24: Chapter 24 Joint Examination of Five Prefectures!

"Bang! Bang! Bang!!!"

"Chen An, it's already this late, why are you still sleeping? Get up quickly, the sun is about to hit your butt!"

Early in the morning, a series of knocks sounded outside Chen An's door, followed immediately by a crisp voice from outside.

Chen An opened his eyes and looked at the vibrating door, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.

He didn't need to look; there was no one else who could break into his house like this besides Shen Qinglan.

In fact, he had already known when Shen Qinglan climbed over the wall to enter.

It was just that, sensing it was Shen Qinglan, he couldn't be bothered to get up.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!!!"

"Chen An, are you up yet? If you don't get up, don't blame me for going in myself!"

Seeming to hear no movement inside the room, Shen Qinglan's voice came in again.

"Alright, alright, I know, just wait a moment!"

Knowing that the broken door of his room couldn't stop Shen Qinglan, and knowing that she might really break in, Chen An had no choice but to crawl out of bed to save the door bolt.

After returning last night, he realized that improving too quickly without his state of mind keeping up wouldn't be very beneficial for him, so he just tidied up the room that had been messed up by those two thieves last night and went straight to sleep.

In any case, with his current Grandmaster Realm cultivation, not to mention this small Wurong County, even in the entire Chengtian Prefecture, it was enough for him to do as he pleased.

Changing into a clean, loose white martial outfit, Chen An lifted his hand, pushed open the door, and walked out slowly.

As soon as he opened the door, Chen An instantly saw a petite and slender figure sitting, leaning against the wooden table.

The young girl acted as if no one else was there, casually crossing her long, jade-like legs, pinching a snowy-white steamed bun with her fingertips, and eating heartily, appearing carefree and at ease.

There was no need to say who this person was; it was his childhood sweetheart who grew up with him, the recognized Prodigy of Wurong County, the top student of the County Academy—Shen Qinglan.

Today, she was wearing a tight-fitting, sky-blue martial outfit, tailored neatly and closely, perfectly outlining her tall, well-proportioned, and curvaceous figure.

Her waterfall-like black hair was tied high into a ponytail with a purple hairband, looking crisp and sharp without losing the girl's clear and lively charm.

The morning light spilled through the window lattice, spreading like broken gold across the hall, making her brows and eyes look as beautiful as a painting, and her skin as white as jade, making one feel a sense of pleasure just by looking at her.

"You're up. Go wash up; I brought you some buns."

Shen Qinglan glanced at him, her gaze falling on his face and his plain white martial outfit, her eyes brightening slightly, but she still waved her hand casually.

"Mm, okay!"

Chen An nodded, not surprised at all by Shen Qinglan's attitude, and turned to go inside to wash up.

Although he had already experienced the Awakening of his memories from a past life, and now lived primarily based on the experience of his past life, this body itself belonged to him. Furthermore, he had already undergone the Fusion of the original owner's memories and emotions, so it felt as if he had really known Shen Qinglan for more than a decade.

Besides, who wouldn't want a talented and beautiful childhood sweetheart?!

Soon, Chen An finished washing and came out. He casually grabbed a chair, sat opposite Shen Qinglan, picked up a bun, and started eating.

"The County Exam is tomorrow. How can you still be sleeping at a time like this?!"

Shen Qinglan's cheeks were puffed up like a little squirrel gnawing on a pine nut. While biting into a bun, she slanted her eyes at Chen An, giving him a sideways glance with a bit of reproach and worry as she nagged.

"Don't worry, I have confidence!" Chen An replied calmly while eating the bun.

"Confidence? What confidence do you have?!"

Shen Qinglan rolled her eyes, speechless at Chen An's mysterious confidence.

As someone who grew up with Chen An, she knew everything about him, from his cultivation progress to how many pairs of pants he was wearing today.

In her impression, Chen An's bone structure was average, his Comprehension Ability was also very ordinary, and although he practiced diligently on weekdays, his Aptitude was just so-so. Not to mention compared to her, he wasn't even as good as the students in the County Academy.

Being at the Condensing Qi Stage 2 Realm, he was basically at the bottom of the County Academy.

And tomorrow was the crucial Martial Examination. It was said that this County Exam was different from the past, with Geniuses from all sides gathering, and it was fraught with crises.

Yet he looked so nonchalant and full of confidence, which really made Shen Qinglan feel both a headache and helpless.

"Let me tell you, I've heard news that this County Exam is different from the past!"

Shen Qinglan's beautiful eyes flickered, and then she looked at him seriously, "This time, it is not just our Wurong County's Martial Examination, but the entire Chengtian Prefecture, Qingyuan Prefecture, Wan'an Prefecture, Chang Geng Prefecture, and Zhaoming Prefecture—the Five Prefectures Joint Examination!"

"Huh?!"

Hearing Shen Qinglan's words, Chen An couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

As far as he knew, previous County Exams were always held separately by each county, with fixed test items: bone structure test, cultivation Realm test, and combat duel, with scores given layer by layer to select the best for the Prefectural Academy.

In previous years, at most, it was a joint exam of the thirty-six counties under Chengtian Prefecture. That scale was already rare in a decade, or even several decades, and the competition was extremely fierce.

But he never expected that this year's Martial Examination specifications would be upgraded directly, jumping not just out of one county, but even crossing prefectural domains, evolving into a super major exam jointly held by the five prefectures.

Shen Qinglan's expression was serious as she continued, "Prodigies from the five prefectures are gathering, and there are countless Geniuses. Our Wurong County's top candidates, while outstanding within one county, are not worth mentioning when placed among the five prefectures."

Chen An nodded slightly, knowing that Shen Qinglan was right.

The Great Luo Dynasty was vast and rich, occupying more than half of the territory of the Cangyuan Continent, with a vastness of trillions of miles, endless mountains and rivers.

The entire dynasty was divided into nine major states, one state governing eighteen prefectures, each prefecture governing thirty-six counties, with a clear hierarchy and a strict and orderly territorial structure.

Every county under its jurisdiction had a permanent population of over ten million, a vast territory, crisscrossed by mountains and rivers. The area of a single county was no less than some large prefecture-level cities in Chen An's previous life.

The nine states were vast, with thousands of prefectures standing tall, hundreds of counties dotted like stars, and billions of living beings multiplying.

It was precisely because of the vast territory, the huge base of the Human Race, and the Great Luo Dynasty's strong promotion of universal martial arts that created a flourishing scene of martial arts and Geniuses everywhere.

Countless Martial Artists were scattered across states and counties, diligently practicing Cultivation Techniques and tempering their Physical Bodies, just to stand out through the layers of Martial Examinations, enter the Prefectural Academy, advance to the State Institute, and step by step reach the Peak of martial arts.

And this Five Prefectures Joint Examination was equivalent to one hundred and eighty County Academies, with hundreds of thousands of students taking the exam together. Its difficulty was simply off the charts compared to previous years.

"That's not right. The Five Prefectures Joint Examination—I haven't heard of this even looking back decades. Did something happen?!"

Chen An looked up at Shen Qinglan, his gaze shifting, a trace of suspicion flashing in the depths of his eyes. Tiny silver lights flashed in the depths of his pupils like stardust falling into the night, then instantly faded away.

Hearing this, Shen Qinglan frowned, a flash of seriousness in her beautiful eyes. She subconsciously looked around, confirming that no one was approaching, before lowering her voice and speaking with a solemn expression: "You guessed right. This matter is indeed unusual. I heard it from my father; it seems to be related to the movements on the dynasty's border."

"The border?" Chen An narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Mm!"

Shen Qinglan nodded slightly, her voice lowered even further, "It is said that in recent years, the Ancient Demon in the northern border of the Tianyan Mountain Range have been restless, with constant friction, and the flames of war have shown signs of spreading. The Great Luo Dynasty urgently needs a large number of young Prodigies to replenish the military and the core of martial arts. This Five Prefectures Joint Examination is ordered by the dynasty to break the rules and select Geniuses, prioritizing the replenishment of the northern war zone."

"Besides that..."

She paused, her brows filled with heavier worry, "I heard that the top ten Prodigies in this joint exam even have the opportunity to enter the dynasty's Martial Dao Institute or the Holy Land directly!"