The Assessment Begins

Chapter 32: The Assessment Begins

"It really has been a long time. Where have you been all these years? A few years ago, you were already in the Brute Force Realm. What level of the True Martial Realm have you reached now?" Facing Wen Liang, Lian Yunbi didn't act lovestruck like the other girls. She simply asked in a normal tone.

Wen Liang seemed to have long since gotten used to the way Lian Yunbi spoke. He didn't mind at all, only smiling lightly and showing his pearly white teeth. "What level of the True Martial Realm? Do you think breaking through to the True Martial Realm is that easy? I reached a bottleneck a few years ago, and an elder in my family said that if I wanted to break through, I had to go out and gain experience. So I spent the past few years traveling and training. I only just hurried back, ready to take the Martial Child Assessment."

"Now that you're back, doesn't that mean none of us have any hope of competing for first place in the Martial Child Assessment?" Lian Yunbi sighed. As she spoke, she glanced at Zhang He, but he was gazing at the ground, completely ignoring their conversation. Lian Yunbi couldn't help feeling annoyed. What was with him?

Wen Liang raised an eyebrow and laughed. "First place in the Martial Child Test? You value it that much? These things are all just empty titles to us, aren't they? If you care that much, I'll let you have it. Actually, I've already joined the True Martial Academy and become an outer disciple. If I work a little harder, I'll be able to become an inner disciple. I don't need to take the Martial Child Assessment at all. I only came to lend our Mengyin City some support, so others will know we have talent here too, and the examiners won't look down on us."

As Wen Liang spoke, a faint air of arrogance colored his words.

Zhang He looked up, unable to hide his surprise. The True Martial Academy? It seemed Wen Liang had powerful backing. He had actually managed to enter the True Martial Academy directly and become an outer disciple.

"Don't get so full of yourself. Do you think you're the only genius in Mengyin City?" Lian Yunbi sneered dismissively. "The True Martial Academy is full of hidden talents. With an attitude like yours, you'd better watch out or someone will beat you into a pig's head." She was also quite annoyed by the way Wen Liang talked.

"Haha." Wen Liang didn't take her words to heart and merely smiled. "You're still the same as ever. Well, I have something to take care of inside, so I'll leave you for now. After the Martial Child Assessment, I'll pay your parents a visit." With that, Wen Liang departed with effortless grace.

"What a frog in a well. What's so special about the True Martial Realm? Zhang He is in the True Martial Realm too!" Fatty Tang watched Wen Liang leave and couldn't help sneering. Damn it, what was so great about being handsome? He even came here to show off!

Lian Yunbi froze when she heard that. She looked at Zhang He in disbelief and asked in astonishment, "You've reached the True Martial Realm too? When did that happen?" She looked at him as if he were some kind of monster.

"Not long ago. I was just lucky enough to break through to the True Martial Realm." Zhang He rubbed his nose and smiled faintly at Lian Yunbi. "Actually, you've reached the True Martial Realm too, haven't you?"

"Ha ha, another True Martial Realm expert! Let's see if Wen Liang can still act so smug now!" Lian Yunbi burst into laughter. "I broke through to the True Martial Realm because someone helped me too. Looks like there are at least three of us this time. The Martial Child Assessment should be quite a spectacle."

Even within the True Martial Realm, there were differences in strength.

Zhang He was just about to speak when he suddenly sensed something and looked to the side. In the crowd not far away, Zhao Feng was staring at him with ill intent. As soon as he saw Zhang He looking back, a provocative glint flashed in his eyes.

"Bastard!" Zhang He turned away in disdain. This guy was like a fly, buzzing around and being a nuisance.

When Zhao Feng saw Zhang He turn away in contempt, his face turned livid. "Damn it! Just you wait. You got lucky last time. Once the Martial Child Assessment is over, I'll settle the score with you!" After thinking it over, Zhao Feng believed Zhang He had nothing to do with Zhao Lei's death. Zhao Lei had probably been spotted by that so-called friend of Zhang He's while chasing Zhang He, and the friend had seized the chance to kill him.

So Zhao Feng hadn't taken Zhang He seriously at all. But because of Zhao Lei's death, Zhao Feng had been locked up at home for six days straight, unable to go out. He had nearly gone mad with boredom, and he blamed Zhang He for that too.

"You're lucky you even got the chance to take the Martial Child Assessment!" Zhao Feng spat bitterly.

At the edge of the square stood a large hall. A great many soldiers guarded its entrance, keeping it under tight security.

After Wen Liang showed them a waist token, the soldiers opened the way and let him in.

"Heh, Wen Liang, you're already a disciple of the True Martial Academy. Why are you still interested in taking the Martial Child Assessment?" As soon as Wen Liang entered, a hearty laugh rang out from inside. A burly, middle-aged man with a jade-green belt around his waist slowly walked out. He had thick eyebrows and large eyes. Though dressed like a scholar, he radiated the aura of iron and blood. Even the way he looked around carried an air of superiority. Behind him followed Mengyin City's lord and the Martial Child Academy's dean, Zhao Wencai, along with several imposing men who appeared to be the first man's guards.

"Greetings, Prince Qu. Greetings, City Lord and Dean Zhao." Wen Liang cupped his hands, then took an exquisite yellow beast-hide scroll from his robe and handed it to the middle-aged man with the jade-green belt. "Prince Qu, this is the Imperial Edict I brought from the True Martial Academy."

Prince Qu's expression shifted slightly. He took the beast-hide scroll, opened it, and exclaimed in delight, "The top three in every city's Martial Child Assessment can take the True Martial Academy's entrance exam?"

"That's right. The scroll was supposed to be sent to the Western Chu Kingdom, but since I was passing through, they had me bring it along." Wen Liang smiled faintly.

"Excellent! This is a wonderful opportunity! If the talented people of our Western Chu Kingdom can enter the True Martial Academy, they'll all become pillars of the state who can stand on their own once they graduate!" Prince Qu exclaimed in delight. He gazed at the beast-hide scroll in his hands as if it were his beloved.

The Mengyin City Lord standing nearby, however, looked concerned. He turned to Wen Liang and said, "Doesn't that mean Mengyin City will waste one of its places? You're sure to come first in this assessment, so we'll have only two places left." Wen Liang was already a disciple of the True Martial Academy. If he took the Martial Child Assessment too, he would only waste a place.

"Don't worry, City Lord. I'm taking the Martial Child Assessment just to make an appearance. I won't take up a place. You can simply skip over me and select the next three." Wen Liang smiled.

"That's good. In that case, Mengyin City will have hit the jackpot. If anyone among them can enter the True Martial Academy, it'll be a great blessing for our city." The City Lord beamed with delight. He couldn't help caring so much: if several True Martial Academy disciples came from the territory under his jurisdiction, he would have rendered a great service and might even be promoted!

"Haha, Wen Liang was one of the Martial Children at our Martial Child Academy too. Your entry into the True Martial Academy is an honor for our academy as well," Zhao Wencai said with a laugh.

Wen Liang smiled without comment. Then he suddenly remembered something and asked, "Dean Zhao, have there been any talented disciples at our Martial Child Academy lately?"

"Talented disciples? Who could compare to you? Ha ha. But that young lady from the Lian Family is quite good too. She reached the Brute Force Realm before," Zhao Wencai replied with a chuckle after thinking it over.

Wen Liang smiled, recalling Lian Yunbi's lovely face. His heart stirred. She had grown even more beautiful in the years since he last saw her. Sigh, what a pity. I'm already a disciple of the True Martial Academy, so whatever fate I had with her has come to an end.

"Heh, don't underestimate that young lady. She's a descendant of the Fire Qilin bloodline. She might make a brilliant showing in this Martial Child Assessment," Prince Qu suddenly said with a meaningful smile.

Wen Liang's heart stirred. If she could take the True Martial Academy's entrance exam and get in...

"All right, it's getting late. Let's get the tests underway. We'll divide everyone into three groups and run them simultaneously this time. Dean Zhao, I'll need you to go make the arrangements yourself." Prince Qu waved his hand.

Zhao Wencai hurriedly agreed and immediately went to arrange the three groups.

"This Martial Child Assessment will be an obstacle course. Those taking part must put on special armor and enter the testing passage. Inside are nine basic puppets. These are the nine basic puppets; each one is stronger than the last. If you can safely get past all nine, you'll earn an excellent result in the Martial Child Assessment and can immediately serve as a Centurion in the army. The more puppets you get past, the better your result will be."

"Now, prepare for the assessment according to the number plates in your hands. Be cautious during the test. The puppets won't kill you when they hit you, but it'll still hurt." The man announcing the rules gave a malicious grin.

The Martial Children below immediately grew excited. The Martial Child Assessment was finally starting!

"I wonder what these puppets are like." Zhang He looked at the three passage entrances in the distance. The Martial Child Assessment had made use of the square's three existing canals, sealing them off to form obstacle-course passages. He was curious about how the puppets moved. Were they like the wooden men in Shaolin Temple's wooden dummy hall?

At that moment, the Martial Children with the first number plates put on their armor outside, then entered the passage. Dull thuds sounded from within. Those outside craned their necks to peer in, hoping to see what was happening inside.

Before half a tea's time had passed, a Martial Child with vacant eyes was dragged out. He had no serious injuries, just a bruised and swollen face.

"What's it like in there? What happened?"

"Hurry up and tell us! Was it easy in there?"

A crowd gathered around him, asking about the passage. The Martial Child stared blankly at everyone around him, then came to his senses and burst into tears. "They... they really went all out. It... hurt so much! I only made it to the fourth puppet before they beat me out." Watching him wail in anguish, the crowd couldn't help drawing in a sharp breath.

Just then, another Martial Child came out, equally bruised and swollen. The crowd swarmed around him.

"I made it to the fourth one too, then got beaten down..." the Martial Child said gloomily.

A glimmer flashed in Zhang He's eyes. "Those two were both at the fourth level of the Force Martial Realm, in the Skin Tempering Realm. They both made it to the fourth puppet. Could it be that the ten puppets inside each correspond to a different cultivation realm? If so, wouldn't the last puppet have the cultivation of the Brute Force Realm?"

"Next, Zhang He." At that moment, the examiner calling the names loudly called Zhang He's.