Chapter 268: Rules of the Martial Competition

West Street, inside a private room on the second floor of the Babao Building.

The alcohol began to hit Fan Yuanhai, and his eyes were already slightly bloodshot.

Tonight, although Zhu Qunxiang and the others were still clamoring to go find Lian Ying, Fan Yuanhai did not go, because he wanted to meet an old friend.

Fan Yuanhai glanced at Xie Daohan, who was sitting across the small table; Xie Daohan was also somewhat tipsy, and under the dim light, his pitted, sallow face was already flushed with red.

Fan Yuanhai seeing Xie Daohan was not purely for the sake of reminiscing.

Because he had failed and retreated after the case of Xu Ruhu, the tasks assigned to him by the Sect were all marginal, miscellaneous chores; if things continued this way, once his three years as an Outer Sect Disciple passed, his advancement to the Inner Sect would be hopeless.

Therefore, this time, upon stepping foot into Xiangu County again, he had developed some intentions to turn the tables on this old case.

Although this case had already been closed in terms of official procedures, in terms of the actual facts, it remained an unsolved mystery; this point was actually quite clear to the higher-ups in the Sect.

Moreover, Fan Yuanhai believed that since this case involved the death of Xie Lei, even if Shen Yanliu had pulled strings to close the case for the sake of his political achievements, Xie Daohan would certainly continue to pursue it; he would absolutely not be willing to let his own nephew die in vain like this.

Just now during the meal, chatting about this matter with Xie Daohan had confirmed Fan Yuanhai's thoughts; Xie Daohan had indeed been secretly pursuing this case all along, but more than half a year had passed, and there were still no clues.

Fan Yuanhai sighed; he knew that Xie Daohan had been entrenched in Xiangu County for many years and had countless informants in all sorts of underworld circles; if a local snake like him could not find a clue after so long, it showed that the chances of solving this case were truly slim. Perhaps this case was done by a passing expert, and the person was long gone from Xiangu County by now.

Fan Yuanhai, knowing it was hopeless, put the matter aside in his heart; he let out a hiccup, looked at Xie Daohan, and smiled: "Head Constable Xie, tomorrow is the selection assessment for the Registered Disciples. This triennial Zeying Tai can be considered a grand event; will you be participating?"

Xie Daohan sneered and said: "Participate my ass!"

The triennial Zeying Tai was attended by the gentry and celebrities of the county, and as the Head Constable of the county, Xie Daohan was supposed to be present.

Xie Daohan sighed and said: "The County Magistrate has assigned me official business; I won't be in the county for the next two days. As for the three-day Zeying Tai, whether I can make it back for the final day is another matter."

The Zeying Tai lasted for a total of three days, but the most intense and exciting part was this final day.

Fan Yuanhai looked at Xie Daohan's dejected appearance and clicked his tongue slightly. When he first arrived in Xiangu County, he had felt some disdain for Xie Daohan's spineless appearance, but after many contacts, he felt more sympathy for Xie Daohan's situation.

To tell the truth, working as a Head Constable under Shen Yanliu, he felt uncomfortable just thinking about it...

In the weather of early March, the chill of the earth had already dissipated.

The ice melted, and the willow branches sprouted buds.

On this day, outside the gates of the County Office, a crowd of all sorts of people was packed tight, and the early spring sun seemed exceptionally bright.

For the entertainment-starved commoners of Xiangu County, the triennial martial selection Zeying Tai had always been a grand show, far better to watch than those wild plays performed by amateur troupes with their off-key singing at temple fairs.

Moreover, this was not just a play; sometimes, people died.

The viewing stands on both sides of the Zeying Tai were already full of people.

Among the crowd gathered below, many looked with envy at the people on the viewing stands; those who could sit on the viewing stands were all prominent figures in the county.

Basically, the heads of all the major forces in the county were there.

Xia Zhongyang of the Yunshui Bank, Ximen Yong of the Raw Medicine Shop, Tao Jiusong of the Weapon Shop, Jiang Heng of the Silk Firm, Luo Yuxi of the Leather Goods Shop, Qiu Yan of the Black Tiger Martial Hall...

The head of the Yuanshun Escort Agency, Ruan Fengshan, was absent, having only sent the newly appointed chief, Xiao Zongting, to attend on his behalf...

However, the most conspicuous positions on the viewing stands were not occupied by these people; although they had some status in the county, they were merely foils at this Zeying Tai.

In the very center of the first row of the viewing stands sat Shen Yanliu, Li Xianjiang, Fan Yuanhai, Zhu Qunxiang, Lu Qingfeng, Wang Shanshan, and Lv Qingzhu.

They were the three-party inspectors for this Zeying Tai, representing the prefecture-level Ya Men, the county-level Ya Men, and the Sect, respectively.

And the most eye-catching person on the viewing stands was A Mo, who sat beside Lv Qingzhu.

A Mo's mountain-like body occupied two seats all by herself, and she blocked Qiu Yan and Luo Yuxi, who were sitting behind her, so completely that they couldn't watch the competition at all.

But the two of them could only dare to be angry but not speak, fretting in silence.

Li Xianjiang glanced at A Mo out of the corner of his eye, but he did not speak. Theoretically, A Mo was not qualified to sit on the viewing stands. But this was the Zeying Tai of Xiangu County, and Shen Yanliu was the host; since Shen Yanliu hadn't said anything, how could he speak up?

Shen Yanliu actually also felt that A Mo shouldn't be sitting on the viewing stands, but seeing that the mistress and servant, Lv Qingzhu and A Mo, both looked as if it were only natural, he swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

Shen Yanliu had long since seen the extraordinary nature of this mistress and servant; A Mo's hands had a faint bronze luster, and with such a physique, it reminded him of a secret rumor he had heard in his early years.

Within the Taiyi Sect, there was a unique body-refining hard-qigong technique called the Thirteen Forged Vajra.

This technique had very harsh requirements for cultivation talent. Only those born with divine strength could practice it.

If a person was born with divine strength, their bone density must also be far higher than that of an ordinary person, otherwise, they would not be able to bear their own immense power.

Although A Mo beside Lv Qingzhu was ugly in appearance, she was clearly a naturally gifted person; being able to subdue such a person as a servant, Shen Yanliu had already been secretly speculating about Lv Qingzhu's identity in his heart.

And Lv Qingzhu and A Mo were indeed both sitting there with calm expressions; A Mo felt that since her mistress could sit here, she could also sit here.

Lv Qingzhu felt the same way. She had grown up with A Mo; although they had the name of mistress and servant, they were actually family.

Seeing that the time had arrived, suddenly a bronze gong rang out, and the noisy crowd instantly quieted down.

At this time, Clerk Qin took a stack of documents and led the seeds who had signed up for this Zeying Tai out of the County Office gate, arriving before the Zeying Tai, where they stood in a row.

Clerk Qin walked slowly to the front of the viewing stands, cupped his hands, and said loudly: "Reporting to the County Magistrate, reporting to all the Inspectors! The identities of all the talented seeds who have signed up for this Zeying Tai have been verified. There are twenty-four in total! The information is true, without a single error!"

In the crowd, looking at the row of people standing before the Zeying Tai and hearing the number twenty-four, there was suddenly some commotion again.

"In previous years, there were at most fifteen or sixteen people; how did this year's number suddenly increase so much?"

"Indeed. Look, Tao Rong and Ximen Kankan are also there. They are big favorites! It is said that they have already achieved the Great Success Realm!"

"It used to take several years to produce one person at the Great Success Realm. This year, two have come at once."

"I really hope they fight each other; that would be fun to watch..."

Shen Yanliu nodded and said: "Hmm, proceed with the reading!"

Clerk Qin then walked back to the front of the Zeying Tai, looked at the seeds standing in a row, and suddenly said in a deep voice: "Qiu Tong, step forward!"

At this moment, a thin, pale-faced young man took a step forward.

Qiu Tong was the only son of Qiu Yan, the master of the Black Tiger Martial Hall!

Clerk Qin glanced at Qiu Tong, then picked up a document and read out the details of Qiu Tong's background in front of the crowd.

This was one of the fixed procedures of the Zeying Tai; anyone who had doubts about the details of Qiu Tong's background could report it on the spot, and once verified, the Sect would provide a generous monetary reward.

A Mo sat there and suddenly said: "Mistress, is that one 'Mo Yi'?"

Lv Qingzhu smiled and said: "I know."

Duan Rong was actually standing with his back to them; there was one person between Duan Rong and them, which was Ximen Kankan, and Ximen Kankan stood there, blinking at Duan Rong incessantly.

The two of them had not seen each other for nearly two months.

On New Year's Eve, Ximen Kankan came to look for Duan Rong twice, but both times he came up empty.

After the New Year, Duan Rong did go to the Ximen Mansion to pay a New Year's call. After all, since he had acknowledged Ximen Yong as his uncle-in-courtesy, he could not neglect the proper etiquette, and he did have a meal with Ximen Kankan that time.

Afterwards, both were busy preparing for the assessment, and Ximen Yong kept Ximen Kankan under very strict control, giving him almost no leisure time, so for the two months that followed, the two of them had basically not seen each other at all.

Just as Clerk Qin was reading out the detailed backgrounds of the contestants one by one in front of the crowd, the old Temple Keeper Xu Dongyang, with a horsetail whisk tucked into the back of his waist, walked over with his hands behind his back and stood at the very edge of the crowd, looking toward the arena.

Xu Dongyang was quite tall and had excellent eyesight; although he stood somewhat far away, he could see the scene inside the arena clearly.

"Yo, old Temple Keeper, you aren't serving the City God, so you've run over here to watch the excitement too?"

"What? Can't I take a nap just because I serve the City God? Do you want to tie me up in the temple?"

Xu Dongyang's tone was quite unfriendly, but his eyes remained bright as lightning, sweeping across the faces of everyone standing before the Zeying Tai for martial arts.

When Xu Dongyang saw Duan Rong, his gaze suddenly paused. Because he did not recognize Duan Rong.

Those who could participate in the Zeying Meeting were generally young talents, and most were children of prominent families, but Duan Rong was clearly not among them.

Like Xu Dongyang, there were quite a few people with this doubt, and everyone was waiting for Clerk Qin to read the background details, to listen carefully when he reached this person and hear who this person was.

Xu Dongyang's gaze only paused on Duan Rong's face for a moment before sweeping past, and then he swept his gaze toward the viewing stands.

Compared to these seeded contestants who were about to participate in the fighting, Xu Dongyang was more concerned about the five Sect Emissaries on the viewing stands.

Because these five Sect Emissaries not only had to inspect the Zeying Meeting fights, but after the Zeying Meeting, they also had to escort the selected Sect Registered Disciples to Shenyun Prefecture.

Xu Dongyang's gaze swept from the faces of Fan Yuanhai, Zhu Qunxiang, Lu Qingfeng, Wang Shanshan, and Lv Qingzhu, and finally stopped on A Mo.

The moment Xu Dongyang's gaze stopped on A Mo, an extremely astonished look flashed in his aged, murky eyes...

Amidst the anticipation of the crowd, Clerk Qin suddenly said in a deep voice: "Duan Rong, step forward!"

Duan Rong took a step forward, and the moment he walked out of the crowd, Ximen Kankan stuck out his tongue and made a face at him.

As Duan Rong walked out of the crowd, the people who had been somewhat drowsy under the hypnotic, chant-like voice of Clerk Qin suddenly became spirited, and many pricked up their ears to hear Clerk Qin read out Duan Rong's background.

"Duan Rong, seventeen years old. Resident of Xiangu County for generations."

"Father, Duan Heiwa. Grandfather, Duan Shousuo. Great-grandfather, Duan Liang."

"Law-abiding citizens for generations."

"Resides in Wutong Lane..."

"Currently an Escort at Yuanshun Escort Agency..."

The crowd suddenly became restless.

"Duan Rong? Wutong Lane?" A sallow and thin youth in the crowd looked carefully at Duan Rong standing before the Zeying Tai, and after a long while, he finally saw a trace of the past in Duan Rong's burly figure. "Is it really that kid from the Duan family? How is this possible?"

He was clearly not the only one in the crowd who was astonished; even those who did not know Duan Rong began to discuss it. After all, listening to Duan Rong's background, it was clearly just an ordinary family. Wutong Lane was remote and dilapidated; it was not a good place to live.

Isn't this a unicorn child that popped out of a pile of rubble?

Clerk Qin completely ignored the commotion of the crowd and just kept reading on his own.

Clerk Qin stood there, motionless, and finished reading the background details of all twenty-four people with a steady, fluent speed and clear, crisp pronunciation.

The moment he finished, Clerk Qin rolled up the stack of documents in his hand, looked at the crowd, and said loudly: "The background details have been read out. Are there any objections?"

Clerk Qin paused for a few seconds and said: "Since there are no objections, the identities of the registrants have been verified by the County Office and monitored by the common people. Confirmed to be correct, they may participate in the Zeying Meeting!"

After Clerk Qin finished speaking, he turned his head to look at Shen Yanliu, and Shen Yanliu nodded.

Clerk Qin then continued: "Now announcing the rules for the Zeying Meeting's selection fights. Please listen carefully, contestants!"

The fighting rules of the Zeying Meeting had long been established and followed for many years!

Duan Rong had already fully understood them before, but when Clerk Qin spoke, he still listened carefully once more.

The selection of Sect Registered Disciples only had the martial arts fighting component, and it was conducted in the form of on-site matches.

In this way, cheating could be prevented to the greatest extent to ensure the purity of this fresh blood for the Sect!

The martial arts fighting is conducted over three days.

First, there are three rounds of chaotic point-based battles!

Although it is called a chaotic battle, it is actually one-on-one fighting.

However, after three rounds of rotation, it can basically ensure sufficient collision between the contestants!

One round per day.

The first round is random one-on-one fighting. A win earns one point. A loss earns no points.

The second round: the winners of the first round fight the winners; the losers fight the losers. A win earns one point. A loss earns no points.

The third round: the winners of the second round fight the winners; the losers fight the losers. A win earns one point. A loss earns no points.

After the three rounds of chaotic point-based battles, those who can win three consecutive matches and earn three points advance directly to become Registered Disciples.

Those with two points compete for the remaining spots!

Those with fewer than two points are directly eliminated!

The number of Registered Disciple spots for each Zeying Meeting is related to the total number of people who registered for that session; that is, one-fourth of the total number of registrants plus one is the total number of Registered Disciple spots for that session.

Taking this session as an example, the number of registrants is twenty-four, so the number of people who can ultimately become Registered Disciples is seven!

During the three rounds of chaotic point-based battles, killing is not allowed. If a killing occurs on the spot, the killer's qualification will be revoked!

The contention matches after the three rounds of chaotic point-based battles are conducted in the form of challenges. In this stage, life and death are not counted!

The most cruel and brutal part of the Zeying Meeting is this stage!

(End of this chapter)