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

Gao Da's swordsmanship, like his fists, is fierce and domineering; with just one strike, he can knock his opponent off the stage.

He carried the knife and returned to Zhou Yuan's side with a relaxed expression.

"Have you made up your mind?"

He whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Considering the Zhuo family's vast wealth, two thousand taels is really not much. I'm just earning a little bit of hard-earned money."

Zhou Yuan shook his head and didn't say anything.

Even if the Zhuo family had no connection to him, he would never do something like paying someone to kill someone.

Isn't this handing over leverage to others?

If you want to cripple Qin Wu, can't you just do it yourself?

Two thousand taels of silver! He wanted to earn that much money.

Besides, this is the county-level martial arts examination. If he does something untoward here and it gets exposed, he might not live long.

Zhou Yuan was already starting to regret his earlier promise to buy Gao Da's surrender with money.

To put it bluntly, this is cheating in the imperial examinations. Being stripped of his martial arts qualification would be the least of his worries. If someone had instigated it, this crime alone would have been enough to lead to his family being wiped out and his entire clan being exterminated.

Although he has some martial prowess now, what is it compared to the state apparatus? Even someone as strong as Xu Nian was eventually beaten to death in the mountains.

"As the saying goes, 'A man who is ruthless cannot stand.' You may not dare to make a move, but they want to kill you..."

Despite his burly appearance, the Gundam-like figure turned out to be quite talkative.

Zhou Yuan was getting annoyed by the nagging when the clerk called out his number.

"It's my turn to go on stage."

Zhou Yuan threw down a sentence, picked up his weapon hammer, and ran towards the arena, looking somewhat like he was fleeing in panic.

Gao Da looked at Zhou Yuan's retreating figure with a regretful expression.

What a great opportunity! If Zhou Yuan agrees, he'll never have to worry about anything for the rest of his life.

…………

In the first weapon duel, the opponent was a burly man wielding a staff that reached his eyebrows.

Upon seeing Zhou Yuan take the stage, a hint of apprehension appeared on his face.

Zhou Yuan performed exceptionally well in the first two rounds of the exam. He knew he was unlucky, as he encountered a formidable opponent in the very first round.

The main problem is that the opponent is using a hammer, so my staff won't give me any advantage.

He took a deep breath, composed himself, and cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "Madman Ma Sanjiang, it's a pleasure to meet you!"

"Zhou Yuan, the blacksmith, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Zhou Yuan held the weapon hammer upside down and returned the greeting with a cupped hand.

Li Lin had explained to him the unique skills of various martial arts schools in Gaoshan County, and he had a very high opinion of the Mad Demon Stick.

Zhou Yuan dared not underestimate his opponent and assumed a defensive stance, holding his weapon hammer.

Knowing Zhou Yuan's prowess, Ma Sanjiang dared not be arrogant. He shouted and made the first move.

He thrust his staff out like a spear, followed by a continuous barrage of staff techniques like a whirlwind, combining sweeping and slashing strikes. Anyone caught in his attack would be met with a relentless barrage of blows.

Zhou Yuan remained calm, wielding a weapon hammer weighing over twenty pounds, yet his movements were as agile as a monkey, and with a light leap, he evaded the incoming blow.

He twisted his waist, and with the force of wind and thunder, the hammer struck straight at the opponent's chest and ribs.

clang!

The hammer and the staff clashed together, producing a crisp metallic clang.

Ma Sanjiang squatted down, plowed the ground with his feet, and slid back several steps, feeling that half of his body was numb.

No sooner said than done.

The weapon hammer in Zhou Yuan's hand transformed into a raging storm.

Amidst the pattering sound of raindrops on banana leaves, Ma Sanjiang couldn't find a chance to counterattack and could only passively defend, constantly retreating and struggling to stay afloat.

Click!

The staff, held at eyebrow level, snapped in two.

The fist-sized hammerhead of the weapon stopped precisely on Ma Sanjiang's shoulder.

Ma Sanjiang's face was deathly pale, and his forehead was covered in large beads of cold sweat.

If that hammer blow lands, his shoulder will surely be smashed to pieces.

At that point, let alone continuing to participate in the county-level martial arts examination, it's uncertain whether practicing martial arts will be affected after recovery.

"Thank you for showing mercy."

Ma Sanjiang raised his hand in surrender, his voice trembling.

Zhou Yuan cupped his hands in greeting, picked up his weapon hammer, and walked off the stage with a calm expression.

Although swords and blades have no eyes, this is just a test, and there is no need to kill everyone.

But some people don't think that way.

While waiting for the next match, Zhou Yuan also watched other people's matches.

He witnessed a man having his arm severed and another man having his abdomen pierced by a spear.

Although the county arranged for doctors to be on standby to provide assistance at any time, swords and spears have no eyes, and many times the person is beyond saving before the doctors even arrive.

This is the cruel reality of martial arts competitions: if you don't have the skills, don't even bother participating.

Otherwise, you will be responsible for your own life and death.

The martial arts examination is different from the civil service examination. Martial arts are born for killing. Before participating in the county-level martial arts examination, all candidates have signed a life-or-death waiver.

Every step on the road to success is stained with blood.

Zhou Yuan then went through two more battles.

Fortunately, his hammer technique was stronger than his fist technique, so even though his opponent had become stronger, he still managed to get through.

However, during the third fight, he couldn't stop and broke several of his opponent's ribs.

Those who can participate in the county-level martial arts examination are all experts from various fields, and Zhou Yuan's strength has not yet reached the level where he can handle it with ease.

As more and more candidates withdrew from the third round of assessment, those remaining were all experienced and highly skilled experts.

Zhou Yuan began to calculate in his mind that if he could win two or three more matches, his chances of passing the county examination would be much greater, and he could then give up the last few matches.

Weapon combat is different from hand-to-hand combat; the danger factor is greatly increased, so there is no need for him to fight all ten matches.

In the fourth match, Zhou Yuan's good luck ran out, and he drew an old rival, Wang Chao, the young master of the Wang family, one of the powerful clans in Gaoshan County.

In the second round of the fist and foot test, Zhou Yuan encountered his opponent once, and he conceded defeat after a few moves.

"What a coincidence, we've run into each other again?"

Wang Chao looked at Zhou Yuan with a hint of surprise on his face. He glanced thoughtfully at the direction of the drawing of lots, as if he understood something, and a cold smile appeared on his lips.

"I've long heard that the White Ape Cloak Hammer comes from the Divine Weapon Valley, and I've been wanting to test its power for a while now. Take this!"

Wang Chao's gaze returned to Zhou Yuan, and he gave a soft shout. With a flick of his wrist, his longsword was drawn and thrust towards Wang Chao.

Zhou Yuan knew that Wang Chao was a formidable opponent, so he dared not be careless and swung his hammer.

clang!

With a crisp sound, Zhou Yuan felt the hammer float lightly without any force.

Wang Chao's seemingly swift and fierce sword strike actually lacked any force whatsoever!

The moment the hammer and sword clashed, Wang Chao's body floated backward like a falling leaf, landing lightly off the stage.

"The White Ape Cloak Hammer lives up to its name; I've lost."

He sheathed his sword and turned to leave decisively.

Zhou Yuan and the clerk on the platform were both stunned for a moment.

Among the crowd below the stage, several faces turned extremely ugly.

"Has Wang Chao gone mad? Every missing red circle diminishes his chances of winning!"

"Gao Da is greedy, and Wang Chao is hot-tempered, yet they couldn't cripple Zhou Yuan. Damn it, are we really going to let him get through?"

"Hmph, even if Gao Da and Wang Chao don't make a move, there's still one person who will definitely not hold back. They're from the same school, so their fight is sure to be spectacular."

The whispers turned into laughter, a laughter filled with smugness and malice.

…………

Zhou Yuan drew the number for the fifth match, number thirteen on the Wu-character arena.

He glanced at the draw results already posted on the wall; his next opponent was Yuan Qingfeng.