It Fell Apart

The night passed.

When Li Pingsheng opened his eyes, the sky was just beginning to brighten.

[Talent Potential: 0.9]

The number had quietly nudged forward by one tick.

The grueling training during the latter half of last night had finally squeezed out another 0.1 in potential.

He was only 0.1 away from lighting up [Light Body].

Just that one final breath was missing.

Li Pingsheng calculated in his mind.

There was an assessment at the martial arts hall today, and all new disciples were required to participate.

Without [Light Body], his shortcomings were obvious: speed and evasion.

Even with brute strength, it was all for nothing if he couldn't hit anyone.

At a time like this, revealing all his trump cards and being targeted by those with ill intentions would likely not be a good thing.

Especially Instructor Wu and Zhao Ming.

Before he had enough strength to protect himself, keeping an ace up his sleeve was never a mistake.

He had made his decision; he would just muddle through today's assessment.

The training grounds were bustling with people.

Instructor Wu stood at the front of the ranks with his hands behind his back, his face looking as if someone owed him money.

"Today's assessment consists of two parts."

"The first part is a weighted run. You must run twenty laps around the training grounds, and everyone is to carry a thirty-jin iron chain vest. Whoever finishes last gets no lunch."

As soon as he finished speaking, several disciples went to the side to shoulder the pitch-black iron chain vests.

Li Pingsheng also picked one up.

The thirty-jin weight settled onto his shoulders, causing his body to sink slightly.

For an ordinary disciple, this weight was not light.

But as he circulated his Blood Strengthening, that bit of weight felt as if it weren't there at all.

To avoid being too conspicuous, he deliberately suppressed the circulation of his Blood Strengthening, keeping the flow of his blood and qi similar to that of the other disciples.

"Begin."

At Instructor Wu's command, the race started.

Zhao Ming darted out first, his movement technique light and agile; even with the thirty-jin iron chain, he didn't falter for a second.

Li Pingsheng followed in the middle of the pack, unhurried, his breathing steady as he disguised himself as a disciple of average ability.

He even mimicked the person next to him, panting heavily every few steps and wearing a look of exertion at just the right moments.

Zhao Ming took the lead, pulling far ahead and soon lapping those at the back.

As he passed Li Pingsheng, he intentionally slowed his pace, making no effort to hide his mockery.

"Junior Brother Li, with your superior bone structure, how are you running slower than me? Did you not eat last night?"

Li Pingsheng kept running, ignoring him.

Zhao Ming curled his lip, pushed off with his feet, and surged forward again.

In the end, Zhao Ming took first place.

He stood before Instructor Wu, and although he was panting, his back was straight, and his face was full of smugness.

Instructor Wu gave a rare nod, which counted as praise.

When Li Pingsheng finished his twenty laps with great effort and stopped amidst the main group, the contempt and disdain in Instructor Wu's eyes grew even thicker.

A fraud.

"The second part: stance combat."

Instructor Wu pointed to several three-foot-square bluestone slabs laid out in the center of the training grounds.

"Pair up and take the stage to spar."

"The rules are simple: both sides must use the Health Preservation Stance, and you may only use your palms to push and shove. No fists or kicks allowed."

"Whoever's stance breaks first, or is pushed off the stone slab, loses."

The disciples looked at each other, all searching for familiar companions.

Just then, Zhao Ming stepped forward and cupped his hands toward Instructor Wu.

"Instructor Wu, this disciple would like to ask Junior Brother Li for some pointers. After all, Junior Brother Li has a solid foundation and is just the person to guide the rest of us."

Everyone turned to look at Li Pingsheng.

Instructor Wu had never liked Li Pingsheng to begin with, and upon hearing this, he spoke.

"Granted. Li Pingsheng, step forward."

Li Pingsheng walked out from the crowd, stopped in front of a bluestone slab, and stood his ground.

Zhao Ming followed him onto an adjacent slab, the two facing each other from a distance. As he looked at Li Pingsheng, a flash of malice crossed his eyes.

A piece of trash propped up by medicine, and he thinks he's worthy of being a direct disciple?

He sneered inwardly, already quietly channeling a hidden force into his hands.

This was the Bone-Crushing Force, a secret technique of the Zhao family specifically designed to shatter a person's foundation.

Today, I'll make you spit out everything you've consumed, with interest.

"Junior Brother Li, be careful."

Zhao Ming offered a hypocritical warning, sank into his stance, and lunged forward.

The two stood on the platform, setting their stances.

Li Pingsheng had never intended to win.

He would take a light hit, fall down, and concede—that would be the end of it.

He circulated his Blood Strengthening to protect his vital chest area, preparing to take the blow.

A flash of ruthlessness sparked in Zhao Ming's eyes as he thrust both palms forward, a cold, sinister wind trailing behind them, aimed straight at Li Pingsheng's chest.

Here it comes.

Li Pingsheng did not dodge or evade, preparing to take the palm strike head-on.

Bang.

A dull thud echoed out.

Zhao Ming's palms landed solidly against Li Pingsheng's chest.

The impact Li Pingsheng had anticipated arrived.

But he didn't fall.

Forget falling, he didn't even sway.

As soon as Zhao Ming's sinister, treacherous force drilled into his body, Li Pingsheng felt something was wrong. Before he could react, the blood in his body ignited like gunpowder, surging instantly to wash away the foreign force entirely.

Immediately after, his bones hummed, and a power even greater than the original strike surged back through Zhao Ming's palms.

A shrill, distorted scream rang out across the entire training ground.

Crack.

The sound of breaking bone reached everyone's ears.

Zhao Ming flew backward, crashing heavily onto the ground several yards away.

His right arm hung limp and twisted, the bones inside his sleeve shattered into several pieces.

Everyone was stunned into silence.

The expression on Instructor Wu's face froze.

On the platform, Li Pingsheng was also bewildered.

He looked down at his chest, then back at Zhao Ming, who was wailing while clutching his arm in the distance.

This... did I go a bit too far?

He had intended to fall on purpose.

But damn it, his body wouldn't listen to him.

[Tiger Bone] and [Blood Strengthening] had automatically protected their master, pinning him to the spot without moving an inch.

No, I have to act.

Li Pingsheng hurriedly held his breath, struggling to make his face look pained and pale.

He even secretly bit the tip of his tongue, forcing out a mouthful of blood to trickle down the corner of his mouth.

He spat out the blood, putting on a show.

Then, he prepared to collapse weakly.

But the moment he bent his knees, the bluestone slab beneath his feet... crack... crackle...

The bluestone slab under his feet, a hard stone half a foot thick, began to spiderweb with cracks, centering right on his feet.

Li Pingsheng stopped moving.

He remained in that awkward, one-legged stance, one foot still raised in mid-air, his expression frozen on his face.

How is he supposed to act now?

The attention of everyone in the arena shifted from the screaming Zhao Ming to the shattered slab beneath Li Pingsheng's feet.

Zhao Ming could no longer bring himself to howl, staring instead at the shattered stone slab.

What kind of damn luck was this?

Li Pingsheng had no choice but to force a weak and bewildered expression onto his face.

He slowly stepped down from the fractured stone platform and walked over to the dumbfounded Instructor Wu, cupping his fists together before speaking in a faint, breathless voice:

"Cough, cough... Instructor Wu, this disciple... has done his best."