Through the gate was a courtyard the size of a training ground, where a dozen or so robust men were honing their bodies. Some were lifting stone locks, others were practicing their punches on wooden dummies, and still others were leaping and hopping across plum blossom posts...
After the young man who had opened the door shouted, a yellow-faced youth walked out from the group. Seeing Zhao Lin, he let out a surprised "Huh?" and said, "I think I've seen you before."
"I used to be a laborer. I've delivered goods here before."
Zhao Lin recognized him too. It was the same yellow-faced youth who had received his delivery a month ago.
"Oh, now I remember."
The yellow-faced youth smiled, a hint of surprise in his voice. "You're here to learn martial arts this time?"
Zhao Lin nodded. "That's right."
The yellow-faced youth's smile vanished, and his expression turned serious. "Our Liuhe Sect has strict recruitment standards. It's not a place you can get into just by paying. I'm sure you've heard as much."
"I need to ask you a few questions first. You must answer them truthfully. We will be verifying your answers."
"Alright," Zhao Lin replied.
"What's your name, and have you ever studied martial arts before?" the yellow-faced youth asked.
"I am Zhao Lin, and I have never studied martial arts," Zhao Lin replied.
"How old are you?"
"Sixteen."
"Have your parents or any family members ever joined a gang or committed any crimes?"
Zhao Lin paused for a moment. 'Is this a background check?' he thought. Out loud, he answered, "Neither. My ancestors were farmers for generations, and all were law-abiding citizens."
The yellow-faced youth gave him a surprised look. "The apprenticeship fee is two taels of silver per month, with three months paid in advance. Can you afford that?"
"Six taels of silver. I have it ready."
As Zhao Lin spoke, he reached into his robes.
The yellow-faced youth quickly stopped him. "Don't be in a hurry to take out the money. We'll talk after you pass the assessment."
He turned to the young man who had opened the door. "Go get Eldest Brother. Ask him to preside over the entrance assessment."
The young man acknowledged the order and ran toward the rear hall.
A short while later, a burly man of about thirty, with a towering physique, walked into the courtyard.
The man had a fierce, panther-like face with glaring, round eyes, a sharp chin, and a coiling beard. His every move exuded a ferocious power.
"Eldest Brother."
The yellow-faced youth performed a cupped-fist salute and gestured to Zhao Lin. "This young man wishes to join our Liuhe Sect. We'll have to trouble you to conduct his assessment, Eldest Brother."
"Alright!"
Eldest Brother walked up to Zhao Lin and looked him up and down for a moment before nodding. "Hmm, a well-proportioned build and frame. He's young, too. He'll probably grow taller."
As he spoke, he suddenly clapped Zhao Lin on the shoulder. Zhao Lin felt a warm current surge into his body, circle through his chest and abdomen, and then vanish without a trace in an instant.
"He hasn't trained in martial arts. His fundamentals are decent. He's qualified for the assessment."
'Decent?'
Hearing Eldest Brother's words, Zhao Lin froze. 'My body was reforged by the Essence Souls of an old ox and a bear, and all he can say is 'decent'?' he thought.
But on second thought, he remembered that he'd spent his childhood never having enough to eat or warm clothes to wear. His foundational health was severely lacking, so of course he couldn't compare to someone who grew up wealthy, feasting on fine meats and fish.
'It's been less than a month since I absorbed the Essence Souls,' he reasoned. 'It's impossible for me to become a peerless prodigy overnight.'
With that in mind, Zhao Lin began to take this assessment truly seriously.
Eldest Brother continued, "The assessment has three parts: balance, strength, and agility. I'll explain the rules first so you know what to expect."
"The assessment is graded based on performance into nine grades: upper three, middle three, and lower three. To pass, your average grade cannot be lower than the third grade. Do you understand?"
"Understood!"
Hearing that strength was one of the tests gave Zhao Lin some peace of mind, but he had no idea how he would perform on the other two.
"Good. Then we'll start by testing your balance."
Eldest Brother walked to the plum blossom posts and leaped lightly onto one.
He stood on one foot on a post, lifting his other leg until his thigh was parallel to the ground. His body was as still as if he were nailed in place.
"Hold this position, just like me. The longer, the better. You have three attempts."
With that, he jumped down from the post and gestured for Zhao Lin to go up.
The men who had been training gathered around to watch quietly, tactfully keeping silent.
'Is this a yoga pose?'
Zhao Lin saw that the post was about three feet off the ground and its surface was only the size of a bowl's base. Standing on one leg in such a small space required an extremely high degree of balance and coordination.
He silently regulated his breathing, calming his mind. He eyed two posts, then leaped up, landing on each with one foot. He then shifted his center of gravity to one leg and, mimicking Eldest Brother's earlier posture, raised the other...
THUD!
A moment later, Zhao Lin fell off the post.
"Two more attempts," Eldest Brother reminded him.
"'Come on, I can definitely do it!' Zhao Lin silently encouraged himself. He steadied his nerves and jumped onto the post again."
This time he lasted longer, falling off after more than ten seconds.
Zhao Lin glanced around at the faces of the onlookers. Although no one said a word, he could tell from their expressions that his performance was not ideal.
On his third attempt, he held on for a full half-minute.
After landing, Zhao Lin turned his gaze to Eldest Brother.
Eldest Brother announced in a deep voice, "Middle-Upper. Fourth Grade!"
The second test was for strength.
The equipment was simple: a wide-mouthed stone urn as thick as a water bucket, and seven or eight stone locks of various sizes.
Eldest Brother pointed to the urn. "The urn weighs one hundred jin. The stone locks are twenty, fifty, and one hundred jin."
"Put whichever locks you think you can lift into the urn and then lift the whole thing."
Zhao Lin looked at the stone locks on the ground and asked, "How much do I need to lift to get the first grade?"
A smile appeared on Eldest Brother's face. "One hundred jin is the ninth grade. The grade improves by one for every additional twenty jin. You calculate how much is needed for the first grade."
Without a moment's hesitation, Zhao Lin replied, "Two hundred and sixty jin."
Eldest Brother nodded. "Correct. However, you're young, so we can lower the standard a bit for you. Let's reduce it by twenty jin."
"Thank you, Eldest Brother, but I'll stick to the original standard."
Zhao Lin walked over, grabbed the largest hundred-jin stone lock, and placed it in the urn. Then he added another one of the same weight.
He had initially hesitated about whether to hold back, but now he felt there was no need.
He had only scored a fourth grade on the first test, and he had no idea how he would do on the third test, agility. He had to max out his score on the strength test, or he wouldn't pass the assessment at all.
"Three hundred jin! He's really going for it!"
"He's just showing off. I've never seen anyone in the assessment lift more than two hundred and sixty jin."
The onlookers murmured amongst themselves.
One person even offered a kind reminder to Zhao Lin: "Little brother, the bottom of that urn is very slippery. It's okay if you can't lift it, but if you strain your arms, you won't even be able to lift the lighter ones later."
The yellow-faced youth also chimed in, "You can start with a lighter weight and add more gradually."
"Let me try first!"
Zhao Lin just smiled, bent down, and wrapped his arms around the stone urn. With a single upward heave—WHOOSH!—he lifted it high over his head.
"He... he actually lifted it!"
"He doesn't even look that muscular! Where does he get all that strength?"
Everyone stared, their eyes wide with disbelief. A wave of gasps and murmurs swept through the crowd.
"Excellent! Strength can overcome a hundred techniques. He's prime material for martial arts," Eldest Brother blurted out in praise.
The yellow-faced youth clapped his hands. "With a performance like this, even if he fails the agility test, we can still accept him, right, Eldest Brother?"
Eldest Brother considered his words. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Have him take the next test seriously. Strength is only one aspect; we can't judge the whole based on a single part."
Zhao Lin set the stone urn down and deliberately wiped his sweat-free forehead, pretending to be exhausted.
'That performance was too outstanding,' he thought. 'I might as well be a bit more low-key. I can reveal my true strength gradually after I've joined.'