Gene Energy

"Qin Mu, you've already passed the Pre-warrior assessment. Next up is the Warrior Practical Combat Assessment on August 1st.

I'll notify everyone to gather at the Limitless Arena then, and head out with the other Pre-warriors to hunt monsters outside the Human Base City.

Once you pass the practical combat assessment, you'll be a true warrior."

Instructor Jiang Nian said with a smile.

"The first to pass has already appeared. You all need to step it up."

Chief Instructor Wu Tong's face showed satisfaction as well.

"Alright, next one."

As expected, Luo Feng passed the assessment with ease.

"60 seconds, hit 28 times, never touched the red light. Excellent."

This score was far better than Qin Mu's—Qin Mu had only managed a pass, while Luo Feng earned an excellent.

That wasn't surprising, though. This was Luo Feng. In this Pre-warrior assessment, whether in speed, strength, or neural reaction tests, Luo Feng had surpassed Qin Mu across the board.

As for being completely outclassed, Qin Mu didn't really mind. Passing was enough—why bother with the rest?

In the subsequent assessments, not only did Luo Feng pass, but Yang Wu did too.

Unlike Qin Mu and Luo Feng, who moved and dodged widely within the circle during their tests, Yang Wu only shifted within a step's range forward, backward, left, and right—very concise.

Though Yang Wu's movement range was small, his evasion efficiency was high.

"So this is Subtle Movement? His technique is far better than mine."

Qin Mu nodded inwardly. In terms of pure speed, he was faster, but when it came to dodging like this, Qin Mu fell short.

This was a skill more advanced than Basic Movement Technique. Later, during the practical combat assessment, Luo Feng would show off this very move and draw a lot of attention.

Of course, in actual combat, pulling this off well could make you shine, but if you messed it up, others would be sending flowers to your grave.

Yang Wu had only barely grasped Subtle Movement Technique, and his movements were stiff, so his score was average.

"60 seconds, hit 52 times, never touched the red light. Pass. You're through."

Though he passed, Chief Instructor Wu Tong wasn't satisfied and instead gave him a scolding.

The reason was simple: while Yang Wu's technique seemed impressive on the surface, he wasn't actually proficient at it, getting hit far too many times.

If his technique had truly reached the Subtle level, his score would have been much better than Luo Feng's, with hits possibly in the single digits—or even zero!

In real combat, if your strength wasn't enough and you forced yourself to use Subtle-level technique, you'd end up dead for sure.

Hearing the Chief Instructor's reprimand, Yang Wu was startled and broke out in a cold sweat.

After warning Yang Wu, Chief Instructor Wu Tong's face broke into a smile again.

"Alright, this Pre-warrior assessment has four people passing: Qin Mu, Luo Feng, Bai Yang, and Yang Wu."

The four of them had excitement and joy shining in their eyes.

"Everyone, the next steps include signing the practical combat assessment contract and such. Could you handle that?"

With that, Chief Instructor Wu Tong turned to a silver-haired man in a black robe standing at the edge and smiled.

"Captain, sorry for making you wait so long. Let's head out."

Qin Mu, hearing that this man was actually the Chief Instructor's captain, couldn't help but glance over.

At that moment, the silver-haired black-robed man looked back.

Qin Mu felt as if the man's eyes held infinite allure; the world spun around him, and he couldn't help but sink into it.

At the critical moment, the soul link of the Worker Bug in his mind trembled, snapping Qin Mu awake.

Though Qin Mu had nearly been entranced, the Worker Bug hadn't. Sensing the anomaly, it proactively warned him.

"So this is a Mental Master? Terrifying strength!"

Qin Mu was startled, realizing this was likely the work of a Mental Master's abilities.

Mental Masters were also a type of warrior. Their souls were powerful, allowing them to project their mental energy outward, wielding all sorts of incredible techniques.

On the other side, aside from Luo Feng, Yang Wu and Bai Yang beside him had gone slack-faced.

"Mental Masters truly are unfathomably eerie."

If such a technique were used in battle, it could easily slaughter warriors with weak willpower.

Seeing that two people had resisted his gaze, the silver-haired black-robed man smiled faintly, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

"Wu Tong, these two little ones aren't bad."

Chief Instructor Wu Tong, beaming with pride, nodded in satisfaction.

"Strong willpower. They're good prospects."

With that, the two of them left the room directly.

To them, Qin Mu and Luo Feng had performed well, but that was all—just well.

"What happened? What just happened?"

"What happened to me?"

Yang Wu and Bai Yang finally snapped out of it. They exchanged a glance, recalling the events before, and broke out in a cold sweat from fear.

Watching the two drenched in sweat, the martial artists standing nearby smiled. They had all been through this scene themselves.

Qin Mu, his face somewhat pale, glanced at Luo Feng, who looked equally shocked.

Once this assessment was passed, Luo Feng would soon face the first major turning point in his life.

Because his father was insulted, Luo Feng struck out in anger, was thrown into the police station, then assassinated, and narrowly awakened as a Mental Master.

From then on, his life would be on a cheat-like trajectory.

If one wanted to ride his coattails, this was the best opportunity.

At this moment, no one had truly recognized Luo Feng's potential. If Qin Mu wanted, he could go back with Luo Feng, help save his father, and build a bond between them.

But Qin Mu had no intention of interfering. Luo Feng had his own opportunities, his own path.

He had his own path. With the Zerg Clone, as long as he didn't die, they would eventually meet at the peak.

In the battles to come on Earth, friendships forged in combat would be far more valuable than shortcuts like this.

As he pondered, Instructor Jiang Nian's voice rang out.

"You four, come here."

"This is the Warrior Practical Combat Assessment application contract."

A fat old man took four copies of the contract from the corner of the training hall.

"Sign the contract, and you can participate in the Warrior Practical Combat Assessment on August 1st.

During the practical combat assessment, you bear full responsibility for life and death. Of course, the mortality rate for the Warrior Practical Combat Assessment is very low."

The four took the contracts and carefully read through the contents.

The contract wasn't long, mainly stating that any deaths or injuries during the practical combat assessment were their own responsibility and had nothing to do with the Limit Martial Arts School.

Without hesitation, the four signed the contracts.

Instructor Jiang Nian smiled beside them.

"The contract is signed. There's still a month until the practical combat assessment. During this time, you can try cultivating the Gene Energy method."

With that, Instructor Jiang Nian walked over to a computer, made a simple operation, and a transparent giant screen appeared on the wall of the training hall, displaying an article.

On the article, a large title was shown—the Five Hearts Towards Heaven Method.

"Finally, I get to see the Gene Energy cultivation method."

Qin Mu felt a surge of excitement inside.

In this world, why did warriors possess such immense power, able to cleave through tall buildings with a single blade and fight hundred-meter beasts? It all relied on Gene Energy.

This world didn't have warriors from the start.

After the outbreak of the RR virus, humans infected with the virus evolved naturally if they survived. Among them, some strong individuals, combining the legacies from ruins, began absorbing the free energy of the universe, integrating it into every cell of their bodies.

During cultivation, their genes would optimize, and their bones, cells, blood, internal organs, skin, and so on would continuously evolve and improve.

Thus, warriors came into being.

The Gene Energy cultivation method was the root of a warrior's strength.

Jiang Nian explained Gene Energy while pointing at the article on the screen:

"This is the cultivation method for Gene Energy—the Five Hearts Towards Heaven Cultivation Method. It is also the only method on Earth for cultivating Gene Energy."

As Jiang Nian explained, Qin Mu truly understood the various details of Gene Energy cultivation.

"So that's how it is."

After listening and watching, Qin Mu finally saw the light.

Why weren't ordinary people allowed to cultivate Gene Energy? Why did they have to pass the Pre-warrior assessment first?

The reason was simple: their gene optimization level wasn't high enough. Only after reaching the passing line for Pre-warriors were they qualified to cultivate. Even then, not everyone who reached that line would succeed.

"You have this month to start trying to cultivate Gene Energy."

Instructor Jiang Nian smiled.

"What you're seeing now is only the most basic Gene Energy cultivation method. It doesn't include guidance techniques.

Guidance techniques can only be obtained after you complete the practical combat assessment, officially receive the warrior title, and join a major force."

"So, keep it up!"