CHAPTER 389: CHAPTER 257: MARTIAL ARTS SCHOLAR ACHIEVEMENTS

The vast lake mirrors the sky, occasionally rippling, reflecting a distant scarlet hue.

Shuipo Liang Mountain.

Located east of Qiu Dragon Mansion, between Qiu Dragon Mansion and another place, Qianyang Prefecture.

Liang Mountain is formidable, surrounded by water on all sides, easy to defend and difficult to attack. Hence, heroes from Five States and Eight Lakes have gathered here, gradually forming a powerful force not only dominant in Qiu Dragon Mansion but known throughout You State as a notorious stronghold.

In Ju Yiting.

The leader of Liang Mountain, known as Pagoda-Bearing King, Tie Zongtang, stood nine feet tall, holding a Spirit Rhinoceros bird delivering a message. Upon hearing the bird speak of Chen Ku’s deeds,

he turned his gaze toward the numerous leaders present.

His words unabashedly praised and regarded Chen Ku highly:

"This young hero named Chen Ku, when he defeated Pei Qingzhi in Baojiao County, I predicted that if he came to Qiu Dragon Mansion, it would be like a hidden dragon emerging, soaring high beyond control. As expected, upon arriving here, he defeated the fierce Little Grandmaster Zhou Li. The key is, he is only seventeen or eighteen years old. If left unchecked, he might truly become another Champion Marquis. If the Imperial Court sends him to suppress bandits, and he opposes Liang Mountain, who could stop him?"

"Since brother says so!"

At a chair, a man whose skin was like iron-carbon, after drinking a bowl of wine, threw the large bowl on the table, and said gruffly:

"I’ll go down the mountain and bring him here!"

"Don’t be reckless!"

Tie Zongtang said sternly:

"What I need is for him to sincerely join Liang Mountain, adding another fierce general to us, not to make an enemy out of him. If you directly bring him by force, even if he’s on Liang Mountain, he’d comply outwardly but not from the heart."

Why bother with such trouble?

The black-faced man muttered a few words.

"Does the strategist have a plan?"

Eventually, Tie Zongtang looked to his left, to the scholar he honored as the strategist.

"Can you make him join Liang Mountain?"

The scholar seated at the left first chair with a feather fan and wearing a silk headscarf, nicknamed ’Mr. Tianji,’ is adept at predicting, calculating, and reading people’s fate.

In silence, he analyzed the name Chen Ku, after which he commented: "As Heaven King said, after dissecting his name, one can evaluate: ’This young man, if he enters the court, he will ascend step by step, achieving the status of prince; if he turns to Jianghu, he will be akin to a lake dragon, a rare hero with untold potential.’"

"Is it truly so?"

Upon hearing Mr. Tianji’s assessment, the leaders of Liang Mountain felt respectful awe.

Because each of them had received this strategist’s fate analysis and knew well his abilities, his assessments were never wrong.

This is because Mr. Tianji was born with a divine skill called ’Observing Fate,’ able to see others’ destinies and provide evaluations.

Tie Zongtang remarked: "Able to become a prince in the court, and a hero in the wild, a high evaluation indeed. But considering he is only seventeen now, with such qualifications and roots, achieving such accomplishments later shouldn’t be surprising."

"Therefore, we must bring this Brother Chen up Liang Mountain."

At this time, on Tie Zongtang’s right, a man stood straight like a long spear, with a serious expression, said:

"The reason is simple, despite the Daji Dynasty presently ruled by only two emperors, still under Emperor Taizong’s governance and seemingly a spectacle of peace and prosperity across Five Paths and Thirteen Provinces, it is actually a facade. The foundations of the Daji Dynasty are unstable, and the tower shows signs of collapse."

"We know well, in Jiangnan Road’s two lakes region, Huang Xianke’s Divine Strategy Sect has already started adopting Beiyuan’s ways, openly raising ’Sect Army.’

Moreover, within this You State, Peace Path has occupied Baojiao County. In the past half month, troops dispatched by Qiu Dragon Mansion have met obstacles.

Meanwhile, the northern Yuan Dynasty is actively eyeing the border.

This Daji Dynasty, though seemingly peaceful, is actually a mosaic of fragmented porcelain, merely waiting for a strong gust to scatter it in all directions."

"Master Lin speaks truthfully, Daji already shows signs reminiscent of a dynasty’s end, typically under such cyclic rule only a mighty sovereign or a shockingly talented individual can reverse the situation."

Another red-haired man stepped forward and said:

"Chen Ku bears resemblance to the young Champion Marquis. If he aligns with the Imperial Court and gains prominence, one day he will certainly become the vanguard leading troops against our Liang Mountain; we must plan ahead for him."

"Therefore..."

Tie Zongtang looked to Mr. Tianji, asking:

"What plan does the strategist propose?"

The others also turned toward the strategist.

They have occupied Shuipo Liang Mountain for fifty years, evolving from a small bandit group to a major green forest force capable of dominating half a state, influencing eight prefectures, thanks in half to Mr. Tianji.

With his divine skill ’Observing Fate,’ he constantly supplied Liang Mountain with rare talents, attracting elites, and strengthening their power.

Like the straight-standing Master Lin.

Originally a grandmaster in Qianyang Prefecture, comparable to Qiu Dragon Mansion’s Qin Yuxian in rank, Mr. Tianji foresaw a ’career disaster’ in his fate, specifically led the leaders down the mountain to rescue him, granting him a position of authority on Liang Mountain.

Additionally, a third of those seated here have ties to Mr. Tianji.

Mr. Tianji pondered and said:

"These days, I’ve been rallying brothers from both the mountains and the plains to gather more of his intelligence, so I can devise a detailed strategy."

With his Observing Fate Divine Power, spotting talent is not difficult, but how to bring them to Liang Mountain is the true skill.

Over the years, some have been saved by Liang Mountain, some have been pulled into it, some have hidden there, and some have been... forced up the mountain.

.......

Chen Ku was unaware that his existence had already become crucial intelligence on the desks of certain major powers, who had begun to make calculations against him.

Upon arriving at the residence of the old scholar at the Martial Temple and knocking on the door, he did not wait long.

Soon, an old man wearing a red coat, with a goatee on his chin, walked over with a smile, hands behind his back, and said:

"Chen Ku, you’ve been making quite a stir. Just after your Scholar title was confirmed, you defeated Zhou Li, the foremost disciple under Qin Yuxian."

"You are Scholar Tang Lie, correct?"

Chen Ku felt the presence of the elderly man approaching him. Just from the momentum alone, he sensed an unfathomable aura, yet it lacked the Gang Qi his master and senior brothers exuded. Hence, he guessed the old man must be at the peak of the Sixth Realm, a half-step into the Seventh Realm Gang Control cultivation level.

"Student Scholar Chen Ku pays respects."

He greeted with the disciple’s courtesy, then explained with a smile:

"It was merely a friendly sparring between my junior nephew and me. Little did I expect it would reach Elder Tang’s ears within half a day."

"It’s not just reaching my ears."

Tang Lie said with a chuckle:

"Would you believe it, now the intelligence on your affairs is on most of the desks of the Thirty-Six Martial Association members. At seventeen, you are invincible at the Sixth Realm; your potential is terrifying."

"Elder Tang flatters me." Chen Ku’s manner remained proper, neither prideful nor overly modest.

"Alright then, given that old man and you have a ’mentor-student’ bond within the Martial Arts Heaven and Earth, come in, and let’s talk further." Tang Lie invited Chen Ku inside.

Chen Ku cupped his hands in respect and, upon entering the elder’s home, was guided to a seat.

"It’s all thanks to senior that this junior was able to acquire that piece of Jiuli Armor Leaf. This is a small token; please accept it." Chen Ku had prepared a simple gift.

Tang Lie glanced at it; it was a simple bag made from the Ghost Bird of the Sixth Realm demon. Not particularly valuable, it did have some health benefits for the elder. He smiled and, not being reserved, accepted it, saying:

"To be honest with you, over the years, many Military Scholars have solved the challenges I posed. The only reason I wanted to see you is simple: you are growing too fast, and your future is limitless. I hope to interact more with you, so when you indeed rise to the clouds, you might remember this old man."

"So, be direct. Is there anything I can help you with?"

Chen Ku was slightly taken aback, not expecting the old man’s candor. He cleared his throat and replied with a smile, "Since you speak so directly, I won’t beat around the bush. I want to ask how, within a short time, a Martial Scholar can advance to a Martial Arts Scholar? Besides the annual imperial examination, is there another way?"

Tang Lie considered Chen Ku’s current level, nodded silently, and said:

"The Martial Temple examinations, for Military Scholars and Martial Scholars, are relatively straightforward with the enrollment and selection. But if one wishes to move further and become a ’Seventh-Rank Scholar,’ there are two ways. One is the triennial ’Prefecture Examination,’ which follows the imperial exam system and selects twenty Scholars each time. However, the next ’Prefecture Examination’ is two years away, so what you should be asking about is the second method: the Recommendation System."

"The Recommendation System?" Chen Ku asked, "And what is the content of this examination? Is it also related to Martial Arts Heaven and Earth?"

"The Recommendation System is a referral system passed down from ancient dynasties, known at the Confucian Temple as ’Honoring Talent,’ meaning ’Supporting the nation through education.’ At our Martial Temple, it’s called ’Calming Rebellion,’ meaning ’Settling chaos through martial power.’" Tang Lie said:

"Besides the imperial exams, the Wenwu Temple has ten annual spots under the Recommendation System. Not considering the content of the Confucian Temple’s Honoring Talent, but just the Martial Temple’s Calming Rebellion. As the name suggests, one must have ’achievements in quelling chaos’ to qualify for recommendation as a Scholar."

"Calming Rebellion?" Chen Ku gasped and instinctively asked, "Surely, they wouldn’t require one to suppress the Peace Path rebellion in Baojiao County?"

"Suppressing the Peace Path rebellion in Baojiao County?"

Tang Lie shook his head immediately:

"No, no, no, it’s not as outrageous as that. Just two days ago, Assistant General Zhao Qiansong personally took over Commander Ye Zhong’s Divine Machine Camp and mobilized ten thousand troops to recapture Baojiao County, but they couldn’t even breach Baojiao City’s gates.

It shows how challenging it is to reclaim Baojiao County.

If indeed reclaiming Baojiao County were an achievement for the ’Recommendation,’ then such an achievement would be worth at least a ’Grandmaster,’ even an Advanced Scholar!"

Chen Ku breathed a sigh of relief at this.

He was truly afraid that the criteria for advancing to a Scholar would be such an absurd condition.

"Then, what are the conditions for being recommended as a ’Martial Arts Scholar’ under the Recommendation System?" Chen Ku instinctively asked.

Tang Lie seemed to have anticipated Chen Ku’s question and took out a folded booklet from his waist, saying:

"This here is the Martial Temple’s Ledger of Achievements eligible for recommendation as a ’Martial Arts Scholar.’ You’ve probably heard of it. Completing certain tasks on this list might even earn you Martial Destiny rewards."

Chen Ku opened it, scanning through it, and saw the top ten achievements in the ledger.

Ranked first: Exterminate Shuipo Liang Mountain

His heart skipped a beat.

This is the same Shuipo Liang Mountain rumored to be led by the top person in the Black Path, the Pagoda-Bearing King Tie Zongtang. After hearing about this place, he even inquired about it.

It’s said that the Liang Mountain now boasts fifty-four seats, gathering experts of various paths, and the top ten seats are occupied by masters of at least the Seventh Realm.