"Commander Fu, my Martial Academy disciple had clearly lost the ability to fight, yet Chen Shi'an still struck to kill.
This boy is vicious to the core. Please arrest him, Commander Fu, and see justice done for our Martial Academy disciple..."
The yellow-robed elder spoke in fury.
Ye Xicheng sneered. "Instructor Zhang, this is the Demon Hunting Team, not your Windrise Martial Academy. You have no right to give orders here.
Wang Teng never conceded. Even if Chen Shi'an had killed him, he wouldn't have broken any rules!"
The yellow-robed elder was struck speechless. His face twitched before he finally sat down in resentment.
His eyes remained fixed on Chen Shi'an, brimming with hatred.
Chen Shi'an still stood inside the white circle, his gaze directed a short distance away.
There, Song Yuming and Tu Gou were locked in combat.
Tu Gou was indeed weaker than Song Yuming, but he was by no means weak. He was probably a martial artist at the seventh acquired stage.
Although Song Yuming had gained the upper hand, it had not come easily. He would probably need a little more time to defeat Tu Gou.
Had Tu Gou not been unlucky enough to draw Song Yuming, he would surely have secured a squad leader position.
On the Reviewing Platform, Fu Qingyang asked quietly, "What stage do you think Chen Shi'an has reached?"
Ye Xicheng considered briefly. "Wang Teng was clearly careless just now, but to defeat him so easily, Chen Shi'an must be at least at the seventh acquired stage.
That boy really knows how to hide his cards!"
Fu Qingyang smiled faintly. "A pity about Tu Gou. He comes from a hunting family, yet he's reached the seventh acquired stage too. Unfortunately, his luck fell a little short, and he drew Song Yuming."
Ye Xicheng smiled. "Don't feel sorry for him, Father. If he knows when to retreat instead of stubbornly fighting Song Yuming to the bitter end, he still has a chance of becoming a squad leader."
Time swiftly passed. There was roughly two hours left before noon.
The fights in all ten white circles ended. Chen Shi'an, Song Yuming, the black-clad female Martial Academy disciple, and seven other candidates emerged victorious.
Unable to defeat Song Yuming, Tu Gou conceded and stepped out of the white circle.
However, unlike before, Tu Gou and the other nine defeated candidates were not asked to leave the Martial Practice Grounds. Instead, they stood behind Chen Shi'an and the other nine victors.
Seeing this arrangement, Chen Shi'an sensed trouble. The squad leader selection might not be over yet.
Sure enough.
Ye Xicheng stood, sweeping his gaze over Chen Shi'an and the other nine. "Congratulations on your victories.
However, you still have one final hurdle to clear before you can become squad leaders."
At this, he turned toward Tu Gou and the others. "You've made it this far. There's honor even in your defeat, and you've proven your strength.
Drawing lots for matches may not be entirely fair. Some of you may have been a little unlucky and drawn opponents who were far too strong.
That doesn't mean you're weaker than the ten victors.
Now, I'll give you one more chance.
You may challenge any one of the ten victors. If you win, you'll take their place among the winners.
Remember, each of you only gets one challenge. Keep your eyes sharp and choose the right opponent."
At these words, the eyes of Tu Gou and the other nine lit up, joy appearing on their faces.
Damn it!
It's just a selection, not choosing a wife. Aren't you tired of all these tricks?
Chen Shi'an grumbled inwardly, once again giving Ye Xicheng a thorough mental cursing.
Ye Xicheng's arrangements seemed suspiciously aimed at him.
"It's getting late, so you won't have time to rest. If you want to be squad leaders, hurry up and choose someone.
Anyone chosen has no right to refuse and must fight. Otherwise, it counts as a surrender." Ye Xicheng raised his voice slightly.
No sooner had he finished than six men stepped forward together, all turning their eyes toward Chen Shi'an.
One burly man beat the others to it, declaring in a deep, rumbling voice, "I want to challenge you."
Chen Shi'an sighed inwardly. Those kicks I gave Wang Teng clearly weren't intimidating enough.
He also gained a keen appreciation of how playing the pig to devour the tiger did not suit every situation. Sometimes, it only backfired.
Like now.
The other five candidates, a moment too slow, all looked disappointed.
"Chen Shi'an, you're quite popular."
The corners of Ye Xicheng's mouth lifted high. "The remaining matches will take place one at a time. Don't waste time. Get in there."
Chen Shi'an did not hurry into the circle. Instead, he cupped his hands toward Ye Xicheng. "Commander Ye, I'd like to know whether the others can still challenge me if I win this match."
Ye Xicheng's smile did not fade. "Each challenger only gets one challenge, but there's no limit on how many times someone can be challenged."
At this, both Song Yuming and the black-clad female Martial Academy disciple looked delighted at his misfortune.
The Martial Academy disciples watching nearby no longer shouted as they had before. Instead, they muttered quietly:
"If you scrape through on luck, your true colors will show eventually."
"Just wait. Chen Shi'an isn't strong enough. Becoming a squad leader in the Demon Hunting Team is nothing but a fool's dream for him."
Chen Shi'an ignored Song Yuming and the other Martial Academy disciples, striding toward the white circle closest to the Reviewing Platform.
Inside the circle, the burly man had already taken his position. He stared excitedly at Chen Shi'an, itching to fight.
Chen Shi'an watched him quietly, his expression neither sorrowful nor pleased.
"Begin!"
The moment Chen Shi'an took his position, Ye Xicheng gave the command in a low voice.
The burly man had long been poised to strike. As soon as Ye Xicheng's words fell, he charged, reaching Chen Shi'an in two or three long strides. Swinging a fist the size of a vinegar bowl, he smashed it toward Chen Shi'an's chest.
Chen Shi'an's expression did not change in the slightest. When the burly man came close, he suddenly lashed out with a lightning-fast kick.
His kick was astonishingly swift, leaving a string of afterimages.
There was a bang.
Before the burly man could make any move to block, the kick struck his stomach and sent him flying clean out of the white circle.
He landed with a bewildered expression.
"So fast!"
"Chen Shi'an was clearly hiding his strength before. With speed like that, you could count the people here who can block his attacks on one hand."
The spectators outside the arena all looked shocked.
Even the Demon Hunting Team's senior officers on the Reviewing Platform showed surprise.
Song Yuming and the black-clad female disciple both frowned. The other Martial Academy disciples also shut their mouths, not one of them making another sound.
The burly man did not seem badly hurt. After climbing to his feet, he looked visibly unwilling to accept defeat and started toward the white circle to continue fighting.
Ye Xicheng snapped coldly, "Get out of the way! Once you leave the circle, your challenge has failed!"
At the same time, someone on the Reviewing Platform remarked quietly:
"Chen Shi'an's speed is indeed surprising. Unfortunately, his strength is a little lacking. His overall fighting ability isn't particularly outstanding."
Even so, Chen Shi'an's sudden display of astonishing speed, defeating his challenger with the force of a thunderbolt, had proved intimidating enough.
After he returned to the line, no one challenged him again.
Time slowly passed. When there was about a quarter of an hour left before noon, the challenges ended.
All ten challengers had issued their challenges. Some succeeded, and others failed.
Chen Shi'an, Song Yuming, Tu Gou, the black-clad female Martial Academy disciple, and six others emerged as the final victors, becoming the Demon Hunting Team's new squad leaders.
Ye Xicheng announced the squad leader appointments publicly.
For the announcement, he also summoned everyone in the Demon Hunting Team, along with the hundred and ten new members, to the Martial Practice Grounds.
Before the assembled crowd, he read out the names of the ten new squad leaders one by one.
Each time he read a name, every member of the Demon Hunting Team repeated it three times before erupting into thunderous cheers.
The ceremony carried a strong sense of occasion.
Chen Shi'an also learned the name of the black-clad female Martial Academy disciple: Xu Yun.
Fu Qingyang personally fastened the waist tokens marking their rank onto Chen Shi'an and the other nine.
The Demon Hunting Team acted swiftly and decisively.
The appointment ceremony for the ten Demon Hunting Team squad leaders had barely ended.
All the new members immediately changed on the spot, donning the Demon Hunting Team's standard uniforms and equipping their waist sabers.
The sabers were identical in design to those used by the City Guard Battalion.
Once they had changed, Ye Xicheng had Chen Shi'an and the other nine new squad leaders stand in a single row at the center of the Martial Practice Grounds.
He then told the hundred new Demon Hunting Team members to choose their own squad leaders. Whoever they wanted to serve under, they were to stand behind that person.
However, each new squad leader could have only ten members under them.
Anyone who did not choose would accept the Demon Hunting Team's assignment.
At Ye Xicheng's command, a long line immediately formed behind Song Yuming, numbering a full thirty people.
Quite a few stood behind Xu Yun as well, nearly twenty.
Of the hundred new Demon Hunting Team members, almost half had chosen Song Yuming or Xu Yun.
Behind the other new squad leaders, the larger groups numbered five or six, while some had no one at all.
Clearly, Martial Academy disciples had tremendous drawing power.
Chen Shi'an was not the worst off. One person stood behind him: Pi Hou.
At this sight, Ye Xicheng's brow involuntarily furrowed. Then he said coldly:
"Didn't you hear what I said? Each new squad leader can only be chosen by ten people.
Everyone behind Song Yuming and Xu Yun, starting from the eleventh person, step out.
Run a hundred laps around the Martial Practice Grounds. Anyone who dares fall even half a lap short will have his legs broken before I throw him out of the Demon Hunting Team."
With that, the allocation of members was temporarily put on hold.
The selection ended.
Ye Xicheng gave the new members half a day off, letting them return home and ordering them to report back to the Demon Hunting Team early the next morning.
Chen Shi'an left the Demon Hunting Team, but rather than going straight home, he went to see Hou Fang.
After Chen Shi'an visited Old Madam Hou, Hou Fang pulled him into the courtyard.
"You really are something. You've only just joined the Demon Hunting Team, and you've already become a squad leader. I spent more than ten years there and never managed to get that position."
Hou Fang was all smiles, his eyes filled with envy.
"Brother Hou, I just got lucky," Chen Shi'an replied with a smile.
"Don't be modest. Not one person who entered the Demon Hunting Team selection was a pushover. You fought through five passes and slew six generals to stand out from the rest. How could that be luck?"
Hou Fang gave a light snort. "You're so strong, yet you actually lied to me and said you couldn't lift a four-hundred-jin stone.
You made me put my old face on the line, begging people for favors everywhere."
Chen Shi'an repeatedly cupped his hands in apology. "Brother Hou, that was my fault. I didn't know the Demon Hunting Team's assessment had so many parts. I thought lifting a four-hundred-jin stone would settle everything.
I just wanted to keep a low profile and avoid attracting too much attention..."
Hou Fang smiled and waved a hand. "I'm teasing you. I couldn't be happier that you're strong. Why would I blame you?
Tell me honestly, just how strong are you now?"
Chen Shi'an's thoughts raced. "The seventh acquired stage."
Hou Fang looked stunned. "I spent nearly twenty years in the City Guard Battalion and the Demon Hunting Team, clawing my way along without daring to slack off in my cultivation for even a moment, yet I've barely reached the fifth acquired stage.
You're not even twenty, and you're already a martial artist at the seventh acquired stage.
Just how do you cultivate?
Is this what they call a martial Dao genius?"
Chen Shi'an scratched his head. "Maybe I'm unusually gifted and have a little potential for martial arts."
"A little potential?"
Hou Fang raised his voice. "At your age, how many people even in the Windrise Martial Academy could reach the seventh acquired stage?
If you're this strong, why didn't you tell your elder brother sooner?
If he'd used his connections to recommend you, you could at least be a centurion in the City Guard Battalion by now."
At this, he shook his head repeatedly. "Keeping a low profile is important, but sometimes, when you need to stand out, you must stand out."
Chen Shi'an nodded. "Brother Hou, I understand."
Hou Fang continued, "With your talent for cultivation and your age, if you can obtain a Marrow-Washing Pill and a good cultivation technique, you have a strong chance of becoming a ranked martial artist.
Shi'an, make the most of joining the Demon Hunting Team. Earn great merits, and you'll have a chance to receive Marrow-Washing Pills and cultivation techniques as rewards.
If you become a ranked martial artist, your Chen Family's standing in Windrise Stronghold will soar a thousand fathoms. From then on, you'll stand above ordinary people!"
After bidding farewell to Hou Fang and Old Madam Hou, Chen Shi'an hurried home.
When he was still half a li from home, he found a luxurious carriage parked at the entrance to the alley.
Cui Zhu stood beside it, waving Chen Shi'an over with an expressionless face.
Chen Shi'an hesitated briefly, then strode over.
As soon as he approached, the carriage window opened, and Tao Yaoyao leaned out. "Get in. We'll talk inside."
Chen Shi'an had barely settled into the carriage when Tao Yaoyao cut straight to the point. "I invited you to become a resident guest of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion, but you refused and went off to join the Demon Hunting Team instead.
Do you know that serving in the Demon Hunting Team means nine chances of death to one of survival? Besides, Windrise Stronghold is fighting Flowing Stone Stronghold over the iron mine at West Mountain Hollow.
They recruited you so you could immediately fight the people of Flowing Stone Stronghold to the death.
For people like you, who have never faced life-and-death combat, the chances of surviving are extremely low."
"You certainly are well informed, Pavilion Master Tao."
Chen Shi'an lifted his eyelids slightly. "If I joined your Hundred Flowers Pavilion, I'd probably spend the rest of my life penned up, writing poems for you every day.
If I joined the Demon Hunting Team, I'd at least still have my freedom and a chance to fight for a future."
"You're certainly being frank today."
A smile played at the corners of Tao Yaoyao's lips. "You proved your ability and potential in the Demon Hunting Team's selection trials.
If you joined our Hundred Flowers Pavilion, I would spare no resources in nurturing you and entrust you with great responsibilities."
Before you continue