"It's over. It's all over."
Watching He An step onto the platform, Sun Wangxian couldn't bear to look any longer.
It wasn't just him. Even Wang Zheng, who had only just arrived, let out a long sigh.
"Brother Sun, Brother Wang, don't worry. He An won't let you down," He Ping said, glancing at the two men as he tried to reassure them.
"Besides, things have already come this far. There's no point worrying now. We might as well relax and watch. Maybe a miracle will happen."
A miracle?
If he made it out alive, that would be miracle enough.
Sun Wangxian grumbled inwardly, then asked in confusion, "Brother He, why aren't you worried at all?"
"Worried? How could I not be?"
He Ping smiled.
"Ha! As if you're worried!" Sun Wangxian grumbled on.
But at that moment, Wang Zheng began to see what was going on. He was the one closest to He Ping, and naturally knew how good He Ping was to his younger brother.
Yet now, with life and death on the line, He Ping wasn't worried in the slightest.
How strange.
Could it be... He An's been playing the fool to catch the tiger? Wang Zheng wondered, looking at He An on the platform.
On the platform.
He An slowly walked up.
Every eye in the crowd was now fixed on him.
Curiosity, scrutiny, amusement...
"Young man, how heavy a Stone Lock are you planning to choose?" the tester asked.
He An thought for a moment.
Now that he was on the platform, he had no intention of hiding his strength any longer.
But everyone else had chosen the Three Thousand Jin Stone Lock. If he chose one that was too heavy, wouldn't that make him stand out too much?
In the end, he decided it was better to leave himself some room.
"I choose... the Three Thousand Jin Stone Lock!"
The crowd erupted.
"Three thousand jin? Has this kid lost his mind?" Meng Cao jumped to his feet, shocked.
Master Li sneered. "If you ask me, this fellow is just showing off. He knows he's going to make a fool of himself, so he might as well make a bigger spectacle of it."
He tugged at Meng Cao. "Brother Meng, let's sit back and enjoy the show. We can watch this kid embarrass himself!"
"Right!"
Meng Cao sat back down, his face full of mockery, but kept his eyes fixed on He An.
Just as expected.
Lord Wei was also taken aback.
"This kid... Why did he choose the Three Thousand Jin Stone Lock? Hasn't he only been learning martial arts for a few months?"
"A few months!"
Zuo Ying covered her mouth.
After hearing He An's choice, Wu Feng let out a long breath of relief.
"You guessed right. This kid's been playing the fool to catch the tiger all along," County Governor Shen said with a narrow-eyed smile.
Wu Feng laughed. "Three thousand jin! This kid really isn't as simple as he seems. If my son hadn't warned me, I might still be completely in the dark."
"What are you planning to do next?"
"Win him over. At all costs."
A faint smile played at the corners of Wu Feng's mouth. "Now that his talent has been proven, it's time to make use of the other purpose behind the trap I set."
"Drive him into a desperate corner!" County Governor Shen guessed.
"Exactly," Wu Feng replied with a smile.
"To win the Inner Growth Pill, he has to reveal his strength."
"Once he reveals his strength, he'll arouse suspicion and become the target of their frenzied attacks."
"When he's left all alone, with death staring him in the face, I'll personally offer him a helping hand. By then, he won't have any choice but to get on our boat."
"Are you not afraid that, once he learns what you've done, he'll never feel kindly toward you or the Wu Family again?" County Governor Shen asked.
"What do you think?"
Wu Feng countered.
County Governor Shen smiled. "I think you're not afraid."
"Ha ha ha!"
The two exchanged smiles, quickly drawing the attention of Meng Hai and Xu Hetong, the Xu Family's patriarch.
"Look into that kid on the platform."
They both gave the order at the same time.
He An had no idea that his casual choice had prompted so many powerful figures in Fangcheng to investigate him.
"Are you sure you want to choose the Three Thousand Jin Stone Lock?" the tester said, trying to dissuade him. "Most people absolutely can't lift a Stone Lock that weighs three thousand jin."
"If you force yourself to lift it, you could injure yourself."
"Since that's the case, you'd be better off choosing the lightest one. Even if you're laughed at for going last, that's still better than hurting yourself."
"Don't worry. I know what I'm doing."
You couldn't talk a fool out of courting death. The tester stopped trying to persuade him.
He An walked over to the Stone Lock and lightly tested its weight with his hand. Just as he'd expected, the Three Thousand Jin Stone Lock felt as light as cotton.
At that moment.
Everyone's eyes widened as they stared fixedly at He An.
"Just showing off!" Meng Cao scoffed.
The next second, as the crowd watched in astonishment, He An lifted the Three Thousand Jin Stone Lock with effortless ease and not the slightest hesitation.
"How is that possible?!"
Meng Cao shot to his feet, unable to suppress the terror in his heart.
He rubbed his eyes, seeming unable to believe what he was seeing, but the sight of He An holding up the Three Thousand Jin Stone Lock remained before him.
Master Li's hand clamped down hard on the arm of his chair.
The wooden chair snapped.
He panted heavily, his thoughts stampeding like ten thousand horses. "This kid's been hiding his strength all along!"
The two exchanged a glance.
Deep wariness rose in their eyes.
Elsewhere.
Gulp.
Sun Wangxian swallowed, staring blankly at He Ping.
"Brother He, I'm not dreaming, am I? Brother He just lifted the Three Thousand Jin Stone Lock as if it were nothing?"
He Ping shrugged, looking rather pleased with himself.
"I told you not to worry, but you wouldn't believe me."
"I believe you. I believe you now," Sun Wangxian murmured.
Then a feverish gleam flashed in his eyes.
I did it.
I really did it.
Just you wait, Town Martial Division centurion!
He shouted wildly inside his heart.
"This kid really has been hiding his strength. I couldn't even see through him," Wei Yangyun said with a wry smile. He glanced inconspicuously at Zuo Ying, who stood beside him with her hand over her mouth in shock, and found himself pondering something else.
Matchmaking the two of them!
On the platform, after putting down the Stone Lock, He An showed no sign of stopping.
The second time.
Still effortless!
The third time.
Still just as easy!
Only on his fourth lift did He An feel a little weight. After lifting it with ease once again, he lost any desire to continue.
"That's enough!"
He said softly.
The tester came back to his senses and hurriedly acknowledged him, then called out in a loud voice, "He... He An, three thousand jin, four lifts."
The crowd wore all sorts of expressions.
"He lifted the Three Thousand Jin Stone Lock four times and still looks so relaxed. Just how terrifying is his strength?" Master Li said warily.
"Impossible!" Meng Cao barked under his breath.
"Even if this kid can lift the Three Thousand Jin Stone Lock, he shouldn't be able to do it this many times. Unless..."
A flash of inspiration suddenly crossed his mind. "I know! I know where he got that kind of strength."
"The Yi Jin Jing. It has to be because of the Yi Jin Jing."
"The Yi Jin Jing can strengthen the body. That's why he has such strength."
"And think about it. Xiao Si and Ning Yuan have one foot in the Muscle Condensing Realm, yet even they can't lift the Three Thousand Jin Stone Lock four times."
"How could someone who only started learning martial arts halfway through life manage it?"
"So I'm guessing he's exhausted every last bit of his strength and even suffered severe internal injuries. That's the only way he could lift a three-thousand-jin Stone Lock four times."
"Once the internal injuries show during the fight, the truth will come out!"
"Exactly! That's it!"
A dark look flashed across his face.
Master Li was still somewhat doubtful, but he nodded. "Brother Meng, you're right. There may be tricks to lifting the Stone Lock."
"But the real test is the fight that comes next!"
"When the time comes, he'll still be doomed!"
Before you continue