033 A Talent

033 A Talent Indeed

"Zhang He, go for it!" Fatty Tang and Wang Dachui, his two good friends, shouted loudly from behind to cheer Zhang He on. Zhang He offered a faint smile, waved his hand, and reached the entrance. The proctor in charge of the assessment handed a suit of armor to Zhang He. Taking it in his hands, Zhang He found the armor to be light as a feather; the material was unique, yet remarkably sturdy.

"This armor is likely here to protect the Martial Children and prevent them from being severely injured," Zhang He thought. He donned the armor, and because it was so lightweight, it had no impact on his mobility.

He stepped into the assessment corridor.

Those standing behind watched Zhang He enter and began to whisper among themselves.

"How long do you think Zhang He will last before he comes back out?"

"That's hard to say. Rumor has it that his cultivation has already reached the True Qi Seed stage, hasn't it? He was kicked out of the Martial Child Academy precisely because he got into a fight with Zhao Feng back then."

"Those are just rumors. Later, it was said that Zhang He had cheated and used underhanded tactics to injure Zhao Feng. That's the real reason he was expelled from the Martial Child Academy."

"Exactly. I don't believe Zhang He could have reached the True Qi Seed stage. He was always mediocre before and was bullied repeatedly. If he had truly reached the True Qi Seed stage, why would he let people push him around?"

Many Martial Children in the back recognized Zhang He, and seeing him go in, they put their heads together and gossiped.

While the other Martial Children were whispering, Gan Tian'er stood in the crowd, watching the entrance to the assessment with a thoughtful expression. For some reason, she recalled the calm look on Zhang He's face earlier, and she had a feeling that his performance this time would surely shock everyone! The thought of Zhang He standing out from the crowd made her feel inexplicably flustered. She suddenly realized her own strange behavior, touched her slightly warm cheeks, and wondered to herself, What is wrong with me? I haven't had any contact with him for a long time, so why do I care about him so much now?

Fatty Tang and Wang Dachui were standing with Lian Yunbi.

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

"How could I possibly say? He's definitely going to try to clear all ten puppets. Sigh, if one clears ten puppets, they get an excellent grade on the Martial Child Assessment and can enter the army directly to become a Centurion. That is just too tempting." A look of envy flashed in Wang Dachui's eyes. Being able to join the army and become a Centurion was a great honor for these Martial Children.

Lian Yunbi did not join in the conversation with Fatty Tang and the others. Her beautiful eyes were fixed on the assessment entrance, her lips pursed, and a faint smile appeared on her face: "Zhang He, you won't let me down, will you?"

Inside the corridor, Zhang He looked at the wooden puppets standing as tall as a man before him. These puppets were the same size and shape as adults. In front of each puppet was an exit; if a candidate felt they could not continue, they could choose to give up the rest of the assessment and leave directly through that exit. However, Zhang He naturally had no intention of giving up.

"So, knocking down these puppets counts as clearing the stage?" Zhang He smiled faintly and strolled forward. The puppets sensed his presence and immediately sprang into action as he approached.

Whoosh!

A puppet lunged forward with a stride, throwing a fierce punch straight at Zhang He's chest. The puppet's strike lacked any flashy technique—it was direct and straightforward—yet it still carried a sense of oppression. Although they were puppets, their agility was in no way inferior to a human's. This caught Zhang He slightly off guard.

Interesting, Zhang He thought to himself. However, even for an ordinary Martial Child, this straightforward attack would be nothing to worry about if they were prepared, let alone for Zhang He. He didn't even stop his pace; as he neared the puppet's fist, he tilted his body slightly, letting the blow graze past him. Then, he raised his palm, and his fair hand landed squarely on the puppet's chest.

Bang!

The puppet was sent flying, slamming hard into the wall behind. A red light flashed on its chest, and the words "Congratulations, Stage Cleared" appeared. After the puppet stood up, it leaned against the wall and stopped moving.

"The material of these puppets is truly unique. It didn't even shatter after such an impact," Zhang He noted with slight surprise as he continued inward.

The second puppet began to move. Just as Zhang He had surmised, each puppet corresponded to a level of the Force Martial Realm. The first was at the first level, and the second corresponded to the second level. Both the speed and force of this puppet's strike were significantly improved compared to the first.

But... in Zhang He's eyes, it was no different from the first. It was pathetically weak! Zhang He didn't stop his pace at all; he walked straight forward, tilted his body slightly to dodge the puppet's punch and kick, then grabbed the puppet's arm and gave it a light flick. The puppet was sent crashing away.

Congratulations, Stage Cleared!

The second stage was cleared just as easily.

The third puppet... Congratulations, Stage Cleared.

The fourth puppet... Congratulations, Stage Cleared.

From start to finish, Zhang He never once slowed his pace. He didn't consider the puppets' attacks to be any threat; to pass, he only needed a light palm strike to send them flying. However, Zhang He also noticed that as he progressed, the material of the puppets changed. The later puppets were tougher, and his punches left no marks on them.

The material of these puppets is truly unique, Zhang He thought.

He was already at the ninth puppet. From the moment he entered until this point, not even half a cup of tea's time had passed.

"Who is this little fellow? From start to finish, he has faced everything with such composure and ease." In the main hall, Prince Qu and the City Lord of Mengyin were watching the assessment in the corridor clearly through a special mirror. The strength Zhang He displayed astonished them both.

Zhang He hadn't stopped since he entered; he just kept walking forward. Whenever a puppet attacked, he didn't retreat, and in the end, he defeated them all. Zhang He's movements were extremely concise; one couldn't even see any specific techniques, as he seemed to be reacting entirely on instinct.

"His cultivation must have already broken through to the True Martial Realm! It's too easy! Compared to these basic puppets, he doesn't even need to use techniques; he only needs to rely on his reaction speed to defeat his enemies in a single move," the City Lord of Mengyin exclaimed, having watched the entire process.

"Who is this little fellow? I don't recall hearing about such a person in Mengyin City before," Prince Qu asked with interest.

The City Lord of Mengyin looked embarrassed. "This... I don't know either." To have such a promising Martial Child under his rule and know nothing about him—if word got out, he would be a laughingstock for not caring about his own people.

"Heh, it seems this is a very low-key lad," Prince Qu said, glancing at the documents at his side. "Zhang He? There doesn't seem to be any prominent Zhang family in Mengyin City."

The City Lord of Mengyin racked his brains, searching his memory for the name, but came up empty. He couldn't help but wonder: where did this kid named Zhang He even come from?

"The ninth puppet should correspond to the Brute Force Realm." Zhang He walked toward the ninth puppet. It had already sensed him, and before he could even get close, it suddenly moved. Its strike was like a tiger descending from the mountain; although it was a puppet, it carried a fierce momentum.

Bang!

The puppet kicked out with a vicious angle, aiming directly for Zhang He's lower abdomen. At the same time, its fist shot out silently, targeting Zhang He's head. The pincer attack arrived almost simultaneously. Moreover, the puppet seemed to possess intelligence, as it immediately forced Zhang He toward the wall from the moment it began its attack.

If Zhang He wanted to retreat, the wall was right behind him, leaving him no room to dodge. If he chose to take the attack head-on, it would require both immense strength and lightning-fast reflexes.

Truly devious. It seems this puppet is primarily testing a Martial Child's raw power. In the Brute Force Realm, the greatest advantage was the test of strength.

Zhang He remained expressionless. Instead of stopping, he suddenly accelerated, charging forward with a burst of speed.

"Wild Ox Horn!" He unleashed the most practical move from the Wild Ox Fist. Zhang He was like an enraged wild ox, his fists acting as the sharp horns of the beast, meeting the puppet's strike head-on. A layer of blood-red light flashed across Zhang He's fists.

"Crack!" The Brute Force Puppet's body twisted in a grotesque fashion, hurtling backward with sudden violence before slamming heavily into the wall behind it. Dust billowed throughout the corridor.

Inside the great hall, Prince Qu and the others watching this scene widened their eyes in shock.

"Such dense blood-red aura! His cultivation is at least at the first level of the True Martial Realm! And yet, even a martial disciple at the first level of the True Martial Realm wouldn't dare to clash head-on with a Brute Force Puppet like that!" Prince Qu exclaimed in shock. The strength Zhang He had displayed proved that his current cultivation was undoubtedly in the True Martial Realm.

"I never expected that our Mengyin City would quietly produce such a talent!" The City Lord of Mengyin City beamed, his face flushed with excitement. "With cultivation like his, he has a great chance of passing the True Martial Academy's examination." If Zhang He were to join Wen Liang in the True Martial Academy, Mengyin City would have produced two disciples for the academy in one go. As City Lord, his contribution would be undeniable, ensuring him a generous reward, not to mention the immense glory it would bring him!

"From the moment he entered until the end, it took less than half a cup of tea's time." Prince Qu suddenly noticed this detail. In the great hall, there were specialized timekeeping tools, and he burst into laughter. Looking at the figure in the mirror, his eyes shone with a strange brilliance. "A talent! This is absolutely a talent!"

Inside the mirror, Zhang He had already walked out.

"After the examination concludes, I must meet this young man. This time, Wen Liang has truly met his match." Prince Qu said with a smile. The emergence of such talent in the Western Chu Kingdom was a blessing for the entire nation.