Chapter 172: Twelve Competing for One

Chapter 172: Twelve Competing for One

On the arena.

Facing He Jinyun, not a single person stepped forward.

After a long while, He Jinyun shook his head in disappointment.

At this moment, the man overseeing the examination turned his gaze towards the direction of the spectator stands.

That was also the direction where Hong Minghu was located.

Seeing Hong Minghu nod slightly and hearing his voice in his ear, the examiner immediately understood.

Then, he looked at the crowd gathered around the arena.

"If none of you dare to challenge He Jinyun, he will directly obtain the position of a Deputy Commander!"

Even after this announcement, no one on the arena moved forward.

The two Seventh Rank Martial Artists, a man and a woman, remained as steady as old dogs, watching the scene on the arena without any hint of urgency.

There were four Deputy Commander positions available, and among the crowd, only the two of them were Seventh Rank Martial Artists.

Since that was the case, there was no reason for them to be anxious.

The gap between Seventh and Eighth Rank was like a chasm.

After training their muscles, their explosive power was terrifying, and every movement could gather the strength of their entire body.

This explosive power not only made their attacks unstoppable but also greatly increased their speed.

Especially during close combat, their agility and quick movements were several times faster than Eighth Rank Martial Artists. If they were at the peak of Seventh Rank and had mastered the muscle training, the gap between them and Eighth Rank Martial Artists would be even more significant.

With this difference, the two Seventh Rank Martial Artists could easily secure two of the four Deputy Commander positions.

This way, they could naturally give the Young Master some face and not compete with him.

As for the others, they all knew that despite He Jinyun's pale and skinny appearance, he was a natural-born Divine Strength Realm cultivator.

Among the elite students at the Wu Yuan Academy, his innate talent made him invincible.

Knowing they were no match for him, they dared not step forward to challenge him.

A moment later, the examiner congratulated He Jinyun, "Congratulations, Young Master!"

Then, he took out a golden token from his pocket and threw it towards He Jinyun.

He Jinyun caught the token and examined it carefully, "Is this pure gold?"

"It's gilded," the examiner replied.

"How poor!" He Jinyun pouted in disdain.

Hearing He Jinyun's words, the examiner was speechless for a moment.

A palm-sized token made of pure gold? Who could afford such extravagance?

He Jinyun walked towards the crowd and said, "There are still three positions left. Fight for them! I'm going back now; this weather is too scorching!"

As he spoke, he jumped off the arena, and the crowd parted, watching him leave.

"This Young Master is so powerful! He effortlessly obtained the position of Deputy Commander, an Eighth Rank Official!"

As they watched He Jinyun's departing figure, someone exclaimed in awe.

"That's not all!" someone else added, "Don't forget his identity. He's the Young Master, the son of a Fourth Rank Marquis. In their eyes, an Eighth Rank Official position might not be that impressive!"

Upon hearing this, someone rebutted, "You're underestimating the Deputy Commander position. It's a position with real authority, holding the power of life and death, and the privilege of executing first and reporting later. They outrank officials by one level!"

After hearing this, someone nodded in agreement, "That makes sense! The Inspection Bureau's power is indeed too great. It seems that a storm of bloodshed is inevitable in Luoshui County from now on!"

"That's for sure!" someone else nodded in agreement.

"But speaking of the four Deputy Commander positions, do any of our county's talents have a chance to compete for one?" someone else changed the topic.

"It's too difficult!"

"Yes, it's incredibly challenging! The Young Master has already secured one Deputy Commander position. There are still three positions left, and there are also two Seventh Rank Martial Artists. They will definitely take two more positions, leaving only one remaining!"

"In that case, Jiang Ning, Liu Zhaonan, and Ran Hongmei have no hope!"

"Not necessarily!" someone immediately disagreed, "Don't you all remember Jiang Ning's performance just now? He defeated an elite Wu Yuan Academy student with one punch. With that display, he might have a chance to compete!"

"It's not that simple!" someone nearby shook their head and continued analyzing, "You should know that the Wu Yuan Academy students' martial arts cultivation far surpasses ours!"

"The students competing with Jiang Ning later are the elites among the elites. Each of them has mastered several complete lower-tier martial arts!"

"The Wu Yuan Academy student who eventually wins the remaining Deputy Commander position will also have mastered middle-tier martial arts, or even upper-tier martial arts, beyond the lower-tier!"

"With such a vast gap in martial arts, how can one rely solely on brute strength to win?"

After this analysis, the crowd fell silent, as they clearly understood that these statements were entirely accurate.

The outcome of a battle is not solely determined by strength; it is influenced by various factors such as combat experience, adaptability, weapon advantage, and martial arts proficiency. Among these, martial arts proficiency holds the greatest sway.

Mastering a powerful martial art brings an unparalleled advantage. Even a proficient practitioner of intermediate-level martial arts can easily overpower those skilled in lower-tier techniques. Higher-level martial arts possess even more formidable effects.

The greatest deficiency of the Heaven's Pride of Luoshui County lies in their martial arts proficiency.

On the arena, a man stepped into the center.

"Who dares to challenge me?" he asked, his gaze sweeping across the crowd with confidence.

As a powerful Seventh Rank Martial Artist, he naturally felt superior to the Sixth Rank experts before him.

The crowd frowned, realizing that if no one stepped up, the scene would repeat itself, and this man would automatically claim the Deputy Commander position, leaving only two positions available out of the original four.

However, upon considering this man's strength, their hearts began to race.

A Seventh Rank Martial Artist.

Not only that, but both of these Seventh Rank practitioners were rumored to have come from the Prefecture City, specifically from the Prefecture City of Guangning Prefecture.

They were also students of a prestigious academy above the Martial Arts Academy.

Emerging from the competitive environment of the academy and entering the Prefecture City's institution, there was no doubt that these individuals had stood out like a crane among chickens during their time at the academy.

Even if they were only Eighth Rank, they would not be inferior to any of the Sixth Rank experts present.

Now, with their Seventh Rank cultivation, the crowd could only watch in awe.

As for the other Seventh Rank woman, she stood by, observing the crowd with a smirk.

After a moment, the examiner asked, "Is there no one willing to step forward?"

The crowd remained silent, including Jiang Ning.

With only one chance to compete, a single defeat would eliminate them from the race for the Deputy Commander position.

Given the option to choose an Eighth Rank opponent, why would he pick a Seventh Rank challenge?

Jiang Ning still remembered the formidable Liu Qingsong, the Seventh Rank Elder of Medicine King Valley.

His victory over Liu Qingsong was due to his advantage in the water, where his strength doubled.

On land, especially under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he had no desire to provoke a Seventh Rank martial artist.

Another moment passed, and the examiner spoke again, "If no one dares to challenge, Yuan Hua will automatically claim the Deputy Commander position."

The crowd remained silent, showing no intention to fight.

"Fine!" The examiner sighed softly, then produced a golden identity token from his body.

"Congratulations!"

Yuan Hua, from the prestigious academy, bowed and accepted the golden identity token.

Then, returning to the arena, he whispered to the woman beside him, "Tang Miaomiao, it's your turn!"

Tang Miaomiao nodded, gripping her longsword as she stepped into the center of the arena.

"Who dares to challenge me?" she asked, her gaze sweeping across the crowd with a hint of arrogance.

Not a single person dared to challenge Yuan Hua, leaving Tang Miaomiao feeling disdainful of the crowd.

Several people's faces turned sour under her gaze, especially Qin Xuan and his companions, who clenched their fists.

As students of Dongling City's Martial Arts Academy, they were used to being treated with respect wherever they went. When had they ever been subjected to such contempt?

But considering this woman's background and Seventh Rank strength, they could only silently endure her scorn.

"So boring!" Tang Miaomiao scoffed, showing her disdain.

Then, addressing the examiner, she said, "Why not just announce it? I don't think anyone here will dare to challenge me."

The examiner glanced at the crowd, "Is there anyone willing to step up?"

Silence.

Another moment passed.

"Fine!" The examiner sighed again, producing another golden identity token.

"Congratulations!"

Tang Miaomiao's face lit up as she accepted the golden token.

Although she had known from the start that her role was merely to fill the gap, just like Yuan Hua's earlier appearance, both being Seventh Rank practitioners.

With Yuan Hua taking the lead, she naturally followed suit.

After putting away her token, she walked towards Yuan Hua.

On the other side.

Everyone present immediately clenched their fists and rubbed their palms, eager to try their luck.

Three of the four Deputy Commander positions had already been taken.

Among those present, there were a total of twelve people left.

In other words, the remaining Deputy Commander position would be decided among these twelve individuals.

Only the final winner would be able to claim the Deputy Commander position.

"I'll go!" Qin Xuan immediately stepped forward, unafraid.

In the next moment, someone else also stepped forward.

It was Ran Hongmei from Luoshui County.

Holding a long whip and wearing a tight-fitting martial outfit, she arrived at the center of the arena.

"As expected, my treatment is completely different! As soon as I stepped forward, someone challenged me!" Qin Xuan looked at Ran Hongmei in front of him and chuckled self-deprecatingly.

"Less talk!" Ran Hongmei spoke up, "There's only one Deputy Commander position left. It doesn't matter who goes first or last, but I must defeat everyone to be qualified."

"That makes sense!" Qin Xuan nodded.

"Can we fight with weapons?" Ran Hongmei asked again.

Qin Xuan glanced at the long whip in Ran Hongmei's hand and then nodded, "Then let's fight with weapons!"

The next moment.

He asked for a long sword from the man presiding over the examination.

Then.

Qin Xuan held the long sword, and the two immediately engaged in combat, giving it their all without holding back.

Ran Hongmei's long whip moved like a swimming dragon, swaying left and right, making cracking sounds in the air.

After just a few breaths of fighting, Ran Hongmei was defeated.

At this moment, she had several bone-deep sword wounds, and her clothes were stained with large patches of red.

If it were an ordinary person, facing any one of the sword wounds on Ran Hongmei's body, they would have died on the spot, their body torn apart by the sword's edge.

The reason Ran Hongmei was able to withstand these multiple sword wounds was also related to the strong physical defense of martial artists.

At the Ninth Stage Proficient, their skin was as hard as copper.

As their strength and qi blood increased, the resilience of their skin would continue to improve.

For this reason, every martial artist had extremely strong survival abilities and was unlikely to suffer severe fatal injuries.

Especially after donning armor, it was like double protection, making it even harder to die.

After witnessing this real sword and spear battle between the two, Jiang Ning gained a more straightforward understanding of the physical defense of martial artists.

This was a path of defense over offense.

Because, as far as he knew, at the Ninth Stage Proficient, when the skin becomes as hard as copper, but it was not the limit of skin refinement.

There were two more steps.

Vajra Temple had subsequent methods, which was the Vajra Body he was currently cultivating.

Only with the Golden Body would the skin refinement step truly reach perfection.

"If the skin becomes as hard as copper, it has such defensive power. If the Golden Body is perfected, it should truly be impervious to blades and spears!" Jiang Ning couldn't help but think of this.

At this time.

After Ran Hongmei's defeat, her expression remained resolute and calm, as if she hadn't suffered any injuries.

The wounds on her body also stopped bleeding.

With her powerful control over her body, her muscles squeezed, stopping the bleeding from her wounds.

Ran Hongmei then walked up to Jiang Ning, suddenly stopping in front of him, and whispered.

"I did my best! This Qin Xuan is too strong, I'm not his match, but I also injured his right arm. I believe you'll have an easier time against him later!"

"I believe you can win this position and create a miracle! Luoshui County needs a Deputy Commander from our county!"

After quickly saying this, Ran Hongmei leaped off the arena and disappeared into the crowd without looking back.

Jiang Ning was stunned for a moment, then glanced at Ran Hongmei's departing figure.

After defeating Ran Hongmei, Qin Xuan automatically advanced to the next round, so he naturally didn't need to fight again.

Then, another person from the Wu Yuan Academy stepped into the center of the arena.

"Who wants to spar with me?" he asked the remaining nine people.

"I'll go!" Jiang Ning stepped forward decisively.

Seeing Jiang Ning, this man couldn't help but take a deep breath.

"Let's go!"

At this moment.

Seeing Jiang Ning step forward, the crowd became interested.

"Can Jiang Ning advance to the next round?" someone asked.

"It shouldn't be difficult! From the previous arena battles, he doesn't have an invincible aura!"

".

As the crowd discussed.

The two quickly engaged in combat.

After just a few breaths.

The man from the Wu Yuan Academy fell off the arena.

"I admit defeat!" Jiang Ning clasped his fists.

The man covered his chest, his face turning red.

After being hit by Jiang Ning's Blind Man Colliding with Tree technique, he was completely powerless and was knocked off the arena, defeated.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end