Chapter 81 - 80: Assessment (Part 2)

Extreme Fist Sect, Martial Arts Training Ground.The atmosphere was tranquil at this moment.

Over a hundred Registered Disciples, each dressed in standard gray attire and wearing cloth shoes, stared solemnly in one direction.

Three people stood there.

Leading them was an elder in a black robe, with half-gray hair and a gloomy complexion, but barely a wrinkle on his face.

To his left stood Inner Disciple Zhou Yang, whose stature was robust and gaze fierce.

To his right stood Chen Muju, with a handsome and calm appearance.

Both wore white attire, with a prominent ’Extreme’ character embroidered on their chests, exuding vigor and spirit.

Everyone heard the elder’s robust voice:

"I am Elder Zhou Yuanxing of the Extreme Fist Sect, responsible for this Inner Sect Disciple assessment, those interested, step forward quickly!"

Extreme Fist Sect disciples are divided into three tiers.

Those who know nothing upon entry are called Registered Disciples, also Outer Disciples, and aren’t considered true members.

Those who pass the assessment and qualify to learn the Breathing Technique are called Inner Sect Disciples and can enjoy some benefits within the sect.

But only those who ultimately break through as Martial Artists can gain the True Inheritance, like Zhou Yang and Chen Muju, known as Inner Disciples.

Upon hearing Elder Zhou Yuanxing’s words, a confident woman stepped forward, immediately drawing everyone’s attention.

She was dressed in ordinary blue clothes but couldn’t hide the smooth curves of her body.

Her skin was flawless, and her eyes constantly carried a hint of a smile, making one unable to resist a good feeling.

"It’s Jia Hong, she seems to be smiling at me."

"Clearly she’s smiling at me..."

Lou Yi heard someone whispering nearby and almost burst into laughter. These days, it’s hard to escape the bold ones.

Jia Hong stepped onto the stage and gave a standard disciple salute to Zhou Yuanxing.

"Disciple Jia Hong, willing to accept the assessment."

Zhou Yuanxing saw this refined female disciple before him, and his stern demeanor slightly softened.

"Alright, the usual routine, start with a fist demonstration."

As soon as Elder Zhou finished speaking, Jia Hong took her stance on the spot.

Her legs slightly bent, her waist and back straight, with her left hand forming a palm vertically in front of her chest, while her right fist was tightly pressed against her slender waist.

Next, both hands shaped into fists, pushing out evenly, then slowly and stably pressing downward.

At a certain moment, her arms suddenly shook, her waist and hips swayed sharply, and her right hand formed a hook and fiercely struck at a 45-degree angle towards the sky.

The movement flowed like clouds and water, pleasing to watch, as Jia Hong seemed to transform into a graceful crane, raising its head to the sky, with an imposing momentum.

’Pa!’

A crisp firecracker sound seemed to come from her muscles and bones or perhaps mixed with the intense friction of the air.

Just by the satisfied smile on Elder Zhou’s face, it was clear she had surely passed.

"Not bad, for being only two months in, this understanding is commendable."

"Anyone else?" Elder Zhou asked.

"Me." Lou Yi cleared his throat and stepped forward.

He demonstrated the Chain Fist on the spot, executing retreat, press, shock, swing, and strike like Jia Hong, ending with a loud ’Pa’ sound, even brighter than Jia Hong’s.

"Though older, your understanding is alright." Elder Zhou calmly nodded, "Anyone else?"

A disciple with a familiar face to Lou Yi, whose name he couldn’t recall, volunteered to step forward, his expression a bit anxious.

He started demonstrating the punches on the spot, but just after two moves, Elder Zhou’s brows furrowed.

Lou Yi also shook his head inwardly.

This person was either inadequately practiced or overly tense, as the first move had a slight tremor undetectable by others, and there was a gap between the first and second moves.

Sure enough, his final hook punch was delivered with a low sound, far from the firecracker loudness.

"Needs more practice." Elder Zhou commented.

"I, I..." The disciple’s face turned pale, teeth trembled, clearly taken aback.

Seeing his outcome, several eager individuals stopped in their tracks.

"I’ll go."

Another person took the stage, catching Lou Yi’s attention.

This dark-skinned, honest-looking fellow was his former roommate Jin Feng.

Jin Feng stood firmly in his stance, Elder Zhou secretly nodded, his foundation was solid.

Following that, he began demonstrating the Chain Fist, each punch steady and balanced, without a detectable flaw, until the last punch resonated with a ’Pa’ explosion.

Jin Feng managed to produce a firecracker sound!

Not only Lou Yi, but even Niu Peng, He Yu, Jie Bai, who usually boasted together, widened their eyes, faces filled with disbelief.

"This kid hid well!" Niu Peng gritted his teeth.

"Damn, seeing him like this feels worse than losing money at a casino!" He Yu expressed his discontent.

Next up was Zhan Weida.

Recent sparring with Lou Yi wasn’t without gains, as he succeeded in delivering sounds too.

The last to take the stage was Huang Longgang, recently beaten by Lou Yi.

Not seen in days, Lou Yi found his complexion rosy, and overall condition much improved, perhaps from consuming some potent medicine.

Huang Longgang demonstrated the punches, steadily, comparable to Jin Feng, but on his final punch, a disruption occurred during the transition.

The five punches lacked unity, and the last punch sounded somewhat muffled, akin to a low-quality firecracker.

"Passed." Elder Zhou concluded, judging him through.

The disciples exchanged glances, yet none dared to criticize.

"Is there anyone left?" Elder Zhou surveyed, to confirm no one remained, then prepared for the second round of Qi-Blood testing.

The testing referred to checking one’s physique, simply put, seeing if you eat well daily, and if your body has deficits.

Those lacking Qi-Blood will face adverse effects upon practicing the Breathing Technique.

"Here, take this." Zhan Weida approached Lou Yi, poking his waist, speaking in a low voice.

"What’s this?" Holding the dark red pill, Lou Yi wondered.

"Qi Blood Pill, a good thing; consume it to assuredly pass the second level." Zhan Weida winked.

"No need, I’m confident." Lou Yi returned the pill to Zhan Weida, his expression confident.

How absurd, if I lack Qi-Blood, it’s unlikely to find anyone in the world with enough.

Elder Zhou had those who passed the first round step forward and line up, as he took out a peculiar item from his sleeve.

The object was a curved horn, a foot long, milky white, with faint swirling patterns on it.

"It’s the horn of a Goat Spirit," Zhan Weida whispered behind Lou Yi, "Many martial arts halls use it to test Qi-Blood. The stronger the Qi-Blood, the redder the color turns."

Before Zhan Weida finished speaking, Jia Hong went first, gracefully gripping the horn.

The originally milky white horn quickly changed color, from white to red, the entire horn turning a light red.

Huang Longgang, Jin Feng, and others tried, yielding similar results to Jia Hong.

This round was much simpler than the first, after all, replenishing Qi-Blood didn’t require understanding, just having silver sufficed.

But when Lou Yi stepped up, the scene was filled with gasps, even Elder Zhou’s face displayed astonishment.

The horn turned completely bright red, even emitting a noticeable glow.

Lou Yi’s terrifying Qi-Blood was evident!

"What’s that to show?" Huang Longgang scoffed.

He confidently grasped the horn, only to get his expression stuck the next moment.

The horn, originally glowing red, quickly shifted to a faint red, paler than Jia Hong’s, with patches that hadn’t turned red.

The result showed uneven red with white, very inconsistent.

"This kid obviously frequented brothels, rendered weak." Zhan Weida couldn’t resist mocking.

’Pfft.’ Among the crowd, a female disciple couldn’t hold back her laughter, then sparked laughter throughout others, filling the air with merriment.

Huang Longgang’s face instantly reddened, almost matching the horn Lou Yi had moments ago.

...