Republic of China Era: Entering the Dao through Divine Strike.

"Uh……"

The more Cheng Yuanhua listened, the more uneasy he felt.

It's one thing for you to praise my apprentice, but how did this roundabout conversation escalate to the point that your family's swordsmanship was passed down to my apprentice?

And then, you've just helped spread the fame of your Six Harmonies Wind and Cloud Blade, haven't you?

Then look at Wang Jingya, who's smiling smugly to the side...

Both father and daughter laughed so hard their eyebrows flew up, and at that moment, their expressions were remarkably similar.

Understood.

This is a roundabout way to achieve our goal.

You old bastard.

However, my Feiyan is not bad either.

Thinking of this, Cheng Yuanhua was no longer angry. He simply instructed, "Yan'er, help your junior brother carry the long sword and keep an eye on what's happening in the arena. If the foreign devils don't play by the rules, provide immediate support."

"Yes, my daughter understands."

Cheng Feiyan stepped forward gently and gracefully.

Gently remove Li Xin's long robe, revealing the short, fitted outfit underneath.

What a heroic young man...

Of course, none of the disciples from the two martial arts schools and escort agencies present focused their attention on Li Xin; instead, they looked at Cheng Feiyan.

The senior sister blushed and helped her junior brother pack his belongings like a timid wife.

The main focus is on being considerate and attentive.

She even stole Zhuang Hongxiu's position.

For a moment, everyone wished that the boy standing in front of them was themselves.

My heart was filled with mixed feelings.

"Perhaps we should keep the precious sword with us, just in case those people are hiding weapons."

"Senior sister, you're overthinking it. It's all about strength and fists. It's about skill and foundation, there shouldn't be any need for knives."

Li Xin roughly understood the thoughts of the various countries.

I just want to psychologically break myself down.

At the same time, it also crushed everyone's morale.

This left a deep impression on the minds of the officials, gentry, and poor people who watched, leading them to believe that the Qing people were inferior to foreigners and were inherently inferior.

To achieve this goal, taking shortcuts or tricks will not work.

Only by crushing others openly and fairly can one gain genuine acceptance and genuine respect.

Coincidentally, that's what he thought too.

……

"Boom bang..."

The drums began to beat.

It started slow and low, then gradually accelerated, and finally became as dense as a torrential rain.

As soon as the drumming stopped, someone shouted at the top of their lungs.

"Candidates will first be tested on mounted archery and foot archery. Those who can hit the target nine times out of ten when drawing a twelve-stone bow will advance directly to the strength test."

A steady stream of candidates entered the examination hall.

Choose your horse and bow according to the number.

Li Xin took the twelve-stone heavy bow handed to him by Wang Jingya, and casually pulled it to a full moon, as easily as playing with a child's rubber band slingshot.

He felt the force and gently shook his head.

To the generals on the battlefield, this bow was considered a powerful weapon.

But given the current situation, it was ultimately eliminated.

As firearms become more and more advanced, even a weak soldier who is powerless can wield a gun and deliver a fatal blow.

What use are these heavy bows and powerful bows?

How tragic it is that after practicing archery for ten or twenty years, one can only fight on par with soldiers who have only practiced spear techniques for a month on the battlefield.

Therefore, this martial arts examination was a lament for the feudal dynasty and the final swan song of martial artists.

I wonder if pushing my martial arts to unprecedented heights will change the course of technological development in this world.

He leaped onto his horse, and without even looking closely, drew his heavy bow and fired ten arrows in quick succession.

Without looking back, he turned his horse and rode away.

A loud shout came from behind.

The crowd cheered.

Drawing a bow and shooting an arrow is actually not a particularly outstanding skill among all skills.

Li Xin practiced the "Divine Strike" technique, visualizing the three great gods, especially the "Divine Intent of Erlang Zhenjun," so he was quite familiar with the art of archery.

With just a little practice on a regular basis, one can already master the skill and reach perfection.

Even the phrase "hit the bullseye every time" is insufficient to describe his archery prowess.

In principle, whether or not one can shoot accurately depends on the limits of the equipment, not on the individual's own limits.

For example, a handgun's lethality is such that every shot hits its target.

Outside of its destructive range, no matter how capable he is, there's nothing he can do.

You can't just take the bullets out and throw them away, can you?

His skill with concealed weapons hasn't reached that level yet...

Throwing projectiles relies more on technique and precision than on archery skills. The two methods of generating power differ, requiring extensive practice.

Archery and spearmanship, on the other hand, are skills that can be used immediately.

His mastery of the martial arts was far more profound than that of the martial arts candidates present.

Li Xin turned his head to look.

They discovered that these martial arts candidates were all skilled in archery and horsemanship.

Apart from one or two people who were nervous and underperformed, most of the others passed easily, with eight out of ten getting it right.

"Those foreigners actually know how to ride and shoot?"

Zhuang Hongxiu took the longbow, took out a handkerchief, wiped away non-existent sweat from Li Xin, and then turned around to see that several foreigners had also passed through.

Cheng Feiyan was not surprised: "Hongxiu, you don't know, these foreigners have been planning this for a long time."

They are agile and physically strong, so learning to use a bow and arrow would be very easy for them.

I'm worried they'll start their attack once they've reached the point of comparing strength..."

……

Cheng Feiyan's guess was absolutely correct.

They passed the tests of mounted archery and foot archery.

The second test.

First, the giant bear from the north launched an attack.

"Are you Qing people really that weak? Like little chicks."

Five hundred catties of stone lock, who do you think you are? Men, bring a two thousand catties Spring and Autumn Broadsword..."

"Yes!"

A sudden uproar erupted from the crowd.

Some people whistled, some laughed loudly, and some noblewomen wearing feathered hats screamed.

The crowd parted, and an oxcart appeared on the perimeter.

He was dragging a huge Green Dragon Crescent Blade, the hilt of which was as thick as a strong man's arm.

Not to mention the blade, it was like a door panel.

Eight burly foreign men, carrying this heavy broadsword, walked step by step into the arena.

These people had stiff necks, bulging veins, and flushed faces.

As we walked, the ground slightly subsided, revealing a row of deep footprints.

bang...

The broadsword fell to the ground with a loud thud.

Brick and stone are crushed.

A martial arts graduate standing nearby, who was lifting a 500-pound stone lock with one arm, was beaming with excitement and self-satisfaction.

Seeing the scene before him, he swayed and almost strained his back.

"Two by two, two thousand catties..."

Can you lift it?

"Are these foreigners here to cause trouble? It looks like today's martial arts exam is going to end badly."

The roars from all around were deafening.

First, foreigners of all hair colors cheered and shouted, and then a large portion of the people in the capital joined in the shouting and jumping around excitedly.

The officials on the high platform looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Who told him to bring such a heavy broadsword?"

The examiner's face was ashen.

"not me."

"It wasn't me. I knew those candidates couldn't lift it, so why would I make them lose face by carrying such a heavy test object?"

"They are foreigners... Under the current circumstances, whatever they want to do, even the Emperor will not stop them."

How could we possibly stop them?

"Yes, they want to establish their authority, so naturally the heavier the better."

They had initially thought Li Xin's martial arts were unparalleled, so there was no fear of loss. But now that the opponent was clearly using brute force, things were getting complicated.

"It wouldn't matter if Li Xin simply lost. This man has no respect for the law, so the more miserably he loses, the better."

But now, in full view of everyone, these foreign devils are truly despicable; they want to humiliate everyone…

Some officials on the platform were still discussing the matter.

Under a parasol in the distance, the young emperor, dressed in a yellow robe, laughed with great interest:

"Is it really possible for someone to lift two thousand pounds? You can't be bluffing, can you, Master Gong?"

"It was very difficult."

Gong Yutian's mouth was full of bitterness as he shook his head: "Judging from their appearance, it's not as simple as just lifting them up."

Otherwise, it wouldn't be shaped like a knife.

If one were truly determined to test their abilities, wouldn't it be even more impressive to create a square cauldron?

As soon as he finished speaking...

A deep shout rang out from the martial arts arena: "What is two thousand catties? Men, bring a three thousand catty iron cauldron."

Then a burly man, 2.2 meters tall and as thick as a mountain, walked out from the center of the field.

As he gave the orders, he bent down and lifted the two-thousand-pound bronze broadsword, whooshing and snorting...

He wielded two sword techniques.