Tang Wen had been secretly speculating: that Black Armor General, with such a loud voice, was he using Sound Art or something else?
He wondered if there was any Sound Art among the Cultivation Methods available for exchange in the Guard Barracks.
If there was, he definitely wanted to learn it.
The examiner was swift and decisive, and the selection process was progressing rapidly.
Those who wanted another chance could have it.
But you had to at least lift the Stone Dumbbells to your chest to be given the opportunity to try again with the next group.
Rest was out of the question.
Either you advanced on the spot, or you were immediately eliminated.
There was no third option.
Suddenly, someone in front failed the assessment and claimed to be sick.
The examiner sneered, "You're sick? Fine! Go tell the Silver Wolf and see if it can wait for you to recover before eating you!"
"Get lost! Now!"
A girl ran out of the line, tears streaming through her fingers.
A few people chuckled, while the other girls glared at them.
Most, however, simply shook their heads as they watched her retreat.
Not everyone was cut out to be a guard.
"Ninth row, all forward."
The assessment was moving quickly. On the other two sides of the square, the selection process for patrol guards and city guards had also begun.
These two groups were not assessed separately; they all started running laps in unison.
At the end of each lap, someone would stamp their wrists.
One stamp per lap, testing mainly endurance and perseverance.
"Tenth row, all forward!"
Tang Wen strode forward from the line and, following the examiner's command, steadily lifted the Stone Dumbbells three times in a row.
After tallying the results, the chief examiner loudly reported to the stage, "The strength assessment is complete. Out of 418 participants, 167 passed. Among them, 25 were women."
On the stage, the Black Armor General nodded slowly, "Hmm, for this hunting squad selection, we only want strong fighters, not weaklings who will hold us back. The hunting squad only needs 45 people! Next, let's test speed."
The General felt a bit helpless. Who wouldn't want to nurture all these youngsters into capable individuals?
But it wasn't that the camp didn't want to recruit more; it was that cultivating a Martial Practitioner required a lot of resources, and the camp simply couldn't support too many people.
The speed test was a running race.
While the other candidates ran around the square, those selected for the hunting squad ran in the middle of the square.
One round trip was roughly 200 meters.
The first row, 20 people, stepped onto the track.
"Ready, run!"
Watching everyone dash off like unleashed wild dogs, Tang Wen frowned. A shuttle run?
He hadn't practiced that.
But the examiner didn't care whether he had practiced or not.
The last group only had seven of them.
"Run!" the examiner commanded.
Tang Wen shot out ahead of the pack.
This was the advantage of high mental power—his reaction time was exceptionally fast.
Since he hadn't run this before, he didn't hold back. Bowing his head and swinging his arms, he used at least seventy percent of his strength.
Whoosh!
From the very start, he left everyone behind.
"Whose kid is this? He's so fast!"
On the stage, a Commander exclaimed in surprise.
The other Commanders exchanged glances.
The Black Armor General asked curiously, "What? No one knows him?"
"General, I know him. He's not from the inner city; he's a kid from the outer city who makes a living by gathering herbs and hunting. He's quite interesting. I was planning to bring him under my wing and train him properly," said Commander Zhao, who was in charge of the Silver Wolf.
The others weren't pleased.
"Old Zhao, you always want to snatch up the good ones as soon as you see them!"
"Exactly, I think this kid is suitable to practice leg skills with me!"
The other commanders didn't speak, watching with interest as the three commanders of the hunting camp bickered.
Before he could finish speaking, Tang Wen slowed down and returned to the finish line when the examiner counted to 11.
All eyes around him were on him, some in surprise, others in confusion, all curious about where this guy had come from.
Damn! Overdid it.
Tang Wen smoothed his hair and, as usual, took his place at the very back.
"My name is Zhang Lin, you're not from the martial arts school, are you?" A burly man over six feet tall approached.
"Yeah, Tang Wen, a hunter from the outer city."
"A hunter? Impressive!" The big guy gave a thumbs up.
The two didn't speak further as the examiner announced the results:
"After the strength and speed tests, there are 79 passers, including 17 women. The fastest is Tang Wen."
Whoosh!
Tang Wen once again drew the attention of everyone present.
The voice of the Black Armor General on the stage rang out: "Tang Wen, step forward."
"Yes, sir." Tang Wen turned and stepped out.
"Don't be nervous, you're a hunter by trade, have you practiced martial arts?"
"Yes."
"What have you practiced? Who taught you?"
"Brother Li, the blacksmith from the outer city, taught me the Wind-splitting Saber. Old Doctor Li from the inner city taught me the Life-Nurturing Stance." He answered truthfully; in a small camp like this, there was no need to hide these things, as they could easily be found out.
But everyone who heard this was filled with disbelief.
Wind-splitting Saber? Life-Nurturing Stance?
How to put it?
In the martial arts school, even dogs wouldn't practice these.
The Black Armor General, Commander Zhao, and others exchanged glances, also surprised.
The Wind-splitting Saber is just a set of saber techniques for killing enemies.
To evaluate it, it's just ordinary, simple, practical, and easy to learn.
It's the most common of the common.
The Life-Nurturing Stance is even worse, a pure waste of time. Unless you're studying medicine, or not yet middle-aged and uninjured, who would practice it?
Martial practitioners also practice stances, but they practice the Horse Stance, aiming to stand like a horse.
The difference between the two is greater than that between a peach pit and a century-old collectible walnut.
The commanders on the stage whispered among themselves: "It seems his speed is innate."
"Yes, it must be."
"Definitely, what can these two skills possibly achieve?"
The martial apprentices around, hearing Tang Wen's words, felt much more at ease.
They all knew that next, they would be tested on their combat abilities.
What kind of combat ability could Tang Wen have, coming from such practices?
The Black Armor General signaled Tang Wen to return to the ranks:
"Next, take a one-hour break. After that, the combat assessment will begin. The assessment content: each person will simultaneously fight two armored guards, defeating them to win, weapons are allowed."
"Can we wear armor?" A martial apprentice raised his hand.
"Of course not."
An hour quickly passed.
On the large square, circles were drawn with white lime, each serving as a combat assessment area. There were fifteen in total.
Thirty guards, clad in iron armor and armed with swords and spears, entered in pairs.
More guards lined up waiting.
There were still 79 people to assess, so a total of 158 guards.
Although there were some differences in their strength, it wouldn't be too outrageous.
Whether the assessors faced weaker or stronger opponents was purely a matter of luck.
Tang Wen noticed that the examiners had changed.
Fifteen examiners, appearing out of nowhere, each exuding a fierce aura, stood in front of the fifteen circles.
Among them, the most eye-catching was a female examiner standing in circle number 4.
She was half a head taller than the average male soldier, probably over 185 cm.
Not to mention her fiery and rule-breaking figure, her straight and slender legs could rival those of a world-class supermodel.
Dressed in a black martial outfit, her pretty face was frosty, exuding an air of "keep your distance."
Hmm, this was the first, well, the third beauty I've seen since arriving at the camp.
The first was Sister-in-law Li, the second was Old Li's young wife. The examiner before me was the third.
The first round of selection began.
On the stage, the Black Armor General's voice resonated throughout the venue:
"For this assessment, the fastest time will determine the first place. The reward is 100 taels of silver, a refined weapon, and three opportunities to study the Mountain-Cracking Cannon Fist Visualization Diagram. The second place will receive a refined weapon."
Before he could finish, Tang Wen clearly felt that all those about to engage in combat clenched their fists in excitement.
He also keenly caught the key phrase "Mountain-Cracking Cannon Fist Visualization Diagram." What was that?
Mountain-Cracking Cannon Fist?
The name of this fist technique sounded illegal.
It must be this Visualization Diagram that got everyone excited.
Tang Wen walked up to Zhang Lin and asked, to which the latter excitedly replied, "The Mountain-Cracking Cannon Fist has unparalleled explosive strength! General Zhou and the other commanders on the stage have all practiced this fist technique, and it's only by mastering it that they've achieved their current status! The Visualization
Diagram is the only way to learn this fist technique. Once mastered, splitting mountains and shattering rocks will be as easy as peeing and making mud!"
Zhang Lin spoke with such enthusiasm that Tang Wen subtly stepped back and tilted his head slightly upward.
Alright then!
It seems I'll have to give it my all.
(End of Chapter)