From a slave to the Great Qian Martial Saint

Scholars had the imperial examination, while military men had their ranks determined. The imperial examination was held every three years, while the rank determination was held once a year.

The ninth day of the ninth lunar month is the day when martial arts officers are ranked.

According to the laws of the Great Qian Dynasty, all martial artists in the land could go to the nearest government office to have their rank assessed on this day.

The Marquis of Jing'an's residence held a prestigious position, and specially selected examiners were sent to the residence to conduct assessments.

Early in the morning, all the servants who had applied for martial arts training, including Chen Shi, gathered at the small training ground next to the Marquis's residence.

"Why are there so few people?"

Chen Shi glanced at them and estimated there were fewer than a hundred people.

Of the nearly one thousand servants in the Marquis of Jing'an's mansion, only a few had applied for martial arts training, but there must have been at least three or four hundred. After all, there were no restrictions on applying, and many people simply thought that they might as well apply for it, even if they did, they didn't necessarily have to practice it.

Moreover, at this time, they were mostly young people or low-ranking servants; there were no stewards or the like.

"So that's how it is."

After asking the servants beside him, Chen Shi finally understood what was going on.

It turns out that today's orders are placed at different times and in different venues.

The ninth rank will be determined in the morning, and the eighth rank in the afternoon. As for higher ranks, due to the extremely small number of participants, a separate venue will be set up.

In addition, this is only for servants; the Gu family members have their own separate premises.

The young masters and ladies of the Jing'an Marquis's mansion also have a special venue.

That makes sense; a master of such high status would never associate with servants like them.

So, the number of people here isn't small.

Moreover, Chen Shi discovered that in addition to men, there were also a few women.

That's right, both men and women can practice martial arts.

However, martial arts training is arduous, and most women find it difficult to endure.

Let's begin.

In front of the drill ground, there was a table and two chairs. The one on the right was the examiner sent by the government to be in charge of this selection, and the man on the left looked to be around fifty years old, dressed in a white robe, and was Chief Steward Sun of the Marquis of Jing'an's mansion.

The Jing'an Marquis's mansion had nearly a thousand servants, divided into four levels. Some were still servants, while others were considered "household retainers," such as Jia Shun.

The so-called chief steward oversees all areas and holds a position above that of the steward. There are only four such stewards in the entire household, and they are all "household retainers"!

The servants wore short tunics, the retainers wore long robes, the ordinary retainers wore blue robes, but the four chief stewards wore white robes.

As retainers, they should show respect to their young masters, such as Gu Chengze.

Now that everyone had arrived, Steward Sun looked at the examiner.

The examiner nodded and smiled.

"The sooner we start, the sooner we finish, and the sooner we can hand in our work."

"Alright then."

Steward Sun turned his head and gestured to the steward in the green robe standing next to him.

The steward addressed all the servants and shouted loudly.

"This assessment of ninth-rank martial artists consists of two parts: strength testing and sparring. Those who pass the strength test will then spar. Now, those who believe they have met the requirements for ninth rank may come forward to test their strength."

Listening to what the steward said, and looking at the front of the drill ground, there was a row of about a dozen stone locks, each weighing four hundred catties!

Four hundred jin is the basic requirement for a ninth-rank martial artist. As long as one can lift this stone lock, one has passed the strength test.

"Shall we give it a try?"

"Maybe he'll lift it up!"

"There's no harm in giving it a try."

Amidst the murmurs, many people stepped forward.

Although many people have applied for martial arts licenses, probably less than 30% actually practice them.

After all, practicing martial arts consumes too much physical strength. Although the Jing'an Marquis's mansion does not mistreat its servants, two meals a day are simply not enough to meet the demands of martial arts training.

If you force yourself to continue practicing, it will only deplete your own energy and blood.

Of those who complete 20-30% of their training, only a minority persevere.

In the end, only a very small number of people can truly master it.

At this moment, everyone stepped forward, hoping that they might be able to lift it up.

But consider this: this is a solid 400-pound stone lock. If you can lift it, you can lift it; if you can't, you can't. What are the chances of something going wrong?

Several groups of people stepped forward, all grimacing, but none of them could lift the stone weight.

Few could even lift the stone lock, let alone lift it completely.

Chen Shi stood in the crowd, not in a hurry, deciding to observe first.

A stick of incense has passed in the blink of an eye, and still no one has lifted the stone lock.

The examiner sat there, already yawning with boredom.

Steward Sun frowned slightly and glanced at the steward beside him.

The manager nodded, then shouted loudly to the crowd.

"Do what you're capable of. Don't try things you're not confident about; it's just a waste of the supervisor's and examiner's time!"

Sure enough, this rebuke made some people who were about to step forward stop.

It's just a try, it doesn't cost any money. If you manage to lift it up, if you pass the assessment and become a ninth-rank martial artist, then it will be like a fish leaping over the dragon gate.

However, each person is well aware of their own situation, and the possibility of raising it is extremely slim. If this displeases the manager or supervisor, it would be even worse.

In this way, those who stepped forward next were all those who hoped to lift the stone weight.

But most of them only have a strength of two or three hundred pounds. Strength is something that cannot be faked; if you are even a pound less, you can't lift that stone lock.

The one who came closest had already lifted the stone lock above his head, but then it slipped from his grasp and fell to the ground. He couldn't hold it for ten breaths, so he didn't pass.

"Is there any more?! Don't try if you're not strong enough!"

Seeing that no one had passed the strength tests yet, Steward Sun's face darkened.

The manager turned to the crowd and shouted at them again.

The crowd looked at each other, and for a moment no one dared to step forward.

If I step forward now and still can't lift it, I'll lose face for the Marquis's family in front of the examiners, and I'm afraid I'll incur the wrath of the steward.

"If you're too scared to try, then let me do it!"

At that moment, a soft shout rang out, and a young servant stepped forward.

It was Lu'er.

Seeing Lu'er step forward, a glimmer of hope appeared in the steward's eyes.

Besides talent, the most important thing in martial arts is resources. Lu'er is Jia Shun's son, so it shouldn't be difficult for Jia Shun to train him into a martial artist.

"It's only four hundred pounds, lift it!"

Reaching the stone lock, Lu'er gave a soft snort, grasped it with both hands, and then with a loud shout, lifted the stone lock above her head.

They've raised it!

Everyone's eyes lit up, and then they stared at Lu'er nervously.

Simply lifting it up isn't enough; you have to hold it for at least ten breaths.

Lu'er steadied himself in a horse stance, his arms bulging with veins, gripping the stone lock tightly. Although his body swayed slightly, he remained relatively stable.

Ten, nine, eight... three, two, one!

Ten breaths passed quickly, and the stone lock was still being held above his head.

It's approved!

The crowd discussed among themselves, their eyes filled with envy as they looked at Lu'er.

Lu'er, beaming with pride, then threw the stone lock to the ground.

"This is good."

The examiner smiled and said something to the head steward.

Steward Sun nodded, his expression no longer so grim. If even one servant could be promoted to the ninth rank this year, the Marquis's mansion would have saved face.

"Let's move on to the second item."

Immediately afterwards, Steward Sun gave an order.

The manager nodded, then hesitated slightly before speaking.

"Jia Shun and I have some private tutoring experience. If I were to test Lu'er, it would inevitably be seen as favoritism. Perhaps we should find someone else."

"Who else should we test it ourselves? Should I or Lord Zhou do it personally?"

"That's impossible. How about this..."

The steward paused slightly before speaking.

"I just randomly picked someone to test Lu'er's skills. With your discerning eyes, you can naturally see that."

"so."

The head steward glanced at the manager, then turned to the examiner.

"What is Lord Zhou's opinion?"

"That's fine. Since the strength test has already been passed, this second item is just a formality."

The examiner smiled and waved his hand.

The head steward looked at the steward and nodded.

Having received permission, the steward then approached Lu'er.

"Lu'er, choose an opponent yourself."

"Thank you, Uncle Wu!"

Lu'er's face lit up with joy, then she turned to the crowd and, without the slightest hesitation, pointed at Chen Shi with a cold expression.

"I want him to be my opponent in the competition!"