Yang Jing walked over to the wall as usual and took off his short jacket. After a deep breath, he moved to the center of the courtyard and began to warm up and practice his fist techniques.

The wind from his fists cut through the air with fierce power. After an hour, his forehead was beaded with sweat, but his breathing remained steady and calm.

By now, the front courtyard had grown lively.

Disciples arrived one after another. Some were stretching their legs to warm up, while others gathered in corners, talking in low voices.

"I heard one of the examiners for this year’s Drill Ground Trial is a general from the Prefecture City. They say he has an incredibly sharp eye—any flashy, impractical moves and you’re out."

"I heard from the first senior brother that Senior Brother Lin Yue is nearing the Peak of Dark Energy. He’s also incredibly strong in actual combat. He’ll very likely make the list in this year’s Drill Ground Trial."

The chatter rose and fell, tinged with excitement, nervousness, and anticipation.

Liu Maolin had also arrived early and was speaking with a few disciples he knew. His gaze swept across the courtyard and fell on Yang Jing, who was still practicing. He gave a slight nod.

More and more disciples gathered in the front courtyard. Xu Hong, Zhao Wenzheng, Qi Yun, and several other disciples at the Dark Energy level arrived one after another, each with a solemn look.

Lin Yue arrived a little later, his martial attire accentuating his straight and imposing figure. His eyes swept over the crowd before finally landing on Yang Jing, a flash of disdain in their depths.

At this point, few disciples were still practicing in the front courtyard. Yang Jing was one of them.

Now that they had been around him for a while, no one thought Yang Jing was just grandstanding for attention.

However, as far as everyone else was concerned, the fact that Yang Jing could still be so focused on his training meant he probably wasn’t taking the Drill Ground Trial seriously. He must know he was just going through the motions to familiarize himself with the procedure.

Qi Yun had also arrived. Remembering what her older brother, Qi Kang, had said last night, her gaze fell upon Lin Yue, and she couldn’t help but frown slightly.

Figuring it was about time, Yang Jing stopped his practice and slowly regulated his breathing. With a thought, a panel materialized before his eyes, clearly displaying his progress in two martial arts—

[Great Success of Mountain Shattering Fist (133/1000)]

[Minor Achievement of Shocking Wave Leg (198/500)]

Yang Jing nodded slightly. He walked to the courtyard wall, picked up the short jacket he had left there, and put it on. Just as he was adjusting the collar, he heard light footsteps coming from the inner courtyard.

Everyone turned to look. Sun Yong emerged, dressed in a navy-blue training uniform with a solemn expression, followed by Sun Ningxiang.

Sun Ningxiang came to a stop at Sun Yong’s side. Her gaze swept over the faces of the disciples who would be participating in the day’s Drill Ground Trial, her eyes filled with warm encouragement.

The chatter in the front courtyard gradually died down as everyone’s attention focused on Hall Master Sun Yong.

Sun Yong’s gaze swept across the disciples. In a deep voice, he said, "The Drill Ground Trial begins today. Winning and losing are common occurrences, but you must not disgrace the name of Sun’s Martial Arts Hall. Remember: strike with discipline, and if you are defeated, show some backbone."

His few words sent a jolt of resolve through the disciples.

"Yes, Master!" the disciples answered in unison.

Sun Yong nodded and took the lead. "Let’s go."

The group followed Sun Yong out the main gate of the Martial Arts Hall and headed south along the street.

The streets were already bustling. Commonfolk gathered in small groups on street corners and in alleyways, their chatter incessant.

"The Drill Ground Trial starts today! I hear all the top experts in the county will be there!"

"It’s the biggest event of the year. The six great families of the city and all the high-ranking officials and dignitaries will definitely be there."

"You said it. I’d love to get a closer look, but unfortunately, we can’t get in. I wonder how many spots are available this year?"

"There were five spots last year, so it should be about the same this year."

As the commonfolk chattered, they saw the disciples of Sun’s Martial Arts Hall pass by. Every one of them was a Martial Artist with an imposing air. The eyes of many onlookers lit up, their gazes filled with a mixture of awe, excitement, and envy.

"Those are the people from Sun’s Martial Arts Hall, one of the Great Martial Arts Halls in our West City! The old man in the lead must be their Hall Master—he’s a Huajin Martial Artist!" someone in the crowd recognized.

Yang Jing heard the murmurs of the crowd, both loud and soft, but his expression remained calm, his mind focused.

At this moment, his thoughts were solely on the upcoming Drill Ground Trial.

The Drill Ground Trial was held once a year, scheduled for the beginning of the ninth month.

In the past, the Drill Ground Trial tested multiple skills, including drawing a heavy bow, stone-lifting, mounted archery, and finally, a combat tournament. However, after many revisions and improvements, the modern trial only consisted of one event: the combat tournament.

Whether it was drawing a heavy bow, lifting stones, or mounted archery, all these events were simply tests of a Martial Artist’s fundamental strength and skill.

That being the case, the Court had done away with the tedious preliminaries and focused solely on the combat tournament—a contest where two people fight, the strong advance, and the weak are eliminated.

The detailed rules of the Drill Ground Trial ran through Yang Jing’s mind.

The Drill Ground Trial was divided into a team competition and a final competition. All registered Martial Artists were split into several small teams. A winner would be determined from each team, and then all the team winners would compete against each other to decide the final rankings. The available spots would be filled starting from first place.

The first day of the trial was the team competition, and the second day was the final competition.

According to Liu Maolin, the trial used to last three to five days many years ago, but now it was over in just two.

Soon, the group arrived before the main gate of the Drill Ground in the southern part of the city.

Two rows of soldiers holding long spears stood solemnly on either side, their armor glinting coldly in the morning light. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

A wooden sign was posted at the entrance, reading, "Drill Ground. No Entry Without a Token." These token-holders were, of course, the dignitaries and wealthy personages of Yuhe County.

As the group from Sun’s Martial Arts Hall approached the gate, a soldier stepped forward, his gaze scrutinizing.

Sun Ningxiang stepped forward, retrieved a token carved with the likeness of a fierce tiger from within her robes, and presented it.