Chapter 111 - 86: Unorthodox
"Heheh, Brother Cheng, all the previous tests were nothing. The real assessment is only just beginning," Luo Chenghu said with a chuckle.
He was naturally possessed of brutish strength and loved nothing more than this kind of test of raw power. His face was filled with excitement as he cracked his knuckles, unable to wait.
"That’s true." Chen Cheng nodded lightly in agreement.
The vast majority of the thirty-two remaining new Registered Disciples were from wealthy families. They had been Cultivating Martial Dao since childhood. For someone with above-average aptitude, it wasn’t particularly difficult to join a Martial Arts Hall, cultivate for three to five years, and bring a Mid-level Skill to Great Success before the age of twenty.
But drawing a three-hundred-jin Strong Bow to its fullest required the strength of a Great Success in Skin Grinding Realm Martial Artist at minimum. And cultivating one’s Body Tempering to the Great Success Level was far more difficult than cultivating a Mid-level Skill to the Great Success Level.
There was a saying: three years for Skin Grinding, five years for Muscle Strengthening. But this applied only to geniuses of the Martial Dao.
Even for those geniuses, it took one year to reach Small Success in the Skin Grinding Realm, two years for Great Success, and only in the third year could they achieve Perfection. Shen Qingshuang was a case in point.
The likes of Wang Li and Yan Jian, who spent four or five years to reach Skin Grinding Realm Perfection by the time they were nineteen or twenty, were also considered to have extremely high talent in the Martial Dao.
As for those with above-average aptitude, like He Zhiling, he had only just reached Small Success in Skin Grinding Realm at nineteen. Even so, this already made him one of the top disciples in the Outer City’s Martial Arts Halls.
Most of the remaining thirty-two Registered Disciples likely had an aptitude similar to He Zhiling’s.
This was only the preliminary assessment. Afterward, Mr. Zheng would personally conduct the next stage, which was bound to be even more difficult.
The new Registered Disciples also began to whisper amongst themselves.
"A three-hundred-jin Strong Bow... I should be able to draw it, but I’m not sure if I can draw it fully."
"It’s just a three-hundred-jin Strong Bow. I can draw it fully with ease."
"Sigh... When it comes to Saber Technique, I’m second to none, but my Martial Arts Realm is only Small Success in Skin Grinding Realm. There’s no way I can draw this Strong Bow."
"I can’t draw it either. Luckily, I don’t want to switch to cultivating Horizontal Cultivation Techniques, so it doesn’t matter."
...
Min Wei raised his hand to silence the discussion. "Those who wish to switch to cultivating Horizontal Cultivation Techniques, come stand to my left. You will attempt this one by one. Anyone who can draw the bowstring fully may follow me into the Double Courtyard."
Luo Chenghu puffed out his chest and held his head high, becoming the first to walk over and stand to Min Wei’s left. Seeing Chen Cheng standing still, he repeatedly winked, gesturing for him to come over. He was confident he could get into the Double Courtyard to cultivate Horizontal Cultivation Techniques. And since Chen Cheng’s power far surpassed his own, it would be a piece of cake for him.
’In another month, I’ll be able to cultivate Saber Momentum, and I could easily become one of Mr. Zheng’s True Disciples. But if that happens, everyone will know that I’ve cultivated Saber Momentum.’
’With my current level of strength, even having cultivated Saber Momentum, it’s a trump card I need for my own protection. I can’t reveal it so easily.’
After a moment of thought, Chen Cheng smiled and walked over to stand beside Luo Chenghu.
Among the other disciples, six others with sturdy, formidable-looking builds also came to stand beside Chen Cheng.
Surprisingly, none of the disciples from the Four Great Clans stepped forward. Qin Ruanan’s expression was calm, her thoughts unreadable. Wang Li glanced at her, but he also made no move.
Seeing Chen Cheng among those switching to Horizontal Cultivation Techniques, the man seemed surprised, and a flash of mockery crossed his eyes.
Out of thirty-two new Registered Disciples, only eight wanted to switch to cultivating Horizontal Cultivation Techniques.
Min Wei seemed unsurprised. He then handed the Longbow to Luo Chenghu.
"This is an Iron-Clad Bow, made from Hundred-Forged Refined Iron and Cow Tendons. Remember, you must draw the bowstring completely full to be considered qualified."
"Of course! Senior Brother Min, just you watch!"
Luo Chenghu took the Iron-Clad Bow and stepped forward, his eyes sweeping over the crowd. He then sank into a horse stance, exhaled sharply, and roared, "Open!"
The bowstring was slowly drawn back until it resembled a full moon. Luo Chenghu’s face flushed slightly from the exertion, and his breathing grew a little heavy but remained steady. He clearly wasn’t using his full strength.
"What power!" the crowd cheered.
Even Min Wei and the two old Instructors nodded slightly in praise.
"Very good!" Min Wei said in praise.
"It’s just a three-hundred-jin Strong Bow. Nothing special!" Luo Chenghu said with a relaxed expression as he handed the Iron-Clad Bow to Chen Cheng. "Brother Cheng, you’re up."
"Alright." Chen Cheng smiled slightly, taking the Iron-Clad Bow. The body of the bow felt heavy in his hands; he estimated it weighed over twenty jin.
It was Chen Cheng’s first time drawing a bow, so he was a bit clumsy. Fortunately, Luo Chenghu had just demonstrated, so he simply copied his movements. He took a half-step forward with his left foot to steady his stance, then gripped the bowstring and gave a slight pull.
The bowstring only drew back halfway before it stopped cold.
’Whoa! As expected of a three-hundred-jin Strong Bow. Without using some real power, I really can’t draw it,’ Chen Cheng thought to himself.
Before he could exert more force, one of the disciples who had also chosen to switch to Horizontal Cultivation Techniques burst out laughing.
"Tch! So he can only draw it halfway. And I thought he was supposed to be so strong!"
"Drawing it halfway is easy!"
...
Chen Cheng paid them no mind. Increasing the power in his hands, he abruptly pulled the Cow Tendon bowstring back into a full moon.
The smiles on the faces of the scoffers instantly froze!
Chen Cheng released the bowstring. His expression was unchanged, his heart rate steady; even his breathing was completely normal.
"Brother Cheng, you really do have Innate Divine Power!" Luo Chenghu shouted, his eyes wide as saucers.
The disciples erupted in cheers!
Min Wei and the two old Instructors were all visibly impressed.
Even Qin Ruanan, who had been calm the whole time, now had eyes full of shock. ’I doubt even I could draw that three-hundred-jin Strong Bow with such ease,’ she thought to herself.
Wang Li’s expression, however, turned grim. His eyes were fixed on Chen Cheng, and it was impossible to tell what he was plotting.