Starting as a cowherd, he sought a way to cultivate immortality.

The autumn air is crisp and clear; today is the first day of registration for the county-level martial arts examination.

There are five days to register, which is plenty of time.

But every year on the first day of registration, many martial arts performers start waiting from midnight.

Pairs of eyes were fixed on the gate of the county government office, afraid that falling behind even a step would mean losing a few more opportunities.

At sunrise, a queue had already formed outside the gate of the Changqing County Government Office, stretching all the way to the street corner.

The martial arts performers in the group were mostly disciples of martial arts schools and students of famous masters, all of them strong and robust.

A very small number of martial arts performers are self-taught, without teachers or mentors, relying on sheer grit and a bit of talent to get to where they are today.

For them, whether or not they could pass the martial arts examination was not important; the key was to demonstrate their skills in the county examination and win the favor of wealthy families.

"Next—" the constable Wang Wu called out, his voice trailing off.

He sat behind a wooden table inside the county government gate, on which were several thick booklets.

A burly man quickly climbed the steps of the county government office, stepped into the gate, and looked nervous.

"Show me the bow," Wang Wu said, pointing to a longbow hanging on a rack a few steps away.

This is a longbow used to select martial artists; it requires 150 jin of strength to draw.

"yes!"

The man quickly walked to the shelf, took down the longbow, and gripped the bow handle tightly with his left hand.

Then, he held his breath and pulled the bowstring hard.

The man only released the bowstring and put the longbow back on its rack after it had pulled past his head.

Wang Wu nodded, his expression becoming more serious.

"Name, age, and place of origin?"

The man replied, "My name is Wu Fan, I am twenty-two years old, and I am from Beishiqiao Village in the county town."

After a moment's thought, Wang Wu pulled out the booklet containing the location of Shiqiao Village, flipped through a few pages, and found Wu Fan's name.

After verifying the information, Wang Wu copied Wu Fan's information into the registration book.

"Alright, I've registered you. Now go back and prepare for the county exam."

Wu Fan was slightly excited and bowed to Wang Wu, saying:

"Thank you! Thank you!"

After Wu Fan left, Wang Wu stared expressionlessly at the long queue outside the yamen.

"These martial arts students aren't very skilled, but they're all incredibly eager to sign up," Wang Wu whispered.

"Next--"

……

On the third day of the county examination registration, the number of martial arts students waiting outside the yamen (government office) decreased sharply.

Lu Song, dressed in a blue robe, arrived to register with three fellow disciples from Xingyun Martial Arts School.

"It's perfect time to register today. Unlike the first day, we don't have to wait from morning until afternoon on an empty stomach," Lü Song said to the group.

Several junior disciples nodded in agreement.

"Senior Brother Lü is indeed very thoughtful."

"Of course, otherwise how could Senior Brother Lü be so highly regarded by Master?"

Lu Song stood to the side of the group, knowing full well that his fellow disciples were flattering him, but he couldn't help but smile.

"It will be your turn soon, so don't underperform and embarrass your master," Lü Song instructed.

Li Yongnian, the junior brother with thick eyebrows and big eyes, patted his chest: "Don't worry, senior brother, a 150-pound longbow is nothing!"

Lü Song nodded. It was quite easy for the disciples of the martial arts school to pass the registration test for the county examination.

"The attempt failed, let's go," Wang Wu said impatiently.

The man holding the longbow turned pale. He glanced at the martial arts student waiting outside the yamen and immediately fled in shame.

Lu Song frowned. This kind of person can't even draw a longbow with a draw weight of 150 jin, why did he come to register?

They've really brought this humiliation upon themselves.

Next up is Li Yongnian.

"Watch closely, Senior Brother Lü!"

Li Yongnian smiled confidently and stepped into the yamen.

Before Wang Wu could give any orders, he took down the longbow, gripped the bow handle firmly with his left hand, and strung the bowstring with his right, channeling all his strength into his waist, abdomen, shoulders, and back.

The bowstring was easily drawn open, forming a full moon shape.

Wang Wu's spirits lifted, and he glanced at Lü Song outside the yamen, immediately understanding the situation.

"So you're a disciple of Xingyun Martial Arts School."

He deftly registered Li Yongnian's name and age on the registration form, and gave him a smile.

"Good, good. Go back and prepare well."

Li Yongnian cupped his hands in greeting and withdrew.

"Senior brother, how is it?"

Lu Song shook his head helplessly: "Junior brother, you've only met the registration requirements, don't be complacent."

Li Yongnian wore a smiling expression, clearly not taking Lü Song's words to heart.

As they were talking, another junior apprentice, Zhang Zesheng, entered the county government office, preparing to test his bow skills.

Lu Song glanced at the street corner unintentionally, and his eyes widened immediately.

In the distance, Chen Chi, dressed in clean coarse cloth clothes, was walking slowly toward the county government office.

Lu Song wanted to greet Chen Chi, but Jiang Xingyun's serious expression immediately came to mind.

Jiang Xingyun had instructed that if any martial arts school disciples encountered Chen Chi, they should treat him as a stranger.

With his two junior brothers right beside him, Lü Song was at a loss for what to do and felt somewhat helpless.

Chen Chi naturally saw Lü Song.

Remembering how much Lü Song had helped him when he was at the martial arts school, Chen Chi stepped forward and bowed respectfully.

"Brother Lü."

Upon hearing the words "Brother Lü," Lü Song's expression changed slightly.

Ultimately, things have changed.

He returned the greeting with a cupped hand: "I didn't expect to run into you here."

Chen Chi looked at the two junior brothers beside Lü Song.

One of his junior brothers was named Feng Qiang, who had already joined the martial arts school before Chen Chi left, so Chen Chi naturally recognized him.

At this moment, Feng Qiang turned his head to the side, looking somewhat unnatural, deliberately avoiding Chen Chi's gaze.

Chen Chi then looked at his junior brother with thick eyebrows and big eyes standing next to Lü Song.

He didn't recognize this person. The person looked at him with a questioning gaze in his big eyes. He must have joined Xingyun Martial Arts School in the last two years.

"Chen Chi?" A questioning voice came from the steps of the county government gate.

The group looked over and saw that Zhang Zesheng had already registered and was walking out of the county government office. He saw Chen Chi and blurted out.

He realized he had said the wrong thing, so he quickly shut his mouth and remained silent.

A mocking smile curled at the corner of Chen Chi's lips.

He cupped his hands in greeting, walked to the back of the line, and quietly joined the queue.

When Lü Song saw that Chen Chi wanted to register for the county examination, he sighed inwardly.

After passing the martial arts examination, he gave up his pursuit of martial arts and began to help his master manage the martial arts school.

Yet Chen Chi's passion for martial arts remained unchanged, which was truly moving.

"It's a pity his martial arts talent is too poor..." Lu Song thought to himself.

Li Yongnian secretly glanced at Chen Chi, a hint of disdain in his eyes.

He leaned close to Lü Song's ear and whispered:

"Senior Brother Lü, is this Chen Chi whom Master once mentioned?"

"Isn't he just humiliating himself by signing up?"

Lü Song lowered his gaze.

Previously at the shooting range, Chen Chi had demonstrated amazing shooting skills to him, which were far superior to his own.

He said confidently, "Junior Brother Li, he will definitely pass the registration test."

In terms of strength, I can't beat him.

Li Yongnian's expression froze, as if he had misheard something.

After Feng Qiang successfully registered, Lü Song gestured for the three of them to return to the martial arts school with him.

Li Yongnian insisted on staying, wanting to see if Chen Chi could truly draw the longbow.

"Senior Brother Lü, you should go back first," Li Yongnian said, looking unconvinced.

Lu Song stopped trying to persuade him and disappeared around the corner with his two other junior brothers.

Half an incense stick later, it was Chen Chi's turn to enter the county government office.

Li Yongnian stood outside, his large eyes fixed on Chen Chi beside the bow stand.

Chen Chi held the longbow in his hand, his face expressionless, and casually drew it to a full moon shape.

Li Yongnian was startled.

Upon seeing this, Wang Wu, who had initially looked impatient, immediately put on a smiling face and inquired about Chen Chi's identity.

……

After returning to the martial arts school, Lü Song pondered for a long time before telling Jiang Xingyun about Chen Chi's participation in the county examination.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xingyun snorted coldly.

"He has all the strength, but hasn't even reached the Blood Strengthening Realm yet, and he dares to participate in the county examination!"

He paused briefly, his gaze falling on Lü Song's face.

"Lu Song, instruct Yongnian and the others that if they encounter Chen Chi in the martial arts competition, they should teach him a good lesson."

Lü Song's heart sank.

He never understood why his master disliked Chen Chi so much.

When that piercing gaze swept over him, Lü Song lowered his head and quickly agreed.

After Lü Song left, Jiang Xingyun stayed in his room, his face ashen.

"Master Jiang, will you regret this?"

He recalled the words Chen Chi had said when he left.

A cold glint flashed in Jiang Xingyun's eyes.