"If I may ask, Sir, what are the terms of the challenge?"
Nie Yuanliu had barely finished speaking when a Vice Commander eagerly spoke up, his tone respectful yet unable to hide his confidence.
His question immediately drew everyone's gaze to Nie Yuanliu. Clearly, the prize offered by the Captain held a significant allure for the Vice Commanders present.
"Today is a farewell banquet; it is not a suitable time for martial displays and bloodshed. In that case... we shall decide the winner with a contest of strength." After a moment's thought, Nie Yuanliu set the rules.
"An excellent idea, Sir!"
The various commanders voiced their agreement.
At a gesture from Captain Nie, several burly strongmen entered, grunting with effort as they carried in a massive, dark green stone lock. They placed it heavily in the center of the tent, and the dull THUD that echoed upon landing spoke volumes of its immense weight.
"This is forged from Black Gold Stone and weighs over seven hundred jin."
Nie Yuanliu's voice was calm. "You may all step forward and try. Victory will be determined by who can lift it over their head and hold it for the longest time. The one who persists the longest will win the prize. But let me say this first—a contest of strength is not a life-or-death battle. Do not overexert yourselves, lest you suffer internal injuries and damage your foundation."
Over seven hundred jin!
For most of the Vice Commanders, who were in the Mingxi Realm, this weight was a daunting threshold. After all, an ordinary Mingxi Realm Martial Master's arm strength was typically between three hundred and five hundred jin. Only those with exceptional talent or an extremely solid foundation could surpass that limit.
Indeed, as soon as he finished speaking, nearly half of the Vice Commanders showed hesitation, quietly extinguishing their desire to compete. 'What if I can't hold it and end up injuring myself? The loss would far outweigh the gain.'
But there was no shortage of confident men among them. Seeing that no one else was stepping forward, the burly Vice Commander who had first spoken rose and clasped his fist. "Sir, your subordinate is willing to be the first to try!"
"Permitted."
The Vice Commander gave another firm fist clasp, then deftly unfastened his light armor, revealing a powerful, well-muscled torso. He walked to the stone lock, took a deep breath, and his entire body tensed. The veins on his arms bulged like coiled serpents as he gripped the handle and abruptly heaved with all his might!
"UP!"
The stone lock lifted from the ground in response, hoisted over his head with a tremendous effort!
Under the immense pressure, however, his footing became unsteady, and his face instantly flushed crimson. His arms trembled so violently it was visible to the naked eye. After holding on for a mere two breaths, he was forced to drop the stone lock with a heavy thud, panting ceaselessly.
"Not bad."
Nie Yuanliu nodded slightly, giving his assessment.
Even just two breaths was already quite impressive.
Immediately after, a second man came up to try. He strained until his whole body shook and his face turned red as blood, but he ultimately failed to lift the stone lock over his head and had to retreat in dejection.
These two attempts were like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing the enthusiasm that had just been kindled in many of the men.
Two more men came forward, but their performances were even worse: one barely held it up for a single breath before hastily putting it down, while the other simply tested the weight and gave up, shaking his head.
Seeing this, the burly man who had first lifted it for two breaths couldn't help but reveal a smile that said victory was in his grasp.
"Sir," Huang Ren said, turning to Wu Kuang and respectfully asking for permission, "your subordinate would also like to try."
Wu Kuang frowned. His gaze flickered to Commander Huang, who was not far away. After a brief moment of contemplation, he said:
"Go on, but know your limits."
"Yes, sir!"
Huang Ren's spirits lifted. He strode to the stone lock, focused his mind, held his breath, and with a sudden stomp of his foot and a sharp exhale, he too managed to fiercely hoist the lock up!
His face instantly turned beet red, the veins on his temples pulsed, and bloodshot streaks even appeared in his eyes. He could taste the faint tang of iron between his teeth. He held on by sheer, brutal willpower, but after two breaths, he could no longer hold on and let the stone lock crash to the ground.
"Not bad."
Nie Yuanliu's evaluation was still the same two words.
Huang Ren suppressed the roiling qi and blood in his chest, bowed, and returned to Wu Kuang's side, his breathing still somewhat unsteady.
"Sir, I was fortunate not to fail you."
As he spoke, his gaze swept over Chen Sheng, seemingly by chance, carrying a hint of subtle provocation and smugness, as if he had now firmly established his superiority in terms of raw power.
"Mm, sit down and regulate your breathing," Wu Kuang said with a faint nod.
"Is there anyone else who wishes to try?"
Nie Yuanliu's gaze swept over the remaining men. The tent fell silent. The consecutive failures had made most of the Vice Commanders shrink back.
"Sir," Chen Sheng finally spoke, his voice steady, "your subordinate wishes to try."
He was determined to win the unknown prize—especially since the Celestial Book of Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Evil had hinted that the prize was a choice of one of three Treasure Soldiers!
Such Divine Weapons were far beyond what ordinary iron could compare to, and they were exactly what he needed right now.
Besides, he wasn't being recklessly arrogant. The foundation granted to him by the Golden Bell Body Refining Technique was far superior to his peers, and strength was his forte. Back in Wu Kuang's tent, he had lifted a five-hundred-jin stone lock with ease. Although this Black Gold Stone Lock was abnormally heavy, he was confident it was still within his capabilities.
"Don't be reckless."
Wu Kuang cautioned him, his tone a mixture of expectation and surprise.
He knew Chen Sheng was strong enough to lift the lock, but he hadn't expected someone who was always so low-key to step forward on such an occasion. After all, the prize was unknown; it could very well just be some Elixirs. Still, he didn't stop him.
"I understand, sir."
Chen Sheng rose and clasped his fist in a salute toward Nie Yuanliu. "Sir, I request permission to try."
"Permitted."
As the word fell, every gaze in the tent instantly focused on Chen Sheng. There was curiosity, doubt, and scrutiny... but no contempt. Anyone who dared to step forward at this point had to have something to back it up.
Even Huang Ren's brow was tightly furrowed, his heart filled with shock and uncertainty. 'From what I've heard, Chen Sheng only just entered the Mingxi realm and only got Wu Kuang's favor through his talent for currying it. How can he have such confidence?'
Chen Sheng walked to the stone lock, his feet planted slightly apart, standing as steady as a pine.
He didn't posture or pose. He simply took a deep breath and tightened his hands around the cold, rough handle of the lock.
Heave!
The stone lock rose at his command! It was truly, incredibly heavy. The "over" in "over seven hundred jin" was clearly doing a lot of work. No wonder so many had failed before him.
But Chen Sheng's arms were as steady as bedrock. Beneath his sleeves, a faint bronze luster seemed to flow as his qi, blood, and Inner Breath surged endlessly. He steadily raised the Black Gold Stone Lock high above his head!
One breath, two breaths, three breaths!
After a full three breaths, he slowly lowered the stone lock, his own breathing steady and his expression calm, as if he still had strength to spare.
A wave of sharp intakes of breath instantly filled the tent!
The few Vice Commanders who had tried before all looked utterly shocked. Even many of the Commanders who had been watching idly straightened up, the way they looked at Chen Sheng suddenly different. They no longer saw him as a lucky subordinate who had gotten ahead by chance, but as someone to be truly scrutinized and taken seriously.
To have such a solid foundation in the Mingxi Realm meant his future prospects were bound to be limitless.
Many people were silently cursing Wu Kuang's incredible luck at having unearthed such a talent.
As for Huang Ren, he was now plunged into a deep silence.
Chen Sheng had held it for three breaths and was still able to lower the stone lock as if it were light. This showed he still had strength in reserve. While strength wasn't the sole measure of one's power, it was more than enough to serve as a clear testament to it.
His earlier desire to compete had now faded considerably.