Chapter 6: Off Game
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
The process of drawing blood completed amongst the cries of the children. After that, a meticulous and systematic check by the soldiers, the results were announced.
There were no anomalies.
All forty plus Southern Mountain Village candidates had no Demons. What about the Xuan Heavenly Dao Body? There were no such luck. Everyone was rejected.
Fang Zhengzhi remembered someone saying that there was not a second Xuan Heavenly Dao Body in the whole of the Northern Lands.
Wait a minute. A second one? Fang Zhengzhi suddenly realised the hidden meaning. Who was the first person? Just as he was about to ask, he realised everyone was already fixated on the second part of the tests.
The orderly soldiers hustled to carry a row of three legged black cauldrons in front of the stage.
Under the supervision of the soldiers, the candidates started to lift the cauldrons.
Looks like it was a competition of strength or was there some other passing criteria? Fang Zhengzhi gathered his thoughts and tried to figure out in his heart.
Out of nowhere, he heard the sound of crying…
One look and he saw that it was Li Huer once again. Fang Zhengzhi was puzzled. He did not mess with him just now so what was happening?
He figured it out after taking a closer look. The Li Huer who carried high hopes crumpled in front of the twenty-five kilogram three legged black cauldron.
Could it because of the slap that he endured? Or was he just off his game?
Fang Zhengzhi faintly remembered Li Huer once lifted one Great Jade Rock. Twenty-five kilogram was definitely not a problem or was it? Could he really be just off his game?
A slap from Li Zhuangshi answered Fang Zhengzhi’s queries.
"Scram! You good for nothing brat!"
After throwing that slap, a kick connected with Li Huer’s butt. His whole body rolled into the crowd like a football.
After that, Li Zhuangshi’s eyes suddenly was filled with sharp determination. Almost as if to recover all the face he lost today, he gave a loud roar and strided towards the two hundred and fifty kilogram large cauldron.
"Heh! Ri...rise for me!"
The veins bulged on the his powerful arms; the muscles on his back swelled. Without much struggle, the two hundred and fifty kilogram big black cauldron responded to the command and rised.
"That’s more like it!"
"Deputy Captain Li really helped the Southern Mountain Village to earn some recognition!"
"Two hundred and fifty kilograms! That is such an immense strength!"
The villagers swiftly broke into a cheer.
The Village Chief on the stage finally smiled at the large cauldron being lifted sky-high. That wrinkled old face lightened as if the sun was right below him.
"What’s the name of the person?" General Li opened his mouth upon seeing this scene.
"Replying General. This is the Deputy Captain of the Southern Mountain Village’s Hunting Squad. His name is Li Zhangshi!" Chief Meng Bai respectfully replied immediately after hearing this.
"Not bad. He has the raw strength. He haven’t even access Dao yet he managed to lift two hundred and fifty kilogram. He has great potential. He passed this round!" General nodded. To be able to lift the two hundred and fifty kilogram of black cauldron proved that his physical strength was definitely not lacking.
"Passed?!" Elation burst from Chief Meng Bai’s face after he heard this.
Someone from this village passed? This was the greatest happiness under the heavens. Futhermore, it’s the Divine Constabulary? If the people from the Divine Constabulary really took a fancy, then they would definitely be committed to grooming him. By then, even the whole of the Southern Mountain Village might benefit from some of the glory.
"He might have passed this round but the next round will be up his performance in that round!" General Li patiently explained after realising that Chief Meng Bai misunderstood the situation.
"Yes, yes, of course. General Li is right. Performance. Let’s see his performance in the next round. Haha…" Chief Meng Bai bobbed his head up and down yet there was no way he could hide that smile on his face.
It’s the Divine Constabulary. Just the thought itself was exciting!
The some of the villagers below the stage also heard the news. They, too, became abnormally fired up, feeling as if they were the ones that passed the round.
At that moment, the crowd became boisterous.
"Mrs Li, your man sure is amazing!"
"The Li Family sure have it now. The people from Divine Constabulary has taken a fancy on you. In the future, your status would rocket up!"
"Definitely. This is the Divine Constabulary we are talking about!"
The group of women surrounding Mrs. Li was chattering away, sending their congratulations. Some even proposed having their daughters to be betrothed to Li Huer.
This immediately caused Mrs. Li’s smile to blossom. The fuming mood that was caused by her son’s incapabilities vanished into the clouds.
"Huer is still young, still young…" Mrs. Li maintained with a smile. She was so ecstatic that her mouth just could not close.
Following this, Southern Mountain Village occasionally had some that passed too. However, they all only lifted the two hundred kilogram large black cauldron but it was pass albeit barely.
In the end, the official test had three qualifiers. Meanwhile, the kid’s test was going strong. Quite a few seven and eight year-olds forced out all their brawns, lifting the small black cauldrons over their heads one by one. This really surprised the General Li who was sitting in his chair.
"The children in your village are not half bad!"
"General Li, you are too flattering. Our villagers have lived in the Southern Mountains for generations and hunted for a living. We may not have much but we do have hardiness!" Chief Meng Bai was extremely delighted today because his eight year old grandson managed to successfully join the qualifier queue. His heart was swimming in honey.
As more people passed, the square got steadily more enthusiastic. Many villagers were going to the family members of those who passed to express their congratulations.
Fang Zhengzhi held the half eaten drumstick, standing in the crowd leisurely looking on. He did not see his own mother, Qin Xuelian. Obviously, she was still fuming at home.
There was nothing he could do about that.
There was snag in his plans. The legendary incantation was not particularly easy to use. After meditation with the "Law of Dao", the Dao of All Creation did not successfully assimilate into his body. This meant that he was still just another average little brat.
The physical assessment in the second round did not take up much time. The test for more than forty people was completed swiftly. Three adults and five children managed to move on to the next round.
Seeing the eight qualifiers lined up, General Li finally stood up from his seat.
Chief Meng Bai saw and immediately waved his pipe, signalling everyone to be quiet.
"Ahem. Here at the Southern Mountain Village today, I was pleasantly surprised. I never thought there would so many exceptional talents in this place. Well then, the next round will be the last round and the most important one. Regardless whether you pass or not, this general hopes that all of you can persevere down this path."
After his speech, the crowd became completely silent. Everyone was holding their breath, pumped up for the start of the last round.
"Before this round starts, I want to say something. I believe that everyone knows, our Great Xia Dynasty revere the Dao of All Creation. So today I shall demonstrate the power of the Dao of All Creation!"
