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

At his command, the soldiers began to move.

Each soldier approached a martial arts examinee and searched their belongings.

Standing before Chu Hong was a middle-aged man with a stern face.

He was skilled and simply patted the surface a few times.

All the items Chu Hong was carrying, including lime powder, hellfire pepper powder, and healing pills, were searched and placed in a small box for safekeeping.

The man remained expressionless, leaving Chu Hong only with dry rations, a water bottle, a tinderbox, and his short knife.

"These items will be returned to you after the martial arts exam concludes."

Chu Hong nodded, indicating his understanding.

He turned to look at the others, but was amused by the scenes unfolding before him.

Some people seemed to be on vacation, and the "guards" they recruited even brought pots and pans with them.

Some people cried and begged, clinging tightly to their big dog, claiming it was their companion and they couldn't bear to be apart from it for even a moment.

Some people even had a large number of porcelain bottles on them, filled with all sorts of elixirs.

But all of these were taken away by the soldiers.

After the collection was completed, Bear Town above spoke again:

"Remember, in the Canglang Mountain, a maximum of three people can form a team. Anyone who travels in groups of more than three for an extended period of time will be disqualified from martial arts training."

"I will be outside the mountains, watching over you at all times."

After saying that, he reached out and tapped between the seats.

A beam of cold light shot out from the center of the square, illuminating the scene of Canglang Mountain in mid-air.

Chu Hong looked closely and realized that it was a projector.

How could such a thing exist in this world?

Not only him, but even the heads of various powerful forces and the county magistrate were astonished.

Looking at the thing that had suddenly appeared, they were filled with deep doubt.

Xiong Zhen had anticipated this, and he laughed heartily:

"This is the latest product from the Heavenly Crafts Academy, and it is also a Mirage Pearl specially made by the Holy Lord for the martial arts department."

"It can perfectly recreate the scene inside Canglang Mountain before our eyes."

After saying that, he made a few simple manipulations, and the reflected scene began to divide into hundreds of small squares.

It vividly portrays the situation inside Canglang Mountain.

You can even see scenes of beasts foraging for food and birds raising their young.

This...this scene completely stunned everyone.

They knew that the Academy of Crafts would occasionally produce some strange and unusual gadgets, but they were usually not very practical.

The mirage bead before them was too magical; it could even clearly see the interior of the Azure Wolf Mountain.

Chu Hong was the most shocked.

Looking at the familiar split-screen display, his first thought was: Isn't this just a surveillance camera?

What kind of world is this?

How could they even make something like this?

He even suspected that there might be other time travelers like him among the people in the Heavenly Craft Academy.

The scene before him had a great impact on him.

In a world set in ancient times, the sudden appearance of this surveillance-like device would leave anyone stunned for a few moments.

Above, Xiong Zhen's face showed a proud expression.

Although the Tiangong Academy can be quite unreliable at times, these treasures are top-notch weapons.

Placed in the martial arts examination, it can be used to observe the candidates' movements.

If placed on the battlefield, it can also serve as a warning for combat readiness.

The only downside is the battery life; it only lasts for four days. Otherwise, it would be a powerful tool for monitoring the entire country.

After a moment, he composed himself, his proud expression hardening, and calmly gave the order:

"Next, distribute identification tags and appeal letters."

"Remember, if your ID tag is lost or stolen, you are eliminated."

"If you encounter a life-or-death crisis, or if you want to give up, you can light the fuse, and I will save you."

As Xiong Zhen gave the order, the soldiers who had been prepared beforehand each came to the examinees with a palm-sized iron plate and a small bamboo tube.

Chu Hong took the iron plate and saw that the words "Chu Hong" were already engraved on it.

The other small bamboo tube was the so-called fuse for requesting help.

With just a gentle pull, it will shoot into the sky and attract everyone's attention.

Like everyone else, Chu Hong examined it for a moment before carefully storing it deep inside his inner pocket to prevent it from falling out.

On the high platform, seeing that everyone was ready, Xiong Zhen continued:

"Next, you will split into four groups and enter Canglang Mountain. I will be waiting for you here in three days."

The top twelve who obtain the most identity tokens will receive the title of Xiucai (a scholar who passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations).

"The first winner will be awarded a martial arts manual, of their choice!"

hum~

Upon hearing this, many martial artists' eyes immediately lit up with greed.

Those who are martial artists know best how rare martial arts are.

Moreover, being in Yunxi, they were only exposed to ordinary martial arts.

The martial arts techniques are so advanced that most people have never even seen them.

Now, with a spot to choose any martial arts technique available, how could they not be excited?

Even Zhou Mingrui and his fellow martial arts students were filled with trepidation, secretly determined to win first place.

Only Chu Hong remained indifferent, showing little interest in martial arts.

It wasn't that he was arrogant, but rather that he already possessed a great many martial arts techniques.

If there were any more, there simply wouldn't be enough time to practice.

Holding onto it would be a waste; it's better to spend time perfecting the martial arts techniques you already possess before considering anything else.

Seeing Chu Hong's calm expression, Xiang Rufei thought to herself that Chu Hong must be confident that he could win first place.

Unwilling to accept defeat, a flame suddenly ignited within him.

"If I can't have it, neither can you!"

He knew he was no match for Chu Hong, but he could find a way to prevent Chu Hong from winning first place.

With the changes to the rules of the martial arts examination, many candidates are now discussing countermeasures.

Some people had already discussed it. Although they could not protect the family members at all times by working in groups of three, they could split up first and then pretend to be defeated and transfer their identity tokens when they met.

They can also act from a distance and perform their guard duties remotely.

This can be considered as fulfilling the commission.

Sure enough, for every policy from above, there's a countermeasure from below.

The martial artists adapted much faster than usual.

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

In just a short while, nearly five hundred people were divided up.

Chu Hong and Zhou Mingrui were assigned to the second group. They exchanged a glance, and both of them were filled with fighting spirit.

But both of them knew that the start of the battle was not a good time for a decisive fight.

In any case, it would be more worthwhile to wait until the very late stages of the game to engage in combat.

Chu Hong also wanted Zhou Mingrui to collect more identity tokens so that he could solve the problem once and for all.

But what excited him even more was that Qin Feng was also in the second group.

Qin Feng's provocation earlier hadn't appeased him yet, so it would be good to eliminate Qin Feng first.

Let him see if two fists can fight four hands.

Qin Feng walked ahead of Chu Hong. Feeling the gaze from behind, his body inexplicably felt a chill run down his spine.

"Hiss~"

He slowly turned his head and glanced at Chu Hong behind him.

My mind was in turmoil.

Seeing Chu Hong looking at him again, he quickly turned his head and walked forward, with two guards he had recruited following closely beside him.

Qin Feng hurriedly said, "Brothers, please be sure to help me stop Chu Hong later."

"If you can stop him and let me escape, my Qin family will reward you handsomely afterwards."

Upon hearing this, the two men's faces immediately darkened.

How could they not know Chu Hong's combat strength? How could they possibly stop him?

But upon hearing the second half of Qin Feng's sentence, the two instantly showed joy again.

They were seasoned veterans, and although they were still far inferior to Chu Hong, they were confident that if the two of them worked together, they could hold Chu Hong off for a while.

Qin Feng's words also reached Chu Hong's ears, and he lightly teased:

"Qin Feng, are you scared already? Didn't they say two fists can't beat four hands? Why don't you dare fight me head-on?"