Assessment

Today is the day of the assessment, and the sun is shining brightly.

Early in the morning, Steward Wang urged everyone to get ready. He repeated the rules several times, fearing that they might be inexperienced and offend the people in the mansion.

The landlord's mansion was located not far behind the ferry crossing in Lizi Lane, with a vermilion gate and two imposing stone lions guarding the entrance.

Xu Hao and his group were led to the guards' quarters, where the equipment that the guards used for practicing martial arts had been moved to the base of the wall.

Two rows of sacks filled with rice were neatly stacked in the open space in the middle. Each sack weighed 100 jin (50 kg), and the two sacks were stacked together, weighing 200 jin (100 kg).

The master of the house, Mr. Chen, was already seated in the grand chair at the head of the table, holding a teacup in his hand, looking at everyone in the courtyard.

Standing next to him was a middle-aged man dressed in black, with a knife at his waist, sharp eyes, and bulging temples; he was clearly a trained fighter.

This is Lin Cheng, the head instructor of the guards whom the Chen family hired at great expense.

The twenty or so people from the miscellaneous servants' shop who came to take the assessment stood in a row, each one feeling uneasy.

"The rules have already been explained," Instructor Lin said, stepping forward with a loud voice that made everyone's eardrums buzz. "The first test is strength. Carry a 200-pound sack of grain and run ten laps around the yard without falling behind or collapsing. That's a pass."

"start!"

At the command, everyone stepped forward.

Li Da was the first to rush forward. He was used to doing heavy work, so 200 jin (100 kg) was not too difficult for him.

With a low growl, he moved with perfect coordination, grabbed two sacks, hoisted them onto his shoulder, and strode out steadily.

Next up was Lai San.

Although this guy was of low character, he was indeed strong and muscular, and with his usual abundance of oil and fat, he could easily lift it up.

When it was Xu Hao's turn, the guards on duty in the courtyard began to whisper among themselves.

"He's still just a kid, can he handle it? He looks so skinny."

"Xuan, he's just a janitor, he doesn't have that kind of strength."

Even Master Chen above frowned slightly, took a sip of tea, and remained silent.

Ignoring the stares around him, Xu Hao walked to the sack and took a deep breath.

hiss--

Breath enters the abdomen and sinks into the dantian.

He gripped the ground with both feet, tightened his core, and gave a low shout in his mind.

"rise!"

Xu Hao gripped the edge of the sack with both hands and exerted force.

It wasn't as heavy as I had imagined.

The weight of two hundred pounds on his shoulders only made him sink slightly before he straightened his spine and held on firmly.

"Huh?" A hint of surprise flashed in Coach Lin's eyes as he glanced at Xu Hao again.

"This kid's way of exerting force... is quite interesting."

Xu Hao carried the grain sack and ran after the group.

One lap, two laps, three laps...

Those burly laborers who usually looked strong started panting heavily by the fifth lap, their steps unsteady, and some even collapsed to the ground with their bags, unable to get up for a long time.

Xu Hao, however, ran more and more smoothly.

As he ran, his blood and qi began to boil, and that familiar warm current surged out from his limbs and bones once again.

That's the result of the subtle transformation that has taken place in this blessed land over the past few days, and it's also the essence that has been preserved through the "locking" strategy.

He trailed behind the group at a leisurely pace, his breathing maintaining a rhythm of three short breaths followed by one long one. Sweat soaked his clothes, but his steps remained perfectly steady.

It was the eighth lap, and there were still seven or eight people left on the track. Xu Hao glanced at Lai San in front of him and found that he was closely following behind Xu Da.

"Is this the start of a fight?" Xu Hao wondered to himself.

"We have to do something about it!"

Regardless of whether it aroused Lai San's resentment, if he and Lai San were among the final qualified candidates, even if they entered the compound, they would still be found to be crippled by the other party.

Thinking of this, Xu Hao immediately quickened his pace and caught up.

At this moment, Lai San pretended to be exhausted, his right foot twisted, and he fell sideways towards Li Da, while his left foot stretched forward, about to kick Li Da's raised right leg.

Xu Haomeng rushed forward in one stride, pretending to sprint with his last bit of strength, and the grain bag on his shoulder bumped into Lai San's grain bag.

Lai San stopped kicking Li Da in time, steadied himself from being knocked over, glared at Xu Hao, and continued running forward.

Lai San changed targets twice more, but Xu Hao thwarted him both times unintentionally.

Ten laps completed.

Only six people remain standing on the field.

Li Da, Lai San, Magan, Xu Hao, and two burly men who usually kept quiet.

The others who came from the menial shop either collapsed on the ground vomiting or were eliminated long ago.

"Good." Master Chen put down his teacup, a satisfied smile on his face. "Those who stay, each will be rewarded with one string of cash."

Upon hearing that they would receive money, joy appeared on their faces.

Xu Hao put down the food bag, adjusted his breathing, and tried his best to look tired.

He didn't want to stand out too much; he understood the saying "the nail that sticks out gets hammered down."

"Next, the second round." Instructor Lin walked into the arena, his gaze sweeping over the remaining six people like lightning.

"We've chosen guards; strength alone is useless. If we encounter bandits, they won't compete with us in carrying loads."

"They'll practice in pairs, and whoever stays until the end gets to stay."

"Lai San, you go first," Instructor Lin casually pointed.

Lai San cracked his neck, walked out with a sinister grin, his gaze fixed on Xu Hao, and beckoned with his finger: "Xu Hao, come here, let me teach you a lesson."

Xu Hao felt a chill run down his spine.

They've set their sights on him, this pushover.

He glanced at Li Da and the others beside him. As soon as their eyes met Lai San's, they looked away, none of them wanting to offend this narrow-minded scoundrel.

"What? You're too scared?" Lai San sneered. "If you're too scared, pack your bags and get out of here, go beg in that dilapidated temple!"

Xu Hao slowly stepped out of the line, his face expressionless, but his hands clenched tightly inside his sleeves.

Please advise.

No sooner had he finished speaking than Lai San disregarded all the rules of the underworld, kicked off the ground, and pounced like a vicious wolf, throwing a punch straight at Xu Hao's face.

The punch was accompanied by the sound of wind, clearly delivered with full force. If it had landed, Xu Hao's nose would have been broken.

too slow.

In Xu Hao's eyes, Lai San's actions, though fierce, were full of flaws.

These past few days, he has practiced basic martial arts stances countless times in the martial arts temple, facing the air. Although he doesn't know any other skills, his reaction, strength, and speed are far superior to Lai San's.

Lai San's punch was delivered entirely from his arm, leaving his lower body unstable and his breathing completely disordered.

Xu Hao didn't take the hit head-on; instead, he shifted his foot slightly and slid to the left.

"call!"

Lai San's fist grazed past Xu Hao's ear.

Missing his first strike, Lai San lunged forward, raising his left fist and exposing an opening under his ribs.

The image of Zhao Tiequan and Sun Niqiu fighting flashed through Xu Hao's mind like lightning.

Although he didn't know any advanced techniques, he understood the principle of "hitting someone where they are weak".

Almost instinctively, he pushed off the ground with his right foot, twisted his waist and abdomen, and sent out a straight punch—which he had practiced hundreds or thousands of times in the past few days—powerfully along the force of the rotation.

"Bang!"

A muffled thud.

Xu Hao's fist landed squarely on Lai San's ribs.

"Well--"

Lai San's eyes suddenly bulged out, and his whole body arched at a ninety-degree angle like a shrimp whose bones had been removed.

He opened his mouth wide, but couldn't make a sound. His face instantly turned purplish-blue, and then his knees buckled, and he knelt on the ground with a "plop," clutching his stomach and dry heaving, leaving bile all over the floor.

Quiet.

The courtyard was deathly silent.

Li Da opened his mouth wide, and Ma Gan trembled in shock.

Even Master Chen, who was sitting in the armchair, stood up in surprise.

No one expected that Xu Hao, who was usually timid and only knew how to sweep the floor, would knock down Lai San, the bully of the shop, with a single punch.

Moreover, it was swift and decisive, requiring only one move.

"Good!" Coach Lin's eyes flashed with a sharp light as he shouted, "That punch had some skill!"

Xu Hao withdrew his fist and stood still, his chest rising and falling slightly. He looked at Lai San, who was kneeling on the ground, his eyes still calm, as if he had just knocked down not a person, but a broken vat filled with water.

He won.