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

Even with Li Lin's promise, Zhou Yuan never actually considered vying for the top spot in the county examination.

As long as he makes it into the top fifty, he'll be a martial arts scholar. Although there are differences in ranking, it's not worth risking his life for.

His original plan was simply to secure a spot in the finals and improve his ranking as much as possible; he had no intention of blocking anyone's path.

But the reality is that things don't always go the way he thinks. He may feel that he's not blocking anyone's way, but others may not see it that way.

Just then, the second round of the competition began.

The people on stage were giving it their all, pulling out all the stops to win a ranking.

After just four or five matches, one person was seriously injured on the spot and had to be carried out on a stretcher. It's hard to say whether he will be able to participate in subsequent matches or even be left with a disability.

Zhou Yuan's mood grew increasingly heavy.

"Zhou Yuan?"

Suddenly, a person strolled up to him, staring at the ring, and said softly as if he wasn't even looking at him.

Zhou Yuan glanced at the other party. There were many martial arts experts gathered there, and there were quite a few people who were good at making friends everywhere.

Moreover, some people participate in martial arts training programs with the aim of discovering promising talents and recruiting them in advance.

Zhou Yuan assumed the other party was also trying to recruit him, and although he wasn't particularly interested, he wouldn't be cold to them.

"It is indeed I," he said, cupping his hands in a respectful but not arrogant manner.

"I am Gundam."

The other person kept his eyes straight ahead, seemingly watching the competition on the stage intently, and said softly, "Someone paid me two hundred taels of silver to break your legs. If you can afford a higher price, I can concede this match."

Zhou Yuan: "..."

His expression suddenly became somewhat strange.

He suspected that the draw had been rigged, since the chances of two people capable of lifting a thousand-pound cauldron meeting in the first match were extremely slim.

Now Gao Da himself has admitted that he was right, that there are indeed people who don't like him.

The question is, what's going on with Gundam?

I'm all prepared to fight tooth and nail, and you're telling me I can get things done just by spending money?

"I heard that you married the daughter of the Zhuo family. You're like a toad that has eaten swan meat. The Zhuo family is extremely wealthy, so a few hundred taels of silver shouldn't be much for you."

Gao Da continued in a low voice, "If I really get on stage, although I don't like being used, I won't hold back."

"Spending a few hundred taels of silver to secure a future is not a bad deal."

Gundam's tone was full of confidence, as if he was certain of winning as long as he stepped onto the stage.

It's not surprising that he's so confident. He had already reached the Great Perfection of the Body Refining Realm two years ago, and he had been honing his martial arts skills for the past two years. He was only one step away from breaking through to the third level.

Looking across Gaoshan County, there are very few martial artists at the Refining Body Realm who can defeat him.

"Even being a kept man is still food; being able to do it is a skill, nothing to be ashamed of."

Gao Da continued, "If I had your face, I'd want to be a kept man."

"Three hundred taels?"

Zhou Yuan didn't explain, but asked tentatively.

"Five hundred, you're eating meat, but you should at least let your brother have some soup, shouldn't you? This is the county-level martial arts examination!"

Gao Da spoke with righteous indignation.

"Three hundred and fifty, if it's more than that, we'll go up on stage and give it a shot."

Zhou Yuan said.

"They say the richer you are, the stingier you become. Oh well, three hundred and fifty it is."

Gao Da shook his head and sighed, then walked silently to the other side. Everyone assumed he was dissatisfied with the two people competing on the stage.

No one knew that he and Zhou Yuan had already completed a deal in just a few words.

Looking at the giant robot that had walked to the other side of the arena, Zhou Yuan felt extremely strange.

Such a cruel and serious military examination at the county level—

Many people strive with all their might to make a name for themselves in the county-level martial arts examination, but Gao Da turned the county-level martial arts examination into a business.

However, to be fair, Gundam is exceptionally strong, and even if he concedes a match, he can still maintain a steady lead.

If others don't have this ability, then naturally you have to go all out and fight for every single match.

"The county-level martial arts examination is brutal; a single victory can elevate your ranking by several places. Surely Master Li can afford the three hundred and fifty taels of silver?"

Zhou Yuan pondered to himself.

If money can solve the problem, then there's no need to risk your life or expose your strength.

Although he couldn't come up with 350 taels of silver, he still had Li Lin, right?

The better Li Lin's performance in the county-level martial arts exam, the more confident he would be in fighting against Pang Yunlong, Lin Jingsheng, and the others.

"Two hundred taels of silver can buy out a person's future..."

A fierce glint flashed in Zhou Yuan's eyes. If the person the other party had hired wasn't the greedy Gundam, if his leg really had been broken—

Zhou Yuan felt a chill run down his spine just thinking about the consequences.

Although he didn't know who the other person was, he had already made a mental note of them.

No sooner said than done.

After several more matches, it was Zhou Yuan and Gao Da's turn to compete.

Gao Da nimbly leaped onto the arena, smiling broadly as he cupped his hands in greeting to the four directions.

Zhou Yuan then walked up the steps to the arena.

The clerk verified the identities of both parties and then called out "Begin".

Gao Da roared and stomped his foot on the ground, charging forward like a running bear.

He was extremely fast and his momentum was astonishing.

The audience couldn't help but secretly admire it, thinking, "No wonder it's a Gundam!"

They all looked at Zhou Yuan with sympathy, silently mourning for him.

It's uncertain how many moves Yuan can withstand against Gundam this week.

Among the crowd, several faces couldn't help but reveal expressions of smugness and glee.

Zhou Yuan remained expressionless, raised his hand and assumed the starting stance of the White Ape Tongbei Fist, one hand lifting up and the other pressing down. In the blink of an eye, he unleashed a strike.

boom!

The fist and palm collided, producing a dull thud as flesh struck flesh.

"What powerful force! Ouch!"

Gao Da let out an exaggerated shout, and as if he were drunk, he staggered backward and fell off the stage with a thud after a few steps.

"...?!"

Everyone in the audience was stunned.

Gundam, the favorite to win the championship, was knocked off the stage by Zhou Yuan in one move?

"Brother Zhou, you are truly skilled. I am humbled and admit my inferiority. Let's get to know each other better after the county examination."

Gao Da stood below the arena and bowed, saying...

Zhou Yuan understood that the other party was reminding him to pay.

Seeing that the clerk had recovered from his shock and drew a red circle after his name, Zhou Yuan cupped his hands in greeting and walked off the stage step by step.

A chaotic murmur of discussion then erupted from the crowd.

"A dark horse, an absolute dark horse! He knocked Gundam off the stage in a single move. What kind of strength is that?"

"I never imagined that the White Ape Tongbei Fist would be so powerful, able to defeat Gundam. Zhou Yuan's victory is assured, and he might even be able to compete with those guys for the top spot."

"The White Ape Tongbei Fist is, after all, a martial art originating from the Divine Weapon Valley. Although it is not a top-tier martial art, it is still far superior to ordinary fist techniques."

…………

The murmurs and discussions erupted like boiling water.

Zhou Yuan returned to the stage, waiting for the draw for the second match while carefully observing the other matches. This was a rare opportunity to witness the different styles of boxing.

The next nine games will probably not be as easy as this one.

…………