Chapter 47 Strength Test

Led by the officer, Li Dao and his group soon arrived in front of a martial arena.

As they drew closer, everyone was finally able to clearly observe the specific situation upon the stage.

In the center of the platform, numerous stone locks of varying sizes were placed.

It appeared that the military camp intended to use physical strength as a metric to assess an individual's constitution.

There were also two officers stationed on the stage simultaneously.

One officer appeared scholarly, holding a scroll of books and a writing brush to record the scores of different candidates.

The other officer was tall, imposing, and fiercely built; his responsibility was to protect those attempting the lifts, specifically deployed to prevent reckless fools from overestimating their capabilities and injuring themselves during advanced trials.

The leading officer of Li Dao's group stepped onto the platform, whispered something into the ear of the recording officer, and the latter nodded while glancing at Li Dao's contingent.

Shortly after, the group leader leaped down from the stage, approached the gathered crowd, and announced, "Alright, once this current batch finishes their tests, your group will be next. I hope all of you put on a good performance."

Hearing this, the group of people, who had previously been brimming with confidence, inexplicably began to feel a sense of tension.

This was only natural; while certain activities could be treated as casual entertainment, the moment they were elevated to formal examinations, anyone would grow nervous.

Noticing that there were still quite a few people waiting in line ahead, the squad leader continued, "I know you are all feeling anxious, so if you have time to spare, feel free to watch by the side of the arena first and relax your minds."

At these words, the crowd immediately dispersed, rushing to the perimeter of the platform.

Curious about the testing on the stage, Li Dao walked over as well.

Upon reaching the edge of the arena, he saw a man currently undergoing the assessment.

The man was gripping an enormous stone barbell, hoisting it upward with all his might. His entire face had turned crimson, and the veins on his arms and forehead bulged visibly, making it apparent that he was under immense pressure.

Nearby, the officer responsible for protection stood calmly on the side, though Li Dao noticed that despite his seemingly casual posture, the man was prepared to intervene at a moment's notice.

Five seconds later, the candidate dropped the stone barbell, which crashed onto the platform with a dull thud.

The man turned his head to look at the recorder, and upon seeing the recorder nod, he let out a long breath and broke into a satisfied smile, apparently having passed the test.

Seeing the man about to step down, a voice suddenly rang out from beneath the stage.

"Keep going and challenge the next one!"

"That's right, continue the challenge! You've already passed anyway."

"The better your score, the better the military unit you'll be assigned to later. Keep going!"

"......"

The spectators below began calling out with words of encouragement.

A flicker of temptation crossed the eyes of the man on the stage. Since he had already succeeded, what harm was there in trying?

He looked toward the recorder and raised a hand, asking, "May I ask if I can continue the challenge?"

The recorder replied straightforwardly, "If you successfully complete a challenge, you may proceed to the next stone barbell. If you succeed, your score will still be counted. If you wish to try, go ahead."

The man nodded and walked over to the third stone barbell.

Under the gaze of all present, he took a deep breath and placed both hands upon the heavy stone.

"Rise for me!"

With a mighty heave, the man lifted the stone barbell entirely off the ground.

Just as he attempted to hoist the barbell over his head, he realized he had overestimated his own strength.

His footing became unstable, and losing his balance, he tumbled backward together with the stone barbell.

In an instant, a large hand reached out from the side and gripped the barbell, saving the man from disaster.

"Thank you," the man said hastily to the nearby officer after regaining his footing.

"It's nothing. Be more careful next time."

Lifting the stone barbell with one hand, the officer carried it back to its original position, making it look vastly easier than the candidate had.

Ashamed of his failure to lift the weight and feeling self-conscious, the man slunk off the stage in disgrace.

Before long, another person stepped up to begin testing.

Down below, Li Dao gathered details about the weightlifting test from the discussions of the surrounding people.

There were five stone bars in total upon the stage:
Weighing one hundred and fifty jin, two hundred jin, two hundred and fifty jin, three hundred jin, and finally, five hundred jin.

Lifting the first stone bar was sufficient to pass, though it would only secure entry into the most ordinary army as a common foot soldier.

The further one progressed, the better the scores and the treatment, with the potential to even enter the elite battalion under the command of the Northern Suppression Marquis, Shen Chong.

In particular, the final five hundred jin stone bar meant that whoever could lift it would practically be assigned to the finest military camps and enjoy the highest level of benefits.

Of course, the prerequisite was that this had to be accomplished purely through physical muscle power, without the use of genuine qi.

In this world, an ordinary adult male could lift a hundred jin, making the ability to lift one hundred and fifty jin a rarity among common people.

From this, one could imagine how difficult it was to become a soldier under the command of Marquis Shen Zhengyuan.

Moreover, the requirement to lift the weights straight up with both arms extended overhead further increased the stringent demands placed on one's physique.

Yet, to Li Dao, all of these trials were nothing more than a routine procedure.

Standing beneath the platform, Li Dao watched as one person after another ascended the stage.

He observed that most of those bold enough to come possessed physical constitutions far superior to the average person.

Out of every ten individuals, a large majority could successfully lift the first stone bar.

As for the second stone bar, only one or two out of ten could manage it.

The third was even scarcer, with perhaps only one person among dozens capable of attempting it.

The fourth had yet to be attempted by anyone thus far, let alone the fifth stone bar, which sat there almost entirely as a mere ornament.

Just as Li Dao was deep in thought, a sudden burst of cheers erupted beside his ear.

He shifted his gaze to the arena and saw that a robust man had actually managed to lift the fourth stone bar—no wonder it had provoked such cries of astonishment from the crowd below.

With a loud thud!

Five seconds later, the stone barbell hit the ground. Ignoring his exhausted and trembling arms, the muscular man turned to look at the recorder with an expression of eager anticipation.

The recorder smiled faintly. "Congratulations, challenge successful. Your score passes."

A look of elation washed over the muscular man's face, and the spectators below applauded warmly.

"Try the fifth stone bar!" someone suddenly shouted from the crowd.

Immediately, quite a few people began echoing the sentiment, urging the robust man to test his limits against the fifth weight.

The muscular man glanced down at his exhausted arms, managed a bitter smile, and shook his head. "Forget it. I know my own limits; even at my absolute peak, there is no way I could succeed."

With that, he stepped down from the platform.

Upon descending, he was instantly swarmed by numerous people offering flattering words of congratulation.

Although lifting the fourth stone bar meant he would still start as a low-ranking ordinary soldier upon entering the army, individuals like him clearly possessed a greater aptitude for earning merits and achieving promotion, naturally drawing sycophants eager to cozy up to him.

Subsequently, one person after another stepped onto the platform to take the test.

When the turn finally came for the squad to which Li Dao belonged, the group filed over to the side of the arena and formed a line.

Earlier, they had been enthusiastic spectators shouting encouragement as others took the stage, but now that their own turn had arrived, they fell instantly and completely silent.

Urged on by the recorder, the one known as the "excessive-indulgence brother" was the first to step onto the stage.

Perhaps feeling nervous, he stood frozen in place for a moment, at a loss for what to do.

"Decide which stone bar you wish to challenge and make your choice," the recorder reminded him from the side.

"Oh, oh."

Recovering his wits, the excessive-indulgence brother pointed toward the first stone bar and declared, "I choose this one."

"Boo!"

Instantly, several members of his own squad let out jeers of derision.

Possessing a fair bit of self-awareness, the excessive-indulgence brother ignored their jeers.

He walked over to the first stone bar, took a deep breath, and gripped the stone.

"Up!"

Exerting all his strength in one go, the excessive-indulgence brother hoisted the stone bar aloft, thrusting it straight above his head. He completed the lift in a single breath, and now all that remained was to hold it steady for five seconds.

Seeing this, the onlookers below assumed success was guaranteed.

Yet, just as he was about to reach the fourth second, the expression on the excessive-indulgence brother's face suddenly shifted.

With a heavy thud!

To the astonishment of everyone present, the excessive-indulgence brother collapsed directly to his knees, dropping the stone bar from his hands.

Seeing this, the recorder stated bluntly, "Challenge failed. Next."

The face of the excessive-indulgence brother turned deathly pale. Each person was granted only a single opportunity, and he had clearly squandered his.

He could only trudge off the stage in utter humiliation, muttering under his breath, "Damn it, it's all that greedy wench's fault last night."

Ordinarily, if the first person in a squad successfully completed the challenge, it would greatly boost the morale of those following behind.

Conversely, if they failed, the subsequent members would feel an even heavier weight of pressure.

The members of Li Dao's squad stepped onto the stage one after another.

As time passed, however, everyone realized that the quality of this particular group seemed rather subpar.

While seven or eight out of ten individuals from other squads managed to pass their challenges, Li Dao's group yielded only four or five successful candidates, falling significantly short of the average.

"These fellows..."

The squad leader watching from below could not help but darken his expression.

At that moment, another officer walked over—none other than the rival he had placed a wager with.

"Hahaha, looks like you've lost this bet for sure. Not only is my squad's pass rate higher, but we also produced a powerhouse capable of lifting the fourth stone bar," the officer said with a hearty laugh.

The squad leader's expression grew even gloomier upon hearing this, yet he stubbornly retorted, "Hmph, my men haven't finished testing yet. Even if I lose in terms of numbers, what if someone on my side manages to lift the fifth stone bar?"

Seeing that his counterpart refused to admit defeat, the other officer immediately sneered, "Hahaha, do you think lifting the fifth stone bar is that easy? I'll put my words right here: if anyone in your squad lifts that fifth stone bar, not only will I admit defeat in this wager, but I'll treat you to double the meals. But if no such person appears, you'll treat me to double the meals instead. How about it?"

The squad leader's face turned even blacker. This fellow was truly insatiably greedy; ten meals wasn't enough, and he was intentionally trying to sponge another ten.

However, having already boasted aloud, backing down now would mean utterly losing face.

Hesitating for a moment, the squad leader gritted his teeth and said, "Fine! I'll take that bet with you!"

Surprised, the other officer remarked, "You actually dare to gamble on this?"

The squad leader let out a cold snort. "I've braved the battlefield countless times; what is there not to dare? A mere twenty meals is nothing—a few extra enemy ears harvested on the battlefield will cover it."

"Keep putting up a tough front."

"I'm not just putting up a tough front. When I left the house today, my left eye was twitching, which is a sign that good fortune is coming."

"That's pure self-deception."

"So what if I'm deceiving myself today? What are you going to do about it?"

"......"

Meanwhile, Li Dao's squad continued to take the stage one after another.

Because their scores were generally lackluster, the spectators below were growing bored.

Before long, the person directly preceding Li Dao walked up onto the platform.

A few minutes later:

"Challenge failed. Next."

Another failed attempt. Not far away, the squad leader of Li Dao's group wore a complexion as dark as iron; how many failures was this now?

Witnessing this, the rival officer laughed heartily and said, "I told you, there's only one person left. You surely aren't pinning your hopes on him lifting the fifth stone bar, are you?"

"Appearance-wise, your man certainly surpasses everyone in looks, but when it comes to strength, you can forget about it."

Compared to the previous failed candidate, Li Dao looked a size smaller in build. Placed beside the vast majority of people around the arena, aside from being relatively tall, he otherwise appeared completely harmless to humans and animals alike.

At a loss for words, the squad leader could only remain silent in response.

Under the gazes of many, Li Dao slowly walked up onto the platform.

Since the preceding scores had been so mediocre, no one in the audience bothered to hurl insults.

The onlookers watching him ascend merely felt a sense of dull monotony.

Without needing to watch, they knew this fellow would undoubtedly challenge the first stone bar—and fail at it, at that.

The recorder glanced briefly at Li Dao, then lowered his head to prepare his ledger while gesturing toward the first stone bar. "Go ahead and try lifting that one directly."

"Can I change to a different one?"

"Hmm?"

The recorder raised his head, a look of astonishment crossing his face. "You don't want to challenge the first stone bar?"

"You must realize that you only get one chance at this challenge. Once you fail, there are no second tries."

Many individuals down below had overheard Li Dao's words as well.

A number of them found it utterly ridiculous.

Someone couldn't help shouting out, "Just let him try! We want to see the show."

"Since when has the military camp become a place for pretty boys like him? If you can't cut it, get off the stage and go home to suckle on milk."

"Kid, my third uncle's thirteen-year-old sister-in-law is sturdier than you look. Hurry up and get down so you don't waste everyone's time."

Regardless of the setting, there were always those who loved to kick others down while sucking up to power, especially in a military camp where strength was the ultimate currency.

Turning a deaf ear to the jeers from below, Li Dao stated plainly, "I understand, but I still insist."

Realizing he couldn't be dissuaded, the recorder said no more; he was merely an official responsible for recording scores.

"Go choose your replacement then."

With that, he shot a glance toward the nearby officer in charge of protection, conveying a silent message: *We've got work, stop just standing there.*

The protective officer nodded and walked over toward the second stone bar.

However, Li Dao's approaching footsteps did not halt in front of the second stone bar; instead, he continued walking further past it.

This action left everyone present completely dumbfounded.

Only a single thought crossed all their minds: *What on earth is this fellow trying to do?*

Could it be that the second wasn't difficult enough, and he actually intended to jump straight to the third?

Did he have no sense of shame?

Yet, as he passed the third stone bar, they realized the person on the stage still hadn't stopped.

In the end, he didn't even spare a glance for the fourth stone bar.

He walked directly up to the fifth stone bar—the final and heaviest of them all.

A stone bar weighing a full five hundred jin.

"Are you planning to challenge this one?"

At this, even the taciturn officer specifically assigned to protection could no longer remain silent.

"Is that not allowed?"

"It is allowed, but..."

Pausing for a moment, the officer spoke candidly, "If it were the fourth stone bar, I could still protect you. But for this fifth one, all I can say is that I'll try to keep you from suffering too severe an injury."

He paused again, then added, "Of course, that is assuming you can actually lift it off the ground in the first place."