The low-key prince summons trainees from the Imperial Household Department at the start of the game.

The afternoon sun became even hotter, and the dust on the training ground was dried and fluffy, raising a cloud of yellow mist with every step.

After a morning of chaotic fighting, the circle in the center of the training ground was trampled beyond recognition. The servants responsible for maintaining the field took advantage of the lunch break to redraw the lines and set up three three-foot-high wooden arenas inside the circle.

The rules for multiple selections are simple.

One hundred and twenty people were drawn into three groups of forty people each. They then competed in one-on-one elimination matches on three separate stages. Winners advanced and losers were eliminated, continuing until only three or four people remained in each group.

Ten people ultimately advanced to the final selection.

The three arenas were fighting simultaneously, and the atmosphere on the training ground was even more tense than in the morning.

The preliminary rounds are a free-for-all with an element of luck, but there's no room for chance in the final rounds.

Going up there means you're facing one person at a time, with everyone's eyes on you. Winning is a skill, but losing leaves you with no excuses.

On the number one arena, Xu Chu was the third to appear.

His opponent was a flag officer of the Imperial Guard, a peak third-rank cultivator with excellent spear skills, and was quite famous in the Imperial Guard.

When the flag officer stepped onto the stage, he moved with light steps, twirling his spear in a flourish, the tip drawing a silver arc in the sunlight. His movements were clean and efficient, drawing cheers from the Imperial Guards below.

What about Xu Chu?

Xu Chu didn't even draw his weapon; he went up empty-handed and stood in the center of the arena, his hands hanging naturally at his sides, as steady as a stone tablet nailed to the ground.

"You don't use weapons?" The flag officer frowned, his tone carrying a hint of displeasure at being slighted.

Xu Chu shook his head, his voice as calm as if he were commenting on the weather: "We'll talk about it when we need to."

Without further ado, the flag officer flicked his spear, its tip shooting out like a venomous snake, aiming straight for Xu Chu's chest.

This spear thrust was incredibly powerful, producing a sharp, piercing sound as it cut through the air. It was also extremely fast, as the entire cultivation of a peak third-rank expert was poured into this single strike. Ordinary martial artists of the same level simply didn't have time to react.

Xu Chu didn't dodge. He simply raised his right hand, spread his five fingers, and slapped the side of the spear shaft when the spear tip was less than three inches from his chest.

No one saw how he exerted force in his arm. All that was heard was a dull metallic clang, and the spear shaft trembled violently. The flag officer felt an immense force coming from the spear shaft, his tiger's mouth went numb, and his hands involuntarily loosened. The spear flew out of his hands, spun seven or eight times in the air, and crashed with a thud onto the muddy ground three zhang away, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The flag officer stood there blankly, looking down at his empty hands, then looking up at Xu Chu in front of him. His throat bobbed, and the expression on his face slowly changed from disbelief to complex awe.

The cheers from the audience stopped abruptly, and the entire Imperial Guard formation fell silent.

On the high platform, Grand Commandant Zhou Jing picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said in a calm tone, as if commenting on the weather: "This is the third one. He hasn't used his second hand yet."

On the second arena, Dian Wei encountered a tough opponent.

His opponent was a centurion of the Tiger Guard named Li Feng, who had a fourth-rank cultivation level, one rank higher than Dian Wei's on paper.

Li Feng wields a pair of iron hammers, each weighing eighty jin (approximately 40 kg). When he wields them, they create a powerful and impressive sight. He is known as "Iron-Armed Vajra" among the Tiger Guards.

He launched a fierce attack right from the start, slamming down his two hammers alternately, each strike carrying the powerful blood and qi of a fourth-rank martial artist, shattering the wooden planks on the arena and sending splinters flying everywhere.

An ordinary third-rank martial artist would have his tiger's mouth cracked after taking three blows, and after taking five blows, he wouldn't even be able to hold his weapon.

Dian Wei took twelve blows from him, each one met with his short halberd. The wooden stake beneath his feet sank two inches, but Dian Wei himself remained completely still, not even his breathing rhythm was disrupted.

As the thirteenth hammer blow fell, Dian Wei suddenly changed his move.

Instead of taking the blow head-on, he sidestepped the hammer's momentum, using his left hand to press down on Li Feng's hammer handle with his short halberd, while his right hand flicked the short halberd upwards, the tip of which stopped just an inch in front of Li Feng's throat, as steady as a rock.

Li Feng felt a chill run down his throat, his grip froze, and cold sweat poured down his forehead.

"You flatter me." Dian Wei sheathed his short halberd, clasped his hands in a salute, and spoke in a deep voice, without any hint of pride.

Li Feng was stunned for a few moments, then gave a wry smile, threw his double hammers to the ground, and returned the salute with clasped hands: "I am inferior in skill, and I admit defeat wholeheartedly."

This exciting duel was witnessed in its entirety by everyone on the high platform.

Marquis Dingyuan Han Chong's eyes grew brighter and brighter. After Dian Wei sheathed his halberd, he finally couldn't help but turn to the people around him and whisper, "A fourth-rank cultivator, who didn't last thirteen blows under Dian's hand. This man is not only incredibly strong, but his judgment of distance and rhythm is also superb. Just now, when he dodged the thirteenth blow, he avoided the most powerful strike by three inches. An inch more would have wasted energy, and an inch less would have resulted in being hit by the hammer's wind. It was just right. This kind of insight is honed in actual combat, not something that can be trained in a training room."

He paused, making no attempt to hide the admiration in his eyes, "I want this guy. The Tiger Guard is exactly looking for tough guys like him."

Upon hearing this, Taibao Yuwen Lie put down his teacup and calmly replied, "Lord Han, you're being too definitive. Just now on stage, Commander Qin said that he was 'more forceful than flexible,' and that the Zhenwu Division didn't think much of him."

"Since Commander Qin doesn't want it, then the Ministry of Justice will not be polite either. This man is very measured in his actions. Just now, the thirteenth blow could have injured someone, but he only stopped short of it. This kind of restraint is extremely rare in the army. When the Ministry of Justice is apprehending wanted criminals, being able to fight is one thing, but being able to judge the degree of force is another."

He smiled slightly, his tone gentle yet sharp, "Lord Han, the Tiger Guard is for fighting, the Ministry of Justice is for employing people. If this person goes to you, he'll just be a centurion charging into battle. What future can he have?"

Han Chong sneered, not backing down at all: "What you're saying, Grand Protector, is not very kind. The Ministry of Justice needs people to arrest, and the Tiger Guards need people to fight. Dian Wei wields a short halberd, not shackles. His skills were honed through real combat on horseback and on foot. It would be a waste for him to spend all his time dealing with petty thieves and bandits in the Ministry of Justice."

The two were exchanging barbs when Grand Tutor Kong Yan suddenly coughed softly from the side, slowly turning his prayer beads and saying, "You two are arguing quite a bit, but don't forget, their own wishes are also important. The preliminary selection isn't over yet, and the final selection hasn't even started. What's the rush? Besides, that Zhan Zhao who uses light-footed skills seems pretty good too."

He turned to Qin Wu, a hint of sarcasm in his voice, "What does Commander Qin think?"

Qin Wu remained leaning back in his chair without speaking, but his eyes never left the training ground.

His gaze lingered on Zhan Zhao for a moment, then swept over Xu Chu and Dian Wei, before he said in a deep voice, "All three are quite good. But what interests me more is, where did so many promising talents emerge from the Imperial Guard this year?"

"I know the composition of the Imperial Guard Battalion well. In previous years, only one or two people could make it into the top ten in the competition. This year, these three alone are already guaranteed to be in the top ten. This is not normal."

He paused, then gave Yuwen Lie a cold glance. "Until the matter is thoroughly investigated, the Zhenwu Division is not to be assigned any personnel."

The implication was that he wanted to investigate the background of these three people first.

Yuwen Lie understood his implied meaning, but didn't bother to argue further, simply smiling noncommittally.

He was thinking something else entirely. If someone could stand out so prominently in the Imperial Guard competition, and there were any unclear secrets behind it, then they would be courting death.

These people are able to hide something deeper, either because they are truly clean, or because they have a powerful backer.

Either way, they are worth paying attention to.

On the third arena, Zhan Zhao won more easily than Xu Chu and Dian Wei.

It wasn't that his opponent was weak; his opponent was a colleague from the Imperial Guard, a third-rank cultivator with excellent swordsmanship, and a former student of Zhan Zhao who had trained in light-footed skills.

This man's lightness skill was not as good as Zhan Zhao's, but his swordsmanship was fierce and powerful, with every move carrying the ruthlessness unique to soldiers.

From the beginning, Zhan Zhao had no intention of confronting him head-on. He did not draw his sword, but only used the scabbard to parry the opponent's blade. At the same time, his steps were like a butterfly flitting among flowers as he moved around the arena.

His movements were too agile—the opponent's knife was always just half an inch away, the sound of the blade cutting through the air was right next to his ear, but it could never touch a single hem of his clothes.

He circled his opponent for about fifteen minutes until the opponent was exhausted and panting. His sword movements slowed down, and Zhan Zhao struck his wrist's Shenmen acupoint with a scabbard, causing the long sword to fall to the ground with a clang.

A round of applause erupted from the audience.

This applause was different from the applause given to Xu Chu and Dian Wei. Xu Chu won too quickly, and the audience hadn't even had time to react before it was over.

Dian Wei won with such force that every collision was terrifying.

Zhan Zhao's winning style is a pleasing and graceful one, like a landscape painting slowly unfolding, with every step and every block carrying a smooth beauty.

At sunset, all multiple selections were completed.

Ten names were written on the large list at the entrance of the drill ground, the ink still wet, glistening with a damp sheen in the setting sun.

The names of Xu Chu, Dian Wei, and Zhan Zhao were prominently listed.

The Imperial Guard Battalion secured three spots, which is extremely rare in previous years.

Of the remaining seven spots, three were for the Imperial Guards, two for the Tiger Guards, and two for the unranked members.

Different sounds arose from the three battalions, with the cheers being the loudest from the Imperial Guard battalion, since all three finalists were their own brothers.

The Imperial Guards and the Tiger Guards looked rather displeased, especially the Tiger Guards, who had taken four of the top ten spots last year but only had two left this year, which was a bit embarrassing.

The decision will be made tomorrow.

As is customary, the final selection process begins with the lowest-ranked candidate, who can then challenge those ranked higher. If the challenger wins, the order changes; if the challenger loses, the original order remains.

Each person can take on the challenge a maximum of three times. The final ranking will be from highest to lowest, with the first place winner receiving the most generous reward. Promotion and salary increase are guaranteed, and more importantly, they will receive a martial arts technique personally designated by the emperor, with a grade no lower than Yellow Rank.

The levels of cultivation techniques are: basic, third-rate, second-rate, first-rate, yellow-rank, black-rank, earth-rank, and heaven-rank.

Once a first-rate cultivation technique reaches the fifth rank, it becomes less effective, and it is extremely difficult to break through to the sixth rank using a first-rate technique.

After reaching the Yellow Rank, it is further divided into three grades: upper, middle, and lower.

In the royal library, the highest rank is Xuan.

For soldiers of humble origins in the Imperial Guard, advanced cultivation techniques were the key to changing their fate—with advanced techniques, breaking through from the third rank to the fourth rank was no longer a pipe dream, and breaking through from the fourth rank to the fifth rank was also within reach.

That evening, people in each palace were discussing the day's grand competition.

The Empress hosted a small banquet at Fengyi Palace, where several imperial concubines and favored princes and princesses were present.

During the banquet, someone mentioned that the Imperial Guards had been in the limelight that day, and the Empress simply responded with a faint nod, without saying anything more.

However, the Second Prince Zhou Xun, who is sixteen years old this year, is the one with the highest martial arts talent among all the princes. He is a disciple of Grand Commandant Zhou Jing and has a third-rank cultivation level. He is particularly interested in this topic.

"Mother, I heard that Xu Chu didn't use his second hand all day today." Zhou Xun put down his chopsticks, his eyes showing eagerness. "It's a pity to keep such a fierce general in the Imperial Guard. I want to ask Father for permission to transfer him to my guard battalion."

The Empress glanced at him and shook her head slightly: "Your father has his own considerations regarding the selection of personnel for the Imperial Guards, so don't meddle."

Zhou Xun agreed verbally, but the eagerness in his eyes did not diminish in the slightest.

What he didn't notice was that at the very end of the table, the Seventh Prince Zhou Gui was quietly drinking soup with his head down, a faint smile playing on his lips.