Supreme Martial Venerable: Starting with the White Ape Cloak Hammer skill point allocation

Zhou Yuan lifted the massive cauldron weighing a thousand pounds above his head with both hands, leaning his body slightly backward, causing the blue bricks beneath his feet to sink several inches.

Everyone in the room held their breath, silently counting down the time.

Zhou Yuan's body swayed slightly, as if he might collapse at any moment.

Take a breath.

Two breaths.

Three breaths.

Time seemed to slow down, and some female candidates even covered their mouths, afraid of making a sound.

A young man from a family of artisans actually lifted a giant cauldron weighing a thousand pounds.

That slightly thin yet powerful figure is deeply imprinted in everyone's mind, and it's likely that they won't be able to forget it for a long time.

"Eight breaths!"

Someone shouted something.

Then countless people shouted in unison.

"Nine breaths!"

"Ten breaths!"

"Time is up!"

Even the clerk recording the results shouted excitedly.

Lifting a thousand-pound cauldron is not unusual; what is unusual is that the person who lifted it was a blacksmith!

Boom!

The massive cauldron, weighing a thousand pounds, fell heavily, and Zhou Yuan's forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat.

Zhou Yuan bowed to the clerk and then walked steadily down the stage.

The candidates reacted in different ways among the crowd.

Some were amazed, some were envious, and some were filled with jealousy.

Some scions of powerful and wealthy families showed unfriendly expressions.

For many, passing the martial arts examination is a certainty; their goal is to strive for a better ranking, especially the top spot.

Rankings mean resources and benefits. Now that a nobody has jumped out to compete with them, how can they agree to it?

Zhou Yuan felt a sense of helplessness as he sensed the malicious gazes directed at him.

As the saying goes, "the nail that sticks out gets hammered down." He lifted the massive cauldron, but inevitably attracted the attention of many.

He knew from his past life that if a person has not experienced the wickedness of human nature, it only means that he is doing very poorly.

If you want to stand out, you will inevitably touch the interests of some people, which will lead to endless spying and suppression.

"Before entering the arena, Master Li reminded me that I must do my best to get a good ranking, otherwise even with the Jade Blade, I might not be able to get into the Divine Weapon Valley."

Zhou Yuan recalled what had happened at Li Lin's residence the previous night.

Li Lin confided in him that the reason Pang Yunlong and Feiyun Martial Arts School were targeting Li Lin was twofold: firstly, to seize Li Lin's assets, and secondly, to obtain the Jade Knife from Li Lin.

That jade knife was made by a powerful figure from the Divine Weapon Valley. The Pang family now wants to win over that powerful figure, so they need to use the jade knife to do something.

Li Lin explicitly told Zhou Yuan that as long as Zhou Yuan could achieve a good ranking in the county-level martial arts examination, he would use the Jade Blade to try to get Zhou Yuan into the tutelage of that important figure.

If Zhou Yuan could truly become that important figure's disciple, he would be able to rise to the top in one step and completely escape from this quagmire.

At that time, even Pang Yunlong would have to show him some respect.

More importantly, by becoming a disciple of a renowned master, his chances of passing the martial arts examination in the future will be much greater.

"Coming from a poor background, I have very little room for error. When an opportunity is presented to me, I can't get it without taking some risks."

Besides, even if I don't fight back, do you think they'll let me off the hook?

"I'm in the same boat as Master Li. If Master Li's boat capsizes, I'll likely be affected as well."

Zhou Yuan gradually calmed down. Since he had no other choice, he could only face the challenge head-on.

The first exam is still ongoing, with top talents emerging in droves.

The massive bronze cauldron, weighing a thousand pounds, was lifted up by several more people.

One of the candidates who had reached the pinnacle of the Body Refinement stage even carried a massive cauldron weighing a thousand pounds around the arena, drawing gasps of amazement from the other candidates.

Because of this person's appearance, Zhou Yuan didn't stand out as much in comparison.

This also eased Zhou Yuan's anxiety a little.

The county-level martial arts examination was conducted in a closed environment, and no one was allowed to leave the examination grounds until the examination was completed.

By evening, all the candidates had completed the first assessment.

The people gathered in twos and threes and began to eat and sleep.

This is when the differences between the test takers became apparent.

Some candidates ate meat and lived in tents, while others could only eat dry biscuits and sleep on the ground.

Zhou Yuan was the type who ate meat and slept on the floor. Although he wasn't the worst, he couldn't compare to the sons of wealthy families.

Cheng Jiuhe had invited him to stay in his tent, but Zhou Yuan declined.

The Wuke County Examination is a very important event for everyone, and he didn't want to affect Cheng Jiuhe.

Silent all night.

The second exam began the following day.

"The second round is a fistfight, and each person needs to participate in ten matches."

Cheng Jiuhe stood next to Zhou Yuan and whispered, "You already have an advantage in the first round. As long as your performance in this round isn't too bad, your chances of being selected are very high."

The most important thing is to avoid getting injured, otherwise you'll suffer in the third round.

If you feel you are no match for your opponent, admitting defeat is a good option.

Cheng Jiuhe was worried that Zhou Yuan was a naive young man who was participating in the Wuke County Examination for the first time.

Wu Kebi possessed not only strength but also strategy.

The ten competitions were held almost continuously, and deciding which ones to choose was also part of the assessment.

Aside from those geniuses whose strength far surpasses that of ordinary candidates, very few people can actually complete ten matches.

In theory, winning five games would give you a good chance of getting into high school, and winning six games would be considered quite outstanding.

"I see."

Zhou Yuan nodded.

He knew that from the second round onwards, the variables and dangers would become extremely great.

In real combat, injuries are inevitable, and once injured, it means that the next real combat will be even more difficult.

Soon, the chief examiner arrived, the war drums sounded, and the test began with fistfights and kicks.

Zhou Yuan lined up and drew his number. Cheng Jiuhe came over to take a look, and his expression changed instantly.

"How could I be so unlucky? I ran into him in the very first match?"

Cheng Jiuhe said in a low voice.

"Who did you meet?"

Zhou Yuan asked in a deep voice.

"Thunderbolt Martial Arts School, Gundam"

Cheng Jiuhe said, "I just saw it. He drew number 18, just like you."

Gao Da's Five Thunder Palm technique is incredibly powerful and unparalleled, rarely matched even in the Flesh Refining Realm.

Some busybodies have ranked this year's test takers, and Gao Da is a top contender for the top spot.

The top scorer is the one who comes first in the county-level examination.

To stand out among thousands of candidates speaks volumes about one's ability.

This guy was also one of the people who lifted the giant cauldron weighing thousands of pounds yesterday.

Zhou Yuan frowned almost imperceptibly. Yesterday, fewer than ten people lifted the thousand-pound cauldron. What a coincidence that he encountered one in the very first round.

A sense of foreboding welled up in his heart. He had just made a name for himself yesterday, and now he was facing a backlash?

There must be a demon in the abnormal situation.

It's difficult to rig the county-level military examination, but it's not impossible. Influencing the order of the draw is not a difficult task for some people.

"Yuanzi, you might as well just admit defeat in this first match. There are still ten matches to go. It's not worth it to go head-to-head with Gundam. If you get injured, it'll be troublesome later."

Cheng Jiuhe advised in a low voice.

"Senior Brother Cheng, I'd like to give it a try. If I'm no match for you, I'll admit defeat as soon as possible."

Zhou Yuan said in a deep voice, "He can admit defeat in one game, but can he admit defeat in every game?"

If you try to stop him from taking the lead, then you can't blame him for fighting desperately.

…………