The first round of assessments began, and Zhang Lin, who stood over 1.9 meters tall, was among the participants.
At the examiner's signal to start, Zhang Lin, wielding a two-meter-long Horse Chopping Saber, charged like a galloping horse toward two fully armed spearmen!
The two spearmen quickly split, one to the left and one to the right, attempting to flank him.
Clang!
Saber and spear collided.
The steel spear in the spearman's hand was knocked high into the air, nearly slipping from his grip.
The other spearman hurriedly attacked Zhang Lin from behind, preventing the situation where Zhang Lin would take down one of them right at the start.
Zhang Lin, eager for the rewards General Zhou had mentioned, wanted a quick victory, aiming to overpower his opponents with sheer strength.
However, the two guards were clearly seasoned veterans, experienced in group combat. When one was attacked, the other immediately struck from another angle, targeting Zhang Lin's openings.
For a moment, the situation reached a stalemate.
Tang Wen quickly scanned the other arenas, and the scenarios were largely similar.
It seemed these Martial Apprentices, who had trained since childhood, were not lacking in practical combat experience.
One-on-one, they could easily defeat the guards, but the guards weren't foolish either. They split up to flank their opponents, coordinating to avoid being picked off one by one.
Seeing this, Tang Wen had an epiphany: it seemed this assessment was two-fold, not just a selection for the hunting squad but also a test for the guards.
Clang!
Zhang Lin deflected the spear with his saber but didn't pursue. Instead, he spun around to face the enemy behind him.
With a sweep of his long saber, he knocked the spear aside and closed in.
The two guards' expressions changed drastically.
The guard whose spear had been deflected couldn't retract it in time to regain momentum, leaving him unable to attack Zhang Lin from behind.
The other guard now faced Zhang Lin's blade head-on.
Thud!
Zhang Lin kicked the guard, and the blade lightly grazed the armor.
Eliminated!
Now it was one-on-one. The guard didn't even last a single exchange before Zhang Lin took him down.
"Zhang Lin, victory! Time: 89 seconds."
The crowd waiting for their assessments erupted in chatter.
"Damn! Old Zhang, that beast, couldn't even go easy!"
"He's got a shot at first place! That's three chances to view the Visualization Diagram."
"..."
On the stage, everyone turned to look at a tall commander: "Congratulations! Old Zhang, your kid is even stronger than you were back in the day! Like father, like son."
"Stop praising him, everyone. It's only the first round; there's still a long way to go!"
Though he said this, Commander Zhang couldn't hide the smile on his face.
"Cut it out, Old Zhang. You owe us a treat."
"Yeah, bring out that case of glass-bottled good wine!"
"Get out of here! You all just want to drink my wine!"
Below the stage, Zhang Lin returned to the group, surrounded by Martial Apprentices. They looked at him with envy, clearly impressed by his performance.
Only three individuals—two men and one woman—remained silent, standing still with solemn expressions. They seemed determined to compete for first place!
Tang Wen marked these three as key figures to observe.
The assessments continued, but suddenly, an unexpected incident occurred. In arena seven, as one guard was about to be defeated, the other guard, in a panic, hurled his spear like a javelin!
Just as the spear was about to pierce the assessee's body, the examiner intervened, covering nearly ten meters in a single step and gently catching the spear, stopping it behind the assessee.
"Step down. You've lost."
"Yes, yes. Thank you, sir." The man, visibly dejected, wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.
Many assessees felt sorry for him.
Clearly, he had the skills.
But no one expected the guard to resort to such an unconventional move as throwing his spear.
Tang Wen felt that the man's loss was justified; the guard must have specialized in javelin throwing.
Another round ended, and the two Martial Apprentices he had been watching both stepped into the arena and quickly secured their victories.
"Li Gangpao, victorious! Time: 143 seconds."
"Zhao Lei, victorious! Time: 151 seconds."
Whoosh!
In a competition where most matches lasted over ten minutes and were ultimately decided by endurance, their results were exceptionally impressive.
They ranked second and third, respectively.
Yet, their expressions were far from pleased. After finishing their assessments and leaving the arena, they still wore looks of dissatisfaction.
The next round began, and the woman Tang Wen had been particularly focused on stepped into the arena.
Her weapon was a spear.
Unlike the combat styles of others, she held her spear with both hands, advancing steadily without haste.
Whenever the two guards opposite her tried to separate, she would flick her spear and launch a fierce assault, forcing one guard to retreat and the two to combine their efforts to counter her.
Even so, the two guards fought while retreating, and the space behind them to maneuver gradually diminished with her every step.
Thrust, snap, lift, deflect!
The spear in her hands seemed to come alive. Suddenly, the spear's tip blossomed like a flower, and her speed increased sharply.
"Clink, clink."
The two guards were unable to defend in time and were struck in the chest by her spear tip.
"An Lei, victorious! Time: 81 seconds. Currently ranked first!" The examiner looked on with admiration.
Whoosh!
The square erupted in murmurs.
Tang Wen overheard the crowd's discussions.
It turned out that this An Lei usually kept to herself and wasn't very familiar with others from the same martial arts school. Everyone knew she was not to be trifled with and that her spear skills were formidable.
But no one had ever seen her in actual combat, and no one could have anticipated that her spear skills were this advanced.
Tang Wen recalled her combat style—seemingly slow but actually fast!
At first glance, she appeared to be advancing steadily and slowly, but the circular arena wasn't large to begin with, and with her spear over two meters long, she could cover a vast area with a single sweep. She quickly locked down her opponents' reaction space.
On the platform, the Black Armor General murmured softly, "This is Old An's daughter, isn't it?"
"Yes, Brother An passed away early, leaving only this girl behind. She's been strong-willed since childhood and has a high talent for martial arts."
Commander Zhang, Zhang Lin's father, didn't show any disappointment at seeing his son lose the top spot. Instead, he looked at the girl below with a sense of relief: Brother An has a worthy successor!
The young Martial Apprentices all turned their eyes to Zhang Lin. He exhaled, feeling a sense of unwillingness, but as he recalled her spear techniques, he couldn't confidently say he could defeat her one-on-one.
An Lei exited the arena and passed by Tang Wen. Their eyes met briefly before they walked past each other.
Tang Wen thought to himself: Hmm, the fourth one. She's the fourth beauty I've seen since crossing over.
"Last group, step forward!"
This group consisted of only four people.
Here we go!
As the last person to enter, Tang Wen tightened his grip on his sword and walked into the fourth circle.
The examiner outside the circle was the third great beauty in his heart.
So big—ahem, so fair, her skin.
Hmm, after seeing her beauty up close, Tang Wen silently rearranged the rankings of the four beauties in his mind.
This female examiner before him was undoubtedly first in both looks and figure.
If he had met her on Earth, where food and clothing were no concern and safety was assured, Tang Wen could have thought of three boys' and three girls' names within half a minute.
But now?
He'd better focus on performing well and securing the first-place reward first.
The female examiner was more than a head taller than him. His gaze swept over her, calm and composed, and he gave a slight nod to show respect.
The female examiner also nodded and spoke in a hoarse voice, asking for Tang Wen's name.
"Both parties, enter the arena."
The two guards who entered the arena with Tang Wen were well-proportioned in build. One carried a long saber, while the other held a spear.
They were clad in full armor, covering every part of their bodies except for their faces and the area below their calves.
Their calves were protected by military boots, made of tanned animal hide, offering considerable defense. The soles of the boots likely had iron or steel plates embedded within.
Ordinary beasts might not even be able to bite through them. If they tried to bite the soles, they might even break their teeth.
Since it was the final match with four participants, and the other three were not particularly noticeable, both the audience and the judges focused their attention on Tang Wen.
"This kid runs pretty fast, but I wonder how his actual combat skills are."
"If he trains hard at the martial arts school for a year and has talent in Martial Arts, he might make it into the top three. It's hard to say now," one Commander shook his head.
In the world of martial arts, speed is invincible.
Once speed is achieved, the advantage is significant.
But Tang Wen had only practiced the Wind-splitting Saber, taught by an ordinary retired guard. Even with speed, he couldn't fully utilize it.
Commander Zhao laughed, "Since no one seems to have high hopes for him, how about we make a bet? I think young Tang can make it into the top three."
"Alright, I'll take that bet. A round of drinks."
"Count me in!"
"Add another round."
As they chatted enthusiastically, Tang Wen, the main subject of their discussion, was already tense inside.
The female examiner shouted, "Ready!"
He took a deep breath, gripped his saber with both hands, and assumed a stance ready to charge forward.
"Begin!"
Whoosh!
To everyone's surprise, as soon as the examiner gave the command, Tang Wen threw his saber into the air!
"What?"
The entire arena gasped in shock.
(End of Chapter)