[Martial Arts Longevity Points: 2]
The first thing Xu Yang did upon opening his eyes was to look at his panel. His Martial Arts Longevity Points had increased by one.
It wasn't a huge surprise. Since he'd transmigrated, he had only been able to gain one point on most days.
This single point was not to be underestimated. If used to increase his lifespan, one point equaled one day of life.
In other words, if he didn't spend the points on anything else, this single guaranteed point per day meant that as long as no accidents befell him, he could live forever. In a sense, he had already achieved longevity.
"Stay home and wait for my good news!"
After making breakfast with the pork belly his uncle had brought over the day before, Xu Yang changed into his only set of decent clothes and pushed open the door to leave.
The rising sun had just crested the mountain, casting a golden glow upon his face.
Facing the morning sun, Xu Yang felt for the first time that its rays weren't harsh, but carried a gentle warmth.
"Ah Yang, you're dressed so nicely! Are you going on a blind date today?" a clan auntie from the workshop, who was up early, joked upon seeing his attire.
"Auntie, I just have some business to take care of in the city," Xu Yang replied, flashing a smile that revealed his white teeth.
Many people greeted him along the way, and he responded to each one. Most were simply curious about his clean clothes.
Once he was out of Bai Shi Workshop, his pace quickened.
Zhou Shunchang had given him detailed directions to the Huang Family Mansion the day before. It took him about a quarter of an hour to enter the city, and after walking for another ten minutes or so, he found the mansion without any trouble.
Xu Yang had expected a small crowd, but after announcing his name and entering the Huang Family Mansion, he saw that the spacious courtyard was teeming with people. There were at least a hundred of them, all teenage boys around sixteen or seventeen, just like him.
Everyone stood stiffly in the courtyard, not daring to move around.
Xu Yang didn't know anyone, so he simply stood off to the side. People continued to arrive, and the Root Bone assessment had not yet begun.
"Greetings, brother. I am Luo Dehu. Might I ask your name?"
A voice suddenly spoke up beside him. Xu Yang turned to see the man who called himself Luo Dehu clasping his hands in a polite salute. Xu Yang returned the gesture courteously and said, "I am Xu Yang."
Luo Dehu's gaze swept over Xu Yang's clasped hands, and the smile on his face gradually faded. "Ah, so it is Brother Xu Yang. A pleasure to meet you..."
After saying this, he silently walked away, as if he hadn't been the one to strike up the conversation in the first place.
Xu Yang was a bit bewildered. The next moment, he looked down at his own palms—rough, cracked, and lined with black from his work mining—and a knowing look crossed his face as he understood.
He was handsome, and because he worked year-round in the mines, his skin was fair and unexposed to the sun.
Combined with the decent clothes he was wearing today, he gave off the first impression of someone from a well-off family, which was why Luo Dehu had tried to befriend him.
But once he revealed the hands hidden beneath his sleeves, his identity as a mud-legged commoner who scrabbled for a living was instantly exposed. And so, without even pretending, Luo Dehu had gone straight to someone else.
'Are people really so superficial?'
Xu Yang shook his head to himself, not letting it bother him too much.
About a quarter of an hour later, several people emerged from the rear courtyard of the Huang Family mansion. The one in the lead was a white-haired old man who carried himself with great authority, his hands clasped behind his back. Of the other two, one was Xu Yang's uncle, Zhou Shunchang, holding a book and a pen, while the other was a stranger.
"Come up one by one. Those with a Root Bone of Upper D-class or higher will stay. Anyone Lower D-class or below can leave immediately," the old man announced in a clear voice.
"They actually require Upper D-class!"
"That standard is too high!"
The moment the old man spoke, the crowd erupted like a pot boiling over, and many faces turned grim.
Xu Yang was also a little surprised.
From what he had overheard earlier, he knew that Root Bone was divided into four grades—A, B, C, and D—with each grade further subdivided into upper and lower classes.
Lower D-class was the worst type of Root Bone, followed by Upper D-class, while the best was A+.
He didn't know which grade his own Root Bone, which he had raised to twenty-two, would be considered. However, judging from the crowd's strong reaction, even an Upper D-class Root Bone—the second-worst tier—was likely very rare.
"No Root Bone!"
"No Root Bone!"
...
The old man completely ignored the crowd's reactions and began the assessments. Xu Yang finally understood why everyone had been so shocked.
The old man checked five or six boys in a row, and all of them were found to have no Root Bone. Not a single one even met the elimination threshold of Lower D-class. The eighth boy finally had a Lower D-class Root Bone, but he was fated for elimination all the same.
In truth, someone with a Lower D-class Root Bone already had a chance of becoming a Martial Artist, but the Huang Family was clearly unwilling to invest in that level of potential.
"Root Bone: Upper D-class. You may stay."
When it was the eleventh person's turn, someone with an Upper D-class Root Bone finally appeared.
The boy's face lit up with joy, and he excitedly ran over to Zhou Shunchang to register his information.
As time went on, five people had been selected to stay. Most had Upper D-class Root Bones; only one had reached Lower C-class.
"Root Bone... B+!"
After another boy in patched clothes went up for his assessment, the old man announced an Upper Grade B Root Bone. Everyone stared at the boy in astonishment; even the old master conducting the assessments looked slightly surprised.
Instantly, the boy's face flushed red, and his whole body trembled. The announcement even startled some important figures from the Huang Family, who personally hurried over.
The assessments continued, but it was rare for even one person out of ten to reach Upper D-class.
Finally, it was Xu Yang's turn!
He walked up to the old master and stood still. The old man placed both hands on his shoulders and began to feel his bones.
The old master looked ancient, but his strength was beyond anything Xu Yang had imagined. His fingers felt like steel needles, as if they could pierce right through his flesh and blood.
'He must be a Martial Artist, too.'
Xu Yang grit his teeth against the sharp pain, allowing the old master to examine him from head to toe, feeling his bones inch by inch.
"Root Bone: Lower C-class!"
When the old master finally announced Xu Yang's result, Zhou Shunchang, who had been staring intently at him, was overjoyed. He even shot to his feet in excitement. Xu Yang actually had talent—and a decent Lower C-class Root Bone at that!
With a Lower C-class Root Bone, as long as one was willing to spend money on training, the chances of becoming a Martial Artist were high.
This wasn't just a chance for Xu Yang to change his destiny; he would be able to change his own as well, because Xu Yang was his nephew.
The main reason why even someone like Xu the Second would act shamelessly to foster another's son was that people with the potential to become Martial Artists were simply too rare. Any opportunity to curry favor with one could not be missed.
'He's actually a Lower C-class Root Bone!'
In the crowd, Luo Dehu secretly regretted his earlier actions. The mud-legged commoner he'd looked down on actually possessed a Lower C-class Root Bone. He shouldn't have turned his back on him before the results were out.
'I can't be so reckless in the future,' he thought, his mind racing. 'But... he probably doesn't know why I acted that way. It's not like I actually offended him.'
Most importantly, he hadn't had his own Root Bone assessed yet. He might have the potential for martial arts himself.
'So it's only Lower C-class. That Upper Grade B Root Bone really is something else.'
Xu Yang pondered this. His own Root Bone had only reached Lower C-class after he'd raised it from two to twenty-two. That Upper Grade B Root Bone, two full grades higher than his own, must have a value of fifty or more, based on his panel's data.
Of course, it could be even higher.
"Uncle!"
Lost in thought, he walked over to Zhou Shunchang and bowed respectfully.
"Good kid! You've really made me proud."
Zhou Shunchang couldn't hold back the smile spreading across his face. "From now on, train hard in your martial arts. Don't let that Root Bone of yours go to waste."
Now that he had a nephew with such a decent Root Bone, his own status in the Huang Family would be completely different in the future.
After Zhou Shunchang quickly jotted down his information, Xu Yang stepped back to join the small group of other chosen boys.