Whoosh!
The heavy Horse Chopping Saber whistled through the air, aiming straight for Tang Wen.
With his hands clasped behind his back, Tang Wen tapped his foot lightly and darted backward like a bird, evading the strike by several meters.
The wielder of the Horse Chopping Saber pressed forward, but Tang Wen leaped away once more.
One minute passed, then five, then fifteen.
Tang Wen's hands remained behind his back the entire time.
He simply moved his legs, leading the saber-wielding man in circles around the arena.
Finally, the man stopped, leaning on the saber's hilt for support, panting heavily, his eyes filled with despair.
He couldn't touch Tang Wen!
Not even close!
Tang Wen hadn't even struck, blocked, or held a weapon.
He merely moved within a small circle, while the man, armed with a two-meter-long Horse Chopping Saber, couldn't even graze Tang Wen's clothes.
Tang Wen glanced at General Zhao.
The latter, with a complicated expression, called a halt to the match: "That's enough! Your Horse Chopping Saber technique is decent, but your speed and explosive power are lacking. Go back and train harder."
"Thank you for your guidance, General," the man replied dejectedly as he left.
Looking around at the other arenas, where candidates were exchanging blows with Commanders, he felt even more disheartened.
Turning back, General Zhao said to Tang Wen, "You need to fight them properly. You can't just rely on speed to bully them."
Tang Wen nodded indifferently.
The three consecutive challengers had given him a rough idea of their skill level—and his own.
The fourth challenger, having watched Tang Wen's match with the Horse Chopping Saber and noticing Tang Wen was unarmed, swapped his Steel Shield for a smaller round steel shield and picked up a longsword before entering the arena.
"Quite the equipment, huh?" Tang Wen chuckled.
"Begin!"
In the blink of an eye, Tang Wen closed the distance.
The challenger, though startled, remained composed, slashing his sword toward Tang Wen's eyes.
Tang Wen swung his fist upward, striking the blade with a crisp clang.
The sword bent under the force, and the challenger nearly lost his grip.
Before the man could react, Tang Wen sank into a horse stance, his mind quickly conjuring the image of a fireball smashing into a mountain.
Warm energy surged, and his fist shot forward.
Mountain-Cracking Cannon Fist!
Boom!
The fist collided with the steel shield, shattering it into pieces.
The challenger staggered, struggling to keep his balance, but ultimately tripped and fell.
His shield-bearing right arm had gone completely limp.
"Cannon Fist?"
"When did you learn Cannon Fist?" General Zhao exclaimed in astonishment, momentarily forgetting to tend to the injured challenger.
The man clutched his arm, drenched in cold sweat, but gritted his teeth without a sound.
Tang Wen didn't answer, quickly signaling for a medic.
"Hmm, it's not too serious. His arm is broken in three places. Take him to the clinic and set it with splints!"
Tang Wen breathed a sigh of relief. As a fellow guard, he didn't want to cause anyone permanent harm.
"I'm asking you, when did you learn Cannon Fist?"
"Haha, just the past couple of days. It was a lucky coincidence—I just picked it up."
He wasn't lying. The difficulty of mastering the Mountain-Cracking Cannon Fist had exceeded his expectations.
[Mountain-Cracking Cannon Fist, Proficiency (121/3000)]
After two months of grueling practice, he had finally reached the proficiency level, but using it still felt awkward.
Only when his opponent left an opening, as in the previous match, could he visualize and execute the punch.
If someone attacked him suddenly, he wouldn't be able to react in time.
"How many times have you viewed the Visualization Diagram?" General Zhao asked with anticipation in his eyes.
Every application to view the Visualization Diagram was recorded, so Tang Wen answered truthfully, "It's not a matter of how many times. I stayed there the entire day."
"So, you only viewed it once?!" His voice instantly rose an octave.
People around them turned to look.
"Confidential! Keep it confidential, understand?" General Zhao quickly lowered his voice again.
Another true genius!
Tang Wen looked at him speechlessly: You're the one who shouted, okay.
While the two were conversing, the last Guard Captain waiting for the assessment had already lost hope.
He grabbed his hair, racking his brain, but couldn't figure out how to last longer.
It wasn't that he was incompetent; it was that Commander Tang was just too monstrous!
General Zhao's eyes were filled with joy as he waved his hand and said, "Alright. Since you're not good at assessing others, I'll take care of this one."
Tang Wen complied readily, "I still have much to learn and will study diligently under your guidance, General."
"Cut the flattery!"
"General, I sincerely mean it."
"Go, go, stand outside. Next candidate, step forward."
Noticing General Zhao's beaming expression, Tang Wen made a mental note: General Zhao really likes this kind of thing.
After the martial assessment concluded, apart from Zhou Bing and Tang Wen, only three new Commanders were selected.
Even with the two of them, they were still halfway short of the goal of selecting ten Commanders.
However, the target of selecting a hundred Captains was achieved. Many elite members of the hunting guards or the Guards, who had trained in martial arts for years, were close to the level of Martial Practitioners.
They were ready-made Captains.
With the assessments and selections completed, Tang Wen, Zhou Bing, and the three new Commanders followed General Zhou and other seniors to the Queen's palace.
Upon arriving, Tang Wen felt somewhat disappointed.
Though it was called a palace, it wasn't much different from the residences in the camp.
It lacked the grandeur one would expect from the residence of a prominent figure.
It was just an ordinary house, albeit built with heavier stones and a slightly higher roof.
Led by General Zhou, they entered a room with a plaque that read "Council Hall."
Inside, it was empty.
A large round table, dozens of chairs, and a terrain sandbox in the center of the room.
"Everyone, take a seat."
There was a clatter of chairs being pulled out.
Tang Wen and Zhou Bing sat near the door.
After some casual words of encouragement, General Zhou began assigning positions.
"Liu Sha, Zhang Mian, Qian Lai, introduce yourselves to everyone."
Two middle-aged men and one young man stood up. They were the other three newly promoted Commanders.
The two middle-aged men introduced themselves first. They came from the ordinary Guard Barracks and had previously held Captain-level positions in the outer city.
Their duties were relatively idle, so they had plenty of time to practice martial arts.
After years of diligent training, they finally mastered the Mountain-Cracking Cannon Fist two years ago.
After another two years of rigorous practice, they could now execute it in actual combat.
Thus, they passed the assessment and became Commanders.
General Zhou and General Zhao discussed briefly and then asked, "Given your limited combat experience, we will assign you to General Zhao's command in the inner city. You will jointly lead the First Hunting Battalion, each commanding ten teams."
"Yes, General!" The two stood at attention, their backs straight.
The younger Qian Lai stood up third.
He was from the Guards, not yet twenty-five, and could be considered a genius.
When asked where he wanted to be assigned, Qian Dong thought for a moment and said, "Generals, I still wish to return to the Guards. However, I believe the current state of the Guards needs to change. We lack real combat experience."
"Hmm, the issue you raised has also come to our attention. In the next step, the Guards will rotate duties both internally and externally, so there will be no shortage of combat experience. Then, you shall return to the Guards!"
"Thank you, General!"
After the three of them had finished speaking, it was Zhou Bing and Tang Wen's turn.
Zhou Bing hardly needed an introduction. Within the inner and outer city, anyone of status knew of her.
The most beautiful woman in the camp, a widow, a genius, and General Zhou's niece.
Anyone with just one of these identities would already be a well-known figure in the camp.
The Ice Beauty had all four.
She spoke briefly, and General Zhou did not assign her a position, instead signaling for Tang Wen to stand up.
Tang Wen's introduction was even simpler: "There's not much left in my family, just an older sister. As for my residence, I'm currently staying at Sister Bing's place. In terms of martial arts, there's not much to say—just hard work and dedication."
"What hard work? You mastered the Cannon Fist at fifteen. You're a genius," General Zhao chuckled and scolded.
"General, I'm no genius. I just used the time others spend drinking tea to practice martial arts."
The room fell silent for a moment. His words seemed humble, yet they car
ried a deeper meaning. Everyone couldn't help but glance down at the tea in their cups: Hmm, maybe I should quit drinking tea?
A few seconds later, General Zhou coughed lightly, breaking the silence. "Alright, let's move on to discussing the responsibilities for Zhou Bing and Tang Wen."
(End of Chapter)