Luck entry, starting from the Nine Dragons' succession

Chapter 188 Breaking Through Three Barriers in Succession, Head-to-Head Struggle

The sun was blazing overhead, shining brightly.

The examination hall was packed with people.

The training ground was bustling with noise and banners fluttering in the wind.

He transformed into a figure dressed in a black short shirt, walking into the examination hall. He was tall and imposing, like an iron tower.

Just by looking at his physique, he's definitely good material for martial arts.

This robust physique was also specially cultivated by Fang Heng.

It's hard to imagine that the burly and rugged Jiang Pojun and the handsome and elegant Fang Heng are the same person.

Inside the examination room, all the candidates looked solemn, with beads of sweat appearing on their foreheads.

Most people looked nervous, while only a few whispered among themselves, seemingly confident and not taking the first test seriously.

"Young Master, it's time for the preliminary assessment."

Outside the examination hall, in the pavilion, the steward of the Li family whispered in Li Qingya's ear.

Li Qingya put down the white porcelain teacup with blue and white flowers in his hand, nodded slightly, and responded.

"Tell the cook to prepare a feast for my triumphant return."

"I understand, Master!"

"This old servant congratulates you in advance, young master, on your great success."

The preliminary examination was nothing more than a formality in the eyes of Li Qingya and the people of the Li family.

With Li Qingya's strength, how could he possibly be eliminated?
Li Qingya was dressed in magnificent clothes, with a long sword at his waist. His eyes were like cold stars, and he had an extraordinary bearing.

He slowly walked into the examination room, immediately eliciting whispers from the surrounding examinees:
"Who is this person? Such a powerful aura!"

"Li Qingya, the eldest son of the Li family."

"The Li family mansion? Which Li family mansion?"

"Which Li family could it be?"

“One of the Twenty-Four Divine Generals of Yuntai Pavilion, a descendant of Li Jingting, the Divine General.”

"Some time ago, Li Qingya also obtained the sword immortal inheritance from the Tianque Sword Palace, which attracted several princes to compete for his services."

"It's actually him!"

"What is he doing here taking the imperial examination? Is he competing with us for a spot on the list?"

"We poor kids finally have a chance to improve ourselves, but these scions of wealthy families won't even let us off the hook?"

An indignant voice came from the examinee's mouth, his teeth clenched, but his voice was kept very low, as if he was afraid that Li Qingya would hear it.

Li Qingya remained indifferent to the whispers of the crowd, ignoring them completely, and walked straight towards the first checkpoint.

The preliminary examination for the imperial examination consisted of three parts.

Optimus Prime, the Great Crossbow, and the Earthshatter.

The students will complete three assessments, and their scores will be added together. The top 100 students from each examination room will be selected.

There were twelve examination rooms, with a total of 1,200 people who were able to enter the second round of the imperial examination.

Four colossal pillars, each a hundred feet tall, stand in the training ground.

These four giant pillars are jet black, with ancient runes engraved on their surfaces, radiating a heavy and oppressive aura.

From a distance, it looks like a small mountain, standing tall on the earth.

The scribes in the examination hall B, upon seeing Li Qingya enter, immediately revealed a hint of flattery and obsequiousness in their previously cold and solemn expressions.

"Young Master Li, the first test, Optimus Prime, is a test of a martial artist's physique."

"The giant pillars are divided into four grades: dragon, elephant, tiger, and ox, corresponding to the four grades of A, B, C, and D."

"Lifting for ten breaths is the lowest, twenty breaths is the middle, and thirty breaths is the highest!"

The clerk patiently explained the assessment method for the Optimus Prime level to Li Qingya.

It may seem simple, but it is actually a pure test of a martial artist's physique, with no fancy tricks involved.

The thickest dragon pillar, in particular, weighs a full 100,000 jin (approximately 50,000 kg). Even if someone below the sixth realm exerts all their strength, they cannot shake the dragon pillar in the slightest.

The other candidates all looked troubled, but Li Qingya didn't care at all and nodded slightly. He walked straight towards the dragon pillar.

Li Qingya placed his right hand on the dragon pillar, circulated his blood energy, and the 100,000-jin giant pillar became as light as a feather in his hands.

It was lifted up so easily that it seemed like no effort was required at all.

"Li Qingya, step forward!"

The clerk immediately gave a result, his face beaming with joy, his smile even more intense than Li Qingya's.

"hiss--"

"As expected of the eldest son of the Li family, his strength is such that he can lift the dragon pillar with ease. He must be at least at the seventh realm."

"Some time ago, Li Qingya challenged Lu Xiaoyang and won against the odds, advancing to the seventh realm on the spot."

"With Li Qingya's talent, he might already be trying to break through to the eighth realm."

The sensation caused by Li Qingya lasted for a while, and then one after another, candidates went up to the examination hall to lift the giant pillar.

"Yi Shang!"

"Yizhong!"

"Category C!"

"Go!"

……

Although there were many candidates participating in the imperial examinations, most of them came from poor families.

Whether in terms of realm, physique, or martial arts foundation, they are far inferior to the scions of aristocratic families.

Besides Li Qingya, only two other people were able to lift the dragon pillar, and both of them held it up for less than twenty breaths, ultimately being ranked as the lowest grade.

Even so, this talent has already attracted the attention of several princes.

Jiang Chaosheng secretly observed every move in the examination room, sighed, and shook his head slightly.

Under Lin Qihe's persuasion, he finally agreed to Lin Qihe's request.

However, contrary to Lin Qihe's expectations, he was not an official examiner or presiding over the imperial examination this time.

Instead, they secretly observed the candidates' performance and selected those from underprivileged backgrounds who had potential.

His list included two names: two students from impoverished families who had previously achieved the lowest rank in the imperial examinations.

However, in Jiang Chaosheng's view, Jia Xia was just barely passable talent.

After the names of these two people, a "good" comment was written.

Just when Jiang Chaosheng thought there would be no surprises, he suddenly seemed to notice something, and his gaze was drawn to a towering figure.

"This is……"

"What a strong physique!"

The moment the avatar stepped onto the martial arts stage, it attracted Jiang Chaosheng's attention. Even from a distance of more than ten feet, he could feel the powerful blood energy within the avatar's body.

Passing by the three giant pillars representing the ox, tiger, and elephant, the incarnation went straight to the dragon pillar, took a deep breath, and slowly raised both palms. Blood energy surged in the palms, transforming into invisible waves of energy.

Boom!
A slight tremor actually emanated from within the dragon pillar.

The colossal pillar, weighing a thousand pounds, remained as steady as Mount Tai in the hands of the incarnation, without budging an inch.

Judging by his aura alone, he is completely different from Li Qingya.

If Li Qingya handled heavy tasks with ease, making the giant pillar seem like a feather, then the feeling in the hands of the avatar was completely different.

The giant pillar is not just a giant pillar; it seems to have transformed into Mount Tai at this moment, bearing the weight of Mount Tai without collapsing.

Ten breaths, fourteen breaths, twenty breaths... up to thirty breaths.

The avatar exhaled softly, retracted its palm, and landed on the ground, the giant pillar silently returning to its place.

The entire process was smooth and effortless, and he remained calm and composed, clearly still having energy to spare.

The clerk was stunned by this scene and couldn't react for a moment. It wasn't until the avatar urged him that he reluctantly gave the result.

"A-rank one!"

There's one A on the plate!
The fact that the student achieved a top score undoubtedly gave a great boost to the candidates present.

Li Qingya was a descendant of the Twenty-Four Divine Generals; they could not compare to him, nor dared to.

But the young man before them was a genuine poor boy, and even his identity as a refugee from Longxi was revealed.

If he can do it, so can I!

Seeing the commotion caused by the avatar, the clerk lowered his head slightly, a shadow of malice flashing in his eyes, and spat under his breath:
"Tch, you peasant, you just got lucky!"

Jiang Chaosheng, who was secretly observing the examination room, stroked his long beard, and two dazzling golden lights burst forth from his pupils, as if they could tear through the void.

"Jiang Pojun!"

"They're even from the same family!"

"Good! Good! Good!"

After passing Optimus Prime's test, he transformed and headed straight for the second test—the Thousand-Pound Crossbow.

The Thousand-Pound Crossbow tests the archery skills of the examinees.

Four bows and arrows were placed on the training ground.

Ebony bow, iron-core bow, tiger bone bow, dragon tendon bow.

These four bows and arrows have different draw weights. The strongest one, the Dragon Tendon Bow, is made from the genuine dragon tendons of a dragon from the East Sea.

The moment the transformation took this stance, the intention behind the second test became clear.

The core of the assessment is still martial arts cultivation, but compared to the first Optimus Prime assessment, in addition to the pure test of physical strength, there is also an added element of control. "A total of ten arrows, sixty rings is the passing score."

"A score below sixty rings is considered a failure. All candidates, please assess your abilities carefully," the scribe of the second examination reminded everyone.

Choosing a stronger bow will earn you better reviews, but it also requires greater strength and physique.

If you lack control and score below 60, it will be counterproductive.

Li Qingya seemed somewhat impatient with the preliminary test. He was the first to appear, raised the Dragon Tendon Bow, and casually pulled it open to a full moon.

whoosh-

whoosh-

whoosh-

All ten arrows were shot and hit the bullseye every time.

"Li Qingya, step forward!"

"It's Li Qingya again, the top scorer in our examination room."

"Even if that's not true, he is the heir of the Li family, and he grew up drinking dragon blood. How can we compare?"

"Not necessarily. That refugee from Longxi is quite extraordinary as well."

"That's not right. Didn't you see the physique of that refugee from Longxi? He was as burly as an iron tower. It was obvious that his skin and muscles had been burned to death, and he only had brute strength."

"The archery test not only tests strength but also control. How could a refugee from Longxi possibly..."

Before the man finished speaking, the scribe in the second examination hall announced the results.

"Jiang Pojun, step forward!"

As soon as the results were announced, the person who had just been making comments and being smug suddenly found himself unable to utter a single word, as if an invisible giant hand had gripped his throat.

He looked towards the bullseye and saw the avatar's score.

Like Li Qingya, he used a dragon tendon bow and all ten arrows hit the bullseye.

Suddenly, he felt as if he had been struck by lightning.

Li Qingya comes from an extraordinary background, far superior to mine, which is fine.

But what right does a displaced man from Longxi have?
Why?
The avatar landed on two armors in succession, like a boulder, and fell onto the viewing platform, creating ripples.

Fang Heng could clearly hear the other princes whispering among themselves, and the topic of their conversation was all about his avatar.

"What is this person's identity?"

"Why isn't this person's name on the list?"

"Refugees from Longxi? Refugees are great! They can achieve so much without resources, their talent... We absolutely cannot let the second brother beat them to it."

"Quickly prepare the treasures and beauties, and send them to Jiang Pojun as soon as the preliminary test is over."

……

"Take the most valuable treasures from the imperial treasury and send them to Jiang Pojun."

……

Discussions arose one after another.

The preliminary test was not yet over, but the princes on the viewing platform had already begun to ponder what gift they should give Jiang Pojun to please him.

After a tense investigation, the Second Prince decisively issued the order to recruit him. Only after doing all this did he turn to look at Fang Heng.

"Ninth Brother, aren't you going to send Jiang Pojun a gift?"

"Second brother, since all of you imperial brothers are going to send gifts to Jiang Pojun, I won't."

"I'm short of money, how can I compare to you, my royal brothers!"

Fang Heng wore a melancholy and helpless expression.

Upon seeing this, the second prince nodded slightly, a satisfied expression on his face.

This ninth brother is a good friend and has good judgment.

Knowing that I was determined to get Jiang Pojun, they did not compete with me.

What a thoughtful younger brother!
On the viewing platform, several princes were pondering how to recruit the incarnations.

The third preliminary test, the Earth-Splitting Hammer, has begun.

On the exam floor.

Nine massive hammers, each weighing ten thousand pounds, hung in mid-air.

The giant hammer was entirely black, exuding a chilling aura. Dragon patterns were engraved on its surface, radiating a rich spiritual light.

The scribe, who was in charge of the third assessment, swept his gaze across the crowd and said in a deep, stern voice:

"The Earth-Splitting Hammer must withstand six blows to be considered合格 (qualified)."

"You may use martial arts, but you must not dodge. If you dodge, your score will be disqualified."

Upon hearing this, the martial artist, who had not seen off the warrior, turned ashen-faced.

The earth-shattering hammer, which weighs as much as a thousand pounds, cannot be dodged; one can only take it head-on.

If you're not careful, you could be seriously injured or even die.

Seeing everyone's expressions, the clerk sneered: "Those who dare not participate in the assessment can withdraw now. Don't waste your time."

A martial artist is not just someone with a strong physique.

You also need to have a martial arts heart and the courage of a martial artist.

If you don't even dare to face the Earth-Splitting Hammer, what kind of martial artist are you?
This time, Li Qingya once again took the lead and charged into the Earth-Splitting Hammer Formation.

boom--

boom--

boom--

Nine earth-shattering hammers, imbued with terrifying force, crashed down.

The force was so great that it seemed to be crushing Li Qingya into a pulp.

Li Qingya neither dodged nor evaded, but instead emitted a golden light that resembled crystal.

Protected by golden light, the nine earth-shattering hammers, each as heavy as a thousand pounds, were directly thrown away, their bodies trembling incessantly, as if they had suffered severe damage.

Three breaths!

Just three breaths!

Li Qingya passed through the Earth-Splitting Hammer Formation with ease, his expression unchanged, as if he had just stretched.

"Li Qingya, step forward!"

"It's Jia again!"

"As expected of a descendant of a divine general! He has not disgraced his ancestor!"

"Li Qingya is probably aiming for the top scholar title."

After Li Qingya completed the assessment, no one stepped forward; instead, everyone's attention fell on the avatar.

Seeing this, the avatar touched its nose and thought to itself.

I knew it!

This is the treatment for someone who makes a name for themselves!

If it weren't for the hexagram above, Fang Heng would absolutely not have wanted to make a name for himself.

He got two A-grade awards in a row; I wonder if the former Tianhou saw it.

Lost in thought, he transformed and walked onto the martial arts stage, his steps steady, each step accompanied by a low groan.

"start!"

With a sharp shout from the clerk, nine giant hammers crashed down.

These nine giant hammers, each as heavy as a thousand pounds, felt like Mount Tai pressing down on you.

Before the giant hammer even fell, it had already stirred up a fierce gust of wind in the examination hall, making the short shirt on the figure flutter loudly.

His fists clenched tightly, and the blood and energy within his body surged endlessly, like ten thousand horses galloping, surging into his limbs and bones.

His feet stood firmly, like an ancient tree rooted to the ground, motionless, letting the giant hammer fall.

boom--

boom--

boom--

Nine giant hammers struck the avatar's body, producing a metallic clang.

It was as if these nine giant hammers were not smashing flesh and blood, but rather a precious treasure made of black iron.

With a crack, the giant hammer fell.

The giant hammer was shattered by the transformed, powerful physical body.

One, two, three...

All nine giant hammers met the same fate, shattering into pieces that littered the ground.

Upon seeing this, the entire room fell silent.

The clerk in charge of the assessment was completely stunned, unable to recover for a long time.

"This……"

"This……"

"To shatter the giant hammer with one's own body, this achievement is... I need to discuss it with my superior."

(End of this chapter)