Passing the Sparring Partner Assessment

Arriving at the third floor, Chen Mo followed the signs and reached the assessment area.

At the entrance to the assessment area, several people were waiting.

Some sat on chairs, silent, the assessment forms in their hands trembling faintly.

Some were whispering to each other.

Some stared blankly at the closed door.

When Chen Mo arrived at the assessment area, these people glanced at him and then looked away.

Recognizing no one, Chen Mo found a seat and sat down.

Those who came to be sparring partners were mostly from less well-off families, hoping to earn money through this work.

Such people had reached Major Accomplishment in Basic Martial Technique, with relatively good aptitude.

Martial arts halls had many benefits in recruiting such sparring partners—they could discover talented geniuses with high comprehension and invest in them early.

Even if no genius emerged, they could still build a good reputation, giving young ordinary people a chance to earn money.

They could also serve wealthy family scions, gaining both fame and profit.

Killing multiple birds with one stone.

Not long after sitting down, Chen Mo saw a young girl walk out with an excited expression.

From her face, he could tell she had passed the assessment.

Sure enough, a young man stepped forward to ask:

"Hello, did you pass the assessment?"

"I passed!"

"Congratulations!"

"Thanks!"

Chen Mo watched quietly.

The girl left after a few words, and the remaining people began to discuss among themselves.

Some were nervous, some brimming with confidence, some guessing at the assessment content.

As time passed, one young person after another entered and came out—some thrilled, some dejected.

An hour later, it was finally Chen Mo's turn.

Chen Mo stepped through the assessment door and saw two people inside the room. One was the Referee Wang Yun, whom he had seen yesterday, sitting at a desk.

The other was a young man holding a weapon, arms crossed over his chest, standing there with an air that said "keep your distance."

Chen Mo quickly approached Wang Yun. Before he could speak, he heard Wang Yun's voice:

"Chen Mo, it's you!"

"Yes, Referee!" Not knowing how to address Wang Yun, Chen Mo simply called him Referee and handed over his assessment form.

Wang Yun took the form with a smile and looked down to read it.

Suddenly, his expression froze, his eyes widened, and he looked up at Chen Mo:

"Your Basic Saber Technique has reached Perfection?"

Seeing Wang Yun's incredulous look, Chen Mo remained calm and nodded:

"Yes, Referee."

Wang Yun couldn't help but take a few more glances at Chen Mo, then said:

"I should have guessed. Yesterday, you killed Li Donghai in an instant—your saber technique realm must be high."

"Unfortunately, you made too few moves yesterday for me to judge. Now, I have the chance!"

"This time, I'll assess you myself! Though I'm a martial artist, I'll suppress my realm, and the entire assessment will be recorded on video. You don't need to worry about me making things difficult for you!"

Chen Mo had no objection to a fair assessment, so he nodded:

"Alright, Referee."

"Good, take one minute to prepare."

With that, Wang Yun turned to the young man standing nearby:

"Wu Fei, take a break. I'll assess Chen Mo myself."

Wu Fei immediately shook his head:

"Referee Wang, I'm your assistant. Let me assess Chen Mo! Though my realm is higher, I can still handle testing him."

Wu Fei had naturally heard what Wang Yun and Chen Mo had said. So, seeing Chen Mo, who was younger than him yet had reached Perfection in Basic Martial Technique, he felt somewhat unconvinced.

What really stirred his envy, though, was how well Wang Yun, a martial artist, treated Chen Mo. Everyone who had come in for assessment earlier had faced Wang Yun's cold expression, but when he saw Chen Mo, his face was all warmth.

Even toward him, Wang Yun had never been this gentle.

So, he wanted to use the assessment opportunity to strike at Chen Mo and prevent him from passing.

If Chen Mo couldn't pass the assessment, even Wang Yun wouldn't be able to pull any strings.

Wang Yun thought it over briefly and agreed: "Fine, you can assess Chen Mo."

Wang Yun saw through Wu Fei's intentions at a glance, but he didn't stop him.

At the Martial Disciple realm, there wasn't much to compete over; the most important factor in Combat Power was still Basic Martial Technique, so even a gap of one or two minor realms didn't pose much of a problem.

Besides, Chen Mo had crossed a minor realm to kill his opponent in one move yesterday, proving he had the Combat Power to fight above his level.

He also wanted to see if Chen Mo could cross realms to defeat Wu Fei, a Ninth-grade Martial Disciple.

If he could, then Chen Mo's evaluation would rise a notch.

Of course, there was another reason: to avoid suspicion. Since he had just acknowledged Chen Mo, if he conducted the assessment himself, there was a chance he might go easy on him.

That would reflect poorly on Chen Mo. After all, Chen Mo needed to earn money, and a bad reputation would mean customers wouldn't want to hire him as a sparring partner.

Chen Mo had no objection to changing the assessment target.

So, under Wang Yun's witness, the two walked to the assessment platform.

"Begin!"

As Wang Yun's voice fell, neither Chen Mo nor Wu Fei moved.

Wu Fei spoke first:

"Chen Mo, be careful. If you can't hold on, make sure to concede in time! I'm a Ninth-grade Martial Disciple, and sometimes it's hard to control my strength. If you don't give up in time, it won't be good if you get hurt."

Chen Mo naturally caught the sarcasm in that tone.

Since you're asking for death, don't blame me!

Originally, Chen Mo had planned to exchange a few moves with Wu Fei to let him lose without too much embarrassment, but now he intended to defeat Wu Fei in the shortest time possible.

Chen Mo said nothing, raised his Wooden Saber with both hands, and used his movement technique to slash at Wu Fei.

That's it?

A Minor Accomplishment movement technique, charging in like a reckless fool, full of openings—Wu Fei couldn't help but laugh.

A scrub like this, he could take down in a few moves.

Wu Fei gripped his wooden sword, standing still, waiting for Chen Mo to get close before swinging quickly.

He could already picture Chen Mo being sent flying by his sword strike!

But before he could laugh, Chen Mo had already changed his move. Saber and sword clashed with a clang.

Wu Fei hadn't expected Chen Mo's first attacking move to be a feint. Luckily, he reacted quickly and adjusted in time to dodge it.

It didn't end there. Chen Mo's attack came again, and Wu Fei could only counter on instinct. If not for his rich combat experience, he would have already lost.

Wu Fei didn't dare be careless. He set aside his contempt and began to fight seriously.

However, Chen Mo's saber was too fast. During one of Wu Fei's hasty adjustments, Chen Mo found an opening, broke through his sword technique in one go, and pressed the tip of the saber against his throat.

"You lost!"

"Gulp!"

Even though it was a Wooden Saber, the tip pressed against his throat filled Wu Fei with fear, and he couldn't help swallowing.

Lost just like that?

Wu Fei couldn't believe it. Only three moves had passed, and on the fourth, the saber tip was at his throat!

Unable to accept it, he was about to say he had been careless just now.

Just then, the sound of clapping rang out.

Followed by Wang Yun's voice: "Chen Mo, you've passed the assessment! No need to keep the saber at Wu Fei's throat."