Strength Trial (Seeking Follows)

Chen Mo and Xie Jinnian looked toward the center of the training grounds at the same time.

I saw a tall, muscular man covered in bulging muscles slowly set down a stone lock; the stone lock was nearly half his size.

"Who is that?" Chen Mo asked.

Xie Jinnian blurted out, "Chang Hao, the young master of the Iron Palm Gang. He's around my age and has already reached the middle stage of Dark Jin. He's one of the favorites for the top rankings this year."

Middle stage of Dark Jin meant he was a favorite for the top ten.

Chen Mo quietly observed the aura around Xie Jinnian; he seemed to be at the early stage of Dark Jin, and it wasn't very stable—not much different from Luo Hou of the Zhao Family.

The other party also cast his gaze over and said, "Brother Chen Mo, what is your goal for this year's Martial Examination?"

Chen Mo thought for a moment and replied, "My goal is roughly forty-fifth place."

Xie Jinnian nodded slightly. Aiming for forty-fifth place with Ming Jin strength was indeed reasonable. His tone held a hint of consolation, "Brother, you can accumulate experience this year and fight again next year. Many people have been at this for four or five years and are still persisting!"

"Right, thank you for the encouragement, Brother Xie!"

After Chang Hao of the Iron Palm Gang, several others lifted the seven-hundred-jin stone lock, sparking waves of commotion.

Among them were Liao Tian, the first disciple of the Qi Family head; Zhang Chong, the idle son-in-law of the Zhao Family; Liu Sha of the Black Tiger Hall; and Ye Zimou of the Hefeng Pawnshop.

Only one person lifted a seven-hundred-and-fifty-jin stone lock, causing the entire training ground to erupt in thunderous cheers, with many young ladies casting flirtatious glances his way.

"That is my cousin, Xie Jinyou!"

Xie Jinnian pointed at the extraordinary, powerful young man in the center of the field and said proudly.

"Xie Jinyou, lifted seven hundred and fifty jin, strength test grade: A-middle!"

As a minor official with a brush and ledger announced the result, gongs and drums roared, deafening the ears.

There was a hint of envy in Xie Jinnian's eyes; who wouldn't want to be that man who commanded everyone's attention?

Yet in Anyang County, that man who commanded all eyes could only be Xie Jinyou, a prodigy who had reached the peak of Dark Jin at twenty-three.

"It seems there is no suspense that your cousin will take first place this year," Chen Mo remarked.

"That goes without saying!"

Xie Jinnian patted his chest, as if he were the one standing on the field.

"Next, Xie Jinnian."

As the official announced the name of the next martial student, the cheers on the field subsided slightly. Xie Jinnian's expression tightened; he wiped the sweat from his palms and walked slowly onto the field.

He walked over to the six-hundred-and-fifty-jin stone lock, took a deep breath, slowly squatted down, hugged the stone lock against his chest, and then lifted it with all his might, his veins bulging instantly.

Ten breaths later, he slammed the stone lock down, creating a deep pit in the ground.

After securing a baseline with the six-hundred-and-fifty-jin stone lock, Xie Jinnian attempted the seven-hundred-jin stone lock, but he failed.

Each martial student was allowed two attempts, with the higher score counting. Generally, students would complete the one they were confident in first before attempting the more difficult one.

Next, Chen Mo saw Li Xuan take the field. The latter struggled to lift the six-hundred-jin stone lock but failed when attempting the six-hundred-and-fifty-jin one.

"Next, Chen Mo."

Hearing his name, Chen Mo walked calmly onto the field, with a thousand eyes from all around fixed upon him.

In the crowd, Chen Bao and Chen Mei were craning their necks, looking around everywhere.

Long before the Martial Examination began, Chen Hang hadn't dared to admit he hadn't secured a spot at the Panshi Martial Hall, instead lying that he was on the list.

After the examination began this morning, Chen Bao and Chen Mei had searched the grounds everywhere but couldn't find a trace of Chen Hang.

"Where did that little brat run off to? We agreed to meet here!" Chen Bao said angrily.

Chen Mei comforted him, "Perhaps he's with his friends. Little Hang has been popular since he was a child."

"That person on the field..." Chen Bao pointed to the center of the grounds, "seems to be Chen Mo."

Chen Mei also looked up.

At this moment, Chen Mo slowly passed a row of stone locks, from small to large: three hundred jin, three hundred and fifty jin, four hundred jin...

Even as he reached six hundred jin, Chen Mo did not stop.

In the distance, Ji Chang asked in confusion, "What is Junior Brother Chen trying to do?"

Yin Shanshan also furrowed her brows, a look of surprise on her face.

On the other side, seeing Chen Mo's actions, Xie Jinnian frowned slightly, "Is this guy trying to challenge the six-hundred-and-fifty-jin one directly?"

Six hundred and fifty jin was a threshold—the threshold that distinguished Ming Jin from Dark Jin.

Even at the peak of Ming Jin, most would choose the six-hundred-jin lock, and a few who didn't rely on raw strength would even choose the five-hundred-and-fifty-jin one.

Sure enough, Chen Mo stopped in front of the six-hundred-and-sixty-five-jin stone lock.

"I've never seen a Ming Jin practitioner who could lift a six-hundred-and-fifty-jin stone lock."

"Is this guy just trying to show off?"

Whispers rippled through the crowd, filled with astonishment, disdain, and anticipation.

Chen Mo staggered his feet, sank his waist into a squat, and gripped both sides of the stone lock with bat-wing-like palms, feeling the coarse stone grains biting into his skin.

He adjusted his internal breath, gathering his strength slowly toward his waist and arms like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea.

Lifting a heavy object like a stone lock relied seventy percent on the waist and thirty percent on the arms.

Thanks to Mountain and Water Cultivation, he had long since perfected the skill of condensing his strength.

He had waited for this day!

A moment later.

A massive, surging force gathered in his waist and arms; with a solemn expression, he suddenly hoisted the stone lock upward.

In an instant, his formidable strength erupted like a dam bursting, and the stone lock was held steady at his chest for a single breath.

Immediately after, the stone lock was thrust above his head by an even more powerful force, and the clerk began to silently count the seconds.

At this moment.

The members of Tianqing Martial Hall all held their breath, not daring to exhale, counting silently in their hearts: "One breath, two breaths, three breaths..."

Until ten breaths had passed, the clerk shouted: "Six hundred and fifty jin stone lock, held for ten breaths."

Hearing this, Chen Mo steadily lowered the stone lock, showing none of the frantic haste that Xie Jinnian had displayed.

Xie Jinnian watched this scene in astonishment, then exclaimed repeatedly, "This Chen Mo actually has such a trick up his sleeve; could he be a person born with great strength!"

The surrounding crowd also began to discuss which faction this youth belonged to.

Chen Bao and Chen Mei heard the surrounding chatter and were so shocked they could barely speak, "Six... six hundred and fifty jin?! Didn't that Dark Jin martial student just now only lift six hundred and fifty jin?"

At this moment, in the center of the training grounds.

Chen Mo did not end his strength trial there, but instead walked slowly toward the seven-hundred-jin stone lock.

"What?! He's going to challenge the seven-hundred-jin stone lock?!"

Someone in the crowd shouted.

Even the well-informed elders of the families were filled with astonishment.

To lift a seven-hundred-jin stone lock was a feat only possible for those with Dark Jin strength.

In the Zhao Family camp, Zhao Huayuan and Zhang Chong sat in the front row, while the others sat behind them.

Zhang Chong looked up at the familiar figure in the arena, who was now attempting the same seven-hundred-jin stone lock he had lifted.

A look of skepticism appeared on his face, "A Ming Jin martial student capable of lifting a seven-hundred-jin stone lock has never appeared in Anyang County."

Beside him, Zhao Huayuan appeared relatively calm, "He is merely at the peak of Ming Jin. Even if he can lift seven hundred jin, so what? It only proves he has natural-born strength; he will surely find it difficult to win in the technical trials."

Zhang Chong nodded, "That makes sense."