In chaotic times, one can become a martial immortal.

Spring of the thirty-second year of Yongsheng.

On February , the dragon looked up.

The vast training ground was bustling with noise.

Today is the most important day for the many martial artists in Qinghe County.

It was the day the martial arts exam was about to begin.

If one can pass the exam today, one will gain official rank and fame, thus transcending social classes, enjoying numerous privileges, and rising above ordinary people.

However, although anyone who becomes a true Ming Jin martial artist and is under thirty years old is qualified to participate in the martial arts examination, almost every time the examination is held, Ming Jin martial artists are just there to make up the numbers.

Even most of the martial artists with internal strength only come to make a brief appearance, broaden their horizons, and accumulate some experience for the next martial arts competition.

Most importantly, there are casualties in every martial arts academy.

Therefore, if one's cultivation level is insufficient, not only will one be unable to pass the martial arts exam, but one may also be injured or even lose one's life.

Even so, it still attracts almost all eligible young martial artists.

Several officials were already seated on the command platform directly in front of them.

Below are some officials who are registering information and issuing number plates.

"Brother Fang, I heard that many top-notch geniuses will be participating in this year's martial arts competition. Among them, two are particularly famous: Chu Jun from Lieyang Martial Arts School and Xu Lin from Sanhe Martial Arts School. They are also the most popular candidates for this year's martial arts champion!"

Among the crowd, the members of Song Academy gathered in one place, and someone spoke to Fang Chang.

"If I could have the backing of the Lieyang Martial Arts School and the Sanhe Martial Arts School, how could I be weaker than them?"

Fang Chang frowned slightly, his eyes filled with resentment.

Both being top-tier geniuses with exceptional talent, if he were to receive the full support of the Lieyang Martial Arts Academy or the Sanhe Martial Arts Academy, his achievements would undoubtedly surpass them.

He had always thought that being chosen by Song Tingwei, not only allowing him to enter the Song Academy to practice martial arts, but also becoming a personal disciple of the inner academy, was his great fortune. But now, it seems that Song Tingwei had held him back.

Gold always shines. With his natural talent, even if Song Tingwei didn't take notice of him, he could still find other ways to enter the martial arts world, or even directly enter the Lieyang Martial Arts School or the Sanhe Martial Arts School.

In that case, his achievements would certainly far surpass his current level, and it would be entirely possible for him to even reach the entry-level or even the true entry-level.

He now realizes how ridiculous it was that he had always considered inheriting the Song Academy as his goal.

His goal should not be limited to the small Song Academy, but should be set on the entire Qinghe County, and even the prefectural city, which is the vast world where he can truly strive and fight.

"Brother Hong, are you confident about today?"

At this moment, Chen Pi also asked Hong Lei a question.

"Although I have already broken through to the Transformation Realm, the difficulty of this martial arts exam is said to be the highest in many years. I can only do my best. If I really can't pass, I'll wait until next year."

Hong Lei smiled, then said to Chen Pi, "You don't need to have too high expectations. Although you have already reached the Ming Jin level and are qualified to participate in the martial arts examination, it is almost impossible for you to pass the exam and be on the list."

"Brother Hong, I understand!"

Chen Pi smiled and nodded. He hadn't expected to pass the exam on his first try; he just wanted to broaden his horizons and gain experience for the future.

Anyway, he's still young. Even if the martial arts exam is only held once every three years, he can still take it four more times.

"Do you think Lu Yuan might come today too?"

At this moment, Chen Yong in the group suddenly spoke up.

Although he had long since given up his obsession with beating Lu Yuan, for some reason, he suddenly thought of the guy who had taken third place from him twice in a row.

"He left Song Academy more than two months ago and is probably struggling to make a living now. Even if he hasn't completely given up, he probably hasn't even reached the threshold of Ming Jin. How could he possibly participate in such a grand event as the Martial Arts Competition?"

"We studied diligently at Song Academy for over two months before finally achieving the Ming Jin level. Even after he returned home, he continued to practice alone. How could he possibly compare to us?"

Although most of the martial arts students of Song Academy have never seen Lu Yuan, there are still a few old men like Gu Ming who remember him.

However, in their eyes, Lu Yuan, who had been away for more than two months, was probably no longer on the same level as them.

Although they were just there to join in the fun, not everyone can join in this kind of fun.

"I still remember that A-Yuan entered Song Academy side by side with Fang Chang. Now Fang Chang is a master of the Transformation Realm, while A-Yuan has faded into obscurity. How unpredictable life is!"

Chen Pi couldn't help but sigh inwardly, then turned to look at Fang Chang, who had an arrogant expression.

In this person's mind, Lu Yuan is probably no longer worthy of being associated with him.

As time went on, more and more people gathered in the training ground.

There were burly, muscular young men.

There are also beautiful and heroic women.

There were also wealthy young men dressed in fine clothes and with an elegant demeanor.

In short, those who can come here are at least young geniuses who have reached the Ming Jin level.

However, the hidden strength and even the transformative strength within it are at most only one or two tenths.

This is not surprising. For most people, as long as they work hard and have some resources to help them, it is not difficult to reach the Ming Jin level.

However, developing hidden strength or even transformative strength requires not only a solid foundation but also the accumulation of resources.

This is why those who possess hidden strength and even transformative strength are either from wealthy families, have received financial assistance from rich households, or are true geniuses who have directly joined the Sanhe Martial Arts School and Lieyang Martial Arts School.

After all, even if a genius born into poverty has excellent aptitude, it is difficult for them to have sufficient resources to support them, and their growth rate is far slower than that of children from wealthy families.

Not to mention top-tier resources like precious medicines, exotic beast meat, and blood essence pills, even high-level resources like qi and blood pills and rejuvenation pills are simply unaffordable for ordinary martial artists.

Even if they were to take up a temporary post or even go to the martial arts arena to earn some money by risking their lives, they could barely make ends meet by covering their expenses on meat and medicinal soup.

Of these people, only a handful, perhaps very few, have managed to stand out and pass the exam today.

At that moment, a group of more than twenty people parted the crowd and walked over.

"See? They all seem to be geniuses sponsored by Guangchuntang. Guangchuntang is backed by the Zhou family. It is said that they can not only eat meat without limit at every meal, but also have large amounts of meat and medicinal soup to supplement their diet. Now they have almost all entered the Dark Force realm."

Gu Ming and the others looked at the twenty or so people with envy.

"Lu Yuan!?"

Suddenly, Chen Pi couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, looking at one of them with an incredulous gaze.

"It really is him?! How is that possible?"

Gu Ming, Chen Yong, and the others were also stunned, their faces filled with disbelief.

"Ah Yuan... he actually received funding from Guangchuntang?"

At this moment, Fang Chang stared intently at Lu Yuan with an extremely complex expression.

He was filled with doubt. Even Song Tingwei looked down on Lu Yuan's potential, so what exactly did Guangchuntang and the Zhou family see in Lu Yuan?

……