Becoming a god by following the natural order and seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune.

Chapter 10 Emerging
"May I ask, sir, how shall the contest take place?"

No sooner had Nie Yuanliu finished speaking than a deputy commander eagerly spoke up, his tone respectful yet unable to conceal his confidence.

His question immediately drew everyone's attention to Nie Yuanliu. Clearly, the prize offered by this captain was quite attractive to the deputy commanders present.

"Today is a farewell banquet, and it is not appropriate to resort to violence or bloodshed. Since that is the case... let's settle the matter with a contest of strength." After a moment's thought, Nie Yuanliu set the rules.

"Best regards, sir!"

The other commanders chimed in with their agreement.

Immediately, at Captain Nie's signal, several burly strongmen carried in a huge, dark blue stone lock and placed it heavily on the open space inside the tent. The moment it hit the ground, it made a dull thud, showing how heavy it was.

"This is made of black gold stone and weighs over seven hundred catties."

Nie Yuanliu said calmly, “You may all step forward and try. The winner will be the one who can lift the object above their head and hold it for the longest time. The one who holds it the longest will win a prize. But I must say this first: although wrestling is not a fight, you should not be reckless, lest you injure your internal organs and damage your foundation.”

Over 700 jin!

This weight is a significant hurdle for most deputy commanders who are at the Bright Breath Realm. After all, the strength of an ordinary Bright Breath Realm martial artist's arms is usually between 300 and 500 jin. Only those with exceptional talent or a very solid foundation can surpass this limit.

Sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, nearly half of the deputy commanders present hesitated and quietly gave up their desire to compete—if they couldn't hold on, they might injure themselves, which would be a loss.

However, there were also those who were confident. The burly deputy commander who had spoken first immediately stood up and clasped his hands in a fist salute when no one else stepped forward: "Sir, I am willing to give it a try first!"

"allow."

The deputy commander clasped his hands in a heavy fist salute, deftly removed his light armor to reveal his muscular upper body, walked to the stone lock, took a deep breath, his muscles tensed up suddenly, his arms bristled, gripped the lock handle tightly, and exerted force!

"rise!"

The stone lock was lifted off the ground with a thud, and he lifted it high above his head with all his might!
However, under the immense pressure, his steps faltered, his face flushed crimson, and his arms trembled violently. He could only hold on for two breaths before he had to put the stone lock down heavily, panting heavily.

"It's okay."

Nie Yuanliu nodded slightly and gave his evaluation.

Even though it only took two breaths, it was already quite remarkable.

Next, the second person took the stage. This person trembled violently and turned as red as blood, but ultimately failed to lift the stone lock above his head and had to retreat in dejection.

After the two tried it, it was like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing the enthusiasm that had just been ignited in many people.

Two more people then stepped forward, and their performance was even worse: one barely managed to lift it for a breath before hurriedly putting it down, and the other tried the weight and immediately shook his head and gave up.

Upon seeing this, the burly man who had initially lifted the weight for two breaths couldn't help but reveal a confident smile on his face.

“My lord,” Huang Ren turned to Wu Kuang and respectfully asked, “I would also like to give it a try.”

Wu Kuang frowned, glanced at Commander Huang not far away, pondered for a moment, and said:

Go ahead, but do what you can.

"Yes!"

Huang Ren's spirits lifted, and he strode to the stone lock. He concentrated and held his breath, then stomped his foot and exhaled, forcefully lifting the stone lock!

His face instantly turned blood red, veins throbbed on his forehead, and blood vessels even appeared in his eyes. A faint, sweet, metallic taste rose from his lips. He held on with sheer grit, but after two breaths, he could no longer hold on and the stone lock crashed to the ground.

"It's okay."

Nie Yuanliu remained the same two words. Huang Renqiang suppressed his surging blood and qi, bowed, and retreated to Wu Kuang's side, his breathing still somewhat unsteady.

"My lord, I have not failed in my mission."

As he spoke, his gaze swept over Chen Sheng almost imperceptibly, carrying a hint of provocation and smugness, as if he had already firmly surpassed his opponent in terms of strength.

"Yes, sit down and meditate." Wu Kuang nodded calmly.

"Is there anyone else willing to try?"

Nie Yuanliu's gaze swept over the remaining people, and the tent fell silent for a moment. The successive defeats of several people had already made most of the deputy commanders hesitate.

“My lord,” Chen Sheng finally spoke, his voice steady, “I am willing to give it a try.”

He was determined to win that unknown prize—especially since the Heavenly Book of Good Fortune and Avoidance of Misfortune had suggested that he could choose from three treasured weapons!
These divine weapons are far superior to ordinary iron, and are exactly what he urgently needs right now.

Moreover, he was not blindly showing off. The foundation he gained from the Golden Bell Body Forging Method far surpassed that of his peers, and strength was his forte. Previously, in Wu Kuang's tent, he lifted a 500-jin stone lock with ease. Although this black gold stone lock was extremely heavy, he was confident that it was still within his tolerance.

Don't be reckless.

Wu Kuang gave a word of advice, his tone carrying a hint of expectation mixed with surprise.

He knew that Chen Sheng was strong enough to lift the lock, but he didn't expect that he, who always kept a low profile, would take the initiative to step forward in this situation—after all, the prize was still unclear and might just be some pills or something. However, he did not stop him.

"My subordinate understands."

Chen Sheng stood up and bowed to Nie Yuanliu with clasped hands: "My lord, I request to try."

"allow."

As soon as the word was uttered, all eyes in the tent instantly focused on Chen Sheng. Curiosity, surprise, scrutiny... but no contempt. Anyone who could stand up at this moment must have something to rely on.

Even Huang Ren frowned, his heart filled with doubt and uncertainty. He had inquired and learned that Chen Sheng was a newcomer to Mingxi and had only gained Wu Kuang's favor by being good at scheming. How could he have such confidence?
Chen Shengxing walked to the stone lock, his feet slightly apart, standing as steady as a pine tree.

He didn't make any move, but simply took a deep breath and gripped the cold, rough lock handle with both hands.

work hard!

The stone lock rose with a thud! It was indeed incredibly heavy. The "more than seven hundred catties" in that word probably had quite a bit of room for error. No wonder so many people had been defeated and killed before.

But Chen Sheng's arms were as steady as a rock, and beneath his sleeves, a bronze luster flowed faintly, his blood and energy surging continuously, steadily raising the black gold stone lock high above his head!

One breath, two breaths, three breaths!
After a full three breaths, he slowly lowered the stone lock with steady breathing, his expression normal, as if he still had energy left.

A collective gasp filled the tent!

The deputy commanders who had tried before were all shocked. Even many commanders who had been observing from the sidelines abandoned their casual attitude and looked at Chen Sheng with a sudden change in their gaze—no longer looking at a deputy who had been promoted by luck, but with real scrutiny and attention.

With such a solid foundation, Mingxi Realm's future prospects are undoubtedly limitless.

Many people secretly thought that Wu Kuang was really lucky to have discovered such a talent.

As for Huang Ren, he fell into a deep silence at this moment.

Chen Sheng held the stone lock high for three breaths and was still able to put it down with ease, which shows that he still had some strength left. Although strength does not completely represent one's overall strength, it is enough to show it to some extent.

The competitive spirit I had previously harbored has faded considerably.

(End of this chapter)