Lin Fan walked along the road, staring at the gray, hazy sky in bewilderment. He had no idea where to go next.
He was unwilling to give up martial arts, but he had only ten copper coins left. If he spent another five or six years saving money, he would miss the best age to begin training.
Perhaps I could go to a martial arts hall and work as a Human Stake? An idea rose in his mind.
A Human Stake was exactly what it sounded like: a person used as a stake for martial artists to practice their techniques on. Martial artists had little restraint when striking, so broken arms and legs were commonplace, and word often spread of Human Stakes being beaten to death.
Working as a Human Stake meant gambling with his life, but Lin Fan could find no other way to knock open the gates of martial arts.
I transmigrated into this world of martial arts. If I have to spend my whole life amounting to nothing, I might as well reincarnate sooner. I'll risk it! Lin Fan silently made up his mind.
"Brother Fan!"
A delighted shout suddenly came from behind him. Without turning around, Lin Fan knew it was his good friend, Zhang Meng.
He turned his head and saw a tall, burly young man striding quickly toward him.
"Brother Fan, how come you have time to take a stroll tonight?" Zhang Meng asked.
Lin Fan gave a bitter smile. "I'm homeless now. All I can do is wander the streets."
Zhang Meng froze for a moment. Then, rather than looking sad, he looked delighted and threw an arm around Lin Fan's shoulders.
"Brother Fan, you should have left that man-eating family of yours long ago. Come on, let's have a drink and celebrate a fresh start in life." With his arm around Lin Fan, he started toward a tavern.
Lin Fan made do with a night at the Land God Temple, then arrived at the entrance to the Mountain Suppression Martial Arts Hall early the next morning. He now had two taels of silver, which Zhang Meng had given him the previous night after hearing that he planned to become a Human Stake.
Brother, if I achieve success in martial arts, I'll repay you a thousandfold, ten thousandfold. Lin Fan tightly clutched the silver in his hand.
He entered the Mountain Suppression Martial Arts Hall and explained why he had come to the steward handling visitors. The steward glanced at his dark skin and thick calluses, nodded, and told him to follow.
The steward led him all the way to the rear courtyard, where thirty or forty people had already gathered, all applying to work as Human Stakes.
Before long, a middle-aged man in training clothes approached, striding like a dragon and pacing like a tiger.
"Assemble!" he shouted.
Everyone gathered in front of him, some looking apprehensive, others expectant.
"I'm the instructor for your batch of Human Stakes. We'll now begin testing your ability to take a beating. Those who pass stay. Those who fail get lost." The middle-aged man went straight to the point.
With that, he walked over to a nearby weapon rack, took out a wooden club, and held it in his hand.
Looking at the wooden club, which was thicker than a forearm, many swallowed and looked frightened. Was he sure a blow from that wouldn't kill someone?
The instructor ignored all this and began pointing people out. "You, come up here. Stay standing through three blows, and you pass. Two hundred jin of force." He pointed at the tallest, burliest young man present and called him forward.
The young man forced down his fear and shuffled forward, while the instructor impatiently urged him to hurry.
The tall young man came before the instructor and settled into a horse stance. Without the slightest courtesy, the instructor gripped the wooden club with both hands and smashed it hard into the young man's back.
Thwack!
The young man staggered forward and fell, pain on his face and veins bulging on his forehead.
"Hurry up and get back into your horse stance!" the instructor urged again.
The tall young man could only endure the severe pain and take up his horse stance again. The instructor delivered another blow.
This time, the young man could not withstand it. His eyes rolled back, and he collapsed to the ground.
Many of those present went pale, as though the wooden club had struck them instead. Many people's legs were already trembling.
The instructor gave the young man a disdainful glance. "Two of you, carry this useless waste who only looks impressive off to the side," he called to Lin Fan and the others, then pointed out another relatively tall, burly young man.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
The instructor delivered three blows. The young man clenched his teeth, trying to suppress his dizziness through willpower. Unfortunately, he failed and still collapsed.
"Trash!" the instructor cursed again, pointing at another person.
They went up to be tested one after another. Most could not endure it, and nearly two-thirds were eliminated.
At last, it was Lin Fan's turn. He pressed his lips together and took a deep breath. Whether he succeeded or not would come down to these three blows.
Thwack!
Agonizing pain spread from his back throughout his body. Lin Fan shuddered, his brows twitching as beads of sweat the size of beans covered his forehead.
Thwack!
Before he could recover, the instructor brought the club down again. Lin Fan felt a stabbing pain in his back, as though needles were piercing it. His brows knitted tightly, and his vision began to blur.
No, I mustn't fall! Lin Fan clenched his teeth, veins bulging on his neck.
Thwack!
Another blow landed. Lin Fan staggered several steps forward, his vision darkening, and was on the verge of falling.
But five years of hard labor proved their worth. He braced both hands against his knees and held himself up.
The instructor watched him for a while. Seeing that he had not fallen, he told him he had passed.
Joy filled Lin Fan's heart. He had finally cleared this first hurdle. Only after taking quite some time to recover did he go and sit beside the few others who had passed.
The test soon ended. Out of more than forty people, only twelve had passed.
The instructor swept his gaze over Lin Fan and the other successful candidates, his expression cold. "Don't think passing this hurdle means you can become Human Stakes. Now you'll begin practicing Iron Cloth Shirt. Anyone who fails to reach the entry level within ten days can get lost. This martial arts hall doesn't feed trash."
Everyone's heart tightened at his words. Those who came to work as Human Stakes were all people from the bottom rungs with no way to learn martial arts. If they missed this opportunity, they could forget about ever having anything to do with martial arts for the rest of their lives.