A Jujube Wood Stick danced in Chen Ku’s hands, whipping up a howling wind as if about to burst the very air.
Yet, Chen Ku himself was well aware. The reason for such an effect was simple: mere brute force—strong enough to fling bricks and heavy enough to wield a solid stick!
His own Martial Talent was not outstanding, and with just one month’s time, it was impossible to achieve Minor Achievement in the Spirit Ape Knocking Mountain Stick technique.
But since it was the monthly exam, which determined whether he became an Apprentice, of course, he could not hold back. When else to show his capabilities if not now?
It’s like the college entrance exams in my previous life, he thought. No one held back during those, unless they didn’t want to go to college!
Naturally, Chen Ku needed to showcase his strengths.
"A genius, a diligent person, and another...possessing brute strength."
Cao Shouxiong glanced over the three individuals before him. His gaze first swept over Zhang Erniu, who practiced diligently every day, before settling on Che Ping.
Martial Arts are like a dish; two chefs following the same recipe can yield different results. The same goes for martial arts training. A single set of punches, a single Stick Technique, undertaken by two different people, produces disparate results, evident to any discerning observer. One must be moved inwardly to create outwardly meaningful results.
This difference is the distinction between a genius and a slow learner. A genius, for example, understands, comprehends, and forms their own ideas about the same concept effortlessly. The slow learner, however, merely sticks to the routine, labors in isolation, and achieves limited success.
Sometimes, even more unfair than one’s Bloodline is their innate Talent, Cao Shouxiong sighed inwardly, his gaze returning to Zhang Erniu. Effort is useful, but it cannot bridge the gap with a genius.
Then he considered Chen Ku. This person practiced Martial Arts even before he entered our hall,
As Third Shopkeeper scrutinized Chen Ku, Huang Gun was also quietly observing. He wondered to himself, Dachen Village? Huang Ba? It seems like I’ve dealt with this kid before, but Huang Ba died from a dog bite... It should have nothing to do with him. Even then, he could not entirely dismiss his suspicions.
The first portion of the exam, ’technique,’ concluded.
All the clerks could see that there were five outstanding participants in this section. How would the top three be chosen?
Instead of announcing directly, Huang Gun gestured for someone to bring out bags of herbal medicines. He said, "Those who have taken the monthly exams before know this section tests knowledge of herbal medicine. Though the category is the same, the content differs from previous tests. Each bag contains one hundred and fifty different herbal medicines, mixed together, including plants, animals, and minerals—parts commonly used in medicine. Take a fraction of each to form your answers. We Apprentices in the Medicine King Hall interact with medicine every day, so each of us must be able to ’identify a hundred herbal medicines and discern a thousand medicines.’ You have two hours. Whoever identifies the most herbal medicines by smell, recognition, observation, and identification will be the top candidate. Start!"
Upon hearing this, Chen Ku thought, This is getting more and more like an exam. So, the full score is one hundred and fifty points? With my Dog Nose, I can’t justify not getting a perfect score!
All the clerks then sat down in the courtyard, painstakingly identifying each herbal medicine one by one from the sizable bags in front of them. Regardless of accuracy, their findings had to be recorded on a sheet of paper.
Clearly, this was also an implicit requirement for recruitment by the Medicine King Hall: if you couldn’t read, you’d falter at understanding prescriptions, let alone preparing medicine for others.
Zhang Erniu, who initially had full confidence in the first section, now completely lost it. Furthermore, he was even less adept at identifying herbal medicines, especially when it came to recognizing a fragment of a leaf the size of a fingernail.
Che Ping, who had purposefully played dumb previously, also furrowed his brows in consternation.
Looking around, most of the clerks in the courtyard were carefully identifying each herbal medicine, knowing that each mistake cost a point. Only the top three would be chosen in this section, leaving no room for error.
"Third Shopkeeper, Master Qu, and the others, please go inside to rest and have a drink," a Steward came up and said. "This section always takes the most time. Every time, the clerks only reluctantly hand in their papers after the full two hours have passed..."
Cao Shouxiong nodded silently. This second task is indeed difficult, he thought. Having climbed up from the bottom himself, he had experienced this stage in the past.
The Steward continued, "I remember, Third Shopkeeper, your best record in two hours back then was identifying one hundred and forty-five different herbal medicines. In those years, no new Apprentice surpassed your Talent."
Cao Shouxiong couldn’t help but smile.
"Let’s not talk about these old stories of bravery," he said. "It’s been many years since I personally concocted any medicine. Come on, let’s go have a cup of tea, rest a bit, and then wait for the results..."
Although he spoke these words, he indeed felt proud of his past achievements.
Just as Cao Shouxiong was about to leave, he suddenly noticed Hundred Herbs Hall’s Pharmacist Qu Hua, standing frozen, staring in one direction.
"Master Qu? What are you looking at..."
Cao Shouxiong turned around curiously to ask but, following Qu Hua’s gaze, he also exclaimed in surprise, "Eh!"
At that moment, all the notable figures from Medicine King Hall turned their attention toward the young man at that table.
One could see the youth grab a handful of herbal medicine fragments in each hand, look at them, smell them, and then casually write down the answers on a piece of paper beside him. He did so with almost no hesitation, as if he didn’t need to think at all... Both hands moving simultaneously, one herbal medicine name after another flowed onto the paper smoothly and unhesitatingly, as if he were...scribbling!
This child... Cao Shouxiong thought, furrowing his brows.
Chen Ku put down his pen, stood up, and silently approached Master Qu Hua from the Hundred Herbs Courtyard, who was supervising. Chen Ku bowed slightly. "Master Qu, I have finished."
Qu Hua looked at Chen Ku with astonishment and suspicion before turning that dubious gaze to the paper in his hands. The more he read... the more vibrant his expression became.
Seeing this, Cao Shouxiong slowly walked over. "Let me see," he said.
Taking the paper from Qu Hua’s hand and looking it over, Cao Shouxiong saw the somewhat ugly handwriting, but it indeed listed names of herbal medicines. He raised an eyebrow at Qu Hua. "What’s the matter? Did he scribble randomly?"
"No..." Qu Hua murmured, shaking his head. "He’s got them all right."
Cao Shouxiong’s face showed deep emotion. "How long has it been? Just the time for a cup of tea, and he’s got them all right? One hundred and fifty herbal medicines? All correct?"
After speaking, he first cast a cold glance at Chen Ku, then looked at Qu Hua with suspicion.
Qu Hua exhaled deeply. He knew full well what Third Shopkeeper was thinking and couldn’t help but say, "Third Shopkeeper, I know what you’re thinking. But I only decided on this test today, and I have no relationship whatsoever with this lad. Besides, who would cheat so blatantly?"
"Then?" Cao Shouxiong asked subconsciously. "How do you explain this?"
"There’s only one explanation. In the field of herbal medicine concoction, he is..."
Qu Hua murmured four words:
Having said this, Qu Hua looked at Chen Ku with fervent eyes and declared, "Third Shopkeeper, this kid, let him come to my Hundred Herbs Courtyard as an Apprentice. I want to mentor him personally; no one else should dare compete with me for him!"