If Fang Yue were to pass the Martial Scholar examination, it would make sense for Zhang Boyang to try and set him up with Zhang Shu.

But at this moment, he hadn’t even taken the examination.

He had only been practicing martial arts for a year, and his progress was considered fairly decent.

He hadn’t revealed his strength, which far surpassed that of other Martial Artists at his level. Even Fang Hu only knew that he was very strong, stronger than a typical Martial Artist at the Skin Grinding Pass.

But as for just how strong he was, Fang Hu had no idea.

The tree that rises above the forest will be torn down by the wind.

Fang Yue only needed to reveal a hint of his strengths; showing too much of his extraordinary abilities would not necessarily be a good thing for him.

With a weak foundation, he could easily be crushed.

A dead genius is no genius at all.

After all, he had been thoroughly educated by web novels. While he wasn’t about to become some Ten-Mile Slope Sword God, he still understood the importance of hiding one’s strength and keeping a few aces up his sleeve.

It was just that Zhang Boyang certainly didn’t know any of this.

So, for Zhang Boyang to take the initiative to set him up with Zhang Shu meant he truly saw promise in him.

’However, while Zhang Shu is pretty, her personality is truly awful. She’s not a good match.’

For the moment, Fang Yue could only force himself to offer a few words of praise for Zhang Shu, while internally he was already trying to figure out how to refuse.

’After all, if I refuse without a solid reason, it will just create bad blood.’

"Yu’Er, this isn’t a difficult matter. You can get engaged to Shu’Er first. Then, after your older brother is married, you two can have your formal wedding."

By now, Zhang Boyang had finished the tea in his cup. Seeing Fang Yue’s hesitation, he assumed it was because Fang Yue didn’t want to marry before his older brother, so he offered a solution.

The possibility that Fang Yue might not agree to the marriage didn’t even cross his mind.

In this day and age, weren’t all marriages decided by the parents’ order and the matchmaker’s word?

In fact, he could have just settled things with Fang Hu before even telling Fang Yue.

And he was confident he could get Fang Hu to agree, and even get Fang Yue’s parents to consent to the marriage.

After all, given his family’s standing, Fang Yue would be the one benefiting from this union.

"Dad, what are you talking about? I will not marry him!"

But just as Zhang Boyang thought the matter was settled, Zhang Shu’s furious voice rang out.

Then, Zhang Shu, dressed in a light-colored silk dress, stormed in from outside.

She had been on her way to a poetry gathering in the city. But just as she was about to leave, she learned that her father was planning to betroth her to Fang Yue.

To her, Fang Yue was just like Fang Ergou. In her eyes, even Fang Hu was no different from those muddy-legged country bumpkins, just another poor relative.

The time she had spent living in Da Liushu Village, in particular, had only deepened her prejudice against country people.

’How could she, Zhang Shu, possibly marry such a country bumpkin!’

"Shu’Er! Shut your mouth! Apologize to your junior brother!" Zhang Boyang had thought everything was settled, but he hadn’t expected Zhang Shu to be so utterly tactless.

"Hmph! I’m not apologizing to some country bumpkin! If you want to marry him so badly, you do it! I won’t!" Zhang Shu snorted, firing back.

’If Shu’Er had just shut her mouth a moment ago, he could have found an excuse to smooth things over. The situation wouldn’t have been unsalvageable.’

’But now she had doubled down. This marriage was definitely off.’

’With such resentment between them, forcing them together would only lead to endless, chaotic squabbles down the line.’

Seeing his daughter being so spoiled and willful, Zhang Boyang was overcome with fury.

SMACK!

He slammed his palm down hard.

The next moment,

the sturdy table was instantly smashed to pieces.

"You were going to hit me? For an outsider?" Zhang Shu looked utterly stunned, as if she couldn’t believe her father would do such a thing.

But a moment later, after the reality of it sank in, she burst into tears and ran out.

After this incident, Fang Yue obviously couldn’t stay any longer.

He immediately bid Zhang Boyang farewell and left.

And of course, the marriage proposal that had been so difficult to refuse was no longer on the table.

~~~~~~

「The next few days.」

Every morning, Fang Yue would find a secluded spot to practice his stance training before taking a stroll around Xiahe County Town.

Time passed peacefully.

In the blink of an eye, the day of the Martial Scholar examination arrived.

Fang Yue woke up bright and early that day.

It was still dark outside; the sun had not yet risen.

It was deep into autumn, and the moments before dawn were the coldest part of the day.

In the inn, the young Martial Artists preparing for the Martial Examination were already ready. Soon, they began to leave in twos and threes, carrying their belongings and heading for the training grounds of the County Magistrate’s Office.

Some went with full confidence, while others went merely to broaden their horizons.

Still others were a mix of hopeful and worried, hesitant and uncertain.

Were they moths drawn to a flame, or was this the nirvana that would change their destinies?

7:15 AM.

In the Great Wei Dynasty, First Year of Wuding, the first Martial Scholar examination in Xiahe County Town had finally arrived.

Unlike the civil examinations, the Military Examination only required checking the participants’ identity, place of origin, and age to prevent impersonation.

There weren’t many other measures to prevent cheating. The Military Examination tested raw strength; if one’s own power was insufficient, cheating was impossible.

On the high platform in the center of the County Magistrate’s Office training grounds.

Liu Zheng, the Chief Official of Xiahe County, sat in the center of the high platform. He wore a dark cyan official uniform, styled for martial movement, with a rhinoceros embroidered on the chest.

On either side of him sat the high-ranking officials of the Xiahe County Government Office, arranged by rank. It was obvious, however, that those seated closest to Liu Zheng were all Military Officers.

The few Civil Servants present were relegated to the edges, looking rather insignificant.

Although this was the first Martial Scholar examination to be held, and the maximum age for participants was capped at twenty-five...

...the number of Martial Artists who met the criteria and came to participate was still nearly two hundred.

This was still far less than the civil examinations, which regularly drew six or seven hundred participants, sometimes even as many as one or two thousand.

This was the difference between "poor scholars and rich warriors." Even with Talent, unless it was of the absolute highest caliber, it was difficult to afford the resources required for cultivation.

Thus, in reality, most of the nearly two hundred candidates participating in the Martial Scholar examination came from the families of large landowners.

Only the truly wealthy could afford to fully support a Martial Artist.

As for the rest—the Martial Artists from humble backgrounds like Fang Yue—they numbered fewer than ten.

Clearly, supporting a Martial Artist was an incredibly rare and difficult feat.

~~~~~~

Not long after the candidates’ identities were verified, a series of nine resounding strikes on a gong and drum signaled the official start of the Martial Scholar examination.

Fang Yue was number 98, placing him somewhere in the middle-to-latter half of the group. It would be some time before his turn came.

Since this was the first time the Martial Scholar examination was held, its events were adapted from a streamlined version of the standard Martial Examination subjects.

These were strength and combat.

The strength test was to see if they met the basic requirements, while the combat trials were to determine the final rankings.

’A success ratio of less than seven to one. The competition isn’t all that intense.’

As Fang Yue familiarized himself with the rules of the competition, seeing the number of people participating today made him feel even more confident.