Beginning with the Five Animals Fist to Become a Saint

Chapter 720 Battle: The Struggle for the Martial Arts Champion!

The south wall of the drill ground.

As the cloth continued to unfurl.

One by one, names appeared.

There were seven people in Group A, including Jiang Ning.

Eighteen people from Class A.

Thirty-three men under A.

The group of martial arts performers stared intently at the slowly unfolding yellow cloth.

When he didn't see his name among the fifty-eight names, his disappointment was hard to hide.

Because they were very clear that in the military examination...

It is divided into three categories.

The treatment received by each person was completely different.

The top three scholars in the first-class ranking were the Zhuangyuan, Bangyan, and Tanhua.

They were also the three most prominent figures in each martial arts examination.

Several people in the second rank were granted the title of Military Scholar.

However, to be ranked in the second class, one must receive a grade of first class or above in the military examination.

Nowadays, I don't even qualify for the top-tier rating; at best, I can only be ranked third.

Although those in the third rank also received official titles, their treatment and status were correspondingly the lowest.

They often ended up as fifth-rank palace guards, fifth-rank imperial guards, or fifth-rank military officers.

He could only be granted the title of Military Scholar.

Compared to the second rank, the official rank would be at least half a level to a level lower.

Those ranked in the second class were generally qualified to serve as fourth-rank imperial bodyguards or fifth-rank deputy generals.

A difference of just one rank can be worlds apart in certain situations.

But at this moment, a large number of martial arts performers were still extremely nervous.

Many martial arts performers know that it is impossible to obtain a first-class evaluation based on their own performance.

To be ranked among the top three and granted the title of "Military Scholar," one must also achieve a grade of B.

If you don't even get a grade B rating.

Then he would still be a military graduate, not a military scholar.

Normally, if you miss the opportunity to win the title of Martial Arts Scholar in this session, you have to wait for the next session three years later.

However, some of the martial arts performers will be thirty years old in three years.

Once they passed the age limit, they were no longer eligible to participate in the martial arts examination.

They will also be forever barred from becoming a military officer.

Among the crowd, some martial arts performers clenched their fists, their eyes fixed on the slowly unfolding yellow cloth.

As the yellow cloth continued to unfurl, the black characters on a yellow background came into view.

They could clearly see that the ink on the yellow cloth was not yet dry, and that the ink was still spreading on the yellow cloth.

As each name came to mind, the martial arts performers breathed a sigh of relief.

There was a hint of disappointment, but also a touch of relief.

After a while.

The yellow cloth was then fully revealed to everyone, and the martial arts students saw all the names that had been rated as A or B.

Looking at the list of over a hundred names, some looked up at the sky with deep resentment in their eyes, some knelt on the ground and wept with joy, and some looked up at the sky, suppressing their smiles and clenching their hands tightly.

A variety of emotions were displayed on the faces of the martial arts performers.

On the high platform to the north, Wang Hong quietly watched the martial arts performers' performance, giving them time to process their emotions.

He had walked this path himself and knew how difficult it was for any martial arts performer to make it, how much hardship they had to endure, and how many lonely and cold nights they had to bear.

Throughout the thirty-six prefectures of the Nine Provinces, martial artists are as numerous as stars in the sky and as pebble in a river.

Those who have made it this far and stand on the training ground are all true prodigies, and are all incredibly self-disciplined and self-reliant individuals.

No one can get to this point easily.

If one slacks off even slightly along the way, one will be pushed aside by the vast number of outstanding talents.

After a long time, at his command.

thump—

The drums sounded once again.

dong dong——

The drums thundered like spring thunder exploding in the air above the drill ground.

In an instant, everyone's attention was drawn to the school grounds.

"Next comes the most important part of this martial arts examination!" Wang Hong's voice rang out.

Although the drumbeats were loud, they could not drown out the powerful voice emanating from his mouth.

Every word was heard clearly by everyone.

"They're here!" Upon hearing Wang Hong's voice, Wan Jianyi clenched his fist.

As the number one person on the Heavenly Ranking, he could not tolerate or accept being subordinate to others.

He knew that the key to proving himself lay in the next stage.

Only by defeating Jiang Ning and Ming Xin and becoming the martial arts champion can one live up to the title of number one on the Heavenly Ranking.

"Please, all Taoist priests, step forward and set up the formation!"

Wang Hong's voice rang out again.

next moment.

Several Taoist priests dressed in orange robes leaped up from the stands around the training ground.

It streaked across the sky, its long robes fluttering wildly.

In the blink of an eye, several Taoist priests landed in the four corners of the training ground.

At that moment, everyone also saw the compass-shaped object in their hands, which was emitting a faint white light.

"open!"

"open!"

"."

Several Taoist priests held compasses in their left hands and made hand seals with their right hands, chanting incantations.

As their voices rang out, the compasses in their hands suddenly burst into dazzling light.

Then, array patterns extended from the compass, connecting with each other in an instant, covering the entire training ground.

A water-ripple-like, smoke-like barrier also appeared in the sky above the training ground.

"Please invite the seven martial arts scholars who have achieved the highest rank to enter the training ground," Wang Hong's voice rang out again.

Upon hearing this, Wan Jianyi was the first to move.

In a flash, he appeared in front of the barrier.

Then, the water-like, misty barrier slowly opened a gap, and he stepped forward and went inside.

Jiang Ning and the other six arrived at the water-and-mist-like barrier and entered through the gap.

Behind him, the gap that had just opened had healed once more.

"Gentlemen, these are your battle cards!" Wang Hong's voice rang out again.

next moment.

He raised his hand and flicked it, and seven black rays of light pierced the air, flying towards Jiang Ning and the other seven.

Seeing this, Jiang Ning raised his hand and grabbed, and the black light that had been piercing through the air appeared in his hand.

He looked at the battle card in his hand and saw that the number one was written on the battle card made by Kuroki.

At the same time, the other six people also caught the black light that came flying through the air, and then looked at the battle cards in their hands.

"Gentlemen, you have a total of four sets of numbers in your hand."

"I will call out a certain number in a moment, and the martial arts students who have the corresponding number in their battle cards will need to take the stage."

"If you want to compete for the honors of being the top martial arts champion, second-place martial arts master, and third-place martial arts scholar, you will need to demonstrate your true martial arts skills!"

"With this great formation in place, you can unleash your full power without worrying about harming innocent people."

Upon hearing Wang Hong's words, the group looked at the others around them.

Wan Jianyi's gaze was also fixed on Jiang Ning, his eyes revealing a sharp edge.

at this time.

Wang Hong's voice rang out again.

"Number two, come on stage."

The words fell.

With a clear mind, he moved forward.

Among the other six martial arts graduates, one of them saw that it was Mingxin who was setting off, and his expression changed slightly, but he still walked out with firm steps.

Seeing this scene, Jiang Ning briefly recalled the person's name.

Xie Fei.

They were ranked last in the top division.

Thinking of this, and remembering that the number on his battle card was one, he roughly understood the rules. He skipped the number one battle card, which meant he skipped it, and directly let the number two battle card, Mingxin, take the field.

now.

Mingxin and Xie Fei also arrived at the center of the training ground.

"Do you two need any weapons?" Wang Hong's voice echoed once again in the training ground.

“This humble monk is skilled in fist and foot techniques and has no need for weapons,” Mingxin said.

"I am also skilled in martial arts!" Xie Fei said.

"Alright, since that's the case, then you two may begin!" Wang Hong's voice rang out.

Upon hearing this, in the training ground...

Xie Fei cupped his hands in greeting to Mingxin: "Master Mingxin, I will now give it my all!"

"Please, benefactor, go ahead and do as you please!" Mingxin clasped his hands together.

next moment.

boom--

As soon as Xie Fei moved, dust exploded instantly.

Then, a heavy fist slammed towards Mingxin's face.

He knew that only by going all out could he barely qualify to fight Mingxin.

At this moment, Mingxin remained calm as Xie Fei unleashed a punch that mobilized all his strength, simply keeping his hands clasped together.

boom! !

Another loud bang, Xie Fei's fist landed heavily on Ming Xin's forehead, but Ming Xin's body was surrounded by golden light and remained motionless.

Xie Fei, on the other hand, flew backwards.

"Indestructible Vajra Body??" Xie Fei asked solemnly.

“Indeed!” Mingxin said, “This is my strongest technique. If Benefactor Xie can break through my protective golden light, I will naturally be defeated.”

"Alright! Then I'll test just how profound the Vajra Indestructible Body of the Vajra Temple truly is." As Xie Fei spoke, he stretched out the five fingers of his right hand, and then slowly clenched them again.

Seeing this, Wan Jianyi couldn't help but shake his head.

"The gap is too big!"

"Xie Fei's punch not only failed to harm Mingxin in the slightest, but also injured himself."

"Talking with Mingxin is just buying myself time to recover from my injuries."

Just as he was speaking, Xie Fei moved again.

Dust exploded, and as it rose, three figures rushed toward Mingxin.

"What superb footwork!" A man beside Jiang Ning exclaimed in praise.

Jiang Ning glanced at the man, recalled the information he had previously memorized, and immediately knew the man's name and details.

Wang Jiadi.

Based on his performance in weightlifting and archery, this person is second only to Wan Jianyi.

He is very young, only twenty-six years old.

This person's identity should not be underestimated.

He was a distant nephew of Wang Hongyuan, the chief examiner of this examination. Although they both had the surname Wang, they were actually distant nephew and uncle.

Noticing Jiang Ning's gaze, Wang Jiadi also looked over, revealing a friendly smile.

"Inspector Jiang, I look forward to sparring with you later!" Wang Jiadi said.

Jiang Ning smiled and said, "I'd also like to see the Duke of Wang Guo's Four Imperial Heaven-Suppressing Fist."

Boom boom boom! !

The booming sounds of punches echoing across the training ground instantly drew the attention of the two men.

Xie Fei split into three, transforming into three figures who simultaneously threw punches.

Countless fist shadows instantly enveloped Mingxin.

Mingxin closed his eyes, clasped his hands together, and a faint protective golden light emanated from his body.

The fist's shadow landed on the protective golden light, only causing the golden light to flash briefly.

"What exquisite control!!" Upon seeing this, Jiang Ning instantly realized the gap between himself and Mingxin.

Although I am far ahead of Mingxin in terms of level in Vajra Indestructible Body.

However, in practice, it is clearly inferior to Mingxin.

Mingxin's body was surrounded by a protective golden light, and each flash of light precisely corresponded to the landing point of the fist shadow.

This method achieves extremely high efficiency and conserves its own energy.

Compared to his methods, this was much more sophisticated.

"But I have the ability to do so!"

Thinking of this, Jiang Ning smiled.

Seeing this, he knew that the outcome of the duel between Master Mingxin and Xie Fei was no longer in doubt.

Mingxin could easily withstand Xie Fei's attacks with just her own defense.

The two are not even in the same league.

After a while.

Xie Fei suddenly stopped, and the three figures merged into one.

“Master Mingxin, I would like to see your skillful techniques.”

Upon hearing this, Mingxin opened his eyes.

He looked at Xie Fei and nodded: "Okay!"

As the words fell.

He took a sudden step forward.

In an instant.

He then disappeared from everyone's sight.

When he reappeared, he was already three feet in front of Xie Fei.

"Shrinking the earth to an inch?!" Jiang Ning's gaze sharpened, and the thought flashed through his mind.

"No, it should be one of the six great powers of Buddhism, the power of divine travel."

now.

Mingxin slowly extended his right palm.

Although the speed seemed slow, Xie Fei found that he had no time to react at all, and could only watch as Ming Xin's outstretched palm slowly imprinted on his chest.

My life is at risk! !
A wave of despair washed over him.

In an instant.

He felt a powerful yet incredibly gentle force fall upon his chest.

Faced with this force, he was instantly sent away.

His body flew backwards without any resistance.

He flew more than a hundred feet before gently crashing into the barrier formed by the great formation, and then slowly landed on the ground.

Xie Fei clutched his chest, his eyes wide with shock.

Because he discovered that he had not suffered any injuries, and he did not even feel basic pain.

next moment.

He bowed respectfully to Mingxin, saying, "Thank you for your mercy, Master."

At that moment, he fully understood just how vast the gap was between himself and Mingxin.

Although both weightlifting and archery were rated as top-tier, and both were martial arts graduates, their abilities were on completely different levels.

"Thank you for your kindness, benefactor!" Mingxin stood with one palm upright, his right arm bent at the elbow, his arm straight, his five fingers naturally together, his thumb bent, and his body slightly leaning forward.

On the high platform to the north.

The Third Prince nodded slightly: "Master Mingxin truly lives up to his title as a disciple of Buddha. At such a young age, his mastery of power has reached a level of unparalleled skill and exquisite detail!"

"Truly impressive!" General Shen, with his full beard, nodded in approval, then added, "Even ordinary grandmasters, after immersing themselves in the art for thirty or fifty years, cannot match his skill in the application of power."

On the school field.

Wang Hong's voice rang out again.

"Please welcome the newly appointed scholar who is holding the number three battle card to the stage."

Upon hearing this, Wan Jian glanced around and, seeing the movements of the other three, knew who his opponent was.

It was Xu Sansheng, who was ranked second to last in the top division.

At this moment, Xu Sansheng's gaze also fell on Wan Jianyi.

They had already figured out the rules by which Wang Hong was appointed as the chief examiner.

There are seven people in this year's A-level ranking competition. They will compete against each other in pairs, and one person will receive a bye.

It was clear that Wang Hong had arranged for Jiang Ning to have a bye.

They would then face off in pairs, ranked first and last in the rating system.

They could all see this when Mingxin fought Xie Fei.

"Please show mercy, Brother Wan!" Xu Sansheng said politely, cupping his hands towards Wan Jianyi.

“Not taking your opponent seriously is not taking yourself seriously, and it is also disrespectful to the way of martial arts!” Wan Jianyi said.

(End of this chapter)