From the fusion of Tongbei Quan to the Longevity Martial Saint

"I hope you all seize this opportunity and achieve excellent results in the martial arts examination!"

These words only intensified the eagerness in everyone's eyes.

It's as if I can already see the image of someone passing the martial arts examination with flying fish robes and achieving top honors.

Many people couldn't help but look at a few figures in the crowd who clearly had a stronger presence.

Those individuals are currently ranked between 50th and 60th, among the top performers.

Especially the young man standing at the very front, with a cold expression and arms crossed, was Lu Jianfeng.

He was officially ranked fiftieth, the leader among the bottom fifty, and his cultivation had reached the peak of the sixth level of Body Tempering, where he had been stuck for a long time.

In most people's eyes, the top spot in this training and the opportunity to refine one's constitution are practically already in Lu Jianfeng's grasp.

Envy, jealousy, helplessness... a variety of emotions flashed through the eyes of the others.

The gap in strength is obvious, and despite their resentment, they can only sigh helplessly.

"Now, step forward one by one to collect your respective supplies!"

Tan Herong said no more and gave the order to begin.

The crowd lined up to receive the heavy, mountain-like supplies.

After receiving the supplies, some people tried to weigh them, some looked worried, and some remained silent, adjusting their carrying methods.

Lu Jianfeng snorted coldly, picked up the two heaviest iron ore stones with one hand, and glanced around contemptuously.

The supplies Fang Qing received were no different from those of others.

He carefully secured the powder bag to his chest and tied several logs together with cloth strips, then carried it on his left shoulder.

He lifted the bucket of water with his right hand, then padded the sharp iron ore with coarse hemp and carried it on his back.

With the weight of 500 pounds on his body, his knees slumped slightly, but he quickly regained his balance.

The Qi and blood power of the fifth level of body tempering surged, sharing the heavy pressure.

Fang Qing even had the energy to help Zhanbo carry the supplies.

……

Not far away, Tan Herong and Ding Mingcheng stood side by side, watching everyone prepare.

Tan Herong's gaze swept over Lu Jianfeng, he nodded slightly, and whispered to Ding Mingcheng:

"It seems that Lu Jianfeng will be in first place again this time."

"He has been stuck at the sixth level of Body Tempering for a long time. If he gets the chance to be tempered in the Armory this time, there will be no doubt that he will break through to the seventh level."

"Among the last fifty in the reserve battalion, no one can challenge him."

Upon hearing this, Ding Mingcheng smiled slightly.

His gaze fell on Fang Qing, who was carefully adjusting his carrying posture, and a meaningful smile appeared on his lips.

"Old Tan, don't speak too definitively."

"In my opinion, the outcome this time might be quite different from what you expect."

"When the winner is revealed, you'll be shocked."

Tan Herong was taken aback and turned to look at Ding Mingcheng in surprise.

Following Ding Mingcheng's gaze, he noticed the unfamiliar young man who was tying up logs.

His face still looked somewhat immature, but his eyes were calm and his movements were steady and composed.

"That is..."

Tan Herong quickly took out the reserve battalion roster from his pocket, his fingertips tracing the paper before stopping at a name.

"Fang Qing?"

He felt the name sounded familiar.

After a moment's thought, he suddenly slapped his forehead.

"But Lord Gu mentioned that promising young man who helped solve several cases?"

Ding Mingcheng smiled without saying a word, only looking at the group of people who were about to begin a long weight training.

Tan Herong glanced at the roster, then at Fang Qing, who stood silently bearing the burden in the distance. His brows furrowed slightly before slowly relaxing, a hint of scrutiny and curiosity flashing in his eyes.

"Since you are valued by both Lord Gu and Brother Ding..."

He muttered to himself.

"Then let me see what you're capable of."

Tan Herong belonged to another salt patrol guard.

He had only vaguely heard about Fang Qing's assistance in solving a strange case at the Liu family, a salt merchant family.

After all, the Salt Commissioner Lin had mentioned the name "Fang Qing" in private settings.

However, when Tan Herong saw the fifth level of Body Tempering marked under Fang Qing's name, his brows immediately furrowed.

The fifth level of body tempering is clearly inferior to Lu Jianfeng's sixth level.

Lu Jianfeng had been stuck at the sixth level of Body Tempering for a long time, and was only one step away from stepping into the seventh level.

Although compared to the top ten, veterans like Chu Xiao, who are at the seventh level of Body Tempering, have already touched the threshold of the True Essence Realm.

However, Lu Jianfeng's physical foundation was extremely solid, the result of years of arduous training.

Tan Herong glanced at Fang Qing's age record again; he was much younger than Lu Jianfeng.

Based on his experience, he judged that Fang Qing would likely break through to the fifth level of Body Tempering within the next month or two.

A deeply rooted, body-tempering sixth level cultivator on the verge of a breakthrough.

A young man who has just advanced to the fifth level of Body Tempering.

"Ding Mingcheng, are you truly so confident in Fang Qing?"

Ding Mingcheng shrugged and waved casually.

"Don't bring up the bet again."

"It wouldn't matter if it were someone else."

"Fang Qing helped me and Lord Gu solve cases."

"He's like a brother who fought alongside Lord Gu in the same trenches."

"Gambling your own brother's future on a gamble is pointless."

After saying that, Ding Mingcheng said no more, and with a nimble flip, he mounted his horse.

The finish line for today's assessment is set twenty miles away.

He and Tan Herong served as instructors responsible for the final assessment.

Naturally, they needed to arrive at the destination in advance to wait for the members of this salt patrol reserve battalion.

Tan Herong was taken aback when he realized that his thoughts had been exposed and that Ding Mingcheng had rejected him so decisively.

"Hey, Ding Mingcheng!"

"Back when we were fighting side-by-side on the salt patrol battlefield, why didn't you ever call me 'brother'?"

Seeing that Ding Mingcheng was no longer paying attention to him, Tan Herong had no choice but to awkwardly put away his whip and mount his horse as well.

Tan Herong turned his head and glanced at the burly figure who had taken the weapon, a hint of scrutiny and curiosity flashing in his eyes.

"Since you are valued by both Lord Gu and Brother Ding..."

He muttered to himself.

"Then let me see what you're capable of."

The two riders sped away, leaving only a wisp of dust on the official road.

……

At this moment, Fang Qing and Zhan Bo had collected all the supplies and were walking back.

Fang Qing carried a heavy bucket in his left hand, which was filled with 100 kilograms of drinking water.

His right arm was tightly gripping five thick, round logs.

Behind him, a piece of coarse cloth was used to wrap the black gunpowder powder and two pieces of angular iron ore.

After walking less than a hundred meters, Fang Qing noticed that nearly a third of the water in the bucket in his left hand had spilled out.

Fortunately, he had strong arms and managed to hold the five logs firmly in place.

On the way back, he saw several people in all sorts of trouble.

Either logs rolled all over the ground, or water was spilled halfway.

Even worse, the packages carrying gunpowder were damaged, and the black powder leaked out along the way.

This caused a pungent sulfur smell to fill the air.

Fang Qing's own situation is not optimistic either.

The sharp edges of the two iron ore stones had already pierced through the thin cloth and were pressing directly against my back.

When he returned to his lodgings and unloaded his burdens, the back of his clothes was already worn through.

Several bright red abrasions were now visible on his skin, burning with pain.

"I've only walked about a hundred meters, and my back is already chafed like this."

"If you were to carry this weight for twenty miles, your bones would probably break."

Fang Qing stared at the pile of objects stacked on the open ground.

Solid logs and iron stones, liquid drinking water, and powdered gunpowder.

And then there are those troublesome sharp edges.

He fell into a brief moment of contemplation.

The next moment, he suddenly turned around and walked towards room number 30, the residence of Mad Thirteen.

……