Martial Trial

This enormous wild boar had no talents either, leaving Lin Xuan wondering how talents came to be in the first place.

After turning it over in his mind, he decided the most likely explanation was that a talent came from an individual's unique standout trait, and had nothing to do with the status or strength of its species.

That made the most sense. Wolves had a better sense of smell than humans, yet he had never seen a smell-related talent on a dead wolf or at the dog-meat market.

Lin Xuan cut several pieces of tenderloin and back meat from the boar, then sold off the rest of its hide, flesh, and bones, earning six taels of silver in total.

On his way home, Lin Xuan stopped by to give Zhang Xuan a strip of meat.

He smiled at Zhang Xuan and said, "Zhang Xuan, I brought you some meat. I hunted this pig today, so cook it or fry it while it's fresh.

"Look at you, starving yourself so badly you're all skin and bones, like a bamboo pole."

Zhang Xuan had gone a long time without eating meat. Seeing Lin Xuan bring him some pork filled him not only with joy, but with warmth from head to toe.

Still, he felt a little embarrassed. The other man had just given him two taels of silver to bury his mother, and now he kept bringing him food. How much was Zhang Xuan making him spend?

"Th-this isn't right, Brother Xuan. I haven't worked for you for many days yet, and meat is so expensive. I can't accept it."

Lin Xuan shook his head, his tone carrying a hint of reprimand. "What are you talking about? I hunted it myself, and it wasn't worth much. Besides, if you don't eat your fill and eat well, where will you get the strength to work? Take it and eat it. Otherwise, don't bother farming my land."

"Then all right. Thank you, Brother Xuan." Zhang Xuan bowed to him.

Lin Xuan continued, "You might be wondering why I'm so good to you, right?"

He went on, "In a little while, I'll be going to the Garrison to serve as an officer. What kind of officer doesn't have trusted men of his own?

"I don't trust the others. These days, even relatives can't be relied on. My second granduncle is full of wicked schemes, and I don't even want to deal with him.

"When I saw you begging everyone you could to get a coffin for your mother, I could tell you were a good-hearted, filial boy. Someone I could trust.

"So work hard."

Hearing this, Zhang Xuan was overjoyed. So that was why Lin Xuan treated him well.

It was because he was worth trusting, not merely because Lin Xuan pitied him and wanted to offer charity.

That eased the deep-seated inferiority he had felt.

"Brother Xuan, from now on, I'll do whatever you ask of me."

The pork was worth no more than forty or fifty copper coins—an ordinary laborer could afford it after two days' work—but it made Zhang Xuan even more determined to follow Lin Xuan.

More than twenty days later, Lin Xuan's arm strength had risen from four hundred catties to four hundred and seventy. It might not look like much of an increase, but it was more than enough for him to take a shot at the Flag Commander position in the Winter Hunt Martial Trial.

The Winter Hunt Martial Trial was being held today.

Though the soldiers didn't need to bring their own bows, blades, or spears, Lin Xuan still brought his Twelve-Strength Bow and Goose-Quill Saber for safety on the road.

In the past, the Winter Hunt Martial Trial had been a hunting contest, with victory going to whoever caught the most game. Martial contests were only a sideshow. Taken as a whole, it had been more like a military exercise.

But things were different now. Hunting was no longer part of it. It was purely a martial contest, a way for the Garrison to select talent.

Times had changed. The Winter Hunt used to be a military exercise because the country was at peace and didn't need many masters. There were no threats to the nation, so the army only needed to maintain a certain level of combat strength—enough to suppress rebellions and keep the peace.

Now, however, the Garrison used it to select talent because the country faced threats. Fighting the Northern Barbarians and Roaming Bandits took lives to hold the line.

The Northern Barbarians and Roaming Bandits were both formidable fighters. The army couldn't keep using the old standards and expect to succeed.

The Winter Hunt Martial Trial began early. Lin Xuan set out before dawn, and when he reached the Garrison, he found the place bustling. The Drill Ground, once deserted even on the three days each month set aside for training, was now packed with people.

After all, there wasn't much entertainment around here. Watching people compete in martial arts was a rare diversion, especially since this contest would select officers. The matches would be far more exciting than ordinary brawls.

As soon as Lin Xuan arrived, Qin Lie and his son, Qin Sheng, welcomed him.

A young woman stood quietly beside them, dressed in a black outfit that allowed her to move freely. She had a graceful figure and handsome features—not a delicate, feminine beauty, but the dashing air of a handsome young man. She looked very much like Qin Sheng.

No introduction was needed. Lin Xuan guessed she was probably Qin Sheng's younger sister.

"Lin, you arrived just in time. The trial will begin in fifteen minutes."

Lin Xuan bowed to him.

The young woman cast a curious glance at Lin Xuan, her eyes lingering longest on his face.

Lin Xuan had already been good-looking. Now, after training in martial arts, he had grown taller and filled out, and his bearing was extraordinary. It was only natural that he attracted even more attention from women.

Qin Lie introduced him to the young woman. "This is Lin Xuan, a Squad Leader in the Garrison."

"This is my daughter, Qin Ying..."

"So you're Miss Qin." Lin Xuan bowed to her as well.

Qin Sheng grinned and clapped Lin Xuan on the shoulder. "Brother Lin, it's been a while. With you here, today's trial is sure to be exciting."

Lin Xuan replied, "I doubt it'll be that interesting. Uncle Qin says my strength already surpasses that of many veteran Flag Commanders. Today's trial is to select a Flag Commander, so what's the point?"

"No, no, that's not what I meant. Watching you steamroll one opponent after another would be dull.

"I mean, your relatives from the Lin Family and the son of Commander Zhang are both taking part today. You might run into them."

Lin Xuan smiled. "Ha ha, then Brother Qin can rest easy."

"Hey, don't get too cocky. I heard that Squad Leader from the Zhang family is exceptionally talented too. They've been keeping him hidden, but now they plan to bring him out at the trial to make a name for the Zhang family and win over some of the county's influential families."

Having a genius in the family was a blessing for any clan. The county's influential families loved meeting such talents, offering a little money to support them and building a connection for the future.

Lin Xuan nodded. "All right. I know what I'm doing."

He thought to himself, Just how talented can he really be?

"Brother Lin, I heard the first-place prize this time is two doses of the Body-Strengthening Decoction. It can help improve your martial arts, and it's worth ten taels of silver. You can't even buy it outside. You should try for it," Qin Sheng reminded him.

Lin Xuan nodded. "I'll give it a try. Besides weightlifting, archery, and actual combat, are there any other events in this trial?"