What Fist Technique Was This?

"This kid..."

Qin Hu watched Mo Yun, who stood as steady as a mountain, a flicker of surprise crossing his eyes.

With his discerning eye, he could naturally tell that Mo Yun's Stance Training had already reached minor mastery.

He looks quite young and should have good innate aptitude. He's probably a servant who's practiced the Tiger-Crouching Stance for less than two and a half years. A promising seedling...

Qin Hu marveled inwardly, then shifted his gaze away from Mo Yun to carefully observe the others.

Time ticked by.

Under everyone's anxious gazes, the stick of incense in the burner slowly burned away, soon losing more than half its length.

The time it took an incense stick to burn was neither long nor short.

But for those holding their stances, every minute and every second was torment.

Especially those whose Stance Training was still lacking. Their legs had already begun to shake, and sweat beaded on their foreheads. They could only grit their teeth and force themselves to endure.

Mo Yun stood as steady as Mount Tai, without the slightest change in his expression.

Since his Tiger-Crouching Stance had broken through to minor mastery, his understanding of this stance technique had far surpassed that of ordinary people.

Never mind one incense stick-even if he stood for two hours, or several times that, he would not feel tired.

Growing a little bored, he focused his mind and used his spare attention to observe the others.

Standing in the back row, he could see almost everyone.

Of the twelve participants, most still looked reasonably at ease. Only a few seemed to be struggling.

This was quite normal, really. Anyone qualified to take the examination had to be at least at early bright strength.

That meant their Stance Training had at least reached the beginner level, so they could generally last for one incense stick.

He noticed a burly young man among them who stood particularly steadily, his breathing long and even, his expression unchanged. One glance showed that he had made real progress in Stance Training.

There was also a tall, thin fellow. Though he looked skinny, his Stance Training was solid too. His legs seemed rooted to the ground, utterly motionless.

These two should be formidable rivals. Their Stance Training is no worse than mine. They're the tigers barring my path to first place! Mo Yun silently took note of them.

Although there was no reward for first place, a standout performance would at least leave Qin Hu with a good impression, which would help when they worked together in the future.

Soon, however, he grinned and stopped dwelling on it.

They don't look that young. They're veteran servants, at least twenty years old. I have the advantage!

He figured an examination like this surely did not judge cultivation alone. Potential had to be a consideration too.

Time passed, and the incense in the burner grew shorter and shorter.

Finally-

"Time's up!"

At Qin Hu's voice, everyone felt a weight lift from their shoulders. They dropped their stances and gulped down great breaths of air.

The few whose Stance Training was lacking collapsed into sitting positions the instant they released their stances, their faces deathly pale and their bodies trembling.

"Those who lasted the full incense stick, stay. Those who didn't, leave on your own."

Qin Hu swept his gaze over them and spoke coldly.

The servant who looked like a steward immediately stepped forward to count them.

"One, two, three... eight, nine."

"Commander Qin, nine passed in total," the steward reported respectfully.

Qin Hu nodded. "Everyone else, out."

The three servants who had failed to last the full incense stick left the courtyard with their heads hanging.

"What? Brother Wang, how did you get eliminated in the first round too?"

"Don't ask. I shouldn't have looked at those erotic pictures last night. I've got no energy today. My legs feel unsteady, and I can't even hold my stance!"

"..."

Mo Yun glanced at the eight others who remained. Including himself, there were nine.

The burly young man and the tall, thin fellow were both there, as was Liu Zhuang, who had stood beside him earlier.

Although Liu Zhuang looked a little pale, he had at least endured to the end.

Three eliminated in the first round alone. Mo Yun considered this silently. The Guard Examination was harder than he had imagined.

"Rest for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. Then we'll begin the second round: fist techniques!" Qin Hu said flatly.

Everyone hurried to make the most of their rest.

Liu Zhuang sidled up to Mo Yun, his face full of envy. "Brother, your stance was so steady! I didn't see you shake once from start to finish! You're incredible!"

"Nothing special." Mo Yun waved a hand.

"You're too modest!" Liu Zhuang looked thoroughly impressed.

"You're not bad yourself!" Mo Yun said with a smile.

"..."

The time it took to drink a cup of tea soon passed.

Qin Hu walked to the center of the courtyard and said in a deep voice, "The second round is the fist technique examination. One at a time, demonstrate the Tiger-Crouching Fist you've practiced in front of everyone."

He paused, then added, "Your forms must be correct, your power properly delivered, and your force energy put to use. Starting this round, I'll score your overall performance on a ten-point scale. Five points is a pass."

Mo Yun was slightly taken aback by this. He clearly had not expected this world to have a ten-point scoring system.

But he soon understood.

Although this world bore some resemblance to ancient times in his previous life, it was not entirely the same.

"Who wants to go first?"

As soon as Qin Hu finished speaking, the burly young man stepped forward.

"I'll go first!"

He strode to the center of the courtyard, saluted Qin Hu with his fist cupped in his palm, then assumed his stance.

Mo Yun noticed that although the fellow looked rough, his movements were crisp and clean, without the slightest sloppiness.

"Begin," Qin Hu said flatly.

The burly young man drew a deep breath, and the next instant-

He moved!

Fierce Tiger Leaves the Mountain!

His fist blasted out, the wind of his punch howling as a muffled bang rang through the air!

Qin Hu's eyes lit up.

"Impressive power behind that punch. He's already reached minor mastery!"

The burly young man's every move whipped up a tiger's fierce wind. Each punch carried tremendous weight and power, brimming with ferocious momentum.

Soon, he finished the full Tiger-Crouching Fist routine and drew back his fists to stand upright. His breathing was a little hurried, but his eyes remained bright.

"Very good." Qin Hu offered a rare word of praise, satisfaction in his voice. "Correct forms, well-delivered power, and reasonably good use of force energy. Seven points."

Seven points!

The servants present all sucked in sharp breaths.

Out of a possible ten, seven was already a very high score!

The burly young man grinned, gave a cupped-fist salute, and stepped aside.

Next, the others took their turns.

Some stumbled through their routines, unable even to remember all the forms, and received only three or four points.

Others performed the forms correctly but failed to deliver their power properly and used their force energy clumsily. They received only five points, barely passing.

The tall, thin fellow also performed well. His forms flowed smoothly and naturally. Though he lacked the burly young man's sheer ferocity, he made up for it with agility and variation, earning six points.

Liu Zhuang took his turn too, but unfortunately, his performance was unremarkable. He received only five points.

"Five points... this doesn't look good..." Liu Zhuang's expression soured.

Although five points was a passing score, the overall assessment depended on their combined performance across all three rounds.

He had barely passed the Stance Training test in the first round and scored only five points in the second. If he performed poorly again in the third round's actual combat, he would very likely be eliminated.

Soon, it was Mo Yun's turn.

"Next," Qin Hu said flatly.

Mo Yun drew a deep breath, walked to the center of the courtyard, and gave a cupped-fist salute.

"Begin."

Mo Yun did not rush to move. Instead, he first closed his eyes and adjusted his breathing.

A moment later, he opened his eyes-

He moved!

Fierce Tiger Leaves the Mountain!

His fist blasted out, and a muffled bang rang through the air, louder than anyone else's before him!

The wind of his punch howled like a real tiger lunging out of the mountain forest, carrying an unstoppable momentum!

Qin Hu's pupils abruptly contracted.

The power of this punch far exceeded his expectations!

Mo Yun did not stop. Each move flowed like drifting clouds and running water, the entire sequence completed in one unbroken breath.

Fierce Tiger Leaves the Mountain, Black Tiger Rips Out the Heart, Subduing Tiger, Taming Dragon, Fierce Tiger Turns Its Head...

Every punch carried tremendous weight and power, every form was precise and perfectly executed. Force energy surged through the wind of his punches, stirring wave after wave of low thunder.

As he continued, he even began to exude a faint aura that pressed down on the servants until they could barely lift their heads, as though a savage beast were watching them!

That was a trace of intent Mo Yun had comprehended from the Tiger-Crouching Force!

Everyone present stared, dumbfounded.

Liu Zhuang's mouth hung open wide enough to fit an egg, his eyes round as saucers.

The smile froze on the burly young man's face, replaced by profound shock.

The tall, thin fellow also looked utterly incredulous. He murmured, "W-what level of Tiger-Crouching Fist is this..."