Starting from the pharmacy, he grew into a martial saint among men.

"Father, there's news about the martial arts exam!"

At the Qin family residence, Qin Feng strode into the courtyard, waving a notice, his face revealing his urgency.

Qin Ruhai was practicing martial arts. Upon seeing this, he stopped his stance, took a towel to wipe his sweat, and said:

"How is it? Any changes?"

Qin Feng hurriedly handed over the notice and explained:

"A notice from the county government: This year's martial arts examination will undergo a major overhaul; the previous competition format will no longer be used!"

Qin Ruhai frowned, took the notification, glanced at it, and then looked puzzled.

He tapped the pages and began somewhat uncertainly:

"Does the county government mean to cancel the martial arts competition this year and instead throw the martial arts candidates into the deep mountains for three days? What kind of comprehensive ability are they testing?"

"That's exactly it!" Qin Feng pointed to the text at the end, "You also need to win identity tokens, and the final ranking and honors will be determined by the number of identity tokens you have."

"Hmm~" Qin Ruhai frowned immediately.

Only three martial artists from the Qin family registered for the martial arts exam this year.

However, his own son Qin Feng's internal strength was built up through the use of elixirs.

In other words, Qin Feng is just a pretty face, easily broken.

If it were a tournament format, as long as the Qin family spent some resources, negotiated with other families, and bribed strong opponents, they could always secure a title for Qin Feng.

But this model is no longer viable.

Qin Ruhai pondered for a moment, then asked, "Feng'er, the county government also said there was nothing there. Where is this so-called deep mountain, and how was it arranged?"

These details were not specified in the notice.

But Qin Feng had already gathered the relevant information.

He nodded and explained, "I heard it's at Canglang Mountain outside the city. We saw the Yunxi Army set off early this morning."

"I heard it's to set up the martial arts training grounds, but I also heard that monsters and beasts will stay behind as tests."

At this point, Qin Feng's tone was filled with panic.

"Father, what should we do? If this continues, let alone achieving fame and fortune, I'm afraid I won't even be able to survive."

Qin Feng was well aware of his own situation; he was not diligent in martial arts practice and had never stayed in the deep mountains.

Going to the deep mountains would be suicide, let alone achieving fame and fortune.

Qin Ruhai pondered for a moment, then lightly tapped the stone table with his fingertips and said calmly, "What's the panic? Although the mode has changed, the core remains the same."

"Throwing them all into the mountains will give us a greater chance of gaining fame and fortune."

"What?!" Qin Feng's eyes lit up, anticipating Qin Ruhai's next words.

Qin Ruhai pointed to the notice and explained:

"In the ring, it's a one-on-one battle, but now we can team up."

"As long as we recruit some skilled fighters to protect you..."

After Qin Ruhai's prompting, Qin Feng immediately realized what was going on.

Yes!

There are no rules or restrictions in the notice.

If they bribe more candidates, they can protect them during the martial arts exam, and at the end of the exam, they can even give them their identity tokens to improve their ranking.

With such methods, wouldn't obtaining fame and fortune be an easy task?

In an instant, a look of relief appeared on Qin Feng's face.

"Alright, now let's hurry up and recruit people. We must beat other families and forces to it and win over as many people as possible!"

"Qin Feng, you wait until next year. This time, let's let Ru Fei get his degree first!" Qin Lin, who had just barged in, hurriedly said.

Compared to Qin Feng, Qin Lin hoped that her lover, Xiang Rufei, would achieve fame and success.

Because Xiang Rufei has the ability, and with this method, he has a greater chance of getting a spot than Qin Feng.

Only when Xiang Rufei achieves fame and success will her status rise accordingly, and she will no longer be looked down upon.

Qin Feng's face stiffened.

To be honest, he didn't want to give up this good opportunity, but seeing Qin Lin's resolute attitude, he had no choice but to turn to Qin Ruhai:

"Father, what do you think?"

Qin Ruhai pondered for a few moments, then fixed his gaze on Qin Lin and said in an unquestionable tone:

"I can help him, but his marriage to Lin'er must be arranged immediately."

"Feng'er, go find Xiang Rufei and come over. Let's discuss the marriage arrangements first."

"However, we can't give up on Feng'er. I'll ask the sect for some more financial support..."

Similar dialogues are playing out among various factions in Yunxi County.

Everyone was smart enough to find the loophole in the martial arts technique in no time.

Although everyone knows that the final rules may change slightly, they all feel that there won't be too many restrictions.

In an instant, a frenzy of recruitment, alliances, bribery, and transactions swept through the city.

The candidates who signed up for the martial arts exam suddenly became highly sought-after.

Some martial arts practitioners, especially those with the Ming Jin skill, even signed up in advance, intending to profit from it.

Only Chu Hong refused to let the visiting forces in.

He stayed at home, focusing solely on his spiritual practice.

Of course, after learning that the martial arts training would take place at Canglang Mountain, Chu Hong also had his own ideas.

When he returned home, he learned from his father, Chu Jianghe, how to identify herbs and memorize their properties.

He then secretly went to the Hundred Herbs Pavilion and obtained a detailed map of the area from the pavilion master, imprinting the terrain of Canglang Mountain in his mind.

The day before the martial arts exam.

Chu Hong stood shirtless, his arms taut.

He picked up a small knife and slashed it hard at his arm.

With a "clang!" the knife flew away, its blade cracking.

Chu Hong's arms, however, were exceptionally smooth, without even a white mark.

He didn't stop. He picked up another small knife, channeled his inner energy into the blade, and slashed at his arm.

"Sizzle!"

Chu Hong's arm was only slightly broken, and not a drop of blood seeped out.

"With this layer of protection, I am no longer afraid of danger in the deep mountains."

Chu Hong exhaled a breath of stale air and opened the panel.

Heaven rewards diligence.

[Effect: Reflecting on all methods, diligent study and practice will surely yield results!]

【Hun Yuan Zhuang (Da Cheng) 3026/4000】

【Nine-Forged Fist (Mastery) 2313/4000】

【Swift Step (Mastery) 13/4000】

【Cold-light legs (Minor achievement) 243/2000】

【Void Palm (Beginner) 759/1000】

Iron Body Skill (Minor Success) 359/1000

At this moment, Chu Hong had mastered the Swift Wind Step, his movements were so swift that only a few afterimages could be seen between them.

As for his meticulously honed Iron Body Kung Fu, it has already reached a certain level of proficiency.

In this martial arts test, he showed no flaws.

-----------------

"Hong'er, the deep mountains are not like a fighting arena, you must be careful."

Looking at the child in front of him, who was already extraordinary, Chu Jianghe was filled with emotion.

He was also worried about Chu Hong's safety, since the dense forests outside the county were fraught with danger, and someone like Chu Hong who had never been in the mountains before was in the most danger.

Chu Hong replied softly, "Father, don't worry."

"I am familiar with all those herbs and their medicinal properties, and I have memorized the terrain. There will be no trouble."

The mother didn't say much, but silently prepared a large table of delicious food.

They also made some dry biscuits and stuffed them into Chu Hong's luggage.

Silent all night.

The following day, a temporary gathering place was set up outside the county town.

Many forces had already arrived and filled the temporary gathering place to the brim.

When Chu Hong arrived, Song Qingshan and Shi Potian greeted him.

"Go for it, Brother Chu! You can do it!"

Song Qingshan pulled Chu Hong aside and said, "Brother Chu, you should come with our Song family so that no one will have designs on you."

As he spoke, Song Qingshan glanced at the Qin family's house a few times.

Chu Hong shook his head slightly, his tone calm, and refused again:

"Thank you for your kindness, Uncle Song, but I really don't need it."

The Pavilion Master once told Chu Hong that the original intention of the martial arts reform was to eliminate those who were merely filling in the ranks.

Therefore, he knew that martial arts was not simply a matter of changing the format.

Its inherent rules will inevitably undergo significant changes, and forming cliques is undesirable.

Otherwise, martial arts training would become a stage for powerful families and influential clans, leaving no room for the poor and lower classes to rise, and thus rendering martial arts training meaningless.

"Ha~ Pretentious hypocrite!" Qin Feng stood confidently to the side, arms crossed, and sneered.

"I hope you don't wet your pants from fright after going into the mountains!"