Apprentice Assessment

At night, in the bedroom!

Chen Shouyi moved like a spring, every muscle in his body coiling into a single force. His feet seemed to tread on air, his steps erratic and unpredictable—advancing and retreating, shifting left and right. He thrust left, then thrust again, each strike flowing like water, carrying a unique rhythm and a strange, captivating beauty.

His hand was precise and steady; his sword shot out like a bullet from a barrel. With every thrust, the muscles of his entire body rippled like waves.

The sword tip sliced through the air, producing a dense series of hissing sounds.

This was the fruit of a month's training at the cram school. As his Sting Sword began to obey his will and his footwork grew more practiced, his swordsmanship was already showing its power.

This was evident from the fact that his sword skill had advanced from Beginner to (Proficient 3).

Then, he came to an abrupt halt from high-speed motion.

He listened intently for a moment, quickly put away his wooden sword, sat down at his desk in a few steps, and pulled out a reference book, pretending to study.

Soon, his parents' footsteps grew clearer from the stairs.

Then Chen Shouyi heard the door to his sister's room across the hall open.

"Mom, I'm going to the Martial Arts Assessment Center for testing tomorrow!"

Chen Shouyi's ears perked up immediately.

"You child, such an important thing, and you didn't say anything earlier? We'll go with you tomorrow," Chen Dawei said, his voice delighted.

"Dad, no need. You two are busy. My classmate will come with me. I'll get nervous if you're there."

"A boy? A girl?" Mother Chen's voice carried a hint of wariness.

"Mom! Of course it's a girl," Chen Xingyue said with a coquettish pout.

"That won't do either. What do you kids know? If something happens, you won't know how to handle it. How about this: let your brother go with you, so there's someone to look out for you," Mother Chen said.

Over the past month, Chen Shouyi had changed a lot, growing more mature and steady. Mother Chen felt she could trust him, barely.

She knocked on Chen Shouyi's bedroom door. "Shouyi, come out for a moment."

"Mom, what is it?" Chen Shouyi asked, feigning confusion.

"Your sister's going for her martial arts assessment tomorrow. Go with her," Mother Chen said without suspicion. "I'll transfer you five hundred bucks later. You can eat out!"

Chen Shouyi glanced at Chen Xingyue. On her wooden face, he could faintly make out a look of disdain—clearly, she didn't want him to come along. His heart clenched, but his face showed nothing as he agreed. "Alright, Mom. Got it."

The next morning, after finishing his morning exercises in his room, he went to the bathroom for a brisk shower.

He had just gone back to put on his clothes when his sister Chen Xingyue burst in.

"I knew it," Chen Xingyue said, arms crossed, with an "I told you so" look. "You're going out dressed like that?"

Chen Shouyi looked down at his shorts and sandals, then at his T-shirt. He didn't see anything wrong and was a bit baffled. "Mom bought all this just last week. I've only worn it once. It's all new."

This month, Chen Shouyi's body had grown strong at an astonishing rate, and his old clothes had become tight. So last week, Mother Chen had bought several sets from the shop next door.

"Bro, I'm not trying to be mean, but with your fashion sense, you'll never get a girlfriend," Chen Xingyue said with a look of disgust.

Chen Shouyi finally caught on. "It's so hot out. Are you saying I should wear a shirt and long pants just for appearances? Besides, Mom bought these clothes. Careful, or I'll tell her."

Chen Xingyue was getting frustrated. "Wearing this at home or out shopping is fine, but we're going to the Martial Arts Assessment Center—such a formal place—and you're dressing this casually?

And my good friend is coming too. When I introduce you as my brother, you might not care, but I'll be the one embarrassed."

Chen Shouyi's face flushed slightly. Though he knew he was in the wrong, he still tried to save face in front of his sister. "Fine, fine. You pick something out for me. I'm done arguing."

Chen Xingyue breathed a sigh of relief, glad she'd finally convinced her stubborn brother.

She immediately opened the bedroom wardrobe and soon pulled out a pair of blue-white capri jeans and a pair of worn, whitened canvas shoes. "Change into these."

They were siblings, so Chen Shouyi had no qualms about his sister being there. He simply turned around, took off his shorts, put on the jeans, and slipped on the canvas shoes.

Chen Xingyue stared at him, looking him up and down for a good ten seconds, before letting out a slight sigh. "Your hair... forget it. No time. This'll have to do. Good thing I wasn't expecting much anyway."

Chen Shouyi felt a bit down. He went back to the bathroom to check the mirror. His sister's comment made him realize his hair really was getting a bit long.

After breakfast, they hailed a taxi and arrived at the main gate of the Martial Arts Assessment Center in about ten minutes.

"Xingyue! Over here, over here!"

Chen Shouyi had barely stepped out when two girls waiting at the entrance waved and called out.

"Didn't I say eight o'clock? Why are you here so early?"

"We just got here too!" said one girl with fair skin, wearing a pink-gray floral dress, smiling softly. "We had breakfast nearby and came over on the way."

"Xingyue, you're amazing. If you pass this time, you'll be first in our class. Just wait till Xia Feifei sees that—her face will be priceless," said the other girl, wearing a short-sleeved top and hot pants, bouncing around as she spoke, full of energy.

Just then, Chen Shouyi finished paying and walked over. A flicker of embarrassment crossed Chen Xingyue's face as she quickly lowered her voice. "Don't say anything else. My brother came with me!"

"This is my brother, Chen Shouyi," she said, introducing him as he reached them. "And these are my good friends, Lu Shuyuan and Zhang Qianru."

"Hello, Brother Shouyi!" said Lu Shuyuan, the girl in the pink-gray floral dress, her voice crisp and sweet.

Zhang Qianru covered her mouth with a giggle and followed suit.

The two girls' voices, clear as beads falling onto a jade plate, sent a tingle through Chen Shouyi like an electric current, making his hairs stand on end.

Seeing Chen Shouyi seem a bit dazed, Chen Xingyue fumed inwardly and quickly pinched him.

"Oh, hello, junior classmates!" Chen Shouyi winced at the pinch, his face reddening slightly as he hurriedly greeted them.

In truth, these two were only slightly above average in looks. He just didn't have much experience dealing with girls, so facing this kind of teasing, he couldn't help but be a bit slow to react.

Zhang Qianru and Lu Shuyuan exchanged a glance and stifled a laugh.

Seeing her brother lose face in front of her friends, Chen Xingyue's expression turned a bit sour. She pretended nothing was wrong, wiped her smooth forehead, and changed the subject: "It's a bit hot outside. Let's go in."

The Martial Arts Assessment Center was a five-story building. The four of them quickly walked into the lobby.

Since the Martial Apprentice assessment was held only once a month, even though there was still half an hour before the actual test, a considerable line had already formed inside.

Some were accompanied by parents, some came with friends, and of course, there were those who came alone.

Chen Shouyi's eyesight was now decent enough to roughly tell who was there for the assessment and who was just accompanying someone.

He noticed that most of the people taking the assessment were quite old—many were already over thirty. Those as young as him made up less than a quarter, and those as young as his sister numbered only two or three—pitifully few.

"I'll queue up. You rest well and don't let it affect your condition," Chen Shouyi said.

In front of Chen Shouyi, the girls all behaved quite obediently, but as soon as he left, they huddled together and started chattering.

"Xingyue, your brother is so good to you. I'm so jealous you have a brother like that."

"Actually, it's not that great!" Chen Xingyue gave a dry laugh. "He's just too naggy. Sometimes I can't stand it."

That only made her friends even more envious.

She secretly grumbled to herself: That's because you don't have a brother. If you did, you wouldn't think that way.

When they were kids, he'd used his age to bully her plenty—she remembered it all.

"Is your brother in high school too?" Lu Shuyuan asked, her big eyes wide with curiosity.

"Yeah, he's a senior."

"Which school?"

"What, you've got your eye on my brother?" Chen Xingyue teased, reluctant to answer the question. The truth was, the school her brother attended was too embarrassing for her to bring up.

Dongning City had eight high schools in total. Number One was a provincial key school. Number Four and Number Three were a step down but still passable. As for the rest, including Number Five, where Chen Shouyi studied, they could only be called garbage schools.

A faint blush crept across Lu Shuyuan's fair face as she pouted, "I just want to get to know him, that's all. You're so amazing, Xingyue—your brother must be amazing too, right?"

"Yeah, yeah!" Zhang Qianru, lively as ever, chimed in. "We're all good sisters here. Your brother is our brother too."

Chen Xingyue thought about trying to save face for her brother, but after a moment's consideration, she decided against it—it would be too easy to see through: "His grades... aren't great. He goes to Number Five. But he works really hard—he studies until late every night before sleeping."