The preliminary selection

Some distance from the city gate.

A gaunt, pale figure stared fixedly at Lu Mian's back, his fists clenched so tightly that his veins bulged.

Lu Mian... you can do this.

With minor mastery of the Tortoise-Snake Fist and the medicinal herbs nourishing you these past few days, making the top hundred won't be a problem.

Chen Xiuzhu spoke silently to himself.

He still had no idea that Lu Mian had already attained major mastery of the Tortoise-Snake Fist.

As long as Lu Mian could enter the Guard Hall, he should soon be able to avenge his bloody grudge!

Sensing something, Lu Mian glanced back into the distance.

He spotted Chen Xiuzhu hiding by a distant stone house, nodded, then turned away and continued waiting in line.

Half an hour later, it was finally Lu Mian's turn to enter the city.

A desk stood at the gate, with an official in scholarly robes seated behind it.

He glanced at Lu Mian and frowned at the sight of his gray clothes.

Corpse collectors dealt with bodies all day, and many people believed that getting too close to them would bring bad luck.

"Hand over your token."

"Put it on the desk."

The official spoke.

"Dust-Returning Courtyard, Lu Mian."

Lu Mian placed his token directly on the desk.

"Go on."

"Remember to collect your token when you come back out."

The official only wanted to send Lu Mian on his way as quickly as possible.

Lu Mian entered Thousand-Chime Outer City without expression.

A broad flagstone road ran down the center, flanked by tightly packed buildings of blue brick and red tile.

Restaurants, teahouses, silk shops, jade stores...

The pedestrians were neatly dressed and rosy-cheeked, and they looked curiously at Lu Mian.

Some of the people who lived in the outer city were family members of the Middle Three Halls, while others belonged to prominent clans. They never had to worry about food or drink, nor did they dare undertake any strenuous work.

"Huh... why is that man wearing gray?"

"Stay away from him. He's a corpse collector from the Refugee District."

"Even corpse collectors can take the assessment?"

Upon hearing that Lu Mian was a corpse collector, the pedestrians immediately gave him a wide berth.

Lu Mian did not care in the slightest.

He marveled inwardly at how a single wall could divide two such different worlds.

Compared with the filthy, chaotic, damp, and cramped Refugee District, the outer city was a paradise, as though the Heavenly Calamity had never happened and there were no sinister horrors to fear.

No wonder so many people come to take the Guard Hall's assessment.

I wonder what the inner city is like...

Lu Mian stopped looking around and headed straight ahead.

He followed the outer city's main street for a little over five hundred meters before reaching a square.

This was where the Guard Hall would hold today's preliminary assessment. People from the Agriculture Office and the General Affairs Office had already gathered here.

"Everyone taking the assessment, we'll begin now."

"For this assessment, you must lift this three-hundred-jin stone weight overhead with one hand and keep your arm straight. Hold it for more than ten breaths and you pass. You may then proceed directly to the Guard Hall for the next round."

"If you fail, turn around and leave the outer city!"

A lean man stood in the middle of the square, shouting.

Ten heavy stone weights had been placed on either side of him, each with a Patrol Guard standing beside it to keep time.

Before long.

The people from the Refugee District began lining up in orderly queues.

Lu Mian picked a queue at random and joined the back.

"I have to pass this time. Once I join the Guard Hall, my wife and children won't have to suffer with me anymore!"

"Ancestors, watch over me!"

"A mere three-hundred-jin stone weight? I could lift five hundred jin!"

Some encouraged themselves, some prayed silently, and others brimmed with confidence...

Only Lu Mian remained calm and impassive, his emotions barely stirring.

Before long.

The preliminary selection officially began.

Lifting a three-hundred-jin stone weight did not sound particularly difficult, but holding it overhead with one hand for ten breaths was no easy feat without exceptional muscle strength.

Most people lasted only five or six seconds before reluctantly lowering it and leaving with heavy sighs.

Lu Mian counted from the back of the queue. Roughly one in ten passed-a remarkably low rate.

Before an incense stick could burn out, it was Lu Mian's turn.

The moment he stepped forward, he drew many eyes.

"That corpse collector's up."

"He'll be lucky to lift it. There's no way he'll pass."

"True."

The tense crowd watched Lu Mian with mockery in their eyes.

That was the mindset of the weak: they sought a sense of superiority only by ridiculing others.

"Don't push yourself too hard."

"If you can't lift it, let it go. Hurt your spine, and you won't even be able to work as a corpse collector."

The Patrol Guard keeping time offered a kind warning.

"All right."

Without even crouching, Lu Mian gripped the stone weight with his left hand and casually raised it overhead.

His movement looked utterly strange to everyone watching.

It was too easy!

He looked as though he were lifting a piece of tofu rather than a stone weight!

"How is that possible?!"

"How can a corpse collector lift it so easily?"

"This guy!"

Everyone else wore the same expression at the sight, their eyes wide with disbelief.

Even the Patrol Guard beside him froze.

"Has it been ten breaths yet...?"

Lu Mian had silently counted to ten, but the Patrol Guard beside him had said nothing, so he asked aloud.

"Ah..."

The Patrol Guard came to his senses and realized he had forgotten to count.

Seeing his reaction, Lu Mian said nothing. He simply held the weight up for another ten breaths before setting it down.

"You've passed the assessment."

"Keep going straight ahead, and you'll reach the Guard Hall."

The Patrol Guard took out a red ribbon and tied it around Lu Mian's arm.

"All right."

Lu Mian's expression had not changed once. After a calm reply, he headed toward the Guard Hall, leaving the crowd with nothing but the sight of his gray-clad back.

"This lad is interesting."

The middle-aged man who had announced the rules watched Lu Mian's retreating figure with a look of surprise and uncertainty.

He had noticed a detail the others had missed.

Lu Mian's breathing had never changed from beginning to end. It had been far too steady.

That meant he must have reached a certain level of proficiency in the Tortoise-Snake Fist.

After crossing the square, Lu Mian continued straight ahead.

Soon, he spotted a long stretch of high walls, with a plaque bearing the name Guard Hall hanging over the only entrance.

Lu Mian stepped into the Guard Hall.

A spacious training ground came into view, with square fighting platforms arranged in its center.

A Patrol Guard already stood beside each platform.

Those who had passed the assessment earlier had also gathered near the platforms.

When they noticed Lu Mian, their gazes filled with surprise and doubt.

They had not expected this corpse collector to pass the preliminary selection too.

Lu Mian said nothing. He approached the platforms, closed his eyes, and rested.

The others who had passed merely studied him curiously for a moment before looking away.

Another two or three hundred people arrived one after another.

At noon, the Guard Hall's gates finally closed.

Boom!!!

The training ground suddenly shook.

An enormously fat man, over two meters tall and resembling a mountain of flesh, appeared on the training ground.

"Everyone, congratulations on passing the preliminary selection."

"Next, all you need to do is finish in the top hundred, and you can join the Guard Hall."

"The rules are simple. There are ten fighting platforms on this training ground."

"I'll divide you evenly among them, and then you'll fight in a free-for-all."

"Your task is to knock down as many people on your platform as possible. The last ten people still standing on each platform will pass the assessment."

The enormous man patted his bulging belly as he explained the assessment's rules.