Becoming a martial arts god starting from the mortician.

The red light illuminated the entire martial arts testing hall.

Zhou Wenyuan's cheeks, which had been flushed with excitement, turned deathly pale the moment he saw the marking line.

Grade B, Level 1!

He stared intently at the millstone-sized piece of white jade, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down with difficulty, and a fine layer of cold sweat had already seeped from his forehead.

How could it be 70%?

How come it only reached 70%?!

Zhou Wenyuan's breathing stopped.

If it were a Grade C or even a Grade B, Zhou Wenyuan would risk his reputation and use the connections and merits he had accumulated over the years in the Imperial Observatory to force Shen Qi to stay in Chengping County, arrange a wealthy and leisurely job for him, and let this promising talent grow steadily into a towering tree.

But this is Grade B, Upper!

The ironclad rule of the Dayan Dynasty is that anyone who has been assessed as having a martial vein of grade B or above must be registered and reported up the chain of command immediately; no one may conceal their identity.

What followed was forced conscription into the military.

Zhou Wenyuan's mind exploded, and Wang Shou's face uncontrollably appeared before his eyes.

Back when Wang Shou stood in this martial arts testing hall and was diagnosed with a second-grade martial vein, the light in this room shone just as brightly. At that time, Wang Shou was full of vigor and ambition, dressed in fine clothes and riding a spirited horse, believing that his future was bright.

But the result?

Wang Shou's foundation was damaged on the battlefield, and he had no hope of reaching the Treasure Body Realm in this lifetime. In the end, he could only return to his hometown in despair and become a pulse finder, where he died tragically at the hands of an evil cultivator.

The North is now ten times worse off than it was back then! Top-tier experts clashed, severing the earth's veins, causing continuous droughts, and forcing tens of thousands of refugees to flee south.

Zhou Wenyuan's hands began to tremble uncontrollably.

He originally wanted to give this young man, who had survived amidst piles of dead bodies, a bright future.

But he was so overwhelmed by joy that he forgot the cannibalistic rules of the Dayan Dynasty!

Send Shen Qi to the Northern Border?

What's the difference between that and pushing him into a fire pit with your own hands?

"thump!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Zhou Wenyuan turned around abruptly and knelt straight down on the ground.

"My Lord!" Zhou Wenyuan's voice trembled, filled with despair and pleading, "This subordinate...this subordinate is guilty!"

Shen Qi stood in front of the black iron platform, his fingertips still touching the warm, smooth jade.

Hearing the noise behind him, he lowered his eyelids and withdrew his hand. The red light on the jade, having lost its vital energy, began to slowly recede.

What kind of show is this?

Jiang Xinyue casually flipped through the pages of "Yuanming Sui" in her hands.

He first glanced at the gradually darkening white jade stone, then slowly moved to Zhou Wenyuan, who was kneeling on the ground.

"What's the rush?"

Jiang Xinyue spoke with a smile.

"Old Zhou, you've been a veteran in this department for a while now, why are you still so loud and boisterous? What's this kid's background? He deals with dead people every day, do you think I'm blind and can't see how deep the yin energy is accumulating in him?"

He paced back to Zhou Wenyuan and looked down at him.

"In my opinion, this red halo is scattered and very superficial. This may not be his true strength."

Jiang Xinyue turned her head, glanced at the white jade that had completely returned to its milky white color, and added casually, "Besides, this piece of broken jade in our Chengping County has been sitting here for at least twenty or thirty years. It has never seen the light of day and has been eroded by the yin energy of this place's earth veins. Whether it can be accurately measured is debatable."

"I think there's no need to rush this matter."

Jiang Xinyue tapped Zhou Wenyuan's shoulder with the book tube in her hand: "This kid still has a lot of evil energy in him. Who knows if the impurities in his body have clashed with the jade. It would be better to let him recuperate in the inner city and strengthen his foundation. After a while, once the root of the problem is removed, we can go to another county or borrow a new jade stone to test it. Then we'll know whether the light has increased or decreased."

Zhou Wenyuan, who was kneeling on the ground, suddenly raised his head.

His eyes were filled with disbelief, but then they were completely overwhelmed by ecstasy.

Lord Si is at least a sixth-realm martial artist! His will is crystal clear. How could he possibly not distinguish between a clash of Yin energy and a true genius?

"Your Excellency is wise!"

Zhou Wenyuan was so excited that he kowtowed repeatedly.

"It was my failing eyesight that made the mistake! Shen Qi is a child with a weak constitution. His previous display of energy and blood might indeed have been a false alarm caused by the sudden stimulation of the miraculous medicine! He needs to be observed and refined for some more time."

Zhou Wenyuan gritted his teeth and seized the opportunity to back down, "I dare to ask, since the truth has not yet been ascertained, could we temporarily withhold the report on this boy's name from the Ministry of War?"

"Since there's no rush to register, then we'll continue with the treatment offered by Class C."

Jiang Xinyue changed the subject, shifting her gaze from Zhou Wenyuan to Shen Qi's face.

"However, since your qi and blood have already shown signs of power and you are ready to enter the Body Tempering Realm at any time, I, as the head of the Chengping County Celestial Bureau, will not discourage the people working below you for nothing. Your discovery of the evil cultivator's whereabouts in the outer city is a great achievement."

Jiang Xinyue reached into the wide sleeve.

He pulled out a dark, iron token and tossed it aside casually.

Shen Qi, quick-witted and agile, grabbed it in his hand. The front of the token had no patterns, only the character "武" (martial) engraved on it.

"Take this order and go to the armory to choose a suitable internal cultivation method."

Jiang Xinyue put her hands behind her back and said calmly, "External skills train the skin and flesh, while internal skills build the foundation. No matter how proficient you are in the 'Tiger Subduing Fist,' it is still just a rudimentary introductory technique. Your foundation is still weak, so you still need to carefully choose a balanced and moderate technique."

"Go and choose a path that catches your eye, hone your qi and blood, solidify your foundation, and pave the way for entering the Gang Sha Realm in the future."

"Many thanks to Your Excellency for your kindness and guidance! I will repay your kindness with utmost gratitude!"

Shen Qi immediately held the token in both hands and bowed deeply.

The moment he lowered his head.

Yesterday, in the inner study, he witnessed firsthand the dramatic change in Jiang Xinyue's fate, like a dragon emerging from its slumber.

And this moment.

The three-colored dragon shadow was quietly hovering above Jiang Xinyue's head.

The once clean and pure three-colored dragon shadow has inexplicably gathered a thick layer of black cloud around it!

The clouds churned and surged, partially obscuring the dragon's claws and half of its body.

Clouds follow the dragon, wind follows the tiger.

The tide has turned, and the general trend has been set.

Shen Qi stared intently at the blue brick in front of his feet, suppressing the horror in his heart.

Where did this cloud come from?

No.

He must go back and carefully study "Yuanming Sui". He hasn't even scratched the surface of the evolutionary patterns and inner workings of this destiny.

If he cannot figure out the auspicious or inauspicious trend represented by these clouds, he might not even know how he died in this impending vortex.

Jiang Xinyue did not linger any longer.

He shook the copy of "Yuanming Sui" in his hand, then turned and walked out of the martial arts testing hall.

The door was wide open, and the cold wind from outside blew in.

Inside the martial arts hall, only Shen Qi and Zhou Wenyuan, who was still kneeling on the ground, remained.

Only after confirming that Jiang Xinyue's footsteps had completely disappeared at the end of the corridor did Zhou Wenyuan slowly stand up.

He let out a long sigh of relief, his exhaled breath quickly dissipating in the cold air. Only then did he finally relax completely.

Zhou Wenyuan walked a few steps to Shen Qi.

He stretched out his broad palm and patted Shen Qi's shoulder heavily. The force was so great that Shen Qi's body swayed.

"Shen Qi, oh Shen Qi... Today, I almost cost you your life."

Zhou Wenyuan looked into Shen Qi's eyes, his expression extremely complex.

"You have no idea what a hellish place the North has become. If your true talent is recorded and submitted, the Ministry of War will issue an arrest warrant for you tomorrow. Once you're in that kind of place, even I can't protect you."

"The Lord of the Court has shown you leniency, turning a blind eye to your plight. This kindness is as heavy as Mount Tai."

Zhou Wenyuan's voice became stern.

He squeezed Shen Qi's shoulder hard: "You must not let down the Master's painstaking efforts, nor should you waste your extraordinary talent."

Shen Qi slowly straightened up.

He gripped the cold armory token in his hand, calmly met Zhou Wenyuan's gaze, and nodded solemnly.

"I understand. I will never forget your kindness in protecting me."