Chapter 53: Challenged
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
"Probably Tan Fengying…"
Xu Ning replied to Tao Qingyuan's question.
This question didn't mean much to Xu Ning. He was already in the mortal realm fourth stage, so he did not have any worthy opponents in Camp Site Three.
"I heard that Tan Fengying has been working hard in martial arts recently, and has made great progress. He is only one step away from the qi realm, so I'm afraid he's not easy to deal with."
Tao Qingyuan suggested to Xu Ning. "There is another yellow plate holder in Tan Village, named Tan Chang. Her strength is weaker, so you should challenge her instead."
"Tan Chang?"
Xu Ning knew the existence of this person. During their brawl back in the dining hall, Tao Jin and Tan Chang fought back and forth fiercely..
"I'll see tomorrow."
Xu Ning did not care who his opponent was.
Tao Qingyuan looked suspiciously at Xu Ning.
'Could it be that Xu Ning…'
Tao Qingyuan felt that Xu Ning might have improved even further.
'But Xu Ning had just been promoted to the inner enrichment realm not long ago.'
"Cyan…"
Tao Qingping interrupted the conversation between the two of them. "How are the other people in the village faring?"
Tomorrow was the assessment. Even Tao Qingping's heart was beating fast, he had no confidence in his own strength at all.
"Everyone is around the same, everyone is nervous."
Tao Qingyuan chatted and joked around with everyone tonight, and the purpose was to relieve everyone's nervousness.
As the most central figure in their community, this was his responsibility.
After chatting with Xu Ning in Tao Qingping's yoom, Tao Qingyuan was about to head out.
He had to find Tao Jin.
Tao Qingyuan felt that Tao Jin was not in the right condition. It seemed that she had reached a bottleneck in her martial arts practice.
Tao Qingyuan would have to figure it out himself tomorrow.
"Xu Ning…"
Before leaving, Tao Qingyuan sighed. "You have become an acting lieutenant in less than two months since you joined the Black Armored Guards. You're the most successful person out of the Tao Village."
Xu Ning knew Tao Qingyuan well. He had a very open mind and was not jealous at all.
"I was just lucky to be chosen by Captain Qu."
Xu Ning waved his hand dismissively as he replied.
Tao Qingyuan noticed that Xu Ning was still humble like before, which was quite admirable.
Their relationship had not changed because of Xu Ning's promotion.
It was rare for a person with a foreign name such as Xu Ning to be able to fit into the Tao Village circle.
"Alright then, good luck with the assessment tomorrow."
Tao Qingyuan bid farewell to Xu Ning and left to find Tao Jin.
…
The next day.
The newcomers at Camp Site Three all got up early.
After eating at the dining hall, they all went to the school field.
Three wooden arenas have been set up on the school field, with weapons of different styles placed next to them.
These weapons were real swords and knives, but they were not sharpened.
After everyone waited for a while, Wei Changqing and Master Qu Dayou finally arrived together.
There was also a team of Black Armored Guards who would be responsible for their evaluation today.
These Black Armored Guards were not newcomers from Camp Site Three; they were instead subordinates of Master Wei Changqing.
The assessment venue had been prepared, and the staff responsible for the assessment had already arrived. At last, the assessment was about to begin.
Wei Changqing was already sitting down on a platform next to the school field.
Qu Dayou stood beside him.
After seeing that everything was ready, Qu Dayou began to shout.
"I'm sure you all know the rules of the assessment, but I will repeat them again."
"Firstly, the form of the assessment is actual combat. I know that some of you are weaker in strength but are talented, so you might think that this assessment is unfair."
"But in fact, if you fight against an enemy, they don't care about your talent, they only care about how to kill you. In the end, converting your talent to your strength is the most important thing."
"Moreover, over the past three months, those of you who are relatively talented, holding cyan and yellow plates, also enjoyed more resources. If your plates get downgraded this time, you can only blame yourselves."
Master Qu Dayou's words triggered some people in the crowd.
But at the same time, it also gave hope to those who were initially identified as having mediocre potential, but had made progress through hard work.
"Secondly, about the challenge. Today, everyone has a chance to challenge those above you. If the challenge is successful, you will obtain the plates and resources of your opponent. If your challenge is unsuccessful, you will stay at your current plate level. Note that if you demote to a lower rank plate, you will no longer have a challenge opportunity."
"Also, as long as you have been challenged once today, you can refuse additional challenges, that is, unless all other members from your plate have already been challenged as well. At the same time, remember that you cannot challenge a person two plates above you."
This rule was beneficial to the challenged to a certain extent.
Because after being challenged once, they could reject all subsequent challenges, so they wouldn't have to worry about their stamina.
"Okay, the assessment has officially begun!"
"Next, starting with the gray plates, draw straws to determine the challenge order."
Qu Dayou gave a Black Armored Guard a gesture, indicating that it was time to start.
The school field, which had more than one hundred people on it, was completely silent. The atmosphere was intense.
Xu Ning was in the crowd. He saw a hint of nervousness on everyone's face.
He noticed that Tao Jin, who was at the back of the crowd, had been clenching her fists with a serious expression on her face.
"The first gray plate challenger, Tao Qingping, the second gray plate challenger, Tan Fenglu…"
The Black Armored Guard took out three paper strips from a gray wooden box.
He opened them one by one and read the names of three people.
Three challenges were conducted at once, which was why there were three wooden arenas on the school field.
"The first one is me?"
After Tao Qingping's name was pronounced, his expression was nervous, with a hint of joy.
According to the rules, the person who went first had the largest selection of opponents.
In this case, he could choose a relatively weak opponent and leave the stronger ones to others.
The three men walked out at the same time and arrived in front of the arenas.
"Name the cyan plate holders you want to challenge."
The Black Armored Guard asked them.
"I choose Tan Fenghe from the Tan Village."
Tao Qingping was the first to select his opponent.
Tao Qingping did his homework before this, and he chose the weakest cyan plate holder in the Tan Village.
"I choose Xu Ning from the Tao Village!"
As for the second gray plate challenger Tan Fenglu, his chosen opponent was Xu Ning.
Xu Ning felt that everyone from the Tao Village had their attention focused on him.
He really didn't expect to be selected already.
But Xu Ning didn't panic at all. He just walked to the arena calmly.
'Tan Fenglu must know how strong Xu Ning is right…'
Tao Qingyuan was a little suspicious: "I've asked around before this. This Tan Fenglu guy is not weak. After entering the Black Armored Guards, he practiced together with Tan Fengying, causing his strength to greatly increase. His chances of defeating a cyan plate holder is high… However, he just happened to challenge Xu Ning, what a waste of opportunity."
Tao Qingyuan suddenly noticed that Tan Fenglu, who was on the stage, glanced at Tan Fengying in the crowd.
Tao Qingyuan realized instantly that Tan Fenglu was following Tan Fengying's instructions.
'He's giving up a cyan plate, in order to help Tan Fengying figure out Xu Ning's strength… The Tan Village is so cunning.'
Tao Qingyuan thought to himself.
Xu Ning also noticed the eye contact between Tan Fenglu and Tan Fengying.
But in Xu Ning's opinion, none of this meant anything.
The gap between the qi realm and the inner enrichment realm was too vast. Unless his opponent was in the perfection realm of an external skill, he would not be able to compete against Xu Ning at all.
Xu Ning looked forward to the fight.
This was the first time he would fight someone after reaching the qi realm.
He would use this fight as an opportunity to test his qi realm strength.
Chapter 54: Qi Realm?
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
"Xu Ning was instantly challenged."
Wei Changqing was sitting on the high platform in the distance as he watched Xu Ning step into the arena.
Wei Changqing had heard of Xu Ning's name before, but this was his first time seeing Xu Ning.
"You admire this young man very much. Do you think he has the ability to maintain his cyan plate?"
Wei Changqing asked Qu Dayou.
"Certainly, he also has a high chance of obtaining a yellow plate."
Qu Dayou's answer surprised Wei Changqing.
He was confident.
.
In fact, Qu Dayou didn't know that Xu Ning had been promoted to the qi realm. He just knew that after Xu Ning was promoted to the inner enrichment realm, his other external skills had also improved significantly.
"Then we'll see if you're correct."
Wei Changqing looked at the venue with a smile.
His eyes were calm. He did not have high expectations for these young men.
Wei Changqing came from Yunying City, and his family clan was a powerful clan in Yunying City. Thus, he had seen plenty of powerful men.
After all, Kangyun County was a small county. It would be unlikely for him to find a young man that could impress him.
In the crowd, the newcomers waiting for the assessment were staring at the arena where Xu Ning and Tan Fenglu were in.
Tan Fenglu was not well-known, but Xu Ning was very famous.
They had heard that Xu Ning had worked on the Dayuan Trading Company incident, and was highly valued by Qu Dayou. He was also the first acting lieutenant among the newcomers.
Because of his reputation, Xu Ning received a ton of attention.
Quite a few of them wanted to see how strong Xu Ning was.
On the stage.
"Tan Village, Tan Fenglu!"
Tan Fenglu held a spear in his hand and greeted Xu Ning with cupped fists.
"Tao Village, Xu Ning."
Xu Ning also greeted him with cupped fists.
In fact, when they were working at Camp Site Three, they all had the same identity.
But in everyone's heart, they belonged to their own respective villages.
Tan Fenglu looked at Xu Ning cautiously. He was fully focused.
He had seen Xu Ning in front of the Runfeng Restaurant, getting in between Tao Qingyuan and Tan Fengying, so he knew how strong Xu Ning was.
However, even though he knew that he would be defeated, Tan Fenglu was willing to challenge him in order to help Tan Fengying gauge Xu Ning's strength.
Although he would lose a chance to obtain a cyan plate, Tan Fengying had already promised Tan Fenglu that as long as Tan Fenglu challenged Xu Ning, he would provide an additional Swallowtail Flower to Tan Fenglu every month, and would practice with him together in the future.
Hence, Tan Fenglu would not lose anything from this.
'Ha!'
Tan Fenglu took the lead and stabbed Xu Ning with a spear.
Xu Ning, with the knife behind his back, looked like he was in danger.
'Too weak…'
The moment Tan Fenglu attacked, Xu Ning instantly knew how strong Tan Fenglu was.
Tan Fenglu was the intermediate realm in his spearmanship, but his internal skill was barely in the inner enrichment realm.
His strength was considered top-notch among the cyan plate holders. If he didn't challenge Xu Ning, he could easily obtain a cyan plate.
But it was not enough to defeat Xu Ning.
Tan Fenglu's spear struck.
Xu Ning turned sideways and easily avoided the attack.
Although he didn't practice his external skills, Xu Ning's agility was strong only by virtue of his physical fitness.
'So fast!'
Tan Fenglu was startled.
Although it seemed like Xu Ning had barely avoided the attack, Tan Fenglu knew very well that Xu Ning only decided to start dodging at the very last second.
Tan Fengying, who was in the elementary realm in the Source Breath Bodybuilding Tactic, couldn't do this at all.
Just as he was thinking about what to do next, Tan Fenglu suddenly noticed that Xu Ning appeared right in front of him.
Xu Ning's speed was even faster than before.
'He still has time to practice external skills?'
This was the first thought that came to Tan Fenglu's mind.
Xu Ning's agility was beyond what was possible in the inner enrichment realm.
Facing Xu Ning's sudden counterattack, Tan Fenglu chose to fall back.
But his spear was too long. Although the advantage of a long-range weapon was obvious, it was extremely difficult to use when the opponent was in close range.
Tan Fenglu could only push out with his elbow, trying to stop Xu Ning's movements temporarily.
But this was all in vain.
Xu Ning didn't use his knife at all, he only threw out a punch.
Before Tan Fenglu's elbow could block the punch, Xu Ning's punch already landed.
His punch landed on Tan Fenglu's chest, and the tremendous strength behind the punch caused Tan Fenglu to lose his center of balance. In an instant, he fell out of the arena.
After one defensive maneuver and one attack, the fight was over.
The crowd gasped.
Although everyone was mentally prepared for Xu Ning to be strong, no one thought that Xu Ning would be this strong.
According to the rumors, Xu Ning was a knife technique master.
But just now, Xu Ning did not use a knife, he had only used a punch to knock Tan Fenglu out of the arena.
"Xu Ning is this strong already…"
Tao Qingyuan couldn't believe it. "This… Either he's in the intermediate realm of his Source Breath Bodybuilding Tactic, or… he has already reached the qi realm!"
Tao Qingyuan was shocked.
He didn't even consider the possibility that Xu Ning had already achieved both.
"Xu Ning…"
Tao Jin clenched her fist.
She never expected Xu Ning to reach this level of strength.
Becoming an acting lieutenant could be because of his connections with Qu Dayou, but now his strength was obvious.
Tao Jin suddenly became annoyed.
Ever since New Year's Day, Tao Jin felt that her progress was getting slower and slower.
Forget about reaching the qi realm, she hasn't even reached the elementary realm in the Source Breath Bodybuilding Tactic.
Thus, she became more and more irritated.
Tao Jin began to panic.
Tao Jin felt like if she wasn't a genius, she was nothing.
"Winner, Xu Ning!"
"Xu Ning retains his cyan plate, and Tan Fenglu remains a grey plate."
The Black Armored Guard in charge of the assessment gave out the final judgment.
Xu Ning walked off the stage in front of everyone.
Tan Fenglu also slowly got up.
He glanced at Xu Ning's direction first, then lowered his head and glanced at his chest.
Tan Fenglu knew very well that Xu Ning went easy on him.
At the very last moment of that punch, Xu Ning restrained himself.
Additionally, Xu Ning hit the right side of his chest, deliberately avoiding the delicate areas.
Tan Fenglu felt like if Xu Ning used his full power on that punch, he would have been knocked out.
"Brother Ying…"
Tan Fenglu walked back into the crowd and said to Tan Fengying, "Be careful, he's strong…"
After that, Tan Fenglu went to the end of the crowd.
Tan Fengying had a terrible look on his face.
He knew very well that the only person from the Tao Village that would challenge him was Xu Ning.
Because there was no one else in the Tao Village that was strong enough to challenge him.
'Do you really want to challenge me…'
Xu Ning's punch just now impacted Tan Fengying's mental state, causing him to start thinking of other ways to protect his yellow plate.
As long as another Tan Village cyan plate holder challenged him, he could refuse future challenges this round, thus keeping his yellow plate.
However, there were 30 cyan plate holders and only 10 yellow plate holders. He didn't know which round Xu Ning would challenge him, in the worst case, he could be challenged three times.
In other words, if he wanted to keep his yellow plate, he would have to defeat three cyan plates.
But this would mean backing down.
Not only would he lose respect amongst the Tan Village, but Qu Dayou would also be disappointed in him.
He would also lose his reputation in Camp Site Three.
Tan Fengying was in a dilemma.
'Xu Ning!'
Before all this, Qu Dayou had moved his chair and sat beside Wei Changqing.
But Xu Ning's punch caused Qu Dayou to stand up.
He was a warrior of the mortal realm seventh stage, so as soon as Xu Ning made an attack, he knew that Xu Ning was beyond the inner enrichment realm.
Even an intermediate realm Source Breath Bodybuilding Tactic warrior would not have this kind of explosive power.
"He's in the qi realm…"
Wei Changqing, who looked indifferent before this, turned his head slightly and sat up straight.