Hu Biao let out a quiet sigh.
His gaze lingered on the Bronze Man Formation, carrying a trace of fear.
He, too, had once been young and reckless. He had signed up for the assessment, hoping to achieve a good result.
He had wanted to earn resources and grow stronger.
The assessment in his year had also been a trial through the Bronze Man Formation.
The Bronze Man Formation had been created by several formation masters from the Demon Suppression Division.
Once the bronze men were arranged in their positions, they seemed to form a connection with one another. Then they would come to life, gaining the ability to fight.
Hu Biao explained, "At first, these bronze men aren't all that frightening."
"Each one starts out at about the Body Tempering Sixth Level!"
"But as time passes, their combat strength keeps growing. Given enough time, they can even reach the Houtian Realm!"
"What's more, their defenses are incredibly strong. Even the Three Captains would need time to smash them apart. It's impossible for anyone else to break them."
"So the key to passing the Bronze Man Formation is to do everything you can to defend against their attacks. The longer you hold out, the better your result."
Hu Biao glanced at Lin Feng, hesitating to speak.
Of course, he knew where Lin Feng's strength came from: his peerless archery, the Hundred Paces Through Willow.
If the assessment had involved another discipline, Lin Feng's archery would have shone brilliantly.
But in the Bronze Man Formation assessment, archery was useless!
Even if Lin Feng shot his arrows to pieces, he still wouldn't be able to stop the bronze men from attacking.
The test demanded far too much of a Demon Suppression Guard's own defensive ability!
Lin Feng had only recently joined, and he hadn't practiced many martial arts.
Hu Biao also knew that even if Lin Feng had spent that short time practicing a body-training art, he couldn't have made much progress.
Whether he'd even mastered the basics was an open question.
In that case, how long could he last inside the Bronze Man Formation?
"I see."
A glint flashed in Lin Feng's eyes.
Beside him, Hu Biao patted him on the shoulder. "Kid, don't get too discouraged. The Bronze Man Formation is a terrible test for an archer, and your cultivation level is low. You probably won't last long."
"But don't worry! The Demon Suppression Division holds assessments every year, and the events change! You can try again next year."
At that moment, Hu Biao was like a kindly older brother next door, explaining things to Lin Feng and even trying to comfort him.
He knew young men were often full of pride. If Lin Feng did poorly in the assessment, he might lose heart and struggle to make progress on the martial path.
That was why Hu Biao had tried to reassure him, hoping he would set his worries aside.
What Hu Biao didn't know was just how much Lin Feng's strength had improved in those few short days.
Lin Feng's heart was beating a little faster.
His gaze burned as he watched them arrange the bronze men.
According to Hu Biao, once Lin Feng entered the Bronze Man Formation, the bronze men would attack him on their own.
Their defenses were so terrifying that even the Three Captains would struggle to damage them.
That meant their attacks had to be powerful too!
The more Lin Feng thought about it, the more he felt the Bronze Man Formation had been made just for him.
After reaching Level 4 in Iron Shirt, the proficiency needed to advance again had become tremendous.
Having ordinary Martial Artists like Hu Biao hammer away at him would make progress painfully slow.
Each attack might only give him a single point of proficiency.
Lin Feng needed to be tempered by someone stronger!
He had been fretting over where to find someone who could help him train his Iron Shirt.
He hadn't expected the Bronze Man Formation to appear right on cue!
"Bronze Man Formation, don't disappoint me!"
Lin Feng's eyes gleamed. He could only hope that this time, the Bronze Man Formation would push his Iron Shirt straight to Level 5!
At that moment.
More than half the Demon Suppression Guards on the field looked grim.
Clearly, they weren't suited to a test like the Bronze Man Formation.
Whether they used bows or wielded blades and axes, most people didn't pay much attention to training their bodies.
Many Demon Suppression Guards believed the best defense was offense, so they rarely practiced martial arts focused on body training.
Even those who did train hadn't gotten very far—unlike Lin Feng, who had cultivated Iron Shirt to the unprecedented Third Layer!
"Damn it! Why is the assessment the Bronze Man Formation this time?! I thought we'd be drawing lots and fighting each other!"
"I've been painstakingly training my saber skills for this day, hoping to place in the assessment. But why are the enemies bronze men?!"
"The Squad Leaders who've reached the Houtian Realm might be all right in the Bronze Man Formation, but how are those of us in the Body Tempering Realm supposed to fight them?"
Quite a few people wore bitter expressions.
To Body Tempering Realm Martial Artists, the bronze men were like undying fiends.
They couldn't withstand their attacks at all.
At the same time, none of their own attacks would have any effect on the bronze men.
If they wanted to last a little longer, they had only one option.
Dodge!
The Demon Suppression Guards who had trained their movement techniques well looked a little less troubled.
Those with better movement skills could hold out for quite a while.
Of course, most of those with grim faces and loud complaints were ordinary Constables or Squad Leaders of lesser strength.
The stronger Squad Leaders seemed more at ease, such as Squad Leaders Zhang and Li, whom Lin Feng had met earlier.
And especially the Squad Leaders!
They were all Houtian Realm Martial Artists, and they possessed True Qi.
They also held higher ranks, which gave them access to more martial arts.
They had dabbled in movement techniques and body-training arts alike, and had even trained in them quite well.
They could easily last much longer inside the Bronze Man Formation!
On the high platform.
The Three Captains listened to the chorus of complaints below, each with a different expression.
Captain Zhao smiled faintly. "It seems this assessment has caught them all off guard. Maybe many of them won't even last ten breaths."
Captain Chen furrowed his brows. "At the end of the day, this sort of assessment only holds back the weak, not the strong! How many Squad Leaders at the Houtian Realm would be afraid?"
"But those low-ranking Demon Suppression Guards are trembling with fear. They're bringing shame on the Demon Suppression Division."
There was a note of exasperation in Captain Chen's voice.
Captain Zhao chuckled. "There's no need to get so angry, Captain Chen. Whatever else they are, they're still Demon Suppression Guards who've contributed to the Demon Suppression Division."
Then Captain Zhao turned to the side. "What do you think, Captain Xu?"
Captain Xu seemed taciturn. He spoke flatly. "There have been more and more demons nearby lately. We're better off without these weak Demon Suppression Guards."
Captain Zhao gave a faint smile and said nothing more. Instead, his gaze swept across the area.
He was looking for one of his men, Lu Gang.
But after looking around, he couldn't find him.
Captain Zhao's brows twitched almost imperceptibly.
Then he put on a smile and began chatting with the people from the Four Great Families and Black Tiger Martial Arts School beside him.
A little time passed.
The center of the Training Ground was now filled with bronze men.
At a glance, there were at least a hundred of them!
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