Of course, the Liyang Dynasty could also choose to deny the disciples of these sects the opportunity to participate in the examination.
But if they really did that, wouldn’t the so-called Martial Arts Examination become an even bigger joke?
It was a deadlock. The root cause was that the current Imperial Court had too few high-level Martial Artists, making it difficult to curb the expansion of the Demon Sect and the Buddhist Sect.
This inability to curb their expansion would, in turn, lead to a further decline in the Imperial Court’s influence and authority.
This loss of influence would then trigger a chain reaction.
And now, the Imperial Court’s Martial Arts Examination being treated as a battleground for the Buddhist and Demon Sects was one of the worst consequences of all.
If this trend continued, the Liyang Dynasty would soon be uprooted by the combined pressure of the Demon and Buddhist Sects.
No wonder a personal letter from Empress Liyang had found its way to him. She must have recognized his potential as a Martial Artist after his previous battle with Ran Qingqiu.
While Li Chang’an was still lost in thought,
Ma Dongyang sighed and continued, "Brother Li, you might not know this, but the fact that the Martial Arts Examination can even be held in places like Shanghang Prefecture is already an incredible feat!"
Li Chang’an paused, puzzled. "What do you mean by that?"
Ma Dongyang lowered his voice, as if suppressing some pent-up frustration. "When the previous Emperor was alive, the two major sects took the top spot in the examination year after year. Feeling he’d lost face, the former Emperor gave up on holding the Martial Arts Examination in any of the prefectures and counties outside of Kyoto!"
"It was only after Her Majesty ascended the throne that this mess was cleaned up. She has poured her heart and soul into re-establishing the Martial Arts Examination throughout the land these past few years."
’Abandoning the Martial Arts Examination was tantamount to the Imperial Court completely losing practical control over those prefectures and counties.’
’The previous emperor must not have been able to stand the arrogance of the Demon and Buddhist Sects. He must have recognized the limits of both the Li Yang Imperial Family’s power and his own, and was preparing to retreat to a single stronghold and rule over a minor state.’
’But the current Empress, after taking the throne, was clearly not prepared to accept this outcome.’
’She’s preparing for a desperate, all-or-nothing struggle.’
Strictly speaking, this was good news for Li Chang’an. After all, the more chaotic and weak the Liyang Dynasty became, the easier it would be for him to make his moves and climb to the center of power as quickly as possible.
Seeing the somewhat dejected Ma Dongyang, Li Chang’an grew a little intrigued and asked in a low voice, "Brother Ma, are you participating in the examination to serve the Imperial Court, then?"
Li Chang’an had expected Ma Dongyang to nod.
But to his surprise, Ma Dongyang shook his head. "To be honest with you, Brother Chang’an, I plan on joining the Demon Sect!"
Li Chang’an: "..."
’After all that talk praising the Imperial Court, it turns out he’s a potential Demon Sect recruit?’
Seeing his confusion, Ma Dongyang explained with a straight face, "I’ve heard the demonesses of the Demon Sect are all very... moist, and very wanton. I don’t have any other grand ambitions, I just want to find out exactly *how* moist and wanton they can be!"
Li Chang’an: "..."
’Seriously? Are the Demonesses of the Demon Sect really that... moist?’
He couldn’t help but think of Ran Qingqiu, the Saintess of the Demon Sect, who was tied up back at his home. ’Hmm,’ he silently mused.
He didn’t say anything more for the moment, though.
Under Li Chang’an’s peculiar gaze, Ma Dongyang grew visibly embarrassed. He coughed a couple of times before asking, "Brother Li, are you planning to serve the Imperial Court?"
Li Chang’an was about to nod.
But on second thought, he decided he couldn’t let himself be outdone.
So, with a perfectly straight face, he said, "I’ve heard that the current Empress Liyang is exceptionally beautiful, a peerless beauty the likes of which is seen only once in a thousand years. I wonder... is *she* moist?"
Ma Dongyang’s eyes shot wide open, clearly stunned by his response.
But once he recovered, his breathing quickened, and he couldn’t help but nod repeatedly. "Brother Li, you’re in a whole other league! Your little brother here admits defeat. I completely admit defeat!"
The competitive spirit between men is often inexplicable.
Ma Dongyang had thought himself audacious for coveting the charms of a demoness, but he never imagined Li Chang’an would be even more daring, setting his sights directly on the woman in Jinluan Hall.
He couldn’t help but lick his lips. "Brother Li, if you want to catch Her Majesty’s eye, you’ll have to win this year’s Martial Arts Examination to even have a chance. Are you up for it?"
Li Chang’an grinned. "What kind of man says he can’t?"
...
As the two of them were talking, most of the Martial Artists participating in the Martial Arts Examination had arrived.
Li Chang’an did a rough count. From Chun’an County alone—just one small county—there were nearly a hundred Martial Artists participating in the examination.
And Shanghang Prefecture had hundreds of such counties under its jurisdiction.
That meant there were at least ten thousand people participating in this Martial Arts Examination!
Of course, the vast majority of these ten thousand-plus people were just trying their luck and would be sent packing after only a few rounds. Among them, even someone in the Muscle Training Realm could be considered an expert.
Still, such a massive, dense crowd was a rather intimidating sight.
At least in terms of the number of participants, Li Chang’an couldn’t see any obvious signs of the Liyang Dynasty’s severe decline.
「About five minutes later.」
A middle-aged official in a purple robe, carrying an air of authority, emerged from Shanghang Prefecture City and stepped onto the vast examination plaza.
The official’s gaze swept across everyone present.
His eyes lingered on the numerous disciples from the Demon, Taoist, and Buddhist Sects mixed in with the crowd. Noticing their lineups were as strong as ever this year, the official couldn’t help but frown. With a sigh, he announced, "All examinees, prepare yourselves! The first round of the assessment is stone lifting!"
With so many examinees in the initial round, a task requiring finesse was impractical.
The purpose of stone lifting was to weed out the majority of pretenders who were just there for the spectacle.
Therefore, for any truly capable Martial Artist, this assessment was not particularly difficult.
One only needed to lift a thousand-jin stone to pass.
Even so, Li Chang’an could feel the explosive tension in the air.
The Taoist Sect was relatively peaceful. Its members preferred to cultivate in the seclusion of deep mountains and ancient forests, rarely meddling in worldly affairs, so their conflicts with the other powers weren’t as intense.
The most intense rivalry was between the Buddhist Sect and the Demon Sect.
In the crowd, a bald-headed Buddhist novice monk stacked dozens of the heavy examination stones and hoisted them effortlessly onto his shoulder.
Not to be outdone, a burly man from the Demon Sect followed suit.
The two began frantically stacking stones, competing to see who could bear a greater number.
For many veterans, this was a staple of the annual Martial Arts Examination. But even so, watching the high-level Martial Artists of the two great sects go tit for tat still made them clap and cheer.
With so many examinees present, a spectacle like this quickly spread the names of the Demon Sect and the Buddhist Sect throughout the entire examination grounds.
...