Chapter 18: Year-End Assessment
Seeing that the Prince of Yunwu Commandery had not punished Zhang Ruochen but instead punished Consort Xiao, Consort Lin let out a long sigh of relief and immediately pulled Zhang Ruochen aside.
Consort Lin still found it hard to believe what had just happened. "Chen'er, have you truly become a real martial artist?"
"Yes!" Zhang Ruochen nodded, no longer hiding the truth.
"You only just became a martial artist, and now you're going to participate in the year-end assessment? What if you encounter danger?" Consort Lin asked, worried.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Even if I did nothing, wouldn't I still face danger? Mother, don't worry. I will do my best but also act within my limits."
Only young martial artists under the age of twenty could participate in the year-end assessment.
The Prince of Yunwu Commandery had a total of nine sons and thirteen daughters.
The Fifth Prince, Sixth Prince, Seventh Prince, Eighth Prince, and Ninth Prince were all under twenty. Aside from the Seventh Prince, who was not in the royal city, the other four princes would take part in the assessment.
In addition to the direct-line princes and princesses, the families of the royal relatives would each select three of their most outstanding young martial artists to participate in the year-end assessment. For example, the Lin Clan.
The royal relatives had already arrived one after another, gathering around the outskirts of the royal martial arts field, forming various factions.
Some important figures in the royal city, such as martial arts masters at the Earth Extreme Realm, sect leaders, and heads of major clans, had also received invitations and came to the royal martial arts field to observe.
"Boss Lady, the royal family's invitation has been sent to Qingxuan Pavilion every year, but you've never gone. Why are you planning to attend this year?" Mo Hanlin followed behind Qin Ya, asking with some confusion.
Although it was deep winter, Qin Ya wore a crimson long dress, revealing her two snow-white jade arms and alluring collarbone, as if she couldn't feel the cold at all.
A hint of charming amusement flickered in Qin Ya's eyes, her lips red and glistening. "When you meet someone who piques your interest, naturally you want to learn more about them."
"Boss Lady is referring to the Ninth Prince?" Mo Hanlin asked.
"Hehe! Besides him, is there anyone else?" Qin Ya laughed.
Two months ago, after Zhang Ruochen had visited Qingxuan Pavilion, Qin Ya had sent people to investigate him specifically.
What surprised Qin Ya was that this resolute young man, in the sixteen years prior, had not awakened his Divine Martial Mark and had been an ordinary person. Moreover, he had been frail and sickly, often bedridden.
She had even looked into Zhang Ruochen's miserable situation in the palace, the grudges between Consort Lin and the Lin Clan, and so on.
Yet, this same young man had spent one hundred thousand silver coins at Qingxuan Pavilion to buy a large quantity of medicinal pills and two True Martial Treasures.
Where had he gotten such a massive amount of silver coins?
What secrets did he hold?
In Qin Ya's eyes, the Ninth Prince, whom everyone looked down upon, was a complete mystery, one she couldn't figure out.
Driven by curiosity, she decided to personally observe the year-end assessment, wanting to see how many more secrets Zhang Ruochen was hiding.
"Boss Lady, you've actually come to the royal martial arts field? That's unexpected." Lin Fengxian spotted Qin Ya in her crimson long dress from afar and took the initiative to greet her.
In Lin Fengxian's eyes, Qin Ya was also a very mysterious woman.
He had only seen Qin Ya from a distance once and wasn't familiar with her. But he knew she controlled immense financial power, enough to influence the entire economic operation of the royal city. She was by no means a simple woman.
It was said that in the martial market, five out of every ten shopkeepers worked for her.
However, the Boss Lady was always elusive, like a dragon that showed its head but never its tail. Even the head of a major clan would find it extremely difficult to meet her.
If he could befriend her, it would only benefit the Lin Clan, with no downsides.
Qin Ya glanced at Lin Fengxian, her eyes slightly raised. "And you are?"
Mo Hanlin said in a low voice, "Boss Lady, he is the head of the Lin Clan, Lin Fengxian."
"The Lin Clan? Oh! How interesting." Qin Ya's eyes lit up, and she immediately put on an elegant smile. "So you're the head of the Lin Clan. My apologies, my apologies!"
Lin Fengxian hadn't expected Qin Ya to be so easy to talk to. He laughed, "Two years ago, when I went to Qingxuan Pavilion to buy a batch of medicinal pills, I sought an audience with you, Boss Lady. Unfortunately, you had urgent business to attend to, and I only got a distant glimpse of you. Two years have passed, and you've become even more beautiful!"
"Two years ago..."
Qin Ya had no recollection at all, but she still kept a smile on her face.
She looked at the Lin Clan martial artists behind Lin Fengxian, her gaze landing on Lin Ningshan. "This must be the Second Miss of the Lin Clan? Truly a little beauty. Even I feel inferior."
Lin Ningshan stood behind Lin Fengxian, dressed in snow-white clothes, her black hair swaying, her figure slender, and her face pure and delicate. She was indeed a standard little beauty.
But to say the Boss Lady's beauty was inferior to hers was not necessarily true.
It could only be said that each had their own unique charm.
"Boss Lady, you know my daughter?" Lin Fengxian asked, somewhat surprised.
Qin Ya naturally didn't know Lin Ningshan, but she had investigated Zhang Ruochen. Among those who had the greatest influence on Zhang Ruochen was this beautiful Miss Lin.
So, she had casually remembered the name Lin Ningshan.
Qin Ya smiled. "One of the Four Beauties of the Yunwu Commandery Kingdom, I've naturally heard of her. It's said that even the esteemed Ninth Prince has been pursuing Miss Lin. How enviable!"
A sixteen or seventeen-year-old young martial artist from the Lin Clan sneered, "The Ninth Prince is just fooling himself. With his talent, even if he cultivated for a hundred years, he wouldn't be worthy of Sister Ningshan."
Another slightly older Lin Clan youth laughed, "After the year-end assessment, Sister Ningshan will be engaged to the Seventh Prince. The Ninth Prince is just a toad lusting after swan meat—not only foolish but also laughable."
These two Lin Clan youths were named Lin Chengwu and Lin Tianwu.
Lin Ningshan, Lin Chengwu, and Lin Tianwu were the three most outstanding young talents selected by the Lin Clan to represent them in the year-end assessment.
Qin Ya rubbed her snow-white chin, as if she had discovered some remarkable secret. "Miss Lin is going to be engaged to the Seventh Prince? That's truly something to congratulate. If the news gets out, I'm afraid every woman in the royal city will be envious!"
Lin Ningshan lightly bit her lip, a hint of joy flickering in her eyes. After all, marrying the Seventh Prince was the dream of countless women in the Yunwu Commandery Kingdom.
She was now very close to that dream!
The year-end assessment was divided into a literary test and a martial test.
The literary test was not highly valued.
Even if someone came first in the literary test, they would only receive a few words of praise. Only by performing exceptionally in the martial test could one win generous rewards from the royal family.
The martial test began!
The first round of the martial test: testing strength.
In the martial field, black stone discs of various sizes were placed, divided into ten weight classes.
The smallest disc had a diameter of only half a meter and weighed one hundred jin!
The largest disc had a diameter of three meters and weighed one thousand jin!
In order of age, from youngest to oldest, each person would test their strength.
The young Princess Zhang Yulin was the first to enter the martial field. She was only six years old, about one meter tall, with a delicate, doll-like appearance, cute and endearing.
"Whoosh!"
The young princess walked up to the black stone disc with a half-meter diameter and stopped. True qi circulated through her meridians. Her hands gripped the edge of the disc, looking somewhat strained, but she eventually lifted the one-hundred-jin stone disc.
"Bang!"
She threw the disc with all her might, and it landed on the ground one meter away.
The young princess looked a little disappointed, her gaze shifting to the second disc.
The second disc weighed two hundred jin. The young princess used all her strength but couldn't lift it, so she had to give up and step back.
"The young princess awakened her Divine Martial Mark at the age of four, and now she can already lift a one-hundred-jin stone disc. Truly remarkable. She will surely become an outstanding proud daughter of heaven in the future."
The Prince of Yunwu Commandery, seated above, nodded lightly. Having a genius among his children naturally filled him with joy.
Next, the Tenth Princess and the Eleventh Princess also tested their strength. They were fourteen and ten years old, respectively.
The Tenth Princess, who had reached the mid-stage of the Yellow Extreme Realm, lifted a two-hundred-jin stone disc and threw it seven meters. However, she couldn't lift the three-hundred-jin disc and had to give up.
The Eleventh Princess was also at the mid-stage of the Yellow Extreme Realm and lifted the two-hundred-jin disc, throwing it six meters.
But considering that the Eleventh Princess was four years younger than the Tenth Princess, her overall performance was judged to be better.
The first three princesses were all under fourteen and female, naturally weaker in strength than males, so they could only lift at most a two-hundred-jin stone disc.
Next came the true contest among the geniuses.
Lin Ningshan, fifteen years old, was the youngest among the martial artists aside from the three princesses. So, she was the next young genius to enter the martial field.
She skipped the first nine stone discs and walked straight to the tenth disc.
The tenth disc had a diameter of three meters and weighed one thousand jin.
"Up!"
Lin Ningshan activated the surging true qi within her body, using only one hand to grip the disc, which was larger than her own body, and effortlessly lifted the thousand-jin stone disc above her head.
Ordinary people couldn't imagine how such a slender frame could bear such terrifying weight.
And she was only fifteen!
Lin Ningshan twisted her five fingers, and the thousand-jin stone disc flew from her palm, landing fifteen meters away on the ground, creating a large crater.
"Heavens! Incredible! The Lin Clan has produced another remarkable genius."
"And she's a woman! Her physical body can't compare to a man's, yet she can lift a thousand-jin stone disc with one hand. Just how powerful has her cultivation reached?"
...
The Prince of Yunwu Commandery, seated above, also showed a hint of amazement. "Whose genius girl is this? With talent like this, she's probably not far behind the Ninth Princess!"
The Queen was very satisfied with Lin Ningshan's performance and smiled. "Your Majesty, she is the daughter of the Lin Clan head, named Lin Ningshan. I find her quite outstanding and was thinking of having her betrothed to the Seventh Prince, to unite them in marriage."
"So it's that little girl. I do have some impression of her. With her talent and family background, she is worthy of the Seventh Prince."
The Prince of Yunwu Commandery frowned slightly, his gaze shifting to Zhang Ruochen, who was standing at the edge of the martial field. He continued, "But I remember she was a good playmate of the Ninth Prince when they were children. They are also cousins, practically childhood sweethearts. I once discussed with the old master of the Lin Clan about arranging a betrothal for them. Unfortunately, after what happened three years ago, the engagement fell through."
The Queen laughed. "Your Majesty is mistaken! With Lin Ningshan's current talent, how could she possibly look favorably upon the Ninth Prince? The two of them are no longer in the same world. The gap between them will only grow wider."
"With her talent, even if she became a secondary consort to the Seventh Prince, I believe she would be quite willing. The Lin Clan would certainly not miss this opportunity to curry favor with the Seventh Prince."
The Prince of Yunwu Commandery nodded lightly, having to admit that the Ninth Prince's talent was indeed far inferior to Lin Ningshan's. There was nothing to be done about it.
In the world of martial arts, unions where the man was stronger than the woman were very common.
But when the woman was stronger than the man, if the gap was too great, it was definitely not a good thing for either party!