Supreme

Ever since the Madam had exposed his little schemes, Steward Wu had been rather uneasy.

That unease even made him take some of it out on Zheng Fa.

More importantly, he understood that by summoning Zheng Fa and the other two to meet Xu Zheng, the Madam had effectively eliminated Zheng Fa from consideration as the Seventh Young Master's study companion.

Compared to studying, martial training demanded far greater resources. That was what people meant by "poor families foster scholars, wealthy families foster martial artists."

Of Zheng Fa, Han Cheng, and Gao Yuan, Zheng Fa Family had the poorest circumstances.

Just as Instructor Xu had said before, never mind whether Zheng Fa possessed talent—even if he truly did, if he could not eat his fill every day, his Root Bone would still go to waste.

Having understood the Madam's intentions, Steward Wu naturally became much colder toward Zheng Fa.

"Alright, Instructor Xu. Since it is the Madam's order, examine these few properly, so I may report back to her."

At the mention of the Madam, even the rough and bold Instructor Xu could not help showing a respectful expression. He extended his large hand and felt around Han Cheng's skull.

"Bone Age: seventeen years and two months."

Hearing this, Zheng Fa suddenly remembered something: he had traveled back and forth between two worlds and lived through an extra Five Years. Would his Bone Age be abnormal?

Although whenever he was in Another World, time in this world seemed to come to a standstill.

Still, his body had grown extremely quickly over those Five Years. Could that be part of the reason?

His background was crystal clear within Zhao Manor. If they felt that he was not seventeen, but twenty-something, what would they think?

Zheng Fa grew nervous without realizing it.

Instructor Xu's hand moved across Han Cheng's back.

"Innate Bone Structure... lower-middle." Then he curled his lip and said with some disdain, "But now, your aptitude is only lower-lower!"

Zheng Fa vaguely understood. The aptitude Instructor Xu spoke of was likely one's innate bone structure combined with postnatal care.

Letting go, he said to Han Cheng, whose face still bore unwillingness, "If you still refuse to eat properly, forget martial training—even your lifespan will be affected."

Han Cheng showed a mixture of panic and gratitude. "Thank you, sir, for your guidance."

Instructor Xu waved dismissively and beckoned Gao Yuan, who stood to one side. "You, come here."

Zheng Fa had been standing shoulder to shoulder with Gao Yuan while waiting. At this moment, he could even see a faint sheen of sweat reflecting off the man's forehead.

"Bone Age: sixteen years and six months."

"Innate Bone Structure..." A smile suddenly appeared on Instructor Xu's face. "Middle-upper bone structure? Not bad!"

Upon hearing that, the tension on Gao Yuan's face immediately transformed into delight, while Han Cheng beside him bit his lower lip.

Steward Wu also nodded as though satisfied.

"Postnatal... you've practiced martial arts before?"

Zheng Fa saw Instructor Xu's brows crease slightly, seemingly displeased.

Seeing his expression, Gao Yuan answered somewhat fearfully, "My Father also practiced martial arts. He taught me a couple of Farming Moves..."

"Nonsense! You must understand—the more you practice martial arts, the greater your dietary needs become. If your family cannot bear the burden, you will instead ruin this Root Bone!"

In Instructor Xu's eyes, when it came to martial training, eating was more important than practice.

There was no point discussing someone with poor Root Bone.

If your innate Root Bone was good, you needed to eat more than others to sustain it.

And if you practiced martial arts, you needed to eat even more.

Gao Yuan's innate aptitude was quite good, so his nutritional demands were already high. If he had also trained in martial arts, malnutrition would come easily...

"Your father practiced martial arts too. How could he not know even this taboo?" Instructor Xu said darkly, placing his hand on Gao Yuan's back.

"Eh? It has actually been maintained quite well? The bone structure has not been damaged."

Gao Yuan cupped his hands, looking slightly embarrassed. "My Father is highly valued by Second Master, and he receives many rewards in daily life."

Understood.

His family had a mine.

Not just Zheng Fa—even Instructor Xu wore a look of realization. "Your surname is Gao? Steward Gao's son?"

Gao Yuan nodded.

Instructor Xu shrugged and commented, "You have a good father."

After releasing Gao Yuan, Instructor Xu gestured for Zheng Fa to come forward.

Zheng Fa was extremely nervous.

What he feared most was Instructor Xu discovering something wrong with his Bone Age.

Instructor Xu looked somewhat careless. Gao Yuan's aptitude was already relatively rare, so he paid Zheng Fa less attention.

Perhaps sensing Zheng Fa's nervousness, he patted Zheng Fa's shoulder. "Don't be afraid. Being afraid will not make you grow half a bone more."

You Old Man really knows how to comfort people. I'm afraid I've grown too fast, too much...

"Bone Age: seventeen years and six months!"

Upon hearing that, the huge stone in Zheng Fa's heart slowly settled. Yet another question inevitably surfaced: what exactly was this transmigration of his?

It could even make his body ignore the passage of time.

"Innate Bone Structure... supreme!"

A flash of surprise passed through Instructor Xu's eyes, and he could not help clicking his tongue. "What day is it today? First a middle-upper one, then a supreme one."

Gao Yuan, who had just looked delighted, now regarded Zheng Fa with a measure of wariness.

"But you..." Instructor Xu carefully examined Zheng Fa's clothing and appearance from head to toe, then began shaking his head instead. "Who knows whether it is fortune or misfortune?"

He did not need to say any more. Everyone present, Zheng Fa included, understood what he meant.

Zheng Fa clearly did not come from a well-off family.

The better one's bone structure, the more likely it was to become a bad thing instead.

Gao Yuan's shoulders relaxed slightly.

Even Steward Wu, who had been somewhat displeased with Zheng Fa before, could not help looking at him with a trace of regret.

Not only was this child quick-witted, his talent for martial arts was also excellent.

Had he been born into another family, he might have possessed a great future.

Now, all one could do was sigh over the pity of it.

Zheng Fa felt Instructor Xu's fan-sized hand patting along his back. Every part of his Shoulder Blade and every vertebra in his spine was thoroughly examined.

He could not help feeling somewhat strange.

When he turned around, he saw the man's brows tightly furrowed, as though puzzled.

After a long while, Instructor Xu stroked the beard on his chin with his right hand and looked Zheng Fa over scrutinizingly. "You... also have a good father?"

"My Father was an exceptionally kind man, but he passed away Five Years ago."

"Dead?" Instructor Xu looked even more confused. "That makes sense. There does not seem to be any notable Zheng family in Zhao Manor either."

The three people nearby also noticed that something was amiss. Steward Wu asked, "Is his aptitude very good?"

"As for aptitude, his Innate Bone Structure is supreme, so it is extremely good. But this boy... eats even better than that Gao boy."

Instructor Xu's expression was peculiar.

Steward Gao of the Second Branch was famously favored among the servants of Zhao Manor.

This Zheng Fa clearly did not come from a good background.

Yet he had been nourished even better than Gao Yuan?

Zheng Fa, however, thought of a reason—if time did not pass while he traveled between worlds, but the food he ate was fully absorbed by his body.

Then over those Five Years, it was equivalent to eating fourteen days' worth of meals within seven days.

Although he did not eat much during those seven days in this world, combined together, he still ate far more than others.

What was more, in the modern world, he ate far more in the cafeteria than his Classmates, and sometimes even added several roast chickens to his meals.

Steward Wu stared deeply at Zheng Fa twice before asking, "Then between Gao Yuan and Zheng Fa, who is the better one?"

Instructor Xu looked at him as though he were a Fool. "Between middle-upper and supreme, which is better?"

Now Steward Wu understood.

His expression became somewhat Conflicted. He had originally believed that Zheng Fa would probably be the worst one in this bone examination.

That should have been the Madam's intention as well.

But he had turned out to be the best one. How was he supposed to report this to the Madam?

It felt somewhat like slapping the Madam in the face.

He lingered where he stood for quite some time before turning to the group. "Wait here for now. I will go ask the Madam."