I maxed out the Scholar talent at the start, but I want to be a Warrior.

As soon as Gu Cheng stepped out of the house, he saw Uncle Fu standing in the yard, holding a flag in his hand.

The flag has a red background with a yellow border around it. In the center is a large "顾" (Gu) character, and below the "顾" character is a giant tiger with its head raised and roaring.

The flag was quite large, towering over the man from Fubo.

"Uncle Fu, what are you doing? Why did you think of raising a flag?" Gu Cheng couldn't help but ask.

"Xiao Cheng, get up." Uncle Fu smiled so much that his eyes narrowed into slits and his face wrinkled together. "Today is the day you go to take the academy test. The ancients always said that a good start is a good start. I'll carry this flag to cheer you on in a bit. I believe you will be able to enter the academy smoothly."

Gu Cheng glanced at the flag.

He glanced at Uncle Fu again.

The flag...was raised in victory.

If Uncle Fu really were to carry this flag to the academy...

He could almost picture the scene of being surrounded by onlookers during the test.

No.

Absolutely not.

Carrying this flag along feels a bit too shameful.

"Uncle Fu," Gu Cheng cleared his throat, looking serious, "look at this flag, it's so imposing and powerful, it's not needed for a small event like the academy."

"You silly child, it's good to be assertive! You need to be assertive to achieve victory today!" Uncle Fu said with a smile.

Gu Cheng's eyes darted around. "Uncle Fu, I'm sure I'll have no problem with the academy test, no problem at all."

He stepped forward, took the flag from Uncle Fu, and folded it up. "We can't use this flag for a small school test. That's making a mountain out of a molehill. Why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut?"

After much persuasion, they finally convinced Uncle Fu to give up his idea of ​​leading the army.

Uncle Fu rolled up the flag, leaned against the corner of the wall, and muttered something under his breath, looking regretful.

A little while later, Gu Chang'an also got up. He went out of the house and saw the flag leaning against the corner of the wall.

The corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

The three of them finished breakfast together and left the house.

On the way, Gu Cheng spoke up.

"Uncle, I want to enter the academy as a martial arts student."

Gu Chang'an paused, then asked in surprise, "Why?"

"I want to conceal some of my strength," Gu Cheng said carefully, "and the academy teaches both literary and martial arts, so enrolling as a martial arts student won't affect my academic studies."

Gu Chang'an recalled the hesitation that flashed in Zhang Lie's eyes when he first returned to Shuofang and asked him about the attack on his camp by Tadun ten years ago. He then nodded.

It's good to keep a low profile; the waters of Shuofang City run deep.

"Alright, your strength has increased rapidly recently, so passing the test as a martial arts student shouldn't be a problem."

Gu Cheng glanced at his attribute panel; his strength had reached 48.

He wholeheartedly agreed and nodded.

"The testing stones are divided into three categories. If you don't want to reveal your scholarly talent," Gu Chang'an said, "then you only need to test the red one, which represents strength, and the orange one, which represents physique."

"clear."

------

Shuofang Academy.

Gu Cheng stood in front of the academy gate and looked up.

The gate tower is not tall, but it is very solid, made of bluestone. The four characters "Shuofang Academy" are engraved on the lintel, with vigorous strokes and a sense of killing intent.

Two stone lions stand on either side of the gate, looking majestic and imposing.

There was already a long queue at the entrance.

Most of them were teenagers.

Some clenched their fists nervously, while others looked around excitedly.

Gu Cheng glanced at it.

The crowd was clearly divided into distinct groups.

Most of the people queuing on the left were dressed very simply—cloth clothes, short tuxedos, and coarse cloth shoes.

Most of the people queuing on the right were dressed in fine silks and satins, clearly from wealthy families.

He wondered to himself, could there be some special reason for queuing?

"There are so many people." Uncle Fu stood behind Gu Cheng, standing on tiptoe to look ahead, craning his neck.

A middle-aged man in a purple robe guided the boys to line up. He had a serious face, high cheekbones, a shallow scar on his chin, and eyes as sharp as an eagle's.

"The entrance test consists of a strength test on the left and a mental test on the right. You will be tested in line according to your strengths."

A murmur arose from the crowd.

"The poor are skilled in martial arts, the rich in literature."

"Yes, you see, the children from wealthy families all go to study to become scholars, while we poor people have to become warriors."

"That's right, scholars are much safer; they can just hide in the back."

Gu Cheng was completely puzzled.

Isn't it said that the poor study literature and the rich study martial arts? It's because of the pursuit of safety that rich people all go to study literature.

At this moment, the middle-aged man in purple robes reminded everyone again, "Those with a strength or spirit attribute below 40 will not be admitted; those with a strength or spirit attribute between 40 and 50 will be admitted to the regular class; and those above 50 will be admitted to the elite class."

His voice was loud and clear, and everyone in the square could hear it clearly.

Gu Cheng stopped thinking about it and stepped forward, walking into the left-hand queue.

The purple-robed instructor continued, "To test strength, touch the red stone. To test spirit, touch the blue stone—choose one. The orange stone tests physique; everyone must undergo this test."

After waiting in line for about an hour, it was finally Gu Cheng's turn.

He walked up to the red stone and examined it curiously.

I don't know how my investigation differs from that of this stone.

He placed his hand on the stone.

The stone flashed, and he felt a surge of power flowing from his body, affecting his blood and qi.

Soon, a number appeared on the stone—48.

"Strength attribute 48, martial arts major, eligible for regular class."

The instructor next to him reported Gu Cheng's score to the recorder. After the recorder finished writing it down, he handed Gu Cheng a white plaque with a sword engraved on it.

Uncle Fu peeked out from the crowd and saw Gu Chang'an receive his admission card. He couldn't stop smiling.

Gu Cheng took the token, stepped back to Gu Chang'an and Uncle Fu, and watched the academy test with them.

Gu Cheng's gaze was drawn to a figure on his right. He saw a boy, about two meters tall, standing in the line like a small mountain.

The young man had delicate features and wore a blue scholar's robe, exuding an air of scholarly refinement.

If you ignore his physique, he would look like a refined young gentleman.

However, the muscular outlines that could be vaguely seen beneath the scholar's robe, and the towering, mountain-like body, were enough to inspire awe.

Gu Cheng felt that this appearance and physique were truly beyond expectations.

He scanned it with his probe.

【姓名：贺真实】【体质：73（上限92）】【力量：70（上限95）】【精神：48（上限49）】【战士技：裂石斩（一阶）、开山（二阶）】【文士技：无】【擅长兵器：大刀（资深）】

Gu Cheng's pupils contracted slightly.

Strength 70, maximum 95. Weapon skill has also reached the advanced level.

This guy is definitely a fierce warrior, and he has the potential to become a top-tier fighter.

This generation of young people seems much better than my uncles' generation.

Gu Cheng grinned, secretly thinking to himself that if his uncle Gu Chang'an had been born a decade or two later, he definitely wouldn't have gotten so cocky.

Because people who can surpass him in terms of talent ceiling appear rather frequently.

The giant in front of them was one, and so was Gu Yuanba.

However, he was a little confused by the actions of the powerful general. He saw the powerful general walk straight towards the blue stone that tested his spirit.

"Psychological score 48, humanities major, eligible for regular class."

He Zhenshi took the white plaque, on which was engraved a scroll.

He held the sign in his hand, looked at it again and again, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

The purple-robed instructor sized up his imposing figure and couldn't help but ask, "Kid, why don't you get your strength tested? Judging by your build, you might be able to get into the elite class as a martial arts student."

He Zhenshi waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "No, no, I'm too weak to even kill a chicken, I'm not cut out to be a martial arts student."

The instructor in purple robes stood to the side, his lips twitching slightly, and waved him away.

Just as Gu Cheng was about to leave, his gaze was suddenly drawn to a figure.

A girl stepped out of the line.

She was not tall, with a pretty face and a baby face. She looked to be a little over 1.5 meters tall and had a slender figure. She was dressed in a simple blue cloth dress.

If it were just her appearance, she wouldn't stand out in the crowd of people queuing for the test.

However, the halberd on her back makes her even more eye-catching.

The halberd was a head taller than her.

The halberd shaft was made of ironwood, and it looked heavy. The halberd blade gleamed with a cold light.

The girl carried it on her back, her steps steady.

She walked up to the red stone and placed her hand on it.

"Strength attribute 64, martial arts major, eligible for the elite class."

The square fell silent for a moment.

Strength 64.

Whispers arose from the surroundings.

"Strength attribute 64? This little girl..."

"Don't let his small size fool you, he's stronger than most men."

Gu Cheng began his investigation without making a sound.

【姓名：赵木兰】【体质：64（上限91）】【力量：64（上限92）】【精神：42（上限62）】【战士技：横扫（一阶）、破甲刺（二阶）】【文士技：无】【擅长兵器：大戟（资深）】

Another top-notch talent, a girl with incredible strength.

The girl on the stage accepted the gold plaque symbolizing the elite class from the instructor and turned to leave.

Gu Cheng stopped watching and left with his uncle and Uncle Fu.