CHAPTER 35: CHAPTER 35: TESTING THE BOW (RECOMMENDATION AND FOLLOW-UP REQUESTED)

All the workers in the examination field raised their heads. Despite the distance, they all heard Pharmacist Qu’s string of remarks.

All correct? A prodigy? To directly snatch someone up for themselves?!

At this moment, the young men from the county’s prominent families also revealed expressions of admiration.

The young Owner of Tongwen House sighed at this scene and said,

"Such a person is likely the pillar that Medicine King Hall truly needs, a natural-born Pharmacist seedling, unlike you and me, who only had the chance to become apprentices through family recommendations."

"To identify all one hundred and fifty herbs in less than seven and a half minutes, he must be someone the Medicine King himself would chase after to feed..."

Xu Fang from Heyuan Escort Agency, who stood beside him, also sighed,

"This is the disparity of Talent, truly as numerous as fish swimming across the river."

The son of Wealthy Proprietor Fang from East Street spoke indifferently,

"Ultimately, it doesn’t conflict with our interests. Those of us entering Medicine King Hall are aiming for the Fundamental Diagram of the Five Beasts Great Strength Technique. We are here to learn Martial Arts, and this person won’t compete with us for that."

The ones who were already guaranteed a spot all nodded in agreement.

The Five Beasts Great Strength Technique of Medicine King Hall consists of five parts: tiger, deer, bear, ape, and eagle.

In Baojiao County, this Cultivation Technique is recognized as the best and most stable among the three stages of Strength Training, Force Transforming, and Inner Qi.

Therefore, even if it meant a great ordeal, many people from prestigious families were eager to send their younger generations here to lay a good foundation through these three stages, hoping to advance towards a superior Realm above Inner Qi.

The young Owner of Tongwen House thought to himself, An extremely talented Pharmacist is often overlooked by martial cultivators, but I believe this person might be worth befriending.

Those of well-to-do backgrounds gave mixed evaluations of Chen Ku’s Talent as a Pharmacist.

Meanwhile, the dozens of workers still engrossed in answering the questions, especially Zhang Erniu, felt utterly disheartened.

He sighed sadly in his heart, Why? Why are there so many geniuses in the world? Why am I not one of them? Why couldn’t I be such a genius?

The others, meanwhile, were starting to sweat slightly on their foreheads.

After all, with Chen Ku finishing the test early and scoring perfect marks, he had virtually secured one of the top three places in the pharmacology section for himself.

Only two spots remained.

Chen Ku also sensed the tense mood among his fellow workers behind him and thought to himself, I didn’t expect to become the kind of top student I used to detest in my previous life. Still, the feeling of turning in one’s test paper early is indeed exhilarating.

"No, this is a good seedling indeed, but that doesn’t mean he has to join Hundred Herbs Courtyard. The assessment just now wasn’t limited to only herbs; there were also various animal and mineral medicinal materials. This means his Talent is equally suitable for Butcher Court," a black-robed master from Butcher Court spoke up.

This appears to be Master Ke Yansheng, Chen Ku thought. He had long wished to enter Butcher Court, so he had already done his research on its members.

In Butcher Court, the main authority was Master Shang Yunfang, who oversaw an entire courtyard. Under Master Shang were four other ordinary masters, and Ke Yansheng was one of them.

"If Old Ke says so, then Jinshi Academy also can’t miss out on this Talent," said a goateed old pharmacist from Jinshi Academy with a smile. "Shopkeeper, as you know, when it comes to using metals and stones in medicines, we value Talent in pharmacology the most, right?"

The workers watched as masters from all three courtyards simultaneously vied for the same person.

They were envious and jealous!

However, Cao Shouxiong did not say a word.

It had to be said that Chen Ku’s display of Talent in pharmacology even surpassed his own back in the day, and it was all too normal for the three courtyards to vie for him.

With such Talent, it was only a matter of time before he became a legitimate Pharmacist of Medicine King Hall.

"What’s the rush? The test isn’t over yet," Cao Shouxiong said with a smile, his hands behind his back. "It’s not too late to decide after it’s all finished. There’s still another section to go."

Hearing this, masters from the three courtyards speculated, sensing that Cao Shouxiong was stalling. They all guessed secretly where he intended to place this promising Apprentice.

"Certainly to Jinshi Academy," Ke Yansheng muttered, glancing at the goateed old man. "Every time, the good seedlings are sent to that courtyard."

He knew that if one were to rank the importance of the Three Great Courtyards, Jinshi Academy would undoubtedly have the most Talent, followed by Hundred Herbs Courtyard, with Butcher Court holding the lowest status.

The reason was simple: using animals in medicines, supplementing form with form, was the easiest. In addition, Butchery and dissection were considered dirty and tiring work.

In contrast, the work of Jinshi Academy was all exquisite and required slow, agile craftsmanship.

Similarly, Qu Hua thought the same.

Observing the goateed man from Jinshi Academy, his face was full of malice and frustration.

The Shopkeepers had been favoring Jinshi Academy for more than just a day or two.

Ah, there’s more to the test? Chen Ku wondered. He had assumed that demonstrating his supernatural Dog Nose and showcasing his Pharmacist Talent would be enough for direct admission. Isn’t being first in pharmacology enough? he pondered.

Suddenly, he slightly lifted his head and met the gaze of Third Shopkeeper Cao Shouxiong.

This Third Shopkeeper’s gaze seemed amused, as if he were trying to see right through him.

Chen Ku’s thoughts stirred. Hmm, this look in his eyes... The next test is about Cultivation. Could it be... I’m close? When I was using the Stick Technique earlier, I deliberately revealed my strength. So, is this Shopkeeper wondering if, beyond my Talent in pharmacology, I have any surprises in my Martial Arts Cultivation?

Whether he had guessed correctly or not, Chen Ku didn’t know.

He lowered his head and pondered.

「Two hours later」

All the workers’ results in pharmacology were out.

"Next, the third item: we’ll test your cultivation of Inner Strength—that is, how much Power you have cultivated during the Strength Training stage," Guard Chai announced, stepping forward. He held four Iron-tire Bows, which he placed on the table before him. "These four bows, from left to right, are the One-stone Bow, Four-stone Bow, Eight-stone Bow, and Ten-stone Bow.

"In our Daji Dynasty, one stone equals one hundred pounds. The number of stones of the bow you can draw signifies how much strength you have cultivated!

"Come up one by one. Those who are not confident in their strength can start with the lowest, the One-stone Bow!"

They still proceeded in order.

Chen Ku watched as dozens of fellow workers went up to try, one after another.

A worker with thick brows and a dark complexion went straight for the Four-stone Bow. He drew it easily and dry-fired, his face flushing with excitement as he then rushed towards the Eight-stone Bow.

However, once he got hold of it, no matter how much his muscles bulged underneath his clothing and his face turned blue with effort, veins popping, he couldn’t pull it even the slightest bit.

"Next," Chai Bao said indifferently.

One worker after another went up to test their strength.

"It’s Song Yuan. I remember he came in fourth in last month’s test; what a pity. He almost fully drew the Eight-stone Bow last time," Huang Gun said to Cao Shouxiong, looking at the worker with delicate, fair skin stepping forward.

"I remember his Spirit Ape Stance only allowed him to generate six hundred pounds of force, yet he almost fully drew the Eight-stone Bow. He has good Root Bone; he’s naturally stronger than others. If not for the three who drew the Eight-stone Bow last month, he would have become an Apprentice then."

The other Pharmacists also remembered this worker.

Another month had passed, and being someone with good Root Bone, they thought, this time he would surely be able to draw the Eight-stone Bow without strain.

Just as they expected, the fair-skinned Song Yuan with a smooth complexion went straight to the Eight-stone Bow, grabbed the bow with one hand, and pulled the string with the other...

His face flushed, veins bulging!

WHIRR!

He pulled a solid full draw!

Finally, after hesitating on the stage for a moment, he glanced at the Ten-stone Bow.

He chose to give up.

"Not bad, he knows his own limits," praised Cao Shouxiong.

Cao Shouxiong could tell from Song Yuan’s way of exerting force that the Eight-stone Bow was his limit. Such strength was already top-tier among the Apprentices.

Next, it was the turn of Chen Ku’s group. Che Ping drew the Four-stone Bow, but the Eight-stone Bow didn’t budge an inch for him. Zhang Erniu, wanting to try the Eight-stone Bow for a last chance, only managed to draw it a tenth of the way before his face flushed red and he gave up.

Then, it was Chen Ku’s turn.

Chen Ku pondered for a moment. Finally making up his mind, he walked directly towards the Ten-stone Bow.

Under everyone’s watchful eyes, his expression remained calm. He faced the Ten-stone Bow in his hands and drew it to its fullest extent, like a perfect full moon appearing in his embrace.