Chapter 701: Golden-Armored Great Tiger

With Liang Qu's dramatic demonstration, the other four instructors were spared a hassle; after explaining the ten rules, they each rang their bells in turn.

The clerk held the roster and called out names.

"Bai Bai Zhiduan!"

A young man in black brocade robe stepped forward, head high and chest out; after being verified by the attendant, he walked before the five pillars under countless eyes.

Ignoring the tiger, ox, and horse pillars, he went straight to the elephant pillar, loosening his shoulders.

How confident!

Murmurs never ceased in the crowd.

An eighteen-year-old Tiger-Hunting Martial Master—unique since the founding of Da Shun.

Thus Liang Qu was Liang Qu, and he was himself; having come this far, the examinees understood their own abilities well and had done their homework.

If you can lift the Dragon Pillar, your name is assured on the Twenty-Eight Mansions list; if you can lift the Elephant Pillar, you're already seven or eight steps toward a bright future.

The preliminary screening lasts several days; today alone, over a thousand examinees are here—could it really be that simple?

Liang Qu flipped through the roster and portraits.

The pages bore the seal of the prefecture: twenty-six years old, from Liangyan Bridge in the north, born into a minor family; according to his record, his talent was quite impressive—a prodigy of his clan.

Seeing the youth nod, the attendant lit the short incense stick.

"Hah!"

"Lift!"

Bai Bai Zhiduan embraced the elephant pillar, slammed his feet down, and surged with force; his arms burst with bulging veins, muscles swelled, thick blood qi spiraled upward, heat slammed into his face, his aura terrifying.

But then…

After a long moment, half the elephant pillar tilted; before it could fully rise, it wobbled and toppled sideways!

Liang Qu sidestepped, reached out, and steadied the bronze pillar.

Thud!

The elephant pillar righted itself, dust rising in clouds.

"Cough, cough."

Bai Bai Zhiduan coughed violently, his strength draining; he slumped against the pillar, limbs trembling, gasping for breath.

The crowd erupted in boos.

So confident on stage, thinking he had real strength.

Turned out to be a gilded spearhead—looks good, useless in practice.

Ashamed and humiliated, Bai Bai Zhiduan had no time to dwell; before the incense burned out, he caught his breath and hurried to lift the tiger pillar.

This time it was much easier—he didn't struggle to lift it at all.

He clutched the entire pillar, blood rushing to his face, veins on his temples writhing like snakes.

Thud! Thud-thud!

His shoe soles split, his steps labored.

The short incense smoked gently.

Everyone fixed their eyes on the red line, silently measuring distance.

The so-called ten steps meant normal walking steps; when holding the pillar and straining, one couldn't take even a full step—roughly twenty small steps were needed.

Less than one-third.

Liang Qu sensed something wrong and steadied the bronze pillar again.

Bai Bai Zhiduan collapsed to his knees, drenched in sweat, breathing heavily.

He glanced back.

"One-sixth of the incense remains."

Hearing the reminder, Bai Bai Zhiduan's mouth went dry, his heart pounded; he wiped sweat, his legs weak and aching, and shuffled to the ox pillar.

Only now did it feel like "a match of equals," "a meeting of master and talent"; with great effort, he barely lifted the pillar before the incense burned out, collapsing to his knees, unable to rise for a long while.

The crowd continued to boo.

Though everyone knew that moving the ox pillar at Earth Realm level was acceptable.

But Liang Qu had lifted all five pillars with one hand.

Bai Bai Zhiduan struggled so badly lifting just the ox pillar—he completely fell short, utterly humiliated.

Inside the circular platform, two red lines marked the path—one for going, one for returning, eliminating the need to carry back and forth.

Liang Qu had carried his pillar forward; Bai Bai Zhiduan now carried his back, raising his face to ten thousand watching eyes, his face redder than a monkey's rear—whether from straining or shame, he gasped twice, squeezed three more drops of blood strength from his bones, and staggered out.

"Ox pillar lifted, tiger pillar not reached."

"Had he not tried the tiger and elephant pillars first, it wouldn't have been so hard."

Liang Qu exchanged a few words with Wei Instructor, recorded the facts truthfully, stamped the document, and delivered it to the Master-level official.

Five points.

Lifting the ox pillar was the standard five points.

Had he started with the ox pillar and covered the distance within one-eighth of the incense, he could have earned one or two extra points—but he understood "knowing one's limits," which was part of the test.

"Next, Shen Jintong!"

Following the precedent, those who came after were far more cautious; none dared attempt the tiger or elephant pillars, sticking faithfully to the horse and ox pillars.

Until the eighth candidate, Liang Qu opened the album, scrutinized repeatedly, frowning deeply.

"Is this your portrait?"

"Yes."

"Really?"

"Yes… Danzhou is far away; the portrait was made last November, when I was still thin. The Beijing roast duck was delicious—I ate too much and got fat."

Lying!

Liang Qu's Ear Perception Method knew it instantly, but he couldn't use it as evidence to remove him; he glanced at Wei Instructor.

Seeing the dispute, Wei Instructor rushed over, took one look, and declared: "This isn't you! Take him away!"

The once-confident youth panicked; he turned to Liang Qu: "Your Excellency, I'm innocent! Truly me! Truly me!"

"You claim injustice? If we investigate later, it won't be just about invalidating your score—your family or you will face exile to the frontier!" Wei Instructor narrowed his eyes. "The southern frontier is restless—how many venomous insects can you endure? How many poisonous snakes can you survive?"

The youth opened his mouth, then fell silent.

The Feathered Forest soldiers stepped forward, shackled him, and dragged him to kneel outside the training ground.

Of the five groups tested so far, fewer than fifty candidates; already three knelt outside—those trying to cheat were not few.

Wei Instructor warned: "Liang my lord, don't be soft-hearted. If you suspect anything, regardless of evidence, drag them out immediately—scare them first."

The court must verify authenticity, which means sending people to the provinces—a nuisance in itself. Better to avoid extra trouble. Those who confess on the spot get lighter punishment; the more gentle you are, the more they'll see opportunity."

"I've learned."

A minor incident of impersonation—the line crept forward.

The Little Shen Dragon lingered a while, then grew restless, drifting through the crowd, shaking its head.

Many young men burned with envy—a dragon pet, every man's dream—but no one dared touch it; everyone knew its master.

Moreover, somehow, the little dragon gave off no aura at all—as if it were already Tiger-Hunting Realm…

Even a seventh-rank official stands tall before a chancellor's gate.

Don't provoke him. Don't provoke him.

Noon break: thirty minutes.

In the afternoon, another candidate in Liang Qu's group secretly took pills—his aura was well concealed, but the arena had experts.

Detecting pills was simple: most ingested pills dissolved instantly, couldn't be vomited out; just detain them on the spot, and within an hour or two, they'd confess.

Pills that lasted half an hour were considered potent.

As expected, less than fifteen minutes passed—the candidate's fatigue became impossible to hide.

If caught and denied, the offense was far more serious.

All ten instructors stamped the record, then handed it to the Master-level official; the candidate was imprisoned for later judgment.

By evening, the day's testing ended: not a single Dragon Pillar lifted; only three Elephant Pillars, all barely meeting the age limit of Liangyan Bridge.

Dismissed!

Tomorrow, continue.

Liang Qu submitted all documents; without waiting for Meng Meng Qiang's call, he packed up and rode home under countless stares.

"Weird—he seemed in a hurry," Meng Meng Qiang scratched his head; he'd planned to invite Liang Qu for drinks.

Home.

Liang Qu burst through the door.

Inner chamber.

Bai Awei opened his mouthparts, facing off against a golden-armored great tiger.

The great tiger sprouted a row of short legs, its body cast in pure gold, its head sharp and monstrous.

(End of Chapter)