The sky was brightly lit.
In the courtyard of the Yuan Shun Escort Agency, various sounds of commotion were rising everywhere.
Though secluded, the woodshed could still hear the distant and nearby clamor.
Duan Rong, Kong Bin, Zhang Zheng, and Li Chong stood in the courtyard, suddenly noticing two figures walking in from the entrance.
Leading the way was an elder with graying hair and a broad physique. Though it was hard to tell his exact age from his hair and face etched with wrinkles like carvings, he was evidently not young. However, his back was straight, and his eyes were as sharp as a hawk's, showing none of the lethargy typical of old age.
Yet he walked with his right foot slightly tiptoed, having a limp.
Zhao Mu followed behind the elder, nodding and bowing, saying something.
Duan Rong, Kong Bin, Zhang Zheng, and Li Chong all looked at this limping elder with eyes full of admiration.
They all knew who would be conducting the assessment, and immediately recognized the identity of this limp elder.
The Chief Tutor of the Yuan Shun Escort Agency, Xiao Zongting.
Although Xiao Zongting was also from a humble background, he was a martial arts prodigy.
At Yuan Shun Escort Agency, he had risen from being an Escort Master to the Chief Leader. He was a sworn brother with the former Shopkeeper of Yuan Shun Escort Agency, who is the father of the current Store Manager.
But seventeen years ago, in a great battle, although he and the former Shopkeeper broke through the siege, the former Shopkeeper succumbed to his injuries a few months later.
Xiao Zongting managed to survive, but his martial arts skills were utterly destroyed, leading to his retreat to a secondary line, becoming the Chief Tutor within the escort agency.
Even as the Chief Tutor, the current Store Manager Ruan Fengshan, consistently treated Xiao Zongting with the respect due to an elder.
During important events, he would personally pay him visits during festival seasons. Within the escort agency, on significant matters, he often sought Xiao Zongting's opinions.
Therefore, everyone within the escort agency admired his heroic deeds, while also being awed by his influence, treating him with a mix of respect and fear.
Duan Rong watched Xiao Zongting walk towards them, hands behind his back, limping, and surprisingly began to feel tense.
It felt like returning to the examination room in a past life, needing to cross the wooden bridge of destiny.
Duan Rong took a deep breath, calming his emotions.
Initially, he thought the assessment would be a fight among these service disciples who had been practicing martial arts for three months, with the winner staying and the loser being eliminated.
But with a better understanding of the Entry Level Five Tigers and Sheep Saber Technique over time, he changed his view.
Recently, he secretly watched Kong Bin and Zhang Zheng practicing their routines. Though initially finding their moves somewhat off, he gradually saw more clearly, identifying their main issues almost at a glance.
At times, he nearly couldn't resist helping them correct their techniques.
Fortunately, he restrained his past life habit of being overly eager to teach others.
However, this realization brought him to understand that a professional can judge competence with one glance.
Even with just an Entry Level martial arts realm understanding, he could see the issues. Xiao Zongting, who had been a Chief Leader, could surely discern the depth of their skills at a glance—would they still need to fight?
The two walked slowly, naturally because Xiao Zongting was limping. Zhao Mu, who usually strode with a proud gait, had to follow Xiao Zongting in small steps.
Xiao Zongting stopped half a yard in front of them, saying, "Demonstrate your routine."
Kong Bin, Zhang Zheng, and Li Chong were slightly taken aback, while Duan Rong seemed to anticipate that there would be no need for a fight, already heading toward the weapons rack in the corner.
"What are you waiting for? The assessment has already started! Demonstrate the routine! Don't you understand?" Zhao Mu shouted at Kong Bin and the others from behind Xiao Zongting.
Kong Bin's facial muscles twitched slightly, following Duan Rong toward the weapons rack.
The few of them took waste sabers from the weapons rack, then returned in front of Xiao Zongting, and began to demonstrate their routines.
Xiao Zongting limped to their side, walking past Li Chong and Zhang Zheng expressionlessly, saying without raising his eyelids, "Flowery display, dead routine! This isn't practice, this might as well be a monkey show on the street!"
This remark not only scolded Li Chong and Zhang Zheng but also Zhao Mu, who was following behind him.
Zhao Mu's face twitched, glaring at Li Chong beside him.
Li Chong's eyes showed a hint of despair, and his already chaotic moves became even more disjointed.
Xiao Zongting walked up to Kong Bin, glancing up, and with a flash, there was a ting sound as Kong Bin's saber flew out, embedding into the ground behind him.
In Xiao Zongting's right hand was a tobacco pipe pot, which he used to knock the saber out of Kong Bin's hand.
Kong Bin stood there dazed, unable to react, when Xiao Zongting stepped forward, pinching Kong Bin's shoulder, elbow, waist, and crotch, then coldly snorted, walking to Duan Rong without a word.
During this, Xiao Zongting never raised his eyes to look at Kong Bin.
Xiao Zongting didn't even pause in front of Li Chong and Zhang Zheng, but gave it a try in front of Kong Bin, showing a significant difference.
When Xiao Zongting reached Duan Rong's position, everyone there focused on this side.
Yet, in front of Duan Rong, Xiao Zongting paused for several moments, his head slightly raised, seemingly showing an expression of interest.
Perhaps due to the exam-like tension, bringing about excited concentration, Duan Rong immersed himself in the routine he practiced daily.
His performance suddenly went beyond average, with moves fluid, steady, and powerful, like a lone army besieged by thousands.
This embodies the essence of the Five Tigers and Sheep Saber Technique.
Even Duan Rong himself didn't realize that his state seemed to faintly surpass the Entry Level realm.
The Five Tigers and Sheep Saber was a technique for a lone against many.
When escort masters walked the Jianghu, if they encountered a robbery from the Green Forest...
These robbers usually had one or two leaders with some skills, while the rest were mainly disorganized fighters.
Ordinary escort masters had to handle sieges from these disorganized fighters.
This was why service disciples and apprentices all learned the Five Tigers and Sheep Saber, considered a perfect professional match.
Xiao Zongting suddenly pointed his tobacco pipe pot at the saber's edge wielding swiftly by Duan Rong.
Duan Rong, in deep concentration, abruptly felt a strong force at the saber's edge. Almost instinctively, he reacted by twisting his wrist, slanting the saber away, then flipping it up, switching from a upward slash to a downward chop.
This was Duan Rong's reflex, deflecting, borrowing force, changing moves seamlessly!
Only this change resulted in Duan Rong's saber edge chopping toward Xiao Zongting's forehead.
Xiao Zongting reached out his left hand, firmly grasping the back of the saber Duan Rong was chopping down with. Yet at this point, the jagged edge was merely an inch from Xiao Zongting's forehead.
Everyone there was shocked!
Zhao Mu took a step back, angrily exclaiming, "Duan Rong, what are you doing? Attacking Elder Xiao, do you have a death wish?"
Duan Rong, suddenly awakening from his daze, was startled, immediately letting go and kneeling, saying, "Disciple is to blame! I was overly focused, seeing only the moves, and forgot everything else. I had no intention of attacking Elder Xiao!"
"Forgot everything else..." Xiao Zongting's eyes flashed with a glint.
Yet Zhao Mu's anger did not diminish, Duan Rong internally blamed himself, wondering why he had seemed enchanted by the saber technique, uncharacteristic of him.
Kong Bin, Zhang Zheng, and Li Chong appeared amused, with even the usually expressionless Kong Bin revealing a bright smile.
"You little scoundrel, damn little rascal..." Zhao Mu cursed profusely, fearing the situation escalating, implicating him.
Xiao Zongting turned to glare at Zhao Mu, angrily saying, "Shut up! Who is assessing, you or me?"
"I'm a scoundrel! Naturally, it's you assessing. You assess..." Zhao Mu immediately laughed apologetically.
Xiao Zongting snorted coldly, saying, "I just broke his momentum. If he wanted to maintain his attack's strength, he had to chop down! That was a good attack!"
Hearing "good attack," Duan Rong looked up at Xiao Zongting in surprise.
Xiao Zongting was also looking at Duan Rong, saying, "Kid, a martial artist should be absorbed in martial arts. Not only were you not wrong, you did very well! Stand up!"
Pleased, Duan Rong stood up, thinking: It seems, this old man's perceived me as some sort of martial arts fanatic.