27: Chapter 27 Fourth Life, All-in Failure? Watch Me Turn the Tide (Part 4)

Wang Shi seized the opportunity. When Liu Quan was sitting on the stone bench in the courtyard drinking tea and resting, he hurriedly brought over the freshly boiled hot water to refill his cup.

He bowed and stood to the side, his tone filled with a cautious sense of longing: "Steward Liu, this humble one has a matter I would like to ask for your help with."

Liu Quan sipped his tea, in a good mood, and waved his hand: "Speak, what is it?"

"This humble one... when I first arrived, I was ignorant, and I happened to miss the mansion's unified aptitude test for ten-year-old children.

Over these years, I have always yearned for the Guard Battalion and the Martial Hall within the mansion. I also want to see if I have the fate to pursue martial arts."

As Wang Shi spoke, he handed over the one tael of silver he had prepared long ago with both hands.

"I dare not trouble you too much, Steward. I only ask that you take me to the Martial Hall to test my bone structure.

If I lack the talent, this humble one would never dare to dream of more, and I will certainly work diligently for you in the future.

If I have even a little bit of fate, I will never forget your kindness in promoting me."

Liu Quan looked at the silver he handed over, then at his earnest expression. He was surprised at first, then couldn't help but laugh: "You brat, you want to practice martial arts?

Fine, seeing as you have been sensible and hardworking lately, I will take you to see the world."

In his heart, he didn't really take it seriously.

In his eyes, Wang Shi was just a bottom-tier servant who had been starving for three years; even if he had become enlightened recently, he was just a bit clever.

It was impossible for him to have talent for martial arts; he was just taking the silver and bringing him along as a favor.

It was also a way to dash his hopes and make him work obediently.

Early the next morning, Liu Quan took Wang Shi to the Martial Hall of the Tianhuang Princes Mansion.

The Martial Hall was located on the east side of the outer courtyard of the mansion and was the core of the entire Guard Battalion. Two guards with swords strapped to their waists stood at the entrance, exuding a stern aura.

He was clearly familiar with the place. After greeting the guards at the entrance, he took Wang Shi inside, and they soon arrived at the Bone Testing Hall.

The Bone Testing Hall of the Martial Hall was permeated with a bone-chilling metallic cold. Thick steam pipes were arranged crisscross on the walls, occasionally leaking wisps of white steam with a low hiss.

The steel bone-testing machines standing in the hall gleamed with a cold light. The needles of the pressure gauges on the machines swayed slightly, carrying the heavy sense of a fusion between steam technology and a high-martial arts system.

The Martial Hall steward in charge of bone testing saw Liu Quan bring in a servant wearing coarse cloth clothes. His face was expressionless; he merely lifted his chin and pointed to an empty bone-testing machine in the hall:

"Go in and stand properly, press your back firmly against the sensor plate, and do not move after the machine starts."

Wang Shi took a deep breath, suppressing the slight ripples in his heart, and walked slowly into the designated spot of the bone-testing machine, pressing his back firmly against the cold metal sensor plate.

As the steward raised his hand and pulled the valve, the bone-testing machine emitted a dull hum. The steam pipes followed with the sound of rushing airflow, and a cold energy surged from the sensor plate on his back, instantly flowing throughout his entire body.

Almost simultaneously, the scale light strip on the front of the bone-testing machine suddenly lit up with a lustrous green glow, climbing up the scale layer by layer, and finally stopping steadily at the number 5 graduation line.

"Mid-grade, medium-tier bone structure." The disciple in charge of recording read it out subconsciously.

Liu Quan, standing to the side, widened his eyes instantly, his face filled with disbelief.

He really hadn't expected that this naive young man under his command, who had suddenly become enlightened recently, would actually possess mid-grade, medium-tier bone structure!

This was enough to steadily enter the Iron Skin Realm, and the mansion's official guards or stewards required cultivation in the Iron Skin Realm.

Moreover, the test needle stopped at the number 5, which was already close to mid-grade, high-tier, while he himself only had a mid-grade, low-tier bone structure at number 3.

(PS: The bone structure of each grade is divided into numbers 1-9, with 3 numbers per tier. The bone structure tiers are divided into low-grade, mid-grade, high-grade, top-grade... Above 7 in high-grade, there is a chance of possessing a special constitution, with colors being white, green, blue, purple, respectively...)

However, surprise was surprise; Liu Quan didn't take the matter too much to heart.

Although mid-grade, medium-tier bone structure was not bad, it couldn't be considered a rarity in the Tianhuang Princes Mansion. Even geniuses with high-grade bone structure could emerge among the mansion's servants every few years.

Only those with high-grade bone structure and a special constitution could be truly valued in this mansion.

Moreover, this kid was not only two years behind his peers, but after starving for three years, his body was extremely weak.

Plus, with no background or connections, whether he could make a name for himself in this Martial Hall was debatable. Even if he really succeeded in becoming an official guard, it wouldn't matter.

The position of steward could not be attained simply by having cultivation in the Iron Skin Realm; this kid could not escape his grasp.

The Martial Hall steward was a bit surprised by this result but was not particularly shocked; he lowered his head and recorded Wang Shi's name and bone structure grade in the register.

He looked up at him, his tone flat and calm: "Mid-grade bone structure. According to the mansion's rules, you are automatically promoted to the Guard Battalion reserve, allowed to enter the Martial Hall to study basic martial arts. Go back and settle your affairs today, and report to the Martial Hall at the hour of the Dragon in three days."

After speaking, he turned to Liu Quan, his tone softening slightly: "Steward Liu, you have performed a meritorious service in this recommendation. Once his background check is verified, the reward will be sent to you."

Wang Shi bowed deeply, cupped his hands in a salute, his voice steady yet tinged with a hint of excitement: "Thank you, Steward! This humble one will definitely practice martial arts diligently and will never let down the mansion's cultivation!"

Walking out of the Martial Hall, the metallic chill inside the hall was dispersed by the sunlight outside. Liu Quan walked to the side, patted his shoulder, and joked with a smile: "Not bad, kid, you actually gave me a surprise. It was worth bringing you here."

Wang Shi immediately stopped, bowed to Liu Quan, and said respectfully: "It is all thanks to Steward Liu's promotion. That this humble one has this opportunity is entirely due to your kindness. In the future, if this humble one ever makes a name for myself, I will never dare to forget your great kindness."

He knew very clearly that now was not the time to fall out. His foundation was not yet stable, and in this mansion, he still needed to rely on Liu Quan as a small tree for shelter from the wind and rain.

Liu Quan felt completely satisfied by these words. He waved his hand and explained to him: "This three-day period is, firstly, for you to pack your personal belongings and settle your living arrangements. Once you enter the Martial Hall reserve, you will have to live in the collective barracks of the Martial Hall."

"Secondly, the Martial Hall needs to verify your background. After all, the mansion's resources will be used to train you, so a clean background is most important. However, you can rest easy; your background has long been clearly investigated by the mansion, and there will be no issues."

Wang Shi nodded as if he had been taught, then pretended to be curious and asked in a low voice: "Steward Liu, this humble one dares to ask, for someone like me that you recommend, how much of a reward does the mansion give?"

Liu Quan had gained a merit for nothing today and was in a good mood, so he didn't hide it from him and said with a smile: "Not much, just ten taels of silver."

Upon hearing this, Wang Shi couldn't help but click his tongue. His predecessor had scrimped and saved, struggling in the mansion for three whole years, only to save up eleven taels of silver. Yet, this casual reward given to Liu Quan by the mansion was equivalent to his three years of savings.

But on second thought, it seemed that these ten taels of silver actually didn't count for much. In his second life, just for Body Tempering Realm cultivation, some body tempering ointments would cost several taels of silver per portion. Moreover, the mansion had rules; people in the mansion would have their aptitude tested uniformly at the age of ten. Setting up such a reward for recommendations was just to avoid missing those who, like him, had missed the test. It was just to slightly incentivize the stewards below to pay a little more attention.

He couldn't help but glance at the beaming Liu Quan beside him, thinking to himself: "With his status as a steward, he should at least have cultivation in the Iron Skin Realm, yet he is actually this happy over ten taels of silver. Before, he targeted my predecessor everywhere just because he didn't offer tribute—before my memory awakened—and then changed his attitude just because I offered three taels of silver upon becoming enlightened. He really is idle enough; I suppose it's a matter of face."