The Martial Arts Competition Begins

In the early morning, the chirping of birds heralded the beginning of a new day. 

Mo Qingkuang, awakened from the night's cultivation, swung his legs off the bed, and his bones crackled and popped. Taking a deep breath, he exhaled a pure stream of true qi that floated lightly and collided with the wooden table in front of him, creating a symmetrical cut. 

"Thank you for the protection, Ancestor." Mo Qingkuang bowed deeply to the floating figure of Mo Fan. 

"Hmm...Second rank Martial Master. Not bad." Mo Fan nodded and turned into wisps of light smoke, returning to Mo Qingkuang's ring. 

The martial arts examination of the Tianxuan Empire took place in the Martial Arts Campus located in the Fulong Mountains outside the capital city. 

The Imperial Academy had two campuses; the Literary Campus was within the Capital city, while the Martial Arts Campus sprawled across the Fulong Mountains, surrounded by wild beasts and medicinal herbs, providing an excellent environment for cultivation. 

The martial arts academy followed a straightforward training method, promoting the strong and eliminating the weak. Private duels were not prohibited, and there were numerous fighting platforms available for students to challenge each other at any time. 

While the literary examination was closed, the martial arts examination was open to the public. 

Once every three years, the Martial Arts Academy opened its doors to the public, attracting a large number of spectators. 

Various betting markets for victory and defeat were well-prepared for this auspicious occasion. 

Currently, In the Martial Arts Academy, Zheng Tao, with his white robes fluttering, stepped on the air, ascending step by step towards the sky. 

"Look, it's Headmaster Zheng of the Martial Arts Academy!" 

"So majestic, a Martial King powerhouse!" 

"Headmaster Zheng, you're mighty!" 

The crowd erupted in enthusiastic cheers upon the appearance of Zheng Tao, a prominent figure of the golden generation. Mo Qingkuang silently mocked, "The old man really loves to show off his flair. I wonder when I can reach such a level." 

Zheng Tao raised his hand, and the crowd quickly quieted down. 

"For this martial arts examination, I, Zheng Tao, will once again serve as the chief examiner. One hundred mentors from the martial arts academy will be the examiners." 

"There are one hundred platforms in the arena. The preliminary test begins now and lasts until sunset. The one hundred victorious challengers will qualify for entry into the martial academy!" 

"These one hundred winners will proceed to the next round, where sixteen finalists will be determined through random drawing, participating in the court examinations!" 

"The final sixteen will, in the court examination, compete for the titles of Top Scorer, Second-highest scorer, and the Third-highest scorer in front of the first powerhouse of Tianxuan, the Empress! The top three will directly qualify for entry into the inner court!" 

Zheng Tao spoke softly, yet his voice resonated clearly in everyone's ears. 

"I wish every examinee outstanding results! With this, I officially announce the commencement of this martial examination!" 

The entire venue erupted! The real curtain was officially raised with Zheng Tao's announcement. 

As soon as Zheng Tao finished speaking, a handsomely dressed young man, wielding a sword, leaped onto a fighting platform. "I am Liu Xuan from the Southern Province. Who dares to challenge me?" 

Seeing this, Lin, the deacon, couldn't help but twitch his eye. 

'This Liu Xuan was not only difficult to tolerate but also loved to stand out. I really don't know if growing up in the inner sect has driven him insane!' 

He turned to Lin Yang and others, saying, "Don't follow his lead and be the first on stage. Save your energy and try to avoid consecutive battles!" 

"Yes!" Lin Yang and the others nodded in agreement. 

Although Liu Xuan was unruly and eccentric, his strength was remarkable. He had already defeated several challengers within a short period, seemingly at ease. 

Observing from a distance, Han Yan'er squinted her beautiful eyes. "Third-rank martial master, this should be the inner sect disciple of the Yuan Sword Sect!" 

"So formidable!" Gu Hongyi exclaimed. She didn't expect such a significant gap between the inner sect disciples of the Yuan Sword Sect and themselves. At a similar age, the difference was as much as two ranks. 

"You capital folks only have this much ability? Hmph, not even qualified to warm up for me!" Liu Xuan arrogantly swept away a challenger with just one move, displaying a calm and composed demeanor. 

Chen Shi, watching Liu Xuan's dominance on the fighting platform, felt a fiery determination and was about to step forward to challenge. 

However, Mo Qingkuang held him back. "Don't be in a hurry; someone else will take care of him." 

Just as they were talking, a young man with a giant hammer leapt onto the platform. 

"Stop being arrogant! I, Yan Xiu, will challenge you!" 

This youth had a sturdy build, was a second-rank martial master, and wielded a massive iron hammer, estimated to weigh several hundred kilograms. It was evident that he was a powerful warrior. 

"Hmm? A dumb head is challenging me now?" Liu Xuan casually glanced at the youth and sneered. 

"You're seeking death!" 

The burly man was seething with anger right now. This youth, with his burly physique and large head, was being mocked as 'dumb head,' so how could he not be furious? 

Wielding the giant hammer, he roared and swung it towards Liu Xuan. This strike, combined with the force of a martial master, was likely to have a force of a thousand kilograms. 

Liu Xuan, seeing this, remained unperturbed, gracefully sidestepping to avoid the powerful blow. 

The giant hammer crashed into the ground, creating a daunting deep pit. 

Liu Xuan stepped on the giant hammer and looked down at the burly young man with his elbows on his knees, "What powerful strength. I'm so scared." 

The burly youth was uncontrollably furious and was about to pull out the giant hammer for another strike to crush Liu Xuan into a pulp. 

However, he found that under Liu Xuan's not-so-robust figure, the giant hammer seemed to be nailed down. No matter how much force he exerted, it remained motionless. 

The burly youth squatted down grasped the hammer with both hands and strained with all his might to pull it out. Unfortunately, despite his face turning red and veins popping, the giant hammer under Liu Xuan's foot remained unyielding. 

Liu Xuan smirked, exaggeratedly saying, "What's wrong? Want it back? You should have said so earlier. Here, take it!" 

With a slight lift of his foot, the burly youth finally managed to loosen the giant hammer he had struggled so hard to pull. However, due to the burly youth exerting all his strength and suddenly losing the point of leverage, he staggered backwards, lost his balance, and retreated several steps. Eventually, with the giant hammer soaring, he fell outside the arena, creating a cloud of dust upon impact. 

The entire audience erupted into commotion! They had assumed that this burly youth, with his immense strength, could teach Liu Xuan a lesson or two, but unexpectedly, he was played with like a child. 

Liu Xuan stood proudly on the platform, saying, "I've always heard that the Capital City has many talents. Is this your talented youth?" 

Seeing this, the second-rank martial masters hesitated to step forward for a challenge. None dared to speak; they could only hope that a genius from here would stand up to defeat this arrogant individual. 

On a distant high platform, Zheng Tao sipped his tea while observing the scene. 

Beside him, a middle-aged man whispered, "Dean, this person should be the inner sect disciple of the Yuan Sword Sect. Should we...?" 

Zheng Tao calmly shook his head, "No need. Let them be. Let them enjoy the moment. Let's see who else from the Yuan Sword Sect will join the competition." 

"These matches don't matter much. The elimination matches for the top hundred participants will be the ideal time to deal with them."