Genius

Time flew by, and before they knew it, another fist-force test had arrived.

Having gone through several already, everyone was no longer nervous and faced it with an ordinary mindset.

Yet a small number of people looked ashen, their minds wandering even during the test.

Clearly, these people still had not reached Entry Level in the Nourishing Life Technique. Once their supply of nutritious food was cut off, their path as escort warriors and their road of Martial Dao could probably be declared a "death sentence."

"Sun Qi!"

Before long, it was Sun Qi's turn.

Compared with the disappointment of a small minority, most of those who had broken through and secured a stable supply of nutritious food were more concerned with the top fist-force rankings.

They were curious: what sort of improvement would the number one in fist force show this time?

"Two hundred and seventy-three jin!"

As the head escort's words rang out, the crowd began whispering among themselves.

"Though he hasn't broken through yet, gaining another twenty jin in three days is truly impressive. He'll probably hold firmly onto first place."

Quite a few people knew every change in Sun Qi's fist force by heart. The moment they learned his result, they immediately worked out the increase.

Escort Huang nodded. "The Second Level has reached its peak. I imagine the third layer is not far off?"

"Probably within the next few days." Sun Qi wore a broad smile. He now ate three portions of nutritious food every meal. If he had not improved this much, his silver would have been spent for nothing.

Not long after Sun Qi finished his test, the second person everyone was watching stepped up. It was Fang Yong, likewise one of the crowd's main focuses.

Sun Qi looked thoroughly at ease. Fang Yong's talent in the Blade Art surpassed his, but when it came to fist force, Sun Qi had not feared him so far.

However, his expression soon froze stiffly.

Bang!

That ordinary-looking young man threw a crisp punch.

Everyone noticed that Head Escort Liang did not announce the result at once. After pausing, he glanced at Fang Yong a few times before saying:

"Two hundred and eighty-four jin!"

The Training Ground instantly boiled over. Many people sucked in cold breaths, their eyes wide as saucers.

Fang Yong's fist force had been just over two hundred and twenty jin last time. In other words, he had surged by sixty jin this test.

And the increase in fist force from the Second Level to the third layer of the Nourishing Life Technique was exactly sixty jin!

"Gasp! The third layer! Someone at the third layer of the Nourishing Life Technique has appeared!"

"How monstrous!"

Sun Qi, who ate three portions of nutritious food, was still at the peak of the Second Level, yet this unremarkable-looking person had taken that step first and broken through to the third layer of the Nourishing Life Technique!

"A genius! A true genius! Breaking through three barriers in nine days is absolutely not something an ordinary person can accomplish." Someone cried out, disbelief written all over his face.

"Genius Fang Yong!" Many people began cheering, and the atmosphere abruptly soared.

"Very strong." Liu Wensheng's expression turned grave as he felt the pressure.

Sun Qi's expression darkened slightly, his mood having already sunk to an icy abyss.

Not only had Fang Yong broken through before him, he had also surpassed his fist force.

The first person in fist force had changed hands!

"Good, good, very good!" Up front, Escort Huang said "good" three times in a row, looking especially delighted.

"From now on, you'll eat three portions of nutritious food every meal. You won't need to spend any silver."

At that moment, Head Escort Liang spoke again. Fang Yong respectfully cupped his fists and nodded with a smile. "Thank you, Head Escort."

Watching the "heartwarming" scene, some people felt sour while others were envious.

Come to think of it, this was the second time the head escort, who normally offered no comments, had spoken up.

The first time had been to rebuke Qian Dele. This time, it was because he appreciated Fang Yong and had made an exception by granting him an extra portion of nutritious food.

From this, it was clear that even the head escort could not help giving special attention to the talent Fang Yong had displayed.

"It seems Fang Yong truly is exceptionally gifted." Qian Dele's expression was complicated as he watched the head escort's close interaction with Fang Yong.

He even recalled how he had rushed to curry favor with the head escort the moment he reached Entry Level in the Nourishing Life Technique. His face reddened involuntarily, and he found himself ridiculous.

Fang Yong returned to the crowd.

However, he had clearly become the focal point of this fist-force test. It was as though he had acquired a halo; even when Escort Huang recorded the others' fist force afterward, he repeatedly used Fang Yong as an example for them to chase after.

Fang Yong's reputation as a genius would likely be firmly established in everyone's hearts!

Of course, the testing continued, and soon it was Jiang Ping's turn.

"This one isn't bad either. His looks are top-notch. If he turns out as 'monstrous' as Fang Yong, I'll be tempted to introduce my younger sister to him."

"Forget your younger sister. I wouldn't mind gaining another adoptive father."

"Shameless. Even if he's not as good as Fang Yong, he definitely won't fancy your sister or your mother."

Many people chatted, carrying a trace of anticipation. Could Jiang Ping be like Fang Yong?

After all, in many people's minds, Jiang Ping's talent was definitely above Sun Qi's!

"Two hundred and forty-five jin!"

The head escort's voice sounded, and everyone found it reasonable and acceptable.

After all, not everyone was as terrifying as Fang Yong. Jiang Ping's looks had already surpassed ninety-nine percent of the people in the world. If his talent in Martial Dao were especially dazzling too, how were they supposed to go on living?

"Mm, he's also at the peak of the Second Level of the Nourishing Life Technique." Escort Huang nodded. Jiang Ping had improved as well, though his Blade Art seemed somewhat lacking.

"Keep it up," Escort Huang added.

"This younger generation member will certainly strive onward and follow Fang Yong's example," Jiang Ping replied.

"Not bad. To have such awareness, neither arrogant nor impatient—you'll be able to accomplish great things in the future." Escort Huang rather appreciated Jiang Ping. Fang Yong's result had just come out, and Sun Qi's expression had changed instantly. Unlike the young man before him, Jiang Ping had remained unruffled by favor or disgrace throughout.

What Escort Huang did not know was that if the head escort's reward had been a Stance Technique rather than nutritious food, then the Escort Agency would have produced the strongest Twin Stars today.

Unfortunately, an extra portion of beef was not worth Jiang Ping revealing too much of his talent.

As for the name of genius and its glory, they were even less than worthless in his eyes.

After all:

[Nourishing Life Technique Seventh Layer (2/200)]

[Flying Snow Saber Minor Accomplishment (198/600)]

He was only a few days away from becoming a Blood-Qi Martial Artist.

The Flying Snow Saber's progress had advanced by one-third in just over a day. It too would reach the realm of Minor Accomplishment within a few days.

Jiang Ping had not truly entered the inner workings of the Escort Agency yet and did not understand its internal and external situation. He did not want to enter the sights of big shots like the head escort too early.

Better to keep a low profile. In any case, he could hold steady within the Top Five in fist force.

After Jiang Ping finished testing, his dormmates stepped up one after another. Their results varied: some had reached Entry Level, while others regretfully left, such as Luo Da Niu and another fellow villager of his.

"It's fine. Once you reach Entry Level in the Nourishing Life Technique, the Escort Agency should resume providing nutritious food," Luo Tiegen comforted him.

Not far away, Sun Zheng wore a cold smile. He had always feared Jiang Ping so much that he barely dared breathe loudly in the dormitory, but now he finally felt much better.

Qian Dele paid no attention to these people's fates. At this moment, he was somewhat resistant, with the scene of being berated by the head escort still floating through his mind.

Thus, when it was his turn, he appeared timid and cringing. The result was unsurprising: he was still at Entry Level, and his Martial Dao progress showed signs of stagnating. His fist-force ranking had even fallen out of the Top Five for the first time.

That was because the new fifth-place holder was the young man whose initial fist force had been as high as one hundred and eighty jin. His current Nourishing Life Technique progress was nearly the same as Qian Dele's, and with an initial fist force five jin higher, he surpassed Qian Dele by two jin overall and returned to the Top Five.

"Trash, and you still want to cling to the Dragon and Phoenix."

For some reason, the head escort found Qian Dele more repulsive the longer he looked at him and could not help muttering a curse.

The others did not hear it, but Qian Dele heard every word clearly. His face immediately flushed crimson, and he slunk off in disgrace.

Not long afterward, the fist-force test ended.

"Didn't expect it, did you? I caught up to you and ranked ahead of you."

Liu Wensheng was among the last to be tested. He too had reached the peak of the Second Level of the Nourishing Life Technique. Because his initial fist force had been fairly high, he had surpassed Jiang Ping to take third place, leaving the latter in fourth.

"Then congratulations, brother Liu," Jiang Ping said. In truth, he did not care much about rankings unless there was some especially enticing reward.

"Forget it. What's there to congratulate? That person is the Dragon and Phoenix among Men."

Liu Wensheng waved his hand. Though he spoke of surpassing Jiang Ping, he was not particularly happy inside. He pointed toward the entrance of the dining hall. That was the fearsome person.

Following his gesture, Jiang Ping looked over and saw Fang Yong surrounded by a crowd, like stars encircling the moon. The people around him fawned over him and showered him with every kind of praise, while Sun Qi, who had once been the one everyone flattered, passed by their side now without anyone paying him any heed.

"The Escort Agency produces talented people generation after generation, each leading the fashion for three taels or two." Jiang Ping shrugged, then paid it no further attention and entered the dining hall directly with Liu Wensheng.

Time flew by, and four days passed in a flash.