Chapter 408: The Trial (Part 3)

"Hey!"

Zhao Sanzhuang, drenched in sweat, felt his knees go weak and he fell heavily to the ground.

Thud.

Fortunately, there were not many dead branches in the dense forest; he was not pricked by any sharp twigs, but instead landed in a patch of soft weeds.

Smelling the fragrance of grass wafting from his nose, combined with the cool breeze under the shade of the trees, Zhao Sanzhuang, who had long been exhausted to the limit, felt the strength in his body drain away.

His eyelids began to grow heavy, heavier than the thirty-plus-pound iron hammer in his hand... wait, the iron hammer!!?

That's right, I'm still in the trial... I can't sleep!

Must get up!

Zhao Sanzhuang jolted awake, his sleepiness vanishing in an instant, and he flipped over to sit up.

Sure enough, after waking up, he discovered that the others had already walked more than ten meters ahead; not a single person had stopped to help him up.

This was normal; everyone was a competitor, and not kicking him while he was down was already decent enough.

There were many ways to join the Sword Casting Hut: some relied on recommendations from experts, some were brought in after their natural talent was discovered by disciples of the Sword Casting Hut, and others were selected during the decennial Immortal Fate ceremony...

But for some ordinary mortals who had no connections at home and whose talent was not that outstanding, there was another path.

That was to first join a subsidiary sect under the Sword Casting Hut, obtain the most basic cultivation method, and then advance step by step, eventually being selected from the subsidiary sect to enter the Sword Casting Hut; this was the most feasible method.

And the team Zhao Sanzhuang was in was currently undergoing the entrance trial for the Iron Workshop, a sect subordinate to the Sword Casting Hut.

This was already the third stage, and also the final stage; each of them had to carry this thirty-three-catty-three-tael-three-mace iron hammer and keep walking in the mountains until only ten people remained.

And at this moment, including Zhao Sanzhuang, there were only twelve people left in the team.

Just one step away!

Zhao Sanzhuang scrambled up from the ground, forced himself to catch his breath, took a few quick steps, and stumbled to catch up to the back of the team.

The person at the very back saw that Zhao Sanzhuang had actually caught up again, and there was a hint of regret in their eyes.

Competitors, naturally, the fewer the better.

But this guy, built as sturdy as an ox, was actually able to crawl back up after falling; what a pity!

Yet they didn't say anything; they were also out of strength, currently relying on a single breath to hold on, and were afraid that opening their mouth would cause them to deflate.

The person at the back could barely look after themselves, but those in front still had some energy left.

At this moment, the man walking in second place looked back at Zhao Sanzhuang, feeling a lingering fear.

Zhao Sanzhuang had been walking in front of him just before he fell, and that massive frame had almost crashed into him!

As the near-victim, he was the person who least wanted to see Zhao Sanzhuang continue the competition, so he hesitated for a moment and said loudly to the messenger leading the way at the front:

"Master Zhang! Does it still count if you fall and then get back up?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Sanzhuang's eyes widened, and he strode forward, catching up to the front of the team in a few steps, and shouted angrily:

"Niu Tiedan! What do you mean by that!"

Although Zhao Sanzhuang was furious, his large hands dared not touch the other person, as that would cause him to truly lose his qualification.

Niu Tiedan also knew this, which was why he was confident enough to snitch.

Although the two were from the same hometown, they had not a shred of hometown camaraderie; the Niu family had been at odds with the Zhao family for two generations, and they were considered ancestral enemies.

Furthermore, Niu Tiedan had a little ulterior motive: Zhao Sanzhuang's aptitude was slightly better than his own, and if they both entered the sect, the resources he obtained would definitely be much better than his own.

And if he were gone, then his share would fall to him by default!

With both new grudges and old hatreds, Niu Tiedan would rather burn bridges than let Zhao Sanzhuang lose his qualification to compete.

But to Niu Tiedan's disappointment, that taciturn Master Zhang only glanced back after hearing this, then turned his head back and said indifferently:

"Mind your own business."

Niu Tiedan was choked up, but he didn't dare to retort, so he lowered his head to thank him and agreed.

As for Zhao Sanzhuang, he gave a silly grin and gratefully bowed to thank Master Zhang:

"Hehe, thank you, Master!"

Then, that Master Zhang spoke up.

"You mind your own business, too."

Zhao Sanzhuang: "Cough, cough!"

"Seeing that your aptitude is passable, and you didn't put down the iron hammer even when unconscious, this time you shall be considered to have passed."

Zhao Sanzhuang: "Uh... yes."

Wiping the sweat from his forehead while holding the iron hammer that felt as heavy as a thousand jun in his other hand, and thinking of the torment he had endured over these past few months, he couldn't help but mutter in a low voice to the person at the very front:

"Damn it, I just want to cast a sword, but it's so damn hard!"

Hmph.

Hearing his complaint, the person leading the group sneered.

"Cast a sword? Hmph, with your bear-like appearance, you still want to cast a sword?"

Before the trial began, none of them would have thought that the person walking at the very front of their group would actually be a woman.

Although her appearance was not outstanding, with large hands and large feet, and her demeanor like a crude farm woman, there was a faint surge of Spirit Qi on her body.

Zhao Sanzhuang curled his lips upon hearing this and continued indignantly:

"Why not? I joined the Sword Casting Hut, isn't it just so that one day I can cast a sword with my own hands?"

The woman didn't mock him again after hearing this, and silently nodded:

"Well, me too."

Among the common people in the dozen or so prefectures near the Sword Casting Hut, who hadn't thought about one day being able to join the Sword Casting Hut and become one of its disciples?

This was the mark left by the Sword Casting Hut on this land for thousands of years, already deeply imprinted in the hearts of the people living on this land.

Complaints aside, the trial still had to continue, and the team fell back into silence.

Not long after, the two people walking at the very back of the group collapsed one after another; thus, this final trial, which had lasted for three days and three nights, finally came to an end.

After Lord Zhang stopped his footsteps, the ten people who had endured to the end all let out a long sigh of relief.

"Hoo... ha! Hahaha, it's finally over!"

They couldn't care less about their image, collapsing heavily onto the ground in disarray, their chests heaving like bellows.

Only that Girl Star was in slightly better condition, but she also sat down on the ground, wiping the sweat from her forehead.

It was too exhausting, truly too exhausting.

This kind of torment felt as if it had squeezed their very souls dry.

But soon, they realized something was wrong.

Lord Zhang had yet to announce the end of the trial!

Hm?

There was no smile on Lord Zhang's face; he stared toward the north with a grave expression and shouted angrily:

"Who is there!?"

"Come out!"

Someone!?

The exhausted group wanted to stand up, but they found their legs were weak and sore, devoid of any strength.

Then, a gentle voice like a spring breeze drifted over, causing the strength they had struggled to muster within their bodies to dissipate along with it.

"Fellow Daoists, do not be nervous."

A youth with snow-white hair walked out from the forest, smiled and bowed to the group, and said gently:

"We are merely passing by and would like to ask you all for directions."

Begging for Monthly Ticket——