nownovels Chapter 42 Lifting a Heavy Cauldron!
Chapter 42 Lifting a Heavy Cauldron!
"Young hero, would you like to try that thousand-pound cauldron? No one has tried it yet." The clerk standing nearby asked with a smile.
Shen Pan shook his head and stepped back.
He actually had a good chance of lifting the cauldron, but he felt it was unnecessary to force himself to do so just to show off.
His current achievements are more than enough.
And not long after.
One person stepped forward, bowed to the magistrate as was customary, and walked straight past all the stone locks placed on the ground, stopping in front of the bronze cauldron.
Without wasting any words, he grabbed the two tripod legs with both hands, shouted loudly, and pulled them up!
The heavy cauldron was not only shaken, but was also lifted directly above his head, causing an uproar.
Not every year someone can lift a thousand-pound tripod in the county examination; this year, someone did.
"Number 327, Xu Hong, lift the thousand-pound cauldron above your head!" The clerk shouted at the top of his lungs, seemingly quite excited as well.
Those who can lift a tripod are true heroes!
"What do you think of this person?" Tao Heng asked again from his high seat.
"This person has four hundred internal energy points, but unfortunately he is too old, so his future martial arts achievements are limited. If he knew some martial arts strategies, he might be able to lead a troop and become a junior general," Tao Jin commented without changing his expression.
To outsiders, he was a remarkable man who could lift a thousand-pound cauldron, but to someone with such skill, the cauldron was no different from a toy.
He values these candidates' potential and how high they might reach in the future.
Upon hearing this, Tao Heng's eyelids drooped again.
After a while, when the sun was shining directly overhead, Zhao An finally heard his name called.
Without giving it much thought, he went straight to the bronze cauldron.
Having decided to participate in this martial arts exam, he had no interest in hiding his abilities. Having such strength but concealing it and being coy was not in his nature.
"Are you going to lift the tripod?" the official asked.
Zhao An didn't answer. He simply raised his hand and grabbed the bronze tripod leg, lowered his hips and shoulders, his waist was like a large bow, and his lower body was as stable as a rock.
With a sudden burst of strength, without swaying his body, his hand moved as if lifting fire to the sky, and in the blink of an eye, he lifted the large cauldron over his head.
The large cauldron swayed above for a moment, then settled down.
This scene naturally caused another uproar.
"Master, Master, look!" A servant outside the training ground exclaimed, his mouth agape.
"What's wrong?" The head of the family looked up and was also stunned, his face showing surprise.
"Who...who is this...?"
"Oh!" On the high platform, Magistrate Tao Heng sat up straight and pointed with interest at where Zhao An was.
"Konichi, what about this one?"
"Both are lifting a tripod, but this kid does it with one arm. Is such strength worthy of your attention?"
Tao Jin narrowed his eyes slightly, a hint of sharpness in them, and nodded, saying, "This boy has extraordinary strength. There are traces of hard skills on his body. His palms are thick and solid, indicating that he is proficient in fist and palm techniques. His arm strength is indeed very strong."
Adding to his half-cultivated inner energy, lifting a thousand pounds with one arm is not surprising for him. This young man is truly formidable; if he has the potential, his martial arts achievements will be very high!
"This is the first time I've heard you praise someone like this since I came to Lianjiang County," Tao Heng said with a smile, his eyes also scrutinizing Zhao An.
Not far away, Shen Pan watched Zhao An, who seemed to be a reincarnation of a tyrant. He took a deep breath, his expression still resolute, and he was not swayed by Zhao An's performance.
He was well aware of Zhao An's prowess and knew that Zhao An was destined to shine today.
He didn't intend to compete with Zhao An for anything in this county examination. His only goal was to pass the exam and let his mother live a better life.
Boom!
After holding it up for a few breaths, Zhao An put the large cauldron down. Following the principle of handling it gently, the sound was not loud.
This seemingly effortless move also made many discerning people realize that the young man still had some strength left to unleash!
"Number 793, Zhao An, the thousand-pound cauldron, lifted above his head with one arm!" The clerk shouted, making everyone present remember Zhao An's name.
"What a little tyrant!"
"This young man is extraordinary. In all the years I've observed the county examinations, I've never seen anyone lift this great cauldron with one arm."
"That's terrifying! That punch would probably collapse a wall! And if it landed on someone, it would just leave a huge hole in them..."
"With his strength, how can any of the other candidates compare? He's definitely going to be the top martial arts candidate in our county this year!"
"It's hard to say. Being strong doesn't mean you'll be strong in a real fight, not to mention there's also the test of martial arts strategy."
"..."
Even after Zhao An retreated, the surrounding noise and discussions continued unabated, and countless eyes remained fixed on him, ignoring the other candidates who were still taking their turns.
After all the stone-picking activities were completed, all the candidates brought their own dry food and had a simple meal on the spot at noon.
In the afternoon, each candidate was allowed to choose a weapon and demonstrate their martial arts skills while practicing their swordplay.
Weapon mastery, hand-to-hand combat skills, martial arts proficiency, and archery, among other sub-categories.
Each item is evaluated by a specialist, with the best performance being Grade A, good being Grade B, mediocre being Grade C, and poor being Grade D.
In addition, martial arts masters have an extra internal energy level check to confirm the strength of their internal energy.
Compared to the simple and straightforward stone weight lifting in the morning, the afternoon's examination was much more complicated, lasting from afternoon until evening.
Zhao An naturally chose a saber as his weapon. After mastering a complete set of the Fierce Tiger Saber Technique, there was no doubt that his weapon mastery was at the first-class level, and his martial arts skills were also at the first-class level.
In his subsequent martial arts demonstration, Zhao An performed a set of Silver Serpent Hand techniques at the Perfected Realm, earning a Grade A.
Even in archery, which he was least skilled at, he still achieved a first-class grade, since his perceived weakness was relative to his other skills.
And if we look at all the candidates, he is outstanding.
There's no way around it; given the preparations and the assistance of a large number of soul slaves, it's hard for him not to be comprehensive.
As for his internal energy, it is now as profound as 550 strands, which is naturally also of the first grade!
It wasn't until late at night that all the candidates were evaluated.
The first day of the assessment has now come to an end.
Zhao An casually found a corner to lean against and rest.
Whether it's a liberal arts or military subject, candidates are not allowed to leave the examination room during the county-level examination; leaving the room is considered a forfeit.
Therefore, many people not only brought two days' worth of food, but also a straw mat, and lay down under the open sky.
As for the county magistrate, he left long ago.
He not only wanted to check out the martial arts section, but also wanted to visit the humanities section and make an appearance.
Of course, martial arts students could at least enjoy the spectacle, but humanities students were not very interesting, so he mostly stayed at the training ground.
Silent all night.
With officials on patrol, all the candidates rested quietly and did not cause any trouble during the night.
The second day will continue with the strategy discussion session, followed by the final martial arts competition!