Top Scholar

Chapter 511 Martial Arts Scholar

Banners fluttered like a forest at the western suburban drill ground, guards stood like clouds, and parasols and fans were arrayed in rows. Emperor Zhengde sat cross-legged on his high throne, thoroughly enjoying the second round of the martial arts examinations that morning—

Dance the sword!

A person who can perform the "back flower" and "waist flower" movements with a 120-pound broadsword is considered qualified.

The martial arts candidates, with their backs bent and their stances firmly planted, gripped the handles with both hands and swung their hundred heavy swords, each weighing 120 jin (approximately 60 kg), in unison. The whistling sound of the swords cutting through the air could be clearly heard even from the high platform.

They first swung the blade from in front of them, then circled it around their backs, the cold light swirling around their backs like a ring. During the rotation, they didn't touch their shoulders, backs, or slip out of their hands; this was the "back flower" move in swordsmanship.

After completing the 'back flower' movement, smoothly transition to the next action. Using the waist as the axis, let the blade close to the side of the waist to complete the movement of wrapping around the waist. The shadow of the blade wraps around the waist like a training exercise. This is the 'waist flower' movement.

These two moves are the core foundational techniques for wielding a heavy broadsword, testing not only strength but also body coordination and weapon proficiency. Being able to smoothly complete these two sets of movements when the broadsword weighs 120 jin (approximately 60 kg) signifies exceptional upper body strength, core stability, and weapon control—a mandatory qualification standard for the "broadsword wielding" event in the martial arts examinations.

More than a hundred sword lights intertwined into a net, dust swirled with the wind from the blades, and the jingling of sword rings echoed in unison. Zhengde, watching from the high platform, was mesmerized, clicking his tongue in admiration. He felt that this ultimate display of strength and skill was more beautiful than any affected dance.

The third challenge involves lifting a large stone, weighing 250 jin (approximately 125 kg), one foot off the ground to pass!
Two hundred and fifty pounds of stone locks are neatly arranged, and a hundred martial arts practitioners are either in a horse stance or in a bow stance, with their hands tightly gripping the grooves on both sides of the stone block.

"Raise it!"

As soon as the examiner gave the order, a chorus of muffled groans erupted as the martial arts candidates, their veins bulging, faces flushed, and muscles bulging, strained with all their might to slowly lift the stone lock.

The spectacular sight of a hundred stone weights lifting off the ground simultaneously thrilled Emperor Zhengde on the high platform. He slammed his fist on the table and exclaimed, "What a group of incredibly strong men! These are the heroes I need! With them around, how can the world not be at peace?"

“Your Majesty is absolutely right,” Liu Jin quickly interjected. “They are nothing more than peasants rebelling. The imperial army is no pushover. There’s no need to be so nervous.”

~~
After lunch break, the most exciting part—spear-throwing—began!

Ten white circles were drawn on the training ground. The 420 martial arts candidates were divided into 210 pairs according to their previous rankings and took turns entering the circles to compete against each other.

At the proctor's command, the crisp sound of gun barrels clashing rang out simultaneously within the ten white circles!

Those who can pass this level are all seasoned masters whose marksmanship has been honed to perfection. Their three moves of 'blocking, seizing, and thrusting' are seamlessly linked together.

Within the large circle, spear shadows danced, and white dust billowed everywhere. Some martial arts practitioners emphasized power and ferocity, thrusting their spears straight forward like lightning; others displayed agile spear techniques, their spear tips never straying from their opponents' vital points as they dodged and weaved; still others were masters who combined feints and real attacks, unleashing a series of exquisite moves that left their opponents disoriented, allowing them to seize the opportunity to strike with their spears, drawing cheers from the spectators!

The man opposite Su Tai in the third white circle was even more imposing, standing as the Shandong martial arts champion. He was the same height as Su Tai, but his shoulders were even broader.

The moment the two stood in the center of the circle, they became the focus of the entire audience. What was a big gun in other people's hands became a fire poker in their hands.

"Look, the bears are dueling!" Zhu Houzhao exclaimed excitedly as he walked to the edge of the platform. "My friend, guess which bear will win?"

"Then this old servant will guess the Shandong scholar," Liu Jin said without hesitation. Because the emperor certainly wanted that little beast's brother to win, he had to guess the other one.

"Alright, let's see!" Zhu Houzhao excitedly pulled out a gold ingot, and Liu Jin also pulled out one, and they were betting it out.

"Come on, everyone, place your bets!" The emperor not only gambled in public, but also organized a gambling session...

Liu Yu and his group, lacking any moral compass, readily took out their money to place bets, focusing on the evil of the benefactor.

But after Zhu Houzhao finished collecting the money, he saw the two men still standing there.

"Why aren't you fighting yet?" Zhu Houzhao wondered. Why was such a strong man so hesitant?

"Your Majesty and the others have finished their battle," Liu Jin said with a wry smile. "You have already won."

"So fast?" Zhu Houzhao's eyes widened, and sure enough, he saw a conspicuous white mark on the left shoulder of the Shandong martial arts examinee.

"This old servant didn't see it clearly either..." Liu Jin said helplessly, "In the blink of an eye, the outcome was decided."

"No, I haven't seen it yet. Make them do it again, but slower!" Zhu Houzhao said willfully.

The two big guys had already gone out of bounds, but were called back by the Ministry of War officials, who said that the Emperor wanted to see them fight again.

The two had no choice but to return to the circle, each raising their wooden guns and assuming the starting stance.

As the examiner gave the order again, the Shandong scholar lowered his stance and mounted his horse, thrusting his eighteen-foot-long spear straight at Su Tai's heart. The spear's momentum remained as fierce as thunder, the wind whipped up by the wooden spear carrying white ash with a whooshing sound.

Instead of retreating, Su Tai advanced, twisting his body to the side to barely dodge the spear. At the same time, he raised his spear shaft, precisely blocking the opponent's spear at the seven-inch mark. Taking advantage of the opponent's momentum, he lightly twisted his wrist, the spear shaft sliding along the opponent's spear like a serpent, accurately "grabbing" the end of the spear. The Shandong scholar hurriedly twisted his waist and abdomen, trying to regain control of the spear. The muscles under his black armor had just tensed when Su Tai lightly touched the ground with his toes, his body floating back three feet like a willow catkin, his wrist simultaneously loosening and pulling. The opponent's brute force instantly missed, his body staggering half a step forward, his opening exposed.

Taking advantage of his staggering moment, Su Tai thrust his spear tip down, and as the white ash fell, it struck the Shandong scholar's left shoulder again, in the exact same spot as before.

The entire set of movements was fluid and graceful. Even though the pace was deliberately slowed down, it was still clean and efficient, which drew cheers from the generals on the high platform.

Zhu Houzhao clapped his hands and exclaimed, "Beautiful!"

"Does Your Majesty understand?" Liu Jin asked.

"Still no." Zhu Houzhao shook his head and said, "I don't understand why Su Tai can predict the opponent's moves."

"Could it be just a guess?" Liu Jin asked.

"Don't talk nonsense. Look at his moves, they're all executed in one smooth motion. How could he have just guessed?"

"Then let them do it again."

"Never mind, I'll ask him myself later." Zhu Houzhao waved his hand. He had practiced martial arts since childhood and knew that even if the other party didn't tell him, he wouldn't understand the intricacies no matter how many times he watched.

~~
The first round ended quickly, and the 206 winners advanced to the second round.

This time, Su Tai encountered a martial arts candidate from Liaodong. The candidate was agile, experienced, and composed, with a prominent scar on his cheek, clearly a veteran who had been through many battles. The participants in the martial arts examination came from all walks of life, including those who inherited official positions and commoners recommended by the garrison. But he was a ruthless character who earned his qualification on the battlefield through real swords and spears!

His marksmanship was devoid of any fancy moves; his techniques were extremely simple yet ruthless, each a deadly weapon capable of taking a life instantly on the battlefield!
Su Tai's pupils contracted slightly, his gaze fixed on his opponent's shoulders, arms, and center of gravity. But the Liaodong scholar's moves were seamless, almost without a single flaw. Even if he could 'see through' his opponent's moves, he wouldn't have time to counter them in such a hasty manner.

He could only rely on anticipating the enemy's moves, constantly retreating and circling to barely avoid the cunning spear shadows. The edges of his black cloth armor were swept by the white dust kicked up by the spear tips, leaving a few shallow marks.

"What a fast gun!" Su Lu and Su Man, who were watching the battle, were both sweating for him.

Fortunately, Su Tai quickly found a way to defeat the enemy. When the Liaodong scholar thrust his spear straight at his ribs again, he took a step back, shifted his center of gravity backward, and slumped into a horse as steady as an iron tower!
At the same time, his right hand gripped the spear shaft tightly and pulled it backward and downward. Just as the spear shaft was about to slide to its end, his left hand suddenly exerted force to stop it! The front end of the spear shaft, with a huge rebound force, slammed hard into the spear shaft of the Liaodong scholar!

With a muffled thud, the Liaodong scholar felt a tremendous force surge up the shaft of his spear, causing him excruciating pain in his hand and nearly causing him to lose his grip. He staggered back three steps before he was able to dissipate the terrifying force.

Before he could regain his footing, Su Tai swiftly advanced, thrusting his spear straight at his open chest!

"Excellent!" The emperor on the high platform couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, "That was a brilliant use of the spear! The force was continuous and the spear used against the spear; the emperor truly understands the spear!"

The Liaodong scholar reacted quickly, but he couldn't withstand Su Tai's unleashed power—his moves were like a raging torrent, each strike carrying immense force, completely disrupting his rhythm...

"You're about to go out of the circle!" The Liaodong scholar was retreating steadily when someone suddenly shouted a warning. He then realized that his heel had already stepped onto the white line. He could no longer retreat and could only take the full force of Su Tai's powerful spear thrust. The impact caused him to stumble and lose his balance, falling out of the white circle with a clatter...

Looking at the deerskin wrapped around his hands, it was already soaked in blood, and the gaps between his thumb and forefinger had been cracked for who knows how long.

"I've lost," the Liaodong scholar sighed, acknowledging defeat.

"You flatter me." Su Tai returned the salute with his hands holding his gun, and said in a muffled voice, "You are really strong. I might not be able to beat you on the battlefield."

"Nonsense, I'd turn tail and run if I saw someone like you on the battlefield." The Liaodong scholar smiled and clasped his hands in a fist salute. "I am Cui Sheng from Liaodong!"

"Su Tai from Sichuan!" Su Tai quickly introduced himself.

~~
In the third round, the martial arts candidates who have passed the first two rounds will compete against each other, and the winner will directly obtain the title of martial arts scholar.

Su Tai's opponent in this round was a martial arts champion from Shanxi. His spear flashed like pear blossoms, unpredictable and ever-changing!
On the high platform, Zhu Houzhao immediately recognized it: "Daban'er, look at the Yang family spear!"

Liu Jin quickly replied, "It is indeed the number one spear in the world, with unparalleled and wondrous techniques!"

Suddenly, the Shanxi scholar's spear tip flicked out three spear flowers, pointing at Su Tai's heart, shoulder, and ribs respectively, making it difficult to tell whether they were real or feints!

Unfortunately, Su Tai was least afraid of fancy moves. His gaze pierced through the layers of spear shadows, locking onto his opponent's shoulder and center of gravity. Although the Pear Blossom Spear had many feints, behind each spear shadow lay subtle traces of muscle exertion—feints were just a slight flick of the wrist, while only real moves would cause the forearm muscles to tense up and the center of gravity to shift slightly.

In the first two moves, Su Tai merely dodged, but in reality, he had already figured out the pattern. When his opponent unleashed five spear shadows again, seemingly covering everything, he had already discerned that the rightmost spear shadow was the real attack!
"Break!" In the blink of an eye, Su Tai's spear shot out like a serpent, avoiding contact with other spear shadows and precisely striking the point of force on the opponent's spear shaft!
With a sharp crack, the opponent's real move was abruptly interrupted, his feint instantly crumbling, leaving him greatly alarmed. Just as he was about to change his move, he discovered that Su Tai had already anticipated his actions, his spear shaft rising smoothly in a spear-entangling technique, binding his spear shaft.

The Shanxi scholar felt a lingering force travel along the shaft of his spear, causing his spear thrust to become chaotic. Taking advantage of the situation, Su Tai stepped forward half a step, the tip of his spear sinking low, accurately striking the scholar's chest and leaving a conspicuous white mark!

"Awooooo!" Su Man and Su Lu cheered wildly, celebrating Xia Ge'er's success in passing the martial arts examination!
(End of this chapter)