Chapter 20

"Understood, Instructor!" Ye Hao heard this and did not hesitate at all; he had long been unable to contain his excitement.

Lifting a 400-pound stone lock posed no challenge to Ye Hao, who easily hoisted it up.

When it came to a 600-pound stone lock, Ye Hao managed to lift it as well, though his face turned slightly red.

"Not bad! I didn't expect that after just one month of being a quasi-warrior, you've already reached this level!" Seeing Ye Hao lift the 600-pound stone lock, Ma Kui smiled and said.

Not only Ma Kui, but even Lin Yuan and Zhao Dasheng nodded in satisfaction. Reaching this level at the age of ten, Ye Hao was truly a rare talent, especially considering he had only been a quasi-warrior for a month and could already lift a 600-pound stone lock, which showed his exceptional talent.

Why do sects select people based on talent? Because after reaching the quasi-warrior realm, those with good talent can achieve in one month what those with average talent might take a year or even several years to achieve. Moreover, as their cultivation deepens, this gap becomes even larger.

"Alright, Ye Hao, go rest over there!" Ma Kui was naturally satisfied with Ye Hao's performance, which was second only to Lin Ming. At ten years old, Ye Hao had a good chance of reaching the warrior realm before the age of sixteen. Only by reaching the warrior realm before sixteen could one have the potential to become a high-level warrior or even a true warrior.

A true warrior! The thought alone was awe-inspiring for Ma Kui. Becoming a true warrior would make him a dominant force in the Blue Water County, and their village would also rise to prominence.

Currently, the city lord of Qing Shuang City had reached the true warrior realm and was granted the city, becoming its lord. This was the goal all warriors strived for.

However, this goal was too distant for them. Even for Ye Hao, having a one percent chance was already considered good.

"Instructor, I want to try the 800-pound stone lock!" Ye Hao did not leave when he heard this but respectfully said to Ma Kui.

In fact, he had tried the 800-pound stone lock multiple times at home without success. But today, after seeing Ye Feng's performance, he was motivated to give it another try.

"This... Alright, you can give it a try, but don't force it. We're about to participate in the Dragon Gate Competition! You can't get injured!" Ma Kui hesitated for a moment before nodding, but he still gave a warning.

"Okay!" Ye Hao nodded and approached the 800-pound stone lock.

"Hey!"

Taking a deep breath, Ye Hao grabbed the stone lock with both hands, shouted, and exerted his strength. The spiritual energy in his dantian circulated according to the basic breathing technique, and the stone lock was instantly lifted to his chest.

"Phew!" Seeing Ye Hao lift the stone lock, Ma Kui and the others stood up and watched closely.

At this moment, Ye Hao's face was flushed red, and he felt this was his limit, but he did not want to give up.

"Persist, persist!" Ye Hao silently chanted in his mind, 'Big Brother can do it, so can I! I can't give up! I absolutely won't give up!'

"Ah!" Just as he was about to give up, Ye Hao shouted, and his spiritual energy surged wildly. As it circulated, the violent spiritual energy from the outside was absorbed into his dantian and then circulated through his meridians.

The spiritual energy instantly increased, and Ye Hao lifted the stone lock over his head.

"Breakthrough?"

"Haha, genius, this kid is definitely a genius!"

Seeing Ye Hao lift the stone lock, Ma Kui was stunned for a moment and then burst into laughter.

Breaking through in the midst of a challenge was something they had never seen before. They had only heard that some geniuses could turn pressure into motivation and break through during a challenge. Now, Ye Hao had actually done it. How could they not be excited? The more talented Ye Hao was, the more benefits they and the village would gain.

Sending a genius to the sects would ensure that the village received substantial rewards, and the more talented the individual, the greater the reward.

In fact, Ye Hao's breakthrough could be considered inevitable. He had good talent, and the effects of the two Qi Condensation Pills had not been fully absorbed, remaining in his body. Additionally, the flesh of a half-beast that he had consumed also accumulated a significant amount of spiritual energy in his body. All of these factors erupted at this moment, leading to his breakthrough.

Lin Ming stood in the crowd, his face dark as he looked at Ye Hao and then at Ye Feng. Today was supposed to be his moment to shine, to receive the villagers' praise and adoration, but first, Ye Feng had taken away his glory, and then Ye Hao had overshadowed him, leaving him extremely angry.

"Hmph, don't get too cocky. Wait until my big brother comes back, and you'll see!" Lin Ming thought to himself, looking at the radiant Ye Hao.

"Ye family's little sister, congratulations! Your family has produced two geniuses!"

"Right! Ye family's little sister, are your two sons married yet? I know two girls who are sisters, one is fourteen and the other is nine, both are absolute beauties. How about it? I can arrange a match for you?"

...

Ling Wanrong stood in the crowd, tears streaming down her face as she watched her two sons shine. The middle-aged women around her eagerly chatted with her, trying to win her favor.

After all, in the eyes of the villagers, even if the two of them did not join the sects, their remarkable strength would still bring about a significant change in their lives.

"Mrs. Zhou, Mrs. Qiu, Xiao Feng and Xiao Hao are still young, so there's no rush!"

Ye Feng was about to turn sixteen, which was the age for marriage. Other families of his age had already arranged marriages, but due to Ye Feng's physical condition and the rumors about his dried-up blood and qi, no one had paid attention to him. Now, with his demonstrated strength, even if he only had ten years to live, he could still accumulate a fortune that would last a lifetime. Moreover, there was Ye Hao, the genius.

Ling Wanrong refused verbally but was secretly delighted. With both her sons achieving such success, she was content even if she were to die now.

Of course, this alone did not determine the outcome; the selection competition was based on the total score of two tests.

The second test was the assessment of talent.

The test was conducted by Lin Yuan, the alchemist, who could measure a person's meridian strength using alchemical techniques.

For the group under eleven years old, only this test was conducted. Due to their age, none of them, except Ye Hao, had reached the quasi-warrior level, so other tests were not necessary.

Without a doubt, Ye Hao passed the first test. At ten years old, he was a quasi-warrior and had demonstrated strength that might not be inferior to the geniuses of the major families in Qing Shuang City.

Each of the young boys approached Lin Yuan, who assigned scores based on the width of their meridians.

"Ye Hao, 25 points!"

"Zhou Xian, 0 points!"

"Jin Rui, 10 points!"

...

"Lin Ming, 25 points!"

...

Lin Yuan announced a score for each person he examined.

"Ye Feng, you don't need to be checked. I know your situation very well, 0 points!" When it was Ye Feng's turn, Lin Yuan glanced at him and said.

Lin Yuan knew Ye Feng's situation very well, and so did most of the villagers. After all, he was the only one in the village with narrow and fragile meridians, making it impossible for him to cultivate, unlike others who could at least try.

Ye Feng did not argue with Lin Yuan and simply moved to the side. Although his meridians had been strengthened to the level of an ordinary person, he did not want to draw attention to himself. Besides, his current performance was already enough to secure a place in the top ten, allowing him to participate in the Dragon Gate Competition.

Ye Hao wanted to say something but opened his mouth and said nothing, as he was also aware of Ye Feng's situation.

Soon, ten people were selected.

"Lin Ming, Ye Hao, Ye Feng, Jin Rui..."

Each time Zhao Dasheng called a name, a young boy stepped forward and stood at the front of the crowd.

Zhao Dasheng looked at the ten boys with a smile and said, "You ten will participate in the Dragon Gate Competition hosted by Qing Shuang City. Meet at the training ground in three months to depart together!"

Zhao Dasheng was very pleased. The village had produced two geniuses, Ye Hao and Lin Ming, which was a great benefit for Niu Jiao Village if they both joined the sects.

As for Ye Feng, he had been overlooked. Although Ye Feng's strength was undoubtedly the best among the young boys, his physical condition had already limited his future. He posed no threat to Zhao Dasheng's position and could only become a wealthy man.

After announcing the names, the selection competition officially ended.

The people on the training ground gradually dispersed.

"Big Brother, let's go home!" Ye Hao approached Ye Feng with a smile, still beaming from his breakthrough.

Ye Feng was also very pleased. He had not expected Ye Hao to break through to the late quasi-warrior stage so quickly.

Without resources, Ye Hao had already achieved this much. If he had the same resources as Lin Ming, he might already be at the warrior stage.

Ye Feng had examined Ye Hao's meridians, which were extremely wide, at least dozens of times wider than his own. Looking at Ye Hao's meridians, Ye Feng could not help but marvel at the gap between geniuses and ordinary people.

Hearing Ye Feng's praise, Ye Hao blushed and scratched his head.

The two brothers then left the training ground with Ling Wanrong and returned home.

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