Becoming a Saint Starts with Copying Martial Arts

Chapter 16 The Assessment Begins

"The assessment in seven days will definitely be fine," Lin Qing thought to himself.

He observed his physique for a while and found that there hadn't been much change.

Previously, he had progressed from beginner to expert, and his physique had become noticeably stronger, but now there has been little change.

However, this is normal. If every small advancement in cultivation level resulted in a dramatic change in physique, wouldn't all martial arts masters become giants?

Silent all night.

The next day, Lin Qing came to Shen Lian's room and told her that he had reached the initial stage of mastery.

Shen Lian had said that as long as he could reach the minor success level, he would be richly rewarded.

As expected, upon hearing this, Shen Lian's beautiful eyes sparkled with surprise and admiration.

"Not bad, not bad. I never thought I'd be so lucky to find a martial arts prodigy like you."

As she spoke, she went back into the inner room to fetch a bottle of tonic, this time in a small green bottle.

"Here you go. I keep my word. This is a bottle of Blood Strengthening Pills, eight pills in a bottle, each weighing one ounce. They are a grade higher than Qi-Boosting Pills."

"Thank you, sir." Lin Qing took the medicine bottle and turned to leave.

...

In a teahouse near Changping Street.

Jiang Baihe and Han Tai sat facing each other, each holding a cup of warm tea.

"Brother Han, the murderer hasn't been caught yet?" Jiang Baihe asked, frowning.

"No, Rong Futong is completely ruined. Repeated questioning has yielded no clues. All we know so far is that he is strong and has an extremely skillful use of flying stones. Based on these two points, I have identified a suspect, but..." Han Tai paused here.

"Who is it?" Jiang Baihe raised an eyebrow.

"There is a hunter named Li Ping on Changping Street. He has mastered the Flying Locust Stone technique and is also a martial artist. He likes to fight injustice and is perfectly suited to be a murderer. However, he has extraordinary martial arts talent and is well-liked by the master of Taishan Martial Arts School. I cannot simply put him in jail," Han Tai said in a deep voice.

"Taishan Martial Arts School is the largest martial arts school in the city, so we really can't force it." Jiang Baihe took a sip of hot tea.

"It can't be said that Li Ping is necessarily the murderer. Rong Futong is universally disliked, and there are quite a few people who want to kill him," Han Tai added.

"Ugh!" Jiang Baihe slammed his hand on the table and gritted his teeth, "Which damned beast crippled Rong Futong? We brothers will lose a lot of money every year."

"Brother Jiang, Rongfutong is ruined, can't we replace it with another one?" Han Tai asked.

"Finding another heartless dog like Rong Futong is like trying to climb to heaven," Jiang Baihe thought, his heart bleeding. "Besides, Rong Futong had over two hundred taels of silver, which he promised to deliver to us. We never expected him to intercept it. Over two hundred taels! We must get it back!"

Unlike Jiang Baihe, Han Tai was not obsessed with money and appeared quite calm.

"Brother Jiang, don't worry, I will definitely investigate to the end."

...

the other side.

Taishan Martial Arts School.

A short, stout man with a mustache is instructing Li Ping in boxing.

After finishing a set of boxing techniques, Li Ping was covered in sweat and had to rest for a while.

The man suddenly asked, "Liping, tell me the truth, did you kill Rong Futong? Jiang Baihe came to inquire again today, but I shut him down."

Li Ping shook his head: "Master, this matter has nothing to do with me. However, Rong Futong deserves to die. I wonder which hero did it. It's truly gratifying!"

"It doesn't matter if it's you or not. With me here, unless there's irrefutable evidence, no one will dare to touch you," the man said in a deep voice. He was Bai Yue, the master of the Taishan Martial Arts School.

"Thank you, Master."

...

Several days passed in the blink of an eye.

The day of the Night Patrol Division's assessment finally arrived, and the atmosphere in the Crafts Division's courtyard was more tense than ever before.

Lin Qing's breakfast today was also extremely lavish: seven or eight steamed buns, three eggs, a grilled fish, and a bowl of nourishing soup.

Lin Qing wolfed down his food, not caring about table manners, just stuffing it all into his mouth.

"Eat up, eat as much as you want. You must do your best today," Shen Lian said from the side.

"Don't worry, sir, I have full confidence," Lin Qing said.

"The assessment is divided into two parts: one tests your strength, and the other tests your skills. I have a lot of confidence in you." Shen Lian nodded slightly.

Before long, he had finished all the food on the table, and Lin Qing got up.

"My lord, I'm going to the training ground."

...

In a short while.

Lin Qing arrived at the training ground and glanced around, noticing three large rosewood chairs placed in front of the area.

The helpers gathered in small groups, whispering amongst themselves.

When Lin Qing arrived, Han Juetong was chatting with another rich young master next to him. Suddenly, his eyes narrowed and his face darkened.

Jiang Baihe previously said that Lin Qing would withdraw from the assessment. What's going on?

Just as he was about to step forward to ask, suddenly, Gao Feng shouted from not far away.

"gather!"

"Lord Pang, Lord Shen, Lord Yu have arrived!"

The crowd immediately formed a square formation, their expressions solemn, their eyes fixed on the entrance to the training ground.

Splash!

A large group of people walked in, with three people at the front, two men and one woman, who went straight to the large pear wood chair in front of the training ground and sat down.

"Greetings, Your Excellency!"

The crowd shouted in unison.

Lin Qing, standing in the crowd, also sized up the three people.

The man in the center was an old man with gray hair and a kind face, wearing a blue mandarin jacket. He looked somewhat similar to Shen Lian. His name was Shen Cheng, Shen Lian's second uncle, and also the head of the Jingming Division.

On the left is a woman, dressed in a crimson robe, tall and slender, with a scarlet spider tattoo on her left shoulder. She is Yu Muqing, the head of the Yin-Yang Department.

On the right was Pang Tong, the chief of the Night Patrol. Lin Qing inadvertently met his eyes and felt a jolt in his heart. What terrifying eyes they were, like those of a jackal. Even a lowly person would be terrified and cry out in fear upon seeing them.

"This Pang Tong is truly a vicious and ruthless man," Lin Qing thought to himself.

Suddenly, Lin Qing felt something, as if a cold gaze was being cast from ahead. He glanced around and found that the gaze came from Jiang Baihe, who was standing behind the three giants with a group of taxi drivers.

Jiang Baihe's face was no longer smiling, only filled with resentment.

"You little bastard, how dare you lie to me! If you pass the test today, I'll acknowledge your skill. If you fail, I'll show you what I'm capable of," Jiang Baihe cursed inwardly.

Lin Qing remained calm and completely ignored Jiang Baihe.

"My lords, everyone has arrived." Gao Feng said respectfully to Shen Cheng and the other two with a fawning smile.

"Let's begin then," said Shen Cheng, who was the oldest and most senior among the three.

"Yes."

Gao Feng turned around and cleared his throat: "Our Soul Suppression Division has three major departments: the Night Patrol Division, which patrols the night to suppress evil spirits; the Underworld Division, which investigates and judges cases related to evil spirits and martial artists; and the Yin-Yang Division, which organizes data and gathers intelligence. The three people in front of you are the heads of the three divisions."

Today's assessment will be fair and impartial, with merit as the sole criterion. The three chief judges and eight judges will serve as referees, and the assessment will consist of two rounds.

The first round is a strength test. There are nine heavy cauldrons weighing a thousand catties in front of you. You must lift them up and keep them suspended three feet off the ground for three breaths before you pass.

The second round was a skills test. Those who passed the first round took turns demonstrating the "Eight Strikes of the Serpent" to the three officials. Those with the highest level of skill were selected for service. The test began after a quarter of an hour.