Devouring the Starry Sky: Cultivation Makes Me Stronger

He looked again at the number displayed on the screen—"2501KG"!

To be honest, that number was not particularly high.

It had only just exceeded the minimum threshold for an Intermediate Warrior. Any of the warriors present could easily deliver that much force.

Even after accounting for the twofold exertion multiplier, Luo Shen's actual punching strength was only around 1200KG.

It was not much higher than that of the other examinees.

But.

There was one thing that had to be understood.

The person who had produced that number, Luo Shen, was only eighteen years old this year!

He was even younger than Luo Feng, the youngest warrior present!

Moreover, without any cultivation resources or powerful secret manuals, he had relied solely on a Basic Fist Technique to train his exertion to such a level. It was clear just how outstanding Luo Shen's talent was!

Even Chief Instructor Wu Tong could not help but look at Luo Shen differently.

There were many ways to improve one's physical fitness.

For example, cultivating Gene Energy, using various precision instruments for assisted training, or even relying on all kinds of rare treasures. As such, they had seen quite a few eighteen-year-old Advanced Warriors.

But there were no shortcuts whatsoever when it came to techniques such as movement and bodily exertion.

A genius. He is absolutely a genius! A thought flashed through Wu Tong's mind.

But he did not reveal it in a hurry.

He still wanted to see how Luo Shen would perform next.

Without drawing attention, Wu Tong held Luo Shen's ID card separately in his right hand, then picked up another ID card and swiped it across the machine. "Next, Lin Hao."

Luo Shen, meanwhile, returned to the group of examinees.

Among the crowd, Jiang Nian and Luo Feng were also discussing Luo Shen's performance.

"Coach, my junior brother really is impressive." Luo Feng felt deeply moved. He had painstakingly cultivated the SSS-class secret manual, "Nine Heavens Thunder Blade," for several months and had only barely mastered the second level, bringing his bodily exertion to just 2.1 times.

Yet Luo Shen had caught up to him with nothing more than a Basic Fist Technique.

That talent truly was terrifying!

"Indeed!" Jiang Nian sighed as well.

When Luo Shen had first joined the dojo, Jiang Nian had thought he was a little too old. He had already been seventeen when he came to register. But Luo Shen's subsequent performance had left him utterly dumbfounded.

In just a few short months, he had consecutively become an intermediate student and then an advanced student at the dojo!

And now, the force of a single punch had already reached the Intermediate Warrior level.

Listening to Jiang Nian's sighs, Luo Feng's desire to learn more about this junior brother grew even stronger. A sudden feeling arose in his heart: perhaps, in the near future, they really would fight side by side.

The assessment continued.

Only eight examinees had participated this time. After Luo Shen, the first to be tested, the remaining seven also completed their punching strength tests one after another, and all of them passed!

Next came the speed test.

The testing order was reversed from before, placing Luo Shen, who had tested his punching strength first, at the very end.

The seven examinees underwent the speed test one after another. Three failed to meet the standard, and only four passed. Under Wu Tong's direction, Luo Shen stepped onto the track.

After doing a few jumping warm-ups in place.

Whoosh!

He suddenly exerted himself, shooting out like a hunting cheetah pouncing on its prey.

His legs alternated in powerful strides with a unique sense of beauty. Each step propelled his body faster forward, like a gale rushing head-on, as he swept straight through the speed-testing zone. His speed clearly exceeded the Beginner Warrior standard by a wide margin!

The screen displayed—"35.1m/s"!

Far beyond the passing line!

Seeing that number, Luo Shen was quite satisfied.

Fortunately, he had read the Original Work and knew that bodily exertion could be applied not only to attacks, but also to the legs, allowing one to move faster and fight opponents above one's level!

But to Luo Feng, that sight was like a bolt of lightning striking down.

Why hadn't I thought of that? The arms and fists can exert force, so naturally the legs and feet can too!

Skilled warriors possessed exquisite control over their strength, enabling their fists to unleash astonishing power. By the same logic, their legs and feet could naturally achieve the same effect! Yet Luo Feng had never considered it before.

Originally, he would not have figured this out until after going to the Elite Training Camp.

But now, after watching Luo Shen's performance, he had been inspired ahead of time. Once he fully grasped this point, the increase in Luo Feng's strength would be anything but insignificant!

Luo Shen had no idea that his unintentional performance had brought about such a change in Luo Feng.

In the final neural response speed test, his performance was equally outstanding—within sixty seconds, he was hit zero times and did not touch the Red Light even once, earning a perfect score at the Beginner Warrior level!

And after watching Luo Shen's performance, Wu Tong finally made up his mind.

Recruit him!

They had to recruit him in advance!

For such an outstanding genius, hesitating even a second would be disrespecting contribution points!

Unlike ordinary warriors, these martial hall instructors had long since retired and no longer entered the Wilderness Area to hunt monsters. Their only way to earn contribution points was by training and discovering talent for the martial hall.

Especially geniuses like Luo Shen.

Once they successfully recruited one, the martial hall would reward them with a large number of contribution points.

"Congratulations, Luo Shen. Once the official documents are issued, you'll be a Prospective Warrior." Holding Luo Shen's ID card, Wu Tong smiled at him. "Our Limitless Martial Arts Academy is desperate for talent. We hope to sign an early recruitment contract with you. What do you think?"

Ordinarily, an early recruitment contract could only be offered after receiving approval from Jiangnan Headquarters.

However, as the head instructor of Limit Martial Hall, Wu Tong possessed a special privilege. He could independently assess a student's overall potential and offer early recruitment contracts to promising students based on that assessment.

Of course, the contract could only follow the standard format.

That meant twenty million in startup funds, a detached villa, and a fifty-million purchasing allowance specifically for buying manuals, movement techniques, and guidance arts.

If they wanted to raise the value of the contract, it had to be reviewed and approved by the headquarters supervisor.

Moreover, although he had this privilege, Wu Tong could not use it recklessly.

After issuing an early recruitment contract, Wu Tong still had to report it to Jiangnan Headquarters. If it was ultimately discovered that the potential student he had identified failed to display the expected potential—or if he had falsified the assessment—then this privilege would be revoked for the next two years, and he would also face corresponding punishment.

But Wu Tong felt that using this privilege on Luo Shen was absolutely worth it!

After hearing the terms Wu Tong offered, Luo Shen naturally agreed.

Although the contract was not worth as much as the one Zhuge Tao had offered Luo Feng back then, aside from displaying outstanding physical force generation, he had yet to show any particularly exceptional traits in other areas.

What more could he ask for?

Having received his answer, Wu Tong immediately submitted an application to headquarters and printed out the contract.

Only after Luo Shen and the other students who had passed the assessment signed the application agreement for the warrior practical examination and learned the Five Hearts Toward Heaven Cultivation Method did Wu Tong return with the contract.

"Come, Luo Shen. Sign here."

Under everyone's envious gazes, Luo Shen accepted the recruitment contract from Wu Tong.

He casually flipped through it.

There were only a few thin pages, with not many clauses recorded on them. Each clause was written in plain, easy-to-understand language, making everything clear at a glance.

Scratch, scratch, scratch~

Finding no issues, Luo Shen directly signed his name.

The contract was made in duplicate.

One copy had to be returned to Jiangnan Headquarters for filing, while the other was kept by Luo Shen himself.

Wu Tong smiled. "From today onward, we're family. When are you planning to move? Will you be moving to Moonlight Residential Area, or the warrior residential area in the Jiangnan Main City District?"

A warrior's initial startup funds could only be used after Luo Shen became an official warrior.

But the detached villa was different.

As long as Luo Shen was willing, he could move in today.

Luo Shen looked at Instructor Jiang Nian and Luo Feng, who were waiting nearby, and smiled. "Since Senior Brother Luo Feng and Uncle Wu both live in Moonlight Residential Area, I'll move there and become neighbors with you."

Hearing that, the smile on Wu Tong's face grew even broader.

"Come on, I'll take you to see your new home first. At noon, we'll throw you a welcome feast." Wu Tong called out to Jiang Nian, who had been eagerly waiting nearby, then teased, "Old Jiang, stop staring. Take Luo Shen to see the house. We'll have lunch together at noon!"

Jiang Nian chuckled.

Turning to Luo Feng beside him, he said, "See? I told you this kid would definitely choose Moonlight Residential Area!"