"Is this guy out of his mind?"
"Who throws away their weapon right at the start?"
"Could it be that he's never been in a real fight and is just too nervous?"
Such thoughts inevitably crossed the minds of the onlookers.
Even the two guards facing Tang Wen in the arena were filled with confusion.
Like most people, they instinctively looked up at the long sword that had been thrown high into the air.
The opportunity had arrived!
Tang Wen pulled out a pebble, his hands moving as fast as lightning, unleashing his full power.
Many couldn't clearly see his movements, only catching a blur.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
The terrifying sound of something cutting through the air was followed by thud, thud, thud!
The two guards had just sensed something was wrong when their foreheads were struck by something heavy!
It felt as if a two-meter-tall giant had swung a massive studded club directly onto their helmets!
Forehead!
Chest!
Shin!
In an instant, their heads spun, their chests felt tight, and their shins were in excruciating pain.
Staggering, they could no longer stand steady, collapsing to the ground with a thud, unconscious.
After finishing with the pebbles, Tang Wen, like a leopard, sprinted a few steps, leaped into the air, and caught the falling long sword.
In a flash, he was in front of the two men, placing the blade against their necks.
Everything happened in the blink of an eye.
The square fell into complete silence.
Tang Wen turned to the examiner and asked, "Is it over?"
The examiner snapped out of his daze and gave Tang Wen a deep look. "Tang Wen, victorious! 11 seconds."
11 seconds?
Alright!
She had completely forgotten to count the seconds.
She had just blurted out a number that felt about right.
Whoosh!
The crowd erupted into chatter.
"What just happened?"
"How did those two just fall like that?"
"Did Tang Wen awaken some kind of ability?"
Many Martial Apprentices were still trying to figure out what had happened.
For one, they had been too busy staring at the sword in the air, and secondly, Tang Wen's movements were too fast!
"Pebbles! It was the pebbles!"
An Lei's sharp eyes immediately spotted the fragments of pebbles embedded in the armor of the two guards.
"What terrifying strength!"
Li Gangpao and Zhao Lei approached Zhang Lin.
"Old Zhang, do you think you could beat him?"
Zhang Lin glanced at Li Gangpao. "Only if both of us were wearing heavy armor, and the arena was smaller. Otherwise, even if I won, I might end up blind."
The two fell silent, their thoughts aligning with Zhang Lin's.
On the stage, people were also discussing Tang Wen. "What the hell! This kid must have the strength of five or six hundred pounds in his hands!"
A commander known for his strength immediately estimated Tang Wen's power.
"His accuracy and speed are top-notch."
"Judging by his appearance, he's probably not even eighteen yet. How did he train like this?"
"His strength and speed are impressive, but his martial skills don't seem that great. I wonder if he has any talent for Martial Arts."
"Even if he does have talent, it might be a bit late."
Commander Zhao chuckled and reminded everyone, "Don't forget to buy me a drink."
The group laughed and teased him.
General Zhou spoke up, "The practical assessment is over. Let's take the top 45 and enroll them into the hunting squad!"
Some were overjoyed, while others sighed in disappointment.
The Martial Apprentices who didn't make the cut could join the regular guards without further assessment.
Alternatively, they could go home and train for another year.
But no one could predict what next year would bring.
General Zhou added, "Tang Wen, An Lei, Zhang Lin, step forward!"
The three of them walked to the front of the stage.
"Zhang Lin's swordsmanship, An Lei's marksmanship, and Tang Wen's intelligence! All are impressive. Especially Tang Wen, who comes from the outer city and makes a living by hunting. It's not easy for him to develop such skills!"
General Zhou offered a few words of encouragement, mentioning that the rewards would be distributed after they officially became hunting guards.
After that, he didn't stay long and left the square with a few guards.
The three commanders of the hunting camp stepped down from the stage to greet the three of them.
Upon hearing others' addresses, Tang Wen learned that the commander who guarded the Silver Wolf was surnamed Zhao.
Commander Zhao was one of the three commanders of the hunting camp, each commanding ten hunting squads.
"Not bad, young Tang! You've taken first place. Do you remember saying you wanted to join my ranks?"
Tang Wen was puzzled: Did I say that?
Commander Zhao subtly winked, and Tang Wen caught on.
For him, it was naturally better to join the ranks of someone he was familiar with.
After all, Commander Zhao had personally instructed him in stance training.
He immediately smiled and said, "Of course, I remember."
Hearing this, the other two commanders exchanged glances, shrugged, and went their separate ways—one to approach Zhang Lin, the other An Lei.
In the eyes of the two commanders, Tang Wen wasn't necessarily much stronger than these two who had trained in martial arts since childhood. Whether he had any talent in martial arts was still uncertain.
Regardless, Commander Zhao was quite satisfied to have the top-ranked Martial Apprentice among hundreds under his command: "You really do have a connection with me, Team Zhou."
He turned and called out.
"Here!" came a slightly hoarse voice.
The female examiner who had supervised Tang Wen's test strode over.
"Let me introduce you. This is Zhou Bing, the captain of the first hunting squad, the strongest captain in our camp. Team Zhou, Tang Wen has agreed to join my ranks."
Upon hearing the praise, Zhou Bing's expression remained cold, but a hint of joy flickered in her almond-shaped eyes. She curved the corners of her mouth slightly and said in a deliberately soft tone, "Our squad warmly welcomes Tang Wen's joining!"
"Good, it's settled then."
None of the three had any objections.
Commander Zhao continued selecting others.
Zhou Bing signaled for Tang Wen to follow her.
The two walked out of the square and headed toward the guard barracks in the inner city.
"Team Zhou, aren't you selecting anyone else?" Tang Wen asked, trying to make conversation and quickly get familiar with his captain.
Zhou Bing replied, "If the hunting squads are the sharp blades of the camp, then our first squad is the tip of that blade! We'd rather have quality over quantity."
"Understood."
"I've roughly learned about your background. You've only practiced the Life-Nurturing Stance?"
"Uh, yes."
She frowned slightly: "Then during the three-month training period for new recruits, you'll need to master the Earth Fire Stance."
"Earth Fire Stance?" Seeing Tang Wen's eager expression, Zhou Bing slowed her pace and began to explain.
"The Earth Fire Stance is the foundational stance for the fire element skills in our camp. Just like the Mountain-Cracking Cannon Fist, the foundation of this fist technique lies in inch strength and explosive strength."
She spoke earnestly, and Tang Wen's favorable impression of her grew.
The first hunting squad's base was located in the eastern part of the guard barracks, a row of stone houses, three of which were allocated for their use.
Two were dormitories, and one was a meeting room, also serving as a place for meals and casual conversation.
As a new recruit, Tang Wen had a lot to do on his first day in the camp.
He had to collect his identity tag, supplies, and armor.
From boots and socks to hats and scarves, the hunting camp provided everything.
In the meeting room, Tang Wen tried on the armor he had just received. It was a complicated task, and he couldn't put it on alone.
Zhou Bing stood by, casually explaining the situation of the hunting squads: "All hunting squads are organized into groups of three. The archer stays at the back, the sword-and-shield soldier takes the front, and there's one person who wields either a sword or a spear, freely looking for opportunities. Which position do you think suits you?"
A sword-and-shield soldier sounded like a tank in a game, and Tang Wen didn't want to do that.
As for the archer, well, he didn't know how to use a bow.
Tang Wen said, "It sounds like the position of freely seeking opportunities is more suitable for me."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Bing stepped closer and reached out to fasten the buckle on his chest.
Tang Wen touched his nose, feeling a bit awkward.
Zhou Bing frowned perceptively, "You're not married?"
"Uh, I just turned fifteen."
This time, as he caught the faint scent of soap on her, Tang Wen's mind uncontrollably jumped to a few names: Tang Yue, Tang Yun, Tang Zhao, Tang Xue, and so on.
"What about you, Captain?" He realized he hadn't asked the key question.
Zhou Bing's frown didn't ease as she finished fastening his armor and lowered her hands, replying, "It's been three years."
Tang Wen felt a sense of loss.
Zhou Bing secretly found it amusing, "I mean, it's been three years since my third fiancé died."
Tang Wen: Huh???
She said leisurely, "After the Martial Apprentice stage comes the Martial Practitioner, and above that is the Martial Master. Many people, during the Martial Master stage, awaken certain abilities due to their cultivation methods. All three of my fiancés died, so 'husband-killer' might just be my ability."
After saying this, she stared at Tang Wen, curious to see how this fifteen-year-old boy would react.
"Holy crap! So you're invincible?" Tang Wen's face was filled with shock.
"What?" Zhou Bing wondered if she had misheard.
(End of Chapter)