Chance Encounter

A week had passed since Chen Hao took the century-old ginseng. He had finished the entire root, and he could feel the vitality coursing through his body. The damage and hidden injuries from his previous poor health had all disappeared, and even his skin had become fair and smooth.

Chen Hao threw a punch, and the air cracked. He was both shocked and delighted. He had definitely surpassed the Quasi-Warrior Assessment standard; he just needed to go to a Martial Hall to find out by how much.

He checked the time. It was a little after three in the afternoon. He estimated it would take half an hour to reach the Martial Hall, but if he ran at full speed, it would take less than ten minutes. He might as well jog there. After all, he had just finished working out, so he didn't need to warm up for the assessment.

Half an hour later, outside the main entrance of the Extreme Martial Arts Hall in Yi'an District, Chen Hao gazed at the four large characters above the gate—Extreme Martial Arts Hall—with complicated feelings.

"Stop! Only Martial Hall students may enter." Just as Chen Hao was reminiscing, a guard warned him.

Chen Hao didn't go any farther. "Hello, I'm here to take the Junior Student assessment."

The guard looked at Chen Hao, who was already a bit older than most young men, and seemed surprised, but not taken aback. After all, in an era when everyone practiced martial arts, becoming a Martial Artist was everyone's first wish. "You can go straight to the testing area!"

Chen Hao nodded. "Thanks for the reminder. I know." How could he not? He'd come here more than once in high school, but the results had always been awful. He had failed every time, and even when he graduated, he still hadn't passed. His last score had been 198 kilograms—a figure that had been so ironic for his former self. It had also made him one of the very few who weren't Martial Hall students, and the laughingstock of his class.

But all that was in the past. Starting today, he'd finally hold his head high!

There weren't many people at the student testing area. Most came in the morning, and only a few showed up in the afternoon.

The receptionist was a pretty young woman in her twenties. "Hello. Are you here to take the strength test?" She didn't look at Chen Hao's age with any hint of disdain. Instead, she was very polite.

"I'm here for the strength test. Please give me a form. I'm not a Martial Hall student yet, so I'll also be taking the student assessment." Chen Hao was fairly familiar with the process. He filled out the registration form quickly, then went over to the Fist Strength Testing Machine.

Looking at the punching target, Chen Hao took a deep breath. His right foot pushed off the ground, and his body shot forward like a leopard. Then he slammed his fist into the target. Two sounds rang out: the impact of his fist against the target, and the sonic boom that followed his punch.

"Beep." The Fist Strength Testing Machine displayed a result: 1236 kg.

"Ah! This..." The testing staff member was stunned. Was this some hidden powerhouse? To her, a Quasi-Warrior was a powerhouse.

Chen Hao wasn't surprised. After all, he didn't know any force-generating techniques, so his striking power was probably even worse than that of a Junior Student at the Martial Hall. Still, he was extremely excited. His martial arts journey started here!

"Sorry for the trouble, could you turn on the Speed Testing Instrument for me?" Chen Hao didn't wait around. He went to stand in front of the Speed Testing Instrument.

"Huh? Oh, of course. Please wait a moment." The staff member hurried over to the Speed Testing Instrument and turned it on. "Sir, it's ready. You can begin whenever you like."

Chen Hao took a few deep breaths, then shot forward like an arrow. He moved so fast he nearly left a shadow remnant behind. When he stopped, the instrument beeped, and the speed appeared on the screen. The testing staff member stared at it, dumbfounded.

Chen Hao walked over and looked: 30.6 m/s. As expected, his speed test had gone very well. All that remained was the Nerve Reaction Speed Testing Room, the test he was least confident about. After all, he had never trained for it, so it was unfamiliar to him, and he had never practiced even the Basic Movement Technique.

Compared with the Fist Strength Testing Machine and the Speed Testing Instrument, the Nerve Reaction Speed Testing Room was much smaller, but its equipment was far more complex and valuable. At the very front was something like a Gatling gun muzzle, but with dozens of barrels.

Chen Hao stepped into a circle three meters across in front of the gun barrels. A hazy red light then appeared around its edge. He knew it was a sensor laser used for the test.

"Sir, are you ready?" the testing staff member asked once Chen Hao was in position. "I'm ready!" Hearing him, the staff member pressed the red button. "Begin!"

As soon as she spoke, the barrels began to spin, shooting red beams from their muzzles. Red rubber bullets were mixed in, their speed and trajectories erratic. He could only rely on his reflexes to dodge them. He had to avoid touching the red beams while dodging as many bullets as possible.

Chen Hao was a little flustered, since this was his first time. The Junior Student assessment hadn't included this test; it focused on physical fitness, while the Quasi-Warrior Assessment included the nerve reaction speed test. This room was for free Martial Artists to test themselves. Chen Hao wanted to test his own strength, too, so he could only rely on instinct to dodge.

When he saw the red beams coming, Chen Hao quickly turned, searching for gaps between them. Just then, a bullet slammed into him, slowing him down. A red beam struck him next, followed by three more bullets. Chen Hao gritted his teeth and focused only on dodging the red beams, ignoring the bullets. One minute soon passed.

"Beep." The testing staff member finally breathed a sigh of relief. Chen Hao's taut nerves relaxed. The short minute had left him drenched in sweat, breathing hard, and utterly drained.

"Sir, you were hit fifty-nine times and touched the red beam once. You were just a hair short of passing the Quasi-Warrior Assessment."

Chen Hao wasn't disappointed. After all, he hadn't even learned the Basic Movement Technique. Not passing was normal; passing would have been a miracle.

"Hello, sir. Your current strength fully meets our standard for Senior Trainee. Would you like to join our Martial Hall?" The receptionist looked at him expectantly.

Chen Hao wasn't surprised. Just as he was about to answer, a bald man dressed in black walked in. Chen Hao looked up and saw that the man's gaze carried an imposing force.

"Hello, I'm Jiang Nian, Hall Master of the Extreme Martial Arts Hall. You're very strong. Would you be willing to join our Extreme Martial Arts Hall? Our Chief Hall Master, Hong, is the world's number-one expert. If you join us, you'll receive the best training!" The bald man in black spoke first.

Chen Hao's expression shifted slightly. So it was him. Then the panel appeared, and the Identify results came up: Jiang Nian, Earthling, 37 years old, Talent: None, Realm: Apprentice Third Stage, Skills: Basic Movement Technique—Microscopic, Basic Saber Technique—Proficient, Nine Heavens Thunder Blade—not yet mastered, First Level of Overlord Saber Technique—Entry Level.

Chen Hao's heart gave a jolt. He hadn't expected Jiang Nian to have a trump card like this. Overlord Saber Technique was probably no simple skill. Just as he was about to close the panel, he noticed it suddenly changed. A line of text appeared: Copyable Talent: None. Copyable Skills: Basic Movement Technique—Microscopic, Basic Saber Technique—Proficient, First Level of Overlord Saber Technique—Entry Level.