From street beggar to high-ranking official

Another day, at dusk, the setting sun disappeared.

In the training ground, Eunuch Chen was still sitting in his grand chair, while a group of teenagers were gathered in a circle watching the scene unfold.

A young eunuch suddenly rushed forward and struck out with his palm.

Xiao Fengzi, who was facing off against the little eunuch, also exchanged blows with a palm strike. Both of them covered their palms with true energy, and when they made contact, a muffled sound was heard.

"Snapped!"

Xiao Fengzi took three or five steps back, but the little eunuch facing him retreated more than ten feet away.

Xiao Fengzi's hand was only red, but the little eunuch's right arm was shaking uncontrollably.

"Little Wu is pretty good, he can hold on to this."

"Haha, Five's no good."

"Don't say that. Xiao Fengzi should be one of the strongest among us. It's already quite good that Xiao Wuzi can withstand four blows without falling."

A young eunuch in the crowd commented.

Eunuch Chen remained seated in his armchair, occasionally nodding slightly to some of the well-behaved eunuchs.

"Godfather, why don't we test each one's handprint with a bronze vessel? That would save you your precious time," asked the godchild who was serving nearby.

"Beating and scolding alone won't get you anywhere. Even if you whip an ox or a horse, you'll know to give it some licorice instead," Eunuch Chen said calmly, taking a sip of his fragrant tea.

"Godfather's words are profound." The godson immediately bowed in praise.

Aside from the time spent learning the rules, Eunuch Chen was not strict with these young eunuchs. As the saying goes, he was both lenient and strict, and he could manage them as easily as using his own arms.

The atmosphere in the venue gradually became lively.

Lu Li watched several matches, and even though this competition was mainly Chen Gonggong's way of testing everyone's skills, he had no intention of showing off. Only after Xiao Fengzi exhausted his inner energy and left the arena did he secretly wonder, "If it were me, how would I perform?"

Lu Li had no intention of going on stage, and most of the eunuchs did not want to reveal their true strength, so they usually retreated after exchanging a few blows.

Concealing one's true strength has become a consensus among everyone; the only way to force out someone's real power is probably through a fight to the death.

As Lu Li was thinking this, a young eunuch stepped forward.

"Our family wants to give it a try."

Lu Li looked closely and recognized him as Xiao Liu. This kid was usually quite low-key, not one of those who were often bullied, and he wasn't flamboyant either.

Xiao Liu bowed and said, "I wonder if anyone would like to give it a try? Consider it a chance to gain experience."

"Let's go!" A young man, seemingly wanting to test his martial arts skills, stepped forward and volunteered to fight.

Xiao Liuzi stepped forward and arrived in front of the boy in the blink of an eye. The boy raised his palm to meet the challenge, but it took him two palms to block Xiao Liuzi's palm strike.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the boy was knocked back by Xiao Liu with three palm strikes.

"Great skills! Let's give it a try at home."

Another young man stepped out from the crowd. He was named Xiao Chengzi and was a regular follower of Xiao Jizi. It was probably Xiao Jizi's idea for him to come out at this moment.

Lu Li looked over there and saw Xiao Jizi standing there, but there was about a person's distance between him and Xiao Jizi.

"Come!"

Xiao Liu shouted, using his true energy to move quickly closer, giving the impression that he was stepping into thin air for a moment.

With a palm strike, Xiao Chengzi immediately met the attack. Seemingly outmatched or before he could even react, his right sleeve burst open.

"Again!"

Without stopping, Xiao Liuzi took a step forward and this time slapped his left palm straight at Xiao Chengzi's chest.

"Is this kid serious?"

"Little Liu is usually so low-key, how come he has such abilities?"

"Under the full force of the fight, his true energy couldn't last long, and Xiao Chengzi dodged a few moves and won!"

Xiao Chengzi seemed to sense the danger, and using only his inner energy to protect himself, he also struck Xiao Liuzi's chest with a palm.

"Bang!"

With a muffled thud, Xiao Chengzi's hand speed actually increased, and he used the recoil to keep retreating. Xiao Liuzi's palm strike that came later was completely blocked by Xiao Chengzi's protective true qi.

Thus, Lu Li witnessed this contrasting scene: Xiao Chengzi, who had successfully counterattacked, rolled several times on the ground before standing up unharmed; while Xiao Liuzi, who had launched a fierce attack, stood staggering in place, his blood surging uncontrollably.

The fabric on his chest had already been torn apart by his inner energy, revealing a bright red palm print.

If Xiao Chengzi hadn't practiced the "Neijing Jue" but instead a martial art related to palm techniques, Xiao Liuzi would probably have died on the spot!

Lu Li didn't give Xiao Liu a second glance; the weak weren't worth his attention. Instead, he made a note of Xiao Chengzi, the little eunuch who was always flattering Xiao Jizi.

"Little Liu is imposing, but Xiao Chengzi made a counterattack. These guys are indeed hiding their true strength," Lu Li thought to himself. He had dealt with Xiao Chengzi before, and Xiao Chengzi was even more humble than him. He never expected Xiao Chengzi to have such methods.

It seemed to have gotten off to a good start, with the eunuchs taking turns to perform, as if to vent their frustrations or to test their martial arts skills. The training ground was bustling with activity for a time.

His youthful spirit was on full display at this moment.

"Why don't you go up and give it a try, Xiao Lu?" Xiao Shunzi asked as he walked over.

Lu Li simply shook his head: "We're still far from good enough; it would be embarrassing for us to go on stage."

"Just consider it practice," Xiao Shunzi invited, but Lu Li insisted on not going.

Seeing this, Xiao Shunzi stopped insisting and went on stage with another boy. In a short time, they defeated the three of them, showing great prowess.

Lu Li found it strange; Xiao Shunzi was clearly not fast, yet the three eunuchs had inexplicably lost.

"Alright! Let's join in the fun too." It was Xiao Chengzi who spoke up again.

The training ground fell silent for a moment. Xiao Shunzi calmed his breathing and laughed, "Xiao Chengzi, you didn't pick a good time. We've already fought off two people, and you're already on the field."

"That's called knowing yourself and your enemy." Xiao Chengzi didn't care about the sarcasm in Xiao Shunzi's words, and the two of them stood on the field.

As usual, Xiao Shunzi approached slowly. Unlike Xiao Liuzi, who was imposing, he won by being slow and deliberate.

Even the speed of his palm strike was just average; he could easily dodge it by simply retreating. Xiao Chengzi was the same, but he dared not relax. Xiao Shunzi's consecutive defeat of three people seemed strange, so he cautiously used his true qi to protect himself as usual.

"what!"

In the blink of an eye, Xiao Chengzi was slapped to his knees by Xiao Shunzi.

"What happened?!"

"I didn't see it clearly either. Just like the previous three, Xiao Shunzi won with one palm strike."

"Does Xiao Shunzi have such strength?" Lu Li was surprised and uncertain, but he couldn't understand why Xiao Shunzi would go to such lengths.

Throughout the entire process, Lu Li remained an observer. He wouldn't do anything he was certain he wouldn't do, and watched as Xiao Shunzi ran out of energy and left the scene on his own.

At the hour of Xu (7-9 PM), Eunuch Chen clapped his hands, and the previously noisy training ground immediately fell silent.

"Well done. In about a month, the Directorate of Ceremonial will examine your manners, etiquette, and martial arts skills. I don't care how well you do in martial arts, but if your manners and etiquette are not up to par, hehehehe..."

Eunuch Chen simply smiled, and all the young men present felt a chill run down their spines. But Eunuch Chen waved his hand, and with his true energy, a dozen or so cloth bags flew into the hands of some of the young men.

"Well done, I will reward you."

"Thank you for your kindness, Eunuch Chen!" Xiao Shunzi reacted the fastest, ignoring Xiao Jizi's vicious gaze in the crowd. The other boys knelt down and kowtowed, even those who hadn't received a reward.

If Eunuch Chen doesn't hold it against you for not kneeling this time, then it's time for the young men to live in constant fear.

After bestowing the reward, Eunuch Chen got up and left, and the other youths did not linger any longer.