Talent Indeed

033 Talent Indeed

"Keep it up, Zhang He!" His two good friends, Fatty Tang and Wang Dachui, shouted encouragement from behind. Zhang He smiled faintly, waved, and headed for the entrance. The examiner in charge handed him a suit of armor. Zhang He took it and found it light as a feather. Its material was unusual, yet sturdy.

"This armor must be meant to protect the Martial Children, so they don't get seriously injured." Zhang He put it on. It was so light that it barely hindered his movements.

He entered the assessment passage.

When the people behind him saw him go in, they began whispering among themselves.

"How long do you think Zhang He will last before coming out?"

"Hard to say. I heard his cultivation has already reached the True Qi Seed stage, hasn't it? He was kicked out of the Martial Child Academy after fighting Zhao Feng there."

"That's just a rumor. I heard later that Zhang He had cheated, using underhanded tricks to injure Zhao Feng. That was why he was expelled from the Martial Child Academy."

"Right. I don't think Zhang He could have cultivated a True Qi Seed. He'd always been mediocre, and he used to get bullied all the time. If he'd really reached the True Qi Seed stage, why would he let people push him around?"

Many of the Martial Children behind him knew Zhang He. When they saw him enter, they leaned together and whispered, chattering away.

As the Martial Children discussed him, Gan Tian'er stood among the crowd, gazing thoughtfully at the assessment entrance. For some reason, she remembered the calm look on Zhang He's face earlier. She had a feeling that his performance this time would leave everyone astonished! The thought of Zhang He standing out from the crowd made her feel inexplicably restless. She suddenly realized she was acting strangely. Touching her warm cheek, she wondered to herself, What's gotten into me? We haven't had anything to do with each other for ages. Why do I care so much about him now?

Fatty Tang and Wang Dachui were with Lian Yunbi.

"Dachui, let's make a bet. How long do you think Zhang He will take to come out?"

"How am I supposed to know? He'll definitely have to get through all ten puppets. Whew, if he does, he'll earn an excellent score in the Martial Child Assessment and can go straight into the army as a Centurion. That's an awfully tempting prospect." Envy flashed in Wang Dachui's eyes. Joining the army and becoming a Centurion was a great honor for Martial Children like them.

Lian Yunbi didn't join in the conversation with Fatty Tang and the others. Her beautiful eyes were fixed on the assessment entrance, her lips gently pressed together as a faint smile appeared. "Zhang He, you won't let me down, will you?"

Inside the passage, Zhang He looked at the wooden puppet standing as tall as a man before him. The puppets were built to the size and shape of adults. There was an exit in front of each one. If someone felt they couldn't continue, they could give up the rest of the assessment and leave through the exit. Zhang He, of course, had no intention of giving up.

"So I pass if I knock these puppets down?" Zhang He smiled faintly and strolled forward. The puppets seemed to sense him; the moment he drew near, they sprang into motion.

Whoosh!

The puppet lunged forward and drove a hard punch straight at Zhang He's chest. It used no fancy technique, just a direct, straightforward strike, yet it still carried a sense of pressure. Though they were puppets, their movements were every bit as nimble as a person's. That surprised Zhang He a little.

"Interesting." Zhang He thought to himself. But even an ordinary Martial Child, if prepared, wouldn't worry about such a direct attack, let alone Zhang He. He didn't break stride. As the fist came close, he turned slightly and let it brush past him. Then he raised a hand and planted his pale palm against the puppet's chest.

Bang!

The puppet flew backward and slammed into the wall. Red light flashed across its chest, and the words "Congratulations, you've passed" appeared. Once the puppet got back up, it leaned against the wall and stopped moving.

"These puppets really are made of unusual material. It slammed into the wall like that and still didn't break." Zhang He was slightly surprised, then continued farther in.

The second puppet sprang into motion too. Just as Zhang He had guessed, each puppet corresponded to one level of the Force Martial Realm. The first represented the first level, while the second represented the second. Its speed and power were both considerably greater than the first puppet's.

But to Zhang He, it was no different from the first. It was weak as hell! He didn't even stop walking. He simply slipped past its punches and kicks, caught its arm, and gave it a light shake. The puppet went flying.

Congratulations, you've passed!

He had cleared the second stage just as easily.

The third puppet... Congratulations, you've passed.

The fourth puppet... Congratulations, you've passed.

Zhang He never once broke stride. He paid no mind to the puppets' attacks; all it took was a light palm strike to send each one flying. Still, he noticed that the farther he went, the more the puppets' materials changed. The later ones were much tougher. His punches landed on them without leaving a mark.

"The material these puppets are made of really is unusual," Zhang He thought.

He was already facing the ninth puppet, and less than half a tea's time had passed since he entered.

"Who is this young man? He's faced every one of them with such ease and composure." In the main hall, Prince Qu and the Mengyin City Lord watched the assessment in the passage through a special mirror that showed every detail. Zhang He's display of strength had astonished them both.

From the moment Zhang He entered, he hadn't stopped once. He simply kept walking forward. When the puppets attacked, he didn't retreat; in the end, he defeated every one of them. His movements were simple and clean, with no discernible form. It seemed he just reacted to each attack as it came.

"His cultivation must have reached the True Martial Realm! He's making it look so easy! Against these basic puppets, he doesn't even need techniques. His reflexes alone let him take them down in a single move." The Mengyin City Lord had watched the entire assessment and couldn't help exclaiming in admiration.

"Who is this young man? I don't recall hearing of him before. Is there really someone like this in Mengyin City?" Prince Qu asked with interest.

The Mengyin City Lord looked embarrassed. "I... don't know either." A Martial Child with this much potential had appeared in his territory, and he knew nothing about him. If word got out, people would laugh him out of the room and say he didn't care about his own people.

"Heh, looks like this young man keeps a low profile." Prince Qu glanced at the information beside him and found Zhang He's file. "Zhang He? There doesn't seem to be any prominent Zhang family in Mengyin City."

At the name, the Mengyin City Lord racked his brains, searching his memory. He came up empty. He couldn't help wondering where this Zhang He had come from.

"The ninth puppet should be at the Brute Force Realm level." Zhang He headed toward it. The puppet had already sensed him, and before he had even drawn near, it suddenly sprang into action. Its attack was like a fierce tiger charging down a mountain. Though it was a puppet, it carried a ferocious aura.

Bang!

The puppet lashed out with a vicious kick, aiming from an unexpected angle straight at Zhang He's abdomen. At the same time, its fist shot out silently toward his head. The two attacks came from above and below, landing almost simultaneously. And as if it had a mind of its own, the puppet had been driving Zhang He toward the wall from the moment it struck.

If Zhang He retreated, the wall would be behind him, leaving him nowhere to dodge. If he tried to withstand the puppet's attacks, he would need both strength and quick reflexes.

"That angle is nasty. Looks like this puppet is mainly testing the Martial Children's strength." The greatest advantage of the Brute Force Realm was sheer power.

Zhang He watched the puppet attack. Its strikes were simple and effective, much like the military combat moves he had taught Fatty Tang and the others. Such forceful, swift, and vicious attacks would surely make any other Martial Child flinch.

Zhang He's expression didn't change. Rather than slow down, he suddenly accelerated and charged forward.

"Wild Ox Horn!" The most practical move in the Wild Ox Fist burst into action. Zhang He was like a raging wild ox, his fists its sharp horns, meeting the puppet's fists and kicks head-on. A layer of blood-red light flashed across his fists.

"Crack!" The puppet's body twisted unnaturally and flew backward, crashing hard into the wall. Dust billowed through the passage.

In the main hall, Prince Qu and the others watching this scene suddenly widened their eyes.

"Such dense blood-red light! His cultivation is at least the first level of the True Martial Realm! But even a Martial Child at the first level of the True Martial Realm wouldn't dare charge head-on against a Brute Force Puppet!" Prince Qu exclaimed in shock. The power Zhang He had shown proved that he had indeed reached the True Martial Realm.

"Who would've thought such a talent had appeared in our Mengyin City without anyone noticing!" The Mengyin City Lord was flushed with excitement. "With cultivation like his, he has a very good chance of passing the True Martial Academy's assessment." With Wen Liang already there, if Zhang He also entered the True Martial Academy, Mengyin City would have two disciples there. The City Lord would deserve no small share of the credit and would surely receive a generous reward. More than that, it would be a tremendous honor for him!

"From the moment he entered until he finished, he took less than half a tea's time." Prince Qu had just noticed the time. The hall had a special timekeeping device. He burst out laughing as he looked at the figure in the mirror, his eyes shining. "A talent! He's absolutely a talent!"

In the mirror, Zhang He had already walked out.

"Once the assessment is over, I must meet this young man. Looks like Wen Liang has a rival this time." Prince Qu smiled warmly. A talent like this emerging in the Western Chu Kingdom was a blessing for the whole country.