Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Early in the morning, the sunlight shone on the ground.
The people who had already eaten breakfast stood neatly on the practice field. In front of them was Yang Xiu, and there was one more person today — Butler Zhang.
On the first day they entered the Han Residence, Butler Zhang had showed up once. Today was the second time Butler Zhang showed up. He was here to see if there were any good seedlings that were worth nurturing among this batch of rookies.
In times of crisis, the Han family could truly rely on the courtyard guards that they had nurtured since young. Although the external guardians were strong, they would not work for the Han family.
The courtyard guards, guards, and even squires that they had nurtured since young were different. Their roots were in the Han Residence, and the Han Residence was like their home. When their home was in crisis, they would do their best to protect it.
Butler Zhang signaled for Yang Xiu to start. Yang Xiu first had everyone line up according to the patrol teams of the east and west courtyards. Then, the two people facing each other were the opponents for the sparring.
There were 43 of them, so there would be one person left out. Therefore, Yang Xiu had Lu Yu wait by the side while the others spread out and began the battle.
If they could not stand up within ten seconds, or if they admitted defeat, they would be considered to have lost. The winner would continue sparring with the other winners.
With 42 people fighting at the same time, the scene was chaotic. Fortunately, the official courtyard guards who usually trained in the martial arts practice field were watching around, so the situation was manageable.
Soon, some people were beaten down. But after they were beaten down, they quickly got up and continued to fight. For the sake of that body tempering pill, no one would give up easily.
Most of the people on the field were fighting like a mess. It was like they had never learn the fist technique before. They were hugging each other and tearing each other apart, competing to see who would admit defeat first.
A few days ago, everyone was still a child looking for food in the gutter of Windmill Town. When it came to fighting, no one would be easily given up. The weak children had long starved to death by the roadside.
Lu Yu scanned the entire field and concluded that most of the people were still at the level of beginners. They only had the boxing stance and did not have any actual combat ability. They could do the proper movement when they were practicing the fist technique. However, once they started fighting, they would completely forget about it. This was because they had not practiced it to the deepest level.
There were a few people who were at the level where their martial skill
were slightly better. When they were fighting, they even knew how to use some martial arts to easily block the opponent’s random attacks and counterattack.
“Alright! Stop! He has already admitted defeat!”
The voice of a courtyard guard rang out. A relatively tall youth stood in the crowd. Under his feet was a loser who was bent into a shrimp.
Yang Xiu said in a calm tone, “The winner will wait here for the result. The loser will be taken away to rest.”
When the courtyard guard heard that, he lifted the person lying on the ground with one hand and brought him to an open space to let him rest.
The youth walked to Yang Xiu’s right, which was beside Lu Yu, with a proud smile on his face. He said fiercely, “Just wait! Don’t think that just because the Instructor Yang thinks highly of you, you’re really that good. Later, I’ll make you cry and call me daddy.”
Lu Yu ignored what he said without turning his head.
Lu Yu had also seen his battle. His fist technique level was closed to ‘skilled’ level, which was far from his own.
Butler Zhang was expressionless. It could not be seen whether he was in a good mood or not. It was also unknown whether he was not satisfied with this batch of recruits.
Very soon, the winners and losers were decided. Yang Xiu looked at the one who was in a good condition among the winners and said, “Come out and fight with him.”
That person’s expression changed when he was called out by Yang Xiu. However, he did not dare to go against Yang Xiu’s order and walked forward.
Lu Yu also went forward and stood opposite to that person.
That person recognized Lu Yu. Lu Yu was the only person in the group who had not been beaten up. It was difficult not to recognize him. Knowing that Lu Yu’s Fierce Tiger Fist was very good, he became very serious.
He bowed and said, “I’m looking forward to our fight.”
Seeing that he was so polite, Lu Yu subconsciously bowed in return.
An opportunity!
Taking advantage of Lu Yu’s carelessness, that person quickly made his move. the Fierce Tiger Fist — Hungry Tiger Pounce. He suddenly leaped up and closed in on Lu Yu. While Lu Yu was still bowing, he had already thrown his punch.
That person was thrilled, he thought that he was going to win. Even his strike was not perfect, the power should be enough.
The man’s eyes shone with the light of victory. He had already seen the scene of his strength soaring after he obtained the body tempering pill.
Suddenly, the world spun. He felt a pain on his back, and his vision went black. He was almost knocked out of breath by the fall.
Cough, cough, cough.
What was going on? He laid on the ground, his ears buzzing, and his eyes were dizzy. He did not understand why he was lying here. Wasn’t he still standing just now?
When he regained consciousness and heard the referee shouting “three”, he wanted to stand up. However, his back was burning with pain, and he did not have any strength in his limbs. He could only watch as the referee announced his defeat.
The injured person was carried away. Lu Yu did not expect that he would hit that person this hard. Just now, he subconsciously grabbed the opponent’s punch and attacked him. With a strong swing, the opponent fell to the ground.
In the eyes of the others, Lu Yu had just used the Hungry Tiger Pounce of the Fierce Tiger Fist Style. The moment he attacked, it was like he had transformed into a fierce tiger, biting the opponent’s throat, tearing, and swinging hard.
The throat was torn by the fierce tiger, and the opponent also fell to the ground and lost the ability to resist.
Soon, an official courtyard guard ran to Butler Zhang’s side and said, “I’ve checked. The injury is not serious. He needs to rest for a few days.”
Butler Zhang nodded to show that he understood. A trace of joy appeared on his face. With the ability to completely crush his opponent, it was very likely that this Lu Yu had already become a body refining realm martial art cultivator.
Noticing Lu Yu’s surprise when he saw his opponent lying on the ground, Butler Zhang estimated that Lu Yu had just broke through his realm and hadn’t grasped his own strength yet.
To be able to become a martial art cultivator in five to six days, Lu Yu was considered as a good seedling.
Although he had used two more days than the eldest young master, Lu Yu’s talent was not bad. If he was properly groomed, he might be able to gain another squire for the Han clan.
“Let’s continue!”
Lu Yu was still thinking that he would be punished or not after he beaten up his opponent too harshly. Butler Zhang ordered everyone to continue the sparring.
There were only 21 people left. Lu Yu got a bye in this round. The rest of the people heaved a sigh of relief. They felt much more relaxed now that they did not have to face Lu Yu.
Previously, they didn’t really care if they had to face Lu Yu. Now, they only had one thought, “Don’t pick me to fight Lu Yu.”
With 20 people sparring, 10 winners would be decided.
Among the 10 winners, Yang Xiu randomly picked one person to be Lu Yu’s opponent. The person who was chosen had a terrified expression on his face. He walked in front of Lu Yu and whispered, “Brother, please be gentle!”
After saying that, he did not make any small movements. After exchanging a few punches with Lu Yu, he was directly knocked down on the ground and admitted defeat.
After throwing a few punches, Lu Yu had roughly grasped his own strength. He punched his opponent with only 30% of his strength, and that person was beaten into a bending shrimp, lying on the ground, and surrendered.
The tall man clenched his fists tightly and roared in his heart, “Don’t think that just because they are afraid of you, I will be afraid of you!”
The sparring continued, and finally, only the tall man and Lu Yu were left.
The two of them carried out the final battle.
Although Lu Yu was sure to win in the eyes of Butler Zhang and Yang Xiu, Butler Zhang was also a little interested in the tall man.
“This Wang Can, his aptitude is still passable. If he cultivates for another half a month, he’ll definitely break through from the mortal realm and become a martial art cultivator. Take care of him.” Butler Zhang instructed.
“Yes.” Yang Xiu replied casually. He had long forgotten who this Wang Can was. However, since Butler Zhang had said so, he would have to pay more attention to him.
Lu Yu used 30% of his strength to fight against Wang Can. Wang Can could barely hold on and fought back and forth with Lu Yu.
Lu Yu couldn’t defeat Wang Can immediately. Even though he had cultivated through AFK and could easily execute the Fierce Tiger Fist, he couldn’t control his own strength properly because he hadn’t fought someone before. He couldn’t employ the fist technique easily on his own.
It was just like how an ordinary person could lift a heavy dumbbell with force and could also lightly pinch a tender and smooth tofu without breaking the tofu.
Lu Yu’s strength had increased a lot in a short period of time, and he did not control his strength. As a result, he used the strength to hold the dumbbell when he was holding the tofu. Of course, the tofu would be broken.
So, Lu Yu suppressed his strength and only used 30% of his strength to fight with Wang Can. Lu Yu realized that his control over his strength was improving rapidly. However, he had to be careful. He could not use too much strength and break the “tofu”.
As Lu Yu became better at controlling his strength, Wang Can became more and more sullen as he fought. He felt like he was being suppressed by Lu Yu.
“Ah!” Wang Can let out a furious roar. He no longer cared about the fist techniques and quickly punched like a madman. Lu Yu easily blocked every punch with his palm. He felt that it was easier to practice his control over his strength this way.
“Ha!” Wang Can punched out heavily. He felt hot air rising in his body as if he had broken some shackles. His body became much more relaxed, and his strength increased.
Yang Xiu squinted his eyes and was a little surprised. Butler Zhang was also surprised. “A breakthrough during the battle? In less than ten days, Wang Can will definitely break through from the mortal realm and become a martial art cultivator. Take good care of him.”
“Yes!” Yang Xiu replied. This time, he paid a little more attention to him.
Wang Can felt that he had made a breakthrough and felt very happy in his heart. He thought that he would definitely defeat Lu Yu.
Just as Wang Can was preparing to crush Lu Yu after he broke through, Lu Yu felt that he had almost mastered his strength. He “gently” grabbed Wang Can’s fist that was coming towards him.
He felt that the strength of his fist had become a little stronger and he used a little more strength.
He took a step forward and grabbed Wang Can’s belt with one hand while the other hand grabbed Wang Can’s fist. He swung Wang Can in a circle and smashed him onto the ground.
Wang Can spat out a huge mouthful of air. The air in his lungs was blown out, and his mind went blank.
He had clearly broken through, but why did he still lose?
Without the referee counting down, Butler Zhang walked towards Lu Yu with a box in his hand. He smiled and said, “Lu Yu, this body tempering pill is yours.”
“You have already broken through from the mortal realm and become a martial art cultivator. You can move to the outer court from now on” Butler Zhang said to Lu Yu in a friendly tone.
“Men, bring Lu Yu to the outer court to choose his residence. Remember, pick a better place for him!” Butler Zhang said sternly to that person.
That person nodded repeatedly, not daring to go against him.
Other than Master Han, Butler Zhang was the highest person in the entire Han Residence. Sometimes, the young miss had to listen to Butler Zhang. It was said that Butler Zhang was already the butler of the Han Residence when Old Master Han’s father was still alive.
“Thank you for your good intentions, Butler Zhang. I will definitely go through fire and water for the Han family!” Lu Yu said a few words to express his loyalty at the appropriate time, which greatly increased Butler Zhang’s favorability towards him.
Butler Zhang nodded in satisfaction. After thinking for a moment, he said, “How about this? With your strength, you will definitely get first place in the sparring in the future. So, you can just go to the logistics department to receive body tempering pills. You don’t have to participate in the sparring with other rookies.”
“However, you can’t be arrogant and complacent. It’s also beneficial to practice with the other courtyard guards. You will get the reward for winning the sparring. Also, your body tempering pills will be deducted from my monthly salary.”
Seeing the surprise on Lu Yu’s face, Butler Zhang reminded him, “Remember, you can only get body tempering pills from the logistics department in this month. If you want more pills in the future, you have to contribute to the Han family.”
Hearing that Lu Yu could get a body tempering pill every day this month, many of the surrounding courtyard guards looked envious..