Surviving in the chaos of battle, I'm grinding for proficiency.

"Senior Brother Li... has he gone mad?!" A disciple exclaimed, his mouth agape, his eyes glazed over.

This is a stone block weighing a thousand pounds!

Even Qin Feng wouldn't dare to attempt such a difficult task on his first try, so how could Li Chuan dare?

Thinking of this, many people's eyes filled with pity.

It must have been the news of the forced labor conscription that overwhelmed Senior Brother Li.

Knowing he had no hope of passing the martial arts exam, he gave up on himself.

For a moment, everyone felt a sense of shared sorrow, like the fox mourning the death of its kin.

A look of regret flashed across Liang Xingzhou's face.

Their future was bright, but they were suddenly struck by this calamity.

Anyone would suffer a loss of moral integrity.

At the Qianyun Martial Arts School, Wu Yanshu, dressed in a blue outfit, smiled mockingly:

"So this is Sister Fan, the one who tells me not to hold back when I have the chance?"

He's nothing but a sycophant.

Li Chuan didn't care about what others thought.

Having mastered both fighting styles, his strength was beyond the comprehension of these people.

He stretched out his right hand and weighed the heavy stone block in his hand.

"It doesn't seem that heavy..." Li Chuan's eyes flickered.

Although the top fifty in the martial arts examination could all obtain the title of martial arts scholar, there was no real benefit in terms of their ranking.

The first place winner will not have more achievements than the fiftieth place winner.

Therefore, Li Chuan does not intend to compete for a high ranking; a moderate result is sufficient.

Without attracting too much attention, one can still achieve fame and success.

However, the second round of the arena battle is too unpredictable, so he must achieve a good enough result in the first round to increase his chances of winning.

"This will do." Li Chuan stopped in front of the stone pier, holding his breath.

After adjusting his breathing slightly, he slowly lowered himself and placed his hands firmly on the stone pier's ears.

Then, he exerted force from the bottom up, transmitting it through his waist and hips to his upper limbs.

His arms were bulging with muscles like a monstrous dragon!

"drink!"

Under everyone's horrified gaze, Li Chuan's veins bulged, and he lifted the heavy stone block in one go.

Then, it remained steadily in front of his chest for three breaths.

"Li Chuan, one thousand jin!"

After the clerk called out in a trembling voice, he slowly placed the stone block on the ground.

quiet!

Utterly quiet!

"Gulp."

One of the disciples couldn't help but swallow hard.

Immediately afterwards, the Songfeng Martial Arts School erupted in a thunderous cheer!

It was this wave that ignited the atmosphere across the entire training ground!

Many disciples looked at Li Chuan with awe and admiration in their eyes.

This is a man who can lift a thousand-pound stone block with his bare hands.

Before him, the best result was Qin Feng's 900 jin.

In other words, even with Qin Feng's strength, he could only lift a stone block weighing 900 jin at most.

In comparison, Li Chuan's strength is beyond doubt!

After Li Chuan stepped down, the disciples of Songfeng Martial Arts School spontaneously made way for him.

Zhuang Beiwang looked very excited and clenched his fist tightly.

Even Luo Zheng couldn't help but pat Li Chuan on the shoulder heavily:

"So you actually have a way? I thought you were just saying it casually!"

The other martial arts school owners sitting next to Liang Xingzhou also offered their congratulations:

"Brother Liang is a skilled teacher; he has gained two outstanding disciples. It seems we'll soon have 'two scholars from one family'!"

Liang Xingzhou also seemed quite surprised, never expecting Li Chuan to perform so well.

Therefore, he politely said:

"This is our martial arts school's most hardworking disciple. Although he has inferior physical constitution, he has honed his basic skills to an extremely solid level."

Upon hearing the words "inferior aptitude," the martial arts school owner's enthusiasm waned somewhat, but he still offered a flattering compliment:

"That's not bad either. Among the 156 hidden strength practitioners, no more than 20 can lift a stone block weighing a thousand catties, and each of them is a veteran hidden strength practitioner who has honed their qi and blood to a solid level."

"As long as your worthy disciple performs well in the second round, then becoming a martial arts scholar is a sure thing."

Hearing this, Liang Xingzhou shook his head:

"My disciple has never seen blood before; I'm afraid he won't be able to maintain such a performance on the arena."

……

"Yes, lifting stone blocks is completely different from actual combat. How can someone who spends all day hitting wooden stakes in a martial arts gym be called a 'martial artist'?"

Wu Yanshu loudly echoed.

He had originally intended to watch Li Chuan make a fool of himself.

Unexpectedly, Li Chuan actually managed to lift that heavy stone block.

This scene terrified him greatly.

After all, he had personally promised Fan Wanyu.

If I were to encounter Li Chuan on the stage, I would definitely knock him off the stage with a single palm strike!

To avenge Li Chuan's rejection.

Seeing Li Chuan's incredible prowess, he panicked and rushed to Qin Feng to ask about the situation.

Unexpectedly, this search turned out to be the right one!

Qin Feng said that Li Chuan usually only practiced his skills by standing in the training ground.

He neither participated in the martial arts school's small competitions nor went outside the city to suppress refugees; at most, he would occasionally spar with Luo Zheng.

Wu Yanshu almost burst out laughing on the spot.

People who only practice martial arts but don't engage in actual combat were used to be called "silver spears with wax heads".

In a ring battle, it's never about who has the greatest strength, but about who is more courageous and experienced.

Anticipate the enemy's moves, respond flexibly, and seize their weaknesses.

Which of these points doesn't require several trials and tribulations?

Wu Yanshu has confidence in herself.

He once wiped out five bandits, and had five lives on his hands!

Not long ago, I participated in a martial arts school competition and practiced moves with many of my fellow students.

Not to mention comparing him to others, he believed he was far superior to Li Chuan!

Qin Feng said calmly:

"There is a big difference between those who have seen blood and those who haven't. Brother Wu, you can rest assured that he is probably no match for you in three rounds if you face him head-on."

Wu Yanshu laughed heartily:

"With Brother Qin's words of reassurance, I can finally relax!"

……

The first round of stone lifting ended not long afterward.

After Li Chuan lifted the heavy stone block, more than a dozen other people also lifted the heavy stone block.

One person even lifted the 1,200-pound stone block directly.

In the first round, they deservedly took first place.

Li Chuan also learned his name from the crowd.

Zhang Chengfeng of Tianyi Martial Arts School is the leading figure in Anning County's internal strength training.

His vital energy and blood have been honed to perfection, making him incredibly powerful and terrifying.

Some people secretly predicted that Zhang Chengfeng would definitely win first place.

Based on this information, Li Chuan was also convinced that his self-perception was indeed correct.

After mastering both fighting styles, his strength would rank him among the top twenty in this generation of Dark Force practitioners.

With this in mind, Li Chuan felt a little relieved and returned to the martial arts school to wait for the second round of exams the next day.

To his surprise, he had barely returned home and hadn't even had time to settle in when there was a knock on the door.

Li Chuan opened the door and found a middle-aged man with slightly graying temples.

The middle-aged man laughed:

"I am the steward of the Qian family in the east of the city. I wish Brother Li all the best in passing the martial arts examination. These are small gifts prepared by the head of the family."

The middle-aged man pulled a purse from his palm and shoved it into Li Chuan's hand.

The head of the family specifically instructed him to send out this money no matter what, in order to establish a good relationship with Li Chuan.

Although Li Chuan's performance in the second round is unknown, it is uncertain whether he can truly win the title of Wu Xiucai.

But once everything has settled down, people won't even care about this "small gift" anymore!

Give gifts early!

After delivering the package, the middle-aged man tactfully took his leave.

Li Chuan opened his purse and found that there were as many as five taels of silver inside.

When he was still a young man, he had to work hard for a month to earn just three taels of silver.

Before he could even express his feelings, several more people came to his door.

Some wanted to invite Li Chuan to be their retainer and offered high prices.

Some people wanted him to hold a sinecure, just to take the money and do nothing, and use the title to intimidate others.

But regardless of the purpose, in the end, everyone prepared some gifts.

Exquisite tea sets, a few taels of silver, and so on.

It seemed as if Li Chuan wouldn't leave unless he accepted the money.

After seeing everyone off, Li Chuan sighed:

"This is only a possibility of passing the martial arts exam to become a scholar. What if one actually passes the county-level exam and becomes a scholar?"

Thinking of this, Li Chuan looked forward to the second round tomorrow even more.