Grinding Cultivation Toward Martial Saint-Chapter 1398 - 241: Class A, the Holy Emperor’s Marriage Edict!
At this moment.
In the training ground. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖
Jiang Ning placed one hand on the foot of the tripod and the other on its body.
With both hands exerting force at the same time, the massive tripod that many martial students found difficult was instantly lifted off the ground.
"So light!!"
Feeling the massive tripod in his hands light as a feather, a hint of surprise flashed in Jiang Ning’s eyes.
At this moment, he felt that if he unleashed his full power, he could launch the Mountain and River Tripod into the sky.
As thoughts flashed through his mind, he looked at the panel again.
[Skill]: Vajra Immortal Body (33/60000 after five times limit-breaking) (Traits: Dragon Elephant Power (Deep Purple), Leakless Body (Dark Blue), Sixteen-Foot Golden Body (Light Purple), Golden Body (Light Gold))
"Perhaps my strength now is vastly unmatched compared to ordinary martial artists," he thought to himself.
...
On the martial students’ viewing platform.
"Lord Jiang has such formidable strength, worthy of having cultivated the Vajra Immortal Body." Mingxin looked at Jiang Ning in the center of the training ground, his eyes calm like an abyss.
"How would he compare to you, Master?" A curious martial student beside him asked.
"Neck and neck!" Mingxin thought for a moment, then answered.
"Master is being modest! If the master can say that, it means in the master’s heart, he believes his strength surpasses Lord Jiang’s!" Another martial student exclaimed.
Upon hearing this, Mingxin held his hands together in front of his chest without speaking.
"Master Mingxin is evidently stronger than Lord Jiang since Master Mingxin lifted the Mountain and River Tripod with one hand while Lord Jiang used both. They are on completely different levels of difficulty," another martial student joined the conversation.
...
On the north viewing platform.
Su Qingying watched as Jiang Ning lifted the Mountain and River Tripod above his head, a slight smile naturally appearing on her lips.
"I heard the State Preceptor is quite close with Jiang Ning from Dongling County?" The man on the dragon seat spoke again.
"Not bad!" Su Qingying nodded: "He has been staying at my residence these days."
Crack—
Just as she finished speaking, the sound of porcelain being crushed suddenly rang out on the dragon table covered in dark silk.
At the same time, countless astonished gazes turned to Su Qingying.
"Is the State Preceptor fond of him?" The man’s voice on the dragon seat was somewhat hoarse and deep.
Su Qingying shook her head: "I don’t quite understand what it means to be fond."
"Indeed! The State Preceptor is celestial, how would she understand the earthly thoughts of mortals!" The man on the dragon seat smiled self-deprecatingly.
Upon hearing this, Ji Minghao looked at the man on the dragon seat with a surprised expression.
The rumors he had heard re-emerged in his heart at this moment.
"Could it be father once truly had feelings for the State Preceptor?" He mused to himself.
His gaze shifted between Su Qingying and his father.
But Su Qingying’s gaze remained unwavering, fixed firmly on the training ground.
The man on the dragon seat was covered in starlight-shrouded dark silk, his face already blurred, let alone his expression.
At this moment, Ji Mingyue listened to her father and Su Qingying’s conversation, her face completely calm.
The words spoken by Su Qingying, she had long known.
Now she too had come to understand and comprehend.
...
In the training ground.
Jiang Ning steadily placed the Mountain and River Tripod on the ground without making a sound.
The examiner looked at Jiang Ning, nodded, then looked at the list in his hand.
"Next, Chen Youxi!"
"..."
For a long time.
When the last person on the list was called to the stage, with the first tripod lifting failure, the lifting event officially concluded.
"Eleven people are in Class A!"
Jiang Ning thought to himself.
Among these eleven, he instantly saw that seven of them had stepped into the realm of the Third Grade Grandmaster, and the remaining four were nearly in the Perfection level of the Fourth Grade Bone Marrow Refining Realm.
...
On the northern high platform.
"General Shen, how do you find this year’s Martial Examination session?" The Fifth Prince Ji Mingyuan suddenly asked.
"It’s the strongest session in the last hundred years!" General Shen, with his full beard, replied, and continued, "This session having eleven people in Class A in the lifting event is indeed rare!"
"In General Shen’s view, how many do you think will reach Class A in the second round of Foot Shooting?" The Fifth Prince Ji Mingyuan asked again.
"Foot Shooting is more difficult than lifting, requiring more skill, but for these who’ve come this far, practicing archery casually shouldn’t be too bad, I estimate seven to eight might pass!" General Shen, with his full beard, replied again.
"So, General Shen, in your opinion, who among these people is most likely to win and become this year’s Martial Champion?" the Third Prince suddenly asked.
Upon hearing this inquiry, General Shen, with a face full of stubble, glanced at the Third Prince and replied, "It’s hard to tell for now, all three have a chance."
...
On the training grounds.
Jiang Ning also finished listening to the examiner’s explanation of the second assessment, Foot Shooting.
This stage is also very simple.
Using the standard longbows and arrows prepared at the training grounds, shoot through nine stars and shatter the copper mirrors hanging on the nine bronze targets, and you’ll achieve Class A.
Only those evaluated as Class A qualify to enter the next round to compete for the Martial Champion.
"The first one, Zhao Meng!" The examiner called out the first person according to the previous list.
Hearing the examiner’s powerful voice.
A man with muscles like a tower jumped down from the platform once more.
Boom——
Accompanied by his body falling to the ground, a muffled roar echoed.
Zhao Meng arrived at the shooting location, grabbed the longbow displayed beside him, and pulled a fine iron arrow from the quiver.
Gazing intently at the longbow and arrow in his hand, he confirmed there were no mistakes.
Drawing the bow and pulling the string, the bowstring in his hand was instantly pulled to full draw.
Feeling the tight string in his hand, he couldn’t help but furrow his brows.
The bow reaching full draw means no matter how strong his strength is, there’s nowhere to exert it.
"That works perfectly for me!" Thinking of the Mountain and River Tripod performances by Mingxin and Jiang Ning earlier, his brow relaxed instantly.
Then, Qi Blood Power surged into the arrow in his hand.
Soon the arrow’s body began to flicker with a faint red light.
Crack——
As he released the bowstring, the arrow shot out, piercing through the air.
Clang——
As the arrowhead touched the first hanging copper mirror, a sudden sound rang out.
Zhao Meng then saw the first copper mirror shattered by the arrow he shot.
But the arrow halted there, and the second copper mirror didn’t even sway.
"It was deflected by the smooth mirror surface!!" Seeing the scene afar, his brows tightened instantly, feeling a bit discontent in his heart.
If he weren’t the first to go, he believed his performance would have been better with experience, he wouldn’t have failed to at least shake the second mirror.
"Next, Shen Mengyun." The examiner directly called out the next name on the list.
Meanwhile.
On the northern high platform.
The faces of the crowd instantly showed interest.
Shen Mengyun is the cherished jewel of the beside General Shen, the most beloved young daughter of General Shen.
"General Shen, as the saying goes, a tiger father has no dogs for daughters, how many copper mirrors do you think Miss Mengyun can pierce?" The Fifth Prince Ji Mingyuan took the initiative to speak.
"More than half!" General Shen, full of stubble, smiled with confidence on his face.
...
On the training grounds.
Light-footed, with a high ponytail, Shen Mengyun entered the training grounds.
She grabbed the longbow with one hand and the arrow with the other.
Her body spun, drawing the bowstring, and in an instant, she pulled the bowstring to full draw.
Crack——
The moment she spun around, the arrow shot off the string, breaking through the sky.
In an instant.
A clear white trail appeared in the air where the arrow passed.
"To shoot an arrow breaking the sound barrier with a standard longbow, that’s remarkable! Minister Shen!" The man on the dragon throne praised.
"Your Majesty flatters me!" General Shen, with a face full of stubble, replied respectfully.
"Minister Shen, I’m quite curious, which gentleman will this tigress favor?" The man on the dragon throne continued.
Upon hearing this, General Shen’s heart tightened, knowing he was in some trouble.
Clearly, his recent refusal of the Emperor’s marriage offer still displeased the short-tempered Emperor.
After a brief ponder, he braced himself and replied, "Mengyun hasn’t told me about the specific identity, she just asked me not to interfere! Your Majesty knows that I have always doted on my young daughter Mengyun."
"I don’t know!" The man on the dragon throne said indifferently.
With the fall of these words.
The entire viewing platform fell silent, and you could hear a pin drop.
"Alright! Minister Shen, don’t be nervous! I was just joking!" The man on the dragon throne said with a faint smile.
