Legend of the Heavenly Swordsman
Ch.48 - Wooden Doll

Tao Lin and elder Mao were walking towards the administration hall. Both have been preparing since the sun is still on the eastern horizon. Tao Lin's steps seemed very confident and so excited.

"My fight with him was so much fun. There aren't many opportunities to fight with such a great person." Tao Lin muttered as he imagined his fight with Fu Chen.

His injuries had already healed, even this kid was interested in dueling once again.

Elder Mao who heard it could only shake his head, slowly. This disciple of his would actually be increasingly challenged to fight against people stronger than him, despite the high risk.

"You'll see him soon" said elder Mao with a deep smile.

"He? Who?" tao Lin asked in confusion.

"The person you just thought of. Don't you really want to meet her?" Fishing elder Mao.

Tao Lin shifted his gaze while rubbing his non-itchy nose. "Can the teacher read my mind?" Tao Lin asked, embarrassed.

Elder Mao chuckled, "your voice can be heard clearly .., after all the boy will also be doing the exam this morning, along with you."

Tao Lin was slightly surprised by his teacher's remark. To his knowledge, the young man he was fighting was a core disciple. Why does he still want to do the exam? "Why? Is he also risking his token?" Ask Tao Lin.

"Ha ha ha!" The laughter of elder Mao became wide. "Since the beginning he was indeed only an outer disciple. You don't even let him talk more when challenging him. It's your own fault."

"Ah that's true too." Tao Lin smiled wryly. "I haven't even gotten to know him yet" Tao Lin said, gloomily. "so I was defeated by an outer disciple? Ahhhh! It's so embarrassing!" Shouted Tao Lin frustratedly. He had also heard the news of his defeat which became a warm conversation among the inner disciples. His reputation is ruined.

***

Fu Chen had been waiting for that pair of teachers and disciples for quite a while. He did not want to miss this opportunity because it was too late. His efforts bore sweet fruit upon seeing elder Mao open the door of the hall.

"Oh .. You came early as it turned out, disciple Fu." Elder Mao greeted first.

"Not really .. I arrived a while before the elder came." Fu Chen smiled awkwardly. He had to lie despite waiting for more than two hours.

"So your Fu?" Tao Lin's voice then snatched Fu Chen's hand to shake hands with him. "Include! My name is Tao Lin! I'm one of the strongest in the inner disciple!" He said while puffing his chest.

Fu Chen could only laugh blandly. A speck of sweat came out from his forehead. "Ahaha .. I'm Fu Chen, I'm a nobody," Fu Chen replied as he attempted to release his hand.

"Already! You're too rude to your juniors, Tao Lin." Elder Mao attempted to break up the two, he then led them to one of the administrative desks.

This place of adiministration is referred to as the young crown pavilion. This place was always crowded because it was a place for disciples to choose missions and conduct exams just like Fu Chen and Tao Lin would do.

The elders were unable to take the mission from here, they only got the mission directly from the sect head. Even missions for core disciples were also differentiated from others.

"Bagamaina how are you, disciple Shi?" Greet elder Mao at a receptionist.

The receptionist stopped her work and turned her eyes to elder Mao. "As usual elder Mao. My work is very much here, "sighs the girl, complaining about the busyness she is living.

Elder Mao chuckled. "Isn't that way of talking to an elder like me?"

The girl named Shi rolled her eyeballs then changed her position to look more polite. "What can I do for you, elder?" Ask the girl more politely.

The girl was about 24 years old from her face. He was actually a core disciple. He gained that position not with his strength, but with the intelligence he possessed.

The Sacred Sword Sect had not only trained its disciples to become a swordsman. But they also provide special lessons for those who have the potential to become scholars.

Elder Mao flashed his smile. "Please prepare an inner disciple exam for them. I'll be the witness!" Her request.

"The inner disciple's test is still very long, elder Mao. Do they have any inner disciple tokens to exchange?"

"Of course, I haven't forgotten that rule." Reply to elder Mao.

The girl sighed for a moment. "I'd guess. Elder Mao really likes raising delinquents like them, huh?" Despite saying so, he still made the request of elder Mao.

"Yes-yes I understand. Your students are quite famous among the inner disciples. He really is a delinquent!" The girl said while preparing something.

"Well you two, the test is being prepared. Please wait a minute."

Fu Chen nodded his head, while Tao Lin yawned while scraping his nostrils.

After waiting a while. Fu Chen and Tao Lin were taken to a closed room. The two are separated in different rooms.

Their first exam was just a written exam. This rule was deliberately made so that the chosen students were those who understood the outside world. The Sacred Sword Sect party did not want its disciple to take on the mission without knowing the consequences.

The questions on each of those matters felt easy for Fu Chen. He can do it in less than 20 minutes. That's because the matter he was working on only discussed common things in the martial world. He already knew more than that thanks to frequent reading in the library.

Likewise with Tao Lin, he came out of the examination hall almost simultaneously with Fu Chen. The inner disciple exam has three stages. If the first stage measures knowledge, then the second stage will test their strength.

This time Fu Chen and Tao Lin were directed to the same room. Inside the room was quite spacious, there was a kind of barrier in each of its hallways.

On the Second Examination, Fu Chen and Tao Lin had to destroy 7 pieces of wooden puppets. Each of those puppets possessed strength equivalent to a middle-stage third-rate swordsman. They weigh at least 500 kilograms. They also resemble humans.

Fu Chen was surprised to find out his opponent was an inanimate object. "Wooden Doll?"

"Don't underestimate their power! That doll can attack you like a human!" The warning from elder Mao made Fu Chen raise his eyebrows.

"Is it true that this thing can move? I've read it before, but seeing it in person is completely different." Fu Chen muttered as he looked at the seven puppets who were still silent in their place.

"Your time limit is only 20 minutes to beat them!" After elder Mao ended his speech. Instantly the eyes of the entire doll there were bright red.

Fu Chen took two steps back when he saw her. On the other hand, Tao Lin just lunged towards the puppets in his hallway. He had already done this before, so he was quite confident.

Fu Chen also started attacking. The movements of the puppets were quite sluggish, making their movements young legible.

Elder Mao could only smile wryly seeing his disciple so eagerly destroying those puppets.

"Your disciples never change, elder Mao," said the receptionist. He was still watching them because he was the one who prepared for this test.

Elder Mao laughed blandly at hearing that. "He was just trying to enjoy it," replied elder Mao, not wanting to discuss it further.

"But that one young man was quite careful. She is very different from your disciple," said the girl as she looked towards Fu Chen. "Do you want to take it too?"

Elder Mao did not immediately reply, he watched Fu Chen for a moment. "Content .. I'm not sure he has no relationship with the other elders. Know it? At getting that token from Tao Lin!" The sigh of elder Mao, felt that there was already someone watching Fu Chen before him.

"So so.." The girl nodded her head. "He has great potential ahead of him."

Elder Mao did not reply, he simply nodded his head and observed Fu Chen's battle.

Fu Chen himself had already spent about two minutes observing his opponent. He knows this doll has a pattern of movement that has been set. Making Fu Chen able to easily attack them, but the problem was their defense which was quite sturdy.

Some of Fu Chen's punches even only resulted in cracks in the puppet. "I understand now. So the point of the test of strength is to destroy these dolls."

"There should be a weak spot. But where?" Fu Chen looked at the puppets one by one before him, "stomach? The head? Or chest?" He muttered while avoiding some attacks.

"No, not the three!" Fu Chen exclaimed before releasing a kick on the spine of one of the puppets. Making the doll just collapse.

"Ah...he guessed it correctly." said elder Mao and the receptionist girl together.

Fu Chen smiled faintly, then continued his action. The puppets there always dodged when Fu Chen turned his back on them. In addition, they also turned their backs on each other. Fu Chen's guess was correct due to the results of his observations.

By relying on the science of the Shadow Steps, Fu Chen was able to subvert the remaining six puppets in less than a minute.