A Martial Saint Among Men: From Joining a Martial Arts School

About half an hour later, the previously noisy teenagers suddenly quieted down and saw a group of people walking towards them in the distance.

The leader was a refined-looking middle-aged man, in his forties, with an impressive air. Chu Xuan recognized him; he was none other than Bai Qiye, the head of the seventh branch of the Bai family. Beside him was a gaunt old man, and behind him was a group of strong and capable guards!

"This humble one, Chu Xuan, greets Seventh Master Bai!"

Upon seeing Master Bai approach, Chu Xuan immediately stepped out from the crowd, bowed to him, and said, "Thank you, Master Bai, for granting me this opportunity. If I achieve anything in the future, I will repay your kindness with my life!"

"what?"

Bai Qiye suddenly stopped, looked Chu Xuan up and down with surprise, and asked with a playful tone, "You must be Zeng Hong's nephew? You're educated?"

"I never went to school. I learned to read from my father once," Chu Xuan said truthfully.

Master Bai raised an eyebrow again.

Even the old man standing next to Master Bai looked at Chu Xuan with surprise.

These days, literate children are extremely rare in the outer city. Of the hundred-plus people present, probably only a handful can be read. And that includes those who can't even recognize all the characters.

"Not bad." Master Bai nodded, without saying anything more. "Go."

"Yes."

Chu Xuan was not disappointed. He calmly retreated back into the crowd, ignoring the surprised or disdainful looks from the other teenagers.

Now is not the time to hide our talents!

He bowed and thanked him, and deliberately spoke in a literary style, all to attract Master Bai's attention and to highlight his literacy.

To change his fate, he must use every means to prove himself! Even leaving just a slight impression on the other party might play a crucial role at some critical moment.

As for being despised and ridiculed for trying to please the crowd?

Considering Xie Hui, who lurks around his doorstep like a hungry wolf every day, losing face like this is nothing!

After several guards placed the tables and chairs they had brought in the middle of the courtyard, the gaunt old man sat down and said, "Everyone, line up and come forward one by one to have your bones examined. Those whose bone structure is below grade C can leave after the examination..."

Instead of joining the old man, Master Bai sat down in a nearby pavilion, took the teacup offered by a maid, and looked at it with interest, clearly having no intention of interfering.

This left Chu Xuan slightly disappointed.

It seems that one's inherent qualities truly determine everything.

Other advantages are utterly useless in the face of innate talent!

Chu Xuan didn't know his own physical constitution. He subconsciously brought up the control panel.

[Energy Value: 8]

It's still the same as before, there's been no improvement. I just don't know if this essence value is useful for physical constitution.

At this moment, the gaunt old man had already begun to feel the bones amidst the boy's grimacing screams.

"Lacking any backbone!"

"Lacking any backbone!"

"Lacking any backbone!"

……

The old man touched more than a dozen boys, but not a single one showed any potential. This made the boys queuing behind him uneasy, and they lost their appetite for conversation, queuing up with heavy hearts.

When he touched the twentieth person, the gaunt old man finally let out a soft exclamation: "Beneficial aptitude, acceptable!"

The crowd erupted in commotion, casting countless envious glances.

The boy whose bones were touched was so excited that he cried tears of joy.

Of the next twenty people, three more were found to have good aptitude. Unfortunately, only one met the requirements, and even then, his aptitude was only below Grade C. The other two were only at Grade D and had to leave with regret.

The boys queuing behind them became increasingly nervous.

Out of forty people, only two were selected who met the criteria!

They had previously heard that as long as one's physical attributes reached the lower grade (C), they could be selected, and they thought the requirements weren't too difficult.

After all, below Bing is Ding, and that means having no foundation.

Only then did everyone realize how demanding this requirement was!

The next ten were rather unexpected; three of them passed. One of them even had the best innate talent, the best talent found so far, causing another stir.

Chu Xuan was in the eighties or so in line. He didn't get agitated like the other teenagers, nor did he feel anxious or uncertain. Instead, he kept staring at the subtle expressions on the face of the old man at the front who was supposed to be feeling bones.

After waiting for more than half an hour, it was Chu Xuan's turn.

Six people in front of him met the requirements.

"Bear with it!"

The old man glanced at Chu Xuan and offered a rare reminder. Then, he grabbed Chu Xuan by the back of the neck with one hand like an eagle's claw and lifted him up like a chick.

With his other hand, he pinched and pulled at Chu Xuan's ribs and spine, sometimes quickly and sometimes slowly.

Chu Xuan finally understood why the people in front of him were screaming like pigs being slaughtered. Even though he was mentally prepared, he was in so much pain that he almost screamed out loud, and his whole body convulsed uncontrollably.

Despite being in so much pain that he almost rolled his eyes back, Chu Xuan kept his eyes glued to the subtle expressions on the old man's face.

When he saw the old man pause, his heart skipped a beat. Before the old man could withdraw his hand, he quickly slipped a money pouch into the man's hand, using his body as cover.

The old man glanced at Chu Xuan but said nothing. He secretly weighed his money pouch and then looked at Chu Xuan with surprise.

This kid has some big spending skills!

It was a full ten taels of silver!

You should know that the tuition for these martial arts schools in the inner city is only about thirty taels a year!

The old man frowned inwardly.

Chu Xuan's physical attributes fall somewhere between the lower Bing and the upper Ding. If we're being precise, they're closer to the upper Ding.

If it were any other teenager, he wouldn't mind handling things strictly by the book.

how...

Chu Xuan gave so much!

"This kid seems to have some connection with Master Bai?"

Recalling Chu Xuan's greeting earlier, the old man made up his mind and immediately called out, "Bing, pass!"

"Phew~"

Chu Xuan finally breathed a sigh of relief; his palms were already sweaty.

My heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down.

He opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything for a moment. He could only bow to the old man as a sign of gratitude, and then, trying to remain calm, walked towards the six people in front of him.

He's the seventh!

After resting for a while, Chu Xuan could still feel his heart pounding.

The moment the old man frowned, he had already guessed that his own potential was probably stuck at a critical point.

He had been observing the old man's micro-expressions.

Based on the observations of the previous seventy or eighty people, he discovered that the old man's micro-expressions would change differently each time he felt different bones.

For example, when touching someone who lacks backbone, they will show obvious disgust. This is undisguised.

When you feel the bone structure that meets the requirements, your eyebrows will unconsciously twitch slightly. It's very subtle and hard to notice without careful observation.

When the old man sensed a promising talent, like the young man in the story, his expression was one of surprise.

The points above and below are critical. When the old man touches these two types of bones, he pauses for a significantly longer time than when he touches other bones, as if he is weighing the situation before calling out.

There are also subtle differences between the two.

For example, Ding would frown before shouting, while Bing would not frown and would be a little faster.

Chu Xuan observed so carefully that he was worried that his own constitution might be stuck at a critical point.

Unexpectedly, he actually ran into it.

He immediately deduced that his physical attributes were most likely Ding Shang, perhaps even better, but probably not Bing Xia.

So, before the old man could withdraw his hand, he decisively stuffed the money bag containing ten taels of silver into the other man's hand!

This isn't gambling, it's a bet!

If he fails, he'll at worst be kicked out and lose face, and at most lose another ten taels of silver; but if he succeeds, he will no longer need to fear Xie Hui, his sister's safety will be guaranteed, and his mother will no longer have to live in fear every day!

Of course, he wouldn't have taken this risk if Xie Hui, that venomous snake, hadn't been around! If his aptitude were only average, or even worse, Chu Xuan would have decisively given up and chosen another way to join the martial arts school.

Fortunately, his previous efforts were not in vain.

Chu Xuan guessed that his earlier gesture of greeting Master Bai Qi must have influenced the old man's decision.

Just as Chu Xuan was lost in thought, the gaunt old man's angry voice once again drew everyone's attention.

The gaunt old man, clutching a money pouch, pointed at a young man who had just had his bones examined and angrily shouted, "You scoundrel! Who gave you the audacity to bribe this old man?!"

The boy who was being scolded had his face flushed red and lowered his head, wishing he could disappear into the ground.

The commotion also attracted the attention of Bai Qiye, who was feeling rather bored.

"Manager Zhao, what's going on?" Master Bai asked as he walked over.

The gaunt old man roared, "That brat dared to bribe me just now, trying to get away with it! Humph, I've always been upright and honest; how could I bow down for a mere two taels of silver? This isn't a bribe; it's clearly an insult to me! It's utterly outrageous!"

"What kind of talent does this young man have?" Master Bai asked.

"Ding Zhong!" the gaunt old man said.

Master Bai's eyes immediately turned icy cold: "Get him out!"

Immediately, two guards with pitchforks stepped forward, picked up the boy, and carried him outside.

"My money! Give it back! My father sold my sister to get it, please... give it back to me..." the boy cried and shouted, but no one paid any attention.

Master Bai's gaze swept over the last ten youths, his eyes blazing with murderous intent. "Do you really think the Bai family's money comes from thin air? Anyone who tries to bluff their way through again, break their leg and throw them out!"

The remaining ten boys were all terrified, their faces turning deathly pale. They dared not harbor any further thoughts.

Soon, all ten people had finished their bone examinations.