On this day, a disciple of the martial arts school reported that Zhao Ziyan would be back today. Xu Zhutao had been waiting outside the hall for a long time after hearing that. He had been waiting outside the palace from 11:00 to 12:00. He was about to doze off when he heard footsteps. He looked up and saw two women walking over leisurely. It was his master, Zhao Ziyan.
Xu Zhutao quickly walked up and said,"Master, I thought you wouldn't be coming back tonight!”
Zhao Ziyan said coldly," I've been waiting for a long time. Why don't you cultivate properly when you have the time?!"”
"Hehe, I've only waited for two hours. I didn't delay my practice."”
Zhao Ziyan: " Prepare yourself. Tomorrow, I will test your martial arts skills. You didn't slack off when I left the mountain, right?"”
"I dare not slack off." Xu Zhutao said.”
"As long as you're free." After saying that, he entered the hall.
Xu Zhutao pulled the sleeve of the woman behind his master and winked."Senior Sister, how have you been?"
This woman was called Su Qingwan, Zhao Ziyan's personal maid. However, Xu Zhutao was used to calling her Senior Sister because Su Qingwan was indeed three months older than him. Moreover, she was the one who served his master and knew his master's intentions the best. Usually, Xu Zhutao would have to look for her if he wanted to find out more about his master.
" I'm fine," Su Qingwan said." Junior Brother, are you feeling unwell?"”
"No, it's just that Senior Sister has been away from the mountain for a long time, so I miss her very much."”
"You have a glib tongue!" Su Qingwan said. What did he want to ask? Tell me."
"About that…the exam…" Xu Zhutao said.
" Maybe the Great Palace Master will be in a good mood tomorrow," Su Qingwan said." That way, you won't have to take the test. It's also possible that your opponent will be me." You're on your own."
The next morning, Su Qingwan called Xu Zhutao out of the hall. Zhao Ziyan, who was dressed in a white gown, and Zhao Yumei, who was dressed in a green dress, were already waiting there. Xu Zhutao walked over and bowed to the two of them.
Zhao Ziyan: " Later, we will test your qinggong, hidden weapons, sword art, and internal strength. Qinggong is a contest between you and Su Qingwan. The two of you will start from here and run to the martial arts club at the foot of the mountain. The hidden weapon is a contest between you and your martial uncle, to see if you can shoot down one row of lanterns at a time.”
She pointed at a row of peach trees more than 20 steps away from the square in front of the hall. There was a rope tied to each of the peach trees, and there were ten small lanterns hanging from each rope. The rope was not in a straight line. It began to tilt slightly to the side at the seventh lantern. The rope at the eighth, ninth, and tenth lanterns was slightly more inclined than the previous lantern. The first six lanterns were in a straight line, but the last four lanterns were in an arc. The two rows of lanterns on the left and right of the tree were the same.
"What about the sword technique?" Xu Zhutao nodded.”
"I'll compete with you, Su Qingwan, in swordsmanship." The two of you, raise your qi and get ready. I'll count down from three breaths, and you'll begin to compete in qinggong.”
Xu Zhutao and Su Qingwan walked to the center of the square at the same time and stood side by side with their backs to the door.
Zhao Ziyan started to count down,"Three, two, one!"”
As soon as she finished speaking, the two figures leaped more than 20 feet away and rushed down the mountain. Xu Zhutao kept a distance of more than ten steps behind Su Qingwan."This little girl is really not simple. The two of them were taught by the same master. I cultivated earlier than her and usually spent more time on cultivation than her. I didn't expect her qinggong to be so brilliant.”
In fact, due to the difference in weight, women usually had an advantage over men in practicing lightness skills. Moreover, the lightness skill of the Palace of Goddess, Wind and Rain, was more suitable for women to practice. However, men's endurance was generally better than women in long-distance running. It could be said that no one had an advantage in this competition.
After flying for more than ten miles, they arrived at the gate of the martial arts school at the foot of the mountain. Su Qingwan smiled and turned around to fly back.
Xu Zhutao shouted as he flew,"Senior Sister, just wait and see!"
In the blink of an eye, he had reached the gate and was running back. On the way back, he was going up the mountain. On the way back, he had already caught up with Su Qingwan. He maintained the same speed as Su Qingwan and returned to the center of the square ten steps ahead of her. In fact, he still had some energy left. He didn't want Su Qingwan to lose badly.
Zhao Ziyan looked at the two of them and said,"You're still passable." Rest for the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn, then Zhu Tao and your Martial Uncle will compete in hidden weapons.”
Half an hour later, Zhao Yumei took a stone and drew a straight line on the square ground, which was forty feet away from the peach tree. Then, he pulled out a jade hairpin from his hair bun and said,"Stinky brat, watch carefully!"
Zhao Yumei raised his right hand to shoulder height and threw the jade hairpin at the string of lanterns on the right side of the peach tree. The ten lanterns fell at the same time, and the jade hairpin didn't stop. It stabbed into the branch of the peach tree with a " thud " and penetrated the tree.
Zhao Ziyan said,"Sister's hidden weapon skills have improved again!"”
Su Qingwan clapped her hands." Second Palace Master's hidden weapon skills are truly amazing. I admire you!"”
Zhao Yumei went to the peach tree to retrieve the hairpin and smiled."Brat, it's your turn now."
Xu Zhutao found a stone and weighed it in his hand. He felt that it was quite convenient and said,"I'm definitely not as good as Martial Uncle in terms of concealed weapon skills. I only hope that I can knock down seven lanterns.”
Zhao Yu frowned and said," Don't get stage fright. You must remain calm when facing an enemy. If you encounter an opponent stronger than you, you must not feel guilty. You must create opportunities from adversity. If you can't win, you must run. It's not embarrassing. You must not lose your momentum."”
Xu Zhutao bowed deeply to Zhao Yumei, then walked to the straight line drawn by Zhao Yumei and stood still. He used his martial arts to shoot the stone at the string of lanterns on the left side of the peach tree. With a " pa " sound, the stone hit the peach tree and embedded itself in the trunk. The ninth and tenth lanterns were still hanging on the rope.
Xu Zhutao's face turned red as he said,"Master, I have tried my best."
Zhao Ziyan: " You passed, but you still need to practice diligently. You should ask your Martial Uncle for advice."”
Xu Zhutao adjusted his breathing and started to compete with Su Qingwan.
Su Qingwan's body was small and delicate. Combined with her powerful lightness skills, she was agile and fast when she used the Starmoon Sword Technique. However, Xu Zhutao's inner force was stronger than hers. The two of them used the same sword technique to jump around and chase each other in the square. They fought very seriously. After more than a hundred moves, Su Qingwan had exhausted a lot of stamina before Xu Zhutao finally gained the upper hand. After a few more moves, Zhao Ziyan shouted for them to stop.
Xu Zhutao cupped his fists at Su Qingwan." Thank you for letting me go. Senior Sister's swordsmanship is excellent. A great teacher indeed produces a great disciple."”
Zhao Ziyan said," What's with the stench…Quickly regulate your breathing. I want to test your Bright Jade Secrets."”
Xu Zhutao sat cross-legged and meditated for a while. He adjusted his breathing and recovered his strength. He stood up and said to Zhao Ziyan,"Master, how do I test my internal strength?”
Zhao Ziyan: " Use your power and attack me with all your strength."”
Xu Zhutao used the Bright Jade Chant, and a thin layer of mist appeared on his hands. He used 80% of his power to strike Zhao Ziyan's chest with his right hand.
Zhao Ziyan waved her right hand and pushed him back three steps. She scolded,""You're courting death! How can you fight in such a place when you're fighting with a woman? What did I teach you?”
"I…I forgot…" Xu Zhutao said.
Zhao Ziyan: " And I asked you to use all your strength to strike out with a palm, and you only used 80% of your internal strength. With just you, you can't even touch me with your full strength. Why are you pretending to be kind?!"”
"Then, be careful!" Xu Zhutao said.”After saying that, he slapped Zhao Ziyan's right shoulder with all his strength.
The wind from his palm was like a bolt of lightning. Zhao Ziyan extended her right hand and met his palm. When their palms touched, there was a loud bang. The wind from the palm stirred up sand and stones. Xu Zhutao was forced to stagger back two steps, while Zhao Ziyan's body only swayed slightly.
Zhao Ziyan said," Your internal strength is not bad. It's enough to deal with first-class experts in the martial arts world. It's hard to say if you encounter some famous experts who have been famous for many years. You still need to work hard. You must not slack off."”
Xu Zhutao nodded and said,"I will not slack off!"”
Zhao Ziyan continued," Now that you're an adult, I want you to go out and train in Jianghu. You little brat, you have to suffer some hardships to improve. If there's no objection, be prepared. We'll set off in five days."”
"I…I don't have any objections. I just can't bear to leave Master and Uncle-Master," said Xu Zhutao.”
"Tao 'er, you've grown up, you should go and gain some knowledge." I have something to discuss with your Martial Uncle. You two should go and rest.”
It was late at night. Xu Zhutao couldn't fall asleep no matter how hard he lay in bed. He was going to travel in Jianghu in five days. He was inexplicably excited and excited, but he was also a little afraid of the unknown Jianghu. Thinking of parting with his master and uncle who had watched her grow up, he felt very sad. He tossed and turned in bed for a long time before he fell asleep.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。