Chapter 180 - 143: The Prefecture Examination Begins
In the blink of an eye, several days passed. Today was the day of the Prefecture Examination.
On this day, snowflakes drifted down, one after another.
The first snow of winter had finally arrived. Snow filled the woods, falling with a soft rustle.
The weather was freezing cold. Normally, following the habits of the residents of Shanyang Prefecture City, not many people would be out this early. But today was different—or rather, the past few days had been different.
Every morning, merchants and vendors from all over Shanyang Prefecture would gather on the road leading to the Prefecture Examination grounds.
Shouting, hawking their wares,
chatting, and haggling.
"Well, if it isn’t Shopkeeper Liu! Your business seems to be bustling lately."
"Not at all, not at all. Our business has always been good. Today is just a happy coincidence. My nephew is taking the Prefecture Examination, so of course our family has to come and share in the excitement."
"That’s wonderful! If your nephew passes, you must hold a big celebration banquet."
...
These neighbors, all merchants who enjoyed socializing, exchanged a few pleasantries before leaning in to gossip.
"Oh, right, the betting odds for this Prefecture Examination are out. What do you think?"
"One thousand Martial Scholars, but only the top thirty will pass. With archery, Military Strategy, and combat trials, it’s no exaggeration to call it an army crossing a single-plank bridge. I think the winners will still come from the Prefecture City. Those Martial Artists from out of town are just too far behind."
"I’m not sure about the others, but this guy named Fang Yue is a strange one. Who knows if he’s actually incredibly strong or just some cannon fodder someone snuck in. He’s actually been ranked ninth for the Prefecture Examination. He’s from some small town I’ve never even heard of. I bet on him to lose this time; the payout is more than tenfold."
"Is that so? Let me see... It’s true. In that case, I’ll bet on him to lose, too."
The Prefecture Examination. It was both a grand ceremony for the imperial court to select talent and an event ripe with business opportunities.
Naturally, there was no shortage of gambling on the results and rankings.
The living conditions for residents in the Prefecture City were clearly much better than in the counties and villages below.
Besides, there were few forms of entertainment in these times. A little friendly betting was a very common pastime.
A few days prior, the major gambling houses had already screened the top contenders for the Prefecture Examination and placed them on a list.
They compiled a ranked list from top to bottom. Of course, the higher the rank, the lower the payout for a win, and the higher the payout for a loss.
Therefore, the appearance of an unfamiliar name among the popular candidates for the Prefecture Examination rankings caused quite a stir among the gamblers.
Some people might have thought he was just an ordinary Martial Scholar, planted by the gambling dens.
After all, situations like this had happened before.
Many people would bet on such a Martial Scholar, only for them to be swiftly defeated in the combat trials, costing the bettors a lot of silver.
Of course, the more this happened, the more attention it drew, and the more bets were actually placed.
Most of them, of course, were betting on Fang Yue to be eliminated.
It was the principle of using a little to win a lot.
It even drove down the odds for Fang Yue’s elimination.
Fang Yue only learned of all this after arriving near the training grounds in the Northwest of the Prefecture City, where the Prefecture Examination was held, from a Servant collecting bets.
Seeing this, Fang Yue smiled slightly and then bet on himself to win.
He bet ten thousand taels of silver outright.
This was a huge sum, and it immediately shifted the odds back.
Now, if Fang Yue passed the Prefecture Examination, he would win five thousand taels of silver.
Furthermore, starting from the thirtieth passing position, for every rank he climbed, he would earn an additional one thousand taels.
Before long, the Prefecture Examination was about to begin.
Numerous Martial Scholars, hailing from all over Shanyang Prefecture, began to enter the training grounds.
First came the registration and verification of their basic information to prevent substitutes.
By the time this procedure was over, it was nearly noon.
At this time, it was the standard event: the strength test.
The Prefecture Examination could test one hundred people at a time.
The strength test was the most basic part of the Prefecture Examination, and the one all Martial Scholars were most familiar with.
This was because the strength test ran through the trials for Martial Scholar, Martial Scholar, and even the Prefecture Examination—the three most important stages for an ordinary Martial Artist.
The Prefecture Examination provided three types of Stone Locks for the test: five thousand jin, seven thousand jin, and ten thousand jin. These corresponded to the three realms of the Initial Marrow Transformation Stage.
They corresponded to the three grades: A, B, and C.
Lifting five thousand jin for fifty breaths earned a C. One hundred breaths earned a C+. Following this pattern, there were also B, B+, A, and A+, for a total of four more grades.
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Unlike the County Examination, the Prefecture Examination process was open to the city’s influential figures. For a fee of silver, one could secure a seat in the corresponding viewing stands.
’Heh heh, he really came. Let’s just see if you can fend off the challenges of so many Martial Artists.’
’It would be best if he died in the combat trials. That would be perfect.’
In a corner of the training grounds, Liu Chuanzhi, dressed in the uniform of a clerk, smiled as he looked toward Fang Yue.
After Fang Yue’s odds were released, he had bet three thousand taels of silver on Fang Yue being eliminated.
After all, he knew Fang Yue.
’He only achieved Marrow Transformation less than two years ago. How strong can he be now? Among so many Martial Scholars, he must be at the very bottom.’
After all, if one passed the Prefecture Examination, they would be directly granted a post as at least a seventh-grade official, and those with excellent scores could even receive a post as a sixth-grade official.
There were also Secret Medicines, Secret Manuals, and even guidance from a Qi Sensing Martial Master.
For an ordinary Martial Scholar, the allure was immense.