Eternal Life: I Have the Favor System

Chapter 521: Chapter 222: The Imperial Martial Arts Examination, The Three Rounds of Despair

Chu Lingguang muttered to himself.

He knew the Imperial Examination would be difficult, but he hadn’t expected the first round to be this hard.

He had already learned that the Imperial Examination consisted of only three rounds, but they were known as the "Three Rounds of Despair." Each round was exceptionally perilous, far exceeding the difficulty of the Daoist and Provincial Examinations. No one could guarantee they would make it through all three.

However, as long as one reached the third round, they would become a Martial Scholar regardless of their performance in it.

The first round was a solo battle against twenty soldiers of the Black Armored Army.

The contents of the second and third rounds had not yet been announced.

The Martial Arts Examination was held once every three years, and its rules and content were updated each time. This was especially true for the Imperial and Palace Examinations, which were completely unpredictable to the average person.

Based on the intensity of the first round, Chu Lingguang felt that the threshold for passing this year’s examination was incredibly high. To reach the final round, a candidate would need to have unlocked a six-layered Dharma Aspect, cultivated their Qi Sea to the Perfection realm, and awakened their Bloodline Divine Abilities—possessing at least two of these three achievements.

As for passing all three rounds, one would surely need to possess all three.

’I wonder how they’ll determine the rankings for the third round?’

He scanned the area.

Out of more than a thousand Martial Arts Scholars, he feared that not even one in ten would ultimately succeed in becoming a Martial Scholar.

"Contestants Xia Tianzhong, Jin Huang, Qin Fuhua..."

Half an hour later, Chu Lingguang heard familiar names. He saw Xia Tianzhong, Fatty Qin, Jin Huang, and the others enter the examination grounds together.

All three of them had trained at the Northern Territory Trial Ground and had also spent over four months at the Imperial City Academy. Their strength was beyond question, and all three successfully advanced to the next round.

"Qin Yu..."

A moment later, an uproar erupted among the contestants in the waiting area. The two words "Qin Yu" were famous far and wide; in the eyes of the other contestants, he seemed to be an untouchable existence.

Chu Lingguang’s eyes were fixed on him as well.

"Kill!"

Twenty soldiers of the Black Armored Army charged toward Qin Yu.

"BANG!"

Qin Yu took a step forward and stomped down hard.

A wave of Power surged from the sole of his foot, infused with Potential Power. It erupted like a storm, simultaneously repelling all twenty soldiers and sending them flying out of the designated area.

"Whoa!"

The entire crowd burst into an uproar as people cried out in astonishment.

’A fusion of Divine Abilities and Potential Energy, and it looks like he mixed in Qi Sea Power as well. He’s so strong. Even if I were to awaken those thirty-three responses, I might not be a match for him,’ Chu Lingguang thought in amazement.

His Mental Realm was at the third layer, and his Sea of Consciousness far surpassed that of others. His eyes were truly deserving of the phrase "sharp as a torch." While the crowd only felt that Qin Yu’s kick was immensely powerful, Chu Lingguang could see in a single glance that the power released contained three distinct forces.

One was from his Bloodline Divine Abilities, one was Potential Power, and one was Sea of Qi Power.

To be able to fuse three types of power in a single, simple kick was a clear testament to Qin Yu’s incredible strength.

Many people were capable of a three-fold Potential Energy Superposition, including Chu Lingguang himself.

But to casually fuse Divine Abilities, Qi Sea Power, and Potential Energy in a single kick like Qin Yu had just done—that was something Chu Lingguang couldn’t accomplish so easily.

His so-called three-fold Potential Energy Superposition was a fusion of three forces: Dragon Elephant Power, Wind and Wave Power, and Sea of Qi Power.

At present, his Flesh and Blood Divine Power could only be released separately from his Spear Technique and fused with his Sea of Consciousness Power; it could not yet be superimposed with his Dragon Elephant Power and Potential Power.

Chu Lingguang’s goal was to fully integrate his Flesh and Blood Divine Power with his Spear Stance. If he succeeded, any enemy enveloped by his Spear Stance would have their internal organs constantly battered by the force of his Flesh and Blood Divine Abilities.

Of course, integrating an entirely new power into his Spear Stance was even more difficult than simply fusing four different forces together.

In the end, Qin Yu’s performance drew gasps of admiration from the entire crowd. The examiners whispered amongst themselves, and many high-ranking officials and nobles took notice of him.

「A short while later.」

It was finally Yan Zhen’s turn to take the stage.

An imposing middle-aged man stood in the crowd, silently watching Yan Zhen. A clear space formed a vacuum around him, and the gazes of the nearby guards were filled with reverence.

This man was none other than Yan Zhen’s master, Wei Yongguang, Commander of the Imperial Guard and the pinnacle of the Wei Family’s Combat Power.

"Kill!"

The Black Armored Army soldiers charged Yan Zhen in unison.

Yan Zhen was not empty-handed; he wielded a Horse-Cutting Saber. With a light slash of the long blade, a circular wave of Sword Qi poured from its edge. All twenty soldiers charging at him were sent flying. When they stood up, the armor on each of their chests had been split in two and fell away on its own.

A conspicuous gash marked each piece.

The faces of all twenty soldiers changed drastically. They hurriedly checked their chests, only to find that their armor was destroyed but they themselves were completely unharmed. Clearly, Yan Zhen’s control over that single strike had been perfect.

"As expected of Commander Wei’s disciple! He has the bearing of a great general!"

"Defeating twenty soldiers of the Black Armored Army with a single strike isn’t that difficult, but to do so without harming a single one of them? Very few people are capable of that."

"Yan Zhen has already earned the title of Jie Yuan. As long as he can defeat Qin Yu, the title of Hui Yuan is as good as his."

"I heard that at the Imperial City Academy, Qin Yu’s skills suppressed Yan Zhen’s from start to finish."

...

The crowd murmured amongst themselves.

As Yan Zhen placed his saber back on the Soldier Landing Platform and walked off the examination grounds, he saw that Wei Yongguang had already risen and left.

「An hour later.」

"Contestants Zhao Rushuang, Chu Lingguang..."

’It’s my turn.’

Chu Lingguang stood up from among the remaining several hundred contestants. He and Zhao Rushuang looked at each other from across the field. They nodded in mutual encouragement before walking onto the examination grounds together.

In the VIP section, Guo Wei and the four from Mo Shan watched Chu Lingguang with rapt attention. All five of them believed that with Chu Lingguang’s strength, passing the examination would not be difficult; they were just curious to see what kind of results he would achieve.

(It’s the end of the month, so monthly tickets are especially important. Please show your support! My lumbar disc herniation flared up this month, so the update schedule has been truly inexcusable and hasn’t lived up to the four words "give it my all." I sincerely apologize for this.)

(Thank you to all my dear readers for your continued support. Thank you to Carefree Divine Venerable, War God, and everyone else. Thank you all!)