Chapter 50: The Martial Examination Begins

Meng Xueqiao gathered his inner strength and reached out to try again, but the result was identical; no matter what he did, he could not lift it.

The black fan still rested securely in Meng Yuxi's hand.

Seeing that no one around them was paying attention, Meng Xueqiao lowered his voice and asked, "Fourth Brother, this black fan is truly bizarre. Has anyone ever told you to choose such a weapon?"

Meng Yuxi shook his head. "The material is definitely neither iron nor bronze. Fifth Brother, in this Great Li Dynasty, have you ever heard of any alloy with such high density?"

"Fourth Brother, what on earth is Midude, and where is Hejin? I don't understand a single word."

For a moment, Meng Xueqiao was completely bewildered by Meng Yuxi's questions.

Meng Yuxi chuckled and simply said, "I mean, have you ever heard of a material heavier than iron?"

Meng Xueqiao whispered, "I've never heard of such a thing before. Today has truly opened my eyes. Perhaps it really is some kind of precious treasure."

"Since you're convinced it's a treasure, how about I give it to you?"

Meng Yuxi asked with a smile. Hearing this, Meng Xueqiao shook his head repeatedly, put his long spear back onto the weapon rack, and opted instead for a purchased treasured sword.

"Even if I were to reach the Qi Refining Realm, using this thing would still be exhausting. True Qi is generated within the Dantian and projected outward to harm the enemy; even if it's channeled into a weapon, it's much the same and wouldn't increase one's physical strength by much. Fourth Brother is naturally endowed with divine strength; this thing seems tailor-made for you."

Meng Xueqiao said sincerely.

"Something that only one person can use cannot truly be called a treasure. I simply happened to pick up something that others had no use for. Fifth Brother, it's just a black fan; stop calling it a treasure, lest others hear and laugh at us."

Meng Yuxi chuckled as he spoke. An innocent man gets into trouble by possessing a jade ring; the previous owner did not understand this principle and died an unjust death. Meng Yuxi had always been tactful and cautious in his conduct, and he certainly did not want to end up like his predecessor. After all, no matter how powerful one might be, it is impossible to guard against the deliberate schemes of numerous villains.

Meng Xueqiao was naturally clever; he understood the moment Meng Yuxi dropped the hint. He immediately nodded and said in a deep voice, "Fifth Brother understands. Thank you for your guidance, Fourth Brother."

Meng Yuxi nodded and twirled the black fan in his hand. He found its weight quite moderate. All the treasured swords he had used previously felt far too lightweight, almost like empty wooden swords. Such a heavy short blade undoubtedly compensated for his current lack of True Qi in combat. He just wondered if this black fan had been specifically placed here for him by Meng Changhong.

***

"Very well, since all candidates have selected their preferred weapons, the martial examination will now begin."

The speaker this time was a eunuch dressed in blue brocade, standing atop a platform over two meters high. There were three other such platforms erected across the Meng estate's grounds, each occupied by a single person responsible for recording scores, with no one else standing in the remaining areas.

Those three platforms corresponded to the three examination grounds.

The eunuch in blue counted the weapons remaining on the racks and continued, "As one person has voluntarily withdrawn from the examination grounds, today's tests will be conducted in groups of three instead of four. With more groups and a tight schedule, please proceed immediately to your respective grounds to be tested in horsemanship, lightness skills, and weight-lifting. Scores will be calculated based on the rankings within each group of three."

As soon as Meng Yuxi heard the eunuch's words, he understood that the sole purpose of these first three tests was to screen out those with strong physical stamina for the final duels. Otherwise, if a bunch of scholars simply flailed around on the stage—one throwing wild punches and the other trading clumsy blows—it really wouldn't look very dignified.

Meng Yuxi nodded to Meng Xueqiao, and the two of them set off to find candidates who appeared physically weaker to form a team.

Upon arriving at the horsemanship testing ground, they saw numerous obstacles of varying heights set up across the course. Along the side of the field stood neat rows of magnificent gray steeds, all tethered to fences and waiting for the candidates to ride.

"Ah, what a pity."

One of Meng Yuxi's group members let out a long sigh.

"What's a pity?"

Meng Yuxi asked with some curiosity.

"It's a pity they aren't giving the horses away as well. These are specially bred military mounts of the Great Li Dynasty, exceptionally skilled at traversing mountains and rivers. They are priceless on the open market. If one could manage to take a batch of these back, they'd easily sell for a piece of gold."

That person continued, "May I ask this brother's honorable name?"

Meng Yuxi smiled and nodded. "My humble surname is Meng."

"Meng? You wouldn't happen to be Meng Yuxi, the top scorer in the literary examination, would you? Hahaha, surely not, otherwise Brother Sun and I would be getting entirely too lucky."

The man said with a laugh.

***

"You three must stop chattering! There are still many candidates waiting in line behind you. Mount up and begin the test at once!"

The eunuch on the high platform urged impatiently.

The candidate who had just been speaking stuck out his tongue, maintaining a relaxed expression. The skinny, bamboo-like fellow standing beside Meng Yuxi, however, wore a completely different expression—his face was dead serious.

"Two brothers, let us mount up and begin."

The skinny fellow cupped his fists in salute and hurriedly chose a fine steed. The weapon he had chosen was a soft whip; he cracked the whip against the horse's flank, causing the beast to rear up on its hind legs in pain, almost unseating him. Fortunately, the man managed to cling tightly to the horse's neck, looking somewhat flustered for a moment.

"Haha, Brother Sun, it looks like you might finish dead last."

Another candidate dug his heels into his horse's flanks, and his mount bolted forward with a sudden burst of speed.

The candidate surnamed Sun let out a cold snort. "Brother Liu, I wouldn't be so sure!"

Seeing that the other two had already dashed off but slowed down the moment they encountered the first obstacle—too afraid to pull the reins as their mounts tossed their heads and began backing up repeatedly—Meng Yuxi figured out the trick before finally mounting his horse.

"Horse, oh horse, just gallop as you usually would."

Meng Yuxi patted the horse's neck and smiled. With a very relaxed grip on the reins, he closed his eyes and gently squeezed his heels against the horse's flanks.

Sure enough, his guess was correct. Even without him guiding the reins, the horse knew the way. Acting as though it had been thoroughly trained and familiarized beforehand, the beast broke into a joyful gallop, leaping cleanly over the obstacles as it encountered them. Sitting in the saddle, Meng Yuxi gradually grew accustomed to the sensation. Opening his eyes, he felt the military steed bound into the air and land smoothly once more—it was utterly exhilarating.

Ever since he began practicing the Cloud-Suppressing Star Sword, Meng Yuxi's footwork had improved significantly. Although it was not some miraculous lightness skill that allowed one to scale walls and vault over roofs, every step he took required a precise shift in his center of gravity, otherwise he wouldn't be able to advance at all. Once on horseback, this translated into an advantage. No matter how the horse ran or even jumped, Meng Yuxi sat firmly and steadily in the saddle. After jumping a couple more obstacles, he gradually lost interest; these ordinary horses truly paled in comparison to his divine dragon-steed.