Caleb Thompson the chief instructor shouted loudly to the students.

“Chief instructor, disciple Charles Bennett, wishes to give it a try!”

From the center of the formation, Charles Bennett stepped forward, interrupting Caleb Thompson’s words.

“You?……”

Caleb Thompson was slightly taken aback, clearly having no impression of Charles Bennett. But he quickly recalled—wasn’t this the very student who had come to ask him for permission to go to North Slope Mountain a few months ago!

“Didn’t you go to North Slope Mountain to train? Back so soon? I remember you only advanced to the Upper Institute five or six months ago. What are you doing here?”

Chief instructor Thompson’s face darkened instantly, and he rebuked harshly.

This kid failing the strength assessment was a small matter; but losing face for North Slope Academy in front of guests personally accompanied by Dean Taylor was a big deal. It would make the guests think North Slope Academy had no one, letting a low-level disciple from the Lower Institute fill the ranks.

Over two hundred Upper Institute students all turned their eyes to Charles Bennett, who had stepped forward, full of doubt.

Many students were quite unfamiliar with Charles Bennett.

Charles Bennett had only advanced to the Upper Institute half a year ago, stayed at the academy for two or three months, then went to the North Slope Mountains to train deep in the mountains for several months, rarely spending time with these Upper Institute students.

“He seems to have advanced to the Upper Institute six months ago!”

“What!!! He only entered the Upper Institute half a year ago, and he dares to participate in the graduation assessment! We’ve been training for years and still haven’t reached the sixth level of the Body Refining stage. He’s just a commoner student, and after only six months, he wants to pass North Slope Academy’s strength assessment?”

“Ethan Marshall is the son of the national guardian general Ma Bai, a member of the Ma family, one of the five great noble families of Wu Kingdom. Only with such talent could he reach the sixth level of the Body Refining stage in just eight months! Does he think he’s more talented than Senior Brother Marshall? Haha, what a joke!”

“Senior Brother Marshall, looks like someone wants to challenge you! He’s only been training for six months—do you feel any pressure?”

Many young students began to mock and ridicule.

“If this kid wants to embarrass himself, let him try!”

Ethan Marshall didn’t mind at all, instead laughing heartily with several close brothers beside him.

The rebuke from Upper Institute chief instructor Caleb Thompson did not make Charles Bennett back down.

“Chief instructor, disciple Charles Bennett, wishes to give it a try!”

Charles Bennett lowered his eyes, tightly clenching his slightly trembling fists, staring at the ground, standing motionless with a blank expression, repeating his earlier words.

No one could see that deep within his cold gaze, anger was burning.

Ten years—such contempt and ridicule had never been lacking.

He was just a lowly, unknown commoner at the very bottom of North Slope Academy. In his ten years of training at the academy, he had desperately earned money to train, scraping by on a meager income of a few dozen copper coins a year, doing the hardest and most exhausting work while training, competing with the noble sons and daughters of the academy.

Commoner martial artists like him were not few among the more than a thousand Lower Institute students; the vast majority were still struggling in the first to third levels of the early martial artist stage, longing for the day they could break through and advance, becoming the more respected Upper Institute students.

Those noble family disciples could never understand the hardship, pain, and anger of a bottom-tier martial artist like him.

But even in such hardship, Charles Bennett never complained about fate. All the suffering and hardship he had endured over the past ten years only made his desire stronger—to catch up to the strength of the other students with his own hands.

Caleb Thompson seemed to sense the unwavering determination in Charles Bennett’s words, and couldn’t help but feel troubled. He glanced at Dean Taylor’s expression.

“Dean Taylor, since he’s already stepped forward, let him go up! Are you afraid he’ll embarrass your North Slope Academy?” James Jennings waved his hand indifferently. After watching for several hours, he was feeling bored—an unexpected turn was welcome.

Dean Taylor had no choice but to signal Caleb Thompson to let Charles Bennett take the stage.

“Charles Bennett, begin the strength assessment! The first task: break the stone post. This specially made stone post can withstand a base force of six hundred jin—only a sixth-level Body Refining martial artist can do it. If your strength is insufficient…”

Caleb Thompson explained in a deep, deliberate voice, but before he could finish—

Charles Bennett stepped forward, came to stand directly in front of a sturdy stone post, and suddenly swept his leg across—“Boom!” The stone post broke under the heavy blow, flying four or five zhang away. Charles Bennett knelt on one knee, then slowly stood up.

The noisy training ground instantly fell silent.

Upper Institute chief instructor Caleb Thompson watched this scene, forcibly swallowing the words he hadn’t finished saying, “Charles Bennett! Basic leg technique, six hundred jin of force, sixth level of Body Refining! Assessment passed!”

Chapter 12: The Blood Soul Ring

On the training ground, the previously unrestrained ridicule had completely vanished. Among the more than two hundred Upper Institute students at North Slope, only a little over forty had reached the sixth level of the Body Refining stage.

Many students stared wide-eyed, watching intently to see if Charles Bennett’s martial arts technique would meet the standard.

The second assessment: testing the power of martial arts techniques.

For a martial artist, the speed and force of their moves are extremely important abilities.