Weighted Stake Formation

Chen Mo stepped into the martial arts hall's courtyard.

At the center lay a vast training ground paved with bluestone. The dark green slabs had endured years of wind and rain, their surfaces worn smooth and gleaming.

There were no other facilities around it, only rows upon rows of wooden stakes, with wooden boxes and stone blocks of varying sizes piled beside them, lending the place a solemn air of martial training.

A high platform had already been erected at the front of the training ground.

Behind a desk sat a supervising official sent by the government, while a clerk beside him lowered his head to review scrolls.

Several instructors stood on either side of the platform, their gazes assessing the youths below.

Two or three dozen young candidates stood scattered across the courtyard. Some looked around nervously, some spoke in low voices, and others kept stretching their limbs.

Wang Lie stood before a stone block, rolling his shoulders.

Elsewhere, Shen Yu wore a clean brocade short robe, with a family servant at his side. His brows and eyes brimmed with pride.

"Chen Mo, over here!"

Zhao Chuan waved to him from within the crowd.

"I'm coming."

Chen Mo walked over, and the two stood together.

The moment he settled into place, he could not help looking around.

There were even more people than he had expected.

Zhao Chuan leaned over and whispered, "So? Regretting coming yet?"

"Is it still not too late to regret it?"

"Of course not."

"Then why ask?"

Zhao Chuan chuckled twice.

An instructor stepped forward on the high platform.

"Silence!"

His voice was not loud, yet it drowned out the clamor across the training ground.

The surroundings gradually fell quiet.

Instructor Li swept his gaze across the crowd and said in a deep voice:

"This recruitment expansion consists of three rounds of trials."

"The three rounds will be scored separately. At the end of each round, those ranked at the bottom by that round's points will be eliminated, while the rest advance to the next round."

"All results will be recorded and sealed by the martial arts hall and the prefectural clerks. They will not be announced on the spot. After all three rounds conclude, the supervising official will verify the ledgers and total the scores."

"The five with the highest total scores will be formally admitted into the martial arts hall. The rest who reach the final round will be listed as reserves."

"As for those who lose their qualifications midway, their records will remain on file, but they may not participate in the final rankings."

Instructor Li gave everyone one final look.

"Do you all understand the rules?"

"Understood!"

"Very good."

He raised his hand and swept it through the air.

"The first round, the Weighted Stake Formation, begins!"

As soon as the words fell, the instructor overseeing the test pointed at two rows of wooden boxes that had long been arranged nearby.

"Each candidate may choose their own weight."

"The heavier boxes are worth more points, but they carry greater weight. If you fall from the stakes, you score zero for this round. The lighter boxes are worth fewer points, but they are safer."

The crowd immediately stirred.

Quite a few youths rushed toward the boxes and reached out to weigh them.

"Since we're here, let's choose the heavy ones!"

"Give it everything we've got—the score is higher!"

Several youths encouraged one another and chose the heavy boxes in succession.

Wang Lie did not hesitate in the slightest.

He walked to the heaviest wooden box, bent down to grip both sides, and heaved.

The heavy box was steadily shouldered in one motion.

"What incredible strength!"

"Was that really so easy for him?"

"Wang Lie really is formidable!"

Wang Lie ignored the voices around him and carried the wooden box toward the stake formation.

Shen Yu watched from the side for a moment before stepping forward to choose the heaviest grade as well.

But the instant the box landed on his shoulder, his expression changed.

He gritted his teeth and steadied himself without backing down.

On the other side, Zhao Chuan looked at the heavy boxes, then at the light ones.

In the end, he turned his gaze toward Chen Mo.

"Which one are you choosing?"

Chen Mo walked over and tried them one by one.

The heavy boxes truly were heavy.

Once carried, they noticeably shifted the body's center of gravity.

And the stakes were narrow.

If he fell, this round would be an immediate zero.

He looked at the lighter boxes.

"I'll choose this one."

Zhao Chuan froze for a moment.

"You really aren't going to take a gamble?"

Chen Mo shook his head.

"It'd be a bigger loss if I fell."

Zhao Chuan thought it over and felt that made sense.

But seeing so many people around him choose the heavy boxes, he still felt unwilling. In the end, he picked one that was somewhat heavier than average.

"Then I'll choose this one."

"Alright."

Chen Mo patted his shoulder.

"Don't fall."

"You too."

Before long, everyone had chosen a wooden box.

The instructor in charge inspected them once, then raised his hand.

"Begin!"

Figures rushed toward the stake formation in quick succession.

The faint swaying of wooden stakes immediately echoed across the training ground.

At the start, no one was moving slowly.

But as they pressed onward, the gaps between them quickly emerged.

"Ah!"

A youth's foot slipped, and he tumbled straight off the stake.

With a bang.

He scrambled up in embarrassment, his face turning pale at once.

The instructor responsible for recording lowered his head and made a note.

Zero points.

The youth stood off to the side, his fists clenched tight, yet he did not dare utter a single word.

Elsewhere, Wang Lie had already gone far ahead.

Though he carried the heavy wooden box, his footing was astonishingly steady.

One step.

Two steps.

Every landing struck precisely at the center of a stake.

Cheers had already risen from beyond the courtyard wall.

"As expected of Wang Lie!"

"With strength like that, it'd be a crying shame if he didn't practice martial arts!"

Wang Lie seemed not to hear them at all and continued forward.

Zhao Chuan was in the middle of the pack.

He often helped his family deliver goods, so his footing was not bad. Though the box on his shoulder was somewhat heavy, he had moved steadily at first.

"See? I told you I could do it."

He turned and called out to Chen Mo.

Chen Mo glanced at his feet.

"Stop talking first."

"Why?"

"You're swaying."

Zhao Chuan looked down.

"..."

He hurriedly steadied himself again.

Shen Yu was not having such an easy time.

The heavy wooden box was pressing his expression uglier and uglier, and his pace slowed as well.

As for Chen Mo, having chosen a light box, he was clearly much more relaxed.

He did not compete with those in front for speed.

Before every step, he first made sure of the next stake's position.

His foot landed on it.

He steadied himself.

Then he took the next step.

When he had followed his father into the mountains as a child, he had long grown accustomed to watching where he stepped first.

Facing these wooden stakes now, the principle was much the same.

Only, the ground here was far more orderly than in the mountains.

Chen Mo moved more and more smoothly.

Seeing that he was nearly at the finish line, a small flicker of pride even rose in his heart.

Looks like I made the right choice.

Just then, a cry of alarm suddenly came from beside him.

"Move!"

Chen Mo snapped his head to the side.

A figure slipped, lost balance entirely, and crashed straight toward him.

Bang!

A sharp pain shot through his shoulder.

Chen Mo's body lurched, and his foot instantly slid to the edge of the stake.

His heart tightened.

Just a little more.

If he had tilted even slightly farther, he would have fallen entirely.

Chen Mo did not hurriedly pull his foot back.

His waist and abdomen tightened in an instant, his legs exerted force, and his center of gravity dropped swiftly.

The sole of his foot scraped against the stake's edge.

He steadied himself.

Chen Mo let out a long breath.

That blow had nearly scared him into a cold sweat.

The youth who had collided with him had already fallen from the stake and hurriedly climbed up.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!"

Chen Mo glanced at him.

"It's fine."

After speaking, he lowered his head and looked at his footing again.

Luckily.

He had nearly lost it all.

By then, voices had already carried over from beyond the courtyard wall.

"That kid's pretty lucky."

"He almost fell."

"He managed to stand back up. Call it good fortune."

Chen Mo felt a little uncomfortable hearing that.

If he had not reacted quickly just now, he would have fallen already.

But he could not be bothered to argue with someone through a wall.

"Forget it."

Chen Mo muttered, readjusted his breathing, and continued forward.

He crossed the remaining wooden stakes even more carefully.

Before long, the final stake stood before him.

Chen Mo raised his foot and stepped onto it.

He landed steadily.

"Trial complete."

The instructor in charge of recording glanced down and made a note in the roster.

Chen Mo walked to the edge of the field and immediately rolled his shoulder.

It still hurt a little from that collision earlier.

Zhao Chuan soon came over as well.

"You scared me to death just now."

"I nearly scared myself to death too."

"I thought you were going to fall."

"Almost."

After saying that, Chen Mo could not help glancing back at the wooden stake formation.

"This thing is harder to cross than it looks."

Zhao Chuan nodded.

"Tell me about it."

Not long after, the final examinee completed the test as well.

The first round was over.

Everyone gathered once more in the center of the martial arts field.

Some wore excited expressions, some looked dejected, while several youths who had fallen from the stakes stood at the edge of the crowd.

Instructor Li stepped onto the raised platform again.

"The first round has ended."

"All results have been recorded and sealed."

The clerk closed the final page of the ledger and handed it to a provincial government inspector for verification.

A moment later, Instructor Li picked up the list.

"Now, the points for the first round have been finalized."

"Based on this round's scores, the lowest-ranked candidates will be eliminated."

The martial arts field fell silent in an instant.

Instructor Li began reading the list.

One name.

Then another.

With every name that was called, someone's expression grew a little uglier.

Some stood with their heads lowered.

Others clenched their fists tightly.

Yet no one dared speak up to argue.

Soon, the entire list had been read.

The remaining twenty-odd people stood where they were.

They let out a breath of relief.

At least they could continue.

The eliminated youths could only leave in silence.

Zhao Chuan slapped a hand onto Chen Mo's shoulder.

"We made it!"

The slap made Chen Mo's shoulder ache.

"Go easy."

"I'm just too happy."

"Look, you've smacked my shoulder sore."

"Isn't that perfect?"

Zhao Chuan laughed. "It proves you didn't fall just now."

Chen Mo glared at him.

"Can't you say something nicer?"

"Fine."

Zhao Chuan nodded solemnly.

"Chen Mo, your skills are peerless beneath the heavens."

"Get lost."

The two of them ended up laughing as they talked.

Just then, voices drifted over from outside the wall again.

"Chen Mo nearly fell just now."

"He won't be so lucky later."

Chen Mo heard them.

The smile at the corner of his mouth faded.

He turned and looked at the wooden stake formation.

That step just now had indeed been dangerous.

But if he had been relying on luck alone, he would not be standing here now.

He did not argue with the people outside.

He merely said quietly:

"I won't fall in the next round."

Zhao Chuan did not hear him clearly.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing."

Chen Mo withdrew his gaze.

On the raised platform, Instructor Li had already begun arranging the second round.

The first round had only been the beginning.

The real test still lay ahead.