Assessment

Though his heart was shaken and his mind full of questions, Old Man Mi remained utterly composed on the surface and said casually:

"Young man, hurry to the cafeteria and eat, or there won't be any food left later. There are quite a few apprentices at the martial arts school, and every last one of them can eat like a horse."

"True enough. I'll be going, then." Zhao Han nodded and hurried off to the cafeteria.

"This kid is far too strange..."

Old Man Mi muttered to himself. Yet instead of staring directly at Zhao Han's retreating back as before, he shifted his gaze away, afraid Zhao Han might notice.

Zhao Han's strength had risen too quickly. If he kept watching him, he might just be discovered.

"Still, as long as it doesn't interfere with me obtaining the Blade Ghoul, who cares what you are?" Old Man Mi still couldn't let go of the so-called Blade Ghoul.

A Blade Ghoul was a blade that had killed many people and been tainted by much baleful qi. Those unwilling remnants of baleful qi had, through a twist of fate, condensed into a ghoul.

As long as someone continuously practiced blade techniques nearby, the Blade Ghoul's power could be increased.

The Blade Ghoul was also a Weird Artifact, and an exceedingly terrifying one.

After eating at the cafeteria, Zhao Han found Liang Feng and spoke to him briefly before returning to his quarters. He had hardly slept well these past two days outside.

The moment he entered, he saw his other three roommates—the ones who usually paid him little heed—chatting away.

"Hey, hey, did you hear? Those people who died in the Abandoned House nearby a few days ago seemed to have been disciples of the Yin Tong Cult."

"They had it coming. The Yin Tong Cult is a rat crossing the street, cursed by all. It's karma coming full circle!"

"You only know one side of the story, not the other. I heard the Yin Tong Cult always takes revenge for the smallest grievance. Quite a few people have been lurking around lately. Whenever I go out, I can see several people staring straight at me without blinking."

"Th-that scary...?"

"Of course. I'd advise you not to leave the martial arts school lately. Just stay put and wait for the heat to die down."

Zhao Han took it all in. So the Yin Tong Cult was searching for the murderer.

It seemed that when he had returned, a few gazes really had paused on him for a moment.

Perhaps because he hadn't carried his blades—all of them had been stored in his space—or perhaps because he looked rather honest, those gazes had shifted away.

Zhao Han had originally intended to take off his Hide Boots and climb into bed. His sleeping spot was right by the entrance, where one could lie down as soon as they walked in.

It was windy, cold, and noisy here. The good spots had all been taken by the other three.

Unexpectedly, one of his roommates, surnamed Han, suddenly called out, "Junior Brother Zhao, you're back!"

Zhao Han froze, then asked, "Uh, Senior Brother Han, do you need something?"

This man normally never paid him any attention. For him to greet him first now, there had to be a reason.

"Hehe, perhaps Junior Brother Zhao doesn't know. Our Mad Saber Martial Arts School holds a monthly assessment for ordinary apprentices like us."

"Two people form a team and spar against another team. First come two one-on-one bouts, followed by one two-on-two bout."

"If you win, you can receive a bottle of Skin Polishing Pills, containing five pills."

"Finally, the members within each team must spar once more. The winner receives three pills, while the loser gets two."

"Throughout the whole process, Master and the senior brothers and sisters will supervise."

"It will be held tomorrow at two in the afternoon, after lunch. Has Junior Brother Zhao found a teammate? If not, then as your senior brother, I'm willing to give you a hand."

After that explanation, Zhao Han understood.

This Senior Brother Han was probably too weak to find anyone willing to team up with him, so he could only come looking for Zhao Han.

Honestly, Zhao Han had no great interest in this sparring session.

He had long since used the system's simplification function to complete Skin Refining across realms. Unlike them, he had no need to temper his physique and polish his skin.

A bottle of Skin Polishing Pills was worth five qian of silver—not much, but not little either. Martial arts school apprentices certainly valued them and took them every day.

The Skin Polishing Pills were not the ultimate goal. The true goal was victory: to show one's face and make a good impression.

After all, the one presiding over the matches would be Master Yang Wuji, while the other senior brothers and sisters would all be watching.

"Well, all right. Then I'll have to rely entirely on Senior Brother Han." Zhao Han cupped his fists.

"Not at all, not at all!"

After that exchange, Zhao Han's relationship with the three of them grew considerably closer. They even shared some snacks with him.

Chicken feet, drumsticks, beef jerky, pastries...

Before going to sleep, Zhao Han placed the Yin Wood by his bedside.

The night passed without incident. The next morning, Zhao Han slept in and did not get up until ten before heading to the wood shed.

The handyman Er Gouzi was still chopping firewood out in the open. His efficiency seemed to have improved considerably, and his core exertion had grown much stronger as well.

But Zhao Han saw something different. This Er Gouzi was secretly practicing martial arts.

Moreover, his progress was astonishingly swift. His strength and precision had at least reached the level Zhao Han had attained when he first brought Black Wolf Fist to the beginner stage.

It seemed that although Er Gouzi had a sharp-mouthed, monkey-cheeked face and looked lowly and meek, he was still someone with ambition.

"Young Master, you're here!" Er Gouzi narrowed his eyes in a smile and instinctively hunched his back and bent at the waist, looking humble and harmless.

"Keep chopping. I'll just find a jar to play with."

Zhao Han had not come here to chop firewood, but to "cultivate" Basic Archery.

There were plenty of jars here, and even more broken ones.

He casually found a broken jar, placed it ten meters away, then picked up a pebble the size of a ping-pong ball and threw it over.

"Clang..."

With the strength of the Muscle Refining Realm as his foundation, his accuracy in throwing stones was absurdly good. The stone flew straight into the jar.

Seeing Zhao Han messing around and playing nonsense games again, Er Gouzi let out a cold sneer.

These young masters really had nothing better to do. Instead of practicing their martial arts properly, they insisted on playing these fancy tricks.

Crack!

"Once I reach the Skin Refining Realm, I, Er Gouzi, will turn over and become the master, singing my triumph!"

Er Gouzi split the firewood cleanly in two with a single swing of his axe. Desire blazed in his heart, and he began chopping even more fiercely.

A few days ago, a Hall Master who called himself a member of the Yin Tong Cult had climbed over the wall into the martial academy. He happened to enter through the Wood Shed and was spotted by Er Gouzi.

Er Gouzi had just been about to speak when the Hall Master subdued him with one hand.

The Hall Master did not kill him. Instead, he patted Er Gouzi on the shoulder, his tone kind and amiable.

Only after seeing that Er Gouzi had calmed down did he promise him benefits, giving him pills and fast-track martial arts manuals to practice, asking him to serve as an inside man.

If he succeeded, he could even become a disciple of the Yin Tong Cult in the future. His prospects would be boundless.

The task of this inside man was simple: poison the food ten days later.

Er Gouzi had not dared at first, but under the threat to his life and the temptation of one or two taels of silver, he stopped resisting altogether.

It's just poisoning the food. Something this simple—I, Er Gouzi, can do it easily.

"Clang!"

Over there, Zhao Han swiftly trained Basic Archery to the Beginner level.

Basic Archery [Simplified, Unranked, Beginner 0/50, buy a fine Bow and Arrow]

"Uh... this simplification is really something!"

Zhao Han was rather speechless. Could it work like this too?

But I seem to have a Bow and Arrow in my space. I wonder if that counts.

Zhao Han glanced at Er Gouzi, who had become utterly absorbed in chopping firewood, then entered the Wood Shed.

Taking out the Bow and Arrow from his space, Zhao Han looked at the panel.