My Martial Arts Level Never Drops

Chapter 339: Chapter 169: Aptitude

The crowd grew noisy. One after another, people moved to the side to submit their challenges.

As the current top rank, Qin Fang naturally had no intention of challenging anyone. He simply stood his ground.

Beside him, Shen Han, Fu Chen, and the others stared at the list of the top twelve, hesitating as they weighed their options.

They were clearly nervous.

Because this round of challenges would ultimately decide whether or not they could secure one of the top twelve seats.

As for the top twelve seats, aside from Qin Fang, eight were occupied by people from A Courtyard, including Duan Ling, Xu Nianzhen, Tang Xiao, and Qu Yuan.

The remaining three seats were held by "dark horses" who hadn’t been at the Post House previously.

This meant that Shen Han and the others were now all ranked below fifteenth place.

They had only one chance to issue a challenge. Success meant a potential comeback. Failure... meant they would be locked out of the top twelve for good.

After all, they were already at the age limit. Even if they took the Martial Arts Examination again next year, they would no longer be eligible for the top twelve seats.

One could imagine the pressure they were under.

Of course, this had nothing to do with Qin Fang.

He sat comfortably above the fray, waiting with immense boredom.

Eventually, everyone selected their targets. The challenges were collected and reviewed, and an official began to announce the names of those who would be fighting today.

As expected, Shen Han, Fu Chen, Xue Yi, and the others had all chosen their targets.

They mostly challenged the "dark horses," the ones who hadn’t appeared at the Post House before.

After all... they were all familiar with the abilities of those from the Post House. Knowing they were no match for them, they naturally targeted the dark horses.

The lowest-ranked among them was challenged by a shocking number of people—more than ten in total!

"This isn’t fair! With so many people challenging me, do I have to fight all these matches in one day?"

A young man in his twenties suddenly shouted.

His face was full of indignation as he protested the unfairness of the system.

It was the person currently ranked twelfth... named Chen Fan.

"If you feel it’s unfair, you can withdraw from the competition now."

The Black Armored Soldier merely glanced at him before speaking calmly.

"Wh-what?" Chen Fan’s eyes widened.

The Black Armored Soldier said placidly, "This has been the rule in every Martial Arts Examination. I’m sure you know what the top twelve seats represent... ’He who wishes to wear the crown must bear its weight.’"

"But the others have two or three challengers at most, while I have more than ten! This..." Chen Fan argued anxiously.

"Then have you considered why you are being challenged and others are not? Take Qin Fang, for example. He’s at the very top of the list, so why isn’t anyone challenging him?" the Black Armored Soldier asked.

Chen Fan was stunned for a moment, then gritted his teeth. "He’s a True Essence Realm Martial Artist... That’s a whole major Realm above us. Who would challenge him?"

"Precisely. No one challenges him because he is strong. The fact that so many people are challenging you can only mean... you are not strong enough."

The Black Armored Soldier said placidly, "If you were strong enough, why would you care? Imagine if all of you were to challenge Qin Fang right now... Do you think he would be bothered?"

These words left Chen Fan completely speechless.

Many people subconsciously glanced toward Qin Fang in the crowd.

Qin Fang: "..."

’Wait, what does this have to do with me?’

The Black Armored Soldier paused for a moment before continuing in the same placid tone, "The top twelve seats represent honor, as well as immense benefits and opportunities. The reward is the same for everyone, from the first seat to the last. And the last seat has always been the most fiercely contested. If you don’t think you can hold your ground, simply concede and yield your position to someone else."

"Everyone challenging you isn’t actually challenging you, but this seat. To put it simply, if you are defeated, the one who takes your place must then face the subsequent challengers... This continues until all challengers have had their fight. Whoever is victorious in the end will occupy this seat."

The Black Armored Soldier’s voice remained calm as he explained the rules of the challenge.

"Doesn’t that mean the last person to fight has the biggest advantage?" Chen Fan retorted, unconvinced.

"That is correct. However, the order of all challenges is decided by a lottery. Who fights first and who fights last is all determined by the draw... This is how we ensure maximum fairness."

"So it’s just pure luck, then?"

"Correct. It comes down to luck."

The Black Armored Soldier admitted frankly, "The actual gap in ability between the twelfth seat and those ranked just below it is not that large. Theoretically speaking, it makes little difference to the Heavenly Gang Wuji Sect which one of you occupies this twelfth seat."

"Take your current position, for example. Do you hold this seat because your strength far surpasses the others? I think not. Otherwise, why would you be afraid of their challenges? Your ability to occupy this seat right now also involves an element of luck."

"And luck has always been a part of one’s strength."

Chen Fan was once again at a loss for words, his face alternating between pale and ashen.

"You don’t have to feel this is unfair," the Black Armored Soldier said. "You can voluntarily relinquish your spot in the top twelve, submit a challenge like the others, and have everyone draw lots together. Who goes first and who goes last will be determined entirely by the lottery... That way, it’s fair, isn’t it?"

But Chen Fan was clearly still not resigned to this. ’I’ve already secured a spot in the top twelve. Why should I have to give it up temporarily for a reason like this?’

But the Black Armored Soldier had made it perfectly clear that the top twelve seats were not just about rank and honor, but also tangible rewards.

And this twelfth seat was always the most hotly contested position in the examination...

What more could he do, no matter how much he disagreed?

Such were the rules.

In the end, he gritted his teeth but still relented. "Fine. I’ll temporarily give up my spot in the top twelve and resubmit a challenge."

He had still made the rational choice.

The Black Armored Soldier nodded, then said, "The same applies to the other seats. If you feel that being challenged repeatedly is unfair, you may also temporarily relinquish your seat and participate in the challenge lottery. However, be warned: if you choose this path and lose, you will be eliminated from the top twelve entirely and will not be allowed to challenge for a lower-ranked seat. In a normal defeat, where you lose your seat to a challenger, you still have one chance to challenge a seat ranked below yours... Consider your options carefully."

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