The Western Drill Grounds of the Outer City.
Ten o'clock in the morning.
Drumbeats started to echo from around the drill grounds.
The drum sounds thundered, growing more urgent with each beat.
Simultaneously, the orderly sound of marching footsteps erupted from the perimeter.
People looked towards the source of the noise.
Instantly, they saw two squads of soldiers clad in impressive armor, brandishing sharp weapons and charging forward with high spirits.
Each soldier was dressed in dark armor that, despite the sunlight, still gleamed with an ominous shade.
Long halberds in hand, they shimmered with a cold light.
"This vigor, this excellent equipment, truly befits the elite soldiers under Master Wang's command!" Cheng Ran exclaimed from behind.
Jiang Ning watched the scene and nodded silently to himself.
Given his knowledge of history from his previous life, from ancient times until now, only a few elite soldiers and generals' personal guards could afford such complete armor.
Yet, these two squads of soldiers were merely a hundred-man detachment stationed in Luoshui County.
A mere county's garrison force possessing such formidable presence and elite equipment was indeed remarkable.
"This Master Wang seems to be quite wealthy!" Jiang Ning thought to himself.
According to his knowledge, although the armor surely wasn't forged from hundred-refined iron and was of relatively common materials, outfitting a single soldier would still cost at least several hundred taels of silver.
Not to overstate, but just equipping these two fine squads would have cost tens of thousands of taels of silver.
And that was merely for two squads of armored and sharp soldiers.
What if there were more?
The crowd was parted by the two squads of soldiers.
A man dressed in a dark robe with black and gold trim suddenly appeared in everyone's sight.
The man appeared to be around forty, with a composed face, his emotions indecipherable, his depths impenetrable.
"Master Hong has arrived!" Wang Jin spoke up, his expression solemn.
"Master, is that man Hong Minghu, Master Hong?" Li Qing asked.
"What a formidable presence! Even from afar, his powerful aura causes my heart to tremble," Li Qing marveled.
Wang Jin replied, "Of course, it's rumored that Master Hong Minghu is at the peak of Sixth Rank, and by now he might have even reached Fifth Grade."
"One man, able to easily decimate us all."
Hearing the conversation between Li Qing and Wang Jin, Jiang Ning was not surprised.
Because in the intelligence provided by Lin Qingyi, there was mention of Hong Minghu's strength.
Peak of Sixth Grade, possessing the power of both dragon and tiger, an invincible presence within Luoshui County.
Behind Hong Minghu followed Master Wang, whom he had met once before.
Beside Master Wang were four individuals, three men and a woman, all moving with the same commanding presence.
Then, the two squads of soldiers followed behind and dispersed around the perimeter of the drill grounds.
Hong Minghu arrived on the high platform and sat down on the chair atop it.
"Let's begin!" he spoke indifferently.
His voice seemed faint but reached clearly into the ears of everyone in the drill grounds.
"Inner Breath!" Jiang Ning heard the clear voice beside him and tensed up.
Because he had witnessed such a method before, demonstrated by Lin Qingyi.
"Looking at this, this Residence Master might not be Sixth Rank, but Fifth Grade!"
On the high platform of the drill grounds.
Following Hong Minghu's commands, a person stood forth on the platform.
"The rules are simple. The first step is to lift an 800-pound iron lock and hold it for three breaths to pass."
With that, the person gestured with a wave of his hand.
From the stands where the Martial Arts Garden students were sitting, people began to stand up one after another.
They leaped down from the high platform.
They were the first batch to be assessed.
Quickly, it was no surprise that the students passed.
Lifting an 800-pound iron lock for three breaths wasn't too difficult for an ordinary Ninth Grade Martial Artist.
After all, a Ninth Grade Martial Artist typically starts with the strength of at least 700 pounds.
800 pounds were merely a hundred pounds more than the threshold for just entering Ninth Grade.
For the students of the Martial Arts Garden, it was an easy task.
Moreover, they were already aware of the assessment rules beforehand, and those who couldn't meet them wouldn't come to the drill grounds to embarrass themselves.
After the Martial Arts Garden students returned to the stands, it was time for the various factions to participate.
From every pavilion, individuals came forth to partake in the iron lock assessment in the center of the drill grounds.
Some succeeded, and some failed.
Most who had just entered Ninth Grade had only 700 pounds of strength.
To lift an 800-pound iron lock for a full three breaths, mere strength at the threshold of 800 pounds was insufficient.
The martial practitioners from Luoshui County weren't like the Martial Arts Garden students, who were nourished with great medicines from a young age to strengthen their foundations.
Thus, most of the Ninth Grade Martial Artists from Luoshui were barely meeting the basic criteria.
Without having achieved the Stone Skin level of Refining Skin, it was difficult to possess the strength of 800 pounds.
Under these circumstances, failures in the assessment began to mount.
Some, even if they barely lifted the 800-pound iron lock, ultimately couldn't endure for three breaths and failed.
Whenever someone failed, the host on the high platform unceremoniously crossed out the corresponding name from his list.
If one's strength didn't meet the standard, it was deemed a failed assessment.
Within two hours, it was God's Prestige Martial Arts Hall's turn.
From within, five individuals emerged, three men and two women.
"Master Wang, my disciples will lead the way!" Yu Yuan declared.
"Please, Master Yu," Wang Jin said, gesturing for them to proceed.
Meanwhile, at the outskirts of the drill grounds.
"Elder, if nothing goes awry, the man called Jiang Ning should be present here."
"I understand," the middle-aged man in the grey robe nodded slightly.