Chapter 386
Elder Grant’s expression went blank for a moment, and his eyebrows slightly furrowed.

….
He had assessed many bones, but the bones of Keera had made a deep impression on him.

Her joints were weak and powerless, and her bones were soft. She was indeed not the right material for practicing martial arts. Even as she grew older, there was no improvement.

Therefore, Keera’s parents had pleaded with Elder Grant several times, but he had never relented.

With such bones, even if one tried hard, they were destined to have no luck with martial arts. Perhaps Keera could learn something like dancing instead.

Even when she grew up, it was impossible for a change to occur.

But this time, after feeling her bones again, he was suddenly baffled by the bones of the person before him.

Were these the same soft and powerless bones of Keera?

No…

The person before him had very hard bones, yet the joints were very supple; the tendons and bones felt as if they were exceptional!

It was as if she was a martial arts expert who had practiced for many years!!

Unable to help himself, Elder Grant looked at “Keera” again and then asked, “How long do you practice martial arts each day?”

Keira cast her eyes down. “Two hours.”

Elder Grant immediately frowned.

How could this be possible?!

With only two hours a day, even if she started exercising in the womb, she wouldn’t have such tendons and bones.

He frowned, looking carefully at “Keera” again as if trying to see why such a significant change had occurred.

But after watching her for a long while, he couldn’t spot anything underhanded.

He could only continue to feel Keira’s other arm, and it was also very hard to the touch!

He couldn’t help but turn to James. “Come here.”

James walked over to his side.

Elder Grant began to feel his bones.

James felt ticklish and was somewhat baffled. He couldn’t help but back away. “Elder Grant, what are you doing?”

But Elder Grant frowned.

He suddenly started to doubt his own bone assessment skills!

Indeed, the bones of an adult couldn’t be compared with those of children, and the standards of judgment were different, but the tendons and bones of a martial artist were certainly not the same as those of an ordinary person.

Why did he feel that “Keera’s” tendons and bones were better than James’s?

That was absolutely unreasonable!

James was among the best of his generation in the Freeman Sect, second only to the eldest senior sister. He was considered top-notch, whereas the eldest senior sister was exceptional.

Keera was so weak as a child, so how could she possibly be stronger than James?

As Elder Grant was puzzled, James couldn’t help but suppress a laugh. “Elder Grant, are you done? There are others in line waiting behind!”

“Right.”

Elder Grant withdrew his hand and looked at Keira.

James then asked, “How are Keera’s tendons and bones?”

Elder Grant hesitated for a moment and then, after a long pause, chose a safer word. “They’re not bad; you have indeed been practicing martial arts diligently these years. How about this? Why don’t you participate in the Outer Sect’s martial arts competition?”

Keira didn’t understand how formidable her martial arts skills were.

It was just that after learning martial arts from her master, she seemed to have never lost in one-on-one fights.

Hearing this, she was slightly startled. “The Outer Sect martial arts competition?”

“Yes,” Elder Grant stroked his beard. “Outer Sect Disciples do have the opportunity to become Inner Sect Disciples, and that is through the martial arts tournament. If you can place in the top three, you’ll have the chance to enter the Inner Sect. At that time, the Sect Leader and the Elders will select high-quality martial talents from among you and teach them properly. With your aptitude, you should participate!”

Elder Grant thought this was the safest approach! Since the bone assessment was inconclusive, why not give it a try? In the martial arts tournament, if she won, then the Freeman Sect wouldn’t miss out on a good seedling like her; if she lost, then it just meant she wasn’t up to snuff, and indeed he was wrong in his initial assessment!

Keira also felt his reasoning made sense, so she nodded and headed out.

James glanced at Elder Grant, saw the flicker in his eyes, and that he dared not meet his own gaze, and immediately misconstrued the meaning of Elder Grant’s words. Elder Grant must have suggested this method because Keira had poor bone structure, thus aiming to discourage her!

So, he followed Keira out and immediately asked, “Are you sure you want to participate in the martial arts tournament?”

Keira nodded. “Yes, where do I sign up?”

“There’s no need to sign up. You’re quite in luck as the first match is tomorrow. You just have to show up and participate. Only those who can withstand three moves from my third junior brother are qualified to enter the competition.”

Keira understood that there was a preliminary selection. That made sense. With so many Outer Sect Disciples in the Freeman Sect, if everyone participated, wouldn’t the competition procedures become too complicated?

Keira nodded, thought for a moment, and then walked out. James followed her and said, “Are you sure you want to participate? If you are certain, then I’ll be the one conducting the selection tomorrow.”

As the third junior brother’s status was lower than his, it seemed logical that he should be the one doing it, but James, acting like a big shot, felt that it was beneath him to do such a task. But if his third aunt wanted to participate, then he should at least help her out, right? At the very least, he should help her enter the registration phase.

Keira then said, “Don’t help me, I’ll come back tomorrow.”

James nodded, followed her, and escorted her out of the Freeman Sect.

After bidding her farewell at the gate, James watched Keira get into a car that had been parked near the Freeman Sect. James glanced at it and came to a halt.

What did he see?! He actually saw a gigolo exit the driver’s side and affectionately wrap his arms around Keira’s waist, leading her to the passenger side.

“How did things go today?” Lewis was currently asking in a deep voice. “Do you need my help?”

“Nope,” Keira said. “I’ve found a way to proceed. As long as I participate in the martial arts tournament and place in the top three, I can become an Inner Sect Disciple. By then, I’ll have essentially established a cooperation with the Freeman family.”

“Martial arts tournament? Are you up for it? Do you need me to help?” Lewis examined her small frame.

Keira laughed. “Should we practice when we get home?”

“Sure, I’ll help you, but don’t use it as an excuse not to sleep with me tonight.”

Keira was speechless. Ever since this man had started indulging, was he thinking about it every single day?

The two of them chatted while getting into the car and drove off, only to see James standing there, dumbfounded.

He hastily got into his own sports car, drove straight home, and burst into Ellis’s room. “Ellis, I can’t believe Keira dares to keep a gigolo outside! Are you aware of this?”

Ellis was perplexed. He hesitated before speaking, “I am aware…”

“You know and you did nothing about it? How is this fair to Uncle? To think I treated her with such respect today, only to find out she’s been secretly doing this behind Uncle’s back! Ellis, how can we let a woman like this into our family?”

Ellis scanned him from head to toe and suddenly asked, “Do you know what the relationship between Keira and Uncle is?”