nownovels Chapter 69 The Martial Arts Examination Begins, Grade A, First Class!
Chapter 69 The Martial Arts Examination Begins, Grade A, First Class!
After entering the school, Chen Ye mingled with the crowd and walked all the way to the ceremonial gate of the school.
The ceremonial gate of the school was divided into three sections, each with two doors, for a total of six doors.
This is the standard regulation for all government offices in the Great Jing Dynasty.
According to the court's etiquette, ordinary commoners like Chen Ye, who did not have the status of a scholar, were not allowed to pass through these six main gates. Only scholars and noble families with status were allowed to pass through.
Therefore, Chen Ye and the other examinees could only enter through the side gates on either side of the main gate.
After passing through the ceremonial gate, a bright and open space suddenly appeared before us, revealing the main hall and square of the academy.
At this moment, more than a hundred people had gathered in the center of the square. The air was filled with the smell of sweat and bad breath. The crowd was huge and crowded.
Due to the large number of participants, more than 600 people were divided into six batches to take the exam in turn.
Chen Ye's exam number was "69", which ranked quite high and placed him in the first batch.
Generally speaking, the assessments at the top are often more rigorous and the evaluation is more difficult, so they are not easy to get a job for.
Therefore, this group consisted mostly of commoners like Chen Ye, who were wanderers in the martial arts world, or noblemen who had long since fallen on hard times.
Chen Ye looked around curiously and found that there was an armored soldier standing every three meters around the square.
These men, armed with long spears and swords at their waists, surrounded everyone in the center, forming a heavily fortified defensive position.
A high platform was erected directly in front of everyone.
A row of officials from the academy sat on the high platform.
The headmaster, dressed in a blue robe, sat in the center. On either side of him, according to their official rank, sat the instructors, headmasters, tutors, registrars, clerks, and accountants of the academy.
Almost all the important officials from the academy were present.
This was clearly intended to demonstrate the fairness and impartiality of the military examinations, prioritizing form over substance.
Soon, a gong sounded.
The door behind him slammed shut.
The square in front of the school suddenly fell silent, and the noise stopped abruptly.
An official on the platform stood up and shouted, "Everyone, line up in order of your exam number, into ten columns! Numbers one, eleven, twenty-one, and others will be the leaders of their respective columns, standing on either side. The rest of you may choose your own column."
After the order was given, the crowd in the square set off to find their teams.
Chen Ye had sharp eyes and quickly found the group whose name started with "Lu" and chose a spot a little further back to stand.
Subsequently, the remaining candidates also chose their queues and waited for their assignments.
During their free time, the people around them gradually began to talk quietly.
At this moment, a young man of similar age to Chen Ye approached, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said with a simple and honest smile, "Brother, my name is Wang Baohe."
Chen Ye turned around upon hearing the voice and, seeing the other person's kind expression, returned the greeting, saying, "Chen Ye."
"Brother Chen, this is Number 68. And you?"
Chen Ye replied, "Sixty-nine."
Wang Baohe's face lit up with joy, and he quietly looked around, saying, "Then let's stand next to each other so we can look out for each other."
"Um."
Chen Ye nodded and said nothing more.
He knew that the worst thing to do when talking to someone was to speak too intimately with someone you didn't know well.
Moreover, they were candidates in the same examination room and were competitors, so where would they get preferential treatment?
Just listen to it.
The scholar sitting in the center suddenly stood up. He looked to be about thirty or forty years old, with an ordinary appearance and nothing particularly outstanding about him.
However, upon closer inspection, one can see that his arms extend past his knees, and his hands, thin and hard as iron, with visible blue veins protruding from his sleeves.
He is clearly a martial arts master.
He stood on the high platform, expressionless, his gaze fixed on the courtyard, an indescribable aura emanating from him.
The examinees below felt an invisible pressure, and some unconsciously swallowed and gradually fell silent.
Once the entire room was completely silent, he slowly began to speak, each word clear and distinct: "Today's martial arts examination consists of two parts: skill and bravery, and a preliminary test. The skill and bravery test will be held first this morning, and your performance will be evaluated on the spot. From this moment on, no one is allowed to make a sound or cause trouble."
No one may leave the square without permission; violators will be punished with fifty strokes of the cane!
The exam has officially begun!
As soon as he finished speaking, a series of drumbeats rang out.
Boom!Boom!Boom!
Amidst the resounding drumbeats, the clanging of clashing armor echoed across the square.
Squads of armored soldiers carried stone weights of varying sizes into the center of the square, placed the weights down one by one, and then marched out in an orderly fashion.
After the third drumbeat.
The instructor on the platform shouted, "Candidates whose names begin with 'One,' step forward!"
The ten examinees entered the arena and walked to the center of the square, each facing a stone lock.
Two judges descended from the high platform and stood before the crowd, announcing loudly, "There are a total of five stone locks here, weighing three hundred jin, four hundred jin, five hundred jin, six hundred jin, and seven hundred jin respectively."
You may choose according to your own abilities, either by raising or suggesting.
We will assess performance based on specific results.
You may begin!
At the command, everyone took turns stepping forward, selecting the stone lock, taking a deep breath, and grasping and lifting it with one or both hands.
Some people lifted a 500-pound stone lock high above their heads, drawing cheers; others gritted their teeth and their faces turned red, but ultimately their hands slipped and the stone lock fell to the ground, causing regret.
Those who failed wanted to try again with smaller stone weights, only to find that their strength had been exhausted and they could no longer lift even the lighter ones.
These people ultimately only received a "D grade" grade.
Therefore, everyone present understood.
This is not simply a test of strength; it also involves an understanding of one's own strength.
When choosing stone weights at the beginning, you need to choose ones that you are confident in, rather than trying them randomly.
As time went by, one team after another passed the assessment. The best performer was a son of a soldier. He lifted a 700-pound stone weight with both hands and held it for two breaths, earning him the title of "Lower Grade A".
The rest of the people are mostly in "Class B".
Even those who get a Grade B are few and far between.
Soon, it was the turn of the team with the character "陆" (Lu).
Chen Ye and the other martial arts masters in the team went to the center of the square together.
"start!"
The ten people set off one after another.
Most people chose the safest option, a 400-jin stone weight, while those who were a little more confident challenged themselves with a 500-jin weight.
As for the stone locks weighing 600 or 700 jin, almost no one paid any attention to them.
Most of these people were at or below the fifth level of rebirth, and they were all self-aware enough not to take unnecessary risks.
Wang Baohe followed Chen Ye, nudged him lightly with his elbow, and whispered, "Brother Chen, I plan to choose a 400-jin stone lock that can be gripped with one hand. You go after me, and I'll leave it to you as soon as I'm done."
Four hundred jin (approximately 200 kg) is a force that can only be achieved after four or even five transformations, something that ordinary people can hardly attain.
This is also the choice of most people in this courtyard.
But in Chen Ye’s opinion, it is difficult for stone weights in this level to achieve good results, let alone stand out from the crowd and get a better ranking.
There must have been a lot of people manipulating things behind the scenes for this martial arts examination. In reality, the number of places left is very limited, so we can't take such conservative measures.
We should not hide our talents!
Chen Ye naturally turned his attention to the largest and heaviest 700-jin stone lock.
Amidst several slightly surprised glances from those around him, he stepped forward, his legs slightly apart, and steadied himself.
Followed by.
His right hand, with its five fingers like hooks, gripped the top of the stone lock. He took a deep breath, channeling his true energy into his arm and wrist, and his entire body suddenly surged upward!
The 700-pound stone lock was first suspended in front of his knees for a moment, and then suddenly swung upwards, lifting it high above his head!
Chen Ye lifted the 700-pound stone lock with one hand and held it above his head for a full ten breaths, still appearing to do so with ease.
He didn't show off any further. With a flick of his wrist, he removed the stone lock from his shoulder, steadied it with both hands, and slowly placed it back on the ground.
The noisy square fell silent instantly.
Even the examinees who were taking the test stopped what they were doing and turned to look at him.
"Chen Ye, candidate number 69, lifted 700 jin with one hand, achieving a Grade A, promoted!"
The accountant in charge of the assessment announced Chen Ye's score on the spot, his voice resounding throughout the room.