Elderly Martial Saint: Sixty Times the Cultivation Speed ​​at the Start

Pei Zongyue, the deputy hall master of the Judgment Hall, echoed across the training ground.

"The commander and deputy commander of the Zhenfu Guard are both important positions in the Tianxun Division."

"Today, twenty people are qualified to participate in the assessment, including the candidates for chief inspector from the four departments and the outstanding talents from various forces."

"This assessment will be conducted in two rounds."

"The first round is for defending the title."

He held up a black iron box, opened the lid, and inside were eight bronze tokens placed side by side.

Each one is engraved with the eagle emblem of the Zhenfu Guard.

The rules are as follows.

Pei Zongyue looked around the training ground and then announced loudly:

"All candidates for chief inspector of the four departments, as well as those who have registered their candidacy in advance from various major forces, are qualified to take the stage to defend their positions."

The defending champion must remain on stage for the duration of an incense stick burning. If no one comes forward to challenge them, or if they defeat all challengers, they will receive a token.

He glanced at the crowd below the stage and added:

There are eight tokens to advance to the next round, and they will be given out on a first-come, first-served basis.

Only those who obtain the token are eligible to participate in the second round of the Commander competition.

The words fell.

The entire huge training ground was quiet for a couple of breaths, then murmurs of discussion began to circulate.

This rule clearly surprised them; they hadn't expected to be assessed in this way.

The candidates for chief inspector who were qualified to participate also had different expressions and their own thoughts.

Standing in the Youquan Division's ranks, Yi Yang quickly calculated in his mind after hearing Pei Zongyue announce the rules.

The four departments each have three candidates for chief inspector, totaling twelve people.

In addition, there are two people from each of the Jin Yang Temple, Xuan Jian Pavilion, and Cang Wu Mountain, as well as one person recommended by the Liu family and the Wu family.

All of you, twenty people who are qualified to go on stage, rise up.

At least three True Qi Realm experts knew this, not including Yi Yang who was hiding his strength.

Twenty people were vying for eight tokens.

Numerically speaking, nearly half of the people can get it, and even those who have reached the third level of perfect internal energy have a chance to become a candidate chief inspector.

But the problem now isn't the number of tokens.

The question is—who goes first?

Under the rule that you can pass the level if no one challenges you after you've held the position for the duration of an incense stick's burning.

Being the first to go on stage has both advantages and disadvantages.

The first person to take the stage may not be challenged due to the mutual targeting among various factions.

Passing the test and obtaining the token in the blink of an eye is an opportunity for some candidates for Inner Qi Realm Chief Inspector.

It's also possible that everyone thought of this, and the first person to go on stage was challenged by a True Qi Realm expert.

Yi Yang looked around, wanting to see what the others thought.

On the other side of the Punishment Division, a bearded man stood with his arms crossed, looking completely indifferent.

The young woman next to him was watching the ring with great interest, a smile playing on her lips as she seemed to be deep in thought.

Wang He, the bald, muscular man from the Exorcising Evil Division, was already flexing his wrists. His massive muscles rippled with the movements, and his eyes looked eager to try.

Gu Zhang, the True Qi Realm expert from the Zhiwen Division, kept his hands tucked into his sleeves, his eyes half-closed, looking like an old monk in deep meditation, completely unconcerned about the first person to step onto the stage.

The young man from Xuanjian Pavilion, carrying a sword on his back, stood on the outermost edge, head down, seemingly lost in thought.

The fat monk at Jinyang Temple clasped his hands together and muttered incantations.

Everyone is waiting.

Waiting for the first person to go on stage and eat the crab.

Yi Yang's right hand rested on the hilt of the Tiger Roar Blade, and his fingers tapped twice unconsciously.

His current cultivation level is at the peak of the third level of internal energy.

If I'm the first one to go on stage, can I hold out for the duration of an incense stick without using the True Qi Realm or relying solely on the third level of internal energy?

can.

The prerequisite is that no one at the True Qi Realm comes up to challenge them.

However, on the other hand, it's not respectable for someone at the True Qi Realm to openly bully someone at the third level of Inner Qi in front of everyone.

This wasn't a roadside brawl; it was the 300th anniversary celebration of the Celestial Patrol Bureau, and Chief Inspector Lu Quan'an was sitting on top watching.

Therefore, the real threat is not those few True Qi Realm cultivators, but rather—

"I'll do it."

Just then, a rough voice interrupted Yi Yang's train of thought.

Then, Wang Hechang, the bald, burly man from the Evil Exorcism Division, stepped out of the ranks, pushed off the ground with both legs, and leaped onto the arena with a "whoosh".

The massive body landed on the table, and the force of the impact created two shallow craters in the yellow earth.

He stood in the center of the stage, his bare upper body bathed in sunlight, revealing his sharply defined muscles.

The body's internal energy spontaneously emanates outwards, flowing along the skin and refracting into a faint halo in the sunlight.

The aura of a True Qi Realm cultivator pressed down on the audience without any concealment.

The guards at the Inner Qi Realm level all took a half step back, and some even subconsciously reached for their weapons at their waists.

"Wang Hechang, candidate for Chief Inspector of the Evil-Slaying Division."

The bald, burly man slammed his fist into his chest, the sound so loud that it could be heard across half the training ground.

"Anyone who wants to come up should do so as soon as possible."

I don't have the patience to wait for an incense stick to burn.

Despite the arrogant tone of the other party, the audience was so quiet that they could hear the wind rustling the flags.

Nobody wanted to go.

The incense stick was lit around the training ground in the time it takes for it to burn.

The wisps of smoke rose straight up.

On the stage, Wang He stood with his arms crossed, waiting and waiting, his impatience growing more and more obvious.

He turned his head to look at the fat monk at Jinyang Temple, and then at the young man with a sword on his back at Xuanjian Pavilion.

Neither of them showed any intention of lifting their feet.

The monks at Jinyang Temple were still chanting sutras.

The young swordsman from Xuanjian Pavilion was even more remarkable; he took out a cloth and used it to wipe the dust off his sword hilt.

Yi Yang was not surprised by what he saw.

When two True Qi Realm cultivators meet, neither wants to fight in the first round unless they are absolutely certain of victory.

There's a second round to come, and revealing your hand too early will only put you at a disadvantage.

There are so many shrewd people here.

Despite the seemingly reckless appearance of the bald, burly man Wang He, it's quite possible that he also considered this point.

Knowing that he would not be challenged as a True Qi Realm expert, he decided to go on stage first.

During this stalemate, an incense stick burned to the bottom, and no one stepped forward to challenge it.

Pei Zongyue announced: "Wang Hechang has successfully defended his position and has obtained the first token."

Wang Hechang took the bronze plaque, glanced at it, stuffed it into his belt, and jumped off the stage.

As he passed by Yi Yang, his gaze swept over Yi Yang for a moment and didn't stop.

The first token has been placed, leaving seven tokens remaining.

But immediately after Wang Hechang stepped down, a second person went up on stage.

His name is Gu Zhang.

He was around forty years old, of medium build, wearing a plain gray robe, and his hair was tied up with a wooden hairpin.

If you threw him into the streets and alleys of the prefectural city, it would be hard for anyone to associate him with the True Qi Realm.

Gu Zhang stepped onto the ring but didn't utter any threats.

He cupped his hands in greeting to Pei Zongyue, then turned to the candidates for chief inspector below the stage and said calmly:

"Zhiwen Division, Gu Zhang."

Please enlighten me.

After saying that, he stood and waited.

Wang He, who had just stepped down from the stage, glanced at the scene a few times with his arms crossed, then turned his head away.

Gu Zhang may not be as famous as him, but his cultivation level is undeniable.

The internal energy circulates smoothly and continuously, with no excess leakage between the skin, flesh, and fascia.

This person's style emphasizes control and subtle power; he may not be imposing in a direct confrontation, but he is difficult to deal with once he gets into a fight.

Still no one stepped forward to challenge.

After one incense stick burned out, Gu Zhang successfully obtained the second token and stepped down from the stage.

There are six left.

Yi Yang, observing his surroundings from below the stage, noticed that some people were starting to get restless.

The two tokens were easily taken by the True Qi Realm cultivators. If three more True Qi Realm cultivators emerge, there will only be three spots left.

Just as he was pondering this, a person stepped out from the queue of the Punishment Division.

It was a woman.

He looked to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, of medium build, and wore a dark-colored, close-fitting outfit from the Punishment Department, with a narrow belt around his waist, giving him a neat and capable appearance.

Her features weren't particularly outstanding, but her eyes were very bright, and she walked with her chin slightly raised, giving her a touch of arrogance.

"Xiao Yunhe, candidate for Chief Inspector of the Punishment Division."

After she gave her name, she didn't wait quietly like the two people before her.

Instead, he turned around, glanced around the audience, and said loudly:

"If any of you are interested, you may come up now."

She spoke softly, but everyone in the training ground could hear her clearly.

"I don't really like just waiting around."

These words sparked another round of discussion among the audience.

Wang He, who had already obtained the token, glanced at her sideways, pursed his lips, and ignored her.

Gu Zhang of the Evil-Slaying Division didn't even raise his head.

Yi Yang scrutinized Xiao Yunhe on the stage, his spiritual power subtly probing her.

The other party's aura... is somewhat indistinct.

It doesn't have the overwhelming sense of pressure that a True Qi Realm martial artist feels when releasing their power, nor does it completely resemble the perfect third level of internal energy.

It's somewhere in between, making it hard to say.