Top Scholar

Chapter 377 Three Scholars from One Family
At the military headquarters, hundreds of combat boots clashed, kicking up clouds of dust on the drill ground!

Dozens of white lime circles were lined up in a row, and the martial arts candidates in each circle held a white-shafted spear and fought each other. They moved and dodged with all their might - some white-shafted spears were like snakes spitting their tongues, straight for vital points! Some white-shafted spears were like tigers swinging their tails, sweeping away thousands of troops!

Some candidates focused on the lower three positions, their spear tips kicking up dust as they touched the ground. Others seized the central position, their spears taut like arrows, aiming straight for their opponent's vitals!

Of course, the opponent was no pushover either, responding to each move with equal swiftness and decisiveness!

On the training ground, the clanging of gun barrels echoed, and shouts of battle rose to the sky!
After a fierce competition, 350 out of 360 pairs of candidates had already determined the winners and losers. The winners stood tall with their spears raised, panting with excitement; the losers lowered their spears and retreated outside the circle, and even if they were full of resentment, they could only try again in three years.

Ten pairs of candidates were locked in a fierce battle until the time limit for burning an incense stick, still going back and forth, with neither able to gain the upper hand.

"Time's up! Both are out!" The examiner banged the gong, and all twenty people were eliminated.

With 370 people eliminated in just one round, the audience couldn't help but sigh, "Stabbing a spear is still the fastest..."

"And it's really fun," Cheng Wanfan said.

“Actually, the rules are quite unreasonable,” Su Man said softly. “So many rounds before and only a few were eliminated. The imperial court should raise the standards.”

"Actually, it's the standard from the early days of the dynasty, which is too low by today's standards," Lin Zhihong said. "Back then, people's physical strength was compromised after the chaos at the end of the Yuan dynasty. But now, more than a hundred years have passed, and martial arts students have been eating meat and strengthening their muscles and bones since childhood, so their strength is much greater than it was back then."

“Yes, they say that it’s poor to study literature and rich to study martial arts. It costs a lot of money to train a martial arts general from a young age.” Li Qiyu said with deep agreement: “My family could only afford to support my eldest brother to learn martial arts, so I had to go to school.”

Su Lu was speechless for a while. It's true what they say, comparisons are the thief of joy...

~~
The first round had just ended when the second round began.

The remaining 175 pairs of candidates regrouped and began to compete again, including Su Tai and Ma Qianli.

Having survived the first round of elimination, those who remained were all formidable opponents. Knowing that exceeding the time limit would result in elimination, no one dared to hold back anymore; they all unleashed their best skills, their marksmanship becoming increasingly sharp and ruthless.

Some candidates used the elasticity of the gun barrel to swirl the tip around the opponent's gun barrel, striking like a snake spitting its tongue!

Some relied on brute force to fight back, wielding their white-handled spears with great skill, forcing their opponents to retreat repeatedly!

This round of competition was much fiercer. Many candidates were knocked to the ground, some had their ribs broken, their noses punctured, and one candidate even had his eye pierced—it's unclear whether he'll go blind…

The group of scholars and officials were terrified, finally experiencing firsthand what it meant for weapons to be indiscriminate; even a wooden spearhead could still cause injury.

The candidates, however, had no time to feel fear. The victor, leaning on his gun, quickly took a deep breath to recover his strength for the next round of the competition.

None of the losers cried out; they all silently went off to heal themselves. Just as scholars despise petty people, warriors scorn cowards. Everyone had to act like a tough guy, or they would be laughed at for life.

This time, the fighting stopped in less than half an incense stick's time.

However, only 166 pairs of candidates were able to determine the winner, and nine pairs were tied again.

The nine pairs of candidates did not exceed the time limit, but they simultaneously struck each other's vital points, resulting in mutual destruction.

According to the rules, they would both be eliminated.

As soon as the eliminated candidates left the stage, the third round began immediately, and the remaining eighty-three pairs of candidates took up their guns and fought again!

Su Tai and Ma Qianli remained on the field, but the latter's marksmanship was noticeably less sharp than before, clearly indicating that he was starting to tire.

"Aren't you even allowed to rest?" Cheng Wanzhou felt heartbroken seeing Ma Zhaizhang's face and arms covered in sweat, as if he had been pulled out of the water.

"Are you going to stop and rest halfway through the battle?" Li Qiyu asked seriously.

“That’s right. This is also a test of their endurance. Only the most enduring warriors will have the last laugh!” Lin Zhihong nodded in agreement. The sons of military households were more easily moved by the intense fighting.

After the third round, only forty pairs of candidates remained in the room.

After three rounds of intense competition, most candidates were exhausted both mentally and physically, but instead of letting their guard down, they were determined to perform at an even higher level.

Because the winner of this next round will directly secure a quota for this year's provincial examination!
Without giving them a chance to catch their breath, the forty pairs of candidates immediately began to battle it out!

Su Tai stood in the center of the white circle, his face expressionless, his sharp eyes locking onto his opponent. He began with a common mid-level spear stance… He took a half-step forward with his left foot, his center of gravity as stable as a rock. His left hand pushed the spear to his chest, his right hand gripped the spear shaft against his waist, the white shaft taut and parallel to the ground, the tip pointing directly at his opponent's center!
His opponent was a candidate from Sichuan West Guard, whose marksmanship was known for its agility and ruthlessness, and he had won by a large margin in the past.

A great battle was about to break out. Su Man, Su Lu, and She Yunlu all held their breath, secretly sweating for Su Tai, worried that he would suffer a loss.

Facing a formidable opponent like Su Tai, the examinee from western Sichuan dared not be careless and immediately unleashed his family's secret technique, "Tengshe Zha"!
This Emei spear technique is incredibly sharp and powerful. He swiftly took a half-step with his left foot, his body turning with the movement, his waist twisting suddenly to use the momentum to deflect the spear. With a forward thrust and a backward push, the force was channeled into the spear tip, and the spear, like a serpent darting through a gap, pierced straight at Su Tai's face, so fast that only a blur remained!
But Su Tai didn't dodge or evade. Instead, he lowered his left arm and pushed off with his shoulder, forcefully deflecting his opponent's tricky spear shaft. With a muffled 'bang,' the serpentine spear's momentum was instantly shattered by this brute force.

The examinee from western Sichuan felt a sharp pain in his hand, and the gun nearly slipped from his grasp!
Taking advantage of his opponent's wide-open defenses, Su Tai thrust his right hand forward, the tip of his spear already firmly positioned in front of his throat, the force controlled with perfect ease!

The examinee from western Sichuan narrowed his eyes, feeling the cold, rough tip of the spear. He smiled bitterly, surrendered the spear, and said, "I admit defeat. Thank you for your mercy!"

He really had to thank Su Tai; if Su Tai hadn't put the gun away, he would have either died or passed out. Of course, only someone as strong as Su Tai, who could wield a white-shafted spear like a fire poker, could control it so freely.

The Su family members were dumbfounded. They had thought it would be a tough battle, but before three moves had even been made, Su Tai won with an absolute advantage and firmly took down Jie'e!
"A master!" Cheers erupted from all around the training ground. "Immense strength and exquisite spearmanship—whose son is this? He could rival Zou Qing of Maozhou for the top scholar title!"

"That's the man I raised with lion's head meatballs!" She Yunlu proudly puffed out her chest.

"Hahaha, what did I tell you? My second brother is invincible!" Su Man waved his arms excitedly, even more excited than if he had passed the imperial examination himself.

"..." Su Lu couldn't help but tear up. His second brother, who had been willing to be the spring mud for him since childhood, had finally blossomed into his own golden osmanthus!

~~
Su Tai successfully secured the prize, but Ma Qianli encountered danger in the white circle on the other side.

His Shaolin spear technique combines spear and staff techniques, with powerful blocking, slashing, and thrusting strikes! He fully utilizes the advantages of the spear's length and range, as well as its weight and strength, which is why he was able to win three consecutive matches.

Unfortunately, his physical condition was limited, and he had not had enough time to train his muscles and bones. After three fierce battles, he was already panting heavily and sweating profusely, and could no longer maintain his best state of "moving as gracefully as a cat and thrusting his spear in a straight line".

Unfortunately, he encountered a tricky situation and inadvertently revealed a weakness, which his opponent seized upon, striking him precisely in the chest with the tip of his spear.

With a soft thud, Ma Qianli groaned and staggered back several steps, clutching his aching chest, his hand covered in white ash.

We could only watch helplessly as our opponent won with a spear...

"Zhaizhang!" As Ma Qianli dragged his weary steps off the stage, his classmates quickly took his spear, helped him sit down, and removed his cotton armor so that the doctor could examine his chest.

"Fortunately, I was wearing armor, and my opponent must have held back. There are only bruises, no broken bones," the doctor said after examining me.

"That's great!" The classmates all breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's good." Ma Qianli breathed a sigh of relief, panting, "Have some water, then we'll fight again..."

There were a total of forty-five quota spots in the Sichuan Wuxiang Examination, and five remain after this round of competition.

According to the rules, the forty losers will continue to compete for the last five spots.

“Zhaizhang, don’t try to be brave anymore, you can’t go on,” Cheng Wanzhou said with tears in his eyes.

"A man can never say no! Water!" At his wit's end, Ma Zhaizhang finally revealed his true colors—

He was indeed a fearless warrior at heart!

Li Qiyu quickly brought him a water pouch, and Ma Zhaizhang took a black pill from the pageboy and swallowed it with water.

"A powerful pill?" Everyone was taken aback.

"A family secret recipe, used when I'm fighting for my life." Ma Zhaizhang smiled faintly and quickly closed his eyes to regulate his breathing.

These days, stimulants aren't banned, so test-takers all carry similar energy-boosting supplements; even Su Tai prepared ginseng slices...

When the revival match began, Ma Zhaichang took up the spear and returned to the battlefield, and his condition was indeed much better than before.

One can't help but admire the amazing secret recipe of the Ma family!

~~
The revival round was incredibly fierce, with forty people competing in pairs, the winners advancing and the losers being eliminated completely.

In the first round of the revival competition, Ma Qianli gritted his teeth, withstood three fierce attacks from his opponent, and found an opening to shoot his opponent in the arm, thus making it into the top twenty.

In the second round, his opponent was stronger, but after so many rounds, his mind was no longer sharp. Ma Qianli, however, remained clear-headed, making reasonable use of tactics, maneuvering and avoiding the opponent's sharpness, and waiting until time was running out. When his opponent became impatient and only attacked without defending, leaving his defenses wide open, Ma Qianli fired the first shot at the last moment, hitting his opponent squarely in the shoulder and advancing to the final round.

In the third round, the winners will be awarded the title, and the losers will be left to languish.

By this time, the battle had reached dusk, and Ma Qianli was exhausted; the effects of the ancestral secret recipe had also worn off.

He stood in the setting sun, leaning on his rifle, panting heavily. The pain in his chest intensified with each breath, and his arm ached so much that he could barely lift the rifle.

Fortunately, his opponent wasn't in much better shape; his hand holding the gun was also trembling slightly, and his breathing sounded exhausted and on the verge of death.

"Begin!" the examiner shouted, waving his hand sharply.

The two men charged forward almost simultaneously, and the gun barrels collided with a dull thud!

P.S. I'll read the next chapter tomorrow morning.

(End of this chapter)