Porter's Immortal Cultivation: I Have Level 5 Full Inscriptions

Chapter 83 Passing the Imperial Examination

Everyone quickly raised their glasses to thank Master Tong for his blessings.

After several rounds of drinks and several dishes, the atmosphere at the banquet was harmonious and joyful.

Tong Renyuan and his wife left first; with them there, the younger generation couldn't enjoy their drinks to the fullest.

With the two elders absent, the conversation flowed much more easily.

Wang Daniu scratched his head.

"The exam is finally tomorrow. After it's over, I'll have to take a good look around the provincial capital."

Yang Silang and the others practiced their boxing every day, and everyone was very busy. However, Tong Renyuan was the one who instructed them. He was not even a copper-skin martial artist, so he was not even qualified to be instructed. Staying in the mansion was like being in prison, which was very boring.

Tong Baisui took over the conversation.

"By the way, Da Niu, tell Si Lang about the goods from the River-Turning Toad."

Yang Silang and the others focused on practicing martial arts, Tong Baisui found a good channel, and Wang Daniu happened to have nothing to do, so he took charge of connecting and running errands.

Wang Daniu perked up and began to explain in detail.

Tong Baisui helped them find a famous pharmacy in the provincial capital, a time-honored brand that has been passed down through several dynasties.

The long tongue was the most expensive, and the other party was willing to pay a thousand taels of gold to buy it; as for the flesh, organs, and poison sacs, they were also willing to pay five hundred taels of gold, because they were no longer fresh, otherwise the price could have doubled.

In addition, the most precious item is the scale armor with skin, which is the best material for making armor. There are craft workshops that have long cooperated with the martial arts school and are willing to pay a lot of money to buy it.

Because the River-Turning Toad is so large, its scales are enough to make a full suit of armor, including a vest, with some left over. It can withstand a blow from the Steel-Dirty Grandmaster, which is already considered to be within the scope of a precious armor.

Tong Baisui explained.

"The River-Turning Toad, residing in the river, possesses immense strength thanks to the force of the water; even a master martial artist like Steel Dirty wouldn't be certain of victory against it!"

"Moreover, this demon is cunning and has an amazing sense of smell, able to detect the vigorous blood and energy in a person from afar."

"If it encounters a skilled opponent, it will hide as far away as possible; if it encounters someone of similar strength, it will not want to engage in conflict. However, if it encounters someone weaker than itself, it will be extremely ferocious and will not spare a single one!"

"Moreover, it is strange and cruel. Knowing that it is no match for the enemy and cannot escape, it will secrete a kind of toxin that dissolves its own flesh and scales. It is disgusting and killing it is useless."

"It is already quite remarkable that you were able to hunt such a complete River-Turning Toad."

Yang Silang and the others were very surprised to hear this. It turned out that it was a rare thing for them to obtain a toad that could turn the river upside down.

Wang Daniu asked Yang Silang how to deal with the demon corpse, as only he could make the decision.

Yang Silang thought for a moment, then smiled at Tong Baisui.

"Since you all want me to make the decision, then I will. I'll tell the manager of the trading company what to do when I see him..."

-

A few days later.

In the courtyard paved with flagstones.

A muffled breathing sound arose, like a monster crouching in the air, accompanied by booming sounds, like heavy hammer blows.

In the courtyard.

Tong Renyuan stood in the middle, his eyes wide open, one hand holding a sword pointing forward, the other hand on his hip, and when he breathed, long, arrow-like streams of air were exhaled and inhaled.

Especially his abdomen, from which came booming sounds, like thunderbolts striking from the sky. Accompanying the sounds, it was as if a small mouse was swelling up under his abdomen, moving around among his internal organs.

Its breathing alternates between fast and slow, naturally creating a rhythmic quality.

Yang Silang watched intently from the side, as if he had completely forgotten about the martial arts examination a few days ago.

There's not much to say about that exam; it was unremarkable. In short, it went incredibly smoothly, and I performed as expected.

Presumably because the previous Gongzhou Prefecture imperial examination tragedy was too shocking, the government canceled the public spectator segment for this provincial examination and directly deployed soldiers to surround the drill ground to ensure safety.

On the examination platform, besides the academic administrator, there was also the General Commander as the deputy examiner, accompanied by his personal guards. This was a master of mercury blood, a true humanoid beast.

Under the watchful eye of this master, the entire competition proceeded smoothly without any major mishaps, and the subject matter was no different from that of the previous martial arts scholar.

Ma Qianli and Zhu Tong were defeated at the Duoshi Pass because they could not lift the thousand-pound stone lock.

Tong Baisui and Yang Silang completed all the subjects in turn, with more A grades than B grades. Logically speaking, they should have passed; it was just a matter of ranking.

Back at the Shaking Mountain Martial Arts School.

Wang Daniu dragged Ma Qianli to see the results, as they would be released today.

Tong Baisui taught Zhu Tong the Mountain-Shaking Fist in another courtyard.

Yang Silang naturally couldn't stand idly by. After all, his senior brother was passing on his martial arts skills to his junior brother, and they were from the same school. He wasn't a disciple of Zhenshan Martial Arts School, so he naturally wouldn't overstep his bounds.

For several days in a row, Tong Renyuan called him to observe the breathing technique. He rushed over, but after only a short while, the flow of qi and blood in his body pulsed with Master Tong's breathing, losing its usual rhythm.

A moment later, he felt nauseous and wanted to vomit, his blood and qi were disordered, he was unsteady on his feet, and his face turned pale.

This has been the case for several days in a row.

Seeing his strong reaction, Tong Renyuan stopped breathing and suddenly spoke.

"That's why every martial art has its own breathing exercises. Internal training of the internal organs is essentially a more advanced breathing method that can stimulate the circulation of qi and blood."

"What you are practicing is not the Mountain-Shaking Fist, but the Taizu Long Fist. The two martial arts are completely different, so my breathing rhythm has disrupted your qi and blood."

"So remember, a Steel-Dirty Martial Master must specialize in one breathing technique and not mix them up. If you mix them up, you'll end up with a hodgepodge. Only when you become a Mercury Blood Grandmaster should you consider learning another martial art."

"Once you become a Grandmaster of Golden Marrow, you can consider learning another skill. Remember not to try to do too much at once."

"Training techniques are the foundation, while fighting techniques are the external defenses that protect the body."

"They complement each other. Only practicing without fighting is foolish; only fighting without practicing will lead to nothing, no matter how long you fight. Trying to practice haphazardly before you've mastered the basics is suicidal!"

"I'll take you to visit an old friend another day. He's a retired steel-dyeing instructor from the provincial military academy, and he's also skilled in alchemy. He has a few unique formulas that are very helpful for alchemy."

Yang Silang was overjoyed and sincerely bowed and clasped his hands in thanks.

A true teaching can be conveyed in a single sentence, while a false teaching can be written in ten thousand words. Tong Renyuan was able to access a higher level of martial arts, and his guidance to me was truly full of profound truths.

As for being able to introduce a retired master who is proficient in both martial arts and medicine, that would be even better, as I don't have such connections.

As for why Master Tong, who was usually silent, was willing to say these words today, it was certainly not because he valued talent or because Yang Silang was universally loved.

The reason is quite simple.

Instead of selling the scales and leaves, Yang Silang used the money from selling the blood, flesh, poison sac, and long tongue of the River-Turning Toad to commission the craftsman's workshop to make several sets of half-body inner armor.

It's the kind of vest-like garment that extends downwards from the shoulders to protect the upper arms, and completely protects the chest, back, and ribs, while sacrificing protection for the lower body.

He, Ma Qianli, Zhu Tong, Wang Daniu, and Tong Baisui together made five sets of half-body armor—Tong Baisui's set was made out of respect for Master Tong.

The scales of the toad are precious, and to possess such a set of half-body armor is extremely valuable.

Specifically, Wang Daniu handled the operations and payments, and also oversaw the process while sitting in the office.

Several sets of half-body armor were delivered yesterday, which was different from what Yang Silang had expected.

Wang Daniu, who was in charge of the money, directly changed the design of the armor.

Yang Silang and Tong Baisui wore semi-long inner armor, which protected their arms and even extended down to their thighs. The other three wore the same armor, which was a half-body armor, with only the chest protected by the Toad Scale Armor.

Because everyone's body shape is different, modifying it would mean dismantling and rebuilding it from scratch.

Wang Daniu spoke with conviction.

"Fourth Brother, the three of us who were just there to chime in, we'd be lucky to even get a breastplate."

"As for the gifts you give, they should naturally be of high quality..."

The effect was quite obvious. Not to mention that Tong Baisui was very shy and embarrassed but still wanted it, Tong Renyuan finally opened his mouth today to give some pointers and even promised to introduce him to an old martial arts master from the martial arts hall.

Even today, Tong Renyuan had Wang Daniu demonstrate a set of boxing techniques, patiently instructing him for half an hour with a furrowed brow.

Yang Silang couldn't help but sigh that bringing Wang Daniu, the pageboy, was the right decision.

Outside the courtyard.

Suddenly, a burst of firecrackers went off, followed by heavy footsteps.

Wang Daniu's loud voice had long since echoed throughout the courtyard.

"It's a hit! It's a hit!"

"Fourth Brother, you're ranked twenty-fourth!"

"Brother Tong, you're even more amazing! You're ranked fifteenth!"