Testing Strength

Qin Lie shook his head. "No, nothing like that. There are only three things. How much can you lift now?"

"Good. I'm at about four hundred and fifty pounds."

Qin Lie fell silent for a moment. Lin Xuan had made progress despite no longer having Bear Demon meat to boost him, which was already no small feat. But Qin Lie hadn't expected him to gain another fifty pounds of strength.

A genius was a genius. They simply didn't play by the rules.

At this rate, in five or six months at most, he'd be on the threshold of the Breath-Connecting Realm.

By then, he'd have reached the Breath-Connecting Realm at just sixteen. Someone that young had limitless prospects.

"Strength, archery, and practical combat—that's all there is to it. If you're outstanding in all three, you can be promoted straight to Flag Commander. This Winter Hunt, only one Flag Commander will be promoted, while five Squad Leaders will be."

"Only one spot... That does seem a little tight. I'll have to work harder, then."

"Right. Brother Lin, how many martial techniques do you know? The last event will determine whether you can win." Qin Sheng suddenly grew curious and asked.

"So far, I only know Grand Ancestor Long Fist. I don't know any other martial techniques."

"Oh, then you have a serious weakness. You might not measure up to the other Squad Leaders when the time comes."

"What should I do? It's too late to learn anything now, isn't it?" Lin Xuan furrowed his brow slightly.

"It is a little late, but you should be fine. You can overcome all techniques with sheer strength. I'll demonstrate a set of fist techniques for you. Let's see how much you can learn." As he spoke, Qin Lie demonstrated a martial art he had practiced: Four Extremes Fist.

The moves were vicious, brimming with power and impact. The style emphasized speed, precision, and ruthlessness. Knees and elbows could both be used as part of its fist techniques.

Lin Xuan had Eidetic Memory. After watching Qin Lie demonstrate the moves just once, he etched them deeply into his mind.

Before he could even try practicing them, a horn sounded across the Drill Ground. The Martial Trial was beginning.

Banners snapped in the wind across the Drill Ground.

Many of the military households' youths were sallow and gaunt, yet their hands gripped their weapons tight.

They knew this wasn't an ordinary martial contest.

It was a chance to determine their future. Men from the lower military households could advance to Squad Leader through the contest, and Squad Leaders could rise to Flag Commander. Though their monthly salaries were only one or one and a half taels of silver, they had plenty of access to unofficial income—and the right to purchase Body-Strengthening Decoction.

But to rise from Flag Commander to Hundred-Household Commander... they needed military merit.

The Thousand-Household Commander on the high platform slowly rose to his feet. The moment he stood, the entire grounds fell silent. The Hundred-Household Commanders and Deputy Hundred-Household Commanders who had been chatting stopped at once, all waiting for Liang City's highest-ranking military officer to speak.

He wasted no words.

He merely surveyed the crowd, then spoke:

"The Winter Hunt Martial Trial begins now!"

After a drumbeat and the blare of horns, a Flag Commander clad in leather armor appeared in the center of the crowd.

"The Martial Trial has three events. Strength first."

This event was simple enough. Just like the blue stone Lin Xuan had lifted that day, it tested a martial artist's maximum strength. This time, however, the training stones increased in weight by fifty pounds at a time.

Many youths from the military households stepped onto the platform, then hefted the training stones. Most could only manage a little over a hundred pounds, and none could lift more than two hundred. These were all competitors for Squad Leader, and they couldn't begin to compare with Lin Xuan.

So he couldn't be bothered to watch.

One person was worth noting, though: his second granduncle was among the competitors. The most he could manage was a two-hundred-and-fifty-pound training stone, and he couldn't hold it for long.

Gradually, when a young man lifted a two-hundred-and-fifty-pound training stone and held it for several breaths, his face flushed crimson. Lin Xuan knew his turn would come in a few more contestants.

"Liu Jiye, two hundred and fifty pounds. Assigned to the Flag Commander group."

Liu Jiye wanted to lift more, but couldn't. His face was red as pig liver; if they made him add more weight, he might not leave the platform alive.

One after another, the men competing for Flag Commander stepped forward. The highest record was only three hundred pounds; the rest managed around two hundred and fifty.

"Squad Leader Lin Xuan!"

"Here!" Lin Xuan answered.

"Come test the training stone! The minimum for Flag Commander selection is two hundred and fifty pounds." The leather-armored officer nodded at him.

At the sound of that name, Lin Jie curled his lip. How old was Lin Xuan? He was already competing for Flag Commander?

Lin Jie said to his son, Lin Lu, "I didn't expect that kid to show up too. Let's just wait and watch him make a fool of himself. He isn't even sixteen yet, and he's already come to compete for Flag Commander. He really doesn't know his own limits.

"If he can lift a two-hundred-pound training stone, that'll be impressive enough."

But in the very next moment, Lin Xuan walked straight over to the three-hundred-pound training stone and took a moment to steady his breathing, as if he intended to give it a try.

"What a show-off. Does he think he can lift three hundred pounds just because he wants to?" Lin Jie sneered, the corner of his mouth turning up.

Lin Lu chimed in, too. "Exactly. That kid's way too arrogant. That's three hundred pounds! I've been training for years and can barely lift two hundred and fifty. He's dreaming!"

Zhang Quan saw this and didn't even raise an eyelid. What was there to see in someone lifting a three-hundred-pound training stone?

Lin Xuan stood before the stone, sank his breath to his dantian, and heaved. In an instant, he lifted the three-hundred-pound stone to his waist.

He seemed not the slightest bit flushed or winded. He held it there until the leather-armored officer told him to stop.

Lin Jie watched, his face paling as he stared fixedly at Lin Xuan. No matter how he looked at the boy, he didn't seem like someone with that kind of strength.

"H-how is this possible?"

Seeing Lin Xuan's condition, the leather-armored officer asked, "Do you still have strength left? You don't seem close to your limit. Shall we add another hundred pounds?"

"Sure. Go ahead." Lin Xuan nodded, then walked over to the four-hundred-pound stone.

He lifted it with ease again, and even seemed to have strength to spare. His condition piqued the curiosity of quite a few low-ranking officers.

"How is he so strong? That's four hundred pounds! Four hundred pounds!"

Lin Xuan had already broken the day's record, but he wasn't satisfied. He was worried that the so-called Zhang family's prized son might outdo him, so he suggested:

"I'd like to try five hundred pounds."

His words set the crowd ablaze.

To compete for Flag Commander, two hundred and fifty pounds was enough to meet the minimum. No one had expected him to choose double that weight!

Arrogant—utterly arrogant!

That was a weight even many veteran Flag Commanders only dared to attempt.

Still, it was clear that Lin Xuan had lifted the four-hundred-pound stone with ease. He had reason to believe he could handle five hundred.

Qin Lie nodded in approval. Qin Sheng wore an admiring expression, while Qin Ying looked utterly stunned.

Lin Jie's face darkened.

At this, Zhang Quan couldn't help glancing over. Five hundred pounds wasn't far from his own limit.

The leather-armored officer froze, blinking rapidly before watching Lin Xuan walk toward the five-hundred-pound training stone.

Lin Xuan sank his breath to his dantian, brought his whole body's muscles into harmony, then let out a heavy breath. He placed both hands on the training stone.

Lift!