"Third brother, come together."

Following Xie Jingxing's words, Xie Changchao in the audience was also stunned.

When he saw Xie Jingxing suddenly appear, he thought that Xie Jingxing was deliberately helping Shen Miao out. After all, this brother's actions could not be judged by ordinary people. But now, Xie Jingxing's words made him stunned. The only person who came up to challenge was Xie Changwu, so what did it have to do with him?

But now Xie Ding was not there either, so Xie Changchao could only look at Xie Changwu and asked in a low voice: "Second brother, what's going on?"

Xie Changwu was usually more astute than Xie Changchao, and upon hearing Xie Jingxing's words, he immediately became furious. Xie Jingxing wanted to challenge him, but he said that he alone was not enough and that he had to add Xie Changchao. What did he mean by that? It was nothing more than humiliating the two brothers. Of course, even if the two brothers joined forces, they would not be his match. It was too arrogant!

Xie Changwu, angered by Xie Jingxing's words, had long since lost his usual composure. His expression darkened, and his tone seemed to carry a hint of anger: "Big brother, you're so confident when you say that. You don't even take your younger brothers seriously."

On the stage, Xie Jingxing played with the strawberry fruit he had taken from the examiner. He narrowed his beautiful eyes and said lazily, "Yes, I really don't take you seriously."

"You two have been practicing martial arts since you were young, but you have never sparred with me. I've heard that you are very outstanding. How about you open your eyes to me today?" he continued.

Everyone in the room seemed to have sensed the discord between the Xie brothers. The events at the Marquis of Lin'an's Mansion had spread throughout Mingqi. For a long time, everyone had speculated about the brothers' relationship, and Xie Jingxing had always maintained an indifferent attitude toward the Marquis of Lin'an's Mansion, even disdaining to talk to his two half-brothers. This cold attitude hadn't seemed to cause any ripples.

Today was the first time Xie Jingxing had publicly humiliated his two half-brothers. The crowd offstage began to discuss the situation, some eager to watch the fun, others eagerly anticipating the outcome.

Shen Miao looked at the handsome young man with a casual demeanor. Xie Jingxing was truly a strange person. He seemed willful and uninhibited, yet it was as if a clear thread had always been guiding him. Now, the two brothers of the Xie family had been led by him by the nose, and they were still completely unaware. I'm afraid that after today's written test, the two brothers of the Xie family will have nothing left, whether it's face or substance.

Upon hearing this, Xie Changwu suddenly sneered and said word by word, "It's just a sparring match, what's wrong with that?" He looked at Xie Jingxing, his shrewd eyes churning with various strange emotions. He said, "Since brother wants this, third brother will join in. I'm afraid that brother will definitely not say that he is bullying his younger brothers."

He said it so confidently, which meant that if Xie Jingxing lost to them, it was Xie Jingxing who started it first, and it had nothing to do with them. Xie Jingxing might even end up making a fool of himself.

Xie Changchao was still a little hesitant, but after seeing the look Xie Changwu gave him, he immediately came to his senses and said, "Brothers will definitely accompany you."

The most novel thing about the "selection" round of verification was that it was open to all, regardless of category, number of people, or even gender. Therefore, Xie Jingxing's request did not violate anything. Xie Jingxing raised his lips and smiled, his devilish smile attracting the attention of many girls. He jokingly said, "Do you want to sign a life and death agreement as well?"

Xie Changchao and Xie Changwu both froze, their faces looking somewhat grim. Xie Jingxing said lazily, "It's just a joke. It's just a sparring match between brothers. There's no need for a life-and-death struggle."

Shen Miao's lips curled up slightly. Xie Jingxing's words were truly vicious. Since the two Xie brothers had already gone on stage, she had no business here anymore. She straightened her skirt and left the stage on her own.

When they reached the women's table, Shen Yue and Shen Qing stood at a distance and didn't approach to speak. Instead, Feng Anning quickly ran over. She said, "Your archery is so good. Are you going to follow in your father's footsteps?"

Shen Miao's heart was slightly disturbed. The royal family was now eyeing the Shen family covetously. Not only her, but even her eldest brother was in a very dangerous situation. Her eldest brother's life had been ruined by a woman. Now that the Shen family had not yet fallen apart, she would use her own methods to protect the Shen family, just like she had just done on the stage. If anyone dared not give the Shen family face, she would return it a hundredfold without hesitation!

"But, of the three people on the stage, who do you think will win?" Feng Anning suddenly changed the subject, rambling on, "Although the young marquis of the Xie family is well-known, we haven't seen him in person. Perhaps the rumors are unreliable. Xie Changwu and Xie Changchao both won first place last year. Two against one, it's inevitable that the young marquis will suffer."

Xie Jingxing would suffer a loss? Shen Miao laughed in her heart and just shook her head lightly.

Xie Changwu on the stage also said: "It is difficult for the two of us to judge you alone, so let's pick a horse and a spear."

This time, Shen Miao really laughed.

Xie Jingxing raised his eyebrows: "Carbine? Sure!"

The inspecting official quickly found three fine horses. The high platform was already extremely spacious, and with proper control, the horses could almost gallop freely on it. Three flower spears were also thrown into the hands of the three men.

"Xie Changwu and Xie Changchao are capable of dual spears!" Feng Anning exclaimed. Xie Chao and Xie Changwu had a tacit understanding of the two brothers, able to combine their two lances into one, then merge them into one. Using this method, they were always in first place in the lance competition every year. Therefore, Xie Changwu chose this one, probably hoping to crush Xie Jingxing.

But in reality, Shen Miao lowered her eyes. Others didn't know, but she knew. Among the memorials to the Mingqi royal family, there was one that specifically recorded the Xie family's battle formations. Xie Jingxing was no ordinary person, because he could form a battle formation all by himself.

The "Spirit Snake Formation," a flower spear, a steed, and a man—just three things, yet they could still crush the enemy. This formation was only suitable for fighting against enemy generals, and Xie Jingxing had never lost.

How could the two brothers of the Xie family possibly compete with the generals of an entire country? I'm afraid they'll be laughed at today.

The drummer pounded the drum hard, and when the drum sounded, the written test began.

Xie Changwu and Xie Changchao looked at each other, and the two horses ran side by side. They had undergone rigorous training, and the steps of the horses were almost exactly the same, and the shooting routines of the flower spears were also exactly the same. From a distance, it was as if one person had split into two people, which was really scary.

The purple-robed youth lazily raised his hand, and the black steed beneath him suddenly reared its hooves, galloping off in the opposite direction. Everyone was shocked, but they saw him holding his spear across his body, his clothes like flowing purple clouds and lightning, like a raging storm, and a murderous aura instantly emanated from him. His handsome features made him look like a jade-faced Asura.