I can only beat noobs.

Chapter 98 Disciple Recruitment Conference
A month later.

It is a small town located in the westernmost part of Jiangzhou, more than a thousand miles away from Qingfeng City.

"Brother Fang, have you heard? A storyteller from out of town has come to the teahouse. He says that in a month, two Rank 3 experts will be holding a disciple-acceptance ceremony in Qingfeng City, regardless of background, only talent and comprehension..."

A young man excitedly ran into a tavern to share the good news with everyone.

Inside the tavern, a group of young people were drinking and joking around. When someone barged in, they were quiet for a moment, but when he was halfway through his sentence, everyone burst into laughter.

"What are you talking about in your sleep?"

"You're already daydreaming before you've even started drinking?"

"A third-grade expert? Openly accepting disciples..."

"Keep making things up, keep making things up..."

Naturally, no one believed such a statement.

Xiao Liu's face flushed red, and he said excitedly, "It's true, Brother Fang, I really didn't lie to you..."

"okay!"

At this point, the young man in the lead tried to smooth things over, "We're all brothers, don't go too far. Xiao Liu, I know you failed to become an apprentice and you've been holding a grudge ever since. Come sit down and have a couple of drinks..."

Seeing that no one believed him, Duan Xiaoliu angrily turned and ran away. He was determined to prove to them that it was true.

Inside the tavern, the group of half-drunk young people were still mocking Xiao Liu's delusional dreams.

Two days later, the young man surnamed Fang, who was still in charge, suddenly asked, "Where is Xiao Liu? Why haven't we seen him these past two days?"

"Could he have really gone to Qingfeng City to become an apprentice?"

The crowd fell silent for a moment, then burst into loud laughter.

"He can't really be that stupid, can he?"

"It really does seem like something a fool would do..."

"..."

Amidst the laughter, someone suddenly murmured from a corner, "What if it's true?"

There was a moment of silence in the crowd, then almost everyone simultaneously denied it, "How could that be?"

"If you believe it's true, you can go too. You can still leave now."

The man who spoke looked embarrassed and begged for forgiveness, "I was just saying it offhand."

……

Meanwhile, Duan Xiaoliu, carrying a bag, a knife left by his father, and the money he got from selling the house, embarked on his journey to pursue his dreams.

Along the way, he ate dry rations when he was hungry, drank stream water when he was thirsty, and slept in other people's woodsheds at night, braving the severe cold and snow, traveling day and night.

On the way, he overheard many people talking about how a third-rank expert was going to hold a disciple-acceptance ceremony in Qingfeng City, and even learned about the nicknames and origins of these two experts.

Li Donglin, the Golden Knife. Legend has it that he was originally a bandit, but later reformed and became a guard for merchant caravans. He met a benefactor and learned superb swordsmanship. Later, he went to sea with a ship, using his golden knife to slay countless foreign masters. In his later years, he retired from the martial world.

However, his descendants were unworthy, and none of them could inherit his mantle. Now that he is almost ninety years old, in order to prevent his unique skills from being lost, he decided to hold a ceremony to recruit disciples.

Another was Han Dengxing, the Canglang Swordsman, who came from a beggar background and nearly starved to death. Fortunately, he was adopted by a kind person and started as a servant. He met a good teacher and learned excellent martial arts skills. Later, he also went to sea with a ship and comprehended the Canglang Sword Technique at sea. He once fought with Zheng Longwang and the two were evenly matched.

He originally had three disciples, but unfortunately, all three met with accidents. Seeing that his unique skills were about to be lost, he heard that his friend Li Donglin was going to publicly accept disciples, and they immediately agreed.

Duan Xiaoliu memorized all this information and became even more convinced of it.

As he drew closer to Qingfeng City, he encountered more and more fellow travelers, some in groups of three or five, some in pairs, and some alone like him.

He had a hunch that these people, like him, were probably planning to become his disciples. Because, like him, they were very wary.

They both secretly considered each other as potential competitors.

Of course, not everyone was like him. Some even struck up a conversation with him, saying, "Young man, are you also going to Qingfeng City? If it's on the same route, we can travel together, it'll be good to have company."

Duan Xiaoliu naturally refused.

……

And so, after twenty-five days, Duan Xiaoliu finally arrived at the legendary Qingfeng City. This supposedly very prosperous city was indeed very prosperous, far surpassing his small hometown.

Once he entered the city, he didn't even need to ask around. Everyone on the streets and alleys, even the beggars on the roadside, were talking about the two Rank 3 experts taking on disciples.

After Duan Xiaoliu had gathered enough information, the first thing he did was find an inn to stay in.

The room rate is outrageously expensive. It costs six qian of silver per night for a regular room. Superior rooms are even more expensive. And at this price, there's only one room left.

At this point, he has no choice but to stay, no matter how expensive it is.

Then, he took a shower, changed into new clothes, and went downstairs.

The inn was almost entirely filled with young people like him, from out of town, who had come to participate in this apprenticeship ceremony. Everyone was talking about it.

On his first day in Qingfeng City, Duan Xiaoliu fell asleep amidst excitement, trepidation, and unease.

……

The next morning, Duan Xiaoliu woke up early, ate breakfast, and headed straight for the East Gate.

He had clearly heard that the Shili Pavilion outside the East Gate, an open space by the Taijiang River, was the venue for the apprenticeship ceremony.

To participate in the apprenticeship recruitment event, you must first register. There are four days left until the registration deadline.

Four days later, the apprenticeship ceremony officially began.

When Duan Xiaoliu arrived at Shili Pavilion, he saw many sheds set up along the riverbank, with several arenas in the middle.

The registration office was located in a large shed next to the pavilion, with a large sign next to it that clearly read "Registration Office".

There were already quite a few people queuing up in front of the pavilion.

Duan Xiaoliu quickly joined the queue. At this time, it was not yet fully light, and the people inside the pavilion had not yet arrived.

This wait lasted for an hour.

What was originally a line of seven or eight people has now grown into a long queue, with an estimated fifty or sixty people.

Duan Xiaoliu's eyelids twitched; there were just too many people.

Can I really stand out from so many people and be noticed by those two Rank 3 experts?

Just then, the person in charge of registration finally arrived.

……

After waiting for quite a while, it was Duan Xiaoliu's turn. Two tall guards standing outside the shed gestured for him to go in.

Duan Xiaoliu then stepped inside. He had just witnessed them subdue and throw out two guys who tried to cut in line; they were at least eighth-rank experts.

Both guards were eighth-rank officials, so it's easy to imagine that the person inside must be a very important figure.

Inside the shed, there were only three people: a young man of about twenty with an extraordinary air about him; and two men who looked like accountants, sitting beside him writing something.

The two accountants began asking questions.

"What is your name?"

"How old?"

"Where are you?"

"What cultivation level?"

Upon hearing this question, Duan Xiaoliu lowered his head somewhat guiltily, "Nine... Ninth rank."

After the two finished asking their questions, the young man spoke up, "Come here, I'll test your strength. Only those who meet the requirements are qualified to participate in the apprenticeship ceremony."

Duan Xiaoliu hurriedly asked, "What constitutes meeting the requirements?"

The young man said, "I'll be the one to judge. Come on, try hitting me with your palm."

"this--"

Duan Xiaoliu hesitated.

"Don't waste time. If you don't dare to make a move, leave here as soon as possible."

Duan Xiaoliu steeled his resolve and unleashed a powerful palm strike.

boom!
His palm struck the other's palm squarely, and he immediately felt an irresistible force surge through him, knocking him to the ground. He felt a tightness in his chest and almost fainted.

At that moment, he heard the other person's evaluation: "Not bad, your foundation is quite solid. It is indeed a ninth-grade grade. Alright, you've passed."

Duan Xiaoliu thought he had misheard. It had passed already?
The young man said, "Don't just stand there, keep your number plate safe, 0539. Come back for the competition in four days, remember to bring this with you. They'll only be reading out the numbers."

"it is good."

Duan Xiaoliu quickly got up from the ground, took the number plate, and after leaving the shed, he ran as fast as he could until he reached a deserted place. Looking at the bamboo number plate in his hand, he grinned foolishly.

I actually passed and am able to participate in the apprentice recruitment ceremony.

This means that he has the opportunity to be taken as a disciple by a third-rank expert.

0539!

This number is great.

and many more……

Duan Xiaoliu suddenly realized that this might mean that 538 people had already passed ahead of him.
Then look at the long queue in front of the pavilion not far away.

With four days left, wouldn't there be thousands of people who get a number?
This number sent chills down his spine.

For the first time, he realized that there were so many people in the world who practiced martial arts.

……

You have defeated a level 11 enemy and gained 40 experience points.

Upon seeing this notification, Chen Ming felt no joy whatsoever.

"Another ninth-rank official."

He sighed. In the past few days, 90% of the people who came to register were rank 9, there were only about 10 rank 8 people, and even fewer rank 7 people, only 5. There wasn't a single rank 6 person.

Defeating a Rank 9 opponent only yields 40 points.

The eighth rank is one hundred points.

The seventh rank has four hundred points.

He certainly hoped that more people with higher cultivation levels would come.

Chen Ming offered advice to Feng Siyuan, helped persuade Zhao Xiyan, and painstakingly devised a competition schedule, all for this day!
Everyone who wants to participate in the apprenticeship ceremony must go through his hands.

So far, more than two thousand people have registered, half of whom are locals from Qingfeng City. He eliminated three-quarters of them.

Those who were eliminated were all those who did not meet the age requirements.

Of course, the gains over these days have been enormous, with a total of over 80,000 experience points.

Moreover, there are still four days left to register, and there will definitely be a steady stream of people coming to register. Conservatively speaking, he can gain over 100,000 experience points this time.

He couldn't help but give himself a thumbs up for his brilliant idea.

PS: Third update, please vote! I've been bombarded with so much negativity I don't even recognize my own mother anymore.

(End of this chapter)