Chapter 43: Evaluation

Time slipped by in a rush, and before anyone realized it, the final four or five days of the month had passed. It was now December thirtieth.

This day was not only the end of the month but also the year’s end. The assessment was scheduled for the morning, and the afternoon was a holiday.

That morning, the martial arts instructor Tang Wentao presided over the evaluation, accompanied by two three-stripe servants from the Administration Office, both surnamed Liu and Zhou. Together, the three of them managed this assessment.

‘What a pity the time was too short. If I’d had just three more days of such undivided focus, I might have sensed the threshold to mastering Black Fiend Palm. By then, if my golden finger worked universally for martial skills, I could have broken through immediately,’ Zhuang Jin reflected with some regret. Over the past few days, he had pressed forward relentlessly, yet in the end, he still hadn’t achieved entry-level mastery of the Black Fiend Palm.

Although he had started pondering its principles long ago, there was still a gap between theory and practice. Besides, even though his comprehension far surpassed that of his dormmates, it wasn’t to the extent that a mere four or five days of hard work could equal what others achieved in a month of practice.

In truth, his progress was already astonishingly fast. If his roommates knew that Zhuang Jin could touch the threshold of a martial technique in just seven or eight days, their jaws would surely drop in shock.

There was little to remark upon concerning Zhuang Jin’s assessment, except for the ‘Glazed Assessment Puppet,’ which was truly wondrous. When Zhuang Jin pressed his palm against the puppet’s back and circulated his internal energy, two meridians inside—the Hand Shaoyang and Hand Shaoyin—lit up faintly, instantly displaying his cultivation progress.

“Zhuang Jin, you have surpassed the second meridian and are promoted to a two-stripe servant.” The martial instructor Liu handed him a certificate, saying, “Later, you may take this to the Administration Office and be promoted to a two-stripe servant. You’ll receive the two-stripe servant’s attire, exchange your belt tag, and your corresponding benefits will be unlocked. Starting next month, you’ll receive the basic monthly stipend for two-stripe servants.”

Finally, he announced the most significant reward: “Zhuang Jin is awarded four months of self-chosen tasks!”

At this, the other students in the dormitory cast envious glances his way.

Afterward, Lin Hong and Bi Kai each took their turns on stage, demonstrating entry-level mastery of the Black Fiend Palm and earning three months of self-chosen tasks.

And then? That was all.

In the audience, Xiang Qichen hung his head, his face flushed deep red. He had neither broken through the second meridian nor mastered the Black Fiend Palm.

Proud and ambitious, he had chosen the cultivation route and was stuck at the bottleneck of the second meridian. After the altercation with Zhuang Jin that night, his mind became restless and agitated. In his desperation, he switched to practicing martial techniques, hoping to master Black Fiend Palm or to draw parallels that might help him break through the bottleneck.

But clearly, he had not succeeded in either. In just a few days, it was impossible to master Black Fiend Palm. In short, he achieved neither the second meridian nor entry-level martial mastery and could only receive one month of self-chosen tasks.

Tang Wentao looked at Xiang Qichen and sighed softly. Had this student focused on martial skills, he would most likely have mastered Black Fiend Palm. Unfortunately, his pride led him to choose the cultivation route.

As for the remaining four in the dormitory:

Xiong Lei, lacking in aptitude, pursued the martial technique path but also failed to master it.

Jiao Kun, with decent talent and comprehension, became lazy after enjoying some privileges. His inconsistent effort meant he didn’t master Black Fiend Palm, which was unsurprising.

Qian Wende’s talent and comprehension were just average, and he also lacked sufficient diligence, so he too failed to master it.

Wu Hao was diligent enough, but his talent and comprehension were inadequate.

As Zhuang Jin looked at his dormmates and recalled who had first broken through to official martial status in the first month, and then considered the results of this assessment, he couldn’t help but muse: ‘When the tide recedes, you see who’s been swimming naked. Over this month, who gave their all, and how much effort did they make? The assessment makes it all clear at a glance!’

…

After Tang Wentao and the two evaluators left, the eight dormmates prepared to go their separate ways.

It was the end of the month and the last day of the year. With the afternoon free, everyone would return home and not stay in the dormitory that night. Starting tomorrow, they would take up new assignments and go their separate paths, making it even less likely they’d share a dorm again.

Even Zhuang Jin would not be sleeping in this dorm tonight. Having just passed the assessment, he could now take his certificate to the Administration Office, be promoted to two-stripe servant, and from then on, enjoy a single room!

At that moment, Xiang Qichen approached Zhuang Jin, his words stilted: “Jin… Zhuang Jin, about that night, it was me…”

Since the incident that night, he had been effectively isolated in the dorm. Zhuang Jin, Bi Kai, and Lin Hong ignored him; Qian Wende, having fought with him and sided with Zhuang Jin, did the same; Jiao Kun, upset that Xiang Qichen had dragged him into trouble, also kept his distance. Wu Hao, though not unfriendly, was a man of few words and focused solely on practice. Only Xiong Lei exchanged a few words with him.

Xiang Qichen had brought this upon himself, losing all the status of a dorm leader and feeling deep regret. Now, seeing Zhuang Jin break through the second meridian and display such talent, he even felt a trace of fear.

He’d wanted to apologize for days, but Zhuang Jin was always in a rush, focused on martial arts, and even during brief encounters at mealtimes, pride kept him from speaking. Today was his last chance, so at last, he forced out the words.

‘A man must have pride, but not arrogance. Xiang Qichen truly… Even now, apologizing, he can’t bring himself to call me “Brother Zhuang,”’ Zhuang Jin thought as he glanced at him and replied coolly, “You should thank Xiong Lei.”

He said nothing more and walked away.

Xiang Qichen, hearing this, realized that as long as he didn’t provoke Zhuang Jin in the future, there would be no further reckoning. A sense of relief and gratitude washed over him, as if a great weight had been lifted from his heart.

Yet, almost immediately, he felt humiliation at his own relief. Clenching his fists and biting his lip, he cursed his past laziness—why had he wasted those moments resting after lunch and dinner? If not for that, perhaps he could have broken through the second meridian too. He resolved to catch up to Zhuang Jin one day—he must!

Not far off, Jiao Kun came up to him: “Brother Zhuang, about that night…”

“It’s fine, I know.” Zhuang Jin understood Jiao Kun was worried he’d bear a grudge, but Zhuang Jin was clear about matters of gratitude and resentment; he wouldn’t hold such things against others.

Besides, his true enemies at this stage were Zhuang Yutang and Zhuang Yuyong. As for Xiang Qichen, the instigator of the dormitory incident, as long as he behaved himself from now on, Zhuang Jin had no interest in dredging up the past, let alone with Jiao Kun.

After Jiao Kun, Xiong Lei stepped forward with an invitation: “Jinzi, my father asked me to invite you over for dinner tonight.”

“No need. About the matter on registration day, thank Uncle Xiong for me,” Zhuang Jin replied coldly.

Xiong Lei watched Zhuang Jin’s distant manner, yet saw him chatting normally with Bi Kai and the others, and suddenly felt a pang of disappointment. He couldn’t understand how things had come to this between them.

Zhuang Jin talked for a while with Bi Kai, Lin Hong, Qian Wende, and Wu Hao, then bade them farewell and turned to head for the Administration Office.

…

At midday, the sky was clear and bright. Sunlight, streaming through layers of cloud, bathed the city streets in warmth, making the eaves and green tiles on rooftops glow with a gentle white sheen. Overhead, in the boundless blue sky, a hawk circled for a moment before soaring into the distance.

Xiong Lei left the Shen family’s outer courtyard and walked home with his father, Xiong Dadan, who wrapped an arm around his son’s shoulders.

After asking about the assessment results, Xiong Dadan said, “So, Zhuang Jin broke through the second meridian? Remarkable! Didn’t I tell you to invite him over for dinner?”

“He’s not coming,” Xiong Lei relayed Zhuang Jin’s message.

“Oh?” Xiong Dadan narrowed his eyes, releasing his son and turning serious. “Lei, what exactly happened in your dorm these past days? Tell me everything.”

So Xiong Lei recounted everything from registering as a martial student and entering the Shen family’s outer courtyard, to becoming an official martial artist and all that had transpired in the dormitory that month.

As he listened, Xiong Dadan’s face grew darker, his expression increasingly stern. When Xiong Lei described the incident on the night of Zhuang Jin’s breakthrough, and how he’d stopped Zhuang Jin, Xiong Dadan could hold back no longer and delivered a swift kick to his son.

But now that Xiong Lei was an official martial artist, his body tempered by internal energy, the kick did little more than stagger Xiong Dadan himself, which only made him angrier.

“Dad, why did you kick me?”

“Why did I kick you?!” Xiong Dadan glared at his son’s clueless face, his already ruddy complexion growing redder. Even as an outsider, he understood perfectly, so how could his own foolish son not see the truth?

Looking at his son, he suddenly felt that the boy was just like the pigs he slaughtered daily—strong-limbed but simple-minded!

“Dumb as a pig! Fooled like a blockhead, and worse, always meddling, using your own goodwill to cover for others… Pigheaded, truly! I always thought I was clever, but how did I end up with such a dim-witted son?”

The more Xiong Dadan spoke, the angrier he became. He raised his large, fan-like hand and landed a few smacks on Xiong Lei, but his hand stung more than his son felt the blows. So he simply grabbed his son’s ear instead. “Get moving! No lunch for you today! I’ll be damned if I can’t cure you of this peacemaking habit!”

“Ow, Dad, that hurts!” Xiong Lei cried, his ear twisted as he was dragged away under the midday sun.

…