lord's daughter, Lu Ling naturally had many opportunities to encounter such matters.

The literary examination was originally unrelated to her, and Lu Ling had no interest in the literary path. However, the two clerks were chatty, and while waiting for Lu Ling to practice, they kept talking about the literary examination and praising one candidate.

Lu Ling casually asked, and it turned out that the champion of the literary examination was named "Yang Ji." This was quite a surprise for Lu Ling.

When Yang Ji used his knowledge from books to help Lu Ling treat her poison, it left a deep impression on her. Although she was surprised, she was not at all surprised that Yang Ji had won the championship of the literary examination.

However, there were many people with the same name, and Yang Ji's whereabouts were unpredictable, so it took until now for her to find him.

"Yang Ji, you really have surpassed my expectations. I knew you were good at reading, but I didn't expect you to be so good that you won the championship of the literary examination!"

Lu Ling patted Yang Ji's shoulder with a generous gesture, looking proud.