Chapter 34: A Test of Skill

After leaving the Green Bamboo Cottage, Chu Feng returned to his own small courtyard.

With thousands of residences in the Tianji Mu family, any random courtyard could be allocated to Chu Feng for temporary stay.

Sitting cross-legged on his bed, Chu Feng meditated, his mind occupied by several matters. Tomorrow was the annual autumn trial of the Mu family. At the trial, he would challenge the Diamond Battle Rhino, confirm his achievement of the fourth stage of Body Refinement and possession of the strength of one rhino, then leave the Mu family, go to the inn outside Hengshan Town, pick up his sister Xin Lian, and bring her to Mu Qiaoxue.

As for Mu Qiaoxue...

“She’s deeply concerned about my situation. Judging by her expression and tone, it’s not merely a matter of repaying a favor. Could it be that she has feelings for me?”

This thought made Chu Feng smile. “Now that my martial prowess has grown and my courage has swelled, my heart dares to dream of anything—even this!” Chu Feng chuckled at himself.

Mu Qiaoxue was not a native of the Tianji Mu family from the Nine Mountains and Eighteen Rivers. She came from the imperial city’s Mu family, far beyond myriad rivers and mountains.

In terms of birth and status, only a prince of the Dayue Dynasty could match Mu Qiaoxue, the cherished jewel of a noble family. Within the Nine Mountains and Eighteen Rivers, no one could compare to her, and with Chu Feng’s current standing, he was clearly unworthy.

“What’s the point of thinking so much now? If I don’t succeed, I might not even leave the Nine Mountains and Eighteen Rivers, let alone step into the world of profound cultivation. If I do well, someday I’ll be famed in the martial world, enter the world of cultivation, and carve out a place for myself. Then, perhaps Miss Mu will have to look up to me. Ha!”

Chu Feng shook his head, smiling, and put aside those troublesome thoughts.

...

The next morning, at dawn, the Mu family’s martial field was already packed with people. Whether they were participating in the autumn trial or not, nearly all the disciples had arrived.

In the Tianji Mu family, there were two annual trials for disciples’ martial strength: a spring trial and an autumn trial, each divided into martial and literary exams, with martial always preceding literary.

In the vast center of the martial field, a square area was set aside specifically for the martial trial. At the front were the examiners’ seats, while disciples crowded the other three sides.

Over a thousand Mu family disciples, all dressed in white martial garb, sat around the arena, making the entire field appear a sea of white.

Today, besides this venue, there were two other exam arenas in the Mu family, each holding similar trials.

At the hour of the Dragon, after the examiners performed ancestral rites, the sound of a gong signaled the official start of the martial portion of the autumn trial!

“This year’s autumn trial is mainly for disciples striving for the fourth stage of Body Refinement! Diamond Battle Rhino, enter!”

Mu Zhenbei, the family’s transmission elder, shouted.

A low roar rumbled from not far away, like distant thunder.

At the edge of the martial field, a massive beast slowly approached. Leading it was a white-robed steward blowing a whistle; the continuous whistle kept the beast docile and obedient.

With each step, the beast caused the ground to tremble lightly, the sensation growing stronger as it drew closer.

When it was about ten yards away, everyone could see its form clearly.

Its limbs were thick and powerful, its back majestic as a mountain range, and its enormous head bore a black horn more than ten feet long. Its body, as large as an elephant, was covered in spikes, big and small.

This ferocious giant was a renowned creature among beasts—the Diamond Battle Rhino!

“What a colossal beast!”

Seeing the Diamond Battle Rhino approach, Chu Feng was filled with excitement.

He had always wanted to witness the Diamond Battle Rhino. In the Four Great Powers of the Nine Mountains and Eighteen Rivers, the Kong Sect was known as a paradise of beasts, and naturally had Diamond Battle Rhinos, but Chu Feng had never seen one. Now, finally, he would not only see it but also face it in combat; how could he not be thrilled?

“Wow, I never expected the Diamond Battle Rhino to be so huge—even bigger than an elephant! How can anyone fight it?”

“Exactly! Forget the horn, just its sheer size—if it charges, wouldn’t you be knocked out of existence?”

“Is this something a martial artist can subdue? I’m not sure I believe it.”

Nearby, several young disciples clearly inexperienced, whispered among themselves, their faces pale with fear at the sight of the Diamond Battle Rhino, some even trembling.

Chu Feng studied the Diamond Battle Rhino. Though ferocious, at this moment it seemed almost sleepwalking, docilely following the steward’s whistle, slowly making its way to the center of the martial trial ground.

“Good, the Diamond Battle Rhino is in position!” Mu Zhenbei declared as he presided over the trial. “The challenge rules remain as before: within the time it takes to burn one stick of incense, without using any weapons, anyone who can subdue the Diamond Battle Rhino bare-handed passes the test; otherwise, they fail! First up, Liu Qian!”

As soon as he finished speaking, a white-robed disciple stepped out from the queue of examinees and strode confidently into the arena.

“Ready—begin!” The steward called out, then switched to a different whistle. With a swift blow, the sound pierced the air.

At the whistle, the previously docile Diamond Battle Rhino suddenly went wild, leaping into a frenzy. Its two thick forelimbs, like stone pillars, rose up like a horse’s hooves!

Boom!

The Diamond Battle Rhino’s forelimbs crashed down, like meteors slamming into the earth, causing the ground to shake violently.

“Ah! Ah! Ah!”

Many young disciples near the front were thrown off their feet by the shockwave—some fell, others recoiled, and a few younger ones even fainted outright.

“Ha!” Liu Qian shouted, facing the rhino’s trampling, he rolled nimbly behind it and struck a heavy palm at its rump.

Chu Feng wondered why Liu Qian targeted the rhino’s rear instead of its head or other parts. Then he realized—the rhino’s body was covered in spikes, making it hard to attack, or perhaps Liu Qian was trying to distract it, wearing it down.

Whack!

The rhino’s tail lashed out fiercely, but Liu Qian anticipated it and dodged, aiming next for its eyes.

Roar!

The Diamond Battle Rhino suddenly opened its mouth, blasting out a powerful stream of air. Liu Qian staggered back two steps, but kept up the struggle.

Smack!

During the fight, Liu Qian slipped and took a hit from the rhino’s tail on his waist.

“Ah!”

With a scream, Liu Qian was sent flying out of the arena. The rhino moved to charge after him, intent on crushing him, but a sharp whistle sounded and the beast halted in place.

“Liu Qian, you have failed the trial! Next, Du Fei!”

Another white-robed disciple entered the arena.

As Chu Feng watched, he asked Mu Kaihe, “If a disciple gets injured during the trial, isn’t it easy to get killed by the Diamond Battle Rhino?”

“No. The steward controls the rhino with the whistle. If things go wrong, he immediately signals, and the rhino falls asleep, ensuring no deaths or serious injuries,” Mu Kaihe replied.

While they spoke, three more disciples were defeated.

Whether the candidates this year were lacking, or the Diamond Battle Rhino was simply too formidable, out of ten disciples, only one managed to pass the test, and even then by stalling—using agile movement to wear the rhino down until it lost its ferocity, finally subduing it just as the incense was about to burn out.

“Next, Mi Xinjian!”

As the elder called, Mi Xinjian, clad in white martial garb, stepped into the arena.

Seeing Mi Xinjian join the challenge, Chu Feng was a bit surprised—now he could observe this fellow’s true abilities.

Roar!

At the sound of the whistle, the Diamond Battle Rhino went wild again, its horn aimed straight at Mi Xinjian.

Mi Xinjian remained calm, moving swiftly to dodge the rhino’s charge.

“Hm? His movement is quite fast!”

Chu Feng immediately noticed that Mi Xinjian wore shoes designed to enhance speed, making his footwork exceptionally agile.

For a long stretch, faced with the rhino’s rampage, Mi Xinjian only dodged, never attacking.

“Sigh, what is Mi Xinjian doing? Is he fighting the Diamond Battle Rhino or playing hide-and-seek?”

“Yeah! We wanted to see how the family’s skilled seniors subdue the rhino, but this isn’t much to watch.”

“If Mi Xinjian wins just by stalling, there’s nothing impressive about it—no martial heroism at all!”

“Right! The legends say a few punches and kicks can immobilize the rhino, but I guess we won’t witness that today.”

Several disciples whispered, clearly unimpressed by Mi Xinjian’s evasive tactics.

Boom! Boom!

As the rhino rampaged ever more violently, Mi Xinjian suddenly leaped.

“Take my punch!”

Jumping two yards high, he struck the rhino’s head with a sudden blow!

The punch landed with a loud thud, making the rhino’s massive form sway.

“Ha ha!”

Delighted with his success, Mi Xinjian leaped again, aiming for the rhino’s nose and mouth.

Unexpectedly, the rhino shook its head, twisting its body around.

Smack!

Its thick tail lashed out, landing hard on Mi Xinjian.

“Ah!”

Sent flying mid-air, Mi Xinjian tumbled like a broken kite.

Boom!

He crashed heavily to the ground, opening his eyes to see Chu Feng standing above him.

By sheer misfortune, he had fallen right at Chu Feng’s feet.

“Brother Mi, are you hurt? Come sit for a while,” Chu Feng said with a smile, motioning for Mi Xinjian to stand.

“I… I’m fine! Ugh!”

As soon as Mi Xinjian stood, his blood surged and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

“Brother Mi, you’re clearly quite badly hurt. Find a place to rest,” Chu Feng said, patting Mi Xinjian’s shoulder.

With a darkened face, Mi Xinjian, after all that running in circles with the rhino, had still been defeated. It was humiliating enough, but now he’d suffered injury and spat blood in front of Chu Feng, leaving him utterly mortified. Head bowed, he walked away.

“Ah, Brother Mi really overthought it! If he hadn’t played hide-and-seek with the rhino and provoked it, maybe he wouldn’t have been injured.”

“Brother Mi’s skills just aren’t up to par. His reckless approach was really unwise!”

Two disciples whispered together.

“Brother Lin Shan, you’ve watched for a while—aren’t you going to try? You lasted so long in the advanced mechanism chamber; surely, the Diamond Battle Rhino should be easy for you!” Mu Kaihe joked.

In the Mu family, only Mu Qiaoxue and Mu Yun’er knew Chu Feng’s true identity. Mu Kaihe was aware that the Kong Sect was searching for a man named Chu Feng, but had no idea that Lin Shan before him was Chu Feng.

“Yes, it’s time for me to show my skills,” Chu Feng replied, stretching his limbs and calmly stepping into the arena.