My cultivation method shines upon all heavens.

"Bang bang bang—!"

Before the echo of the exploding bowstring had even faded, seven or eight of the ten people in the group were stunned by the sudden commotion.

Someone jerked their hand, causing the bowstring to loosen, and the arrow veered off course and landed three steps ahead in the mud.

Someone drew the bow halfway but forgot to exert force, and the bow arm snapped back with a "snap," causing him to stumble.

The scene immediately descended into chaos, with arrows flying everywhere and screams erupting. The supervising constables had to blow their whistles repeatedly to quell the commotion.

“Pah!”

Zhang Yuquan suddenly flung his hand, slamming the black iron bow in his hand to the ground.

The bow arm slammed into the muddy water, splashing up a cloud of murky mud.

He turned around abruptly, his eyes fixed on Lu Ming:

"How is that possible? How could someone who hasn't even entered the path of martial arts possibly draw a bow with a ten-stone strength?"

His voice was kept extremely low, but it couldn't suppress the murderous intent emanating from between his teeth.

On the stands, Liu Zhiyuan stroked his long beard, gazing at the commotion below, a smile slowly spreading across his lips.

He turned his head to look at Wang An beside him, his voice calm and unhurried:

"Chief Wang, this kid has probably already crossed the threshold of martial arts. However..."

He narrowed his eyes, his gaze lingering on Lu Ming for a moment longer:

"Why does he look so familiar? I wonder which family's top student he is?"

As he spoke, his gaze swept over the gentry seated in the audience.

The heads of the families exchanged glances, shook their heads, and acted as if it were none of their business.

Only the Zhang family patriarch's eyes flashed with a strange light, then he silently lowered his eyes, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said nothing.

Wang An watched Lu Ming display his prowess in the arena, his smile unchanged, but his heart sank.

He cupped his hands in greeting and rose, his smile humble.

"My lord, I'm not entirely sure. Perhaps he came from a poor family and worked his way up through hard work."

Liu Zhiyuan raised an eyebrow, as if remembering something, his tone tinged with surprise:

"This kid does resemble Lu Wenqing, the clerk who died in the line of duty some time ago."

He sighed deeply, his voice tinged with regret:

"Such a useful person, how could he have been eaten by demons? Speaking of which, I heard he had a son, who's about this age now, right?"

He glanced around meaningfully.

The assembled gentry fell silent, their gazes fixed on their respective teacups, and no one took the bait.

Liu Zhiyuan wasn't annoyed. He turned back with a smile and looked at the field.

The Zhang family patriarch's expression darkened, and he subtly reached behind him with his right hand, making a gesture to the gray-robed elder standing behind him.

The old man nodded slightly and quietly stepped down from the platform.

Off the field, the last group of archers had already finished shooting.

Lu Ming saw Fan Wu walking towards him from afar, the old man's steps carrying a hint of triumph and lightness.

He smiled and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture:

"Fifth Uncle, you're still got it!"

Fan Wu waved his hand, but he couldn't hide the smile on his old face:

"Haha, not at all. Compared to your earth-shattering arrow just now, I'm far inferior."

As the two were chatting and laughing, a gray shadow silently swept through the crowd and came to Zhang Yuquan's side.

The old man in gray leaned down and whispered a few words in his ear. Zhang Yuquan's expression changed drastically, and his eyes were filled with horror.

He took a deep breath, calmed the turmoil in his heart, and whispered in the ear of a servant beside him.

Upon hearing this, the servant immediately accepted the order and left.

Zhang Yuquan stood there, his eyes cold, his hands trembling slightly.

He clenched his fists and muttered to himself:

"Hmph. Although I don't know how you secretly mastered the Wild Bull Fist to a minor level... in this Yinhu County, if my Zhang family doesn't want you to pass this test, you won't get through it."

After a short while, the martial arts test continued.

The second event was a heavy-duty sprint.

All candidates must carry 30 jin (approximately 15 kg) of black iron bricks and circle the training ground three times. Completion within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn is required to pass.

At the proctor's command, everyone bent down, picked up the iron bricks, and began running along the designated route, huffing and puffing.

Thirty pounds may not sound heavy, but carrying it on your back and running three laps is a huge challenge for an ordinary person who hasn't yet entered the world of martial arts.

Sure enough, it wasn't long before people started falling behind.

Some stopped halfway, bending over to catch their breath; others staggered a few steps and collapsed to the ground, the iron bricks smashing into the mud and splashing up a spray of muddy water.

When the incense stick has burned out, only two out of ten have truly achieved their goal.

The assessments proceeded smoothly round after round, but when it was the ninth group's turn, something went wrong.

For some reason, the candidate in position five lost his hand, and the black iron brick rolled off and slid down the slope into the drainage ditch.

It swirled in the murky sewage before plunging headfirst into the dry toilet by the ditch.

An indescribable stench spread out, and the surrounding examinees covered their noses and backed away.

Seeing this, Wang An didn't even flinch; he simply waved his hand leisurely, signaling to the constables on both sides.

The two constables understood and quickly left. Not long after, they returned with great effort carrying a new black iron brick.

The brick was noticeably larger than usual, and the two constables at the Skin Tempering Realm were unsteady on their feet as they carried it.

When they put their feet down at position five, the ground trembled slightly, and both of them were covered in sweat and panting heavily.

From the stands, Liu Zhiyuan gave Wang An a meaningful look.

Wang An lowered his eyes and smiled, pretending not to know.

The surrounding gentry sat upright, eyes downcast and seemingly oblivious to everything around them.

Soon, the last group of people entered.

Lu Ming glanced up and saw Zhang Yuquan and his burly follower in the group.

He lowered his gaze slightly and walked calmly toward position five.

"snort."

Zhang Yuquan strolled over and stood beside Lu Ming:

"I don't know what kind of luck you had to break through, but you toad will never get out of the well."

He turned his head away, a sneer curling at the corner of his mouth:

"Struggle. Try to please us, and maybe I'll let you off the hook in the end."

After making the joke, he turned around with his hands behind his back and walked to his seat.

Zhou Tao, the burly henchman, glanced at Lu Ming with a cold smile and followed closely behind.

Lu Ming lowered his eyes and remained silent, walking silently to position five and looking down at the iron bricks beneath his feet.

He crouched down, hugged the iron brick with a little force, and his eyes suddenly narrowed.

Three hundred catties.

If you were to run three laps carrying such heavy iron bricks, you wouldn't even be able to finish one, let alone three.

The strength and decisiveness of the powerful figure were beyond his imagination.

He only drew his bow once, yet he had already seen through his true nature and set this difficult test for him!

Such blatant cheating, though laughable, is also very real.

Wang An wanted to play a cat-and-mouse game, while the Zhang family didn't want him to excel in the martial arts examination. The two were bound to be in cahoots, each getting what they wanted.

This martial arts examination was a dead end for him at every turn.

"start!"

At the proctor's command, everyone picked up iron bricks and ran out.

The moment Lu Ming squatted down to move the iron brick, his back muscles tensed up suddenly, his knees bent slightly, and he paused for a moment before regaining his balance.

From the stands, countless gazes fell upon them, some indifferent, some amused, and some sneer.

In the stands, many people wore smiles, their schadenfreude undisguised.

Only Fan Wu looked unwell. He hesitated for a few moments, then could only shake his head helplessly.

"hehe."

Zhang Yuquan ran at a steady pace, his breathing even, a cold smile playing on his lips.

"My Zhang family has a history spanning hundreds of years. How dare the son of a minor official try to compete with my family for resources? He is overestimating himself."

Zhou Tao followed closely behind, constantly stretching his legs and kicking as he jogged, tripping up any candidates who were in his way.

Everyone's faces flushed red, but they dared not speak out in anger.

"Do you think you can take me down like this?"

Lu Ming lowered his eyes.

[Raging Bull Fist, Experience +1]

[Raging Bull Fist, Experience +1]

[Raging Bull Fist, Experience +1]

At the bottom of my eye, a line of numbers on the scroll is slowly moving—

[Martial Arts: Raging Bull Fist (Under-level; Minor Success 199/200)]

A moment later, the number jumped slightly.

Martial Arts: Raging Bull Fist (Under-level; Mastery 1/300)

In an instant, countless insights about "Raging Bull Fist" flooded into my mind like a tidal wave.

A surge of even hotter air rose from the lower abdomen, permeating the skin and bringing a tingling sensation.

Lu Ming gripped the black iron brick tightly, feeling the even more immense power within his body, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.

So what if they see through my true nature?

With the cultivation of countless geniuses, I am constantly improving. Can you see through the present moment, or even the future?

"rise!"

He gave a low shout, his waist and back suddenly exerted force, his spine straightened like a bow, and he suddenly hoisted the 300-pound iron brick onto his shoulders.

The mud beneath his feet sank slightly, and then he strode forward and began to run wildly.

"How is that possible?!"

In an instant, cries of surprise rose and fell.

Lu Ming strode forward, overtaking one examinee after another.

Soon, Zhang Yuquan and Zhou Tao were right in front of them.

"What's going on?"

As Zhang Yuquan ran, he looked back and almost tripped over his own footsteps:

"How could he possibly run so fast carrying a 300-pound load when he's only at the beginner level of the Wild Bull Fist?"

His expression changed drastically, and he gave Zhou Tao a wink.

Zhou Tao understood immediately.

He was sent in by the Zhang family to protect him, so protecting Zhang Yuquan through the checkpoint was his top priority, and clearing obstacles was his duty.

He slowed his pace slightly, deliberately landing to the side in front of Lu Ming, and subtly extended his right leg outward.

Lu Ming seemed to have sensed something beforehand, leaping up and then glancing back at him.

There was no reaction, but in Zhou Tao's eyes, it was full of provocation.

But in Zhou Tao's eyes, that glance was sharper than any insult.

"You're asking for it!"

Enraged, he roared and stomped his foot heavily on the ground, splashing mud everywhere, and charged forward like an arrow released from a bow.

Lu Ming remained calm, neither speeding up nor slowing down, maintaining a lead of three or four steps over Zhou Tao, sometimes fast and sometimes slow, like walking a dog and keeping his opponent on the hook.

"Ha, you can't even be a proper dog."

Lu Ming turned his head to look back, his lips moving silently in a provocative gesture.

Zhou Tao's chest heaved violently, his face turned a deep liver color, and his eyes were bloodshot.

"You little bastard, die—!"

He roared and charged forward headfirst.

Lu Ming had been waiting for this moment.

He swayed and dodged to the side.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yuquan remained completely unaware of what was happening ahead.