Divine Tang Era

Chapter 179 The Assessment (Part 1)

"Xiangchai, where did you get this outfit? It makes me look so wise, heroic, and handsome!"

Xu Dan examined himself in the tall bronze mirror, his fingertips brushing against the gold thread on his sleeve, his tone extremely vain.

The person in the mirror has a tall and straight figure, wearing a black, narrow-sleeved, hip-opening robe that fits snugly against his body. The gold thread lotus pattern on the collar and cuffs is finely stitched and flows down the waistline, clearly outlining his strong body.

He wore a crimson brocade half-sleeved garment over his robe; its fiery color accentuated his jade-like face, and his brows exuded confidence and spirit.

What's most eye-catching is his right arm, where the inner gold-threaded chainmail is fully exposed, with countless fingernail-sized gold rings interlocking tightly.

The ribbon, winding from his shoulder to his wrist, gleamed with a cold, hard metallic sheen in the candlelight, exuding both fierceness and an unapproachable, awe-inspiring majesty. A black belt inlaid with jade hooks cinched his waist, and a ceremonial sword with a hilt hung from his left side, its long sheath reaching his ankles, gleaming coldly as he moved.

"The landlord had it delivered yesterday, and the young master wore it; he is indeed exceptionally brave and powerful."

The maid Xiangchai carefully smoothed out the wrinkles on the collar of her half-sleeved shirt, her gaze sweeping over Xu Dan's sturdy figure, her eyes filled with admiration.

Xiangchai was not actually a maid of Ya Zhu, the mistress of Mingfeng Tower, but one of the flower maids, belonging to Yaochi.

Yaochi was established during the reign of Empress Wu Zetian, primarily for intelligence gathering and business operations, and did not engage in other activities.

After Wu Zetian, the Jade Pool was managed by successive empresses, overseeing all flowers, assisted by two Flower Lords, one overt and one covert, who supervised each other. Below each Flower Lord were three Flower Goddesses, and below them were all flowers, and then the Flower Princesses, who spread throughout the Tang Dynasty.

Those who perform exceptionally well and achieve great merit may be promoted to the Hundred Flowers rank, gaining the opportunity to take on important responsibilities independently.

However, Xiangchai's situation is special. Although he can enter Yaochi, it is almost impossible for him to advance.

Zhu sent her here not as a gift to Xu Dan, but to take care of her younger brother's daily life. Zhu also paid her salary, which shows her thoughtfulness.

"Why are you dressed up so handsomely today? Even a storyteller doesn't need to dress like this!" Xu Dan asked suspiciously.

"Huh, young master, you don't know yet?" Xiangchai asked in surprise.

"How am I supposed to know if you don't tell me?" Xu Dan was speechless.

"Didn't the county official say yesterday that he would apply for the 'Young Master's List' assessment for the young gentleman? Today is the day for the assessment."

"Oh, is that so! Nobody told me. Are we just going like this? Don't we need to prepare anything?"

"No need, young master. The county government has everything, and even if they don't have it, they'll provide it. You just need to show off your skills. Putting everything else aside, your archery skills alone are enough to earn you a place on the Young Scales List," Xiangchai said confidently.

"You've seen it before?"

"nature."

After they were dressed, Xiangchai led Xu Dan into a carriage and headed towards the Jingning County Government Office.

When they arrived at the training ground for the assessment, there were already many people gathered there. Among those Xu Dan recognized were Cheng Ruxia, the magistrate of Jingning County; Zhu Zhu, the master of Mingfeng Tower; Zhu Yuxian and Lin Qing, the master of Yinlong Pavilion; Kui Muxingjun of Fengzhen Temple and two star masters; Ye Jingcang, the master of Donglai Palace; Mo Jian of the Mo Clan Martial Arts School; and Master Ku Moli and Xue An of Jiusi Academy.

In total, all the prominent figures in Jingning City have arrived.

Seeing him approach, Xue An stepped forward and said gently, "Don't be nervous later. Just do what you normally do. Don't worry about anything else." After saying that, he went back to his seat.

Xu Dan was speechless. He was indifferent to fame and never took it to heart.

Xu Dan rolled his eyes. "Can this be called indecent assault?"

After everyone was seated, Wu Danbo, whom they had met yesterday, stepped forward and said politely, "Young master, please go over there and test your strength."

On one side of the training ground stood several force-measuring pillars of varying thicknesses and materials, each with clear markings, ranging from the most ordinary wooden stakes to finely refined steel with a metallic sheen.

"Young master, please."

Wu Danbo pointed to the thickest steel force measuring column and said, "This is the assessment standard. You need to hit the red bullseye area with all your might, and the scale will show your strength level."

All eyes on Xu Dan were fixed on him, some with curiosity, some with scrutiny, and some with encouragement.

"Oh"

Xu Dan glanced at the massive steel pillar, a smirk playing on his lips. With his current strength exceeding two hundred thousand, he paid no heed to this mere test. However, he didn't intend to use his full power. So, he walked to a slightly thinner steel pillar and casually threw a punch.

"Bang!"

With a muffled thud, the scale on the steel force measuring column lit up instantly, jumping from one thousand to ten thousand, causing several yamen runners around to gasp in surprise.

Seeing their naive and unsophisticated expressions, Xu Dan shook his head.

For an ordinary person, this strength is already quite remarkable, but it is far from enough to be listed on the "Young Scales List".

Cheng Ruxia nodded slowly, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes.

Xu Dan stretched his body, the cold metal ring on his right arm making a soft, crisp friction sound with his movements. After stretching, he walked to the thickest and largest designated steel force-measuring column.

He didn't deliberately strike an exaggerated pose; he simply took a half step back with his right leg, slightly lowered his waist and back, and pulled his right arm back.

The next moment, he suddenly exerted force from his waist and hips and threw a punch!

"Thump!!!"

A sound far heavier and louder than before exploded in the training ground.

The steel force-measuring column, which took two people to hug, trembled violently. The base sank slightly, and the dial at the top burst out with a dazzling light. The value on the scale soared rapidly, starting from 10,000 jin of force, breaking through "50,000, 60,000, 70,000, 80,000, 90,000", and finally reaching the highest "100,000" mark at the top!

A moment of silence fell over the entire training ground.

Mingfeng Tower Master Shanzhu and the various immortals smiled broadly, seemingly not at all surprised that Xu Dan could muster such strength.

Kui Mu Xingjun's brow twitched almost imperceptibly, and Ye Jingcang, the Palace Master of Donglai Palace, flashed surprise in his eyes. Mo Jian exclaimed, "Such abundant blood and energy, such great strength!"

A mere child can exert tremendous force, which is astonishing no matter where you place him.

Xiangchai stood to the side, her chest rising and falling slightly, her eyes filled with pride and joy, as if she herself had delivered that amazing punch.

Wu Danbo, suppressing his shock, announced the results loudly: "Xu Dan, excellent performance, top-tier!"

Cheng Ruxia's smile deepened, and his gaze toward Xu Dan became even more amiable.

Next up is the speed and agility test. The arena is set up with plum blossom stakes and a narrow passage full of traps that can eject wooden spikes.

Xu Dan moved swiftly, using the Seven Star Flying Steps to traverse the plum blossom stakes, weaving through the wooden spikes. Several seemingly unavoidable collisions were narrowly avoided by him. His movements were as light as a mountain cat and as agile as a fish swimming in water, his speed leaving only a blur, yet his posture remained elegant, revealing an agility commensurate with his previous powerful strength.

"Minkao, top grade!" Wu Danbo announced loudly again.

In subsequent reaction and endurance tests, Xu Dan's performance was outstanding, far exceeding the entry standard of the "Young Scale List".

The crowd on the sidelines nodded and whispered among themselves, clearly believing that his selection was a foregone conclusion.

However, at that moment...

Fengzhen Temple's Kui Mu Xingjun suddenly spoke, his voice calm yet carrying undeniable weight: "This boy's strength and agility are both extraordinary; he is indeed a promising talent. However, this list is not for brutes or strongmen, but rather values ​​potential and combat skills. I wonder what achievements you, young master, have made in weaponry and actual combat?"

The atmosphere in the room became slightly tense after these words were spoken.

Indeed, good basic skills do not necessarily mean good fighting ability, especially when facing monsters and demons, where practical combat ability is particularly important.

Shanzhu glanced at Kui Mu Xingjun without saying a word, but looked at Xu Dan with a gentle smile, seemingly having great confidence in him.

Xue An chuckled and stroked his beard, thinking the same thing.

Upon hearing this, Xu Dan cupped his hands to Kui Mu Xingjun and Magistrate Cheng, saying, "What Xingjun says is absolutely right. I have some knowledge of archery, please allow me to give it a try."

Cheng Ruxia looked at Kui Mu Xingjun, who nodded slightly, and said, "Alright, set up the target!"

The county yamen runners quickly made preparations, and ordinary archery targets were swiftly set up a hundred paces away.

Xu Dan shook his head and said to Wu Danbo, "Move the target further away, and... have someone throw the target."

Wu Danbo was taken aback and looked at Cheng Ruxia. He was also intrigued and waved his hand, saying, "As he says."

So the target was moved to a distance of about 150 paces, a distance that was already a challenge for a military-grade bow, let alone hitting it accurately. At the same time, a yamen runner stood to the side and in front, carrying several wooden plaques about the size of a palm.

During the assessment, you cannot use the weapons you bring with you.

Xu Dan took a standard-issue strong bow from the weapon rack on the sidelines, tested the bowstring, selected a bag of arrows, and then returned to his original position.

He then drew his bow and shot arrows, one after another hitting the bullseye.

Xu Dan didn't take the dead target seriously. If he couldn't even hit this badly, all his years of archery training would be for nothing. He took another arrow from his bag, nocked it on his bow, and said to the constables who were throwing objects beside him, "Let's begin!"

Upon hearing this, the bailiff forcefully threw a wooden plaque into the air.

Almost the instant the wooden plaque left his hand, the arrow between Xu Dan's fingers also flew out of the bowstring with a sharp "whoosh" and went extremely fast, like a black lightning bolt slicing through the sky!

"Snapped!"

The small wooden sign shattered in mid-air!

The officials from the county government who were watching nodded in approval, but Xu Dan didn't take it to heart. He simply drew a second arrow, nocked it, and said, "Throw it again."

The bailiffs quickly threw out the remaining wooden plaques.

"Whoosh...whoosh...whoosh!"

The bowstring twanged repeatedly, and arrows flew in rapid succession!

Splintered wood flew through the air, and without exception, every single wooden sign thrown was blasted apart mid-air before reaching its highest point. The final arrow was even more astonishing, catching up with the first wooden sign thrown and about to hit the ground, pinning it to pieces less than a foot above the ground!

The entire training ground was completely silent.

Such marksmanship goes beyond mere "a little experience"; it's like hitting a target from a hundred paces away, aiming and shooting with pinpoint accuracy! Especially the anticipation, accuracy, and speed demonstrated in dynamic shooting have extremely strong practical value!