Quasi-Warrior Assessment (Part 1)

Jiangnan Base City, Yangzhou, Limitless Martial Arts School branch.

A cordon had been set up across the plaza in front of the martial arts school building. At a glance, there were nearly three hundred people dressed uniformly in black training uniforms. The four blood-red characters "Limitless Martial Arts School" on their backs were exceptionally conspicuous.

The crowd consisted mainly of young men and women in their twenties, with the occasional person in their thirties. They gathered in twos and threes within their own little circles, making the place extremely noisy.

"Students participating in the Quasi-Warrior Assessment, line up here. Have your citizen cards ready, register here in order, then go to the Warrior Hall on the fifth floor for the assessment." A bald man directed the crowd at the registration desk.

At his shout, the crowd gradually quieted down and began lining up along the cordon.

At the front stood a row of tables. Two staff members used scanners to scan the citizen cards handed to them, then registered the information on the computers on the tables.

"So many people are taking the assessment. There were only a little over two hundred last time, right?"

"This is the last assessment of the year. Maybe those who performed poorly and failed last time will pass this time. Look, more people are still coming." The people waiting in line to register chatted from time to time.

"Look, it's Li Qiang."

A man in his twenties with a pair of Triangular Eyes came over from the back. Without even looking at the people lining up, he went straight to the registration desk, reached out to pull aside the person about to register, and handed over his own citizen card.

The students in line watched him cut ahead of them, but no one dared say a word.

"Li Qiang, twenty-two years old, Advanced Student of the martial arts school, registering for the assessment."

Ignoring the angry stares behind him, Li Qiang spoke to the martial arts school staff at the registration desk.

The staff member glanced at him, lowered his head, and began the registration.

"He's fucking arrogant. I really want to beat the crap out of him!"

"Isn't their whole group just relying on the fact that they have Warriors in their families? If I had their resources, I'd have become a Warrior by twenty."

"I heard he took the assessment at the start of the year too. He failed the Neural Reaction Speed test, though his physical fitness had already met the standard."

"Once I pass this assessment, I'm definitely going to beat him up the next time I leave the city."

The people nearby were angry but dared not speak. Those farther back in the line talked more freely, and many quietly cursed him.

Hearing the voices behind him, Li Qiang suddenly turned around. Like a venomous snake, his narrowed triangular eyes glinted coldly. Wherever he looked, the voices there immediately fell silent.

Seeing that no one dared meet his gaze, he revealed a satisfied sneer.

Just then, a figure entered through the martial arts school's gates. Li Qiang's body stiffened as he fixed his gaze on him.

"That trash kid recovered so quickly? Looks like the lesson we gave him was too light. I told them we should've crippled him back then."

After seeing who it was, Li Qiang gave a cold laugh, ignored everyone else, and walked straight into the martial arts school building.

"That's one of Li Wei's lackeys."

The person who had just arrived was Xia Zhi.

As he headed toward the plaza, he sensed someone staring at him. He looked up, but Li Qiang had already turned away.

Xia Zhi coldly glanced at Li Qiang, who was about to enter the building. He was the one hurling the nastiest insults from the side that night.

That had been the final fragment of memory left behind by the original owner of this body. Even now, recalling that night made anger surge through him in waves.

Just wait. The day we settle our score isn't far off.

"Xia Zhi, eighteen years old, registering for the assessment."

Though the line was long, registration moved quickly. Soon, it was Xia Zhi's turn. He handed over his citizen card and spoke to the staff member.

A wave of sharp intakes of breath sounded around him.

"He's only eighteen and he's already here for the assessment. This kid's impressive," someone exclaimed.

"Who knows if he can pass? Maybe he's just here to try it out and gain some experience!" someone else retorted unwillingly.

After all, the younger a Warrior was, the faster their strength improved. At eighteen, most Warriors were experiencing explosive growth in strength. To qualify for the Quasi-Warrior Assessment at that age meant that, once he passed, he could become a Warrior.

At that point, he would certainly become a target for recruitment by all sorts of forces. That meant more resources and the chance to go farther down the path of a Warrior.

The registration staff member took the citizen card Xia Zhi handed over and scanned it. After confirming that the information matched, he looked up and smiled at him, his attitude noticeably more courteous.

"Hello, Xia Zhi. Please proceed to the Warrior Training Hall on the fifth floor for the assessment. Good luck."

"Thank you." Xia Zhi nodded and walked into the building amid the discussions and stares behind him.

The first and second floors of the martial arts school building were for ordinary students to train and for instructors to hold classes. The third floor was where Advanced Students trained daily, while the fourth floor was for the instructors' offices and rest areas. The fifth floor and above could only be entered by Warriors.

The Warrior Training Hall, regarded as legendary among ordinary students, truly was different.

Its space of more than three thousand square meters felt especially vast and empty.

Different functional areas surrounded the hall. Weapon racks held all kinds of weapons, and there was also an equipment area for training basic physical abilities.

A huge open space occupied the center of the hall. Normally, it was probably used by Warriors for sparring and training, but today it had been designated for the students participating in the assessment.

At that moment, the waiting area to the left of the assessment zone was packed with people.

Here was a long track, its positions marked by lines on the floor. It was one hundred meters long and used to test speed.

There was a timing machine at both the start and finish of the track. From time to time, a student taking the assessment would race across it, and the machine at the finish would announce the corresponding result.

"24.6 meters per second, unqualified."

"26.5 meters per second, qualified."

"29.2 meters per second, excellent."

The Electronic Synthesized Voice periodically announced the assessment results. Those who passed accepted the score sheets handed to them by the proctoring instructors with beaming smiles, then left laughing and chatting with those around them.

Those who failed stood nearby with gloomy expressions, watching the others take their assessments, or simply left the hall.

A Warrior's combat strength naturally depended on actual battle, but with current technology, establishing standards through numerical data made it easier to clearly define Warrior levels and facilitated management by the state and organizations such as martial arts schools.

A Warrior's strength was primarily reflected in three sets of data: speed, punching power, and Neural Reaction Speed.

The qualifying standards for the Quasi-Warrior Assessment were a punching power of 900 kilograms and a speed of 25 meters per second—in other words, four seconds for one hundred meters!

Neural Reaction Speed had to be tested with specialized equipment. To qualify, one had to receive an overall evaluation of passing at the Warrior level.

The minimum punching power for the Beginner Warrior level was 1,500 kilograms, with a speed of 30 meters per second;

The minimum punching power for the Intermediate Warrior level was 3,000 kilograms, with a speed of 45 meters per second;

The minimum punching power for the Advanced Warrior level was 6,000 kilograms, with a speed of 60 meters per second;

Before Xia Zhi transmigrated, the original owner's speed and Neural Reaction Speed had only just reached the qualifying standards for a Quasi-Warrior, while his punching power had fallen slightly short.

But after a week of cultivating the Supreme Body Refining Art, with the first level's Muscle Refining Chapter nearly complete and having faintly touched upon the threshold of the Bone Refining Chapter, Xia Zhi believed that his current strength would definitely leave everyone stunned.

"Xia Zhi, come over here." Someone called out to him.

It was Jiang Tao, the original owner's instructor at the martial arts school. Aside from coming to train at the school during the instructors' weekly public guidance classes, the original owner usually trained on the rooftop above his home or in a nearby park in his residential complex.

Instructor Jiang Tao was probably the person at the martial arts school who knew the original owner best.

"You'd better perform well this time, kid. The director will be here soon too. I heard a big shot from headquarters is coming to inspect the assessment site."

Looking at Xia Zhi before him, Jiang Tao saw that although the young man was lean and did not have massive muscles, he possessed an air of sharp capability.

His eyes in particular were incredibly bright.

From the first time he had seen that little boy years ago, dressed in old sportswear washed spotless, never slacking off or complaining of hardship or exhaustion, Jiang Tao had been exceptionally fond of him.

The Xia Zhi of that time had reminded Jiang Tao of his younger self. Both had been born into poverty, both had worked hard, and both firmly believed they could change their fates through their own efforts.

Jiang Tao had a good understanding of Xia Zhi's strength.

He knew that Xia Zhi, only eighteen this year, already possessed physical fitness close to the Warrior level.

His only weakness was punching power. After all, he was only eighteen, but among the three assessment categories, punching power was also the easiest to improve.

This inspection by a big shot from headquarters was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If he seized it, he could change his fate.

Jiang Tao believed that Xia Zhi's preparations during this time meant he would absolutely have no problem passing. He had that confidence.

Because for people like them, seizing every opportunity they could in order to change their fate was a code of conduct they always kept in their hearts.

"Give me your citizen card. Get ready. We'll test your speed first."

"Alright, Instructor." The original owner had always respected this instructor who had looked after him, and Xia Zhi was equally respectful.

Walking to the starting line, Xia Zhi lightly stretched his legs. His eyes locked onto the finish line one hundred meters away as he crouched slightly, taking a stance ready to sprint.

"Begin." A prompt sounded.

Whoosh!

Xia Zhi shot forward like an arrow.

The air split apart as the airflow whipped his training uniform into a loud rustle.

Xia Zhi tore down the track at top speed.

"48.2 meters per second, excellent." The prompt sounded at the finish line.

The students watching the test on both sides of the track instantly fell silent, their gazes converging on Xia Zhi, who had just crossed the finish line.

Then the entire place erupted in an uproar.

"That's insane. That guy who just ran 29 meters per second was already rare among Quasi-Warrior Assessment candidates. Who is this? With that speed, he should've become a Warrior ages ago, right?"

"He's only eighteen? Are young people these days really this terrifying?" A student in his thirties muttered as he watched Xia Zhi slowly walk back from the finish line.

"Damn it, if I had that speed, when I fought those Thunderbolt Martial Arts School bastards last time, I could've crushed all of them by myself."

Jiang Tao stared blankly at the score sheet printed by the testing machine. The conspicuous words "48.2 meters per second, excellent" left him stunned for a long while. He only came back to his senses when Xia Zhi walked up to him.

"You really are going to make a name for yourself in one stroke, kid! Hahaha!" Excited, Jiang Tao threw an arm around Xia Zhi's shoulders and shouted happily.

"Come on, hurry up and test your punching power."

Yesterday, I uploaded the first chapter, but there was no response from the review process for half the day. I uploaded another chapter this morning, still worried that it might have violated some rule and couldn't be published. When I got home from work today, though, I saw that it had been approved, along with encouragement and recommendation votes from readers. I was instantly moved. Thank you for your support and encouragement! I'll work hard! This is my first book, so thank you for supporting it! Your support is my motivation!