Unparalleled Duo
Chapter 65 - 65 42 Six People Under the Pen

65: Chapter 42: Six People Under the Pen 65: Chapter 42: Six People Under the Pen The sun was already high in the sky when Sun Yixie and Huang Donglai finally got out of bed.

The two dressed and washed up at a leisurely pace, took a trip to the latrine, and then strolled out of the Justice Sect.

Together, they headed to the street to partake in a “brunch”.

After their meal, they meandered back, arriving at the hall where the “literary exam” of the Youth Hero Conference was to be hosted.

Throughout this whole process, regardless of whether or not they were seen, they acted as comfortable and nonchalant as if they were in their own homes, seemingly not giving two hoots about the so-called “Youth Hero Conference”…

The disciples within the Justice Sect were familiar with their antics and knew this was typical for them.

But the outsiders who had come to the conference today couldn’t help but wonder if Sun and Huang were just too laid-back or downright dismissive…

It was past 9 a.m., and the literary part of the Youth Hero Conference was finally about to begin.

The Justice Sect had ample quarters, and setting up a hall large enough to accommodate over a hundred people was no big deal.

There were actually fewer than a hundred youths who had come to participate, but there were even more spectating elders from various sects.

Of course, the spectators couldn’t enter the examination hall, just as parents can’t follow their children into an examination room.

So while the young heroes were “testing”, the elders were invited to rest in a separate reception area.

Later on, Master Shen would treat them to a meal.

Contrary to the other young heroes who were seated early, Sun Yixie and Huang Donglai entered the hall right on time, still picking their teeth.

“Hey!

Brother Sun, Brother Huang, over here!

I’ve got seats!” At this moment, only someone as frivolous as Lei Buji would dare to call out to them loudly.

Perhaps it was his featherbrained nature that left several seats empty around him, as nobody wanted to sit with him.

Sun Yixie and Huang Donglai, however, didn’t mind; they sauntered over and took the seats next to Lei Buji.

Thus, Lei Buji, who wasn’t that conspicuous to begin with, suddenly became the “odd one out” in everyone’s eyes.

Compared to Sun and Huang, Lei Buji, a virtually unknown youngster, raised even more suspicions.

“Hmm.” Seeing that everyone had arrived, an elder sitting at the head of the hall, dressed and looking like a classical scholar, cleared his throat and began, “Keep it down…” As he spoke, he signaled to the members of the Justice Sect beside him, “Please distribute the examination papers.”

The disciples, following orders, took the stacks of paper scrolls from the lectern and efficiently handed them out to each seated participant.

“Ink, brushes, paper, and inkstones have been provided; feel free to use them,” the elderly scholar added leisurely as the papers were being distributed.

“The questions are already written on the papers.

Simply write your answers below them.

You have half an hour to complete the test.

You may hand in your answers early if you finish before time, but you’ll have to leave the hall once you do.”

Though his tone and demeanor were relaxed, his eyes remained vigilant.

In fact, from the moment the young heroes entered the room, he had been scrutinizing each of them like a hawk.

Some sitting below recognized this elderly scholar as the famously impartial “Iron-faced Scholar” Qiao Chengshu from the martial arts community.

His martial arts skills were not exceedingly high, barely making him a second-class expert, but he was known for his integrity and literary talent.

In his youth, Qiao Chengshu had passed the imperial examinations and became a “scholar”, but later left the bureaucratic path for various reasons to wander the martial arts world.

He had served as an examiner for the literary test at several previous Youth Hero Conferences, which is why Shen Youran had invited him this time.

Qiao Chengshu belonged to the few who possessed both worldly wisdom and extensive knowledge, and his questions were created to suit the individual circumstances.

To put it bluntly—He knew that most of these martial arts youngsters had limited education, so he wouldn’t challenge them with questions suitable for scholars but rather would provide something more apt.

For example, the question he posed this year was: Twenty years hence, where will you be?

The martial arts world changes, as various paths diverge.

This question had no fixed answer and was open-ended, encouraging the youths to imagine their futures: when their prime days are behind them, what would the martial arts world look like, and where would they find themselves?

Participants could base their answers on their understanding of the martial arts community to speculate on future situations, or they could use their literary skills for elaboration and passionate argument.

In short, any approach was allowed…

After all, there was no such thing as “failing” the literary test.

It was simply a means to determine a ranking that would serve as groundwork for the martial competition the following day: those who did well on the test would be placed higher in the progression chart, allowing them fewer matches and ensuring a relatively good placement even in the event of an early defeat in combat.

Those who performed poorly on the test would have to fight their way up from the bottom rungs, requiring greater physical and martial prowess.

However, as long as one’s skills were sufficient, it was still possible to achieve a high ranking or even win the championship.

Sun Yixie and Huang Donglai maintained such a carefree attitude because they were aware of this rule, or, rather, because they knew that “even if they submitted blank papers today, they could still participate in the martial contest tomorrow as usual”.

This knowledge underpinned their confidence.

Even if they were to end up at the bottom of the rankings this time, they didn’t particularly care.

They had set out on this journey to broaden their horizons in the martial arts community and had not been tasked with achieving any specific rankings.

Although Huang Donglai’s father had mentioned in a letter that he should not disgrace the family, Huang had already fulfilled that expectation by upholding justice on the way to Luoyang; and as for Sun Yixie, well, returning home alive would be enough to satisfy his father.

Hence, their mood during the test was relatively relaxed.

Huang Donglai started by outlining his aspirations; he envisioned himself becoming a character like the “know-it-all of the martial world”, someone who specialized in commentary.

To prove his talent in this area, he drew on his understanding of the current martial world situation and listed six names: Shen Youran, the Sect Leader of Luoyang’s Justice Sect; Yue Youque, one of the imperial “Four Masters of Wind, Rain, Moon, and Clouds”; Meng Qi, the young manor owner of Yuxiu Manor; Di Bujuan, Gang Leader of the Cao Gang; Dugu Yong, owner of the Defeated Dragon Sword from the Jinling Sword Kings Estate; and Wu Mingzi, the “Three-Eyes Soundless” from the Kunlun Sect.

Huang Donglai predicted that these six would dominate the martial world over the next twenty years.

In the age bracket of thirty to forty years old, and considering factors like martial prowess, reputation, sect pedigree, and influence, these six were the most promising figures in today’s martial world.

At that moment, Huang Donglai was unaware that from the day he inscribed their names, not one of those six would live beyond five years…

and that several of their deaths would have direct ties to him.

But that’s a story for another time…

On the other hand, Sun Yixie’s answer was much simpler.

He knew only a few characters, so he wrote down just eight words—Drift with the tides, living for today only.

This was directly lifting a lyric from the song “A Smile from the Sea” to give Qiao Chengshu and essentially meant, “I’m like a fish—I only remember what happens today and don’t think about tomorrow.

I just go with the flow.”

After jotting down these eight words, Brother Sun handed in his paper and left, telling Huang Donglai to save a spot for him at the dining area on his way out.

His attitude invariably drew intense gazes from many of the surrounding youths and successfully disrupted the concentration and quality of many others’ answers…

Qiao Chengshu chuckled dryly upon seeing Sun Yixie’s answer and refrained from commenting.

If you think that Qiao Chengshu, upon seeing such an unconventional response, would be struck with amazement and grant Brother Sun a high ranking, then you are mistaken…

Qiao Chengshu was no pedant like Xue Tui.

He had seen plenty who tried to skirt by with oddity and wouldn’t be fooled.

So, it can be stated clearly here that Sun Yixie was eventually placed second to last in the progression chart for the martial competition, with true illiterates and Lei Buji making up the layer below him.

…

As the saying goes, time flies with a book and drags without.

The half-hour passed in the blink of an eye.

Once the literary exams were over, it was noon.

The young warriors emerged from the hall, joined the gathering of heroes in the Justice Sect for lunch, and dispersed after the meal.

The results of the literary exam would be announced the next day.

To ensure fairness, Elder Qiao would not be seeing anyone during the review period.

And so, the 14th of August passed without any major events.

The next morning, the Justice Sect posted the results of the previous day’s literary test along with the progression chart for the day’s martial competition.

The quality of the answers was evident at a glance on that list…

Huang Donglai’s ranking was relatively high, yet he was still in a state where he couldn’t exert his internal strength due to the pill he had concocted, and was prepared to forfeit his match when it came to his turn.

Sun Yixie’s ranking, as mentioned earlier, was no surprise.

Despite his cursing upon seeing the results, the whole world knew he had handed in his paper after less than three minutes, and nobody thought he deserved any sympathy.

Considering that the martial contest would take considerable time, shortly after the morning posting, the Youth Hero Conference’s main event, the “combat trial”, commenced.

The arena had been set up days in advance, and naturally, it was located within the Justice Sect headquarters; it was too risky to hold the contest in public streets.

If evil sect members were to mingle with the spectators and cause trouble, the situation would be hard to control amidst the teeming crowds, and the casualties would be unpredictable.

Besides, with so many representatives from various major sects in attendance, there was hardly any extra space around the arena anyway.

By 7:45 a.m., everyone was ready at the arena with Master Shen Youran and seven other Sect Leader Level masters taking the highest and most prominent seats.

They were not only witnesses to the contest but also the judges on the scene.

The rules of the martial contest were simple: decide the victor, not between life and death; everything else was fair game.

For instance, accidental light injuries were allowed; it’s known that fighting is heartless and weapons blind.

While “stop upon touch” was the principle, if not even the slightest wound was inflicted, there wouldn’t be a contest.

Fatal injuries, maiming, or crippling someone’s martial arts abilities, however, were forbidden.

If someone in the ring showed malicious intent of the aforementioned nature, the sects of the offenders, concerned for their reputations, would likely beat them first, crippling their martial arts, maiming them, or even taking their lives…

It’s worth noting that “everything else” also included the use of Hidden Weapons, as some sects specialized in them.

Completely banning their use wouldn’t be fair.

Thus, as long as the Hidden Weapons weren’t poisoned or aimed to blind the opponent, it was acceptable.

“Gentlemen, the martial contest of the arena now begins!”

As the time approached, at Master Shen’s signal, a Justice Sect disciple in charge swiftly ascended the platform and called out in a ringing voice.

“Today, the first match will see Wang Chun, a fourth-rank disciple of the Beggar Gang, against…

Lei Buji.”