leonardwarren Chapter 49 is too difficult, isn't it?
Chapter 49 is too difficult, isn't it?
Dozens of people participated in today's test. Some people in the elite class voluntarily withdrew for various reasons.
Some knew they couldn't compete with the scions of powerful families and withdrew early, while others thought that instead of spending a day on a hopeless competition, they might as well spend another day cultivating themselves and perhaps achieve enlightenment like Minghui.
Ultimately, they all didn't believe there would be a good outcome.
In contrast, almost all of the dozen or so people from the small classes who were just transferred here today came.
Led by a Qingming Guard, dozens of people were taken to the site, which was also an elevated corridor on the second floor of the warehouse, but it was not on the same side as the visiting captain, cadets, and other unidentified people.
"Wow, this is such a high-end place! I'm starting to regret coming."
Murong Can whispered to Lu Zhao, "The tallest guy on the other side is Captain Shi Xiangyang, and next to him is Deputy Captain Liu Jue. The others next to him all seem to be at the seventh or eighth rank."
The area where the new recruits usually move around seems large, but in reality, it only includes training and living quarters, and they rarely have the opportunity to see so many high-ranking people.
Chen Qinhu asked sullenly, "Are levels seven or eight really that high? Instructor Dong is already at level five."
It wasn't that he looked down on Dong Yijian; it was mainly because they were quite familiar with each other, and Old Dong was very easygoing, like a homeroom teacher.
Murong Can said, "You don't understand. With titles of nobility, the higher you go, the more valuable each rank becomes. Is the difference between a Gongshi and a Shangzao the same as the difference between a Wudaifu and a Zuo Shuzhang?"
Lu Zhao then asked, "Who were the people in grades seven and eight?"
Murong Can shrugged, seemingly unsure, but still gave an answer: "I guess it's people from those aristocratic families, elders or something. Today's inspection is probably only relevant to them. It can't be some defense officer on the ship who's just watching a show out of boredom."
Lu Zhao was very pleased. Murong Can had only been in the elite class for half a day, but he had already shown a function similar to AI. He could ask him directly if he had any questions, unlike before when he had to ask around himself.
He turned his attention back to the field below.
The course, shaped like the Chinese character "己", is divided into five zones from the start to the finish line. Each zone tests different abilities, and there is a timer on the wall, which is probably a dual test of skills and speed.
Before he could analyze the situation further, several more people walked in through a small door on the side of the second floor.
Lu Zhao immediately noticed the line of purple text at the top.
[Qingling Rapier Lv3]
Clearly, Shen Xianke had also seen him.
Loading progress +5%
"Wow, so much added today."
Back when they were still in school, Shen Xianke would increase her progress by 1% to 3% every time she saw him out of curiosity, but today she suddenly increased it by 5%. She had been holding back for more than half a month, so the amount was a bit too much.
Lu Zhao turned his gaze to the other group of people. Apart from Shen Xianke, there were seven other people, half men and half women.
Theoretically speaking, they are no different from the other recruits present. After all, they are young, and even if their cultivation level is slightly higher due to prior training, the difference is limited and will not lead to a change in their temperament.
But Lu Zhao always felt that these people were a little different.
"Why? Because they come from privileged backgrounds? Is this the change that money brings?! How despicable!"
After watching for a while, he figured out the answer to the question.
What makes these people stand out is not simply money, but their smooth-sailing lives and their subconscious confidence that "nothing is impossible."
Lu Zhao counted them and suddenly realized something was wrong.
"Eight Refinement Pills, eight people—is it really that much of a coincidence?"
Murong Can whispered, "Damn it, after all this time, we're just there for show."
Both of them realized the true purpose behind today's so-called inspection.
However, Lu Zhao wondered, "Could this have been orchestrated by Old Ji? Is he actually a front man for these families? Wow, I never imagined that the seemingly respectable academic official with thick eyebrows and big eyes would be this kind of person."
This was just a joke to amuse himself. Intuitively, he thought Ji Ye wouldn't do that. The old man was just unreliable, a smoker, concerned about his image, prone to taking his anger out on others and shifting blame, and a bit hypocritical, but he was essentially a good person.
He thought about it for a moment and then understood.
"Shen Xianke and his ilk come from local powerful families, while Old Ji is a government official in the capital. So he's not the planner, but the balancer. With him in the middle, we have a chance to compete. Otherwise, all eight spots would have been taken by them. He really is... I'm devastated."
"In that case, I'm sorry. I want the Cleansing Pill, and I also want the First-Class Military Merit." Lu Zhao clenched his fist.
At this moment, two figures walked out of the door on the first floor. One was Xin Li, and the other was Wang Zhao.
"Attention all."
All the noise disappeared instantly; Xin Li still held a high level of prestige in the elite class.
Then, Wang Zhao took a megaphone and walked to the front of the "己"-shaped testing area.
"Hey, let me explain. The track is divided into five sections. Each turn will test a different subject. Starting from the first section, the subjects are: agility, unarmed combat, short weapon combat, close-range shooting in a disruptive environment, and medium-range shooting."
You're all probably not idiots, so I won't explain further. The only thing I need to clarify is that in the movement skill section, you can only dodge, not block. Touching any mechanism will result in a point deduction. The maximum score is 600, with 100 points for each section and 100 points for time.
He put down the loudspeaker, seemingly not intending to explain further.
Xin Li then asked, "Who would like to be the first to come?"
In this kind of situation, those who are the first to go without knowing the details will definitely suffer, while those who go later will be better prepared because they know the specifics of each step in advance.
Yang Guangming jumped off the second floor with a thud.
"I'll do it."
In Lu Zhao's eyes, this behavior was both unexpected and reasonable.
Yang Guangming is not like Chen Qinhu, who is introverted and doesn't talk much. He probably follows a certain code of conduct, pretending to be dignified most of the time, but weighing the pros and cons at crucial moments.
For example, right now, he doesn't think he can get the top eight scores and obtain the Refinement Pill and military merits, so he simply jumps out first to show his face by practicing rites, music, archery, horsemanship, calligraphy, and mathematics, at least gaining some courage and making a better impression on Xin Li in the future.
As expected, Xin Li, who doesn't like to speak ill of others, said "good" to indicate her approval.
So Wang Zhao pulled the switch next to him.
stab.
All the equipment inside the venue started operating. Several robotic arms popped out from the wall of the first section, and the iron gate at the entrance retracted into the side.
"Go."
Wang Zhao's lips curled into a malicious smile.
Yang Guangming took a deep breath and then plunged in.
Crack!
Then I got hit twice on the butt.
???
Yang Guangming felt his head buzzing.
This robotic arm looks the same as the one in the test field, but how come the actual experience is completely different?
He only saw the shadow approaching, but it was too fast to track its path. He could only instinctively make an evasive maneuver, and then he was slapped twice.
Nevertheless, he had no time to be stunned, as the subsequent attacks came down like a storm.
Yang Guangming was so frightened he almost lost his mind.
He could dodge some attacks, he could only see some attacks but couldn't dodge them, and some he couldn't see at all.
Crackling sounds!
He practically scrambled to the first corner, not even knowing how many attacks he dodged or how many blows he took.
Meanwhile, the scoreboard at the finish line lit up with the score for the first stage.
18.
There's no time to grieve over the failure of the first phase of the agility and evasion test; turn the corner, and next up is unarmed combat.
In this phase, the robotic arm's attack frequency decreased slightly, but the tester could not simply dodge; instead, they had to strike back with sufficient force.
Then came another series of crackling sounds.
Score: 22.
Yang Guangming has already begun to regret it.
Why should I take the lead?
We've now moved on to the third phase of short weapon testing.
clap clap.
After exchanging a few blows, he practiced using the knife without even letting it slip from his hand.
Score: 2.
At this moment, Yang Guangming was already on the verge of being breached.
"Who the hell designed this mechanism? That speed, that force—did they fill in the numbers with their feet?"
The fourth challenge is shooting under pistol interference at a distance of twenty meters. Various jets of air, water, and smoke are sprayed in between, and the target is moving at high speed, appearing and disappearing in the smoke. It's difficult to even see clearly, let alone shoot.
Bang bang bang!
Yang Guangming emptied the magazine casually, not even having time to look at it, and immediately ran to the next level to fire at medium range.
The rifles used here are standard issue, and the target is more than 100 meters away, diagonally above the back wall of the warehouse. Low-angle shots are already disadvantageous, and the target is also small.
At this point, Yang Guangming didn't care about anything else. Regardless of accuracy, he raised his gun and fired, then rushed towards the exit.
The bad news: He scored a total of 70 out of 500 points in the first five rounds.
Good news: Time is 98.
On the second-floor corridor, Neishi Xiangyang was both amused and exasperated, and subtly criticized, "This new recruit doesn't seem to be very good at martial arts."
Old Ji was quite impressed.
"This young man is quite clever. Knowing that his martial arts foundation is weak, he simply rushes to the finish line and tries to get the maximum score in time. This is the best choice under these circumstances. Let Xin Li train him for a while, and he may improve a lot."
"Oh? He was just transferred to your team, Mr. Ji?"
"Yes, I adjusted it today."
"I see."
Neishi Xiangyang's evaluation of Yang Guangming also improved slightly.
Beside him, Vice Captain Liu Jue scratched his chin, saying, "But isn't this design a bit too difficult? If you ask me, even a Hercules-level character would be doing well to get 300 points."
Ji Ye glanced at the new recruits opposite him, then his gaze lingered on Lu Zhao, who was standing with his hands on his hips.
"Then we'll wait and see."