Fang Shuwen's fingers had just closed around the handle of the 150-pound Stone Lock.
He hadn't even had time to exert himself.
Just then,
a thunderous burst of astonished shouts suddenly erupted from the other end of the schoolyard.
"Two hundred pounds! He lifted it!"
"My heavens, that Stone Lock's bigger than a person's head, and he lifted it right over his head just like that?"
The crowd surged toward the other side. Several students who had been gathered around Fang Shuwen, watching the commotion, also rose onto their toes and craned their necks to look.
In an instant, they left him standing there alone.
Fang Shuwen didn't mind. He gripped the Stone Lock and steadily exerted his strength.
A low shout!
His right arm rose, and the 150-pound Stone Lock was lifted.
"Teacher, you can record my score now."
Fang Shuwen spoke, his cool voice instantly drawing back the teacher beside him, who had been craning his neck to watch Han Tieshan.
Chen Qingshi turned around and first looked at the Stone Lock held steady above Fang Shuwen's head.
He couldn't help rubbing his eyes, then looked down at the now-empty spot where the Stone Lock had been.
He hadn't seen wrong. It really was the 150-pound Stone Lock!
His mouth opened and closed, and a muddled "Ah" escaped his throat.
That kid had really lifted the 150-pound Stone Lock?
Was this really Fang Shuwen, the student who'd failed six of his seven subjects and was supposedly certain to be expelled?
Chen Qingshi couldn't shake the feeling that this was all unreal.
"R-record it, record it!"
Coming to his senses, Chen Qingshi hurriedly searched the roster for Fang Shuwen's name.
His pen tip trembled as he checked the box under "150 pounds."
After writing it down, he looked up at Fang Shuwen again, making sure the person in front of him was really the Fang Shuwen he knew.
At that moment,
on the other side of the Stone Lock testing area, a youth nearly six feet tall was holding a 200-pound Stone Lock steadily over his head.
He wore a gray school uniform, washed until its color had faded. The cuffs were frayed, and the trouser legs were too short, exposing half his wheat-colored calves.
Though he was tall, he looked even frailer than Fang Shuwen.
So,
no one would have guessed he could lift the 200-pound Stone Lock!
"Good!"
Beneath the sunshade, Meng Zhen, an inspector from the National Martial Arts Hall, slapped his palm down on the table.
The tremendous force punched a palm-shaped hole straight through the sturdy ironwood table.
The edges of the imprint were smooth, as if they'd been cut by a machine.
One could imagine that if he'd struck a person with that slap, he would have left a hole in them.
This was Dark Force.
The power gathered into a single point, with immense penetrating force.
Meng Zhen shot to his feet. The indifference in his eyes vanished, replaced by unconcealed admiration.
"Who is that boy? How many bone cracks has he made?" Meng Zhen turned to ask Principal Qian Jun.
Qian Jun froze.
Beside him, Dean of Students Zhou Changping adjusted his glasses and spoke in a hushed voice:
"Teacher Meng, the student's name is Han Tieshan. He's in Class Three, Grade Two. His physical education scores over the past two semesters were only above average. As for his bone cracks...the school hasn't tested him yet."
"Hasn't tested him?"
Meng Zhen furrowed his brow. His gaze swept over the tall, thin figure twice, and the corners of his mouth slowly lifted.
"He lifted 200 pounds with one arm, steady as a rock, his breathing undisturbed and his stance rooted like a stake. With proper cultivation, he'll be a fine prospect for Martial University one day!"
Qian Jun and Zhou Changping nodded in agreement, immediately deciding that no matter how he performed in his academic subjects, they would transfer him into the Elite Class.
Chen Qingshi had just finished recording Fang Shuwen's score when the commotion in the schoolyard gradually died down.
"How did Fang Shuwen do?"
Someone suddenly asked from within the crowd.
He'd failed six of his seven subjects, and he was also associated with Guo Ziming, the rich young master.
Fang Shuwen was something of a celebrity at school.
Guo Ziming had just recovered from the shock of Han Tieshan's feat. At the question, he curled his lips and sneered.
"Him? Look at how scrawny he is. It'd be a miracle if he could lift it. I bet he couldn't even budge it and slunk off in disgrace."
Several lackeys beside him laughed along.
"You're right, Young Master Guo. Fang Shuwen used to get winded just carrying your schoolbag."
The men nearby chimed in with a few more flattering remarks for Guo Ziming.
Then the crowd gradually quieted down.
Across the way, Cuicui finally looked away. She hadn't seen Fang Shuwen and couldn't help pursing her lips.
"Sure enough, no talent means no talent. He must've failed and been too embarrassed to stay, so he ran off early!"
She snorted. The gloom she'd felt that morning when Steward Chen gave Fang Shuwen a Parker fountain pen lifted at last.
The examination continued.
When it was Guo Ziming's turn, he marched up to the Stone Locks with a fierce determination and chose a 100-pound one.
He sank into a horse stance, drew in his breath, and exerted himself.
He did lift the Stone Lock, but his arm shook like a sieve, his face turned the color of pig liver, and the veins in his forehead bulged one after another.
He couldn't hold it for even two breaths. The Stone Lock crashed to the ground with a bang, nearly crushing his foot.
The teacher in charge of recording scores wrote "100 pounds" on the roster, then glanced at him and casually marked a check.
After all, he was the young master of the Guo Family. That was good enough.
Doing him a favor might come in handy someday.
"Impressive, Young Master Guo! You even lifted a 100-pound Stone Lock. That means you've made one bone crack, right?" one of his lackeys praised him.
"It was nothing, just barely enough," Guo Ziming said, his face glowing with pride.
A hundred pounds was no small feat. Among the more than three hundred students tested today, it was enough to put him in the top thirty!
Before long, it was time to leave school.
After walking out the school gate, Fang Shuwen had just turned the corner when he ran into two familiar faces.
The tall, skinny one had a black mole on his face, while the short, fat one walked like a penguin.
They were the two thugs who had chased him for three blocks a few days ago.
They had been squatting by the school gate for most of the day, and their legs had gone numb.
The moment they spotted Fang Shuwen, their eyes lit up.
"Brat, we've finally caught you!" The tall one flung his cigarette butt to the ground, rolled up his sleeves, and strode over.
The short, fat one followed behind, his footsteps clattering as he stammered:
"T-this time, let's see where you can run!"
Fang Shuwen frowned slightly.
People were coming and going at the school gate, and teachers were keeping order by the entrance. Starting a fight here would draw too much attention.
He glanced left and right from the corner of his eye without slowing down. Instead, he picked up his pace and turned into a narrow alley beside the school.
The two thugs thought he was trying to run and took off after him.
The alley grew narrower and narrower. At the end stood a low wall, beyond which lay the small grove near the school's back gate.
Fang Shuwen pushed off with one foot, braced a hand on the wall, and vaulted over.
The two thugs made a human ladder at the base of the wall and huffed and puffed their way over too.
The instant Fang Shuwen landed, he stopped.
Someone was already waiting in the grove.
Guo Ziming stood with his arms folded, leaning against a tree trunk. Two men in black short jackets stood behind him.
"Fang Shuwen."
Guo Ziming straightened up from the tree trunk, a half-smile on his face.
"I told you not to leave after school, and you actually came. What, not running anymore?"
"So you found yourself a couple of helpers?"