Taking the Stage

He lifted the Stone Lock three times in a row, sending a shock through everyone present.

But that was all!

"Phew!"

After setting the Stone Lock down, Ning Yuan was already drenched in sweat.

"Not bad!" A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"Another one?"

Sun Wangxian was already numb with shock. He had thought Li Si was impressive, but it turned out the real experts were still to come.

He turned to He An, worried. "Brother He, maybe... we should just give up. You don't stand a chance against them."

He An shook his head helplessly.

"Brother Sun, it's not even my turn yet, and you're already boosting their morale and undermining ours. What if I suddenly have a breakthrough later and easily lift the Three Thousand Jin Stone Lock a hundred or eighty times?"

"You? Don't make me laugh."

Sun Wangxian waved a hand. He wanted to believe He An, but with things as they were, what on earth could he base that belief on?

Just then, He Ping arrived. After learning what had happened, he showed not a hint of panic.

"An, are you sure there won't be a problem?"

"No problem."

He An gave him a reassuring gesture.

They weren't talking about whether He An could win the contest. They meant whether it would be all right to reveal his true strength.

After hearing his answer, He Ping breathed a sigh of relief.

He looked toward the stage.

His eyes burned with anticipation.

The people who took the stage after that were no ordinary sort, either.

Several people gave the Three Thousand Jin Stone Lock a try, and six or seven managed to lift it two or three times.

The Meng Family, the Wu Family, the Town Martial Division...

Even the major Martial Arts Schools had their representatives.

But when it came to heavier Stone Locks, almost no one dared to try.

"Strange, why hasn't it been my turn yet?"

As more and more people took the stage, a question arose in He An's mind. He asked around and discovered that his turn simply hadn't come yet.

Someone had deliberately switched things around and moved him to the very end.

The reason was obvious.

They'd put him on last because they wanted to make trouble for him!

"Damn that Meng Cao. Even now, he still can't resist making things unpleasant for me," He An cursed inwardly.

Achoo!

Meng Cao rubbed his nose.

"What's going on? Could some young lady be thinking of me?"

"Next, Zuo Ying."

A moment later,

Zuo Ying stepped onto the stage.

Her hair was tied high, and she wore a fitted outfit. With her face as fresh and lovely as a first love, she drew plenty of eyes.

"That girl's beautiful. She reminds me of someone," someone whispered.

"Miss Zuo, which one would you like to try?"

The tester asked from the stage.

"Three thousand jin!"

Zuo Ying thought it over, then headed straight for the Three Thousand Jin Stone Lock.

Wei Yangyun shook his head with a smile. "That little girl is as willful as they come!"

Seeing Zuo Ying's choice, He An froze for a moment.

"A woman's going for three thousand jin? What's her background?"

Sun Wangxian said gravely, "I've heard she's Lord Wei's niece. She's very talented, but younger than all of you. I never expected her to choose the Three Thousand Jin Stone Lock, too."

"Younger than all of us?"

He An stared up at the woman onstage in astonishment, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes.

Compared with men, women who studied martial arts were already few and far between.

Women with Martial Talent were rarer still, as scarce as phoenix feathers and qilin horns.

Zuo Ying took a deep breath and stared at the Three Thousand Jin Stone Lock before her, encouraging herself. "Zuo Ying, you can do this. If other people can do it, then you can, too!"

After giving herself a pep talk, Zuo Ying didn't hesitate any longer. She gathered all her strength in her right hand and lifted the Stone Lock.

"Up!"

Gritting her teeth, she raised the Stone Lock inch by inch until it had completely left the ground and hung in midair.

One second, two seconds...

To her, every second felt as long as a year.

Everyone's expressions shifted as they watched.

"No way. Can she really lift the Three Thousand Jin Stone Lock?" someone said under their breath, their voice full of astonishment and admiration.

"Up!"

She shouted with effort.

Three seconds later,

she dropped the Stone Lock heavily to the ground.

She simply didn't have the strength to lower it slowly. Though she hadn't handled it with the same ease as the others, almost no one dared to underestimate her now.

Zuo Ying looked a little dejected and murmured, "I guess I can only lift it once after all?"

"Impressive!"

When Zuo Ying stepped off the stage, Wei Yangyun gave her a thumbs-up.

"Of course. Do you even know whose niece I am?" Zuo Ying said with a proud little smile.

Lord Wei shook his head with a wry smile.

Afterward,

the tester looked at the registration sheet.

The person listed to take the stage last had a name he didn't recognize.

"Strange. Who is this person?"

He wondered to himself, then called out, "Last one, He An!"

The moment the name was announced, everyone present reacted differently.

"Who's that kid?"

"They saved the last spot for some nobody?"

"Forget it. There's nothing worth watching now."

"This year's been pretty good. The best result was lifting three thousand jin, and the guy even managed it three times."

"Yeah. In previous years, people who could lift it once or twice were few and far between."

When Wu Feng heard the name, a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

County Governor Shen Yun asked with a smile, "Brother Wu, is this the young fellow you were willing to hand over an Inner Growth Pill for? What makes him so special?"

"To be honest, I can't quite figure him out, either."

Wu Feng sighed. "That's exactly why I set up this trap he couldn't avoid. I wanted to see whether he really is what I suspect."

"Don't you worry he'll resent you for it?"

Seeing Wu Feng's actions only deepened County Governor Shen's curiosity.

"I don't have a choice!"

"Our future fortunes are all riding on him. I can't afford to be careless."

"Besides, even if I'm wrong, the most I'll lose for now is one Inner Growth Pill. I can live with that."

"Fair enough." County Governor Shen nodded, then suddenly asked, "As far as I know, he has plenty of enemies. If you're wrong, do you think he'll survive?"

Wu Feng narrowed his eyes but said nothing.

Seeing this, County Governor Shen understood at once and let out a deep sigh.

Meanwhile,

when Meng Cao heard the name "He An," he sneered.

"I've finally been waiting for this guy. I can't wait to watch him embarrass himself in front of the whole city."

"That'll make it worth having someone put him in the last spot."

Master Li burst out laughing.

"He's taking the stage last, and in the end, he won't even be able to lift a thousand jin."

"Within a day, his name will be all over the streets and alleys. He'll be the talk of the town, a joke for everyone to laugh about over their meals."

Their eyes brimmed with mockery, as if He An was certain to humiliate himself.

Of course,

they weren't the only ones who thought so.

"How could it be? That kid has to take the stage too, and he's the last one?" Wei Yangyun frowned.

Zuo Ying asked, "Lord Wei, do you know him?"

Wei Yangyun nodded, though he was already certain He An had been set up. Otherwise, why would he risk his life to take part in this test?

He watched He An walk onto the stage, his gaze intent.

"Kid, I hope you can surprise me."

"Otherwise... you might not live to see tomorrow!"