fynovel To briefly mention Chapter 73
To briefly mention Chapter 73
Finally, it was three quarters past Chen Shi (7:45 AM).
On the judge's bench, Magistrate Lun Ren coughed lightly.
He stood up, and the once noisy drill ground quickly quieted down under the shouts of the county soldiers.
The martial artists from Qili and Huangqu counties, in particular, were used to the arrogance of the demon race in their local area. Now that they saw that the magistrate of Crescent Moon County was also a demon, they subconsciously lowered their heads and dared not look directly at him.
"Esteemed elders of Crescent Moon County, distinguished talents from Qili and Huangqu Counties who have traveled a long way, and officials from my Shazhou City. Today is the day of the provincial military examination for our Great Fan Dynasty, and I am honored to preside over this grand event!"
Lun Ren cleared his throat and used a secret technique of the demon race to transmit his voice to everyone present, ensuring that everyone could hear him clearly:
"Next, I'll just say a few words..."
The crowd had come to watch the spectacle, and now they were all whispering among themselves.
I am full of anticipation for the upcoming provincial examination.
I'm just looking forward to it starting soon.
Unexpectedly, the county magistrate said he would only say a few words, but he started by talking about the imperial court's benevolence, the demon race's compassion, the spirit of martial arts, and local education.
Speaking of Crescent Moon County, since he took office, the government has been efficient and the people have been harmonious, and the people have the support of the government.
Then Lun Ren coughed twice and continued to express the hardships of life for the people in the neighboring Qili and Huangqu counties.
Then, changing the subject, he spoke of his heartfelt expectations for the martial arts performers present, regardless of their region... He spoke eloquently and fluently.
Kang County Lieutenant, who was standing nearby, had come over, seemingly having received an important report.
After hearing the report, County Magistrate Kang's expression changed. He hurriedly walked up to the platform and stood beside the magistrate, looking anxious. His lips moved slightly several times, as if he had something urgent to report.
But seeing the magistrate engrossed in his impassioned speech, he ultimately didn't dare to step forward and interrupt.
As the sun rose higher and higher, the magistrate's "simple two sentences" seemed to have no end in sight.
They talked from the third quarter of Chen hour to the third quarter of Si hour.
The crowd below the stage was already sore from standing, but no one dared to move. The candidates participating in the martial arts examination were even less likely to show any impatience.
Even the scions of the three great families stood with their hands at their sides, their faces growing increasingly numb.
Taking advantage of the magistrate's turn around, Liu Sheng quickly stretched his stiff ankles. After listening to the magistrate's explanation of "serving the court through martial arts," he finally paused for a moment, still feeling a bit unsatisfied.
As if still somewhat dissatisfied with his speech, the magistrate was still pondering whether he had overlooked anything.
Just then, County Magistrate Kang finally couldn't hold back any longer.
He strode forward, leaned close to Lunren's ear, and whispered a few words urgently.
Upon hearing this, Lun Ren's smile froze instantly, his brows furrowed tightly, and his expression turned extremely unpleasant.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
Upon hearing this, County Magistrate Kang was speechless, but he still apologized in a humble voice, admitting that all the mistakes were his own and begging the County Magistrate to make a decision as soon as possible.
Magistrate Lun Ren raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping darkly over the dense crowd. He then hurriedly gave a few instructions to General Wang and others in the presiding judge's seat, before quickly leaving the presiding judge's seat with County Lieutenant Kang and several trusted men.
He strode quickly toward the county government office, leaving the examiners and candidates standing there.
Of course, neither the examiners nor the candidates had any objections.
However, the unexpected turn of events caused a suppressed commotion in the audience.
On the judge's bench, General Wang remained expressionless, stood up, and walked to a spot not far in front of the examinees.
He was not tall, but he was as steady as a mountain. His gaze was like lightning, slowly sweeping across the entire room. The commotion that had just arisen immediately subsided under his gaze.
"The magistrate has urgent official business to attend to, so I will be in charge of this provincial examination on his behalf."
When General Wang entered, it was clear he didn't have much to say; his voice was loud but devoid of any emotion.
"The first round of the provincial examination consists of two parts: routine practice and stone weightlifting. The routine practice will be conducted first at the main stage. Participants must perform a complete and skillful unarmed routine. The five examiners will then evaluate the participants based on their posture, strength, continuity, and spirit, and assign them to four grades: A, B, C, and D."
The rules were simple and clear. After General Wang finished speaking, he waved his hand: "All registered candidates, come to the front of the stage to collect your number tags. After collecting them, proceed in the order of your numbers!"
Four assistant examiners walked down the stage carrying wooden trays, each calling out the name of their respective candidate. The candidate whose name was called stepped forward to receive a number plate.
What Liu Sheng received was a heavy wooden plaque with the words written on it in bright cinnabar: "Twenty-five - Crescent Moon County - Liu Sheng".
The license plates have been issued.
Candidates were called out one by one and went up to the stage.
"Number One, Qili County, Hou Tong!"
A short, thin, and simply dressed young martial artist climbed onto the main platform.
At first glance, he looked to be only twelve or thirteen years old, somewhat timid and dull, with a restrained demeanor in the way his hands and feet were placed.
Their movements were not particularly agile.
But once on stage, he took a deep breath, suddenly shrank back, and loosely clenched his fists at the sides of his face.
In that instant, it was as if he had become a completely different person.
Or rather, it's a different monkey.
Hou Tong moved with agile and nimble steps, sometimes reaching out with his claws, sometimes scratching his cheek, just like a wild monkey in the mountains. His "monkey fist" routine was both lifelike and wild.
It was as if some mountain spirit or monster had possessed it.
The martial artists from Crescent Moon County watched from below the stage.
Everyone was amazed.
"Imitative Boxing?"
This was the first time Liu Sheng had ever seen anything like it in this world.
"It's called Imitation Boxing, or 'Spiritual Boxing' by some," Lu You explained in a low voice.
It turns out that in Qili County and Huangqu County, the demon race has stricter control and there are no human martial arts schools. If the locals want to learn martial arts, they can only learn these "imitative boxing" styles.
Once mastered, it is said that one can "borrow strength" from the demon ancestor who created the prototype of the boxing style.
It does indeed have a bit of a "psychic" feel to it.
Once you get started.
Their strength often rises rapidly in the early stages.
Many practitioners of the Imitation Boxing style can reach the seventh rank of strength within three to five years.
It's much faster than the training methods used by humans.
However, those who can continue their studies beyond the sixth rank are extremely rare.
Unlike the internal martial arts training methods of the human race, the Pictographic Fist does not have high requirements for physical constitution.
Moreover, the entry requirements are unique.
For example, Hou Tong, who wants to learn Monkey Fist, will most likely need to ask a rank-1 demon from the monkey clan for a drop of his essence blood.
The essence and blood of the demon race are extremely violent.
After the essence blood enters the mouth, most humans cannot withstand it; they may suffer from persistent high fever, ruptured meridians, or even death from severe injuries.
Only a small number of those who survive and adapt to the power of essence and blood can begin to practice the form-based boxing method.
Moreover, essence and blood are not given away easily.
Practitioners of the Imitation Boxing style often have to sign a contract with the demon who provides their essence and blood.
Most of them were indenture contracts.
In Qili County, there were also some powerful wealthy people who acted as middlemen, providing benefits to the demon race in exchange for their essence blood.
On the other hand, they also signed contracts with martial artists, which were backed by the government and were mostly indentured servitude contracts, making the martial artists work for them; if the martial artists breached the contract, they would be wanted by the Great Fan Dynasty.
"So that's how it is."
Liu Sheng felt that he had gained new knowledge.
Only those who have reached the rank of martial artist can participate in the martial arts examination.
No wonder Hou Tong, who was already a martial artist, still looked so poor. Liu Sheng had assumed that Hou Tong came from a poor family and had spent all his money on martial arts training.
Now it seems that Hou Tong is above.
There's a high probability there's also a demon clan member who exploits him.
Or perhaps it was a traitor.