Strength test

Led by the officer, Li Dao and his group soon arrived at a raised platform.

Once they drew closer, everyone could clearly see what was on it.

A number of stone weights of varying sizes stood in the center.

Apparently, the army camp tested a person's physical constitution through strength.

Two officers were also on the platform.

One looked refined and scholarly. He held a ledger and a brush, recording each person's results.

The other was tall and powerfully built, responsible for protecting the lifters. His job was specifically to stop fools who overestimated themselves from getting hurt by attempting weights beyond their ability.

The officer leading Li Dao's group stepped onto the platform and whispered something into the recording officer's ear. The recorder looked at the group and nodded.

Before long, their officer jumped down and came over to them. "All right, once this batch finishes, you're next. I hope you'll all do well."

At those words, the formerly confident group inexplicably began to feel nervous.

That was only natural. Something might be fun in everyday life, but once it became a proper examination, anyone would get nervous.

Their officer glanced at the sizable line still ahead of them and continued, "I know you're nervous. If you're bored waiting, you can watch from beside the platform and relax a little."

The moment they heard that, the crowd scattered, all hurrying over to the platform.

Curious about the test himself, Li Dao went with them.

When he reached the edge, he saw someone being tested onstage.

The man seized a huge stone barbell and strained to lift it. His whole face flushed red, and veins bulged along his arms and forehead. Clearly, he was under immense strain.

The officer responsible for safety stood calmly nearby, but Li Dao noticed that, casual as he looked, he was ready to intervene at any moment.

Five seconds later, the man dropped the barbell, which struck the platform with a dull thud.

He turned to the recorder. Once the recorder nodded, he breathed a sigh of relief and smiled in satisfaction. Apparently, he had passed.

As he prepared to leave the platform, a voice suddenly rose from below.

"Try the next one!"

"Yeah, keep going! You've already passed anyway."

"The better your results, the better the camp you'll be assigned to. Keep going!"

"..."

The people below called out reminders one after another.

A flicker of temptation crossed the man's eyes. He had already passed, so what harm could there be in trying?

He raised his hand toward the recorder. "May I keep attempting the next weights?"

The recorder answered plainly, "Once you succeed, you may attempt the next barbell. If you succeed again, that result will count too. If you want to try, go ahead."

The man nodded and approached the third stone barbell.

With everyone watching, he drew a deep breath and placed both hands on it.

"Up!"

He hauled with all his strength, pulling the entire barbell off the ground.

Just as he tried to raise it overhead, he realized he had overestimated himself.

His footing slipped, and he toppled backward along with the barbell.

A large hand quickly reached in from the side and caught the weight, saving him from disaster.

"Thank you."

Once he steadied himself, the man hurriedly thanked the officer beside him.

"It's fine. Be more careful next time."

Holding the barbell in one hand, the officer stepped forward and returned it to its original position, clearly handling it far more easily than the man had.

Embarrassed by his failed lift, the man slunk off the platform.

Soon, another person stepped up to begin the test.

Below the platform, Li Dao learned more about the lifting test from the conversations around him.

There were five stone barbells on the platform in total.

Their weights were 150 jin, 200 jin, 250 jin, 300 jin, and finally 500 jin.

Lifting the first was enough to pass, but that only qualified someone to enter an ordinary unit as an ordinary soldier.

The further one progressed, the better the results and benefits, with a chance of entering an elite battalion under Shen Zhong, the Marquis Who Guards the North.

The final 500-jin barbell in particular would practically guarantee anyone who lifted it a place in the best camp, with the finest benefits.

Naturally, the prerequisite was accomplishing it through physical strength alone, without using true qi.

An ordinary adult man in this world could lift 100 jin, so someone capable of lifting 150 jin was already a rarity among common people.

That showed just how difficult it was to become a soldier under Shen Zhong, the Marquis Who Guards the Frontier.

Moreover, the lift required holding the weight overhead with both arms fully extended, making the demands even greater.

For Li Dao, however, all of this was merely a formality.

Standing below the platform, he watched person after person step up.

He found that most of those who came possessed stronger physiques than ordinary people.

Of every ten people, well over half could successfully lift the first stone barbell.

As for the second, only one or two out of ten could lift it.

The third was rarer still; perhaps one person in several dozen could make an attempt at lifting it.

No one had even attempted the fourth so far, much less the fifth, which sat there as little more than decoration.

As Li Dao pondered this, a burst of cheers suddenly reached his ears.

He looked toward the platform and saw that a brawny man had actually lifted the fourth stone barbell. No wonder the crowd was gasping.

Bang!

Five seconds later, the barbell hit the ground. Ignoring his exhausted arms, the brawny man turned toward the recorder with an expectant expression.

The recorder smiled faintly. "Congratulations. Your attempt succeeded. You've passed."

Joy spread across the brawny man's face, and the people below applauded and cheered.

"Try the fifth barbell!"

Someone suddenly shouted from below.

Quite a few people immediately joined in, urging the brawny man to try the fifth weight.

The brawny man glanced at his exhausted arms and gave a bitter smile, shaking his head. "Forget it. I know my limits. Even at my best, I couldn't manage that."

With that, he left the platform.

Once he stepped down, many people gathered around him, offering flattering congratulations.

Although lifting the fourth barbell still meant starting at the bottom as an ordinary soldier, someone like this brawny man would clearly have an easier time earning merit and promotions. Naturally, plenty of people flocked to him like moths to a flame.

Afterward, people continued stepping onto the platform one by one for their tests.

Eventually, it was the turn of Li Dao's group.

They went to one side of the platform and formed a line.

Earlier, they had watched others take the stage and shouted with gusto. Now that it was their turn, every one of them fell silent.

At the recorder's urging, the kidney-deficient fellow at the front stepped up first.

Perhaps because he was nervous, he stood there for a moment, at a loss.

"Choose whichever barbell you want to attempt."

The recorder reminded him from the side.

"Oh, right."

Coming to his senses, the kidney-deficient fellow pointed at the first stone barbell. "I'll choose this one."

"Boo!"

Several people in the line immediately booed him.

The kidney-deficient fellow knew his own limits well and ignored them.

He approached the first stone barbell, took a deep breath, and grasped it.

"Up!"

In one burst of effort, he lifted the barbell straight overhead, succeeding in a single push. Now he only needed to hold it for five seconds.

Seeing this, everyone below thought he had it in the bag.

But just as he was approaching the fourth second, his expression suddenly changed.

Thump!

Under everyone's astonished gazes, the kidney-deficient fellow dropped straight to his knees and flung the barbell from his hands.

Seeing this, the recorder stated bluntly, "Failed. Next."

The kidney-deficient fellow's face instantly went pale. Each person had only one chance, and he had clearly squandered his.

He could only trudge off the platform in disgrace, muttering, "Damn it. It's all because that damned woman was too greedy last night."

Normally, if the first person in a group succeeded, it gave those behind him a tremendous boost in morale.

But if he failed, those following would feel even greater pressure.

The members of Li Dao's group stepped onto the platform one after another.

As time went on, however, everyone realized that this group seemed rather lacking.

Other groups had seven or eight successes out of every ten people, but Li Dao's group managed only four or five. The difference was far from small.

"These bastards."

Even their officer's face darkened as he watched from below.

Just then, another officer approached him. It was none other than the officer who had made a wager with him.

"Hahaha! You're bound to lose now. Not only did my group have a high pass rate, we even had a powerhouse who lifted the fourth barbell."

The other officer spoke with a broad grin.

Their officer's face darkened further, but he stubbornly retorted, "Hmph. My people haven't finished yet. I may have lost on numbers, but what if one of ours lifts the fifth barbell?"

Seeing that he still refused to give up, the other officer said outright, "Hahaha! Do you think lifting the fifth barbell is that easy?"

"I'll lay it out right here today. If someone in your group lifts the fifth barbell, not only will I concede the wager, I'll treat you to twice as many meals."

"But if no one does, how about you treat me to double?"

Their officer's face grew darker still. This bastard was damned greedy. Ten meals weren't enough; he insisted on scrounging another ten.

But he had already spoken. Backing out now would be nothing short of slapping his own face.

After hesitating for a moment, their officer gritted his teeth. "Fine. I'll take that bet."

The other officer looked surprised. "You actually dare?"

Their officer snorted. "I've waded through battlefields more times than I can count. Why wouldn't I dare? It's only twenty meals. A few more ears cut off on the battlefield will cover it."

"Keep talking tough."

"I'm not talking tough. My left eyelid twitched when I went out today. That means something good is coming."

"You're just deceiving yourself."

"Then I'm deceiving myself today. What are you going to do about it?"

"..."

Meanwhile, the members of Li Dao's group continued taking the stage.

With one disappointing result after another, the spectators below were losing interest.

Soon, the person in front of Li Dao stepped onto the platform as well.

A few minutes later.

"Failed. Next."

Another failed attempt. Not far away, the officer leading Li Dao's group looked livid. How many failures had that been now?

Seeing this, the other officer laughed. "There's only one person left. Don't tell me you're counting on him to lift the fifth barbell."

"If we're judging looks, this fellow of yours certainly towers above the crowd. But if we're judging strength, spare me."

Compared with the man who had just failed, Li Dao looked a whole size smaller. Beside most of the people around the platform, apart from his height, everything about him seemed harmless to man and beast alike.

Their officer had no idea what to say and could only remain silent.

Under numerous gazes, Li Dao slowly stepped onto the platform.

Since so many of them had achieved poor results, no one in his group made any rude remarks.

But the spectators below felt thoroughly bored when they saw who had stepped up.

They hardly needed to watch to know that he would attempt the first barbell-and fail at that.

The recorder glanced at Li Dao, then lowered his head to prepare his notes while pointing at the first stone barbell. "Go ahead and try lifting it."

"Can I choose another?"

"Hmm?"

The recorder raised his head, looking surprised. "You don't want to attempt the first stone barbell?"

"You do realize you only get one attempt? If you fail, you can't try again."

Many people below had also heard Li Dao's words.

Quite a few found them ridiculous.

Someone could not resist shouting, "Let him try! We want to see it too."

"Since when did the army become a place for pretty boys like him? If you can't do it, get off the stage and go home to suckle!"

"Kid, even my third uncle's thirteen-year-old sister-in-law is sturdier than you. Get down here and stop wasting everyone's time."

Wherever one went, there were always people who trampled the lowly and fawned on the mighty, especially in an army camp, where strength did the talking.

Deaf to the voices below, Li Dao said plainly, "I understand, but I still insist."

Seeing that he could not persuade him, the recorder said no more. He was only responsible for recording the results, after all.

"Then go choose another."

After speaking, he also shot a glance at the safety officer nearby.

His meaning was: there was work to do, so stop standing around.

The safety officer nodded and walked toward the second stone barbell.

Yet Li Dao did not stop at the second stone barbell. He kept walking farther down the line.

The sight left everyone present stunned.

They all had just one thought: What was this guy trying to do?

Was the second one not enough? Was he actually going to challenge the third?

Wasn't he afraid of making a fool of himself?

But when he reached the third stone barbell, they realized that the man on the platform still hadn't stopped.

In the end, he didn't even spare the fourth stone barbell a glance.

He went straight to the fifth stone barbell-the last and heaviest one.

A stone barbell that weighed a full five hundred jin.

"You want to challenge this stone barbell?"

This time, even the officer who had remained silent all along, tasked solely with keeping the participants safe, couldn't help speaking up.

"Can't I?"

"You can, but..."

At that point, the officer said bluntly, "If it were the fourth stone barbell, I could still keep you safe. But with this fifth one, all I can promise is that you won't get too badly hurt."

He paused, then continued, "Of course, that's assuming you can lift it in the first place."