Secret Martial Artist [II]

"The test content is very simple; we need to perform bone-reading on all of you."

"Bone aptitude is divided into four grades from low to high: Ding, Bing, Yi, and Jia. If you are rated Ding, you may leave on your own."

Having said that, over a dozen fifteen-year-old youths, including Hu Long and Hu Zetong, began to line up.

Unlike those youths taking the test for the first time, the original owner of Hu Long's current body had already undergone bone-reading at fifteen.

Knowing that the test itself was not complicated, one only needed to stand still.

The so-called bone-reading sounded profound, but in reality, it was simply measuring the development of one's bones through techniques like pressing, pinching, folding, and rotating.

However, in the memories left behind by the original body, the bone-reading here seemed to hold some hidden mysteries...

Because there were both men and women in the crowd.

The women were tested by Hu Li on the side, while the men were handled personally by Hu Zhenkui.

On the boys' side, due to the strength Hu Long had previously displayed, the other youths were all somewhat intimidated by him, and no one dared to line up in front of him.

Even Hu Zetong stood honestly in second place.

Although he had a mischievous personality, he also had self-awareness; a loss was a loss.

Therefore, Hu Long was the first to undergo the test.

Hu Zhenkui was also quite interested in this junior who had performed so unexpectedly.

Given the boy's age, he should have had his bone aptitude tested long ago.

He even dug out the original records.

Grade Ding, the lowest tier.

Yet now, the boy's physical state was completely different.

With a flicker of thought, he raised his hand, his palms patting, grabbing, and pinching all over Hu Long's body.

The movements appeared calm and unremarkable.

But Hu Long, the person involved, sensed something unusual.

Every time the man touched him, a faint sensation like a mild electric shock would surge through him, triggering an instinctive reaction from his body.

Hu Long subconsciously channeled the force-exertion techniques of his perfected Integrated Force martial art.

"Hmm?"

Hu Zhenkui let out a soft sound of surprise.

The next moment, Hu Long felt all the strength in his body drain away, leaving him unable to move a single inch.

Ten seconds later, Hu Zhenkui withdrew his hand, a strange look flashing in his eyes as he took a deep look at Hu Long.

"It really is Grade Jia aptitude, and furthermore, I didn't expect you to have already mastered a portion of Integrated Force... You are truly excellent. Go stand behind me for now."

"Yes."

Hu Long was inwardly shocked.

After the man stopped, the tingling sensation immediately dissipated, and his body returned to normal.

Though he had many questions, he said nothing and simply stood to the side as instructed.

The other clansmen nearby, hearing Hu Zhenkui say that he had already mastered a portion of Integrated Force, all glanced at Hu Long with some surprise.

Hu Zhenkui took in Hu Long's expression, but thought nothing of it.

It was normal for an ordinary person to feel shocked when faced with methods they could not understand.

If there were no reaction, that would be suspicious instead.

However, what Hu Zhenkui did not know was that the reason for Hu Long's shock was not this, but something else entirely.

[Target: Hu Zhenkui]

[Skill 1: Spirit Ape Secret Martial Art (Bone Tempering Chapter, Level 9)]

[Size: 87M (Status: Not downloadable)]

(Description: A unique secret method that breaks human limits and promotes life evolution, created by observing the form of the spirit ape.)

[Skill 2: Red Sand Hand (Proficient)]

[Size: 20M (Status: Not downloadable)]

(Description: A secret method to enhance the strength of both hands; requires mastery of force to download...)

[Skill 3: Mad Demon Staff (Skilled)]

[Size: 13M (Status: Not downloadable)]

Hu Zhenkui was truly worthy of being the clan leader.

Excluding ordinary life skills, he possessed as many as five special skills.

The leading "Spirit Ape Secret Martial Art" actually required over eighty megabytes of data, which was terrifying.

One must know that a skill requiring an ordinary person to train bitterly for decades to reach the master level costs only about six trillion.

The data flow required for this secret technique is actually more than ten times that amount.

The data flow required for other proficiency-level skills also far exceeds the ordinary.

Furthermore, the prerequisite for downloading all of them is the mastery of force.

Clearly, these skills all belong to the extraordinary category, far beyond comparison to ordinary skills.

And that force must be the power that only a Secret Martial Artist can master.

Hu Long watched with a burning heart, wishing he could download them all immediately.

Unfortunately, after downloading the Innate Divine Strength talent, his Source Value had already bottomed out.

Moreover, even if he had saved the Source Value, it would have been useless.

Because even if all the Source Value he had obtained since crossing over were added together, it would not be enough to download this skill.

What's more, such skills are different from ordinary ones; they still have prerequisites.

Downloading rashly might be more than his body could withstand; he had not forgotten the feeling of weakness when he first downloaded Unarmed Combat.

Downloading must also be done step by step; one cannot become a fat man in one bite.

"Grade D, unqualified... Grade D, unqualified... Grade C, qualified..."

The bone-reading process was quite fast, and with the boys and girls divided into two lines, everyone had been tested in about ten minutes.

In the end, there were five qualified individuals.

Excluding Hu Long and Hu Zetong, there were two other boys and one girl.

The young man wearing a tank top with a tattoo on his arm was also among them.

Soon, the results were out.

Hu Long and Hu Zetong were Grade A aptitude.

The young girl was Grade B.

The last boy and the tank-top youth were Grade C.

The boy bit his lip, his expression somewhat unwilling.

After all, as the name implied, this Grade C was barely qualified and could not be considered excellent at all.

The tank-top youth on the side was much better off by comparison.

He even had time to comfort the boy, smiling.

"Don't be discouraged. Aptitude isn't set in stone. Look at me; I was tested as Grade D and unqualified before, and now I've reached Grade C and qualified."

He had also been tested when he was fifteen, and it was likewise a Grade D aptitude.

"That's right. Do not be discouraged if you are unqualified; bone aptitude does indeed change with time."

Hu Zhenkui nodded.

Bone-reading is actually the same principle as the ancient art of horse judging; it is not some unfathomable science.

Horses with more perfect bones and tendons naturally run faster; conversely, the same principle applies to people.

So-called bone-reading is the use of techniques to probe a person's innate skeletal structure, proportions, length, and joint morphology.

It is not just about the thickness of the bones; it is also about evaluating the quality of the innate tendons and bones through touch, whether the shoulders, hips, arms, and legs meet the requirements of the fist style's force-generating structure, the strength and elasticity of the tendons and ligaments, and the tightness of the joints.

Thereby, one judges the foundation and plasticity of this body.

Because of the unique nature of the human body, it will undergo some changes before reaching full maturity.

However, there was one thing he did not say.

Although bone aptitude might change, that is ultimately only a small part.

For most people, the result of their first test at fifteen is already considered set.

Because the human skeleton is generally basically set by the age of fifteen, and changes thereafter are limited.

Bone-reading at this age can basically reveal the full picture, which is the reason why only the bone aptitude of fifteen-year-old clansmen is tested.

While there may be some changes, they are only slight improvements.

In reality, it does not have much significance.

Of course, there is no need to say such discouraging things.

On the spot, some of the unqualified boys and girls already had reddened eyes. Although some of them did not even fully understand the importance of this matter, they knew that they had been eliminated.

Unfortunately, no aptitude means no aptitude.

After these people left, Hu Zhenkui finally swept his gaze over the five.

His gaze lingered on Hu Long and Hu Zetong for a moment before he slowly began to speak.

"I know you must have many questions."

"I can tell you now that the bone-touching was to test whether you have the aptitude to practice Secret Martial Arts. Congratulations, you are now qualified to come into contact with them."

"This is also one of the reasons why the Strength Bearing Festival exists."

"Those with sufficient physical strength usually do not have poor aptitude."

Hearing this, Hu Long's eyes flashed.

His original body had already been tested, and his aptitude had not met the standard.

Even with some improvement, it was unlikely to be this exaggerated.

Compared to Hu Zetong, the change he had undergone to reach Grade A was likely due to downloading the "Innate Divine Strength" talent.

"Of course, while innate bone quality is helpful for practicing Secret Martial Arts, it is not absolute."

"How far you can go still depends on your own hard work, opportunities, and comprehension."

Hu Zhenkui's gaze was calm as he swept over the five of them, offering his admonition.

"Yes!"

The group responded in unison, their hearts inevitably stirred.

Although Hu Long appeared just as excited on the surface, he remained noncommittal in his heart.

Acquired effort can allow a person to reach the peak within the limits of their own talent, but it is difficult to break through that ceiling.

It is like a person who can score one hundred points through diligent study, but compared to those true geniuses, the only reason they scored one hundred is because the test paper only goes up to one hundred, not because they are only capable of scoring one hundred.

Only after growing up does one realize that talent is far more important than acquired effort.