Dimension Paradise, I am a summoning apostle

Chapter 639 The Imperial Examination Determines Rankings, Unafraid of the Rules
Before we knew it, the time for the high school entrance exam had arrived.

The military examination consisted of two parts: military strategy and martial arts.

The former is invisible; like the civil service examination, it is a closed examination.

The latter took place on the drill ground, which was not closed off, allowing ordinary people to come and watch.

It was originally closed off, but later the nobles in the palace ran out of money.

Seeing that the martial arts skills of this martial arts candidate were quite useful, they opened the door to him.

At the same time, he also ran a casino in the surrounding gambling dens, making a fortune every time.

The money was there, but the atmosphere deteriorated considerably, and all sorts of fraud emerged.

Because of their vested interests, the proctors turned a blind eye.

Besides this benefit, there are even more benefits distributed among them.

The preliminary examinations and the provincial examinations were at least local, and at most, only the top few were guaranteed a spot.

Nowadays, in the imperial examinations, everyone's ranking is determined before the exam even begins.

As for how to win through martial arts? It's simple, the commander of troops must win.

Because they are all from various powerful forces, ordinary people are at their mercy.

"Wait, what does this mean?" Bai Hanzhe looked at the note in his hand with a grim expression.

Upon seeing Bai Hanzhe's expression, the proctor couldn't help but smile: "What, you don't know?"

The note stated that he ranked 108th in the provincial examination, and it also listed the people he would be fighting in the martial arts exam.

It is written clearly and plainly which teams will lose and which will win.

As long as you follow the instructions, you can become a military officer.

"Could it be that His Highness the Ninth Prince thinks I'm incapable of passing the imperial examination? And has specially arranged for you to do this for me?" Bai Hanzhe said coldly, "I don't need such convenience!"

Upon hearing this, the proctor's smile widened even further.

"You've misunderstood. This wasn't arranged by His Highness the Ninth Prince," the examiner explained. "It's because you've joined His Highness's ranks and are highly valued; it's what you deserve."

"Of course, if you think this ranking is too low, I can change it for you."

"For the sake of His Highness the Ninth Prince, I'll set the score at seventy-two. How about that?"

At this point, Bai Hanzhe seemed somewhat lost and dejected.

The proctor assumed it was because of the low ranking, hence his displeasure.

"Then the same applies to the preliminary examinations and the provincial examinations?" Bai Hanzhe suddenly asked.

“No, that’s not it,” the proctor said, stroking his chin.

Bai Hanzhe breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

Unexpectedly, the examiner said, "The personnel for these two examinations are too low, and we don't bother to interfere. Therefore, the rankings are usually arranged by the local government and powerful families."

"However, it won't be as strict as our provincial examination, where each candidate is ranked meticulously. At most, only the top ten will be selected, and the rest will be determined based on family background."

This made Bai Hanzhe turn pale. What was the point of the imperial examination if it was like this?
"Alright, take a good rest. Make sure your performance is as realistic as possible." The proctor ignored the other person's expression: "I know you have good martial arts skills, but who among those who came today is not from a noble family?"

"You should make good friends with them; they will be of great use to your career in the future."

"If you hadn't pledged allegiance to His Highness the Ninth Prince, you wouldn't have had a chance to lose even if you wanted to."

After saying that, the proctor left immediately.

He still has other things to do.

Although the rankings were predetermined, the necessary notifications still need to be sent out.

Otherwise, if things go awry, it won't just ruin the rankings, but also the businesses of the nobles in the palace.

Who wins, who loses, and who comes in which place—all of this is tied to money.

This is a huge arena of vested interests, and no one dares to break the rules.

Bai Hanzhe's hand gripping the Chizha Spear was bulging with veins; he couldn't accept all of this.

"I came here for wealth and glory," he muttered through gritted teeth, trying to convince himself to go along with the corrupt practices.

Isn't this everything he wanted? Now he can get it just by kneeling down and going along with the corrupt practices.

"But I'm not reconciled," Bai Hanzhe thought angrily.

He obtained a superior divine weapon and practiced martial arts day and night at the Ninth Prince's residence.

He only thought about winning the top prize and becoming a tribute student today, and he also wanted to compete with the Golden Knife Prince of Liang.

Instead of using such methods, they couldn't even see the prince's figure.

"Since it wasn't arranged by His Highness the Ninth Prince, why should I be concerned?" Bai Hanzhe suddenly sneered and tore the note in his hand to shreds.

"Only by shooting them down in a single shot can I demonstrate the might of the Ninth Prince."

In his opinion, since the Ninth Prince hadn't made any arrangements, the examiner should have ranked him seventy-second.

With the Ninth Prince backing him up, he wouldn't need to worry about such petty and despicable matters.

Why not just shoot the person in first place directly?

I doubt they would dare say anything.

Thinking of this, Bai Hanzhe's anger turned into a surge of pride.

She felt that joining the Ninth Prince's ranks was the right thing to do.

Just then, his name was called from outside.

He immediately picked up his Chizha gun and went outside, then went up to the arena upon hearing the sound.

Another person also arrived at the arena.

The newcomer did not possess any divine weapons, nor was he a military commander.

The martial arts test was officially announced as being decided by drawing lots, so there was no ranking involved. This resulted in situations where military commanders would fight against ordinary people.

Bai Hanzhe was placed in 72nd place, so he definitely needs some stepping stones.

It's perfect for ordinary people.

"I am the commander of the troops, and you have no divine weapon by your side. Go and admit defeat," Bai Hanzhe said. "On the arena, swords and spears have no eyes; death and injury are indiscriminate."

The person opposite him was clearly from a remote place, just like Bai Hanzhe, and had only heard of the divine weapon but never seen it.

"Though the divine weapon is powerful, I have my own courage!" With that, he raised the white-handled spear and charged towards Bai Hanzhe.

However, with just one move, Bai Hanzhe easily subdued his opponent.

The other party looked resentful. From the moment he raised his gun to the moment he was subdued, he had no idea how the other party had managed to do it.

They lost in the blink of an eye.

"You flatter me." Bai Hanzhe sheathed his Chizha Spear and bowed.

Although the opponent was unconvinced, he could only return the greeting and leave the arena.

Many martial arts candidates from remote areas were quite astonished when they saw this scene.

They were utterly shocked to witness the power of the Commander of Troops for the first time.

On the contrary, the people of Yundu turned a blind eye to it.

Under the emperor's nose, military commanders are not so rare.

For a moment, those who had only heard of but never seen the martial arts examination candidates felt a complex mix of emotions.

On the contrary, those who already knew were completely calm; what else could they do?
We can't just skip the exam, can we? That's a very serious matter.

In any case, if you encounter a commander of troops, you should surrender; if you encounter someone who is not a commander of troops, you can fight them and maybe you'll have a chance to win.

Bai Hanzhe glanced around and saw Chu Danqing in the crowd. He nodded and smiled slightly before stepping off the stage.

Chu Danqing returned the greeting.

"Young man, do you know that military commander?" asked a wealthy man dressed in silk.

Chu Danqing shook his head: "Do I look like it?"

"It doesn't quite look like it," the wealthy man said after looking him up and down.

"Hmm." Chu Danqing didn't say it; he said it himself.

Chu Danqing had already sensed the foul play in this imperial examination, and based on his understanding of Bai Hanzhe, he estimated that Bai Hanzhe would not accept it.

But the fact that the other party is so calm right now means something bad is about to happen.

Just as he was thinking this, Bai Hanzhe stepped onto the second arena.

This time, he was facing a military commander, whose figure was flamboyant.

He must have practiced martial arts, but he's definitely the type who only practices sporadically.

So, unsurprisingly, Bai Hanzhe knocked him off the stage with just one shot.

This was a normal thing to do, but his behavior left the proctors stunned at first, and then furious.

They all stood up abruptly, their eyes filled with anger as they stared at Bai Hanzhe.

Bai Hanzhe was unfazed by these gazes, and merely smiled contemptuously.

"You flatter me." Bai Hanzhe cupped his hands in greeting.

According to the arrangement in the note, he should lose to this spoiled brat.

As for how to lose, the note didn't say; he had to figure it out himself.

It means that whether he loses gracefully or not depends entirely on himself.

However, he even tore up the note, so how could he possibly lose to him?

When he went to rest after leaving the arena, the proctor who had given him the note rushed over.

"What are you doing, kid? Why aren't you following orders?" The proctor didn't give him any face and questioned him directly.

Bai Hanzhe sneered and said disdainfully, "What are you saying, sir? What are your orders? What are your plans? The examinee has no idea."

As soon as the words were spoken, the proctor's eyes immediately turned cold.

Everyone was sitting in a row sharing the fruit, and they even gave you a good ranking, but you actually ruined everyone's pot.

"Fine, fine, you've got guts!" the proctor cursed, then turned and left.

There are tough guys like Bai Hanzhe every year, but he's the first one to dare to break the rules like this.

"A bunch of incompetent fools, do they even deserve to arrange my ranking?" Bai Hanzhe was not afraid at all, only feeling that if he could win the top prize, he would definitely earn enough fame for the Ninth Prince.

Little did he know that after the examiner returned and discussed the matter with the other examiners, he immediately sent a secret letter to the Ninth Prince.

In the past, they would naturally have shown the Ninth Prince some respect, after all, he was the emperor's son.

But things are different now. If they mess up this money, they will be the ones who suffer in the end.

As for what happens to Bai Hanzhe? That's none of their business.

“This brat will never repent; we have no choice but to find a way to remove him from the examination.” A proctor said coldly.

“Judging from his formidable martial arts skills, and the divine weapon he wields, it is at least of superior quality. How can we easily dismiss him?” another examiner said.

They couldn't act directly because it involved the royal gambling den's business, and they had to maintain a facade of fairness and impartiality.

If we make it too obvious, people will suspect foul play, and who will dare to place bets then?
"Since things have come to this point, there's no stopping it now. We might as well let him be a dark horse and let His Majesty earn more."

"It's not too late to settle accounts later," another proctor said quietly.

"But Prince Liang bought first place," an examiner said helplessly.

They knew what kind of person that Golden Knife Prince was.

(End of this chapter)