Crimson text filled his vision.
Wang Xuan froze for a moment, then indescribable surprise and excitement surged into his eyes!
"Seventh-rank martial art!"
"Ten Sun Blazing Saber!"
"Good! Good! Good!"
"I never expected Mountain Severing Saber Art to be enhanced into a seventh-rank martial art. It seemed this was the true use of Attribute Points!"
Wang Xuan muttered under his breath.
He had previously used Attribute Points to strengthen his physical power, but now it seemed their true purpose was to enhance martial arts, cultivation methods, and skills!
"Since Attribute Points can enhance martial arts, does that mean they can also enhance archery, as well as the Tracking Art?"
"But there's no sign of enhancement yet. Is it because my archery hasn't reached perfection?"
Even as Wang Xuan rejoiced, he began considering the other uses of Attribute Points.
"Forget it. When the cart reaches the mountain, there will always be a road!"
"Attribute Points are too important. I can't waste them in the future. Other than breaking through realms, I need to save them for martial arts or cultivation methods!"
Wang Xuan muttered to himself.
He did not immediately begin cultivating the Ten Sun Blazing Saber. After fighting the Demon-Humans of the Pity Life Sect that night, his mind had remained taut as a bowstring. He needed rest.
Wang Xuan took a cold shower, then lay down on his bed and drifted into a heavy sleep.
The next morning.
Led by Chen Feng, Wang Xuan arrived at the recruit camp to report on time.
White Water County had five Centurion Garrisons.
Yet there was only one recruit camp.
The recruits from all five Centurion Garrisons trained in the same place. Once the assessments were over, they would be assigned to the five Centurion Garrisons.
Wang Xuan came alone to the training ground of the recruit camp. Several hundred people were gathered there, and one look was enough to tell they were all recruits.
On the left side of the entrance stood a tent, where two Banner Officers were distributing supplies for recruit training.
"My name is Wang Xuan. I have come to report."
Wang Xuan entered the tent and cupped his hands toward the two Banner Officers.
The two men who had been busy at work looked up at the sound. One of them, a burly man, froze when he saw Wang Xuan before breaking into a brilliant smile.
"So it's Brother Wang."
"I was just wondering why you hadn't arrived yet. Who would've thought you'd come right over? Here, these are your clothes, along with the Frontier Army Basic Breathing Method!"
The man smiled as he personally handed Wang Xuan a set of cloth armor for training, as well as the most basic Breathing Method cultivated by military soldiers.
Though it was called cloth armor, it was mainly made of cotton, wrapped in a layer of water-soaked vines. It looked much like actual armor.
Wang Xuan accepted the cloth armor, thanked him, and went to a corner of the training ground to change.
After Wang Xuan left, the other man asked in confusion, "Sun Hong, you know that fellow?"
Sun Hong, the Banner Officer, replied, "You don't know him?"
"Then again, you aren't one of Centurion Yang's men, so naturally you wouldn't know."
"That fellow is someone Centurion Yang favors. I heard that during last night's operation with the army, he killed more than a dozen Demon-Humans from the Pity Life Sect!"
The man was instantly shocked by those words!
"More than a dozen Demon-Humans from the Pity Life Sect?"
"You're joking, right? That kid killed more than a dozen Demon-Humans from the Pity Life Sect?"
Sun Hong replied, "Why would I lie to you? Plenty of people know about it. They even saw the corpses of those Pity Life Sect Demon-Humans with their own eyes!"
The man's expression changed again upon hearing that.
"Then by your account, that fellow is at least an Iron Skin martial artist. And with Centurion Yang valuing him, why would he still come to the recruit camp?"
He could not understand it.
Sun Hong sneered. "What else could it be for? Of course he came for the rewards of the special-tier assessment!"
At the mention of the special-tier assessment, the man fell silent and said no more.
Wang Xuan carried his cloth armor and Breathing Method to one side of the training ground. After changing into the cloth armor, he raised his head and looked around.
Most of the recruits on the training ground were young men around twenty years old. Every one of them was sallow and thin, clearly driven to enlist only because they had nowhere else to turn.
In recent years, the demon disasters along the frontier had worsened. No one knew how many bones had been piled into the earth.
For ordinary people, joining the army meant nothing but becoming Cannon Fodder. Unless they had been driven into a corner, most would never choose to enter a military camp.
"Hm, there are martial artists too?"
Wang Xuan's gaze sharpened slightly.
Most people in the recruit camp were ordinary folk, but a small portion had already stepped onto the Martial Path and become martial artists!
These people wore splendid clothing and were clearly from extraordinary backgrounds.
Especially three of them. Their Martial Path cultivation was not weak, and they had likely already reached the Iron Skin level!
"Could these people have come for the special-tier assessment too?"
Wang Xuan could not help but speculate.
According to Chen Feng, passing the special-tier assessment would greatly improve one's treatment and even bring mysterious rewards!
Those three Iron Skin martial artists were dressed extravagantly and carried themselves with lofty bearing. At a glance, they looked like young masters from wealthy and noble families.
Logically, there was no need for them to enter a military camp at all. Yet these young masters had still come to the recruit camp.
The only possibility was that they had come for the rewards of the special-tier assessment.
While Wang Xuan observed the people on the training ground, they too were looking around, most of them carrying nervousness and curiosity in their eyes.
As Wang Xuan studied the three Iron Skin martial artists, the three seemed to sense it and turned to look at him in unison.
But when they saw Wang Xuan's plain cloth clothes, none of them took him seriously.
Soon, a whistle rang out, and everyone gathered in the center of the training ground. Wang Xuan stood at the back of the crowd.
A broad, powerfully built officer with a wasp waist and wolf's back entered, accompanied by several Chief Banners and more than a dozen Banner Officers.
The officer was tall and imposing. Though he did not deliberately release his aura, Wang Xuan still sensed the vast power of qi and blood within him!
He had likely surpassed the Dragon Serpent Realm!
"Quiet!"
The officer suddenly shouted coldly.
His voice rang out like a great bell, echoing throughout the entire training ground!
The previously noisy crowd fell silent in an instant.
"I am Xu Kui!"
"I am the chief instructor of your recruit camp!"
"I am responsible for teaching you the Frontier Army Basic Thirty-Six Form Fist and the Frontier Army Basic Thirteen Saber Stance!"
"Now, I will demonstrate them once. Watch carefully!"
As soon as Xu Kui finished speaking, everyone immediately scattered.
Xu Kui walked to the middle of the training ground, planted himself in a horse stance, and began demonstrating the Frontier Army Basic Thirty-Six Form Fist.
Xu Kui's Martial Path cultivation had already reached the Entangling Serpent Realm. Though he did not deliberately unleash his qi and blood, it roared within him like thunder as he performed the fist technique!
His punches whipped up fierce gusts, each one exploding like a bolt of thunder!
Wang Xuan's eyes lit up at the sight.
Before long, Xu Kui had finished demonstrating the Frontier Army Basic Thirty-Six Form Fist.
"Now, I will demonstrate the Frontier Army Basic Thirteen Saber Stance!"
Xu Kui picked up a pudao and began demonstrating the Frontier Army Basic Thirteen Saber Stance.
In an instant.
Saber qi swept through the training ground, surging like spring thunder!
The recruits watching were left dumbstruck.
Within minutes, Xu Kui had finished demonstrating the Frontier Army Basic Thirteen Saber Stance and tossed the pudao aside.
"I have now finished demonstrating them."
"The rest depends on your own efforts!"
Everyone present was dumbfounded.
Th-That was it?
They had only watched it once and had not even remembered it. That was it?
Wang Xuan was equally stunned.
"Fortunately, I have the effect of Double Efficiency and can remember something after seeing it once. Otherwise, how could anyone remember it after a single demonstration?"
Wang Xuan's expression was strange as he thought to himself.
With the frontier wars so urgent in recent years and soldiers in short supply, they should have been training recruits vigorously. Yet this situation was rather strange.
The crowd immediately began whispering among themselves.
Xu Kui ignored their discussions and shouted coldly, "Quiet!"
"Now, I will explain the standards for the recruit assessment seven days from now!"
"The recruit assessment has four grades in total: A, B, C, and D. They will be judged based on your overall performance!"
"Only those who receive a grade of C or above may become Martial Soldiers. The rest will be Cannon Fodder!"
"The assessment standards are the Frontier Army Basic Thirty-Six Form Fist and the Thirteen Saber Stance I demonstrated just now."
"Those who can perform the basic fist technique and saber stance completely once will be considered grade C!"
"The greater your proficiency, the higher your grade!"
"The Frontier Army Basic Breathing Method also has requirements."
"Those who open three Acupoints within seven days will directly receive a grade C. Seven Acupoints earn grade B, while fifteen Acupoints earn grade A."
"As for twenty or more Acupoints, that is a special grade!"
"You may directly enter the special-tier assessment!"
"Of course, if anyone reaches the standard, they will naturally learn the contents of the special-tier assessment then."
"Anyone who fails to open even a single Acupoint, no matter how proficient their saber technique or fist technique may be, will be judged to have failed and directly become Cannon Fodder!"
After explaining the assessment standards, Xu Kui turned and left.
The crowd instantly erupted in an uproar.
Open three Acupoints within seven days!
They had all taken advantage of the spare time just now to look through the Frontier Army Basic Breathing Method. Entering the beginner stage within seven days was already difficult, much less opening three Acupoints!
It was simply the ravings of a madman!
As for the saber technique and fist technique, they had not even seen them clearly!
Much less master them proficiently!
Wang Xuan narrowed his eyes slightly.
He was now an Iron Skin martial artist.
Opening the three Acupoints recorded in the Frontier Army Basic Breathing Method would not be difficult for him.
But opening twenty Acupoints would likely require some time.
At that moment.
Wang Xuan saw someone step forward to ask a Banner Officer for guidance in the saber technique and fist technique.
But once he asked, he found out it cost money!
The Banner Officer named his price outright: fifty copper coins for one lesson.
The Chief Banners charged even more, one hundred copper coins.
Upon hearing those prices, everyone recoiled.
Most of those present were ordinary people. Though they could scrape together fifty copper coins, they could not guarantee they would learn it after just one lesson.
Wang Xuan's expression changed slightly at the sight!
"What kind of military camp is this? It is plainly a place that eats people!"
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