Chapter Sixty-Seven: The World's First Scholar-Warrior Champion

Dou Chen watched as Pei Min’s arrows were deflected by the coarse cloth target one after another, and a glimmer of hope suddenly surged within him: Pei Min must be running out of strength. This series of assessments tested not only the candidates' various skills but also their willpower and physical endurance. Having spent ten years in the Ministry of War, serving three times as chief examiner, three times as a proctor, and twice as a guide, few understood the intricacies of the military examinations better than he did. He had seen many candidates, driven by the desire to secure a top-grade result, exhaust themselves in their efforts, only to be eliminated at the final hurdle due to fatigue. Such occurrences were common, year after year.

Pei Min had already achieved a respectable record of three top grades, one second grade, and one third grade. As long as he was not eliminated in the upcoming arena combat and horse combat, and managed to secure at least one more second grade, the title of Military Jinshi would be firmly within his grasp.

This was not the outcome Dou Chen wanted to see. However, with Guo Yuanzhen personally supervising the entire examination, he had no opportunity to interfere and could only watch as Pei Min demonstrated his prowess time and again.

Seeing Pei Min’s clumsy performance in the foot archery, he suddenly realized his chance had arrived. If he could not employ a hidden conspiracy, he would use an open one. He had originally planned to conduct the horse combat first and the arena combat last, but seeing that Pei Min was exhausted, he decisively moved the arena combat forward and arranged for him to go first, leaving him no time to rest.

Compared to Dou Chen, Guo Yuanzhen’s eyes were truly sharp. Watching Pei Min resting calmly on the sidelines, a similar historical allusion came to his mind: Tian Ji’s horse racing—using one’s weakest horse against the opponent’s strongest, one’s strongest against their middle, and one’s middle against their weakest.

As a brilliant general of his generation, Guo Yuanzhen lacked the raw, heroic valor of Xue Ne, who could charge into enemy lines to crush foes. Everything he had achieved today was born of wisdom. In his eyes, wisdom far outweighed brute strength. That Pei Min possessed such delicate foresight and methodical strategy under these circumstances was truly remarkable. Thinking of his own declining health in recent years, he felt a sense of the passing of the torch, as if the new generation was inevitably replacing the old.

Was Pei Min truly performing poorly? In reality, he was not. During the third subject, lifting the stone, he had observed a candidate ahead of him exhaust himself to the point of collapse just to secure a top grade by lifting a four-hundred-pound stone lock. Having witnessed the man gasping like a dog, Pei Min had realized the importance of conserving energy.

Military examinations rarely dragged into a second day if all went smoothly; the further one progressed, the more critical remaining stamina became. He had subconsciously begun to save his strength.

For the stone-lifting event, Pei Min was certainly capable of competing for a top grade, but to preserve his energy, he had settled for a passing score. His goal was five top grades, not exhausting his strength for the sake of a single one.

The same applied to foot archery. He had already met the criteria for a top grade, and despite being able to shoot further, he chose not to hog the spotlight for the sake of the bigger picture. He shot his last two arrows symbolically; they lacked the force to even pierce the cloth, let alone stick, bouncing off three feet away.

When he learned the next event was arena combat, Pei Min was momentarily stunned. He glanced at Dou Chen with a strange expression, finding him suddenly more agreeable. He had not expected his opponent to provide him with such divine assistance at this critical moment. He stifled a laugh, thinking, "Could he be an ally?" He did not realize that his deliberate display of weakness had led Dou Chen to believe he was truly spent.

Of the seven assessment categories, the arena combat was the one Pei Min was most confident in. Compared to battlefield killing techniques, the fighting skills he had acquired in the martial arts world gave him a massive advantage in one-on-one arena duels. While it is true that once martial arts reach a certain level, all paths lead to the same truth—where the simple, effective methods of the martial world can be adapted for the battlefield, and battlefield techniques can be refined for personal combat—the current military examinations were not highly regarded enough to attract true grandmasters.

As the matchups were announced, Pei Min discovered he was the first to compete, and he felt a sudden realization. His opponent was a sturdy man from Danyang. Since ancient times, Danyang had been known for its treacherous mountains and hardy, vigorous people, but unfortunately for him, he encountered Pei Min and was sent sprawling after only a few exchanges of blows.

Dou Chen stared in disbelief, finally realizing Pei Min’s strategy of conserving energy, and cursed under his breath, "The rogue is cunning."

The arena combat undoubtedly ended with Pei Min’s victory; almost no one could withstand more than two or three of his strikes. The few who managed to last five or six rounds did so only because their strength was overwhelming, and Pei Min chose not to clash head-on to avoid draining his own stamina.

With yet another top-grade result, Pei Min secured his status as a Military Jinshi.

At this point, there was nothing Dou Chen could do to change the outcome.

Even Guo Yuanzhen had not expected Pei Min’s swordsmanship to be this brilliant, and he exclaimed with excitement, "The victory is decided!" He had been closely monitoring the physical condition of the remaining candidates, and aside from Pei Min, most were already nearly exhausted.

The final event: horse combat!

During his equestrian training, Pei Min had specifically studied the keys to mounted combat and had witnessed the peerless Xue Family Halberd technique from Xue Ne himself. Xue Ne had intended to teach it to him, and Pei Min had practiced a few moves, but compared to his "Heart of the Sword" clarity, holding a heavy halberd felt completely unnatural and awkward. No matter how magnificent the Xue Family style was, in his hands, it was nothing but a series of clumsy, failed maneuvers.

To avoid dishonoring the Xue Family style, he decisively abandoned the idea of learning it. Recognizing that his three-foot blade was indeed ill-suited for mounted combat, he specifically sought out a longer sword.

The sword was his most trusted companion. Despite using a five-foot blade for the first time, not only did he feel no unfamiliarity, but he brought its characteristics into full play, allowing his own sword style to be applied perfectly.

Having conserved his strength during the arena combat, Pei Min’s advantage was quite clear. This round, too, held no suspense, and he successfully claimed the top spot.

Five top grades, one second grade, and one third grade—he had secured the "Extraordinary" rank of the military examinations.

In this era, there was no such thing as a "Zhuangyuan" (top scholar) for military examinations. "Extraordinary" meant surpassing the average, a superior rank. Thus, the recipient was widely regarded by all as the Military Zhuangyuan.

The first person in history to be both a civil and military Zhuangyuan was born.

Guo Yuanzhen already had a strategy to promote the military examinations, and he lacked a benchmark to lead the way. Pei Min’s title of dual civil and military Zhuangyuan was the perfect vehicle to popularize the military trials.

The military examinations for the year concluded with Pei Min’s victory.

Pei Min was in no rush to leave; this was the perfect time to settle scores.

Thanks to his connection with Xue Ne, Pei Min sought out Guo Yuanzhen once more and detailed what had occurred on the examination grounds that day.

Guo Yuanzhen’s previously joyful expression turned somber. His thin frame carried a sudden, formidable authority as he stated gravely, "To think such a thing happened... Rest assured, if anyone has overstepped their bounds to interfere with my Ministry of War, I will never tolerate it."

Pei Min bowed in gratitude: "Thank you for your clear judgment, Minister. If you uncover the person behind this, I hope you will inform me, so that I may be more vigilant."

Guo Yuanzhen nodded, indicating his agreement. Just as he was about to elaborate, a man hurried over and whispered something into his ear.

Guo Yuanzhen’s expression shifted instantly. He said to Pei Min, "I will provide you with an answer regarding this matter, but I have urgent business at the palace. You may take your leave... and remember to report to the Ministry of War as soon as possible."

With those words, Guo Yuanzhen hurried away.

Pei Min watched his retreating figure, a sense of an impending storm brewing in his heart.