End-of-Month Test!

Late autumn, the weather was gradually turning cold.

A cold wind swept across the martial arts arena, kicking up a bit of dust and withered leaves.

Inside the Azure Dragon Gang's martial arts arena, a massive, thick roller was driven deep into the ground.

The entire roller stood taller than a man, measuring three feet, three inches, and three fen in width.

It was crafted from locust wood, a material so hard that even with axes and chisels, an ordinary person would struggle to tear into it.

Yet, at this moment, its surface was dented with over a dozen fist marks.

These fist marks varied in depth and size, clearly the work of different people.

This was the Azure Dragon Gang's end-of-month assessment: striking the wooden roller with full force.

A martial artist who has entered the path is in the Body Refining Realm.

A single, full-force strike should leave a three-fen deep fist mark on this locust wood.

The Azure Dragon Gang's assessment required that, after the first month of joining, every subsequent month's fist mark must be at least one fen deeper than the previous month's.

Failure to do so meant either slacking off in training or possessing poor aptitude.

There was no need to wait for the six-month assessment; such individuals would be stripped of their status as low-level gang members and demoted directly to the ranks of menial servants.

Thus, a mere six-month assessment divided the gang members into three tiers.

Those who failed the end-of-month assessment became menial servants with a monthly wage of one tael.

Those who failed the six-month assessment became low-level gang members, having their slave status removed and receiving a monthly wage of three taels.

Those who successfully entered the path within six months had their slave status removed and became official gang members, starting with a monthly wage of ten taels.

The scene was bustling with people; hundreds of gang members were gathered around the roller, forming a dense, dark mass.

After the test, all gang members who passed the end-of-month assessment were allowed to go home for a day of rest.

However, whether they had yet to step up or had already been tested, everyone wanted to see how their colleagues had performed.

After all, the entire test took less than half an hour.

They also wanted to see where they stood among those around them this month.

On the field, a youth in a black outfit with red patterns took a sharp breath, drawing power from the ground and using his waist and back to drive his arm.

"Hah!!!"

With a sudden shout, his boots, embroidered with cloud patterns, left slight indentations in the soil beneath him.

The youth swung his right arm out violently, slamming it into the wooden stake before him with all his might!

"Thud—"

A dull, explosive sound erupted from the wooden stake, drowning out the whispers in the arena!

Wood chips flew everywhere!

A brand-new fist mark was left on the stake.

Releasing his hand and looking at the shallow, fractured crater before him, a look of pride appeared in the youth's eyes.

Beside him, a menial servant responsible for recording individual scores called out loudly:

"Li Xi, 34 days in the gang, three fen into the wood!"

Before the words had even faded, suppressed gasps and discussions erupted all around:

"Hiss... three fen! And it's only been a month!"

"To go three fen into the wood in just one month, he'll probably enter the path soon!"

"Sigh, he is from the Li family after all; his natural talent is not something we can compare to!"

"Bullshit! Did you see the medicine he usually eats? One pill is worth three days of hard training. What talent? It's all thanks to his old man!"

The surrounding discussions were filled with either awe or disdain.

These voices poured into Li Xi's ears like a tide, but they were nothing more than the frantic barking of the weak.

Having a backer is fine, but you have to actually have someone to rely on. A bunch of mud-legged peasants who crawled up from the bottom, unable to even enter the Body Refining Realm after nearly half a year—they aren't on my level.

Li Xi thought to himself, not only unbothered by the comments but unable to hide his smugness.

Everyone present was weak, and the words of the weak had no value; those insults were merely praise for his strength.

He listened to the surrounding chatter with a cold sneer, but his expression suddenly turned solemn the next moment.

The crowd had suddenly gone quiet. He and the surrounding gang members bowed in unison: "Greetings, Instructor Feng!"

Before him, the burly Feng Yue appeared out of nowhere, staring at the fist mark on the wooden stake and nodding with satisfaction:

"Not bad. To have this result in your first month, you should be able to make the top 3 of the Newcomer Ranking!"

The so-called Newcomer Ranking was established by the gang to motivate its members.

After the end-of-month assessment, each member's performance was ranked from top to bottom based on their progress from the previous month.

As Feng Yue said, the one who takes first place will naturally be rewarded with a Body Tempering Pill!

"Top 3? I'm aiming for first place in the monthly exam! Among these gang members, who else can achieve a depth of three-tenths of an inch in just one month like me?"

Li Xi wore a look of respect, but he was dismissive in his heart.

For the sake of the young generation's grand competition half a year from now, he was determined to secure this Body Tempering Pill!

The youth kept his expression neutral and smiled, "Many thanks for your guidance, Instructor!"

With that, Li Xi crossed his arms and stepped aside, ready to watch the others perform and enjoy the thrill of crushing his peers!

"Next, Wang Xian!"

"Coming, coming!" The servant's shout drew Li Xi's attention.

He saw Wang Xian, who shared his quarters, walk out from the crowd. Like those before him, he gathered his strength and threw a fierce punch with his right hand!

"Bang!"

With a dull thud, a fist mark about half an inch deep appeared on the wooden stake in front of him!

"Wang Xian, three months in the gang, depth of six-tenths of an inch! An improvement of three-tenths!"

As the servant announced the result, the scene remained indifferent, lacking the clamor that had greeted Li Xi.

Although it was also an improvement of three-tenths compared to last month, the locust wood became increasingly brittle compared to a martial artist's body as time went on!

Therefore, when recording scores, the corresponding number of months in the gang was subtracted.

An improvement of 3 points minus 3 months in the gang equaled 0 points, which was considered average!

Feeling the surrounding apathy, Wang Xian didn't mind; he chuckled and turned to disappear back into the crowd.

"Zhao Yan, two months in the gang, depth of three-tenths of an inch! An improvement of two-tenths!"

"Sun Dai..."

"Shao Zhuo..."

Soon, one gang member after another took their turns in a steady stream, leaving a dense array of fist marks on the wooden stake.

These marks were either an inch deep or barely half an inch, and in Li Xi's eyes, they were nothing more than a joke.

"Even the first-place finisher from last month didn't improve as much as I did. This Body Tempering Pill is mine!"

As time passed, the clamor was gradually replaced by a dull atmosphere.

Although the gang members at the scene hadn't left, they began to chat and gossip.

"Hey, speaking of that genius from last month, have you guys seen him?"

"Genius? Which one?"

"The one called Ye Li. I don't think I've seen him at the training grounds for half a month."

"Isn't it said his trait is [Sharp-Witted], that he mastered the Azure Dragon Force in one go, and even the instructor couldn't help but give him private lessons?"

"Who knows? Maybe his foundation is too poor and he just gave up."

"Tsk tsk, what a waste of that comprehension. It seems a good trait can't overcome a weak foundation..."

Listening to the surrounding discussion, Zhao Yan and Wang Xian, who were in the crowd, frowned.

Wang Xian shouted, "Hey, stop wagging your tongues! Brother Ye isn't giving up; he's just not at the training grounds!"

"Not at the training grounds?" The people around them glanced over.

Zhao Yan chimed in from the side:

"With so many people watching every day, and people constantly coming up to ask for advice, wouldn't you be annoyed too? He's just found a quiet place to practice!"

"Then why hasn't he come yet? Don't tell me he's scared and doesn't dare to show up?"

Amidst the discussion, Li Xi, who was watching the show, felt a stir in his heart: "Ye Li? I almost forgot about that guy!"

"This bumpkin wakes up earlier than a rooster and sleeps later than a dog every day, born with a life of toil. I wonder what his results are?"

"Could it be that, just as the others say, his foundation is too poor and he's too afraid to come?"

Li Xi speculated, and he couldn't help but become curious about Ye Li's results!

But as time went on, Ye Li's figure never appeared, and there were fewer and fewer gang members left to be tested.

"Tang Jian, 31 days in the gang, depth of two-tenths of an inch!"

As the servant announced the name, Tang Jian let out a breath, a hint of joy appearing as he looked at the fist mark before him.

It was worth the diligent practice he had put in every day since joining. At this rate, there was hope of stepping into the Body Refining Realm within half a year!

"Alright, time is up!"

Once Tang Jian's score was recorded, Feng Yue said, "Don't gather here anymore. Go home and rest for the day, and return to the gang before the Hour of the Rat tomorrow!"

"Wait—"