Chapter 51

Under the bright and intense sunlight, the gleaming blades and the tips of the long spears emitted a cold and chilling aura. The passersby nearby hurriedly avoided, fearing that they might be caught in the crossfire if the city gate caught fire.

Xu Dong's face turned slightly pale as he was surrounded by a large group of gate guards. This was the first time he had encountered such a situation in both his past and present life, and it was inevitable for him to lose his composure. However, he still managed to maintain a semblance of calm.

Cheng Jianbang, the leader of this gate guard team, had hundreds of brave men under his command, and his discerning eyes were certainly not lacking. He could see at a glance that Xu Dong was a one-star Awakened.

He sized Xu Dong up from head to toe, a hint of admiration in his eyes. After all, to be able to maintain composure and dignity while being surrounded by over twenty people was a rare and commendable feat for someone his age.

Cheng Jianbang said in a deep voice, "Can anyone tell me what exactly happened?"

The gate guard who had been pushed to the ground by Xu Dong quickly got up, lowered his head, and walked to the captain's side. After saluting, he exaggerated the events, claiming that Xu Dong had initiated the attack by relying on his power, when in fact, it was he who had unjustly provoked and pushed Xu Dong first.

This account naturally made Xu Dong furious, and his bright eyes turned cold.

After the gate guard finished recounting the events, Cheng Jianbang shifted his gaze back to Xu Dong and said in a stern voice, "According to the Blood Helmet City law, assaulting a gate guard is equivalent to the crime of stealing from the city. Offenders will be imprisoned, with a maximum sentence of ten years. Now, with witnesses present, do you have anything to say in your defense?"

Xu Dong replied with a cold and stern smile, "Sir, he is lying! It was he who unjustly provoked and pushed me first, and I merely retaliated in self-defense. If you make a decision based on one-sided words and arrest me, I will not accept it. Even if I am just a martial artist, I will not hesitate to use all my skills to defend my rights under unfair treatment. I hope you can discern right from wrong and give me a fair judgment."

These words were spoken with both courtesy and firmness, and were very well-articulated. The key point was that Xu Dong, being an Agility-type Awakened, might not be able to kill all these elite soldiers who were close to the limits of human capabilities, but it would be impossible to detain him without a cost.

Cheng Jianbang pondered for a moment, his expression becoming even more stony. After a while, he glanced at his subordinate.

To be honest, Cheng Jianbang knew this subordinate quite well. The man was twenty-six years old and had been a promising candidate for the Divine Power Fruit ten years ago. Unfortunately, due to the scarcity of the Divine Power Fruit, he had not obtained it even after all these years. His ambitions had been worn down by the unfair reality, and his frustration and mental state had worsened over time.

This kind of situation had happened before, so Cheng Jianbang believed Xu Dong's account. However, the military was the military, and even if they made a mistake, they could not be punished publicly. Any reprimand or punishment had to be done privately. Otherwise, the dignity of the gate guards would be compromised.

With this in mind, Cheng Jianbang gave his subordinate a stern look and then said to Xu Dong in a cold voice, "I don't care who is right or wrong. Children argue about right and wrong, but adults only look at the results. The result is that you hit one of my men. If you hit someone, you must accept the consequences that follow."

Before Xu Dong could speak, Cheng Jianbang continued, "In the Central Continent, there is a rule that applies everywhere: the strong are respected, and power is supreme! You are a one-star Agility-type Awakened, right? And you are here to take the adventurer's examination?"

Xu Dong, not knowing what Cheng Jianbang was up to, nodded slightly, "Yes."

Xu Dong did not address him as "Sir," but simply said "Yes," and Cheng Jianbang could easily discern his mental state. He turned around and said without looking back, "Follow me."

With a gesture from Cheng Jianbang, the gate guards who had surrounded Xu Dong made way for him. After a moment's thought, Xu Dong decided to follow. They arrived at the Agility-type Awakened examination point, which was a corner of the city wall. The soldiers stationed there all saluted the captain out of respect.

This was understandable, as Cheng Jianbang always did his best to protect the interests of the gate guards, earning their genuine respect.

Cheng Jianbang stopped at the edge of the city wall and pointed to the ten-meter-high wall. Ten meters was roughly equivalent to the height of a three-story building. He said calmly, "This is the first examination point for Agility-type Awakened. If you can climb it within the specified time, I can privately resolve this matter. If you fail, I will have to report it to the Adventurer's Alliance branch in Blood Helmet City, and you will lose your eligibility for this year's adventurer's examination."

What?! Lose the eligibility to participate?

Xu Dong's expression changed, and the gate guard who had been watching him closely suddenly let out a sneer. There are always such strange people in the world who do not necessarily harm others for their own benefit or harm others for their own harm. Sometimes, they simply do not want to see others do better than themselves. In short, he could not stand to see Xu Dong succeed, for no particular reason, just because of his twisted mentality.

Xu Dong looked up at the section of the city wall. This part of the wall had been deliberately coated with a slippery and greasy liquid for the examination. At that moment, a fly, seemingly tired, tried to rest on the wall but immediately slipped and had to flap its wings frantically to stay airborne. It was truly a place where even flies would slip.

Of course, since it was an examination, there was a possibility of passing. There were small, barely noticeable indentations about two meters apart vertically, which could be used as footholds. These footholds could barely accommodate half a toe, and they were covered with a dark green, moss-like plant.

After Xu Dong carefully examined the wall, Cheng Jianbang spoke, "In the history of Blood Helmet City, only two-star or higher Agility-type Awakened candidates have typically passed this test. Those who have passed with one-star capabilities are extremely rare, and they have had much more time, a whole dou (one minute) each."

At this point, a quick-witted soldier took out an hourglass and placed it in a conspicuous spot. One dou of time is equivalent to one minute.

Xu Dong asked quietly, "How much time do I have?"

Cheng Jianbang glanced at Xu Dong, "You have only half a dou. Within this half dou, no matter how many times you fail, as long as you successfully reach the top, you will pass the examination. However, you must not damage the city wall during the climb. In other words, you must control your strength and cannot use any external aids. You can only use your legs. You can consider whether to take the examination or give up."

At this moment, many people could not help but show a look of amusement, seemingly not believing that Xu Dong could pass the examination. The worst-case scenario was that he would be humiliated and lose his eligibility for the examination.

The gate guard was the most pleased, as if he could already see Xu Dong failing the examination. If not for the captain's presence, he would have burst out laughing and made all sorts of vulgar remarks.

The next second, a voice rang out, "I am willing to take the examination."

Xu Dong said this without looking at anyone, but instead stared intently at the city wall and walked calmly to the edge.

Cheng Jianbang was still unconvinced. Those who could pass this examination with one-star capabilities all became famous figures in the Central Continent. It was not that he looked down on Xu Dong, but the time limit was extremely strict, and the examination content was extremely difficult, making it almost impossible for Xu Dong to pass. The best lesson for such a stubborn person was to let him fall flat on his face in front of everyone, losing all his dignity!

Cheng Jianbang asked for the last time, "Are you starting now?"

Xu Dong nodded firmly, "I can start now."

Without waiting for Cheng Jianbang's gesture, the soldier who was eager for Xu Dong's failure had already turned the hourglass over and placed it on the ground. The examination officially began, and the time started to count down.

At this moment, everyone involuntarily held their breath, all hoping to see Xu Dong lose face in front of them.

The time started to count down, and the fine sand in the hourglass began to pour, making a rustling sound. As the sand accumulated at the bottom, the pile at the top gradually decreased. But what was Xu Dong doing?

Xu Dong was calmly taking off his shoes and hanging them around his neck.

When twenty seconds had passed, just as everyone was showing a mocking and disdainful expression, thinking he was about to back down, Xu Dong suddenly moved.

He took a quick step forward, leaped toward the city wall, and soared two meters high like a bird spreading its wings. In the next second, he took a large step with his right foot, precisely placing his toes into the foothold, and then lightly pushed off, gaining new momentum to climb another two meters. His movements were as graceful and agile as a gazelle, leaving the onlookers in awe.

His actions seemed to be played frame by frame in a slow-motion movie, but in reality, Xu Dong's movements were astonishingly fast!

In the blink of an eye, he had climbed six meters. The entire process was smooth and fluid, as if it were natural for clouds to float in the sky and fish to swim in the water. Another blink, and he was already on the last foothold, performing a mid-air flip and landing beautifully on the parapet.

Cheng Jianbang was stunned, and the others were equally speechless. The gate guard who had first provoked Xu Dong was almost speechless, his eyes nearly popping out of his head. Their expressions varied in degree, but they all thought the same thing, "How did he do it? He effortlessly stepped on every foothold. Could he have eyes on the soles of his feet? What material are his toes made of, to be able to support his entire body's weight?!"

"Most importantly, this guy didn't even activate his flesh armor!"

They did not know that to maximize the power of the Divine Power Fruit, Xu Dong had trained tirelessly on the Path of Despair, honing his feet to an extreme level of flexibility. Compared to the Path of Despair, this examination was nothing to him.

Cheng Jianbang, still in shock, immediately looked at the hourglass. The sand at the top had just run out. In other words, this guy had passed the examination in no more than one-sixth of a dou.

He muttered to himself, "By Mondo, this is the shortest time a one-star Awakened candidate has ever passed the examination in the history of Blood Helmet City!"