Way of the Knights

Chapter 76 - Strength Test

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The central stadium spanned for several miles, it followed the colliseum-type of design which could allowed tons of people to gather. At the center of the stadium, there is a circular arena made out of white jade tiles.

There is a formation that's flashing with a faint shimmer of light, not too strong to obstruct anyone's vision but visible enough to become aware of it. This was built to contain the aftermaths of the battle that's about to happen inside.

Once the crew arrived at the stadium, they were startled by the amount of people that they saw. The seats were full and the stadium was filled with bustling noises from the discussions of the crowd. If one looked on closely, the people who were present are divided into several types.

First were the students. For some unknown reason, they caught news of the event and rushed here to see who will participate. Next were the staff and the instructors, nothing much could be said for them since it's understandable that they should be present.

What really shocked them the most are the next type of people. Their own family.

Raven was sure that he did not mention their plans for promotion to his own family, the same goes for the rest of them, but lo and behold, they were here. They even brought some of their clan members to cheer with them.

"This is crazy!" Paul's eyes widened in shock. Not too far away from where they are, he could see a lone seat behind a glass window, and even though he cannot see the facial features of the person behind that glass window, he could swear that he's being glared at.

"Mom! What are you doing with that banner! Place it down! It's too embarrassing!" Ellen's face were flushed red as she complained in a hushed tone. She could see that her mom was holding up an arm wide banner that says: 'Go, go, go! Ellie go!' With her mom proudly waving it around. She could even feel Bradley's embarrassment all the way from where they were.

"This is absurd." Anne could only smile wryly since she also saw her parents around, the only difference is that they holding fans with her name on it.

"…" Mark refused to say anything, he was happy to see that his mother was here, but also a tad bit disappointed that his father was nowhere to be seen. He silently thought: 'What am I even expecting at this point?'

Luna similarly didn't say anything but she could almost feel that someone very close to her will arrive soon.

As for Raven, he simply smiled as he saw the nervous expression on his mom's face as well as the expectant face of his father. He was honestly surprised that they had time to be here. And for the record, he deduced that it must be Old Lee who informed them about this event.

"Please step into the arena, the Chief Instructor will provide you with further instructions for the tests." The guide motioned for them to go out, the crew nodded and stepped outside to meet the crowd.

As soon as they stepped out, the whole stadium erupted. Cheers from their relatives as well as colorful banners were proudly waved around. The crew was dumbfounded, they certainly wasn't expecting for this whole matter to blow up but it did and there's nothing they could do about it.

As they walked onto the center of the arena, the Chief Instructor was already waiting for them there. He was a middle aged man with a few strands of white hair, a well-kept body and was holding a brown cane while tracing his grayish beard.

"Truly, the old will be replaced by the new. So young and already reached the fabled Marrow Cleansing Realm. How enviable." His voice was mature and filled with melancholy. There was a trace of surprise and envy on his voice.

Gasps could be heard from the crowd as they heard the Chief Instructors praise. Even their relatives can't help but to be astounded by this remark.

It had to be known that their cultivation doesn't necessarily need to be at Marrow Cleansing to apply for the Promotion Test, Bone Forging would be enough.

"This Old Man's name is Carl, I would be the judge of todays tests. The promotional tests will be divided into 5 stages. Strength, Speed, Perception, Coordination and Prowess. All of this are pretty straight forward. Out of the tests here, only the Coordination part would be taken by all of you, the rest would be taken individually. Are you ready?"

"Yes!" The crew nodded and answered.

"Very good! I announce, the first part of the Promotion Tests, shall begin now!" Carl smacked his cane on the tiled floor and instantly, a tall pillar emerged from the ground

This pillar is made out of Sea Tempered Steel, an incredible metal that boasts toughness and durability. The surface of pillar was smooth to touch and glimmered with faint traces of blue sheen. At the bottom of the pillar, there is a sandbag attached to it and a small pendulum on top. There were also some dimmed round gems that are attached to the sides of pillar that goes all the way to the top of the pillar.

"This is the Strength Measuring Pillar, you each take turns hitting that sandbag, you may use weapons to do so. Once your attack connects, the pendulum will rise and each time it pass one of those round gems, they will lit up. Each of those gems represents 1000 units of strength. Your task is to light up at least 5 of them to pass. You can decided who goes first."

Strength measurement by units had been staple since the old days. 1 unit of strength is equivalent to that of a mortal baby. A regular 20-year old male had the strength equal to at least 50-60 units, 70-80 units if they are physically inclined.

Only by pursuing Knighthood would they be able to raise their strength to an incredible degree since it's not possible for a regular mortal to possess a strength that surpassed 300 units.

As Carl provided them with instructions, the crew looked to each other and smiled. Just like what he said earlier, the tests were straight forward enough. Now they only have to decide on who will go first.

"Rock-paper-scissors?" Paul asked. The rest shrugged and decided why not?

After some multiple rounds, the order was then decided. The firsts one to go was Anne, followed by Mark, Ellen, Paul, Luna and finally Raven. Needless to say, the crowd was baffled by their methods but remembered that they're still kids so it was acceptable.

As soon as Anne stepped out, she heard wild cheers behind her that made her blush from embarassment.

"You got this Lady Anne!"

"Lady Anne we're rooting for you!"

"Show them what you're made of Lady Anne!"

Anne didn't even want to turn around to look at them, she could already tell that they were waving their fans furiously while amplifying their voice as loud as they could. It wasn't like Anne hated all of this truly, but it's just too unnecessary and so extra.

Anne inhaled sharply and erased the distractions on her head. A glint of fierce determination flashed on her eyes. She took out her bow from her spatial ring and stretched it greatly while aiming at the sandbag.

At the audience's side, precisely where Anne's relatives are, surprised gasps could be heard from them. A woman leaned in closer to a strict looking man who was watching intently at what's happening below.

"Honey look! She took out a bow! She must be practicing her archery all this time! Our daughter is such a genius!"

The man gently sighed as he heard the hushed squeals of his wife. "I know, I know. Pay attention below Emma." Clyde, Anne's father stressed at her.

Still, this whole event truly shocked them. Not to mention the promotional tests even the fact that her daughter's cultivation had risen so fast was hidden from them. It had been some mere months that they didn't have any contact with each other and now this? How could he not feel shocked? Clyde worried about her daughters predicament, he feared that her cultivation rose to fast to the point of destroying her foundations. He wanted to warn her to not rush but she was already at this stage so he can't do much.

"M'kay…" Emma giggled like a kid and watched intently below.

It was then that a swirl of energy manifested at Anne's fingertip which made her parents stand up in shock. The energy was incredibly dense that it looked no different from a crystal arrow. The amount of time she had taken to produce such quality of arrow was fast too! Even Carl who had witnessed many students take promotional exams, can't help but to widen his eyes in surprise. It didn't took long enough for Anne to mutter:

"Fatal Shot!"