Linsheng

"The sword soars into the sky!"

"How is that possible?!"

On the perimeter, Ma Lei's eyes widened, and he suddenly stood up.

Although he was a martial artist and did not practice swordsmanship, he knew how powerful Zhong Xuan's swordsmanship was. This level of swordsmanship even surpassed some of his senior brothers.

Moreover... Zhong Xuan has only been practicing martial arts for less than a year.

What terrifying comprehension and innate talent!

If I had learned martial arts thirty years earlier, the village of Xiahe would probably be inhabited by the Zhong family by now.

Now look at the center of the training ground.

The long sword fell from mid-air and landed steadily back in Zhong Xuan's hand without any surprise or danger. Zhong Xuan looked calm and composed.

That sword strike was an adaptation of the eagle's flight and eagle's fall techniques from the Eagle Style Swordplay.

The skill was astounding!

He gripped the longsword again, the tip of the sword tapping in the air like an eagle spreading its wings, creating a whistling sound. The sword and his body became one, smooth and natural, already showing some of the style of a sword master.

Even the chilling sword intent affected the other examinees around him, disturbing their peace of mind, and some even dropped their swords.

"good!"

Upon seeing this, Master Zhang suddenly stood up, clapped his hands, and laughed loudly.

Although he hadn't made a move for over a decade, he was once a true martial arts expert, so he could naturally see the extraordinary skill in Zhong Xuan's swordsmanship.

"I never imagined that the Divine Fist Eagle Sword would have such a powerful successor."

They were all top figures in Baisha County, so he naturally knew Zheng Yue's master, the previous head of the Flying Eagle Martial Arts School.

Although he was still unknown at the time, he had the good fortune to see the senior with the Divine Fist Eagle Sword make a move, and he used the Flying Eagle Nine Strikes.

Zhong Xuan copied books at his house, and he naturally didn't hesitate to befriend him.

As for the Zhang family steward standing to the side, he was trembling with fear. Thinking that he had once given Zhong Xuan a cold shoulder, he was now filled with deep regret.

Little did he know that Zhong Xuandu, already in his sixties, would still achieve great things late in life.

The Zhang family steward made a firm decision:

"No way, we'll have to spend a fortune when we get back!"

The other end.

The figures on the high platform remained seated, each with a different expression. Although they were surprised by their strength, they were not in a state of composure.

Cui Yi looked at Zhong Xuan, a strange light flashing in her eyes.

She bent down and whispered to the old man:

"Grandpa, this man is named Zhong Xuan. He has the bones of a crane and is from Baisha County."

Cui Yi had an excellent memory and immediately recognized Zhong Xuan's identity.

Grandpa Cui smiled and looked at his beloved granddaughter: "Ayi, do you know this person?"

Cui Yi shook her head: "It just so happens that I saw this person at Senior Brother Zhang's residence, and he also happens to be carrying the crane bone that my grandfather is looking for, so I paid more attention to him."

Grandpa Cui understood the meaning behind his granddaughter's words, and he shook his head: "This person is indeed of noble character and has good comprehension, but he still cannot master my technique."

"Why? Because you're too old?"

Cui Yi asked curiously.

Old Master Cui continued to shake his head: "How could I be such a common person? Don't forget, my ancestor Cui Wusheng failed the imperial examination at the age of fifty and then devoted himself to martial arts. In the end, he still became a figure at the top of the mountain."

"A martial artist who completes the third year of training can live for three decades, and even a decade is just the beginning."

"Age is not the problem; the problem is that his physical constitution is too weak, not enough, far from enough."

From Old Master Cui's perspective, even the most special grass-root talent is useless.

Or, according to the mysterious explanation of a certain Taoist immortal, it is said that one's inherent constitution carries one's destiny. If one's inherent constitution is not strong enough, one cannot suppress one's martial destiny and will not go far in the future.

Although Old Master Cui admired Zhong Xuan, it wasn't enough to make him decide to take on a disciple and pass on his martial arts skills.

"I see."

Cui Yi nodded thoughtfully.

There aren't many women in the Cui family who practice martial arts. The reason her grandfather values ​​her is because she has a strong physique.

However, because her martial arts style was incompatible with that of the old master of the Cui family, she learned the martial arts of other teachers in the academy.

Although no bone examination was performed, it was still possible to roughly determine that Zhong Xuan's bone structure was no more than three ounces.

Cui Yi said no more.

Despite saying this, Old Master Cui still generously wrote the two characters "甲上" on Zhong Xuan's name.

The prefect of Yongning was right next to him and could clearly see the score given by Master Cui.

So he picked up his brush, dipped it in ink, and wrote "甲上" (jia shang).

A moment later.

The middle-aged scholar, who was also the deputy proctor, announced the scores of Team Ding.

"Yang Fang, Ding Xia."

"Liu Zui, Ding Xia."

.......

"Zhong Xuan, step forward!"

When Zhong Xuan heard his score, the onlookers were in an uproar.

In the past fifteen years, only three people have achieved the highest rank in swordsmanship, one of whom even passed the imperial examination and became a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examination), while the other was a Linsheng (a student receiving government stipends).

"His performance in the four main written exams wasn't too bad, so he had a high chance of becoming a government-subsidized student."

The patriarch of the Zhang family said with a smile.

A student with a stipend is one of the best among the students.

There were twenty candidates for the county-level imperial examination, twenty for the civil service examination, and twenty for the military examination, for a total of forty people.

Only eight people could be called "linsheng" (a student receiving stipends).

The reason why students with stipends were special was that they could receive stipends, which were equivalent to one-seventh of the salary of a county magistrate. In addition, they also had the right to act as guarantors for students who had passed the imperial examinations.

Not to mention the power to be exempt from taxes and to not kneel before officials.

He can already be considered half an official.

Even the patriarch of the Zhang family was quite surprised.

In his opinion, although Zhong Xuan was amazing, he was not actually good enough to be awarded the highest rank.

It's clear that he was favored by the bigwigs on the high platform, which is why he was able to rise to a higher level.

But the Zhang family patriarch, who built his fortune from scratch, knew very well that luck was an extremely important part of his abilities.

"Zhong Xuan..."

The patriarch of the Zhang family silently repeated the name.

......

......

The sunset was like blood.

The students who had finished their preliminary examinations walked out of the gate of the examination hall and gradually dispersed.

The Xu family walked at the end of the procession.

"Uncle Zhong, I didn't expect you to be so capable. You'll definitely pass the imperial examination this time."

A young man from the Xu family, who happened to be in the same team as Zhong Xuan, looked at Zhong Xuan with eyes full of admiration.

Having witnessed the whole thing, Xu Tuo laughed and slapped his cousin on the head: "What are you saying, brat? Uncle Zhong is a man of great ability."

That being said.

But his eyes were also filled with barely suppressed shock.

"When did Uncle Chung become so amazing?"

In his memory, Zhong Xuan had only ever passed the imperial examinations for decades and was still a junior scholar. He used to have a slight sense of disdain for him, but now that disdain had completely disappeared.

When the other students from Xiahe Village saw Zhong Xuan, they all greeted him warmly.

But the one who really impressed people the most was Master Zhang.

"It is truly an honor for my family to share in Brother Zhong's good fortune. If Brother Zhong comes to my house again in the future, I will personally grind ink for you."

The patriarch of the Zhang family, along with his entire household, took the initiative to approach Zhong Xuan.

Zhong Xuan looked at the square-faced, wealthy-looking middle-aged man and sighed inwardly.

He had been copying books at the Zhang family mansion for decades, and today was the first time he had ever met the Zhang family patriarch.

The saying "Even in the deepest mountains, one has distant relatives" is embodied in this moment.

An ordinary scholar wouldn't warrant such treatment from Master Zhang, but a top-ranking scholar would be a different story.

He watched as Master Zhang left, laughing heartily.

Zhong Xuan's mindset, which had been dormant for decades, has quietly changed.