Chapter 2: The Challenge.

The silver-white dawn gradually turned to a reddish-brown, the morning glow casting over the entire stone city.

In front of the Du family's gate, a large crowd had gathered early in the morning, their low whispers merging into a bustling noise. Today was the day the Du family recruited guards, and those who intended to participate had already lined up in front of the arena, each one eager and ready to show their skills.

Even those who couldn't participate took this opportunity to witness the excitement and broaden their horizons, for such lively events were rare.

Many members of the Du family had also come out, along with numerous guards around, ensuring that no one dared to cause trouble amidst the lively scene.

"Isn't that the Du family's foolish young master, fooling around on that desolate mountain again?"

"That stone tablet seems to be missing, how strange."

Among the densely packed onlookers outside the Du family, many were gazing at the desolate mountain beside the side gate. A young man in a purple robe was fiddling with something on the mountain. Without any doubt, everyone in the stone city knew that it could only be the foolish young master of the Du family, Du Shaofu.

Over the past ten years, the name and stories of the foolish young master Du Shaofu had become widely known, a topic that could not be avoided in the tea and dinner conversations of the stone city.

Speaking of Du Shaofu, as the young master of the Du family, he was undoubtedly a prodigy in the stone city. However, when he was six years old, his martial pulse was tested and found to be a waste, making it impossible for him to cultivate martial arts.

In a world where martial arts were highly esteemed, the consequences of being unable to cultivate were predictable. With the Du family's current reputation and influence in the stone city, even if he couldn't cultivate martial arts and had no status in the clan, he could still live a decent life.

But misfortune never comes alone. On the day his martial pulse was found to be a waste, the young master, in a fit of pique, ran to the stone tablet on the desolate mountain during a storm. A bolt of lightning struck the stone tablet, leaving it unharmed, but the poor young master suffered a stroke of misfortune and was struck by lightning, only regaining consciousness three days later.

Since then, the young master often went to the stone tablet, initially standing there for several hours, and later for even longer periods. His eyes were vacant, and he behaved strangely, sometimes even dancing and gesturing wildly in front of the stone tablet.

At first, the Du family tried to manage the situation and sought medical help, but with no effect. Over time, the Du family had to give up.

Over the ten years, the name of the fool quietly spread from the Du family to the entire stone city. Everyone knew that the Du family had a foolish young master.

"If the Du family's younger generation were all like him, today would be much easier," a man with a bearded face, slightly dark skin, and a robust build said softly, gazing at the figure on the desolate mountain in the distance.

"The Du family's young generation has come out."

"It is said that Du Yu and Du Xue from the Du family's young generation are extremely strong, with a fifth-grade martial pulse and a sixth-level postnatal realm at the age of fourteen. They are likely to reach the innate realm by the age of seventeen or eighteen, which is one in ten thousand."

As over a dozen outstanding young men and women from the Du family stepped out of the gate and onto the arena, standing neatly in line, their young age and formidable presence caused a brief silence among the noisy crowd, with all eyes fixed on the dozen young men and women.

Du Qi stepped onto the arena and, facing the densely packed onlookers, said, "The recruitment of guards is now beginning. Those who can withstand three moves will become guards of the Du family."

"Buzz!"

A low, resonant bell sound rang out, signaling the start of the recruitment. One by one, the men who had been waiting in line leaped onto the arena, engaging in combat with the young men and women.

"Clang clang!"

"Bang bang!"

Instantly, the sound of metal clashing and fists colliding echoed from the arena, accompanied by the cheers and encouragement of the onlookers, creating a wave of noise that could be heard from afar.

All attention was drawn to the arena, and no one paid attention to the young man on the desolate mountain.

"How could the stone tablet be broken? There should be a second move after the first one."

On the desolate mountain, Du Shaofu was searching through a pile of broken stones and dust, raising a cloud of dust. His originally clean purple robe was now covered in dust, and he muttered to himself, his face covered in dust, making his originally very white and neat teeth even more noticeable.

"Never mind, it seems there really isn't a second move inside."

Du Shaofu walked out from the pile of broken stones, dusting off his robe. His face, with its sharp and determined features, had a bright and profound gaze, and a hint of brilliance. At this moment, he didn't look like the fool known throughout the city at all.

"Boom."

Sealing his hand, a yellow energy flow surged from Du Shaofu's palm, causing his purple robe to flutter and the surrounding air to ripple as if the energy flow were about to be shattered. He exuded a mysterious and domineering aura, "After mastering the first move, my martial pulse should be at the second grade level, similar to others."

Feeling the changes in his body after comprehending the first move on the stone tablet over the past ten years, Du Shaofu smiled in satisfaction. The mysterious first move on the stone tablet seemed to be specifically prepared for those with a wasted martial pulse, capable of repairing it and allowing them to cultivate.

The intricate patterns and cracks on the stone tablet were related to the repair of the martial pulse. As someone from a martial arts family, Du Shaofu felt that his current martial pulse level should be similar to a second-grade martial pulse.

However, Du Shaofu also noticed that his current martial pulse level seemed to have some unique qualities. Although it was similar to a second-grade martial pulse, it was clearly not comparable to a regular second-grade martial pulse.

Mastering the first move allowed his martial pulse to be repaired to a level similar to a second-grade martial pulse. If he could find the second and third moves in the future, how powerful would his martial pulse become? This made Du Shaofu extremely excited.

"At least, I can cultivate now. However, I need to find a way to get rid of the fool's name."

Du Shaofu retracted his hand seal, and the mystical energy slowly disappeared from his palm. A smile played on his face. He was the famous fool of the entire stone city, and over the years, everyone had truly believed he was a fool.

Du Shaofu never cared about the fool's name. In fact, he was even happy that others treated him as a fool, as it allowed him to understand the stone tablet without being disturbed.

But now that he had made some progress, a fool would not receive the clan's resources for cultivation. Moreover, being treated as a fool every day was not a good thing. Over the past ten years, Du Shaofu felt that he should gradually reclaim what he had lost.

"Bang bang!"

On the arena in front of the Du family's gate, over a dozen young men and women, some unarmed and some with weapons, were engaging in combat with several large men.

Although these young men and women were only thirteen or fourteen years old, they handled the large men who had leaped onto the arena with ease, defeating them with just one or two moves. This caused the onlookers to be secretly amazed and to respect the Du family even more.

"Just three moves, let's give it our all."

"This time, I must become a guard of the Du family, let's give it our all."

Seeing the strength of the Du family's young men and women, the large men became even more excited. If they could enter the Du family and have the chance to learn even a fraction of the Du family's martial arts, wouldn't that be amazing?

However, among the excited men who rushed forward, very few could withstand three moves. Within an hour, over two hundred men had leaped onto the arena, but all were thrown off. The dozen young men and women were also panting, clearly exhausted.

Finally, twenty men barely managed to withstand three moves, many of them injured, but those who remained on the arena were extremely excited.

All eyes were on the arena. Du Shaofu walked down from the desolate mountain, and no one noticed him.

Du Shaofu squeezed into the crowd to watch the excitement, observing the moves of his cousins on the arena. Sometimes he would frown, seemingly pondering something, and his hands would subtly move under his sleeves.

"These martial arts of the Du family, how can they have so many flaws? Am I overthinking it?"

Muttering to himself, Du Shaofu's expression became increasingly puzzled. He had seen family members practice martial arts before, but he couldn't understand them at all. After comprehending the move on the stone tablet, he felt he could understand some aspects of the Du family's martial arts.

Now, as he watched the family's martial arts, he clearly noticed many flaws, with numerous weaknesses.

"Stop, the twenty slots are full, the recruitment is over."

When the last lean man managed to withstand the third move, spitting out a mouthful of blood, Du Qi stepped forward and said to the men who had withstood three moves, "Congratulations on joining the Du family's guard corps. Those with injuries can receive free treatment at the Du family's clinic later."

"Thank you, Deputy Commander."

The twenty men nodded happily. As guards of the Du family, the treatment was different.

"Ah, the slots are full, what a waste of a trip."

"The Du family is truly strong, so powerful at such a young age!"

As Du Qi announced the end, many men who had been waiting to step onto the arena regretted not coming earlier to queue. The excited crowd began to disperse.

The dozen young men and women from the Du family also planned to leave. For them, today was just a preliminary test, different from the usual sparring within the clan.

"Please wait."

At this moment, one of the twenty men who had withstood three moves, a bearded, slightly dark-skinned, and robust man, stepped forward, his expression serious. He looked at Du Qi and, gathering his courage, asked, "Deputy Commander, can one become the captain of the guard by defeating or drawing with any of the main lineage's young men and women?"

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[Note: The author's note at the end of the original text is not translated as it is not part of the story content. If you need it translated, please let me know.]