Practical Combat Assessment

Li Sancheng envied those rich kids, but Han Zheng didn't really feel anything.

Sure, poor scholars and rich martial artists—they had an innate advantage—but Han Zheng wasn't lacking either.

He had a cheat!

With the Gluttonous Crucible, if things got tight, he could just sacrifice some emotion like love or whatever and turn into a heartless killer.

Early in the morning, Han Zheng hauled over a bucket of cold water and dumped it on himself.

It was early autumn now, the weather a bit chilly, but Han Zheng felt no discomfort at all.

The water streamed down over muscles that weren't exaggerated but were knotted and bulging, making his build look even more lean and fierce.

After teaching the disciples weapons for half a month, Li Jingzhong had them practice and familiarize themselves.

Not teaching sword techniques or blade forms—just the basics of weapon use. Half a month was enough.

In that half month, Han Zheng broke through to a hundred acupoints and opened four meridians.

Opening acupoints in the Houtian Meridian Opening Realm was just a grind, not much technical skill involved.

The first ten acupoints might be a bit tough, but once you hit a hundred, you got the hang of it.

The reason the Houtian Realm was called the Houtian Meridian Opening Realm, not the Houtian Acupoint Condensing Realm, was that the real difficulty lay in opening the meridians.

But that wasn't much of a problem for Han Zheng either.

He'd sacrificed his sense of pain to the Gluttonous Crucible, so the agony of opening meridians couldn't affect him at all.

As long as he was careful and had no outside interference, his success rate for opening meridians was almost 99.99%.

Han Zheng estimated that his current level was about the same as those rich disciples in the martial arts school who had medicinal baths and ate meat every day.

He changed clothes and headed to the school. Li Sancheng walked toward him with a face full of worry.

"What's up? Your dad beat you again?"

Li Sancheng shook his head and sighed. "Rumor has it there's another assessment coming up, and this time it's a real combat match."

"Eliminations this time too?"

"No eliminations this time, but getting beaten up still sucks."

Han Zheng: "..."

This guy Li Sancheng had zero confidence in himself.

He hadn't even started fighting yet, and he was already worried about getting pummeled.

"If you can't win, can't you just surrender? It's not a life-or-death fight. The master's not going to sit there and watch you get killed."

"Right! Why didn't I think of that?"

Li Sancheng snapped out of his mental block, his face lighting up with joy.

Just then, Li Jingzhong walked out from the inner hall of the school. The disciples, who had been chattering away, immediately stood at attention.

"Starting today, we have real combat assessments. You'll be divided into five groups, and each group will pick one final winner.

From now on, I'll focus on training these five. The best among them will have the chance to inherit the White Ape Through-Arm Fist!"

At these words, the disciples' eyes lit up.

The martial skill that made Li Jingzhong famous in Black Stone County was the White Ape Through-Arm Fist. These disciples had joined the school specifically for it.

The Iron Elephant Skill was just a mediocre basic internal technique. The Vajra Fist, though originating from the major sect Vajra Prajna Temple, was only a Houtian martial art for lay disciples—plenty of people in the martial world knew it.

Only the White Ape Through-Arm Fist was a true Innate martial skill, the kind that could hold its own in the martial world.

Li Jingzhong had run his school in Black Stone County for seventeen years, but fewer than ten disciples had qualified to learn the White Ape Through-Arm Fist.

Because some disciples, even if they were the best in their batch, still hadn't reached the level to be taught it.

So Li Jingzhong would rather keep it hidden than pass the White Ape Through-Arm Fist to a waste.

"Silence!"

Li Jingzhong said in a deep voice. "You know the rules of the Zhenwei Martial Arts School. Not everyone is qualified to learn the White Ape Through-Arm Fist.

But some of you might think, 'We all paid the same silver, so why can only one person learn it?'

Don't feel it's unfair, because the martial path is exactly that unfair!

Talent, perseverance, background, opportunity—how can any of that be fair?

The White Ape Through-Arm Fist is an Innate martial skill. Only when you reach the Innate Realm can you bring out its full potential.

So only when I'm sure one of you has a future in the Innate Realm will I teach the White Ape Through-Arm Fist.

Otherwise, even if you become the top of this batch, if I don't see any possibility of you advancing to Innate, I won't teach it to you.

So don't slack off. The martial path leaves no room for the slightest negligence!"

"Yes!"

The disciples below answered in unison, not feeling that Li Jingzhong was being unreasonable.

The Zhenwei Martial Arts School had built its reputation over the years in Black Stone County.

All of the disciples who had been taught the White Ape Through-Arm Fist had indeed reached the Innate Realm.

Some had left Black Stone County and made a name for themselves even in the Prefecture.

"Alright, now form groups and begin the practical assessment."

Li Jingzhong took out a roster and started dividing the disciples into groups.

Having taught these disciples for so long, he had a rough idea of everyone's strength.

Thus, the five groups were distributed extremely evenly, doing his best not to put the stronger disciples in the same group.

Han Zheng's first-round opponent was a disciple who looked a bit older than him, appearing slightly nervous.

He was just an ordinary disciple, and while Han Zheng wasn't flashy, he had been personally praised by Li Jingzhong many times.

"Brother, you make the first move. Let's keep it to a touch-and-stop."

Han Zheng didn't strike first, letting the other make the opening move.

That disciple paused for a moment, then didn't hold back. His blood and qi surged, and the Vajra Fist gathered power as it came crashing down toward Han Zheng.

The opponent had only opened one Meridian so far, and his power mobilization was nowhere near Han Zheng's level.

Han Zheng didn't even bother countering with the Vajra Fist. He simply dropped a palm to cover the opponent's fist momentum, completely dissolving the downward force of the Vajra Fist.

Then he suddenly stepped forward, thrust his hip, and gave a slight push with his shoulder. That disciple was sent flying directly.

"Thank you, Brother Han, for going easy on me."

The disciple stood up, a bit disheveled, and cupped his hands toward Han Zheng.

He could tell that Han Zheng hadn't put any real force into that move.

Otherwise, at best he'd have broken bones and torn tendons; at worst, his internal organs would be damaged.

Li Jingzhong nodded in satisfaction at the sight.

Han Zheng's performance was outstanding.

His cultivation far surpassed his opponent, so he let the other strike first, giving him a chance to show his skill. The spar between fellow disciples carried no killing intent, proving Han Zheng's integrity and broad-mindedness.

When the opponent used the Vajra Fist, Han Zheng casually dissolved its force with a single palm strike. This showed that Han Zheng's mastery of the Vajra Fist was already extremely refined, a sign of remarkable talent.

In the next two rounds, Han Zheng's opponents were no match for him in a single exchange.

The gap in power was too great; Han Zheng barely exerted himself before they were defeated.

Yet those disciples who lost to Han Zheng were all genuinely convinced.

No wonder the master praised Han Zheng so much.

This disciple, who had always kept a low profile, actually possessed such terrifying strength—enough to rival those disciples from wealthy families.

And Han Zheng was also considerate of their dignity.

He could have crushed them effortlessly, but he still gave them a chance to land a single move.

In the end, he only defeated them; they ended up looking a bit messy but suffered no injuries.

Looking at the other groups, the fights were fierce. Some had already drawn blood, making Li Jingzhong frown.

But as long as no one died in these matches, Li Jingzhong wouldn't intervene.

Han Zheng's group finished early, and he watched the other groups' battles.

Among them, three disciples displayed astonishing strength.

One was a handsome young man wielding a sword. His swordsmanship was elegant, free, and agile, suggesting he had some martial foundation before joining the training hall.

Another was the disciple who had chosen the Iron Whip as his weapon. Judging by his striking power, he had also broken through about four Meridians.

His movements were swift and precise. Though not as effortless as Han Zheng, he still finished his opponents within three moves.

The last was a young gentleman in fine robes, clearly from a wealthy family.

He looked even younger than Han Zheng, with handsome features, but his attacks were vicious and ruthless—one move to defeat, no mercy.

His previous opponent had his arm broken by a direct blow, leaving him unable to train for at least two or three months, severely delaying his progress.

Li Sancheng was unlucky; his next opponent was exactly that young gentleman.

Li Sancheng actually had a solid foundation.

He was naturally strong, with abundant blood and qi. Though he looked chubby, his strength was considerable, which allowed him to make it to the final round.

Li Sancheng never expected to stand out in the group, so he planned to exchange a few moves and then concede.

The young gentleman threw a heavy, powerful punch. Li Sancheng crossed his arms to block, but was sent flying backward to the ground.

Feeling that overwhelming force, Li Sancheng's expression changed instantly.

Just as he was about to surrender, the young gentleman had already stepped forward, his foot descending through the air.

Li Jingzhong frowned.

What the young gentleman did wasn't technically wrong—Li Jingzhong himself taught them that in martial combat, better to advance in thought than to stop in hesitation, and never hesitate when striking.

But this was only a spar between fellow disciples. Such ruthless attacks were still somewhat inappropriate.

If that kick landed, even Li Sancheng with his thick skin and tough bones would probably break a few ribs.

Just as Li Jingzhong moved to intercept the opponent, Han Zheng had already shot forward, yanking Li Sancheng back a step.

The brocade-clad young man's foot struck the floor tiles with a sharp crack, and even the tiles themselves showed a faint fissure.

"I yield! I yield!"

Li Sancheng shouted, still shaken, while casting a grateful glance at Han Zheng.

The brocade-clad young man shot Han Zheng a look, saying nothing, but his gaze was cold and sinister.

Li Jingzhong said in a deep voice, "The assessment is over. The winners of Group Five are Lin Qing, Han Zheng, Chen Zhao, Guo Yuanming, and Song Tianqing.

Each of you five has opened more than four Meridians. By the ranks of the Houtian Realm, you can already be considered mid-Houtian.

From now on, I will tailor the course progress to your cultivation levels; you don't need to train with the others.

But don't get arrogant. If any disciple catches up before you graduate, they can still challenge you.

Now, dismissed. Any injured disciples, follow me to the back hall—I'll apply medicine and bandage you up."