Chapter 20: Second Round Assessment
"His... his strength... how can it be this strong?" Lin Ningshan bit her lower lip, her eyes fixed firmly on Zhang Ruochen.
Such a result was truly too difficult for her to accept.
Lin Fengxian was also stunned, staring at Zhang Ruochen standing in the martial arena, his entire body as if turned to stone.
Ordinary young martial artists could only see Zhang Ruochen's immense strength, but those with profound cultivation were even more shocked in their hearts.
First, when Zhang Ruochen stomped his foot on the ground, he could send the thousand-jin stone disk bouncing over a meter high. This wasn't really just from the force of the rebound.
Instead, he injected his true qi into the ground, transforming it into layers of waves that struck the bottom of the stone disk.
Under the superposition of these layers of waves, the stone disk was sent flying upward.
If it were merely from the force of the rebound, sending a thousand-jin stone disk flying would be impossible even for a Yellow Extreme Realm Great Perfection martial artist.
His control over true qi was simply exquisite, meticulous to the smallest detail, causing many of the older martial arts masters present to sigh in admiration, some even feeling inferior.
Second, when the thousand-jin stone disk fell from a height of five meters, the impact force was terrifying—something no Yellow Extreme Realm martial artist could withstand.
Yet Zhang Ruochen still used true qi, transforming it into layers of waves that struck the bottom of the stone disk, counteracting the force of its descent.
It was precisely because of this that he could steadily catch the falling stone disk.
Such a technique could only be discerned by martial arts masters with truly keen eyesight. And precisely because they could see the intricacies involved, the martial arts masters present were shocked, finding it unbelievable.
The Ninth Prince's control over true qi was more exquisite than that of many Mysterious Extreme Realm martial artists.
A martial arts prodigy had been born.
As Zhang Ruochen walked out of the martial arena and passed by Lin Ningshan, she shot him a cold, sharp glare. "You've been hiding this deep, haven't you? Trying to humiliate me on purpose? Let me tell you, a person's strength can be rapidly elevated to an incredible level by consuming heavenly materials and earthly treasures."
"But in real combat, being strong doesn't guarantee victory. The year-end assessment has only just begun. Later, I'll show you the true gap between us."
Lin Ningshan couldn't see Zhang Ruochen's exquisite control over true qi at all, so she thought he was just lucky, having consumed some kind of heavenly material or earthly treasure to gain his current strength.
In fact, it was true that some ordinary people who accidentally ingested rare flowers or fruits could suddenly become immensely strong.
Hearing Lin Ningshan's words, Zhang Ruochen lightly shook his head, couldn't be bothered to respond, and walked straight toward Consort Lin.
"Mother, I did it," Zhang Ruochen said.
Among the concubines standing there, Consort Lin felt as if she had been struck by lightning. Her eyes glistened, and she said, trembling slightly, "Chen'er, is it really my Chen'er?"
Consort Lin hugged Zhang Ruochen tightly, sobbing uncontrollably.
She had waited too long for this day.
She had thought she would never see it come, but Zhang Ruochen had done it. He had become a martial artist, a young powerhouse. He had made everyone look at him with new eyes, and no one would mock him anymore.
What she wanted was actually very simple—just fair treatment.
The concubines, maids, and eunuchs standing nearby began to think to themselves, "From now on, we absolutely must not offend Consort Lin."
"Excellent!"
The Prince of Yunwu Commandery suddenly stood up, staring excitedly at Zhang Ruochen. "Ninth child, a late bloomer. I am extremely gratified. Regardless of the year-end assessment's outcome, the royal clan will hold a three-day celebration feast. Ninth child, why don't you come over and let me take a good look at you?"
"Chen'er, quickly, go pay your respects to your father."
Consort Lin wiped away her tears and immediately pulled Zhang Ruochen toward the Prince of Yunwu Commandery.
"We pay our respects to the Great King!" Consort Lin and Zhang Ruochen both cupped their hands in salute.
The Prince of Yunwu Commandery gazed intently at Zhang Ruochen. "Has your cultivation reached the Yellow Extreme Realm Minor Extreme Position?"
Just now, Zhang Ruochen had displayed his strength, so naturally, it couldn't escape the Prince of Yunwu Commandery's eyes.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Yes."
"Reaching the Yellow Extreme Realm Minor Extreme Position in three months is no ordinary feat. Ninth child, what kind of fortuitous encounter have you had recently?" the Prince of Yunwu Commandery asked.
Zhang Ruochen replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, "In reply to the Great King, I have indeed had some fortuitous encounters. But they are my secrets. I have the right not to reveal them, and I do not wish to make them public."
"How dare you! The Great King is your own biological father. What secrets can't you tell your own father?" the Queen said angrily.
The Prince of Yunwu Commandery slightly raised his hand to stop the Queen from continuing. He looked at Zhang Ruochen with a hint of approval. "Every martial artist has their own secrets. Since you don't want to say, I won't force you. Participate well in the year-end assessment. I look forward to your performance."
Next to enter the martial arena was the Ninth Commandery Princess.
The Ninth Commandery Princess, Zhang Yuxi, was born with a national beauty—fair skin, a tall figure, and an elegant, noble aura.
She was only one day older than Zhang Ruochen. Her martial arts talent was no less than Lin Ningshan's, and her beauty was also on par. She was one of the Four Beauties of the Yunwu Commandery Kingdom, alongside Lin Ningshan, and they were known as the "Two Beauties of the Royal City."
The Ninth Commandery Princess also lifted the tenth stone disk, throwing it thirteen meters far, slightly weaker than Lin Ningshan, who had thrown it fifteen meters.
The Ninth Commandery Princess frowned slightly, walked out of the martial arena, and stood beside Zhang Ruochen. A charming smile appeared in her eyes. "Ninth brother, during the Royal Mountain Hunt later, you'd better be careful. I'm your formidable opponent!"
Zhang Ruochen and the Ninth Commandery Princess were similar in age, so they had often played together as children. But after she awakened her Divine Martial Mark, she spent her time on martial arts training, and their relationship gradually grew distant.
Now, Zhang Ruochen felt even more unfamiliar with the Ninth Commandery Princess. He merely nodded lightly and said nothing more.
The next person to enter the martial arena was the Eighth Prince, Zhang Ji.
Originally, the Eighth Prince thought that by reaching the Minor Extreme Position, he could easily crush Zhang Ruochen during the year-end assessment and even earn the Prince of Yunwu Commandery's praise.
But Zhang Ruochen's performance was too astonishing, severely damaging his confidence.
"I must lift the tenth stone disk! Zhang Ruochen is just a waste. If he can do it, I can too."
Originally, the Eighth Prince had just reached the Minor Extreme Position and hadn't even considered trying to lift the tenth stone disk. But under Zhang Ruochen's pressure, he desperately wanted to lift it.
"Rise!"
The Eighth Prince hooked his hands under the massive stone disk. The veins on his entire body bulged out, and he actually managed to slowly lift the stone disk.
But just as he lifted it half a meter, his fingers slipped, and the stone disk slammed down, crushing his foot.
"Ah!"
A scream like a pig being slaughtered came from the Eighth Prince's mouth. "My foot, my foot... help..."
His foot bones were broken.
Then he fainted from the pain, lying in the center of the martial arena like a dead pig.
Two guards immediately rushed into the arena, moved the thousand-jin stone away, and carried the Eighth Prince out.
Next, one young martial artist after another entered the arena.
These martial artists were all over sixteen years old, elites selected from various families. More than half of them managed to lift the thousand-jin stone disk.
Among them, three performed the best, all having reached the Yellow Extreme Realm Great Extreme Position, throwing the stone disk over twenty meters.
The Fifth Prince, age nineteen, Yellow Extreme Realm Great Extreme Position cultivation, threw the stone disk twenty meters.
Sima Linjiang, age seventeen, the top young expert of the Sima family, Yellow Extreme Realm Great Extreme Position cultivation, threw the stone disk twenty-three meters.
Xue Kai, age nineteen, grandson of the current State Preceptor, Yellow Extreme Realm Great Extreme Position cultivation, threw the stone disk twenty-four meters.
The first round, strength assessment. Aside from Zhang Ruochen, Lin Ningshan, and the Ninth Commandery Princess, these three had the most outstanding performances.
Next came the second round assessment: the Royal Mountain Hunt.
Only martial artists who had lifted the tenth stone disk were eligible to participate in the second round.
In the first round, a total of forty-three young martial artists had lifted the tenth stone disk.
Guards led forty-three sturdy antelope horses into the martial arena. Each antelope horse was like a small elephant, with a sharp horn and a full set of silver armor.
Hanging from the antelope horses' saddles were one-and-a-half-meter-long iron-thread bows and five thunderbolt arrows.
The State Preceptor stood on the stone platform and announced loudly, "Since you can lift a thousand-jin stone disk, it proves your strength can match a first-rank savage beast. But remember, even a first-rank savage beast is stronger than you imagine, and its speed is astonishingly fast."
"With your strength, only by using thunderbolt arrows can you pierce a savage beast's hide and kill it."
"Each of you has only five arrows. The more savage beasts you kill and the stronger the beasts you slay, the better your score. Only those who kill a savage beast can participate in the third round assessment: the arena duel."
"The Royal Mountain is full of danger, and you might even lose your life. If you encounter a second-rank savage beast, flee immediately."
"The Royal Mountain Hunt begins now."
Lin Ningshan pushed off the ground with both legs, lightly leaping up with graceful and agile footwork, landing on the back of one of the antelope horses. She glanced at Zhang Ruochen. "Cousin, the strength assessment was just my weak point. Now is when I truly show my strength. I hope you won't fall too far behind me. Giddyup!"
"Crack!"
Lin Ningshan whipped the antelope horse's rump, and the horse immediately spread its iron hooves, kicking up dust as it charged into the Royal Mountain.