Time quietly slipped by. Unknowingly, the crowd gradually swelled, and nearly a hundred people were bustling about in the spacious front courtyard.
Chen Yuan looked left and right, but didn’t see Zhang Tieniu anywhere. This wasn’t entirely unexpected. When he mentioned it yesterday, Tieniu didn’t show any interest and had instead advised him to be cautious. However, Chen Yuan had no way back.
Soon, a few people emerged from the Gu Family’s backyard. Leading them was a square-faced middle-aged man with his hands clasped behind his back, looking like the one in charge. On his left was an old scholar in a long gown holding a brush and registry, presumably there to record the selection results. On his right stood a sturdy man in a training uniform. His exposed wrists were thick and robust—definitely the mark of a seasoned practitioner.
With their arrival, the crowd that had been squatting or sitting in the massive front courtyard all stood up, watching as the square-faced middle-aged man stopped before the erected wooden platform.
He announced loudly, "I am Gu Ye, the chief Steward for this selection. Everyone, line up right now. You will come up one by one for bone-feeling. Those with an aptitude of Grade D-Upper or higher may stay. The rest are to leave on their own."
The moment these words fell, hushed discussions broke out instantly.
"The requirements are so high. Only Grade D-Upper aptitude can stay. Looks like we made a trip for nothing."
"I should have known. There’s no such thing as a free lunch..."
Many people hung their heads in dejection. Those who came here had some understanding of bone aptitude and knew how rare a Grade D-Upper was. Out of the nearly hundred people present, probably fewer than ten would be able to stay.
"Whoever makes another sound can scram right now!" the sturdy man bellowed in a deep voice. The whispering came to a sudden halt, everyone intimidated by his imposing aura.
Under the shouts of several servants, a long, winding queue was formed in the courtyard. Chen Yuan stood in the middle of the line, observing the selection process ahead.
One by one, the youths stepped forward, allowing the sturdy man to press and examine their wrist bones, hip bones, shoulders, and spines. He would then announce the harsh, realistic results in a low voice:
"No bone aptitude. Next."
"Grade D-Lower bone aptitude. Next."
"No bone aptitude. Next."
...
After feeling the bones of ten consecutive people, not a single one passed the selection. They were all led out, sullen and unhappy.
The square-faced middle-aged man, Gu Ye, frowned. This was a poor start. Fortunately, the eleventh testee, a slightly skinny youth with freckles on his face, passed the test.
"Grade D-Upper bone aptitude. Go wait on the side, and state your name."
The freckled youth’s slightly trembling hands and feet instantly gave way to a face brimming with joy; he even looked a little in disbelief. It wasn’t until the old scholar asked for his name that he hastily replied. Gu Ye also gave him a brief nod. Many people cast envious glances at him. With a Grade D-Upper bone aptitude, he at least had a chance to change his destiny.
The selection continued and soon reached the halfway mark. During this time, two more people passed the selection, possessing Grade D-Upper and Grade C-Lower aptitudes, respectively. So far, the best result was only Grade C-Lower.
After the person in front of him was eliminated for having no bone aptitude, Chen Yuan took a deep breath, stepped forward, and extended his hands.
The sturdy man began examining from the wrist bones as usual, followed by the shoulders, hip bones, and spine. Chen Yuan felt the master’s hidden strength pierce through his skin and penetrate straight into his bones, causing a deeply tingling sensation. After finishing the examination, the man frowned and felt his bones all over again before speaking carefully, "Your bone aptitude is acceptable. You can barely touch the threshold of Grade C-Lower, which is considered exceptionally good among the Grade D-Upper ranks. Go register."
"Thank you, Master," Chen Yuan thanked him excitedly.
Seeing the master frown and examine him a second time, he had thought there was something wrong with his body. It turned out the man was just unsure if it was Grade D-Upper or Grade C-Lower. That meant if his bone aptitude attribute increased to 30, it would be Grade C-Lower... What a pity. But overall, it was still a good result! He finally had the chance to practice martial arts. Chen Yuan clenched his fists and let out a long sigh of relief.
"What’s your name? Where are you from?" the old scholar asked without looking up.
"Chen Yuan, Hundred Herbs Lane," Chen Yuan replied after a moment of thought. He then bowed in greeting to Gu Ye, "Steward Gu."
Gu Ye gave a slight hum of acknowledgment, sizing Chen Yuan up and committing the appearance of this top-tier Grade D-Upper youth to memory. However, he still couldn’t bring himself to be happy. Even the strongest Grade D-Upper was still inferior to a Grade C-Lower. If trained properly, he would only be an ordinary Nursing Home. What he needed were Grade B or even Grade A talents. Those were the ones truly worth heavily investing in.
Soon, a dark-skinned youth with somewhat timid eyes stepped forward for the bone-feeling. The sturdy man’s expression suddenly changed. He carefully examined the boy a second time before announcing loudly, "Not bad, Grade B-Lower bone aptitude!"
Saying so, he nodded at Gu Ye. The usually unsmiling Steward looked at the dark-skinned youth and revealed a rare smile, as if admiring an uncut piece of jade.
Chen Yuan clicked his tongue in amazement. This person’s bone aptitude was much better than his. Since 30 points were required to reach Grade C-Lower, Grade B-Lower would need at least 50 points or more. Improving his bone aptitude would be a heavy responsibility and a long road ahead. The rest of the crowd all cast envious glances. Even with their limited knowledge, they knew this youth had just struck it big.
As the morning sun climbed high into the sky and Noon approached, everyone had finished the bone-feeling test. Out of nearly a hundred youths, only eight remained in the end. One with Grade B-Lower, two with Grade C-Lower, and five with Grade D-Upper.
Among the two Grade C-Lowers was a girl with a stubborn expression, which was rather rare. What poor family would support their daughter in practicing martial arts? Only the young ladies of large, wealthy families had the opportunity to dabble in it. In addition, Sun Chengjie had also passed the selection, staying behind with a Grade D-Upper bone aptitude.
Gu Ye glanced at the registry, then looked around at the eight of them, and spoke slowly, "First, congratulations to all of you for passing the selection. You are all talents with the hope of becoming Martial Artists. However, let me put the ugly truth up front. The Gu Family does not provide resources for free, nor do we offer indefinite sponsorship.
"First, the level of sponsorship is based on bone aptitude. The better the bone aptitude, the better the resources. I believe you can all understand this.
"Second, the Gu Family will assess your performance every month. If you fail to meet the standards, the sponsorship will be terminated immediately. Conversely, if you perform excellently, the level of sponsorship will be increased.
"Third, if you successfully break through the martial barrier, you must serve the Gu Family. Of course, if you are eliminated halfway, there is no need to worry about this clause.
"For now, these are the three points. Do you have any objections?"
No one raised any objections. Clearly, this was already very generous. Even if they failed the assessment and were eliminated, they would lose nothing. The third rule about serving the Gu Family was also understandable. Who could accept a painstakingly cultivated Martial Artist running off to a rival faction? Besides, it wasn’t as if they wouldn’t receive a monthly allowance; even if it was a little less, it didn’t matter.
Looking at the driven and ambitious eyes of the young boys and girls, Gu Ye nodded in satisfaction. "In that case, I will detail the specific arrangements with you."
This mainly pertained to the choice of the Martial Arts Hall and the distribution of sponsorship levels. Generally, the three youths with Grade B-Lower and Grade C-Lower were grouped into one tier and could join the Changhong Martial Arts Hall to practice martial arts.
Among them, Yu Yan, who had the Grade B-Lower aptitude, received the highest sponsorship level, amounting to seven taels of silver in resources per month. Excluding the two taels for tuition, the remaining five taels were supplemented in the form of various resources. This included meat, which was essential for practicing martial arts, as well as high-end goods like Body-Strengthening Soup, Blood and Qi Powder, and medicinal baths. These could help rapidly accumulate blood and qi, building up a solid foundation to break through the martial barrier.
The two Grade C-Lowers received five taels of silver in resources per month. After deducting two taels for tuition, the rest was similarly provided in the form of meat and medicinal soups. Even if it wasn’t as much as Yu Yan’s, it was enough for beginners.
The remaining five with Grade D-Upper bone aptitudes were sent to the Huo Family Martial Arts Academy to train. The tuition there only cost one tael of silver per month. However, they only received a monthly sponsorship of two taels of silver. After paying the tuition, they were left with just one tael of silver, which was barely enough to have meat with every meal. With inferior bone aptitude and inferior resources, it was already foreseeable that the gap between them and the others would widen.
Chen Yuan was an exception. Because the bone-feeling man had commented that he touched the threshold of Grade C-Lower, Gu Ye raised his sponsorship to two taels and five maces of silver. The extra five maces could be used to buy more meat or purchase medicinal soups, preventing him from being strapped for cash.
However, after Steward Gu finished explaining this to the five of them, he added, "In my eyes, Chen Yuan has a higher potential than the rest of you, so he receives an extra five maces. But if any of you train better than Chen Yuan this month, those five maces will go to you next month. I will add an additional five maces for the person with the best performance."
The moment these words were spoken, Chen Yuan instantly felt several sharp gazes directed at him.