Maiden Galaxy

The one who spoke was a Zhuang man,1 who wore woodcutter-like garb, showing iron-like muscle that brimmed with explosive energy. Warriors at Qi And Blood Nine Turns and higher already could control their bodily functions as they pleased. There was no need to build this kind of iron-like muscle to have enormous destructive force. However, his muscles clearly practiced a particular cultivation method to be like this. Compared to the average warrior, he should be much stronger.

This Zhuang man's face was stern, his eyes like steel. The average cultivator would not dare look him in the eye.

Chen Mo naturally was not afraid of his gaze, asking curiously: "You said there was a warrior even stronger than Three Flowers Gathered Overhead? Can it be you've seen them?"

The Zhuang man stared at Chen Mo, his eyes seemingly wanting to kill him.

However, this menacing glare was undoubtedly child's play to Chen Mo, who had contracted with three Star Generals. Seeing Chen Mo's composed expression, the Zhuang Man was slightly astonished, soothing his tone: "Your Servant naturally saw it with his own eyes." The Zhuang man nodded with lingering trepidation.

A warrior who was able to reach Three Flowers Gathered Overhead before the age of twenty was already a once in a century genius. Even that number one genius of the Great Chong Dynasty, Jiang Yanyu, had yet to experience the Greater and Lesser Thunder Tribulations.

Someone even more incredible than her?

Chen Mo could not believe this. Going back a step, if the juren examinations actually had such a warrior, they would have already shocked the imperial capital. If they had no backing, then they would be a target all sides would want to rope in.

The Zhuang man chuckled: "I knew you wouldn't believe me. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it either. That girl looked so weak and frail, but I accidentally saw her behead a Lesser Thunder Tribulation warrior." When he spoke of this, he seemed to recall the scene from that day. He shuddered.

A woman?

Could she be a Star General?

However, Star Generals simply had no need to participate in something like the Divine Warrior Examination. It was a waste of time without any benefits to obtain.

"No matter how good you think you are, there's always someone better. It's normal to actually have several." Chen Mo said.

"Little Brother has quite the broad mind. I wonder which town's juren you are? You look pretty young, too. Oh, right, I'm called Zhang Meng.2 I'm seventeen this year."

"You're only seventeen?" Chen Mo was taken aback.

"Did you think Your Servant was thirty or forty at first glance." Zhang Meng said.

Chen Mo nodded. Indeed, it was as Zhang Meng thought. Chen Mo was but startled at first glance, thinking this big forty to fifty year old man was able to pass the exam? Great Chong Dynasty's Divine Warrior Examination had strict age limitations. If a warrior wanted to conceal something, the court had plenty of ways to unveil the truth. Any mistake would result in the whole family being beheaded.

Chen Mo took an interest in this Zhuang man, so he chatted awhile and learned that Zhang Meng was Clear River Town's juren.

"I'm definitely not that juren from that whatever Azure Town who was rumored to have defeated an Essence Flower Stage warrior." Zhang Meng smiled rather bashfully. "To defeat an Essence Flower Stage using Qi And Blood Nine Turns, I feel this is definitely big talk, something impossible."

Chen Mo did not say anything.

"Oh, right, which juren are you, Your Distinguished Self? I wonder if you've heard anything?" Zhang Meng asked.

"Surname Chen, given name Mo. I come from Azure Dragon Town. As for information, I haven't listened in on anything in particular, but since this is the Divine Warrior Examination, there will always be encounters." Chen Mo said.

"Well said. If we really bump into that woman, I think we're out of luck." Zhang Meng was very convinced.

The two of them chatted for some time, sort of hitting it off between themselves. Very quickly, Chen Mo's turn in the queue came. He took out his copper juren token and was about to take the exam when just at this moment, a figure cut in front of him, forcing Chen Mo back.

"Little Brother, don't you see there's a lot of people already lined up?"

Before Chen Mo could speak, the Zhang Meng behind him clapped his hand onto the shoulder of this brocaded young lord who cut the queue. How could he have anticipated that the moment he patted the interloper, an enormous recoil would bounce back. Zhang Meng immediately used force and circulated his qi and blood, his face turning a complete red as his iron muscles bulged.

That brocaded man smirked and shrugged his shoulders. A flower appeared over his head, and his qi and blood billowed like a tide. Zhang Meng clearly was unable to suppress his counterpart's strength. His expression changed. He was about to be humiliated, sent flying by this brocaded young lord in front of thousands of staring eyes. However, Chen Mo pulled, his right hand deftly brushing by and dispelling the force between the two of them like clouds parting way for the sun.

Zhang Meng sighed in relief. He nodded gratefully towards Chen Mo, his gaze a bit astonished.

"Huh?" This brocaded man's brows. Amused, he said: "Interesting." He disdained to glance at Chen Mo, turning back around and fishing out a token. Astonishingly, it was a gold juren token.

Seemingly sparkling, the brocaded man held his juren token at Chen Mo, as if saying: Stinking brat, This Young Master is but the juren of a major city. A country bumpkin like you should move to the side.

Zhang Meng ground his teeth as he watched, but he knew that a gold juren token meant he was from one of Great Chong Dynasty's important cities. For example, the entirety of Chuan Province had no more than five or six cities that were as prosperous as Changluo. A juren able to emerge victorious from such a thriving place naturally had strength that could not be looked down upon.

For people like them who had copper or silver types from the first exam, they had been looked down upon subconsciously.

As expected, those warriors in the surroundings showed impressed expressions, each and every one of them very envious of the rewards a gold juren token could obtain.

What a joke.

That there would be people in Changluo who would show-off in front of him.

Chen Mo used his hand to pat the man. His counterpart only felt his whole body float a bit. By the time he regained his footing, he was already pushed to the side.

"You brat, you dare disrespect me!" The young man was angered yet smiled. "If I don't take you down today, then this is simply an insult to my Thorntree's honor."3

So it turned out that he came from Thorntree. No wonder he was so overbearing.

Thorntree was one of Chuan Province's frontier forts. That place was a strategic location. While its prosperity could not compare to Changluo, it was extremely respected in martial force. That place's warriors were all young and vigorous. Blowing arguments out of proportion was simply everyday life over there.4

In Thorntree, all warriors believed might made right, to speak with strength. It seemed this brat felt that since he had the gold juren token, lining up behind some copper and silver level juren was humiliating, and that was why he nonchalantly cut in front of Chen Mo.

Before he finished speaking, the brocaded man hurled himself towards Chen Mo, his stride like a roc. With a single bound, he was in front of Chen Mo, his fingers a net-like talon, a capture technique. This attack was honestly a shrieking bird, sharp and violent.

"It's the Great Roc Fist!!"

The surrounding warriors exclaimed.

"This brat has trained the Great Roc Fist so formidably, it's already at first-rate level."

Keen warriors said in astonishment.

Martial arts were split into super first-rate, first-rate, and quasi first-rate. Though some were said to be good, there was no strongest martial art, only strongest warriors. A formidable warrior could even train an ordinary, nonmainstream martial art to a super first-rate level.

This brat had aggressive assets, as expected.

In Great Chong Dynasty, the "Great Roc Fist Art" was a martial art from the army. The average person could not learn it, and it was learnable after joining a sect. The Great Roc Fist was a punch as fast as a roc spreading its wings, soaring a thousand li in an instant. Not only was it faster than the ruthless slash of a lion or tiger, the moment his punch initiated, all of his muscles and pores ruffled like a roc's feathers. All of his power instantly burst.

The Great Roc Fist was trained very proficiently. He was even capable of instantly subduing cavalry or armed warriors.

This brat was very self-confident when he used the Great Roc Fist. He wanted to break Chen Mo's arm, to give the others a warning.

Chen Mo inwardly grinned.

If he could be done in by the Great Roc Fist, then Auntie would despise him to death.

The brocaded young man grabbed Chen Mo's arm, his fingers squeezing in the capture technique. All of a sudden, the young man was startled, showing astonishment. His hand had grabbed nothing but empty air. Chen Mo's arm had already vanished without a trace.

"This is bad."

In the brocaded young man's mind, a premonition of intense danger sprung forth. His hands crossed like swords as he fiercely spun about and swung them behind him, "You pain in the ass!" His arms were like blades, quickly spinning in front of him, able to even pare iron.

Whoosh.

His hands slashed, once again cutting empty space.

"What the hell?" The young man's pupils shrunk, not daring to believe that the reactions and speed he had trained with the Great Roc Fist Art had surprisingly missed twice. In hand-to-hand combat on the battlefield, this was the same as dying two times over.

Shit.

A force as vast as a mountain suddenly sprung up from behind him, as if Mount Tai was collapsing on top of him to turn him into meat paste. He had never felt such terrifying pressure. His heart nearly shattered, and his indestructible qi and blood was about to vanish. 

Bang.

The youth was frightened, paralyzed on the spot. He turned his head back to see Chen Mo grinning and looking closely at him.

"You pissed yourself…"

1. 壯, an ethnic group. ↩
2. 張猛 ↩
3. Thorntree was a town mentioned in chapter 1. ↩
4. I was tempted to translate this as "much ado about nothing," but the clear intent is that arguments REALLY spiral out of control in that place. ↩