Spoiled By the Young Master After Reborn In the 80s
Chapter 999: Nine hundred and ninety-seven, project assessment

Chapter 999: Nine hundred and ninety-seven, project assessment

Seeing that two people from their side had already passed the assessment right from the start, the crowd finally let go of their nervousness and focused entirely on the matches.

The battles continued, and the next rounds saw Luo Shu’s side achieving one win and one loss.

As the fourth disciple stepped off the arena, Lu Hanmo raised his foot and walked toward the center of the Martial Arts Arena.

"Look quickly! That’s Lu Hanmo, the strongest among the newly recruited disciples this time."

"He looks so cool! I’ve never seen him smile once from start to finish."

"Then you haven’t noticed the way he looks at his wife. That gentleness could melt any woman’s heart."

"Senior Sister Lan, if Senior Brother Yan hears you say that, he might drink jealousy by the barrel."

"Get lost!"

Lu Hanmo’s opponent was an elder. Among the disciples, there was truly no one with strength equal to Lu Hanmo. Left with no choice, they had to select an elder as his opponent.

"Please teach me well!" Lu Hanmo cupped his hands in respect toward the elder.

With a faint smile, the elder gestured for him to begin and then launched an attack at Lu Hanmo. His plan was to exchange a few moves to probe Lu Hanmo’s capabilities first. If Lu Hanmo couldn’t measure up, he would let up a little; after all, his cultivation was still slightly higher than Lu Hanmo’s.

Neither Lu Hanmo nor the elder used weapons; it was purely a contest of techniques.

At first, the elder assumed Lu Hanmo’s cultivation wasn’t at his level and that he might need to hold back and go easy.

But as the fight progressed, the elder realized his assumption was wrong. Not only was Lu Hanmo’s strength not inferior to his own, but Lu Hanmo hadn’t even exerted his full power in this duel. The elder was sure that if Lu Hanmo were to go all out, he would have lost right at the beginning. His appreciation for Lu Hanmo grew even more; he understood that Lu Hanmo was giving him face. If he had lost instantly, it would be hard for him to maintain authority in front of the disciples in the future.

"Lu Hanmo’s strength surpasses his cultivation level," Lin Jue remarked, his gaze fixed unwaveringly on the two dueling figures, his eyes full of admiration.

"Elder Li is no match for Lu Hanmo. If Lu Hanmo used his full power, the fight would already be over."

"Steady temperament, calm demeanor—Lu Hanmo’s future achievements will be beyond estimation."

Lu Hanmo stepped aside to dodge Elder Li’s incoming fist. As Elder Li brushed past him, Lu Hanmo’s palm struck Elder Li squarely on the back, causing him to stumble forward out of the fighting circle.

"Lu Hanmo wins!" Elder He announced without surprise at the result.

A resounding cheer erupted from around the arena. A disciple defeating an elder—this was not a common occurrence, but Lu Hanmo had made it happen before their very eyes.

"Junior Brother Lu is truly incredible! He even defeated an elder."

"He’s always been my idol, my motivation to push forward. I’ll work hard to become someone like Junior Brother Lu someday."

"Junior Sister Luo is about to take the stage next. Her strength isn’t inferior in the least."

Amid the chatter, Lu Hanmo stepped down from the platform and walked over to Luo Shu’s side.

"I’m heading up now." Luo Shu exchanged a smile with Lu Hanmo before walking toward the arena.

"Did you see it? Lu Hanmo’s gaze toward his wife is so gentle!" Senior Sister Lan smiled smugly at the few people beside her.

"His smile is surprisingly pleasant to look at. Too bad he’s already taken."

"You can’t handle a man like that; you’d end up frostbitten." They joked and looked toward the competition stage.

Luo Shu had already begun fighting with her opponent. Her adversary was Cheng Yimiao, the disciple with the highest cultivation level in the Liangyi Sect.

As soon as the fight started, the two exchanged fierce blows. Cheng Yimiao, unwilling to lose, naturally went all out.

Luo Shu merely defended, without launching an attack of her own initiative. Her thoughts mirrored those of Hanmo; her opponent was the senior brother among the Liangyi Sect disciples. If she defeated him too quickly, future encounters would undoubtedly breed resentment.

"Why don’t you take the initiative to attack?" Cheng Yimiao’s longsword collided with Luo Shu’s, emitting a sharp screech that grated on everyone’s teeth.

"I’m first observing your strength." Luo Shu retreated two steps.

Cheng Yimiao pressed forward relentlessly, his longsword aiming for Luo Shu’s throat. "Everyone says you’re formidable, but I don’t see it."

Luo Shu responded with a wave of her longsword, countering aggressively. Initially intending to give him some face, she now saw no reason to hold back.

Her attacks were swift, fierce, and accurate, forcing Cheng Yimiao into a corner with nowhere to retreat.

"Clang!" Cheng Yimiao’s sword was sent flying by Luo Shu’s blade, landing on the ground.

At the same time, Luo Shu’s sword was already poised against Cheng Yimiao’s throat.

"Luo Shu wins!" Elder He declared.

Cheng Yimiao glared at Luo Shu fiercely, snorted coldly, and then turned to leave.

Luo Shu smiled indifferently and walked over to Lu Hanmo. Some people simply don’t know gratitude.

"Yimiao’s talent isn’t bad, but his heart isn’t broad," Lin Jue shook his head, a hint of disappointment in his eyes. Compared to Yimiao, he favored individuals like Chen Che.

"Luo Shu didn’t attack initially because she was clearly considering his dignity," Elder Yuan remarked with a sigh. They could see the situation most clearly from the elevated platform.

Elder Zhou nodded in agreement. "Yimiao’s personality will lead to losses."

The battles continued, with two disciples still waiting for their turn after Luo Shu. Among the eight disciples from the Sea Realm, including Luo Shu and Lu Hanmo, only five passed the assessment. Of these five, Luo Shu earned the Tokens as a reward. The remaining disciple was the only one besides Luo Shu and Lu Hanmo to rank within the top thousand.

With the final two disciples stepping off the stage, the martial arts competition officially came to an end. Unfortunately, the last two participants failed the assessment.

The three disciples who didn’t pass the martial arts competition could only stop here. The five who succeeded would proceed to the next stage—project selection.

"Please choose the project you wish to be assessed on," Elder He instructed as five disciples stepped forward carrying five trays.

Each tray held a wooden plate with the name of a project marked on it.

"The project selection is about to begin. I wonder what Lu Hanmo and Luo Shu will choose."

"I hope they’ll choose our Alchemy Pavilion."

"I feel like they’ll definitely pick the same project."

As Luo Shu and Lu Hanmo reached out to take their chosen wooden plates, Chu Zhiruo and her group stared intently at their hands, eager to sneak a look.

Elder He stepped forward, taking the plates from the hands of Luo Shu and the five other disciples, and began to announce: "Zhao Longfei—Talisman Crafting."

"Xu Yangji—Alchemy."

"Fang Yi—Talisman Crafting."

As Elder He prepared to announce the choices of Luo Shu and Lu Hanmo, everyone instinctively held their breath. If one of them chose a project, the other was almost guaranteed to choose the same one. With that, they’d secure two powerhouses at once.