The senior members of the Great Love Sect observed Guan Yushu's method of passing the assessment and nodded in satisfaction.
"The first stage isn't easy. When facing defeat, one must not only learn perseverance from the spider but also gain insight on strategy from the mantis," said Elder Bai, looking at Elder Yue.
Elder Yue stroked his beard and replied, "That's necessary. Cultivation requires both perseverance and strategy."
"I want this test to select disciples with a steadfast will and cultivate them to greatness."
The Sect Master, watching Guan Yushu's success, remarked, "This Guan Yushu shows great potential; he's bound to achieve greatness in the future!"
Elder Huo, for some reason, suddenly thought of Yuan Liang's face and asked, "Could there be more than one way to pass?"
Elder Yue shook his head, immediately dismissing Elder Huo's notion. "Absolutely not!"
"This assessment recreates a genuine historical event that I augmented to ensure accuracy."
"In history, the Jin general had an epiphany in a cave, leading him to defeat the Wei army."
"It was a miracle back then, and I don't believe there's another way."
The others nodded, also doubting any alternative solution.
Then, they watched Yuan Liang's method of passing.
…
"Can I really win?"
At that moment, Yuan Liang was disheveled, suffocated by the weight of defeat.
Suddenly, he noticed a spider in the corner weaving a web.
The spider's repeated failures and persistent attempts deeply moved him.
"The spider fights on, so am I, a person, any less?"
With renewed determination, Yuan Liang resolved to challenge Wei once more.
"Although the Wei army is stronger, the gap isn't insurmountable! If I give up, what will happen to Jin?"
Clenching his fist, he felt a glimmer of hope.
All he needed was to hold on, and he could certainly defeat Wei's forces!
"Thank you for your lesson." Yuan Liang bowed to the spider in gratitude.
To show his appreciation, he captured a mantis and placed it beside the spider.
Apparently mistaking Yuan Liang's gesture for hostility, the spider bit his hand.
"A venomous spider?" Yuan Liang muttered before everything went black as he lost consciousness.
When he awoke, he felt a surge of strength through his body.
"What happened to me?"
His senses and reflexes felt sharper, his body agile like never before.
Instinctively, he moved his right hand, curling his middle and ring fingers as white threads shot out from his wrist.
"What the hell?!"
The white thread stuck to the wall, and with a tug, he found himself swinging up to the ceiling.
"Is this spider silk?"
He was amazed to find he could cling to the wall like a spider without falling.
"Am I Spider Man?" Yuan Liang murmured, then his eyes brightened. "So this is how I pass!"
He charged out of the cave, reorganized his troops, and prepared for a final showdown with the Wei forces.
The night before the decisive battle.
He donned a tight outfit he'd crafted himself, colored blue and red, with a black spider emblem on the chest.
With his newly acquired spider powers, he snuck into the Wei general's camp under the cover of darkness and directly assassinated the general.
The Wei general was stunned, seeing a clown in blue and red tights invading his camp.
Before he could make sense of it, he was dead.
The Wei soldiers, equally bewildered, stared as their general was slain without even a chance to react.
With their leader gone, the Wei army fell into disarray, and Yuan Liang led the Jin forces to an easy victory over the Wei army.
Yuan Liang had passed the assessment.
…
The Sect Master and seven elders watched Yuan Liang's unique approach in silence.
All eight wore grim expressions, except Elder Huo, who grinned as he collected his winnings from the table.
A second method to pass had indeed emerged, and Yuan Liang had truly succeeded.
The Sect Master rubbed his temples. "What's with that spider? How could a bite give someone spider powers?"
"Does that mean if I bite a spider, it could turn human?"
Elder Yue was equally baffled. After a moment of contemplation, he seemed to remember something.
He pulled out an ancient text from his storage ring and pointed to a passage.
"Found it! Ancient records mention a rare spider species on the Myriad Spirits Continent that never bites humans, but anyone bitten by it would undergo a mutation."
"This species went extinct tens of thousands of years ago."
Elder Yue explained logically, "The Jin-Wei conflict took place tens of thousands of years ago."
"And since we perfectly recreated the scene, theoretically, it's possible for this rare spider to appear in the cave as well."
The Sect Master nodded. "This Yuan Liang isn't just resilient and clever—he's incredibly lucky too."
The fact that he was the only one bitten by the spider and gained a mutation showed he had extraordinary fortune.
"I don't believe there's a third way to pass! Let's bet again!" This time, Elder Yue took the initiative and placed money on the table.
The others eagerly placed their bets as well.
Then, they watched Nie Zhengyu's method of passing.
…
Nie Zhengyu watched the spider fail repeatedly and sighed.
Just as he was about to give up, a mantis appeared and, taking advantage of the spider's lack of vigilance, launched a sneak attack.
The spider fought back using its web, but the mantis was agile and fierce.
After several exchanges, the mantis killed the spider.
Observing this, Nie Zhengyu was thoughtful. Standing up, he began to recall the mantis's movements.
He decided to emulate its technique of using two flexible forearms with quick, unpredictable strikes and its footwork to dart and evade.
"I am the mantis now..." Nie Zhengyu murmured to himself.
He moved like a human-shaped mantis, blending flexibility and strength with rapid, sharp maneuvers.
After a night of training, when the sun rose, he struck with his forearm, collapsing part of the cave wall.
"So this is the legendary Mantis Fist," Nie Zhengyu marveled.
"The power is amazing."
He refined the Mantis Fist into a simpler form, making it easy to learn and promoting it widely in the army.
With this, Jin's military strength surpassed Wei's, allowing them to advance with little resistance.
Nie Zhengyu had passed the assessment.