100: Chapter 100: Great martial arts competition

At the end of the line, those thousands of ordinary Martial Artists, longing to soar into the sky, were subconsciously keeping their distance from them, forming an eerie vacuum zone.

Everyone's gaze—whether it was the aloof chief examiners on the platform or the conceited young masters of aristocratic families below—was focused, either overtly or covertly, on these three uninvited guests.

The youth leading them was Gao Feng. He had a straight posture and a handsome Face. Deep within his seemingly calm eyes, there appeared to be an unfathomable starry sky. That calmness and indifference, precipitated after countless life-and-death battles and resembling a ten-thousand-year glacier, formed an incredibly sharp contrast with the surrounding young candidates who were either nervous or excited.

He simply stood there, forming a world of his own, as if all the clamor around him had nothing to do with him.

And the two people standing behind him were even less capable of being described as "low-profile."

The giant on the left, tall and sturdy like a black iron tower, was Big Fool. He was a full head taller than the tallest barbarian-descended candidate around him, and his knotted, granite-like muscles were almost bursting through his specially made Martial Artist uniform!

He carried two huge drum-beating urn-gold hammers on his shoulders. The ferocious hammer heads reflected a chilling cold light in the sunlight; just one glance at them made people feel a suffocating sense of pressure.

The youth on the right was equally tall and burly, with a broad build full of explosive power. He was bare-chested with bronze skin covered in cyan wolf-shaped totems. Between the opening and closing of his eyes flickered a beast-like, bloodthirsty, and untamable light; he was Wulu.

The two door-sized battle axes in his hands were even more menacing, as if they could bring about a storm of blood at any moment.

This trio, combined, was like a sleeping ancient Vicious Beast, bringing along two of the most ferocious Protector deities, quietly descending upon this Mortal training ground.

They were completely out of place with the surrounding environment; the savage, overbearing, and pure iron-blooded Killing Intent that rushed towards one was something that no gorgeous clothing or illustrious family background could cover up or disguise.

They were true powerhouses who had walked out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.

Just as the gazes of the crowd, filled with suspicion or dread, were intertwined, a highly discordant voice, filled with thick contempt and arrogance, abruptly broke this eerie silence.

"Heh, I thought some powerful dragon from across the river had arrived, but it turns out to be just three brutes that the Wang family found from some obscure corner."

A youth wearing blue martial attire, with the emblem of the Raging Waves Gang embroidered on his chest, appeared, surrounded by a group of lackeys, and blocked the path of Gao Feng and the other two with a look of disdain.

He looked up and down at the imposing bodies of Big Fool and Wulu with a frivolous gaze, a mocking arc curling at the corner of his mouth, "What's the use of being big? You're just brainless idiots; when it comes to a real fight, you'll just be bigger targets. What is the Wang family doing this time? They actually recommended such three pieces of trash to make up the numbers?"

This person was the number one confidant of the Raging Waves Gang leader Jiang Bietao, and also a notoriously vicious character within the gang, named Zhou Tong.

He had previously seen Gao Feng from afar outside Su Meiniang's villa, so he naturally sought them out now, wanting to perform well in front of his own Young Lord and establish some prestige.

In his view, these three were just bumpkins with only brute force and no understanding of the rules; as long as he brought up the names of the Raging Waves Gang and the Jiang family, he would surely scare them into wetting their pants.

However, faced with his provocation, the expected fear and retreat did not occur.

In Wulu's already untamable eyes, a bloodthirsty, ferocious light instantly ignited, and the knuckles of his fingers gripping the battle axes "cracked" from excessive force, as if in the next moment he would cleave this fool who didn't know death from life, along with his group of lackeys, in half.

Big Fool tilted his massive head and, with a look like he was watching an idiot, silently lowered the two giant drum-beating urn-gold hammers from his shoulders.

"Thump!"

"Thump!"

Two loud, dull thuds that shook the entire ground were like two heavy hammers, smashing fiercely onto the hearts of everyone present! The two hammer heads, thicker than water buckets, smashed two shallow pits into the hard bluestone plaza!

The mocking smile on Zhou Tong's Face instantly froze.

The lackeys behind him were so frightened by the savage and overbearing Aura rushing towards them that their Faces turned pale, and they subconsciously took half a step back.

Silence.

Deathly silence.

Only then did Gao Feng, who had been resting with his eyes closed, slowly open his eyes.

He did not look at Zhou Tong; he did not even reveal the slightest emotional fluctuation. His gaze simply and faintly passed over Zhou Tong's shoulder, looking far into the distance at the gorgeous viewing platform composed of the major forces in the city.

There, Jiang Bietao was holding a teacup with a playful expression, enjoying this "good show."

A faint, cold arc curled up at the corner of Gao Feng's mouth.

Then, he slowly shifted his gaze back to Zhou Tong, who was already at a loss for what to do, having been shocked by the Aura of Big Fool and Wulu.

He only said one word.

"Scram."

The voice was not loud, but it exploded in Zhou Tong's ears like a thunderclap!

The smile on Zhou Tong's Face froze instantly; he simply couldn't believe his ears.

"What the fuck did you say?!"

He was furious, feeling that he had suffered a great humiliation; his Face turned the color of pig liver. "You dare to tell me to scram? Do you know who I am? I am Zhou Tong of the Raging Waves Gang! My Young Lord is the 'Sea-Covering Dragon' Jiang Bietao!"

Before he could finish speaking, a bone-chilling, biting cold Killing Intent, as if blown from the Nine Nether Hell, shrouded him fiercely like a physical entity!

It was Wulu.

Wulu, who had been silent, slowly raised his head. Those fierce eyes, honed in the mountains of corpses and seas of blood in the Southern Wilderness and resembling a lone wolf, stared fixedly at Zhou Tong.

In those eyes, Zhou Tong did not see anger or threats, but a pure indifference, as if looking at a dead object.

"My Big Brother told you to scram. Are your ears deaf? Did you not hear him?"

Wulu's voice was hoarse and low; every word was like a piece of ice, smashing into Zhou Tong's heart.

In the Face of that extremely terrifying Killing Intent, Zhou Tong felt as if the blood in his entire body was about to freeze, his hands and feet turned cold, his legs went weak, and he uncontrollably stumbled back two steps.

The lackeys behind him were even paler, not daring to even breathe deeply, as if the moment they moved, they would be instantly torn apart by that terrifying gaze.

Not far away, Jiang Bietao naturally noticed the commotion here and frowned in displeasure.

Making a fool of himself in such a high-profile occasion made him feel he had no Face.

He gave Zhou Tong a cold, warning look.

Zhou Tong felt as if he had been granted an amnesty. He shivered, forcing himself to stand tall, pointed at Wulu, and threw down a harsh threat: "Good! Very good! You three bumpkins, just you wait! When we get to the testing ground later, I will let you know what true despair is!"

After saying this, he dared not stay any longer and slunk back to the Raging Waves Gang's camp with his people.

A small disturbance thus subsided.

But Gao Feng and the other two had still attracted the attention of some interested parties.

"Interesting. To be able to emit such pure Killing Intent; it seems they are not pushovers."

In the corner, General Zhao Wuji licked his dry lips, a flash of excitement like a predator hunting prey gleaming in his eyes.

"Hmph, just bluffing," an Elder of the Raging Waves Gang beside Jiang Bietao snorted disdainfully. "Look at that person's Qi and blood fluctuations; it's only at the Peak of the third stage. As for the other two, one is as sturdy as a stupid ox, and the other has mediocre Qi and blood. None are worth worrying about. The Wang family is really becoming more and more decadent."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Bietao nodded in deep agreement and no longer took this episode to heart.

In his view, except for Qin Yu and General Zhao Wuji, everyone else present was nothing but trash.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

Three resounding bell rings echoed throughout the entire martial arts training ground, suppressing all the noise.

On the command platform, the chief examiner Commander Lin Zhennan stood up. His voice, filled with iron-blooded Evil Qi and bolstered by Internal Energy, sounded like rolling thunder, clearly reaching everyone's ears.

"The auspicious time has arrived! This official announces that the provincial Martial Examination begins now!"

"The first round, strength test!"

"The rules are simple. In the center of the training ground, there are three items for testing," Commander Lin Zhennan pointed to the field. "First, a five-hundred-catty black iron stone lock; those who can lift it over their head with one hand and hold it for three breaths are qualified. Second, a thousand-catty profound iron giant tripod; those who can shake it with both arms and lift it three inches off the ground are rated excellent. Third, the Hundred-Refinement Stele made of ten-thousand-refined fine steel; those who can leave a one-inch-deep fist print on it with their bare hands are rated exceptional!"

"Strength is the foundation of the Martial Dao! This round will directly eliminate half of the candidates! Now, according to the roster order, the test begins!"

Following Commander Lin Zhennan's order, thousands of candidates began to line up in a long queue, stepping forward one by one to be tested.

The atmosphere instantly became tense. Most people could only barely lift the five-hundred-catty stone lock, each one flushed red with veins popping, and after barely qualifying, they would let out a long sigh of relief, as if they had fought a great battle.

Occasionally, a few who were born with great strength or had Cultivated special Body Refining Cultivation Techniques were able to shake the thousand-catty giant tripod, causing it to lift slightly off the ground. This would immediately draw bursts of exclamation and cheers from the viewing platform, and even the big shots on the command platform would cast appreciative glances.

As for that Hundred-Refinement Stele, which was pitch black, shiny, and one zhang tall, no one dared to even attempt it.

Everyone knew that thing was forged by the top casting Great Master in Hanyang Province using hundred-refined fine steel mixed with extraterrestrial meteorite iron. It was incomparably hard; ordinary swords and blades striking it wouldn't even leave a white mark.

Wanting to leave a one-inch-deep mark on it with a fist? It was simply a pipe dream! That wasn't a test; that was self-mutilation!

Time passed bit by bit, and soon, it was Jiang Bietao, Qin Yu, and the others' turn to step out.

Jiang Bietao let out a long laugh and strode toward the thousand-jin giant tripod with the steady, imposing gait of a dragon and tiger.

Amidst the gasps, he didn't even use his full strength; with just a shake of his arms, he lifted the giant tripod over his head with ease, even spinning it twice, which drew thunderous applause from the entire arena.

Although Qin Yu primarily cultivated the Dao of the sword and his strength was slightly weaker, he still easily moved the giant tripod half a foot off the ground, also receiving an excellent evaluation.

As for the blood hand butcher General Zhao Wuji, he let out a cold, strange laugh.

He walked to the neglected Hundred Refinement Stele.

Under the uncertain and suspicious gazes of everyone, his thin, withered right hand strangely swelled up, turning into a blood-red claw, and he fiercely clawed at the stele!

"Screech!"

A harsh, grating sound rang out, and sparks flew everywhere!

When everyone looked closely, they all gasped!

They saw that on the hard Hundred Refinement Stele, he had forcefully gouged out five claw marks more than half an inch deep!

"Excellent! Another excellent!" the examiner in charge of recording shouted excitedly.

General Zhao Wuji's terrifying strength once again shocked the entire venue.

"Next batch!"

Finally, it was the turn of the team that Gao Feng and his two companions were in.

The surrounding examinees, seeing the three of them and recalling Zhou Tong's mockery from earlier, all wore expressions of eager anticipation, waiting to see a show.

Especially upon seeing Gao Feng's figure, which was not particularly burly, they were filled with disdain.

"Hmph, his Killing Intent was so heavy earlier, I thought he was some powerful figure, but it turns out he's just a flashy spearhead with no substance."

"Just watch, these three are at most at the level of lifting a stone lock."

The person in charge of testing in this area was a collateral Elder of the Wang family.

He had obviously heard that the three of them had gotten in through connections; his expression was very unpleasant, and his tone was full of impatience: "Hurry up! Don't dawdle; there are many people waiting behind you!"

Wulu walked out first with an expressionless Face.

He didn't look at the stone lock or the giant tripod, but walked straight to the Hundred Refinement Stele that had been clawed by General Zhao Wuji.

"Ha, what does this savage want to do? He doesn't want to challenge the Hundred Refinement Stele too, does he?"

"He must be crazy! General Zhao Wuji cultivated an evil technique; what right does a hick like him have?"

Amidst the questioning and ridicule, that Wang family Elder also frowned and said coldly: "Kid, don't try to show off here and waste everyone's time!"

Wulu didn't pay him any mind at all, just took a deep breath.

His bronze-colored arm's muscles instantly bulged, and blue veins coiled upon it like dragons, full of explosive power!

He didn't use a fist or a claw, but extended that plain, unadorned palm, covered in calluses and a size larger than a normal person's, and grabbed a corner of the Hundred Refinement Stele!

Under the gaze of everyone, whose expressions froze in disbelief, he began to exert force slowly!

"Creak... creak... creak..."

A teeth-gritting sound of metal twisting rang clearly throughout the entire silent martial arts arena!

That Hundred Refinement Stele, which was claimed to be impervious to blades and where even General Zhao Wuji's Evil Qi claw could only leave half-inch marks, was being deformed under Wulu's terrifying hand, as if it were a lump of wax held by a red-hot branding iron!

When Wulu let go, that corner of the Hundred Refinement Stele had completely disappeared, replaced by a clear handprint three inches deep, with edges slightly reddened from intense friction!

This was no longer a mark; it was reshaping!

"Hiss—"

The sound of gasps rang out across the entire venue!

A deathly silence enveloped the martial arts arena, and everyone's jaws were about to drop to the ground.

They looked at Wulu, as if they were looking at a prehistoric Vicious Beast wearing human skin.

Those who had mocked him earlier felt a burning sensation on their Faces, wishing they could crawl into a crack in the ground.

The smiles on the Faces of the dignitaries on the reviewing platform, who had originally been chatting happily, completely froze.

"This... what kind of terrifying Physical Body strength is this!" Commander Lin Zhennan, the chief examiner, exclaimed, abruptly standing up from his seat!

For the first time, an extremely grave expression appeared on Jiang Bietao's arrogant Face.

He considered himself powerful, but there was absolutely no way he could achieve this level!

That Wang family Elder was even more terrified, his Face deathly pale, his mouth open wide enough to fit an egg, and his whole body shaking uncontrollably—he had actually been scolding such a monster just a moment ago?

However, this was only the beginning.

After Wulu, Big Fool sauntered out, his gaze landing directly on that thousand-jin mysterious iron giant tripod.

"This looks fun."

He walked to the giant tripod with a silly grin, and under the numb gazes of the crowd, reached out his hands to grab the tripod's legs, then easily lifted the thousand-jin giant tripod over his head as if he were lifting a haystack!

But that wasn't all!

Big Fool seemed to find just holding it a bit boring, and actually started using that thousand-jin giant tripod like a stone lock, tossing it up and down to play!

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Every time the giant tripod was tossed several zhang high and then steadily caught by him, it would emit a dull, booming sound that made the ground of the entire martial arts arena tremble slightly!

Everyone's hearts were twitching wildly along with the rise and fall of the giant tripod!

Crazy!

This world has gone completely crazy!

Where on earth did these two monsters come from?!

If Wulu's strength was terrifying, then Big Fool's strength was simply that of a god or demon!

When Big Fool got bored of playing and put the slightly deformed giant tripod back with a heavy "thud," the entire martial arts arena remained silent.

Everyone's gazes subconsciously converged on Gao Feng, the last one about to appear.

Since these two bodyguards were already so monstrous, how terrifying must the "Big Brother" they spoke of be?

Under the gaze of everyone, Gao Feng walked out with a calm expression.

He didn't look at the Hundred Refinement Stele, nor did he look at the giant tripod, but walked straight to the force-measuring stele in the very center of the martial arts arena, which was three zhang tall and specifically used to test comprehensive explosive power!

This stele was made of the hardest obsidian and inscribed with a special Formation inside; it could withstand any impact below a fifth-rank expert and would display different lights according to the force.

Red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple lights corresponded to the different levels of the first to seventh ranks of the Martial Dao.

The highest record in the history of the Hanyang provincial examination was a "deep cyan" light created by a Genius thirty years ago, representing that the strength was infinitely close to the Peak of the fourth-rank Great Perfection!

At this moment, everyone held their breath.

They wanted to see what kind of results this man, who could make two monsters willingly submit, could achieve.

Gao Feng slowly walked to the stele, without gathering strength, without a stance, and without even a sign of circulating his blood and Qi, just simply and plainly threw a punch.

That punch looked slow and light, without the slightest hint of martial prowess, like an ordinary person waving their hand casually.

"What kind of trick is this? Just this?" someone on the viewing platform whispered disdainfully.

However, the moment that seemingly ordinary fist lightly touched the hard force-measuring stele—

"Hum—" A dull humming sound that seemed to come from beyond the Nine Heavens suddenly rang out!

Immediately after, in the eyes of everyone, whose pupils instantly constricted, the surface of the force-measuring stele, which was claimed to be able to withstand any impact below the fifth rank, rippled with visible transparent waves, like the surface of a lake after a stone was thrown into it!

There was no red, no orange, no yellow, and not even the cyan, blue, and purple lights representing fourth-rank experts flashed!

"What's going on? Is it broken? Not even a glimmer of light?"

Just as everyone was confused, "Crack..." an extremely slight cracking sound rang out.

Then came the second sound, the third... "Crack... crack, crack..." The cracking sounds became increasingly dense and loud!

They saw that on the huge stele, which was three zhang tall, with Gao Feng's fist as the center, black cracks like spiderwebs spread in all directions at a terrifying speed!

After a breath, in the deathly silence of the arena. "Boom—!!!" A heaven-shaking, earth-shattering loud sound!

That force-measuring stele, which had stood for over a hundred years, shattered right before everyone's eyes, turning into a sky full of black powder!

The wind blew gently, and the black powder drifted all over the martial arts arena, landing on the Faces and bodies of every examiner and examinee who were so terrified they were on the verge of Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering.

One punch!

The force-measuring stele, exploded!

This was no longer a simple strength test, but a miracle!

It was a miracle that deserved to be recorded in the history books of Hanyang Province!

I don't know how much time passed before the chief examiner, Commander Lin Zhennan, found his voice from the extreme shock.

He pointed his trembling finger at the empty ruins, his voice changing pitch: "Pass... Pass! The three... all three passed with excellent results!"

His words were like a spark thrown into boiling oil, and the entire martial arts arena instantly erupted!

The subsequent skill test was like child's play for Gao Feng.

Whether it was the plum blossom stakes or the archery target test, he passed them easily in a near-perfect, artistically beautiful manner.

That miraculous movement technique and the hair-raising precision of his control once again made everyone deeply realize that this man not only possessed god-like strength but also possessed Grandmaster-level skills!

He was a perfect warrior with no shortcomings!

When the final round of actual combat duels officially began, everyone's gazes subconsciously avoided Gao Feng and his two companions.

Are you kidding me!

Fighting these three monsters? Isn't that just asking for death?!

Even Jiang Bietao and Qin Yu, those two favored sons of heaven, had their expressions turn extremely grave, feeling for the first time the immense pressure known as "powerlessness."

In the first round of duels, Gao Feng's opponent was a Disciple from a second-rate family in Hanyang City.

The moment that Disciple saw the draw results, his Face turned pale "whoosh," and he walked onto the ring, trembling like a leaf; looking at the man with a calm and indifferent expression opposite him, his legs shook uncontrollably.

"I... I..."

He "I"ed for a long time, and finally gritted his teeth and shouted hoarsely to the referee: "I surrender!"

After saying that, he scrambled off the ring.

The whole arena was in an uproar, but no one laughed, because everyone knew this was the wisest choice.