Assessment

The next morning, Wei Luo returned to the Sun Family's courtyard residence.

Someone was already practicing punches and holding stances in the clearing. Wei Luo quickly joined them and assumed the Stacked Waves Stance.

After a month of deduction, Wei Luo's Stacked Waves Stance had attained thirty percent of Master Qin's spirit and form.

As he held the stance, his qi and blood flowed smoothly, with scarcely any obstruction.

Before long, the others who had entered alongside him also arrived at the clearing to practice their stances.

The moment Liu Changle saw Wei Luo, he ran over and asked.

"What happened with Feng Hao?"

"He learned that I was practicing martial arts now and had joined the Sun Family, so he didn't dare provoke me again. The matter's settled."

Wei Luo had long prepared this explanation. The Sun Family was powerful enough, so he might as well borrow its tiger skin.

He did not elaborate, but Liu Changle had no suspicions and instead cursed Feng Hao a few times.

"Hmph! Just as I thought. That guy only bullies the weak and fears the strong. If I run into him, I'll make him taste whether our fists are hard or not!"

An hour later, Master Qin, who had not shown himself for days, emerged from the inner courtyard. After eating a couple of fried peanuts, he called a halt to everyone practicing their stances.

"One month is enough time for you to thoroughly grasp the punching stance. Now it's time to teach you boxing."

At the prospect of learning punches, everyone's eyes lit up.

After holding stances for an entire month, they had long been impatient.

But Master Qin swept his gaze over them, smiled faintly, and changed his tune.

"Don't celebrate too soon. You have to eat one bite at a time, and you have to practice boxing one step at a time."

"If you want to learn boxing, your punching stance must first be able to stand firm. If you can't hold it, don't even think about learning punches."

The previously excited crowd was stunned.

Master Qin summoned several people and had them carry out a strangely shaped platform.

There was a small round board atop the platform, and beneath it seemed to be a mechanism supporting it, making it sway and wobble.

"As long as any one of you can stand on it for ten breaths, you'll qualify to learn boxing."

With that, Master Qin casually pointed at someone.

"You. Get up here and try it."

The man quickly jumped onto the round board. The instant he stepped on it, his body lurched, and he nearly fell.

Master Qin looked at him with disdain.

"What a blockhead. Hold your stance."

With that reminder, the man immediately assumed the Stacked Waves Stance.

A month of grueling practice had not been for nothing. He quickly steadied himself, and a smile appeared on his face.

If he only had to hold on like this for ten breaths, he would definitely pass.

But just as he was thinking that, Master Qin smiled faintly again and stepped on a pedal.

In an instant, the round board began to buck violently up and down while spinning at the same time.

This was no longer so easy. Sweat immediately beaded on the man's forehead. No matter how hard he tried to steady himself, he was thrown off on the sixth breath.

His face instantly fell. His innate aptitude was ordinary, but he had trained day and night, only to fail even to reach the threshold for learning boxing.

Yet no one cared about a loser. Master Qin did not even glance at him and merely pointed to the next person.

Several more people went up for the assessment, but not one of them managed to stand firm for ten breaths.

"Wei Luo, it looks like very few people will pass."

Seeing this, Liu Changle's face showed a trace of worry.

They had all practiced martial arts together, so they generally knew each other's level. Liu Changle was about on par with the others, so naturally he had no confidence.

Then he looked at Wei Luo and asked.

"Can you pass?"

Wei Luo paused before answering.

"Hard to say. If my luck is bad, I really might not make it."

Liu Changle was slightly surprised.

"Haven't you held your punching stance pretty well? How come even you might fail?"

Over the past month, Wei Luo had continuously deduced and refined his punching stance. Though he was much stronger than ordinary disciples, he still did not dare guarantee that he would pass.

"Someone finally passed—it's Shen Wu."

"He actually lasted sixteen breaths. As expected of superior innate aptitude!"

A sudden chorus of shocked cries rose from the crowd gathered at the front.

Wei Luo turned to look. At that moment, Master Qin also wore a gratified expression.

"Good, good, good! To last sixteen breaths after only one month—there isn't anyone else like you in the entire courtyard."

Even the Sun Family sailors practicing in the courtyard turned their gazes over, curiously sizing up Shen Wu.

Shen Wu's face was full of delight. He clasped his fists toward Master Qin and said.

"It's all because Master Qin taught so well. Otherwise, Shen Wu could never have reached this level."

Master Qin clearly enjoyed hearing that. Smiling again, he patted Shen Wu on the shoulder.

Liu Changle curled his lip at the sight.

"Isn't that just bootlicking? Taught so well, my ass. Master Qin has only taught us for a few days."

Wei Luo smiled but said nothing.

Liu Changle had always been rather straightforward, but he was far better than those who fawned on the powerful.

Soon, several more people endured for ten breaths. They were all those who had possessed relatively good innate aptitude to begin with.

Those who lasted ten breaths could learn boxing. Wei Luo understood the principle that one step slow meant every step slow.

Before long, he made up his mind and immediately activated his deduction.

[What are my chances of passing the assessment?]

[Time required: three breaths]

[60%]

[How do I pass the assessment?]

[Time required: ten hours]

[What abilities are needed to pass the assessment?]

[...]

After a rapid series of deductions, Wei Luo continuously changed the conditions of his deductions.

From what abilities were needed to pass the assessment, he gradually shifted to what elements were needed to pass it.

At last, his deduction came to a stop.

[Techniques for making the punching stance more stable]

[Time required: twenty breaths]

[Focus the mind and calm the qi. Feel the undulations of the waves through the punching stance—this is the essence of the Stacked Waves Stance.]

The moment Wei Luo saw this deduction, his expression changed.

This deduction directly transformed into all manner of realizations that surfaced within his heart, instantly deepening his understanding of the punching stance by a great deal.

"This deduction has such a wondrous use!"

He was immediately astonished. This was the first time he had directly deduced a martial arts technique.

When he had first begun practicing the punching stance, he had also deduced similar information, but the deduction time had been extremely long, so he had not chosen to pursue it.

Now, it seemed that as his punching stance grew more proficient, the corresponding time required had also decreased.

That meant that even if he encountered a martial arts bottleneck in the future, he could break through it through deduction!

Wei Luo could feel that passing this assessment with his current punching stance would not be difficult.

There were only a little over thirty people to begin with, and it was soon Wei Luo's turn.

"Master Qin."

Wei Luo clasped his fists in salute, but Master Qin merely raised his eyes slightly and gave a quiet grunt in response.

Those with good innate aptitude had already passed. Wei Luo's aptitude was ordinary, so he could not stir Master Qin's interest at all.

Yet the moment Wei Luo stepped onto the platform and assumed the Stacked Waves Stance, Master Qin's expression shifted slightly.

"The punching stance he held before seemed rather strange... Now it actually has a bit of flavor to it."

Master Qin had practiced martial arts for many years, so he could naturally see through Wei Luo at a glance. He immediately stepped on the mechanism.

In an instant, Wei Luo felt as though the world were spinning around him, like a small boat amid raging waves.

Yet his feet seemed to have taken root, while his body rose and fell with the "raging waves," striving to meld into them.

Three breaths, five breaths, eight breaths, eleven breaths...

Only as the twelfth breath approached was Wei Luo thrown from the platform.

Wei Luo's performance was not particularly outstanding, so Master Qin did not say much.

Before long, the assessment of the more than thirty people was complete. Including Wei Luo, only five qualified to learn boxing.

Wei Luo did not keep his knowledge to himself. The moment he stepped down, he explained his insights into the punching stance to Liu Changle, but in the end, Liu Changle only held on for eight breaths before being thrown off.

"You five, come with me to learn boxing."

Soon, Wei Luo and the others who had passed the assessment followed Master Qin away. The rest could only suppress their longing to learn boxing and continue holding their stances.