My Foster Father Above, Please Accept Your Son's Bow

Chen Mo looked at the 800-jin stone wheel before him. Within the personal guard camp, only about eight or nine people could lift that much weight.

Even the other two personal guards who received an A-rank evaluation alongside him could now lift at most 600 jin. They might be able to lift a bit more, but certainly not 700 jin.

Seeing him walk up to such a heavy stone wheel, the others undergoing the assessment couldn't help but look over.

"Can you lift it? Don't strain yourself." Mo Hu frowned slightly, asking with a hint of concern.

Chen Mo didn't say much, just nodded lightly, took a deep breath, gripped the stone wheel, and easily lifted it with his arms.

His current strength far exceeded 800 jin. The heaviest stone wheel for the assessment was 1,200 jin.

Chen Mo had tested it privately yesterday and found he could lift it with ease, with some strength left over.

Based on this, his strength was at least over 1,500 jin, and most likely even higher.

"Hiss!" Seeing him lift the 800-jin stone wheel, Mo Hu couldn't help but gasp.

He had spent more time with Chen Mo and knew that the man wasn't one to speak without reason. Yet, he still hadn't expected Chen Mo to actually be able to lift this 800-jin stone wheel.

Even he himself could only just barely lift a 1,000-jin stone wheel. Chen Mo had only been in the camp for a short while, yet he could already lift an 800-jin stone wheel. This rate of strength improvement was truly astonishing.

It wasn't just him who was surprised; all the other soldiers who witnessed this scene also looked over in astonishment.

800 jin was a weight that ordinary personal guards couldn't lift, and among dozens of new recruits, it was utterly unique, like a scorpion's droppings.

"Chen Mo lifts stone 800 jin, A+!" the old man in charge of recording the assessment results shouted loudly, his tone seemingly carrying a hint of excitement.

Hearing this, Chen Mo slowly put down the stone wheel and exhaled a long breath.

"Did your Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist break through recently?" Mo Hu immediately came over and asked.

"Yes." Chen Mo didn't deny it; this was the result he had aimed for.

Mo Hu pondered for a moment, then nodded with a smile, "Alright, continue with your other assessments."

After saying that, he didn't linger and quickly moved away.

Chen Mo's expression was calm as he walked to the training grounds to prepare for his other assessments.

Seeing him lift the 800-jin stone wheel earlier, several veteran soldiers now smiled and greeted him.

They understood that Chen Mo's ability to lift 800 jin was rare even within the personal guard camp.

If nothing unexpected happened, Chen Mo would surely be valued by General Sun. Right now, they were all just cannon fodder, but that might not be the case in a while.

Only the new recruits who had joined the camp not long ago hadn't yet realized what this meant. Some were even contemplating how they could surpass Chen Mo.

They didn't know that lifting an 800-jin stone wheel wasn't something that could be achieved through simple effort; it also required talent.

The other assessments were all without incident, with only his spear technique receiving an A-. All others were A.

In the final comprehensive evaluation, he still received an A-rank assessment.

"Come with me, my adoptive father wants to see you." Mo Hu also walked over at this moment.

He didn't use General Sun's official title but instead used the term "adoptive father." It seemed the matter that followed was definitely personal, not official.

"Why does the General want to see me?" Chen Mo followed closely behind him, lowering his voice to ask.

"You've caught my adoptive father's eye this time, which is definitely a great thing." Mo Hu's smile was mysterious, and he appeared exceptionally happy.

Chen Mo had a very good relationship with him, and more importantly, they belonged to the same faction.

Compared to factions based on clan or hometown, their "middle faction" held very little influence within the personal guard camp.

Gaining another skilled personal guard like Chen Mo was an absolute advantage for them.

This was also why he immediately went to inform General Sun after seeing Chen Mo display his strength. If it were someone else, he wouldn't bother.

Chen Mo stopped asking questions and followed him into the training grounds. Before long, General Sun also arrived at the training grounds.

"To what level have you cultivated your Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist?" Sun Shouren got straight to the point, without any unnecessary words.

"Reporting to the General, I have cultivated it to the peak of the second level and am preparing to break through to the third level." Chen Mo stated his prepared response.

Before he began cultivating, he could lift 500 jin. After cultivating to the peak of the second level, he could lift 800 jin.

Furthermore, saying this would also lay the groundwork for his future breakthrough to the third level, allowing him to learn the General's internal energy techniques.

"Then your talent is quite remarkable. Even if you're not naturally strong, you're not far off." Sun Shouren nodded in praise. Chen Mo's cultivation speed was not much different from his own back then.

"However, the Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist cannot cultivate inner energy, no matter how talented you are. You must remember this." Sun Shouren said again, recalling Chen Mo's questions from a couple of days prior, and repeatedly cautioned him.

In his opinion, Chen Mo was likely asking this question because he had decent talent.

But even with his great talent, cultivating inner energy through the Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist was something no human could achieve.

"Your subordinate understands." Chen Mo nodded.

"Since you have such talent, have you thought about your future?" Sun Shouren changed the subject abruptly and asked.

Chen Mo had talent, so he should definitely be cultivated.

However, cultivating a person required a significant amount of money, energy, and perhaps even favors, none of which were small matters.

With no familial ties, why should he cultivate Chen Mo? Wouldn't it be better to cultivate disciples from his own clan?

Even if those disciples didn't have Chen Mo's talent, they were still closer relations to him.

"Reporting to you, General, your subordinate only wishes to follow your command. If I can achieve merit on the battlefield in the future, even just getting a minor official post would be the best outcome," Chen Mo answered honestly.

"You truly don't mince words, speaking nothing but the truth," General Sun said, laughing heartily.

Chen Mo's words pleased him greatly. If Chen Mo had only spoken of achieving merit under him, without mentioning anything else, General Sun would have found his words somewhat disingenuous.

Conversely, Chen Mo's statement about wanting a minor official post after achieving merit indicated that he was speaking the truth.

"Heh heh." Chen Mo grinned. Getting along with others in the personal guard camp, sincerity was the ultimate weapon.

Because falsely reporting military intelligence on the battlefield could genuinely kill everyone, those who habitually lied were ostracized among the personal guards and couldn't stay.

In reality, it wasn't just the entire personal guard camp; even across the entire realm, no one liked people who spoke nothing but empty words.

While not every single sentence had to be truthful, telling the truth most of the time yielded far better results than lying.

"Achieving merit on the battlefield sounds easy, but it's not as simple as it sounds. Moreover, with my current troop training in Xingyuan Prefecture, I likely won't be able to return to the border army anytime soon."

General Sun spoke slowly.

Chen Mo didn't interrupt, listening quietly. Since General Sun had pointed out the difficulties, it meant he definitely had another path for him to choose; otherwise, he wouldn't have said this.

"If you wish to achieve merit and become an official on the battlefield, it's not easy right now. However, you could take another path." General Sun deliberately created suspense.

"I humbly request the General to enlighten me!" Chen Mo bowed and asked.

"That would be to take the military examination. With your current strength, I wouldn't dare say you'd definitely become a juren, but a xiucai is certainly within reach," General Sun said with a chuckle, not wanting to keep him waiting any longer.

"However, to take the examination for official titles, someone must be willing to recommend you. Do you know any other officials or individuals who hold official titles?"

Great Qian had the imperial examination system, but one couldn't just be any commoner to take it.

Without a recommendation from an official or someone holding an official title, one couldn't even enter the examination hall.

"If you don't know anyone, I can help you. But why should I help you, a stranger, without any prior connection?" General Sun asked, posing a rather practical question.

He hadn't spent much time with Chen Mo; they could only be considered acquaintances, not even close ones. Without any reason, why should he act as Chen Mo's recommender?

"Quickly pay your respects to your adoptive father!" Mo Hu tugged at Chen Mo's sleeve and whispered.

General Sun saw all of this. He had called Mo Hu over precisely so that someone could remind Chen Mo later.

After all, it was awkward for him to bring it up directly; someone needed to initiate it.

"Adoptive Father above, please accept your son's bow!" With someone prompting him, even if Chen Mo was exceptionally simple and honest, he now knew what to do.

He had actually been mentally prepared for this. Given his background and status, to get ahead in the military camp, making General Sun his adoptive father was an indispensable step.

Moreover, becoming General Sun's adopted son was definitely not a loss; it meant he would truly begin to cultivate him with care.