Was I Seeing That Wrong?

"Look, he's out! Zhang He's out!"

"He was in there such a short time. He probably only made it as far as the third puppet. No wonder, given how he'd been hovering just shy of the Skin Tempering Realm."

"Look at him. He doesn't seem hurt at all. I guess he saw things weren't going well and gave up."

"What a coward. Just as I thought, he must've used underhanded tricks to injure Zhao Feng at the Martial Child Academy."

The moment a crowd of Martial Children spotted Zhang He, an uproar broke out. They pointed at him and whispered among themselves. He'd been inside for less than half a cup of tea before coming back out. And his face wasn't even bruised. How could they not let their imaginations run wild?

"Heh. He came out so quickly. He definitely didn't get past many puppets!" Zhao Feng watched Zhang He with a sneer in his eyes. He took a deep breath. At home, he'd constantly sparred against the experts in his family, so his combat skills were far superior to those of ordinary Martial Children.

Just wait until my assessment. I'll make you all eat your words!

"Damn, Zhang He's amazing! He's already finished and come back out, and it's only been a little while!" Fatty Tang and Wang Dachui couldn't help staring in shock when they saw Zhang He emerge. They had complete confidence in his strength. If he'd come out, he must have cleared the whole thing!

"He cleared it from start to finish in such a short time! An ordinary Martial Child would probably only have reached the second or third puppet by now, right?" Lian Yunbi's beautiful eyes were full of astonishment. She hadn't seen how strong Zhang He was now, but back on the mountain, he'd gone in and come back out without a scratch. That alone said a lot.

Zhang He walked over.

"How'd it go?" Fatty Tang and Wang Dachui hurried over to him. Lian Yunbi joined them, watching Zhang He.

"It wasn't difficult. Once you're in there, just use the moves I taught you. You'll have no trouble," Zhang He said.

"I heard clearing the whole thing isn't easy. But you came back out without a scratch in such a short time. Whew, that puts a lot of pressure on me." Lian Yunbi smiled. Seeing how relaxed Zhang He looked had somehow put her at ease. "By the way, what moves did you teach them?"

"Just a few little tricks." Zhang He smiled shyly.

By then, the examiners had started calling for Fatty Tang and Wang Dachui. They'd registered together, so they were scheduled to take the assessment one after the other. When Zhang He finished, the Martial Children in the other two assessment lanes had also just come out.

Fatty Tang and Wang Dachui hurried off.

"Those two useless fools were kicked out of the Martial Child Academy along with Zhang He. Now they've actually come back to take the Martial Child Assessment. They still haven't learned their lesson. They must be looking to embarrass themselves, but they won't even get the chance."

"Haha, let's just watch the show. It'll be a nice distraction from all the tension of the assessment."

A crowd of Martial Children, especially those from wealthy families, burst into laughter when they saw Fatty Tang and Wang Dachui enter.

Fatty Tang and Wang Dachui had long since taken Zhang He's advice to heart. They treated the others' jeers and mockery like a gust of wind.

"Dachui, your old man's here too. Look!" Fatty Tang suddenly said to Wang Dachui. Then his face changed. "Seriously, didn't we tell them not to come? What about the shop's business?" Fatty Tang had spotted his parents in the crowd, waving at him. Before the assessment, they'd told their families the test would go ahead as usual, and there was no need to come to the square. They could just stay home and wait for the good news. Even so, Fatty Tang felt warmth in his heart when he saw them. He waved back at his parents.

Wang Dachui looked at his aged father, his hair white, his gray, dark face lined with deep creases. When Wang Dachui's father saw his son, he waved both arms with all his might. Wang Dachui's nose stung. He waved back fiercely. "Dad, I won't let you down!"

Someone behind them urged them on. Fatty Tang and Wang Dachui turned without hesitation and entered the assessment lane.

The results of Zhang He's training showed themselves fully as Fatty Tang and Wang Dachui fought their way through the assessment lane. Against the first three puppets, they won almost as quickly as Zhang He had. That scene naturally caught the eye of Prince Qu and the others in the hall, where they had been observing the assessment lanes.

"Two more! The way they're attacking is almost exactly like Zhang He's. Could we have two more prodigies?" Prince Qu's heart stirred. He stared eagerly at the mirror, watching every move the pair made in the assessment lane. When the Mengyin City Lord heard Prince Qu's praise, his heart blossomed. He watched the two in the mirror too, only to realize with surprise that he didn't recognize either of them. But this time, he was prepared. The moment he saw they were unfamiliar, he checked their records.

"Tang Risong. A commoner Martial Child. His father is a tailor. His mother is a cook."

"Wang Dachui. A commoner Martial Child. His father is a blacksmith. His mother died when he was young."

The Mengyin City Lord's expression turned strange as he read their records. What was going on? Why were all the ones bringing honor today commoner Martial Children?

"Hm?" Prince Qu suddenly let out a startled cry. His expression grew grave as he watched the images in the mirror.

The Mengyin City Lord was taken aback by Prince Qu's reaction. He hurried over to see what had happened. What could possibly make Prince Qu, the chief examiner, react like that? His gaze fell on the mirror, and the pair's fighting style made the lord's face flush with embarrassment.

Why were those two brats fighting so sleazily?

On the mirror, Fatty Tang and Wang Dachui used shameless moves like Monkey Steals the Peach and Fishing for Needles from the Sea Floor, and they used them with gusto.

"This..." The Mengyin City Lord stole a glance at Prince Qu's expression, wondering how he should explain the scene. The Martial Child Academy certainly didn't teach such shameless attacks!

"Excellent! What talent!" Prince Qu suddenly slapped the table and shouted with excitement. The Mengyin City Lord stared blankly at him. What was wrong with His Highness?

"Though their fighting style looks shameless and lewd, their moves are simple and effective. They target the most vulnerable parts of the body, and their attacks are exceptionally tricky, making excellent use of the weaknesses in the human joints. Most importantly, they have power and speed! They don't care about looking impressive; they only care about results. Their attacks can often take down an opponent in a single move! These techniques could be used in the army. If we spread them, our soldiers' individual combat skills would improve dramatically in a short time!" Prince Qu's eyes shone. As the commander of an army, he immediately saw the greatest value in this fighting style.

Prince Qu was convinced that if the soldiers in the army mastered this fighting style, their overall strength would rise dramatically. The military might of the entire Western Chu Kingdom would increase as well.

The city lord's mind began racing. Two more talents! And both were from his jurisdiction! If Prince Qu took a liking to them, it would be a great boon to Mengyin City—and to him personally!

"One is called Tang Risong, and the other is Wang Dachui..." The city lord immediately showed off the little he'd just learned. "Your Highness, I'll have them brought in once the assessment is over."

Prince Qu nodded repeatedly, full of praise. "Very good, very good. Have them brought in as soon as the assessment ends. They're both talents, pillars of the nation! We must give them important responsibilities!" The city lord was stunned. Prince Qu was the Western Chu Kingdom's Privy Secretary, in charge of the kingdom's armies. His words showed just how highly he regarded the two.

Fatty Tang and Wang Dachui came out at almost exactly the same time. They'd lasted about a cup of tea inside, and when they emerged, both had only minor scrapes. But they were both grinning with excitement. As the uninformed crowd watched and mocked them, they excitedly hurried over to Zhang He.

"The ninth puppet! We made it to the ninth puppet!" Fatty Tang and Wang Dachui said in unison. They had every reason to celebrate that result.

"To reach the ninth puppet with the seventh level of the Force Martial Realm is a good result." Zhang He smiled and nodded. Reaching the ninth puppet meant they'd already defeated the eighth. He knew the puppet at the Brute Force Realm was no easy opponent.

"Those moves really helped. They were so useful against the puppets!" Fatty Tang and Wang Dachui chuckled. Fatty Tang even demonstrated a few moves, his expression downright lewd.

Lian Yunbi had already left to prepare for her own assessment. Zhang He and the others stood in a corner, chatting idly. Zhang He had planned to leave, but Fatty Tang said they would announce the rankings on the spot as soon as the assessment ended. Since Zhang He had nothing urgent to do, he could only wait patiently for the results.

Time passed quickly. Lian Yunbi came out after about half a cup of tea, taking a little longer than Zhang He. Wen Liang went in afterward and came out quickly too, in less than half a cup of tea. Zhang He's heart tightened. Damn, I should've cleared the whole thing faster when I was in there.

Wen Liang had taken about as long as Zhang He. That made Zhang He worry. His goal was first place, after all!

At most, only a hundred or so people took the Martial Child Assessment each year. Everyone had finished before noon. Once the assessment was over, the examiners told everyone to stay until the rankings were announced.

The crowd gathered in the square, their expressions varied. Some looked eager; they were Martial Children who'd done well. Others wore long faces; they were the ones who had "performed below their usual standard." The crescent moon shone over all nine provinces; some rejoiced while others grieved. Zhang He was uneasy too, worried about how he'd ranked against Wen Liang.

Fatty Tang and Wang Dachui saw that Zhang He was worried and tried to comfort him.

Tap, tap.

The crisp sound of footsteps rang out, and the Martial Children's eyes immediately turned toward the hall. Two soldiers in standard-issue armor and cowhide military boots marched out, heads held high. Carrying a huge notice board, they crossed the square to a clean wall of blue-gray stone and carefully put it up.

The waiting Martial Children had been on tenterhooks. The moment they saw the board, they swarmed toward it before the soldiers had even finished posting it.

"How is that possible?"

"Am I seeing this right?" Cries of disbelief rose from the crowd in front of the notice, as if they'd witnessed the most impossible thing imaginable.