Breaking the Limit

Qin Hao's body felt incomparably heavy, every movement draining all his strength. At that moment, he could clearly sense that he had reached his limit. Both his body and mind were on the verge of being completely exhausted.

But this was far from enough. Only by breaking through his limits could he trigger the power of the Meteor Tear, undergo a transformation, and open the path to becoming a warrior.

The path of a warrior had never been simple. It was not like the novels from his previous life, where a few lines of text could casually describe the whole process. Over the past eighteen years, he had keenly experienced just how difficult it was to become a warrior. Even though he had paid attention to training since childhood and continued exercising at high intensity after joining the martial arts center, what had been the result? He was still unimaginably far from becoming a warrior.

Now was the beginning of breaking his limits, the beginning of his path as a warrior, the beginning of changing himself, the beginning of stepping into the universe, and the first step toward transcending all things in the future.

At that thought, Qin Hao's dispirited mind jolted awake, and powerful strength burst forth from his body. A faint cracking sound came from within him.

As the cracking sound rang out, Qin Chen felt as though the shackles on his body had been unlocked. His Essence, Qi, and Spirit began to return, and his Body Strength grew even more powerful. However, Qin Hao knew this was only the beginning. The shackles of his limits had been shattered; if he failed to trigger the Meteor Tear's power, he would face extremely severe backlash.

It was like breaking the Gene Lock in the novels from his previous life. At best, he would suffer grave injuries all over his body. At worst, he would die. But he still had to keep going.

Continuously burning through the power erupting from his body, Qin Hao felt the immense strength within him. It was something he had never experienced in either of his lives. However, this power was only temporary. As time passed, Qin Hao could already feel it fading away.

In less than five minutes, Qin Hao felt pain spreading through his body. Unlike the fatigue and pain from before, this pain sank deep into his bones, as though every cell in his body was protesting.

Boom

Just as Qin Hao felt he was about to be completely drowned by the pain, a force erupted from deep within his body. It flowed through every inch of muscle, meridian, blood vessel, and cell, instantly enveloping Qin Hao. He felt as though he had been immersed in a hot spring. The fatigue and injuries in his body rapidly vanished, his body underwent a transformation, and his strength continuously increased.

The power came quickly and departed just as quickly. In less than three minutes, it rapidly faded and returned to the depths of his body. Qin Hao stood in the training ground, feeling the strength within his body.

Whoosh

He threw a punch, and the wind from it howled. The powerful force was so great that even Qin Hao could barely control it.

Boom

923 kg

His punch slammed into the Punch Strength Machine. The numbers rapidly climbed before stopping at 923. Compared to the 600 kg he had tested the day before, it had increased by more than 300 kilograms, an improvement of over 50%. Although the increase was not as great as what Dragon Blood or a Spirit of Plants could provide, the Meteor Tear's effects went beyond strength. It could heal injuries and unlock potential. Qin Hao could feel the changes after his transformation. His strength had grown, his mind had become clearer, and all five of his senses had sharpened significantly.

Qin Hao quickly suppressed the joy in his heart and carefully sensed the changes in his body. Compared to his previous mediocrity, his current talent could be considered genius-level among Earthlings. However, among Humanity, he still belonged to the lowest tier. The road ahead remained long and arduous. If he wanted to stand out in the Universe Genius Battle, he still needed to work hard.

Over the next month, Qin Hao continued his high-intensity training, though it now placed relatively little pressure on him. However, after breaking through his limits and completing his transformation, the rate at which his strength improved also accelerated considerably. Within a month, his strength increased by 200 kg, surpassing 1,100 kilograms and firmly crossing the Quasi-Warrior threshold.

At the same time, Qin Hao had completed his Advanced Trainee certification and prepared to take the Quasi-Warrior Assessment on June 1. He wanted to obtain the Five Hearts Towards Heaven Cultivation Method as soon as possible and become an official warrior.

"I'm going to the martial arts center."

"Big brother, good luck!"

On June 1, under the expectant gazes of his family, Qin Hao left home and took the subway to the headquarters of the Limitless Martial Arts Center in YZ City. After verifying his identity, he went straight to the Quasi-Warrior testing area.

Qin Hao had arrived early, and no one else had come for the test yet. He found a seat, sat down, and began waiting. He was very confident about this assessment. His strength was already sufficient, while his speed and Neural Reaction Speed had both surpassed the Quasi-Warrior standard over the past month—and by a considerable margin.

After waiting for about half an hour, the candidates began arriving one after another. Qin Hao also ran into familiar faces from the Limitless Martial Arts Center in Yi'an District: Instructor Jiang Nian and Yang Wu. Qin Hao remembered Yang Wu's assessment this time as well. Yang Wu would fall slightly short in speed and fail, only passing next month alongside the protagonist, Luo Feng.

As he thought about it, the look in Qin Hao's eyes when he looked at Yang Wu could not help changing. If his Golden Finger had not arrived, he would probably have ended up much like Yang Wu—breaking through to become a warrior in his twenties, then ultimately becoming a minor supporting character in the novel who left behind nothing but a name.

"The assessment begins!"

Wu Tong's voice rang out, and all the candidates and instructors from the various districts gathered together. Following the crowd, Qin Hao handed his ID card to Wu Tong. Though it was called a crowd, there were actually only around ten people. Although Swallowed Star was a world of cultivation, the number of warriors on Earth remained very small.

After all, Jiangnan Base City held the Combat Assessment twice a year, and each time only a little over a thousand people took part. Averaged out over each month, the number was extremely low.

Soon, it was Qin Hao's turn to begin the assessment. He stood straight, bent his legs slightly, and rapidly threw a punch.

1135 kg

"Passed." Wu Tong was slightly surprised as he looked at the number Qin Hao had produced. Qin Hao was arguably the youngest in this group, yet his punch strength was the highest. Moreover, Qin Hao had remained exceptionally steady throughout the entire process. He punched and withdrew his fist with ease, clearly very confident in himself.

"Not bad. Next."

The tests for the dozen or so people went quickly. No one was eliminated in the Punch Strength Test, so they smoothly proceeded to the second round.

"Yang Wu, 24.9 m/s. Failed."

"Next, Qin Hao."

As the result was announced, Yang Wu dejectedly walked to the side. After giving him a comforting look, Qin Hao stepped onto the running track. Once he was ready, he generated force beneath his feet and shot forward like an arrow.

31.9 m/s. Passed.

The result was about the same as Qin Hao's test at the martial arts center, as steady as ever. The speed test was not as fortunate as the strength test. Half of the candidates, including Yang Wu, were eliminated outright.

Qin Hao then proceeded directly to the final Neural Reflex test. Standing within the circle and watching the Rubber Bullets constantly fly toward him, Qin Hao calmly dodged. His movements were not large, yet he precisely evaded every attack. This was also the Microscopic level movement technique he had been exploring over the past month. Although he had made considerable progress, he still could not dodge everything completely and was struck ten times.

"Qin Hao, struck ten times within 60 seconds. Did not touch the red light. Excellent. Passed."

With the final test result announced, Qin Hao had officially passed the Quasi-Warrior Assessment. However, he still had to wait for the remaining candidates to complete their tests. Before long, the assessment ended. Including Qin Hao, only five people had passed.

Once the assessment was passed, an official certificate would be issued within seven days, and the result would also be recorded in the citizen identity system. From that moment onward, Qin Hao's status had officially changed. He had become a Quasi-Warrior.

"Old Jiang, you've struck gold this time. An eighteen-year-old Quasi-Warrior, 1,100 kilograms of Force Generation, a speed of 31 meters per second, and a Movement Technique close to the Microscopic level. Another genius warrior. You have to treat us this time!"

"Alright, alright, I'll treat, I'll treat," Jiang Nian said. He knew about Qin Hao's changes over the past two months. It was practically Contribution Points falling from the sky, so he had no intention of refusing to pay.

"You five, come with me."

Qin Hao followed Wu Tong to a huge screen. An article appeared on it—"Gene Energy Cultivation Method."