Such a Coincidence

Tomorrow at 9 a.m.—that was really soon.

There was no time to dawdle.

Qin Heng quickly returned home, ran up to the rooftop, and began his seventh session of cultivating the Innate Fetal Breathing Art.

After the previous six sessions, he had come to understand his own condition very well.

Qin Heng understood that the most important reason his improvement had been so rapid lay in the abnormality of his meridians.

Recently, he had looked up a great deal of information and confirmed that the meridians of the overwhelming majority of martial warriors were blocked. They had to be gradually opened through grueling training and cultivation.

By the time all their meridians were fully unblocked, they were generally already Martial Master-level powerhouses.

People like him, whose meridians were all open from the very beginning, did exist in the world, but they were few in number.

Such people were known as Martial Dao Prodigies. Perhaps one would appear among every thousand martial warriors, with more than three thousand estimated across the globe.

Xiao Yang, another Quasi-Martial Warrior genius from Nansha Base City this year, was probably in the same situation.

However, Qin Heng felt that he might still be somewhat different from those Martial Dao geniuses.

Because even the recorded Martial Dao geniuses had never cultivated as quickly as he did!

During the first week's period of rapid growth, reaching 750 kilograms of punching force was already considered remarkable. Those who surpassed 800 were freaks and would receive focused training from the major Martial Halls.

But him... his punching force had already far exceeded 1,000 kilograms.

The bright moon hung high overhead, and the Martial Dao Heavenly Bridge shimmered brilliantly, scattering thread after thread of invisible energy.

Qin Heng's body quietly absorbed that energy. Every beat of his heart was stronger than the last.

Without realizing it, the entire night passed.

Qin Heng opened his eyes. It was 6:30 in the morning.

It's been several days since I tested my punching force. I'll go to the Martial Warrior Alliance today and see just how much I've improved this week.

He rose to his feet, his bones seeming to crackle all over. When he clenched his five fingers, power surged within him so fully that it felt as if he could easily smash through a wall.

Looking down, he found that his pants seemed even smaller. The cuffs had crept farther and farther above his ankles, turning into cropped pants, while the waistband was stretched tight.

I really am a country bumpkin. Qin Heng laughed at his own appearance.

When he returned home, his parents had just gotten up.

Qin Heng prepared breakfast and said to them, "Dad, Mom, I need to go out for a while soon, probably three or four days. Take good care of yourselves at home. If you need anything, you can call Ling Xue."

"What are you going out for?" his parents asked at the same time.

Qin Heng did not explain in detail. He merely replied, "It's something related to the Martial Hall."

The Wilderness Area combat examination was somewhat dangerous. He was afraid his parents would worry, so he did not want to tell them outright.

"I see... Then go ahead. Don't worry about home."

"Mm."

His parents had never asked too much about matters related to the Martial Hall. They only encouraged him to keep striving upward.

After breakfast, Qin Heng set off.

This time, he did not go to the Trial Martial Hall. Instead, he hailed a taxi and headed alone to the Martial Warrior Alliance Headquarters.

The Martial Warrior Alliance was a global organization that every martial warrior on Earth joined.

Its existence was much like that of a government: it led the people and served the people, except its target population was specifically martial warriors.

The Alliance Headquarters was located in the city center, and the taxi ride there took nearly two hours.

By the time Qin Heng arrived, it was already 8:50.

He had assumed that the monthly Elementary Martial Warrior Assessment would draw many people, but when he got there, he found it surprisingly quiet.

The Martial Warrior Alliance Headquarters was extremely imposing: an eight-story white building that looked like a shield from above and a broad sword plunged into the ground when viewed from the front.

There was a plaza outside the headquarters with several vehicles parked there, but it was not crowded.

Qin Heng saw some young people walking inside in groups of three or five.

He followed the crowd in and, guided by the signs, arrived at the waiting hall for the Elementary Martial Warrior certification assessment.

Fewer than two hundred people were waiting in the hall, making it seem rather empty.

Qin Heng had barely sat down when someone greeted him. "Little brother, are you here for the assessment too? Which organization are you from? You look awfully young."

Turning toward the voice, he saw a young man around twenty-seven or twenty-eight, with a companion of about the same age beside him.

"Organization... I suppose I count as a member of the Heavenly Dao Martial Hall," Qin Heng replied.

The young man laughed. "So you're a genius student from a Martial Hall. No wonder you're so young."

"What should I call you, brother? What organization are you two from?" Qin Heng asked in return.

The young man said, "My name is Huang Jiancheng. I'm with the MS Group, and this is my companion, Jin Wenxin."

The MS Group, also known as the Monster Materials Group, specialized in new materials. It excelled at extracting special components from Wilderness Area Monsters for synthesizing high-strength materials and manufacturing weapons or Combat Suits.

Sixty percent of Earth's new materials now came from this group. They maintained close cooperative relationships with the governments of the major Base Cities, and in terms of financial power alone, they were firmly among the world's top ten.

Jin Wenxin asked Qin Heng, "Little brother, how long until you graduate from the Martial Hall? Have you made any plans for after graduation?"

"Graduation... that's still far off," Qin Heng said.

He had not even enrolled yet. How could he possibly graduate so soon?

The Four Great Martial Halls were like schools, incubation grounds for Quasi-Martial Warriors.

But after graduation, most people did not remain at the Martial Halls, because there were only so many positions available. They could only leave and join other organizations or government armies.

The MS Group was one major destination. Every year, it signed contracts with large numbers of martial warriors and had them collect Monster materials.

Even without signing a contract, many freelance martial warriors sold the Monster materials they harvested in the Wilderness Area to the MS Group for profit.

Huang Jiancheng said, "At your age, your future achievements will certainly be great. The MS Group will always welcome you to join us."

It was common knowledge that among those taking the Elementary Martial Warrior certification assessment, the younger they were, the higher their talent.

After chatting for a while, the time reached 8:58. It was almost time.

Just then, footsteps sounded from the entrance.

A group of six or seven people swaggered in.

"They're from the War God Martial Hall."

"They're all so young. They must all be genius martial warriors."

"The quality of this month's examinees is really high!"

The surrounding Quasi-Martial Warriors all turned their attention toward them.

Qin Heng also looked toward the entrance.

The moment he did, his brows furrowed slightly.

"Wang Peng!"

The leader of the War God Martial Hall group was none other than Wang Peng, the culprit behind the rumors that had slandered him!

"Yo, Qin Heng, what are you doing here?"

Wang Peng had seen Qin Heng as well, his face full of surprise.

Qin Heng asked back, "What are you here for?"

"What else would I be here for? Of course I'm here for the Elementary Martial Warrior certification. Huh... wait, that's not right. Didn't you only have a little over 900 kilograms of punching force? Why are you here to register?"

He too frowned, feeling that Qin Heng's appearance here made no sense.

Qin Heng did not explain. He merely replied flatly, "It has nothing to do with you."

"Heh."

Wang Peng's gaze immediately turned much colder, a glint of icy malice flashing in his eyes.

He found a seat and sat down. The several War God Martial Hall Quasi-Martial Warriors beside him gathered together and began discussing something in low voices.

Seeing this, Qin Heng frowned deeply.

It seemed this trip to the Wilderness Area was going to bring some extra trouble.

But...

After being annoyed for only a moment, his mood eased.

A trace of delight even flashed through him.

The Wilderness Area was a land beyond the law.

Wang Peng harbored hostility toward him, but was Qin Heng any different?

This man had clashed with him for years, and recently had even stirred up such a huge storm of rumors. If Qin Heng did not strike back, he would hardly deserve to call himself a man!

Within Nansha Base City, with Grandmaster Wang Jianming there, Qin Heng could do nothing to Wang Peng.

But once they entered the Wilderness Area, that would be another matter!