"Could this be the legendary innate divine strength? To have such astonishing power without using internal energy!"
The gentle-looking middle-aged man felt that even if Li Yan, being so young, failed to pass this test, his potential was still astounding. He needed to carefully inquire about his origins.
"I've heard that in ancient times, there was a person born with divine strength who could lift a cauldron at the age of seven. By the time he was fifteen, he could dominate the martial world with his divine strength alone. Few could withstand a single blow from his hammer. It's a pity he died from a poisoned feather in the end. But he left behind an incomparably domineering statement: 'It is a pity I cannot soar to the nine heavens. I hate that the heavens have no handle and the earth has no ring, for otherwise, I would surely turn this world upside down!' Although this young man cannot be compared to that person, once these Yin-Yang Stones stick together, even I would have to use about eighty percent of my power to separate them. This must be innate divine strength. No wonder he was so confident before! If he were to practice some martial techniques and master them, although he wouldn't be able to fly around, he would definitely be a fierce general."
The gentle-looking middle-aged man thought to himself.
Veins bulged on Li Yan's arms, and his joints emitted a series of crisp, crackling sounds.
He let out another low roar. The two ebony gold giant rocks were actually pulled apart by him into a "Y" shape, their "great mouths" opened up to the sky.
Li Yan took the opportunity to thrust his arms down and fiercely arched his back.
"Open!"
As he exhaled, the two black masses swiftly flew apart.
The next moment, with two loud "bangs!", they smashed onto the ground in two different directions. The hard bluestone ground immediately cracked like a spiderweb.
The surroundings were completely silent. Only after a few full breaths did someone burst out with a cheer.
"What divine strength!"
Immediately, waves of astonished cries washed over from all around.
Although some had managed to separate the two ebony gold giant rocks by force before, no one had been able to throw them so far. It was clear how immense that last burst of power had been.
At this moment, Zhang Ming, in the center of the arena, had both his arms trembling slightly. His face was flushed, and large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.
It was evident that he had also used too much force just now, causing his physical body to bear too heavy a load.
"Excellent! Young Hero Zhang has passed this test. Please follow me inside!"
The gentle-looking middle-aged man's expression had now returned to normal, his attitude similarly much warmer.
As he spoke, he rose and walked towards the courtyard gate. Li Yan naturally followed, leaving behind a cacophony of discussion as people were still guessing at Li Yan's origins.
"Young Hero Zhang, have you practiced any martial techniques?"
As they walked towards the courtyard gate, the gentle-looking middle-aged man asked in a low voice.
"Oh, I've learned some crude fisticuffs."
Li Yan replied, still breathing a little heavily.
"Oh?"
The gentle-looking middle-aged man tilted his head slightly and once again sized up Li Yan, whose footsteps were somewhat unsteady.
Li Yan, however, just chuckled, and his gait suddenly became steady as he walked.
The gentle-looking middle-aged man was not too surprised by this. He had seen many strange characters in the martial world, so he just nodded.
"Mm, with your divine strength, as long as you master one or two forms of fisticuffs and weaponry, an ordinary first-grade master would likely not be your match!"
The gentle-looking middle-aged man continued to walk forward, still observing Li Yan's gait.
He realized that this person truly had not practiced internal energy. But on second thought, it made sense. With such innate divine strength, pursuing the path of external cultivation was a match made in heaven.
Soon, the two arrived at the gatehouse of the courtyard.
"Rest here for half an hour. I will go and inform the General. Someone will come to lead you over then."
The gentle-looking middle-aged man said to Li Yan. As he spoke, a young servant in green had already emerged from the gatehouse and politely led Li Yan inside.
These usually haughty servant boys were now showing a very respectful attitude.
Even though he was just a gatekeeper, he was a gatekeeper for the Duke's manor.
On ordinary days, even a first-rank official would have to give them a slight nod, let alone ordinary officials and common folk.
But today, they all knew that these people were not to be offended. Perhaps one of them would be the courtyard instructor who stayed behind. In the future, that person could be their direct superior. A single misstep, and they would be in for a bad time.
Li Yan said nothing more and followed the young servant in green into the gatehouse.
Although the gatehouse was not very large, it was kept very tidy inside and could accommodate seven or eight people without issue.
On a table inside, there was steaming green tea and a plate of pastries and fruits.
'They're quite thoughtful.'
Li Yan thought to himself. All those who passed the first test had expended a great deal of physical strength. Resting here for half an hour with some tea and pastries would indeed help them recover a lot of their stamina.
As long as the next tests were not as physically or internally draining as the first one, but rather focused on martial techniques, combat, or hidden weapons, they would be able to display seventy or eighty percent of their strength.
In the courtyard, Duke Cui, in his grand-tutor chair, was currently resting with his eyes closed. At his level, he could regulate his breathing and channel his energy at any time, even while walking or sitting.
Just as the gentle-looking middle-aged man stepped into the courtyard, a smile appeared on the closed-eyed Duke Cui's face, but he did not immediately open his eyes.
The few people beside him also nodded to the gentle-looking middle-aged man who was walking over unhurriedly. They also remained silent, afraid of disturbing the General's rest.
When the gentle-looking middle-aged man reached Duke Cui's side, he immediately bowed slightly and whispered a report into the old man's ear. Even after he finished speaking, the old man did not open his eyes.
The gentle-looking middle-aged man stood respectfully by his side, not asking any more questions. Only after a long while did the old man slowly speak.
"Innate divine strength, unknown origins, less than thirty years old, hehehe…"
At this point, the old man stopped speaking.
This left the few people around him unable to guess his thoughts. Did the General see this person as a spy sent by that person, or was he genuinely impressed?
But they all knew that they could not ask about things the General was unwilling to speak of. They just needed to follow his orders.
For a time, the entire courtyard fell into a deep silence.
Half an hour later, Li Yan was led into the inner courtyard by the same young servant in green.
Li Yan sized up his surroundings as he walked. He had only briefly sensed the vicinity before and had not detected the aura of any cultivators, so he hadn't used any of his Divine Sense power.
He was currently tempering himself in the mortal realm. It was best to temporarily abandon some of his cultivator's means, lest it affect his State of Mind.
Li Yan saw that this courtyard had red walls and green tiles. There were only a few simple but neatly trimmed flowers and plants in the courtyard, arranged as neatly as if measured with a ruler.
Along the way, in various corners of the courtyard, there were rows of weapon racks, filled with all kinds of weapons.
These weapons were not unsharpened practice weapons. Every single one was gleaming and deadly, a killing tool capable of taking a life in an instant.
'Truly a man from the army. This kind of thing is already carved into his bones, a part of his daily habits!'
Li Yan thought to himself. He had naturally inquired about this Duke Cui's background before coming here and had a general understanding of the man.
After passing through several corridors, a training ground appeared before Li Yan. Only a few young servants in green stood around.
Only on a high platform to the north were six people gathered, five standing and one sitting. Among them was the gentle-looking middle-aged man from before. In a grand-tutor chair in the middle, a robust old man with a full head of white hair was resting with his eyes slightly closed, enjoying the sunlight.
'What powerful internal energy!'
As Li Yan approached, he swept his gaze over them, and a hint of surprise flashed in the depths of his eyes.
Although he hadn't used his Divine Sense power, a cultivator's eyes, nourished by magical power from years of practicing immortal arts and techniques, could be said to be able to observe gods in the day and see ghosts at night.
Li Yan saw wisps of purple qi rising from the old man's body that others could not see. This purple qi only swirled about an inch from the old man's body; any further and it would dissipate.
This was a sign of internal energy reaching the Transformation Realm. In his years of walking among mortals, Li Yan had seen a few other Transformation Realm masters, but their external qi could at most extend half an inch from their bodies, or even just cling to their skin.
Of all the martial world masters Li Yan had encountered over the years, this old man was probably the strongest.
This was a protective true qi that could only be refined after cultivating internal energy to an extremely profound level. It could already automatically protect the body to a certain extent against attacks from sharp weapons like sabers and spears.
Of course, in the eyes of a cultivator, these so-called masters could probably be killed with a single spell from even a Qi Condensation stage cultivator.
But these people already possessed terrifying power that surpassed the vast majority of mortals. Though they couldn't move mountains or fill seas, tearing apart tigers and leopards with their bare hands was no longer an issue.
As Li Yan approached, everyone in the courtyard fixed their gazes on him.
Li Yan also saw the dart target placed several hundred paces away in the training ground, as well as the empty wicker basket on a layer of yellow soybeans spread on the ground for testing lightness skill…
Li Yan soon stopped at the edge of the training ground. His position was directly opposite the high platform to the north.
"Young Hero Zhang Ming, are you skilled in hidden weapons or lightness skill, or any particular weapon or martial art? Or are you perhaps adept at combat?"
At this time, it was still the gentle-looking middle-aged man on the platform who spoke.
His intention was clear. If you were familiar with a martial technique, you could demonstrate it, and they would evaluate it.
But some people might have learned only killing techniques, so asking them to demonstrate would seem ordinary. Therefore, if you only knew killing techniques, that would have to be discussed separately.
This time, Li Yan did not hesitate. He immediately replied.
"My lightness skill is passable, and I have some practice with the long spear!"
The moment he said this, the few people on the platform were all stunned, because the gentle-looking middle-aged man had already told them about Li Yan's situation.
They had thus guessed that he probably didn't know internal energy and therefore couldn't use lightness skills. But now, the other party was claiming to know "lightness skill."
And what surprised everyone even more happened at this moment.
Duke Cui, who had been resting with his eyes slightly closed, waiting for this Zhang Ming to demonstrate, suddenly jolted upon hearing Li Yan's words. His body, which had been as steady as a mountain, shook violently.
Then, under the astonished gazes of everyone, including Li Yan, Duke Cui suddenly sat up, leaning forward. Then, they saw his pair of aged eyes stare at Li Yan like two sharp beams of light.
This startled everyone around him, but if it had ended there, it would have been fine.
The moment Duke Cui saw Li Yan, his body shot up from the grand-tutor chair, and a low shout came from his mouth.
"Li—"
But then he seemed to remember something and forcefully suppressed the words in his mouth, changing them to another question.
"—Who are you?"
This sudden change not only shocked the others but also caused Li Yan to be slightly startled.
Because although Duke Cui had suppressed his shout in time and had even used his internal power to blast out the first word he uttered with a wave of air, replacing it with another phrase so that others only heard the subsequent question, Li Yan was a cultivator. He had clearly heard the other party say the word "Li." His heart jolted.