Walking leisurely in the bazaar, Zhao Yu's pace was slightly brisk. Although the sword hanging on his right shoulder was a drag, he could barely carry it after a few swings and a while.

At this point, people are basically up and busy with their own things in the streets. Zhao Yu looked left and right from time to time, feeling the flow of people and the lively atmosphere around him.

Although the whirlpool town is small, it is also full of organs, there are no big teahouses and merchants, but there should be a lot of excitement.

The hawkers seem to have been ready to move, probably before dawn when they set up their stalls. Zhao Yu glanced at it casually and found that there were both steamed buns and vegetables and meat. Of course, there are also some calligraphy and paintings, jade utensils, etc. It seems that the most prosperous market in the whole of Vortex Town is this bazaar.

In front of a vendor selling barbecue meat, Zhao Yu stopped. The barbecue is juicy and smooth, and you can smell it from a distance.

When the barbecue vendor saw Zhao Yu, he deliberately waved the grass fan in his hand, as if to say to him:

'Come, kid. Look at the fragrant barbecue! Would you like to have some?'

But Zhao Yu knew that he couldn't buy it, and he didn't have any money in his pocket at all. Swallowing his saliva at the barbecue, he continued to pac forward.

Alas, Zhao Yu scratched his head. In the future, when you have money in the future, you must buy a few bunches of it to try it, he thought so and continued to hurry.

Passing through the bazaar, he continued his stroll towards his destination. At the moment, the flow of people seems to be much less, but this does not affect his mood. He was still innocent and tossing his steps.

After a few more streets, he finally came to the place where he needed to go, which was the Proving Ground.

Looking at the venue in front of him, which covered a large area, Zhao Yu breathed out of thin air.

The Proving Ground is surrounded by four tall walls and consists of only a few houses. It may be that there has been a relationship that has not been repaired for too long, and it is still a little dilapidated here. However, if you only count by area, it may be the largest site in Vortex Town.

Moreover, for a young man like Zhao Yu, the trial ground has its pivotal and extraordinary significance.

In the kingdom of Saran, oh no, it should be said that the vast majority of countries in the entire Cellos. For both men and women, as long as they reach the age of eighteen, the proving ground is a hurdle for them to pass.

The so-called testing ground is a place for people to test. In the world of Cellos, there are a variety of professions.

Zhao Yu couldn't remember what all the professions were, but he could still generalize some of them. For example, swordsmen, archers, magicians, healers, assassins, and many more. Each of these professions has its own characteristics, but if you want to become one of them, you need to go through the testing ground.

Once a person reaches the age of eighteen, he chooses one of several professions and trains at the proving ground in the town where he lives. Only after training and passing the final assessment can it be said that you have truly become a beginner in a certain profession.

The profession chosen by Zhao Yu is a swordsman, which is also one of the most common professions in the entire Sailos.

The trial of the beginner profession can be said to be very meaningful, and it is even closely related to the future and destiny of the person - because Celos is a world that only recognizes the profession and the level it is in.

To give an example of a figurative point, people can work in various jobs to support themselves as adults. However, these jobs should be linked to the chosen occupation. For example, a person can only become a soldier if he passes the swordsman level. For another example, only when a person has passed the junior level of the legal profession such as a magician or a blood shaman, can he engage in some mental work related to businessmen and officials.

Zhao Yu has always thought that this kind of rule is extremely nonsense, but the general trend is like this, and a small person like him can only abide by it in no other way.

Moreover, it is not guaranteed that you will be able to pass the exam. Like Zhao Yu's neighbors' big brothers, there are a few who have not passed the relevant vocational primary exams. In the end, there is only one way that awaits them, and that is to be farmers for the rest of their lives.

I heard that the pass rate of the exam is not high, which is also what Zhao Yu is worried about. He was not confident that he would be able to pass the junior swordsman exam. Perhaps, from the fate of the elder brothers in the family, he has seen himself in a few years.

The cycle of trials begins at the age of eighteen, after two years of training, and the final assessment is carried out around the age of twenty. In other words, Zhao Yu, who has just turned twenty years old, is about to face that hurdle. He knew he was at a crossroads in his life.

If he fails the assessment, how should he explain it to his mother? Zhao Yu asked himself this question.

Since he was a child, Zhao Yu has heard a wise saying: No place and no one will accept a person who can't even take the relevant professional junior exam.

This is not just a country in Saran, nor is it just a race of humans. It is an unspoken rule recognized by the whole of Celros. That is to say, from the moment a person fails an exam in the proving ground, it means that his life is over.

Zhao Yu really didn't know what the use of this kind of rule was, but as I said earlier, a little person like him couldn't change anything at all, and could only mechanically obey it in the vast sea.

Of course, it's not just eighteen years old who have such a chance to try. If you fail once, you will have a long life to take the make-up exam.

There is not only one chance to take the trial exam in any country. However, this kind of opportunity is often only for those who are rich and have sons or sisters. Only they have the money to pay for the high make-up exams, and the civilians categorically cannot afford them. Therefore, the trial exam was free when he was only eighteen years old, and after failing, a child born in a poor family like Zhao Yu may only struggle at the bottom for the rest of his life.

Thinking of this, Zhao Yu felt a chill appear in his neck. His future life can be said to be in the hands of the testing ground in front of him! He scratched his head irritably.

Another point is very important, even if you pass the relevant professional junior level, it cannot be said that your future life will be guaranteed. The primary level is nothing but a stepping stone for people to go to the world in the future, something that must be there but cannot be said to be decisive. To put it in layman's terms, a person with a junior swordsman, he can still only be an ordinary soldier. The same is true for others, such as mages and blood shamans.

So, even though Zhao Yu was not confident in the exam, he was paranoid that he might be able to have a better way out in the future. Really, that's exactly what he thinks. Zhao Yu hopes that it will not be as simple as being a junior swordsman, he feels that if there is a better way to receive a better education. In that way, he could become a swordsman who wanted to be of a higher level than the beginner.

After reverie, Zhao Yu suddenly realized that he had been standing at the door for a long time. He shrugged his shoulders and entered the main gate of the Proving Grounds.

After wandering around the grounds for a while, he continued to walk towards the deep swordsman area. There were a few three- or four-story houses in the proving grounds. But these houses were never the main components of the Proving Grounds. A few open-air regional venues are, and Zhao Yu and a few friends are also tested here.

After walking a few steps, he finally reached the swordsman district. It was a vast and boundless playground, and there was only a three-story house in it, except for a few iron men for sword practice.

Several of the young men who had been testing with him seemed to have arrived, and they sat in groups of three and two chatting leisurely. Among them, a young man named Zha Hongliang made Zhao Yu look deeply at him for a long time.

Zha Hongliang seemed to notice the staring gaze, and also glanced at it crookedly.

The two looked at each other one by one, and the next thing was Zha Hongliang's wave full of kindness.

"Ahh

"Yes, here we are. Zhao Yu responded with a beckon.

Zha Hongliang is Zhao Yu's playmate since childhood, and the two are a few streets away. Their parents had known each other for a long time, so it made sense that they would become friends. And maybe it's also fate, they were born in the same year. This means that they will also participate in the Eighteen-Year-Old Proving Ground Trial.

Zha Hongliang's parents are also farmers, and their family background is not very good, but after all, because his parents are there, it naturally cannot be said to be particularly difficult. Therefore, Zha Hongliang's family will give some help to Zhao Yu's family. This is really a very warm existence for Zhao Yu's mother and son.

Seeing Zha Hongliang running towards him, Zhao Yu intuitively felt that some behemoth was approaching.

Zha Hongliang is as tall as a grizzly bear, and his altitude is one meter eight. However, it is not like that kind of fat meat ball, Zha Hongliang's so-called fatness can probably be described as strong. It's just that his unkempt and curly hair really stretches his face a lot bigger, which leads to his nickname: Tiger's Back and Bear's Waist.

When the two came together, Zha Hongliang directly hooked his hand and neck. Not only that, but he also half-jumped up his tiger-backed body and pressed Zhao Yu to the top of Mount Tai.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Zhao Yu endured in annoyance, and his waist was also pressed down tightly. Originally, holding a sword was enough for him, but now there was a huge object pressing on his body.

"Why did you arrive so late?"

Because Zhao Yu couldn't stand the other party's huge body, he directly moved to the side like a salary, avoiding Zha Hongliang's hook.

"It's late, isn't it normal time!" Zhao Yu said and straightened his clothes that were messy due to fighting.

He also glanced at the large clock hanging from the house in the distance, which showed the time as 8:50. The house is a place for instructors and students to rest on weekdays. Although its area is not large, the effect of sheltering from the wind and rain is still very considerable.

When it comes to time, it seems that a day can be divided into 24 hours, and an hour can be divided into 60 minutes. Zhao Yu didn't know the principle of this time division system, because he had always had decimal numbers from decimal things. He also couldn't figure out why the time was so awkward, but he still followed the rules.

In addition, the time division of Celos is based on a one-year cycle, with a year consisting of twelve months, and a month of about thirty days. Zhao Yu also didn't know the reason for this time division. It's not just time, he has lived in Cellos for twenty years, and there are also many things that are not clear and unknown. Therefore, he can only just not think about it, anyway, as long as he can eat and sleep well.

"I'm not late, 9 o'clock is the time when the trial starts! I'm ten minutes early!" Zhao Yu's gaze gradually returned to him from the big clock upstairs.

"But compared to the past, you're late!" Zha Hongliang was still smiling, "You usually come after eight o'clock, every time you arrive, I haven't arrived, but how is it the other way around today?"

When Zha Hongliang said this, Zhao Yu recalled the scene before going out this morning. However, it was not a pleasant memory, and he quickly shook his hand as if he had come to his senses.

"Oh, it's not that late!"

"It's been almost half an hour, isn't it so late?" Speaking of this, Zha Hongliang suddenly approached and put his elbow against Zhao Yu's arm, "By the way, you shouldn't have seen some beautiful woman on the street, and then went up to talk to him, so you delayed, right?"

Zhao Yu couldn't stand Zha Hongliang's sly smile, so he simply walked quickly to the venue. "You are you, I am!"

"What, you say me?" Zha Hongliang followed, "I'm a very, very pure person, okay?"

"Huh?" Zhao Yu was so startled that he stopped, he turned his head slowly, his face twitched one by one, "What? You said you were very pure?" Subconsciously, Zhao Yu's expression gradually moved closer to the direction of contempt, "Zha Hongliang! Your skin is really not ordinary thick now!"

"Is it thick?" Zha Hongliang pressed his hands directly on his face, like a girl with a shy smile. His eyes were still blinking at Zhao Yu, with a sense of 'temptation', "Is it thick?"

Zhao Yu shook his head speechlessly when he saw this. He walked back into the field.

"Hey, Zhao Yu, don't go!" Zha Hongliang also quickly trotted behind Zhao Yu. During this period, he also patted Zhao Yu's shoulder a few times from time to time.

But Zhao Yu ignored it and continued to move forward in his own way.

"Hey, Zhao Yu, don't ignore me!"

"It's not that I'm ignoring you. I just don't want to talk to a 'skinny' person. ”

Zha Hongliang didn't react for a while. After a brief pause in thought, he seemed to understand something. He rushed towards Zhao Yu suddenly, "Hey, Zhao Yu, don't go too far." Friends are friends, but you can't make a big fuss about my wounds!"

Zhao Yu glanced at the back twice, and showed a look of embarrassment in an instant, "How can it be so exaggerated?"

"Yes. Zha Hongliang went directly to Zhao Yu and blocked his way.

Zhao Yu only felt as if there was a huge giant bear dangling in front of him. He hung his shoulders and waved his hands weakly: "What are you doing?"

"Yes. You should know that I am very sensitive to the fact that others call me figure!" Zha Hongliang's eyes narrowed angrily.

But with many years of experience getting along, Zhao Yu knew at a glance that it was pretending. Sure enough, Zha Hongliang quickly showed his old joke.

"How can I have 'skin and bones'!" I saw Zha Hongliang standing upright, and he raised his hands and stroked under him, "I'm a man with a slender body, okay?"

Zhao Yu looked at Zha Hongliang for a few seconds, then shook his head and jumped directly over his body: "Okay!

Zha Hongliang showed an unclear expression. He also craned his neck and winked at Zhao Yu who was far away.

"Hey, Zhao Yu, you can't have encountered something unhappy, right?" After speaking, Zha Hongliang followed.

Zhao Yu just came back coldly and said 'no', and then came to a staircase and squatted down. This is also where Zha Hongliang sat before, and this person's sword is placed under the steps on the side.

Zhao Yu also slowly put down his sword. Suddenly, he felt a lot more relaxed.

"Did you encounter something?" Zha Hongliang had already walked up to Zhao Yu and sat down slowly next to him.

"It's really not!" Zhao Yu pressed his elbow against his thigh and supported his chin with his palm. He stared ahead for a moment, his vision blurred by meditation.

"Look at you like this, you know there is. Okay, tell my brother, what's going on?" Zha Hongliang slammed into Zhao Yu with his huge body.

Zhao Yu was knocked awake. He hung his shoulders in discouragement, "Oh!

"There must be. Zha Hongliang directly raised his hand and pointed to Zhao Yu's temple, "Do you still want to hide it from me?"

Hearing this, Zhao Yu buried his head deep in his knees.

"Look! Come, tell me what the hell is going on!"

"Ahh ”

"Of course. Zha Hongliang listened to Zhao Yu's words, and seemed to be very energetic. Constantly swinging his body violently, Zha Hongliang teased with his thumb to himself, "What is the relationship between the two of us! I know how many hairs you have underneath your kid. ”

Zhao Yu's body suddenly trembled, and he raised his head in surprise: "You...... You...... What are you talking about?"

"Ahh Tell me, what's going on?"

Zhao Yu shook off his upper body, and then told Zha Hongliang what happened with his mother this morning. In the end, Zhao Yu added.

"To be honest, I really think my mom is getting old. I don't know if she can take care of me forever. ”

"Ahh

"But...... Hey......"

"What the hell are you trying to say?"

"I was just thinking......" Zhao Yu raised her head slightly, "She worked so hard to take care of me, but I may not be able to fulfill her wishes." Alas, the trial is coming soon, and I don't even know if I can pass the swordsman junior test. ”

Zha Hongliang pouted after hearing this, and he also turned his neck quickly, as if he was thinking about something intense. "Oh, you said this test! To be honest, I don't have the confidence that I can do it. But—as long as you are worthy of yourself, can't you just work hard?"

Regarding Zha Hongliang's optimistic remarks, Zhao Yu smiled self-deprecatingly. "Perhaps! ”

"So, come, smile, don't be sad anymore?" Zha Hongliang kept pushing Zhao Yu with his arm.

At this time, Zhao Yu really laughed. It's not self-deprecating, but a genuine smile. Perhaps, for him, Cha Hongliang is the only person he can talk to in Vortex Town.

At this time, Zhao Yu also remembered an episode, that is, before the trial training, Zha Hongliang initially reported the archer profession. However, after hearing that Zhao Yu reported that he was a swordsman, he also changed to a swordsman. In this way, the two tried together for two years.

"Yo, what are you two sitting there talking about?

At this moment, a strange voice came. By the time Zhao Yu and Zha Hongliang raised their heads, the person who spoke was already standing in front of them.