OBS Chapter 70: Skill and Courage Assessment Ends
Chapter 70: Skill and Courage Assessment Ends
The moment the result was announced, the entire audience erupted in uproar.
Wang Baohe, standing next to Chen Ye, was even more shocked.
These people are already extremely capable of lifting a 400-pound stone lock with one arm, raising it above their heads, and holding it for 30 breaths.
If one can lift a 500-pound stone lock with both arms and hold it for 30 breaths, that is considered excellent.
However, Chen Ye lifted the 700-pound stone lock with one arm and held it above his head for a full ten breaths.
This strength has already left them far behind.
Moreover, judging from his calm demeanor, he clearly still had plenty of energy left.
Wang Baohe's Adam's apple bobbed twice involuntarily. He felt a chill run down his spine and was speechless for a moment.
Those who practice martial arts know that although the difference between 400 jin and 500 jin in one hand is only 100 jin, the difference behind it is far more than just 100 jin.
Not to mention Chen Ye's seven hundred jin.
Even if they tried to catch up, they couldn't.
Of the nine people with the surname "Lu" who belonged to Chen Ye, seven were commoners, while the other two came from humble backgrounds and military families, respectively.
The two men were dressed in old, faded robes, and were in dire straits.
At first, he seemed to look down on the common people around him, and simply stood aside, a few steps away from the others.
To stand out from the crowd, they even chose a 500-pound stone lock and lifted it with one hand, hoping to get a good ranking.
The stone-lifting test was the easiest way for people like them, who were down on their luck, to get high scores.
When it comes to drawing a strong bow and wielding a broadsword later on, one's foundation and experience are essential.
Their family has been in decline for a long time, and their lineage has been broken. They have no advantage in these two areas if they want to compete with other poor families of soldiers.
They were initially quite pleased with themselves, feeling that they had a good chance of success.
Seeing Chen Ye's performance, the two men turned pale, and a hint of despair appeared in their eyes.
On the high platform, Xue Zheng, who was leaning back in his chair, straightened up slightly.
A teacher next to him turned to the side and whispered something. The schoolmaster did not answer, but his gaze fell on Chen Ye, the young man in plain clothes, and he couldn't help but take a few more glances.
After a moment, he leaned back in his chair and made no further comment.
The clerk called out again: "Those with the 'Lu' in their ranks have finished their exams. Those with the 'Qi' in their ranks, step forward!"
Chen Ye calmly walked back to the queue.
He had already estimated that his strength in one hand had reached 800 jin.
For him, a 700-pound stone lock was really nothing.
If he could, he could lift even heavier stone weights.
When he returned to the queue, several candidates who were originally standing in front of him automatically moved aside, making room for him.
Chen Ye was slightly surprised, but he didn't say anything and calmly stood over there.
After receiving a grade of B (lower tier), Wang Baohe fell silent and followed behind Chen Ye, his earlier enthusiasm gone.
Subsequent assessments will proceed as scheduled.
Following Chen Ye, many candidates felt immense pressure and had to challenge themselves with heavier stone weights in order to achieve a better ranking.
Unfortunately, most people did not succeed.
After witnessing the 700-pound stone weight being lifted with one hand, the scholars and accountants on the high platform found it difficult to muster any interest in the 500-pound weight lift.
Therefore, most of the candidates after Chen Ye did not achieve high scores.
Soon, the first part of the skills and courage assessment was completed.
After the assessment by the clerk, only Chen Ye was awarded Grade A, five people were awarded Grade A, seven people were awarded Grade B, and the rest were scattered among Grade B, Grade C, and Grade D.
After the stone-lifting exercise is completed, the second skill, "drawing a hard bow," will begin immediately.
The drums sounded again, and several soldiers carried four iron bows into the square.
Those iron bows were jet black, forged from refined iron, and the bowstrings gleamed coldly in the sunlight.
Arranged in order from six-stone bows to nine-stone bows.
Unlike the stone-lifting activity.
Lifting a stone tests a martial artist's explosive power, while drawing a hard bow tests the depth of their strength.
After all, drawing a bow doesn't rely on brute force, but on the resilience of the back muscles and the endurance of the arms.
If one's foundation in martial arts is not sufficiently honed, and one's overall strength is weak, not only will it be difficult to draw the bow to its full potential, but one may also strain tendons if one is not careful.
Not to mention, the bow-drawing test requires drawing the bow fully three times in a row to be considered a score.
Many people gave up after realizing they had no hope of lifting the stone.
Originally there were over a hundred people, but only about seventy participated in this round.
Soon, one person after another stepped forward to try out the bow.
Some people blushed, but the bowstring remained unmoved; others could not pull the bowstring a second time after it was fully drawn; many people failed.
Wang Baohe looked uneasy.
He stood in front of Chen Ye, walked to the bow rack, picked up the seven-stone heavy bow, inhaled and lowered his waist, and barely managed to draw the bow twice.
On the third attempt, the bowstring stopped at shoulder width. His arms began to tremble, and veins bulged on his forehead. He held on for two more breaths before letting go and slowly releasing the bowstring.
It was ultimately rated as Grade B, Lower.
He let out a long sigh when he returned, his face full of disappointment.
When Chen Ye took the stage, the noise in the square noticeably subsided.
Not only the students in the academy, but even the academic leaders and others showed a hint of anticipation, wanting to see his performance.
Chen Ye walked to the bow rack, took the heavy nine-stone bow, gripped the bow with his left hand, strung the string with his right, took a deep breath, and exerted force with both arms at the same time.
The iron bow was pulled back inch by inch, and the sound of the taut bowstring kept bursting out.
From shoulder width to full draw, the bowstring trembled in the sunlight, forming a blurry silver line.
Chen Ye steadied himself for four breaths, then slowly loosened the bowstring, just like the others.
After repeating this process three times, he finally received a Grade A.
At this point, many people finally couldn't resist and began to inquire about Chen Ye's background.
Unfortunately, they all know very little about it.
Nobody recognized this person.
When people saw Wang Baohe talking to Chen Ye, they surrounded him and tried to subtly inquire, which only made Wang Baohe smile helplessly.
A scholar dressed in the attire of a noble family in the distance, seeing the others' behavior, curled his lip in disdain.
After that, only the final skill assessment remained for the brave warriors: sword dancing.
The academy prepared three types of broadswords: one hundred catties, one hundred and fifty catties, and two hundred catties.
Students are required to complete a series of continuous movements, such as the front and back chest flourishes and the overhead sword thrust, in one continuous motion to pass.
Before taking the imperial examination, Chen Ye had already mastered the Hunyi Sword Technique to perfection.
Although the moves are not exactly the same, the techniques for generating power are similar.
When it was his turn, he walked to the weapon rack and his gaze fell directly on the large sword on the far right, which weighed two hundred pounds.
He gripped the hilt of the sword, weighed it in his hand, lifted the heavy sword with one hand, walked to the center of the courtyard, and stood still under the gaze of everyone, beginning to wield the sword.
The heavy sword, weighing two hundred pounds, was slowly raised in his hands, held horizontally to his chest, and then, according to the assessment requirements, he began to perform a series of flourishes on his chest and a sword thrust overhead.
The heavy blade emitted a dull whistling sound as it cut through the wind, causing the examinees standing by the courtyard to unconsciously take a half-step back.
Chen Ye's movements were clean and efficient, without any hesitation or slackness.
After completing all the movements, Chen Ye sheathed his sword and, slightly out of breath, placed the heavy blade in front of him.
As expected, Chen Ye once again achieved a top grade.
He ultimately finished the three skills and courage assessments with a top-three ranking, placing him among the best.
If he succeeds in the provincial examination, with such results, he will be guaranteed a scholar's status.