Chapter 2373 - 2097: Cheating and Skirting the Rules

At noon, that question from Zhou Yu stripped away much of Chen Xi’s moral guilt; the rise of one civilization inevitably means the decline of another. If a civilization doesn’t even have the courage to bear the consequences of its own ascent, then it’s better off lying in the mud and letting others trample over it.

Everyone who walks the road to the peak, when they look back, sees nothing but endless skeletons. Those countless bones pave the path to the summit—some are their own people, some are their enemies.

My hero is another’s bandit. Their treacherous villain is my pillar of support. It’s always been like this since ancient times; no matter who you reason with, it comes down to the same thing.

Do we truly hate Imperialism itself, or do we hate Imperialism’s invasion of us? Sometimes it really is worth thinking that through carefully.

Having figured this out, by the afternoon Chen Xi was noticeably more cheerful. In the afternoon there would be a large-scale martial competition on the parade ground, and the champion would be rewarded. Though that reward is basically just a gimmick, and a year from now people will probably mock it in all sorts of ways, right now it’s absolutely terrifying.

"You’re sure you didn’t write the champion’s reward wrong? A hundred catties of gold, a Precious Sword, a set of Precious Armor, a Precious Carved Bow—those are fine. But you’re sure this last line isn’t wrong?" Zhou Yu asked in near disbelief: it came with an additional qualification to achieve Inner Qi Manifestation!

"You may find it hard to believe, but this is absolutely not a joke. As long as someone takes first place, they’ll be given a chance to advance to Inner Qi Manifestation." Chen Xi chuckled as he spoke. Among Liu Bei’s high command this news already counted as semi-public information.

"You’re sure this promotion to Inner Qi Manifestation is harmless?" Zhou Yu asked after thinking it over.

"Harmless. We’ve already confirmed it on our side." Chen Xi said with a hint of pride. Isn’t this reward terrifying? In fact, Chen Xi really wanted to say: if even the first-place finisher of the parade-ground competition can’t use Fusang’s opportunity to break through to Inner Qi Manifestation, then everyone else’s chances of breaking through are extremely slim.

"It does have a bit of a circus feel to it, but if I can break through to Inner Qi Manifestation, I think I ought to go up and participate. Archery, riding, martial contests—if memory serves, I’m decent at all of them." Zhou Yu casually said as he stroked his chin. Zhou Yu’s Martial Force could be trusted; the most capable civil official under Liu Bei in terms of fighting—Xu Shu—actually couldn’t beat Zhou Yu!

"Zilong, go fetch Li Tiao for me. There’s always someone who thinks he can pull off cheating." Chen Xi, annoyed, called out to Zhao Yun.

Right now Li Tiao had already transferred into Zhao Yun’s command as a Deputy General. In terms of Cultivation Level, by classification he was at Qi Refining to Gang, but anyone below the Mid-Stage of Inner Qi Manifestation absolutely could not beat Li Tiao; Brother Tiao’s Combat Power was downright brutal.

After all, in the official history, after Qingzhou was pacified, he was hunted down by Xiahou Dun for three straight years, and in the end killed in Qingzhou. Having such Combat Power is actually not all that outrageous.

"Think Tank, you were looking for me?" Li Tiao came running over with his Heavy Spear on his shoulder and asked. Zhou Yu’s face immediately dropped long; oh, so that’s how you’re playing it. This is a rigged-from-the-start setup!

On the other side, Ma Chao was slapping his brother Ma Dai on the shoulder. "See that? First place gets a guaranteed promotion to Inner Qi Manifestation Level. Want to reach Inner Qi Manifestation at eighteen? This is your chance!"

"I’ll do my best." Ma Dai muttered dispiritedly. As for Ma Xiu, Ma Tie, Ma Wan, they’d already given up on this round. Just look at this group of guys next to them cracking their knuckles—none of them look easy to deal with; they all seem very strong.

Besides, with Chen Xi’s habit of never fighting unprepared, if he wrote this down then it’s definitely prepared for his own people. Do the Ma Clan count as "his own people"? They probably do...

"Jiang Gong, Jiang Yan, Du Yuan, Sima Ju, Qu Gong, Pei Yuanshao, you all go practice your hands too. This time the prize for first place is no joke." Guan Yu said proudly as he stroked his beard.

Who dares compete with Guan Yu over the quality of the Qi Refining to Gang fighters under his command? These men were already at Qi Refining to Gang back in the Yellow Turban Era, the cream of the crop among the Yellow Turban Commanders.

"Uh, Sovereign Marquis, this first-place thing isn’t just a joke?" Du Yuan asked in shock. When he’d first seen the reward, Du Yuan—who had already reached Qi Refining to Gang Peak back when Guann Hai commanded Qingzhou—had simply assumed it was nonsense.

After all, they’d cultivated for so many years and were still stuck at this level, barely progressing at all. And now someone was telling him he could break through to Inner Qi Manifestation—Du Yuan was highly unconvinced.

"It’s real. Once you’re at your level, all you lack is a stroke of opportunity, and first place will grant you that opportunity." Guan Yu said calmly, then fell silent.

Right there, the dozen or so top-tier Qi Refining to Gang experts standing behind Guan Yu were rubbing their hands as they looked at the competition platform. They were average with bow and arrow, their riding ability these last few years wasn’t bad but still couldn’t compare to those who’d grown up on horseback; but when it came to Martial Arts, they were confident—after fighting all the way from the Yellow Turban Era to now, their skills were very reliable.

"The strongest Qi Refining to Gang, huh?" Xiahou Yuan stroked his bristling beard and turned to Zhang Fei to ask, "Is this reward of yours trustworthy?"

"Hmph, absolutely trustworthy. But Brother Father-in-law, with just the handful of men you brought, and you still think you can take first? You must be half-asleep." Zhang Fei mocked.

"Ba’er." Xiahou Yuan beckoned behind him, and Xiahou Ba, who was about as burly as Zhang Fei, ran over and bowed to Xiahou Yuan and his brother-in-law.