"Amazing!" "That Zhu Da, the position of corporal in the Black Armored Army is practically his." The surrounding martial artists murmured in astonishment, as he was the only one since the 'Sect Entry Assessment' began today who dared to challenge the ten-thousand-pound boulder and nearly succeeded. The ten-thousand-pound boulder, resting on the ground, was several times larger than a person.
Many had lost their courage just looking at it. "Junior Brother!
Give me the token for a Second-Rate Martial Artist!" The Guiyuan Sect disciple who was doing the recording took a black token from a nearby brother. This token bore only one character on the front: 'Two'.
The Guiyuan Sect disciple immediately wrote two characters on the back—'Zhu Da'—and smilingly tossed the token to Zhu Da: "Brother Zhu Da, you possess the strength of a First-Rate Martial Artist. Although you might not contend for the Centurion position, you have every assurance of securing the 'Corporal' post in the Black Armored Army." "Hmph, I ate ten baskets of buns this morning, my stomach is bloated.
Otherwise, I definitely could have lifted it." The stout man picked up his massive iron hammer, took the token, and walked aside. "Qingshan, if I contend for the Corporal position in the Black Armored Army and encounter this fatty, I'll concede immediately.
I can't even block one swing of that hammer of his," Teng Qinghu said to Teng Qingshan beside him. "Oh right, Qingshan, when are we going to try lifting that stone for the entry assessment?" "I'm not in a hurry.
Just watch. If you want to go for the assessment, go ahead," Teng Qingshan stood amidst the crowd, watching one martial artist after another undergo the sect entry assessment.
* Half an hour slipped by in the blink of an eye. "Make way, it's my turn!" A loud shout rang out.
A lean, vigorous youth, still clad in animal hides, strode into the central clearing and walked straight toward the two-thousand-pound boulder. He extended both arms, like forged steel, grasping the black rock.
His hands steadily supported the base, making the white brushwork—'Two Thousand Jin'—on the black rock stand out clearly. "Hngh~~" With a low roar, the lean youth's entire body trembled slightly, and the black rock was lifted with a resounding crash.
"Good!" "What a fine fellow!" A burst of cheers erupted from the surroundings. The youth in animal hides then smiled and tossed the black rock aside.
"Do you want to try the ten-thousand-pound one?" the Guiyuan Sect disciple responsible for recording asked with a smile. "No need," the youth shook his head.
"Name, age." The Guiyuan Sect disciple then took a black token designated for Second-Rate Martial Artists. "Fu Junfan!
Sixteen!" the youth stated. "Sixteen years old?" "A Second-Rate Martial Artist at sixteen?
This young man's future is boundless!" "Where did this kid come from? So formidable." The surrounding martial artists were greatly shocked.
Most who joined the Black Armored Army were over twenty, and those generally stronger tended to be older. Teng Qingshan also glanced in surprise at the young man named 'Fu Junfan': "Sixteen?
Isn't that even younger than me?" His coming-of-age ceremony was approaching; after the ceremony, Teng Qinghu would turn seventeen. "Fu Junfan!" The person truly in charge of the assessment was a stout, middle-aged man in gray robes.
He had been watching the entry assessment silently, and even the sixteen-year-old Fu Junfan caused him to look twice with surprise. "This Fu Junfan is the third Second-Rate Martial Artist so far!
Not a single First-Rate Martial Artist. Elder Brother, there aren't many experts joining the Black Armored Army this time." "It's only been half an hour, don't rush.
The experts haven't shown up yet," a cold voice drifted from not far beside Teng Qingshan. Teng Qingshan glanced over.
The speaker was a cold-faced man, lean, with two scars crossing his face, carrying a massive broadsword on his back. Seeing this man, a thought stirred in Teng Qingshan’s heart: "It's him!" Teng Qingshan had encountered this man at the inn during breakfast this morning; he remembered traveling with this lean man.
There were seven others with him. "Judging by their tone, this scar-faced man must be a very powerful martial artist," Teng Qingshan judged internally.
... The entry assessment proceeded in an orderly fashion.
As time passed, the crowd watching grew larger. "Haha, let me!" A loud shout preceded Teng Qinghu stepping into the central clearing.
Teng Qingshan's eyes brightened. "Qinghu should have no problem lifting two thousand pounds," Teng Qingshan knew well that even without using internal energy, Teng Qinghu, having mastered Tiger Fist, could lift two thousand pounds purely on brute strength.
If he added internal energy assistance, he could manage three or four thousand pounds. Without even removing his pack, Teng Qinghu clasped the two-thousand-pound boulder with both hands.
"Up!" he roared. The two-thousand-pound boulder instantly shot up high.
The veins bulged like coiled pythons on Teng Qinghu's strong arms. He tossed it down casually—Peng.
The two-thousand-pound boulder slammed heavily onto the ground. "Haha...
don't bother asking, I can't lift the ten-thousand-pound one yet," Teng Qinghu laughed heartily and said frankly. His straightforward temperament drew sympathetic laughter from the surrounding martial artists.
A straightforward man with genuine strength is rarely disliked. The Guiyuan Sect disciple also smiled: "Your name and age." "Teng Qinghu!
Twenty-two this year, turning twenty-three after the coming ceremony!" Teng Qinghu stated directly. "Everyone ages by one year after the ceremony, no need to mention that," the Guiyuan Sect disciple said with a chuckle, writing Teng Qinghu's name on the token.
After receiving the Second-Rate Martial Artist token, Teng Qinghu walked back to Teng Qingshan's side: "Qingshan, look at this token, it's nothing special, just black with a few brush strokes." As Teng Qingshan was examining the token, a familiar voice suddenly rang out: "Move aside!" Teng Qingshan turned to see the scar-faced man pushing aside the two martial artists in front of him and walking into the central clearing first. "Who's pushing—" One of the two men pushed aside was instantly furious and about to curse, but upon seeing the massive broadsword strapped to the other's back, he immediately clamped his mouth shut, not daring to say another word.
The broadsword behind the scar-faced man was nearly six chi (about 1.5 meters) long. Most people couldn't wield such a large blade effectively.
The scar-faced man walked straight to the center clearing, heading for his goal—the ten-thousand-pound boulder! Up to this point, no one had managed to fully lift the ten-thousand-pound boulder.
"He's going for ten thousand pounds?" "Looks like this guy is also a tough character," the surrounding crowd murmured quietly, but every eye was fixed on the scar-faced man. The scar-faced man didn't bother with a blade; he placed both hands directly under the ten-thousand-pound boulder.
"Hmph!" With a sudden, fierce grunt, a faint blue light surfaced on the scar-faced man's face. The ten-thousand-pound black rock was directly lifted, the veins on the man's arms bulging intensely.
He then threw it down onto the ground, and the ten-thousand-pound boulder fell with a deafening crash, sinking halfway into the earth. The middle-aged man in gray robes, who had been sitting behind the other young Guiyuan Sect disciples, couldn't help but stand up and laugh loudly: "Good, a First-Rate Martial Artist!
Today, the first First-Rate Martial Artist for the entry assessment has appeared! Brother, your name and age!" "Gongyang Qing!
Thirty-six!" the scar-faced man stated coldly. "Gongyang Qing?
Gongyang Qing from Xuyang Commandery? The Gongyang Qing who once wiped out three hundred bandits single-handedly in one night?" The surrounding martial artists were immediately stunned.
"The great chieftain of Sheep Horn Mountain in Xuyang Commandery? Why is he here too?" "Gongyang Qing has seven sworn brothers, right?
If he's here, his brothers are likely here too." The appearance of such a famous expert drew everyone's interest. In the Thirteen Commanderies of Yangzhou across the Nine Provinces, nine were controlled by Azure Lake Island.
One was controlled by the Guiyuan Sect. One was controlled by the Iron Robe Gate.
The remaining two commanderies were a mix of various sects and powers. Comparatively speaking, the people living in those two commanderies suffered the most.
The people of Jiangning Commandery were considered quite fortunate. Xuyang Commandery was one of those two mixed-power regions.
"Why would the great chieftain of Sheep Horn Mountain come all the way to our Jiangning Commandery to join the Black Armored Army?" some martial artists muttered quietly. Qinghu also watched the scar-faced man, listening to the discussions, then lowered his voice and said excitedly: "Qingshan, this Gongyang Qing is a formidable figure.
He used to be the great chieftain of a major gang in Xuyang Commandery. Qingshan, you must be careful of him when vying for the Black Armored Army Centurion position." Teng Qingshan smiled.
His strength, except for that one battle with the Flood Dragon, had never been truly exposed. Qinghu didn't know his true depth either.
"Centurion..." Teng Qingshan merely smiled while watching others undergo the assessment. In his heart, the so-called Centurion position had long been reserved for him.
... Nearly two hours passed in a flash.
"Everyone!" The middle-aged man in gray robes from the Guiyuan Sect stood up and announced loudly, "The morning session of the entry assessment concludes before noon. We have about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea left until noon.
If anyone wishes to take the assessment, please hurry. Otherwise, we will continue in the afternoon!" Teng Qingshan turned his head to look at a massive stone 'sundial' in the distance.
A sundial was a simple timekeeping device, not complex to construct. "So far, there are twenty-one Second-Rate Martial Artists, and only Gongyang Qing as a First-Rate Martial Artist," Teng Qingshan remembered clearly.
Until now, the only ones who had caught his attention were Fu Junfan, who was the same age as him at sixteen, and Gongyang Qing's eight brothers. Gongyang Qing himself was a First-Rate Martial Artist, and his seven brothers were all Second-Rate Martial Artists.
It couldn't be ruled out that his seven brothers were holding back their true strength. "Qingshan, when are you taking your assessment?
The afternoon session?" Teng Qinghu asked. "The afternoon assessment means I have to pay for lunch myself, right?" Teng Qingshan teased with a smile as he stepped into the central clearing.
"Pay for lunch?" Teng Qinghu looked stunned upon hearing this. The Guiyuan Sect rule was that for those who passed the entry assessment, food and other necessities were provided free by the sect.
If Teng Qingshan didn't take the assessment, he would have to buy his own lunch outside. "That young man is walking toward the ten-thousand-pound boulder!" "Could he also be trying to lift the ten-thousand-pound boulder?" Seeing the direction Teng Qingshan was heading, the surrounding crowd quickly quieted down, all staring at him.
Even Gongyang Qing and his seven brothers looked over. He grasped both sides of the ten-thousand-pound boulder firmly.
"Up!" Teng Qingshan gave a low shout. Whoosh!
The ten-thousand-pound boulder was lifted high above his head, without the slightest strain. Teng Qingshan then threw the ten-thousand-pound boulder down.
"Haha, another First-Rate Martial Artist! The second First-Rate Martial Artist of the morning session has appeared!" the middle-aged man in gray robes laughed loudly.
"May I ask this brother, your name and age?" The surrounding martial artists also burst into an uproar, discussing who this young man was. "Teng Qingshan!" Teng Qingshan spoke with a smile, "Sixteen!"