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

He gestured around, raised his chin, and made a gesture of surveying the world:

"Now is not the time to seize fame and fortune simply by relying on personal strength."

"You don't even understand the principle that two fists can't beat four hands, so it's no wonder your fame and fortune have fallen into the wrong hands."

Chu Hong found Qin Feng's words inexplicable.

He believed he hadn't provoked the Qin family since the annulment of the engagement, so why was the other party deliberately provoking him?

But he wasn't going to tolerate Qin Feng. He stepped forward and, like a ferocious beast ready to devour its prey, slapped Qin Feng across the face.

"With the martial arts exam just around the corner, who gave you the audacity to provoke us like this?!"

Qin Feng suddenly met Chu Hong's gaze, and his legs went weak with fright. He covered his swollen face and hurriedly retreated.

"Chu...Chu Hong, I'm sorry, I..."

He had just seen that Chu Hong was going to enter the mountain alone, while he himself had several guards by his side.

Thinking that they had the strength to outnumber Chu Hong, they decided to use their words to lecture him.

Who would have thought that Chu Hong would be so irritable and would directly resort to violence.

He was completely stunned.

"presumptuous!"

Just then, Xiang Rufei rushed over and grabbed Chu Hong's arm, trying to stop him.

Chu Hong remained calm and threw a straight punch with a flick of his left hand.

Xiang Rufei felt a chill in her heart and hastily raised her hand to defend herself.

"Bang!"

Xiang Rufei felt as if he had been struck by a heavy hammer. He staggered backward, shaking his sore and numb arm, his face filled with horror.

How is this possible? The gap between us is so huge?

Chu Hong lightly brushed the dust off his arm, not even glancing at Ru Fei, and stared coldly at Qin Feng again.

"Who gave you those instructions?"

"Chu Hong, show some mercy!" Qin Ruhai stepped forward and lowered his voice. "Feng'er was in the wrong just now. I apologize to you on his behalf."

Qin Ruhai was also in a real bind. Feng'er had inexplicably provoked others, and Xiang Rufei had failed to help him save face.

Left with no other choice, he had to personally go up and apologize.

"Brother Chu, please calm down. We'll deal with him once we get into Canglang Mountain."

Song Qingshan patted Chu Hong on the shoulder, trying to smooth things over.

He wasn't on the Qin family's side, but he couldn't let things escalate.

Who knows what the Qin family is planning?

If Chu Hong's martial arts qualification is revoked because of this conflict, then it would be a huge loss.

Chu Hong thought that made sense, withdrew his gaze, and said calmly:

"Alright, I'll let you off this time. I'll find you again at Canglang Mountain!"

He clapped his hands, without even glancing at Qin Feng.

After Chu Hong had walked away, Qin Ruhai said, "Feng'er, why did you provoke him?"

"Even if we want to target him, we should let your brother-in-law do it. Why are you getting involved?"

Qin Feng lowered his head and didn't say anything, but his hands were clenched tightly.

Before long, Chu Hong and the other candidates lined up neatly as required, waiting for inspection.

After Chu Hong stood still, he secretly sized up the martial arts candidates and estimated that there were nearly five hundred martial artists participating in the martial arts exam.

He was shocked; where did so many internal strength martial artists come from in Yunxi County?

But after looking at it again, he realized that he had been overthinking things.

Because only an upper limit was set for martial arts, but no lower limit was set.

This led to a large number of Ming Jin martial artists also participating in this year's martial arts competition.

Some came to make a profit, some came to try their luck, and some just wanted to familiarize themselves with martial arts routines in advance.

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

Time flies, and before we knew it, the sun was high in the sky.

"clang!"

The great bell rang out, its sound echoing across the surrounding fields.

An elderly figure slowly walked out from the makeshift platform.

This was an elderly man wearing a cloak, with a white face and white hair, but he was vigorous and strong.

The old man stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping over the hundreds of martial artists below. He nodded slightly and spoke:

"I am Xiong Zhen, the chief examiner for this year's martial arts examination... This year's martial arts examination..."

His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly penetrated into everyone's ears.

"The martial arts competition will be held at Canglang Mountain for three days, and rankings will be based on the number of identity tokens obtained..."

"There are three rules for this martial arts examination: First, no one may intentionally harm another; second, groups may not exceed three people; third, apart from dry rations, weapons, water bottles, and tinder, all other utensils, pills, and other items are prohibited..."

The words above only caused a slight ripple among martial artists.

The announcement of the martial arts rules caused an uproar among everyone.

Not intentionally harming anyone's life is a rule that has been in place in previous martial arts exams, and it is normal for it to continue to be followed.

But if a group consists of no more than three people, the difference becomes enormous.

Those martial artists who had already teamed up were now filled with terror.

They originally thought that with their numerical advantage, they would be invincible in the martial arts competition.

They were even confident that as long as they outnumbered their opponents, even powerful figures like Chu Hong and Zhou Mingrui would suffer a defeat at their hands.

I never expected reality to be so cruel.

As for powerful families like the Qin and Wang families, they were all shaken to their core.

They had previously invested a great deal of resources to win over a group of experts to protect their disciples, but this effort was quickly thwarted.

How can they possibly get through this?

Qin Feng, in particular, turned deathly pale upon hearing this rule.

Her desire to take revenge on Chu Hong not only vanished without a trace, but she also developed the idea that she had to avoid Chu Hong altogether.

The third rule is even more life-threatening, with extremely strict restrictions on items, including elixirs.

What if I get injured? What if I lose too much blood and energy?

Does this mean we have no choice but to give up our qualifications and slink away from the martial arts program?

All that preparation has been for nothing.

In an instant, some people couldn't stand up straight.

The head of the Wang family, his expression slightly out of control, stepped forward and shouted:

"Examiner, may I ask why these rules weren't announced beforehand? We've put in so much effort, and now they're suddenly being canceled..."

"This...this is going to sever the lineage of our family!"

As he spoke, he gestured around, hoping someone would agree with him.

Xiong Zhen glanced at him coldly, his tone icy:

"Hmph, the roots of the family? So you're allowed to gather people, manipulate martial arts, and then just fill in the ranks with incompetence?"

"The tragic situation in the north was caused by spineless family members like you. You call that the root of your family? Believe me or not, I'll tear your entire family apart."

"Furthermore, the martial arts examination requires fairness, and the formulation of these rules is proof of that. If you have any objections, you can discuss them with the Holy Emperor afterwards."

"But now, listen to me!"

His words still showed no mercy towards the old families that had been entrenched in Yunxi County for many years.

The head of the Wang family was pale and frozen in place, wanting to argue further but unable to find any reason to do so.

He turned to look at the other families and forces, only to find that they all had their heads down, showing no intention of getting involved.

"yes......"

Seeing that no one would come to his aid, the head of the Wang family had no choice but to step down.

Xiong Zhen surveyed the entire scene, his imposing aura overwhelming, his murderous intent bursting forth:

"Does anyone else have any objections? Step forward, and I will personally escort you to see the Holy Emperor."

The room fell silent; you could hear a pin drop.

Chu Hong understood.

As expected, the rules of martial arts examinations do not allow those powerful clans to gain an advantage.

Of course, we won't let him gain too much advantage.

Because of the third rule, there are also restrictions on Chu Hong.

His carefully prepared lime powder, chili powder, and healing pills were also to be taken away.

However, Chu Hong was not worried. There were plenty of medicinal herbs in the mountains, so he could just make them again.

Above, Xiong Zhen, seeing that no one had any objections, gently waved his hand and said:

"Let's go to the martial arts training ground!"

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

Even in winter, the entire Canglang Mountain remains lush and green, full of life and vitality.

Outside Canglang Mountain, on the training ground before the martial arts examination, a large group of soldiers stood silently.

The Song family, Dawei Escort Agency, and many other forces and ordinary people who came along were all arranged to watch the game in the viewing area.

Chu Hong and the other martial arts examinees were all gathered in the middle of the training ground, awaiting the next order.

Xiong Zhen took his seat in the main position on the high platform and waved his hand:

"Yunxi Army, step forward and begin the body search. Any items that should not be carried will be confiscated."

Those who fail to pay will have their martial arts exam qualification revoked.