I am about to die of old age, and I have awakened the character of longevity.

Chapter 30 Divine power!

At the beginning of the afternoon, Xie An came to the Xueling black market with his face covered.

As soon as we approached the entrance of the canyon, we saw Zhang Lin coming towards us anxiously from a distance.

"Brother, you are finally here."

Lately, Xie An had been coming here at dusk. After all, the black market had just opened at this hour. Today, Xie An had even arrived earlier than planned, arriving at 3:00 PM. Seeing Zhang Lin so anxious, he instinctively assumed he'd missed something.

"But it delayed things?"

Zhang Lin said, "Not really. It's just that something went wrong. I wanted to let you know in advance, but I didn't know where to find my brother."

Xie An also became a little uneasy, "What's the situation?"

Xie An was always cautious. Just because of a deacon of Baiyu Hall, Xie An had secretly investigated and understood the situation for several months. After finally agreeing on everything, he wanted to make sure nothing went wrong at the last minute.

The world is dangerous, and for a low-class person like Xie An who has no background, he feels especially insecure.

After Zhang Lin's explanation, Xie An finally understood the general situation:

Deacons are the most junior officials in the Tiger and Wolf Sect. Although the position is minor, the Tiger and Wolf Sect attaches great importance to it. According to tradition, the Examination Hall sends someone to conduct an on-site assessment of the new deacon's abilities.

The Examination Hall established by Hulangmen was somewhat similar to the Examination Office of the Ministry of Personnel in the imperial court. It was responsible for evaluating the merits and demerits of officials and recording the results, which ultimately served as the basis for official promotion, transfer, retention, dismissal, or punishment.

The Tiger and Wolf Sect imitated the imperial court in establishing a court for examinations, clearly wanting to ensure fairness and a basis for promotions within the sect. The sect's leader harbored ambitions to become a major power.

Originally, the person sent by the Examination Hall to conduct the examination was just a deacon named Zhang, who was an acquaintance of Zhang Lin and had already been greeted, so it was just a formality.

However, due to Zhang Biao's death, the Examination Hall strengthened the examination and examination of personnel promotion in Baiyu Hall, and even sent a high-level elder named Tang.

Elder Tang was a strict and stubborn person. He had a bad relationship with both Wei Xiangzhu and Zhang Lin, and would not get along with them.

Things are changing.

After listening carefully, Xie An was not too panicked.

He had originally planned not to rely solely on personal connections to get to the top, and he had been working hard on training for some time in order to deal with adverse situations.

Although there was an accident, Xie An didn't think it was a big problem.

"Thank you, Brother Zhang, for letting me know. I have an idea now."

Zhang Lin blamed himself. "It's my fault for not doing this right. I thought it was just a formality, but I never expected a big shot like Elder Tang to come in person. I'm going to force this on my brother."

"Brother Zhang, you are so polite. If it weren't for Brother Zhang's recommendation and guarantee, I wouldn't even have this opportunity. So, is this Elder Tang really that great?"

"Of course. Elder Tang's status in the Examination Hall is no less than that of the Hall Master. Although he is stubborn, he is a decent person who appreciates talent. If my brother can gain Elder Tang's appreciation, then his future will be truly bright."

Xie An was slightly stunned and said nothing more.

Seeing that Xie An showed no resentment but instead appeared composed, Zhang Lin once again looked up to him and said, "Elder Tang is already waiting inside. I'll take you in. The test will mainly consist of strength lifting and actual combat. My dear brother, your strength lifting should be no problem, but the actual combat..."

While leading Xie An into the canyon, Zhang Lin explained to Xie An many details and precautions of the test.

Before I knew it, I arrived at the elegant courtyard in the black market.

As soon as he entered the door, Xie An felt a serious atmosphere coming towards him.

An elegant middle-aged man in a black Tang suit sat on a throne beneath the eaves. Behind him stood a nearly two-meter-tall, sword-wielding man. Even in the snow, the man wore only a thin coat, revealing his bronzed muscles. The sword he held was five feet long, imposing and commanding.

Even ten meters away, Xie An could feel the powerful aura emanating from this man.

"Elder Tang."

Zhang Lin led Xie An to the center of the yard, bowed to the old man in Tang suit, and was extremely flattering.

Xie An also followed suit and bowed, calling out "Elder Tang." When he looked up at Elder Tang, he discovered that his temperament was somewhat similar to Tang Qingfeng, whom he had met before, but he was younger.

Could it be that they are all from Tangjiabao?

Hmm. Elder Tang picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip of tea. Then he glanced at Xie An, who was masked, and said coldly, "Are you the old man mentioned in Wei Dian's letter?"

The voice was not loud, and the question seemed casual, but coupled with the sharp eyes, it gave a sense of oppression.

Xie An said respectfully, "It is me."

Elder Tang didn't mind Xie An's mask. After all, in a dangerous place like the black market, many managers would hide their identities. It wasn't uncommon.

However, if he passed the test, Elder Tang, the elder in charge of the examination hall, would still have to personally verify his appearance. If he failed, there would be no need to do this.

Seeing Xie An's white hair, Elder Tang's eyes flashed with disappointment. "Although our Tiger Wolf Sect has only been established in Qingwu County for thirty years, it is still a famous sect. Anyone who wants to be in charge must have the strength of the Bronze Skin Realm. You can't just get in with someone's recommendation."

At this point, Elder Tang glanced at Zhang Lin and said, "If the difference between this person's strength and the one described in the letter is very large, Zhang Lin... I have to record a mistake for you."

Zhang Lin shuddered, then hurriedly bowed, saying, "Don't worry, Elder Tang. The person I recommend is definitely very capable. I'm wholeheartedly concerned about the sect and will not be partial."

Elder Tang nodded in satisfaction. "If the person you recommend is truly capable, I will certainly record your merit in recommending a talent for our sect. Tongshan, begin."

"Yes, elder."

The two-meter-tall burly man immediately brought out five stone locks of varying sizes from the corner of the wall. "Elder Tang has always been fair in testing new stewards. Here are five stone locks, weighing 400 jin, 500 jin, 600 jin, 650 jin, and 700 jin respectively. Pick one, raise it above your head with one arm, and hold it there for three breaths."

Xie An nodded to the strong man, then walked to the side of the stone locks, looked at them one by one, and finally set his eyes on the last two stone locks.

Six hundred and fifty kilograms was the weight Xie An had previously estimated to be able to lift.

After all, he didn't have an accurate stone lock at home to test. But Xie An felt that lifting 650 kilograms with one arm was not a problem, and if he struggled, he could also try 700 kilograms.

Logically speaking, Xie An was not the type of person who liked to stand out.

But this time it is different.

The one who came was Elder Tang, who was comparable to the head of the Examination Hall. Zhang Lin had reminded him before: If one could gain Elder Tang's appreciation, his future would be limitless.

So, Xie An felt that this was a rare opportunity to show himself.

We must seize it firmly.

Being able to advance and retreat, to bend and stretch, is what a real man does.

Needless to say, Xie An noticed what everyone was thinking: they simply felt that he was an old man and not very useful.

Thinking of this, Xie An felt that he should go all out.

He walked to the seven-hundred-pound stone lock and first held the handle with his hand to get familiar with the feeling.

Ok?
This scene surprised everyone around.

Zhang Lin had previously seen the masked old man Xie An shoot Zhang Wei and Lu Wei. He had also seen him fire a bow with one finger, and had initially determined that Xie An's strength was around 400 kilograms. He was going to lift 700 kilograms in one go?
Even the man Tongshan was surprised. He instinctively felt that this old man was too bold and it was impossible.

Even Elder Tang glanced sideways. Holding the teacup in one hand, he lifted the lid and gently stirred the tea leaves with the other, then said, "Just do your best, don't force yourself. If you get hurt, our Tiger and Wolf Sect won't be responsible."

Obviously, Elder Tang did not think that the old man in front of him was capable of lifting 700 kilograms, and was afraid that he would hurt himself, so he kindly reminded him.

Even for a warrior at the Bronze Skin Realm, a force lift of 600 is practically the upper limit. Forcing it too hard could easily sprain the waist, strain the ligaments in the arm, or even fracture the spine in severe cases.

"Thank you, Elder Tang, for the reminder."

Xie An thanked him, then took a step forward and crouched down in a horse stance. He gripped the stone lock handle tightly with his right hand and exerted force. The lock rested on his waist for two breaths before Xie An suddenly lifted it above his head.

Xie An stood upright, holding the stone lock steady above his head.

Tongshan and Zhang Lin both widened their eyes at the same time.

brush!
Elder Tang could no longer remain calm. He leaned against the back of his chair and immediately sat up straight. His deep eyes lit up with a strange light. He was shocked: "This old man is over fifty years old, but he has such supernatural power!"

(End of this chapter)