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

"Madam, Father, Old Steward, I remember now. I had a martial arts contest with the young master of the mansion before, and we had agreed to meet again."

Now that I have this good news, I plan to make a trip to the Sleeping Dragon Mansion. Firstly, to meet with friends, and secondly, I wish to request an audience with the Mansion Master in advance, so that I may take this opportunity to pave the way for my two elder brothers' affairs.”

Qin Wu spoke solemnly to Zhuo Changqiong, Qin Lie, and the Zhuo family steward.

"But this silver—"

"The master asked me to bring a sharp weapon and three thousand taels of silver."

The steward of the Zhuo family said, "I will go and report to the master again. The family should be able to squeeze out some silver."

Although the Zhuo family is large and wealthy, they have spent a lot of money to save their two sons, and now they don't have much cash on hand.

"Saving lives is urgent, there's no time to lose. Steward, I'll accompany you to see Lord Taishan."

Qin Wu's face was filled with determination.

An hour later, Qin Wu left Gaoshan County with a silver note containing five thousand taels of silver and the weapon that Zhuo Wangsun had treasured, heading towards the prefectural city two hundred miles away.

Not long after Qin Wu left, the results of the county examination were posted.

The officials first went to the Qin family martial arts school, but upon hearing that Qin Lie was discussing matters with Zhuo Wangsun at the Zhuo residence, they quickly rode to the Zhuo residence as well.

"Congratulations, Master Zhuo! Congratulations, Master Zhuo! Your son-in-law has passed the imperial examination with top honors, ranking forty-ninth..."

"How much did you say?"

Zhuo Wangsun, who had been all smiles, froze upon hearing this.

Wasn't he supposed to be the county champion? How did he become forty-ninth?

The county examination selects fifty people in total, so isn't the forty-ninth place the second to last?

Although he also passed the imperial examination at the county level, could he be compared to the top scholar in the county?

"Not the county magistrate?"

"Master Zhuo is joking. How could we possibly make a mistake in such a matter? This year's county top scholar is surnamed Zhou, given name Yuan, and your son-in-law is surnamed Qin, given name Wu. How could we confuse them?"

The officer said with a smile.

"puff!"

A blush flashed across Zhuo Wangsun's face. He opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of blood, then fell backward.

"master!"

"relatives by marriage!"

The steward and Qin Wu exclaimed in alarm as they helped Zhuo Wangsun up, only to find that he had already fainted with his eyes closed.

The messenger who brought the good news looked at each other in disbelief. Had he fainted from joy?

He only passed the martial arts examination and ranked forty-ninth. The Zhuo family is a large and wealthy family, surely it's not that bad?

…………

Clang!

As the gong sounded, a large crowd surged into Zhou Yuan's dilapidated courtyard.

"Congratulations, Mr. Zhou! Congratulations, Mr. Zhou!"

"I've watched Master Zhou grow up since I was a child, and I've long recognized his noble air."

"I told you long ago that a great person would emerge from our Dog Tail Alley, and here it is!"

"..."

The neighbors surrounded Zhou Yuan, showering him with praise and compliments like a tidal wave.

Two officers squeezed in front of Zhou Yuan.

"Congratulations to Master Zhou for achieving the highest score in the county examination!"

Zhou Yuan was also stunned for a moment, and a surge of joy welled up in his heart.

He knew he was certain he would pass the exam, but his ranking would depend on luck. After all, people like Wang Chao and Gao Da were no less capable or experienced than him.

Being able to pass the county-level exam with top honors was an unexpected and delightful surprise.

Once you pass the county-level exam and become the top student, many of the previous troubles will no longer be troubles.

Being too low-key will only make people think you're easy to bully; appropriately showing your strength will actually keep some trouble away from you.

However, doing so will also bring some trouble that wasn't there before, so we need to be more careful in our actions in the future.

Zhou Yuan smiled and dealt with everyone, but he became increasingly vigilant. He now understood Li Lin's cautiousness to some extent.

The higher you stand, the more people will be watching you, and a slight misstep can lead to a bottomless abyss. It's better to be carefree when you have nothing at all.

Only by walking steadily can you go far.

"Master Zhou has achieved the highest rank in the county examination. According to the imperial court's grace, the Marquis of Jin will receive one tael of silver per month, and two members of his household will be exempt from corvée labor, with taxes reduced to 40%."

From then on, one was no longer required to kneel before officials, and one was allowed to acquire servants in one's household...

The officer shouted at the top of his lungs.

A collective gasp of envy erupted from the crowd.

For these ordinary people, passing the imperial examination at the county level and becoming a martial arts scholar was already a great achievement.

The neighbors secretly regretted that they should have treated Zhou Yuan better if they had known he would pass the imperial examination with flying colors.

"Thank you for your hard work, officer. This is just a small token of my appreciation. Please have some tea."

Zhuo Changyu finally managed to squeeze in from outside. She put down the ironware she was carrying, took out the money bag, and handed it to the officers.

She comes from a prominent family and knows how to handle situations like this.

The officials, noticing the weight of the money pouch, beamed with joy. "Thank you for your generous gift, Madam. We wish Master Zhou a speedy success in the martial arts examination and Madam a speedy attainment of an imperial decree."

After seeing the officials off, Zhuo Changyu distributed lucky money to the neighbors and closed the courtyard gate amidst their envious and awe-inspiring gazes.

Turning around, she was met with Zhou Yuan's smiling gaze.

She gathered her hair with some confusion.

"Is my face dirty?"

"No, you're beautiful, Changyu, I won."

Zhou Yuan smiled and pulled Zhuo Changyu into his arms, his tense nerves finally relaxing for a moment.

Zhuo Changyu pressed his face against Zhou Yuan's chest, feeling his face burning, but his heart overflowing with immense happiness.

Although she hadn't expected Zhou Yuan to get into high school, when the day actually came, the unexpected surprise still filled her heart.

"Cough cough."

A soft cough interrupted their intimacy.

Zhuo Changyu, like a startled rabbit, broke free from Zhou Yuan's embrace and looked back.

Li Lin and his wife were standing at the door, looking at the two with satisfaction.

Zhou Yuan and Zhuo Changyu welcomed the two in. Zhuo Changyu accompanied Han Shi inside to talk, while Zhou Yuan and Li Lin sat down in the simple shed.

"Your situation is worse than I imagined."

Looking at the simple shed and low houses, Li Lin sighed, "It is truly remarkable that one could emerge from such an environment and still achieve the highest rank in the county examination."

"Teacher Li, you flatter me. Without your great guidance, I wouldn't be where I am today."

Zhou Yuan cupped his hands in greeting.

"I didn't do much. There are many rich and powerful people in the county, but very few can actually pass the martial arts exam. Your success today is mainly due to your own efforts."

Li Lin shook his head and said, "Now that you have become the top scholar in the county, according to tradition, the Prefect will tour the counties in a few days and will personally meet with the top scholars of each county."

If you seize the opportunity to hand over the Jade Blade to the Prefect, you will naturally no longer need to worry about the Pang family.

Before that, you don't need to worry about anything; just focus on cultivating your Qi and blood, and strive to break through the barriers three times as soon as possible.

The master and apprentice exchanged some more insights on martial arts training and weapon forging before Li Lin and Han Shi left hand in hand.

Before leaving, Madam Han left two hundred taels of silver, saying it was a congratulatory gift for Zhou Yuan.

"Brother Yuan, why do I feel like Master Li is making his final arrangements?"

Zhuo Changyu looked thoughtful and asked in confusion.

You're overthinking it.

Zhou Yuan said thoughtfully, "Changyu, there is only a little over a year left until the martial arts examination. Only by breaking through the barriers four times can we have any hope of passing. I must hone my qi and blood and not break my body—"

Zhuo Changyu blushed instantly; she wasn't that kind of woman.

…………

"Senior brother, have you thought it through?"

Han held Li Lin's hand as they walked down the street in Gaoshan County.

"As the master, it is my duty to protect my disciple from harm; there is no reason for the other way around."

Li Lin said, "It's just that you've suffered, Junior Sister."

"Before I got married, I had my father's protection, and after I got married, I had you, my senior brother, to take care of me. I have never suffered a single day in my life, so I have no regrets even if I die."

Han laughed and said, "The Pang family forced my husband and me to our deaths today. Once Weiwei finishes her studies and descends the mountain, she will make sure the Pang family is wiped out, avenging you and me!"

A woman accustomed to a life of luxury was indeed filled with fervor and passion at this moment.

Li Lin laughed heartily, took his wife's hand, and strode forward, singing his favorite opera tune as he did so.

…………