Chapter 73: Small Flag Assessment! Wind-Breaking Hand!
It was not until he saw Zhanghuafu City with his own eyes that Xu Chong finally understood why Canglong, a county with a population of tens of thousands, was called a "small county with a population of only tens of thousands" by Fu Yuanlong.
Looking from the official road, the city wall alone extends east and west to a point that is almost beyond the reach of the eye.
Judging from the fact that most cities are shaped like squares, this city probably covers more than 100,000 acres.
Even so, Zhanghua Prefecture is just one of the thirteen prefectures in Yongzhou Province. It is really hard to imagine how big Fengyang Prefecture, as a provincial government, can be.
A few miles south of the city, there are two small cities like the Acropolis, one in the east and one in the west.
One is the military garrison of Zhanghua Mansion, and the other is the destination of Xu Chong and others, the Blood-Clothed Guard Thousand Households Station.
"Finally I'm back, hooray!"
Yang Xiong rode his horse and led everyone to the Acropolis on the east side.
Before reaching the city, nearly a hundred bows and crossbows were pointed at them from the top of the city walls, until Yang Xiong took out a token and shook it.
——Squeak.
The city gate opened and people filed in.
"Okay, newcomers, stay here. Someone will come to test you later."
Yang Xiong turned around and dismounted, leaving behind a few words and walking away.
About ten people separated from the team and left with Yang Xiong's horse.
Xu Chong looked around curiously.
Rather than saying that Qianhu Suo is a small city, it would be better to say that it is a chair-shaped earthen building that has been magnified many times.
In the middle is a wide open-air parade ground, surrounded by circular buildings on all four sides. The north side has five floors, one floor higher than the other three sides.
There is a huge platform extending from the second floor on the north side to the middle. If nothing unexpected happens, it should be the general's platform.
“I have to say, this design is quite reasonable.”
Xu Chong seemed to be thinking about something.
If there is an emergency situation requiring an emergency assembly, everyone can rush to the middle of the training ground in the fastest way - jumping off the building.
Anyway, the highest point is only about ten meters, and it won’t kill a warrior.
As I was thinking, people around me started whispering.
"Hey brother, you're already wearing the blood robe, why do you still need an assessment?"
"I used to be a centurion of the garrison."
"So you're the centurion. I'm so sorry...but what does this have to do with the assessment?"
"So much nonsense, you will know later."
The person being asked waved his hand impatiently, as if he was in a bad mood.
Like him, the others who were wearing blood-stained robes but still stayed where they were all had expressions on their faces as if someone owed them money.
"Humph... How dare a mere low-ranking centurion be so arrogant? If you don't know, you might think he is a Blood-robed Centurion."
The person asking the question cursed under his breath, turned around and saw Xu Chong, his eyes suddenly became eager.
In his opinion, Xu Chong also came from the county government system and was very likely to become a small flag officer, so now was the opportunity to curry favor with him.
Unfortunately, Xu Chong had no such intention and just glanced at him indifferently.
The man paused, looking sullen, but he didn't dare to scold Xu Chong.
About a quarter of an hour later, a figure jumped out from the third floor of the east building and landed lightly on the reviewing platform.
It turned out to be jumping off the building.
Xu Chong's expression changed slightly.
The man was in his early forties, with a short beard of an inch or so, and the blood-red robe he wore was of the rank of a general flag.
"My name is Kou Ruohai. I'm in charge of your review and assessment. You can call me Kou Zongqi."
"The review is about background, and the assessment is about ability."
"There is only one standard for background. If there is any suspicion of being associated with Tai Ping Dao, then the candidate is disqualified."
"But you are very good. You have passed this level."
Kou Ruohai glanced at him calmly, "The only thing left is strength."
After saying that, Kou Ruohai waved his hand.
Crash.
The doors on the east, west and south sides were wide open, and dozens of blood-stained captains walked out and gathered in front of the crowd.
Among them, there were about ten familiar faces .
"There is only one standard for strength. If you can fight with people of the same realm and still be able to stand for one stick of incense, you are qualified."
As soon as Kou Ruohai finished speaking, the four people from the county government showed joy.
Fighting with people of the same realm? And you only need to hold on for one stick of incense?
This is too easy!
Not to mention one incense stick, ten sticks will do!
These people didn't notice at all that the dozens of people wearing blood-stained clothes were sneering and mocking in their eyes.
"This is just a captain's assessment."
Kou Ruohai changed the subject and looked at Xu Chong. "The assessment for the small flag is to survive the attack of five lieutenants for one stick of incense... Oh, hiding blindly will be considered as a failure."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's face changed drastically, including Xu Chong.
On the way here, Yang Xiong briefly introduced the Blood-Clothed Guard system.
To put it simply, there is almost one level corresponding to every five levels.
The fifth level of opening the orifices corresponds to the small flag, the first level of opening the meridians corresponds to the general flag, the fifth level of opening the meridians corresponds to the hundred households, and the tenth level of opening the meridians corresponds to the thousand households.
Of course, this correspondence only means that you have the qualification. It does not mean that you can be promoted directly when you reach this level. You still have to pass the assessment.
The so-called assessment is the same for each level, and one has to fight to the death with the Blood-Clothed Guards of that level.
Captain versus captain, small flag versus small flag, general flag versus general flag...
But, how come when it comes to me, the small flag assessment has become a fight with five lieutenants???
Can you beat him?
Of course I can beat him.
With his real strength, he can defeat not only five colonels, but even fifty colonels.
But the problem is that he can only display the strength of the seventh level of enlightenment...
There is only a glimmer of hope unless those five captains are none more than the third level of enlightenment.
However, this is no longer possible.
This kind of situation is clearly aimed at targeting others and there will definitely be no room for maneuver.
If nothing unexpected happens, those five captains are at least at the fourth level of enlightenment... no, it is even possible that they have reached the fifth level of enlightenment and failed to be promoted to a small flag.
"I just got here, so I shouldn't have had the chance to offend anyone yet, right?"
Xu Chong couldn't figure it out.
"Of course, if you are afraid, you can also choose the captain's assessment. Oh no, there is no need for the assessment. With your seventh-level strength, you can directly become a captain."
Kou Ruohai raised the corner of his mouth slightly, "So, which one do you choose?"
Xu Chong narrowed his eyes: "Xiaoqi."
"Oh? You're quite courageous."
Kou Ruohai was a little surprised, then waved his hand, "Then, let's start."
The blood-robed captains instantly dispersed and each named the opponent they were assigned to.
Just when there were only the five captains left in front of Xu Chong, Xu Chong suddenly jumped up, his body as fast as lightning, rushed in front of one of them in an instant, and slapped him hard.
His purpose is clear.
Since there is no rule of calling for the start, then take the initiative and knock down one of them before these five people can react.
If there are only four people left, even if they are all at the fifth level of enlightenment, the pressure will be far less than that of five people at the fourth level of enlightenment.
There shouldn't be any problem holding on to the next stick of incense later.
With this palm, Xu Chong locked the six meridians that had already been opened and mobilized the acupoints that had not been opened, just showing the power of the seventh level of opening the acupoints.
This force is not strong, but theoretically it is enough to make a fifth-level awakening cultivator lose his combat effectiveness instantly.
As expected, the target had no time to dodge and was hit hard in the chest by the palm, and he staggered back several feet.
However, Xu Chong not only did not pursue the victory, but instead retreated and kept his distance, his face becoming serious.
"it is as expected!"
The palm strike just now did hit the unsuspecting captain.
But that strange feedback reminded Xu Chong of a scene that happened in the past.
That time at the gate of the county government office, Yang Xiong was also caught off guard and was hit by his palm, but he was injured but not killed.
At that time, Xu Chong felt two strange feedbacks in succession.
First, when his arm passed through Fu Yuanlong's body, he felt a very obvious reduction in strength. Then, when it fell on Yang Xiong, he also felt the same reduction, but the force of the reduction was not as great as that of Fu Yuanlong.
Afterwards, Xu Chong guessed that the blood-stained robes of the Blood-stained Guards were not ordinary objects.
But I didn't expect that even the lowest-level lieutenant blood robes were so strong...
Xu Chong narrowed his eyes and thought about countermeasures.
At this time, the captain who had been defeated had surrounded them with several other people, looking extremely vicious.
"Damn it! Guys, be careful. This kid is not holding back at all. I'm afraid he knows that the blood-stained robe can reduce strength."
The man cursed and spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva.
"No one has ever told him this before..."
Kou Ruohai on the stage suddenly spoke and said something in a deep voice.
"What……!!!"
The man was stunned, and then his face turned red when he realized what had happened.
If Xu Chong didn't know before that the blood-stained robe could reduce strength, it meant that that palm strike was meant to kill him!
"What a cruel boy! I was planning to just beat you up, but now..."
The man said this, signaling to his companion with his eyes.
The other four quickly understood what he meant and became excited.
"Okay, okay. We didn't get to be a small flag, so it's not bad to kill this guy as a small flag to vent our anger."
"Hey, it's been a long time since we've assessed someone's death in our institute."
“…”
At the same time, on the fifth floor of the North Building, two people were standing leaning against the railing, watching the scene on the training ground.
One is Ge Wanshan, the Blood-Clothed Captain, and the other one has a slightly darker complexion and is Duan Yuanming, the prefect of Zhanghua Prefecture.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, are even the flag assessments in your institute so brutal?"
Duan Yuanming shook his head and smiled.
He didn't pay much attention to the other captains fighting in pairs, as it was very common. But the one between five and one was the first time he had seen it.
"Not really. It seems like the general who brought him back was tricked by him and was targeting him on purpose."
Ge Wanshan looked relaxed and didn't take the following scene seriously at all.
"beat?"
Duan Yuanming was surprised. "This man is so young and yet he can participate in the small flag assessment. Could he not be a nobleman from the capital?"
“Not really.”
Ge Wanshan shook his head. "He was able to reach the seventh level of enlightenment because his father had been a prefect in Canglong County for more than ten years. Because his own qualifications were too poor, he exchanged all his contributions for great medicine to lay a foundation for him."
"Cang Long?"
Duan Yuanming's eyes flickered slightly, and he asked calmly, "No way, how much contribution can a Dianshi make to be able to exchange for enough great medicine to lay the foundation, and also to exchange for so many levels of skills?"
"Oh, this one."
Ge Wanshan touched his chin and asked, "Does the Lord still remember Fu Yuanlong?"
"Remember, the centurion who was dismembered by Wei Wuxie."
Duan Yuanming nodded, "What's wrong?"
"Fu Yuanlong received a large amount of reward for reporting Canglong's secrets."
Ge Wanshan said, pointing at Xu Chong below, "In fact, the one who really analyzed this matter was this kid named Xu Chong."
“…”
Duan Yuanming was stunned for a moment, and then he recovered as usual. He asked in confusion: "If that's the case, a young man with a good mind should be more worthy of training. What did he do to be targeted like this?"
"This is interesting. My subordinate thought he was a rare talent and showed concern for him on the way back. But when he checked the files, he found out..."
Ge Wanshan looked teasing, "It's not impossible to rely on powerful medicine to lay the foundation, but it's just a powerful medicine after all. At most, it can support him to the ninth level of opening the orifice. If he wants to break through the meridians, he still has to rely on his own aptitude... The key is that he has his father before him, so his aptitude can be imagined."
"I see."
Duan Yuanming nodded thoughtfully.
At this time, the six people who were confronting each other below began to move.
The five captains suddenly jumped up and attacked at the same time, blocking all the directions that Xu Chong could escape.
This wave of combined attacks, with ten palms coming out simultaneously, meant that Xu Chong was destined to have no choice but to take them head-on.
But even if Xu Chong's hands and feet were added together, he only had four arms and legs, and he could only block two people at most. For the rest, it seemed that he could only use his body to take the blows.
As long as you hit the target, if you are lucky you will be seriously injured or disabled, but if you are unlucky you will die.
Everyone thinks so.
Be it the five captains, or Kou Ruhai, Ge Wanshan, or Duan Yuanming who were watching the battle, they all thought so.
Only Xu Chong himself doesn't think so.
"Indeed...if I get hit, I might die."
"Because I can't reveal more of my realm, it means I can't mobilize more strength."
"Without more energy flowing through my body, my ability to withstand blows is no different from that of the seventh level of enlightenment."
"But unfortunately... In addition to my strength, I also have the Wind-Breaking Hand!"
Xu Chong's eyes narrowed, the muscles on his shoulders and back twitched ferociously, and his hands suddenly stretched out, leaving behind a trail of afterimages.
Bang, bang, bang…
A series of extremely dense muffled sounds.
Almost at the same time, Xu Chong blocked all the attacks, forcing the five captains to retreat again and again.
At this moment, everyone was stunned. Even the examiners and the examinees who were fighting each other were attracted by the dense muffled sound and stopped to look over.
Both the five captains and Kou Ruohai had their eyes wide open, as if they had seen a ghost.
Ge Wanshan, who had been paying attention to the situation below, exclaimed: "Wind-Breaking Hand?!"
——whoosh!
A figure suddenly appeared, and Ge Wanshan landed directly in front of Xu Chong: "The martial art you just used, was it the Broken Wind Hand?"
Xu Chong, who was about to take advantage of the victory to pursue the enemy, paused for a moment and nodded cautiously: "It is indeed this."
"It really is?!"
Ge Wanshan became excited, "How far have you trained... No, how much has your strength increased?"
“Only 20%.”
Xu Chong lied with his eyes open, but he was not afraid of being recognized.
First, the strength and skills he had just revealed were indeed only increased by 20%.
Second, Fu Yuanlong said that most of the Blood Robe Guards would be able to acquire this martial art, but so far no one has been able to master it to perfection.
Even if he revealed more, I'm afraid these people wouldn't be able to see it.
But what Xu Chong didn't expect was that just the answer of "20%" completely stunned Ge Wanshan.
"Twenty percent...two...percent?"
Ge Wanshan muttered to himself, and it took him a long while to come back to his senses, "Come on, hit me with the same move you just used, use your strongest strength!"
"this……"
Xu Chong hesitated.
"Just come and fight me. I'm at the tenth level of Tongmai. Are you afraid of being beaten to death? You're so fussy."
Ge Wanshan said something dissatisfied, unbuttoned his bloody robe to reveal the white lining, and put his chest in front of Xu Chong, "Come on, hit here."
“…”
Xu Chong felt a little nervous, but knowing that this was a test on him, he had to cheer himself up and do as he was told.
The purpose of keeping alert is naturally to avoid exposing more strength.
Then, a palm with the seventh level of power and 20% force amplification hit Ge Wanshan directly on the chest.
