Chapter 11: Supreme

Ever since the Lady revealed his hidden thoughts, Wu the steward had been deeply uneasy.

As a result, he couldn’t help but harbor a grudge against Zheng Fa.

More importantly: he understood that the Lady sending Zheng Fa and the other two to meet Xu Zheng effectively removed Zheng Fa from consideration as Seventh Young Master’s personal attendant.

Compared to studying, martial cultivation demands far greater resources—this is precisely what the saying “poor in literature, rich in martial arts” means.

Among Zheng Fa, Han Cheng, and Gao Yuan, Zheng Fa came from the poorest family.

As Xu the instructor had said earlier, let alone whether Zheng Fa even had talent, even if he did, his physical foundation would wither away if he couldn’t eat enough every day.

After grasping the Lady’s intent, his attitude toward Zheng Fa naturally grew colder.

“Enough, Xu instructor. Since the Lady instructed it, examine these three thoroughly—I must report back to her.”

Upon hearing the Lady’s name, the previously boisterous Xu instructor’s face softened into respectful deference; he extended his large hand and pinched Han Cheng’s skull.

“Bone age: seventeen years and two months.”

Hearing this, Zheng Fa suddenly remembered a question: since he had traveled between two worlds for five years, would his bone age be abnormal?

Although each time he was in the other world, time in this world seemed to stand still.

But his body had grown extremely fast over these five years—could this be the reason?

His origins were clearly documented in the Zhao household; if they discovered he was not seventeen but over twenty, what would they think?

Zheng Fa involuntarily grew tense.

Xu instructor’s hand moved along Han Cheng’s spine.

“Innate bone structure… middling to poor.” He then sneered, showing clear disdain: “But now, he’s barely poor quality!”

Zheng Fa faintly understood: Xu instructor’s notion of “quality” likely combined innate bone structure with postnatal nourishment.

He released his grip and said to Han Cheng, whose face still showed reluctance: “If you don’t eat properly, not only will you fail at martial cultivation—you’ll shorten your lifespan.”

Hearing this, Han Cheng’s face flushed with fear and gratitude: “Thank you, my lord, for your guidance.”

Xu instructor waved dismissively and beckoned to Gao Yuan beside him: “You, come here.”

Zheng Fa had been standing shoulder to shoulder with Gao Yuan while waiting; now he could see a faint sheen of sweat on the man’s forehead.

“Bone age: sixteen years and six months.”

“Innate bone structure,” Xu instructor’s face suddenly lit up with a smile: “It’s middling-high? Excellent!”

Upon hearing this, Gao Yuan’s earlier tension melted into delight; Han Cheng bit his lower lip.

Wu the steward also nodded, feigning satisfaction.

“Postnatal… have you trained in martial arts?”

Zheng Fa noticed Xu instructor’s brow furrow slightly, as if displeased.

Gao Yuan, looking nervous, replied: “My father once trained in martial arts; he taught me a couple of peasant techniques…”

“Nonsense! The more you cultivate, the more you must eat—if your family can’t afford it, you’ll ruin your physical foundation!”

In Xu instructor’s view, eating mattered more than training when it came to martial cultivation.

Poor innate foundation wasn’t worth discussing.

If your innate foundation was good, you had to eat more than others to sustain it.

If you trained, you needed even more.

Gao Yuan had decent innate talent, which already required high nourishment; if he’d trained before, he’d easily become malnourished…

“Your father trained too—how could he not know this basic rule?” Xu instructor growled, placing his hand on Gao Yuan’s spine.

“Huh? You’ve been well-nourished? Bone structure undamaged.”

Gao Yuan bowed, slightly embarrassed: “My father is highly favored by Second Master; he receives many rewards daily.”

Understood.

Family has money.

Even Xu instructor’s face showed sudden comprehension: “You’re surnamed Gao? Son of Manager Gao?”

Gao Yuan nodded.

Xu instructor shrugged and remarked: “You’ve got a good father.”

Releasing Gao Yuan, Xu instructor gestured for Zheng Fa to step forward.

Zheng Fa was extremely nervous.

His greatest fear was still that Xu instructor would detect an anomaly in his bone age.

Xu instructor’s expression was casual—he’d already seen a rare middling-high talent in Gao Yuan, so he paid less attention to Zheng Fa.

As if sensing Zheng Fa’s tension, he patted Zheng Fa’s shoulder: “Don’t be afraid—fear won’t make you grow an extra bone.”

Sir, you really know how to comfort people—I’m afraid I’ve grown too fast, too much…

“Bone age: seventeen years and six months!”

Hearing this, the heavy stone in Zheng Fa’s chest slowly lifted, though another question surfaced: what exactly was this crossing-over?

It could make the body ignore the passage of time.

“Innate bone structure… supreme!”

Xu instructor’s eyes flickered with surprise; he couldn’t help but whistle: “What kind of day is this? One middling-high, and now a supreme?”

Gao Yuan, who had just been smiling, now looked at Zheng Fa with wary caution.

“But you…” Xu instructor carefully scrutinized Zheng Fa’s clothing and appearance, then shook his head: “Who knows if this is fortune or misfortune?”

No further explanation was needed—everyone, including Zheng Fa, understood his meaning.

Zheng Fa clearly came from a poor household.

The better your innate structure, the more likely it was a curse.

Gao Yuan’s shoulders relaxed slightly.

Even Wu the steward, who had previously disliked Zheng Fa, now looked at him with faint regret.

This boy wasn’t just sharp-witted—he also had excellent martial potential.

In another family, he might have had a brilliant future.

Now, all one could do was sigh at the waste.

Zheng Fa felt Xu instructor’s massive hand patting his back, his shoulder blades and every vertebra thoroughly probed.

He couldn’t help but feel strangely uneasy.

Turning his head, he saw the man frowning deeply, as if puzzled.

After a long silence, Xu instructor stroked his chin beard and studied Zheng Fa with scrutiny: “You… also have a good father?”

“My father was deeply kind, but he passed away five years ago.”

“Dead?” Xu instructor looked even more confused: “Then again, no one in the Zhao household has ever mentioned a prominent Zheng family.”

The three beside him also sensed something odd; Wu the steward asked: “Is his talent good?”

“Talent? Innate bone structure is supreme—that’s excellent. But this boy… eats better than that Gao boy.”

Xu instructor’s expression turned strange.

Manager Gao of the Second Branch was famously favored among Zhao household servants.

Zheng Fa clearly wasn’t from a good background.

How could he eat better than Gao Yuan?

Zheng Fa suddenly thought of a possible explanation—if time hadn’t passed during his crossing, but the food he consumed was fully absorbed.

Then over these five years, he’d effectively eaten fourteen days’ worth of meals in just seven days.

Although in this world he ate little each day, the total still exceeded what others consumed.

Besides, even in modern times, he ate far more than his classmates at the cafeteria, sometimes adding roasted chickens as snacks.

Wu the steward studied Zheng Fa intently for a moment before asking: “Between Gao Yuan and Zheng Fa—who is superior?”

Xu instructor stared at him as if he were an idiot: “Middling-high versus supreme—which is better?”

Wu the steward understood.

His expression grew troubled: he had assumed Zheng Fa would be the worst among them in this bone examination.

The Lady likely thought the same.

But now Zheng Fa was the best—how was he supposed to report this to her?

It felt like slapping her in the face.

He stood frozen for a long while, then turned to the three and said: “Wait here. I’ll go ask the Lady.”