Martial Arts Longevity Begins with the Equipment Slot

Chapter 4: Testing Strength with a Stone, The Day of Success

Hearing Wang Xiaoliu's call, Chen Yu hurried over and quickly went from the woodshed to the outer courtyard.

By this time, a crowd had gathered in the servants' quarters, creating an unusually noisy atmosphere.

A burly old man with a ruddy complexion stood in the middle.

Standing beside him was Zhao Dashan, his former martial arts instructor.

"cough."

The red-faced old man cleared his throat, his long beard fluttering in the wind, looking quite imposing.

The dozens of servants in the room stopped talking abruptly and all looked up.

Some of the more experienced handymen had already recognized him.

This man was Niu Guobao, the head of the compound's guards, nicknamed "Iron Bolt".

It is said that this man wielded a thick iron rod, as thick as a door bolt and weighing eighty-two pounds. He could shatter bones with a single sweep of the rod.

But his iron rod was nowhere to be seen. Only his eyes shone like an eagle's, his gaze slowly moving from the far left to the far right of the line, and then from the far right to the far left again.

Everyone who was caught in that gaze instinctively straightened their backs.

"We need three guards; we'll choose from among you."

When Niu Guobao spoke, his voice was not loud, but it carried an imposing presence that made everyone's hearts sink.

"The next step is for Instructor Zhao to arrange the test of strength selection."

After exchanging a few words, Niu Guobao left the servants' quarters.

Zhao Dashan walked out from behind, carrying a huge stone lock in each hand, and threw it to the ground, sending dust flying.

Chen Yu glanced at the stone locks and saw that they were shaped like pumpkins, dark green, with polished hemp rope wrapped around the locks and brown stains at the knots, indicating that they were quite old.

"You've been practicing for over a month now; it's time to test your skills."

Zhao Dashan said loudly.

"These two are 'test stones,' each weighing 100 jin. Hold one in each hand above your head, count your breaths, and see who can hold them the longest. The top three will become guards."

Zhao Dashan flipped through the roster and began calling people.

"The first one is Ma Dabiao."

Ma Dabiao had been eager to try for a while. He rolled up his sleeves, grabbed the two stone locks, and pulled hard.

"Haa!"

With a loud shout, the stone lock remained unmoved.

Ma Dabiao's veins bulged, and he grimaced, but he still couldn't lift it. He could only leave the field with a flushed face.

"What a piece of trash."

Zhao Dashan cursed.

"This kind of stone weight should be able to be thrown three zhang (approximately 10 meters) with one hand, but you can't even lift it now."

"Someone like our Niu Dayuantou, a master of the Flesh Refining Realm, could be crushed to dust with a flick of his wrist."

"Alright, let's not waste any more time. Next up, Chang Ergou."

Chen Yu watched the situation on the field with great concentration.

These menial tasks can be roughly divided into two categories:

The first category consists of people who haven't even mastered the Spirit Deer Stance, and they make up the majority.

After all, not everyone is like me, having the energy to practice martial arts while working every day.

These kinds of people are basically just there for show; they don't have much ability and have no chance of being selected.

The second category consists of people like myself who have already mastered the Spirit Deer Stance to a certain level.

There aren't many of these people, but they all have extraordinary physical strength and should not be underestimated.

Of the more than sixty people who took to the field, only seven were able to lift the stone lock steadily, and of those seven, not one could hold it for more than three breaths.

Zhao Dashan couldn't help but shake his head and sigh.

"Next, Shi Le."

Shi Le walked straight to the stone lock, bent down, grabbed the lock's nose with both hands, his muscles suddenly tensed, and he exerted force.

The two stone locks were raised overhead at the same time.

"One breath."

"Two breaths."

"Three breaths."

"Four breaths."

As Zhao Dashan counted, he looked up at Shi Le.

After counting to ten breaths, Shi Le was panting heavily and finally couldn't hold on any longer.

"Ten breaths, not bad."

Zhao Dashan nodded and didn't say anything more.

Everyone glanced at him slightly, surprised that Shi Le, who liked to talk nonsense, actually had some skills, better than most people.

Time passed quickly, and only two people remained who had not yet tested their strength.

"Next up, Chen Yu."

It was finally my turn.

Chen Yu took a deep breath, stepped forward slowly, calm and collected, grabbed the stone lock with both hands, and slowly began to exert force.

Lift the handle and raise it above your head.

It was done in one go, without any effort.

"One breath."

"Two breaths."

"Ten breaths."

"Twenty breaths."

As Zhao Dashan counted off one by one, many of the servants began to widen their eyes.

"Twenty breaths! Shi Le's score has been surpassed!"

Wang Xiaoliu's face was filled with disbelief.

"Not only that, he's still continuing."

Xu Laosan was also somewhat surprised.

"I didn't realize Chen Yu was this strong."

"Thirty breaths."

"Forty breaths."

Twenty more breaths passed, and even Zhao Dashan's eyes flashed with a hint of surprise.

Strong strength is a sign of abundant Qi and blood; the longer one can exert force, the more abundant one's Qi and blood.

The Linglu Zhuang exercise he taught is a method to invigorate qi and strengthen blood, but most people either haven't mastered it and their qi and blood are weak and feeble, or they have only scratched the surface and cannot maintain their strength for long periods of time.

To exert force for such a prolonged period without changing one's expression must mean that one has mastered the Linglu Zhuang Gong to perfection.

Chen Yu felt intense gazes directed at him, which made him feel uncomfortable, so he decided to go easy on him.

Anyway, the selection is already secured. There's only one person left to go, and I'm currently ranked first. I'm sure I can keep my top two spots no matter what.

The outcome is already decided, and I have performed well enough; there is no need to be too flashy.

Chen Yu is not a show-off and never wants to be too flamboyant.

Looking around at the various gazes, some were surprised, some envious, some questioning, some jealous, some disdainful, and some resentful.

Society is complex, and people's hearts are unpredictable. It's not good to stand out everywhere; it's better to keep a low profile.

Thinking of this, Chen Yu gritted his teeth and pretended to be struggling to hold on.

When one reaches the tenth level of the Spirit Deer Stance Technique, one's entire body is filled with Qi and blood, and one's strength is continuous and inexhaustible.

Chen Yu estimated that he could hold on for at least another eighty breaths, but there was no need for that. He should just take the benefits he was entitled to and not bother with any extra rewards.

"Forty-seven breaths."

"Forty-eight breaths."

"Forty-nine breaths."

"Fifty breaths."

When he counted to fifty breaths, Chen Yu lost his balance and slammed the stone lock down.

Looking at Chen Yu, who was covered in sweat, Zhao Dashan praised, "To be able to hold out for fifty breaths is excellent! You've already surpassed the entry-level standard for martial arts!"

"The last one, Zhuang Fangyuan, hurry up."

Everyone's attention was on Chen Yu, and no one paid any attention to Zhuang Fangyuan, who was the last to appear.

Zhuang Fangyuan easily lifted the stone lock, and Zhao Dashan began counting.

"One breath."

"Two breaths."

"Three breaths."

……

"Ninety-eight breaths!"

"Ninety-nine breaths!"

"One hundred breaths!"

Zhao Dashan's voice trembled slightly as he counted.

The crowd's gaze instantly shifted from Chen Yu to Zhuang Fangyuan, becoming even more intense than before.

Seeing this, Zhuang Fangyuan grinned and flicked his wrist, tossing the two stone locks into the air one after the other.

Then, he suddenly turned around, caught the falling stone lock with his shoulder, and with a push, the stone lock slid down his shoulder, back, and neck to his waist. Finally, he used his waist to lift the stone lock to his feet and landed steadily.

His series of audacious maneuvers drew gasps of surprise from the servants.

"Holy crap, that's amazing!"

"Amazing! Absolutely amazing!"

"One more! One more!"

Zhuang Fangyuan looked arrogant and disdainful of the cheers, as if to say that this was how it should be.

"Okay, okay, okay!"

Zhao Dashan was very pleased and said "good" three times in a row.

He patted Zhuang Fangyuan on the shoulder and said, "You have superhuman strength and are a good prospect for martial arts. You have the same style as me when I was learning martial arts."

"Once you become a nurse, you must do your best. Of all these people, I have the most faith in you!"

Finally, Zhao Dashan announced the selection results.

"First place: Zhuang Fangyuan."

"Second place, Chen Yu."

"Third place, Shi Le."

"The test is now complete. The above three individuals have been selected as guards. Report to the West Campus tomorrow at 5:00 AM!"