"Impossible!"
Before Lu Lin could say anything, Zhao Xun, who had just been clutching his foot and crying out in pain, shouted loudly.
"Lu Lin, you only completed the Martial Arts Examination yesterday. If your punch force is enough to reach 1,200 kilograms, why aren't you going to college? Why did you sign a contract with the Martial Arts School?"
Zhao Xun stared fixedly at Lu Lin.
He couldn't believe that this boy, who had joined Liu's Martial Arts School at the same time as him, could also meet the 1,200-kilogram standard.
That level of strength marked the boundary between ordinary people and potential Martial Artists.
A strength of 1,200 kilograms meant a physique that surpassed that of ordinary people. No matter how poor his aptitude, he could still become a Beginner Martial Artist and enjoy a life free from worry over food and clothing.
Lu Lin was only eighteen years old. What gave him the right!
Lu Lin glanced at Zhao Xun, ignoring the jealous fool. "Hall Master, I'm sure I've already reached 1,200 kilograms. In fact, I might even exceed that number."
Li Jiangtao studied Lu Lin's expression. He didn't look like he was putting on an act. Though still doubtful, Li Jiangtao nodded.
"Then why don't we go downstairs and test it?"
"Sure."
The two went downstairs to the Strength Testing Room.
There was a huge machine in the room that could test a Martial Artist's punch force, kicking force, and pushing force. But people generally came here to test their punch force, because if that met the standard, the other figures would certainly be even higher.
"Lu Lin, you go first..."
"Hall Master, let me test first."
Before Li Jiangtao could finish, Zhao Xun stepped forward.
He had sought out Li Jiangtao that morning for this very reason. His punch force had already exceeded 1,200 kilograms the day before. Otherwise, he wouldn't have mocked Lu Lin for signing a Martial Artist Level Contract in front of everyone.
A flicker of displeasure crossed Li Jiangtao's face, but he didn't stop him.
Lu Lin wasn't in a hurry either. He wanted to see whether Zhao Xun really had the strength to mock him.
Standing in front of the Punch Strength Testing Machine, Zhao Xun warmed up with a few grunts and groans. He shuffled around, then stretched in a bow stance. Lu Lin and Li Jiangtao were already growing impatient by the time he finally stepped forward.
He slammed a punch into the target.
The screen on the Punch Strength Testing Machine displayed a number: 1,208 kilograms.
Zhao Xun smiled with satisfaction, then turned and shot Lu Lin a smug look.
"Hall Master, I'll do it again. My previous tests were all over 1,210 kilograms."
Zhao Xun seemed to be talking to himself. He rolled his neck again, assumed his stance, and threw another punch.
The screen displayed the latest result: 1,215 kilograms.
Then Zhao Xun kept throwing punches in rapid succession, each one crashing into the target.
But because he was moving so fast, he couldn't put his full strength into every hit. His weakest punch measured only 1,104 kilograms, and even his strongest managed just 1,192.
After dozens of punches, Zhao Xun began to tire. The Punch Strength Testing Machine gave him an average for his rapid-fire punches: 1,173 kilograms.
That was a very good figure. After all, even a Martial Artist with a strength of over 3,000 kilograms couldn't guarantee that every punch would be thrown with full force when punching repeatedly for a whole minute.
"Hall Master, how was that? I passed, right?"
Zhao Xun picked up a towel and wiped away his sweat, asking with obvious pride.
Li Jiangtao was displeased, but still nodded. "Zhao Xun, very good. You can now say you've broken through the physical limits of an ordinary person. Today I'll apply to the main school for a suitable Yellow-Grade Vitality Cultivation Method for you. I hope you keep working hard and become a Martial Artist one day."
"Thank you, Hall Master." Zhao Xun was thrilled, but he hadn't forgotten why he'd come.
"Lu Lin, you're up next. Let's see if you can bring out strength as impressive as mine."
Lu Lin was taken aback, then slowly shook his head.
His punch force was probably already close to 3,000 kilograms. Making every punch come out at around 1,200 kilograms would be a bit difficult.
Lu Lin would have to get his strength under control first if he wanted to hit the target with precise figures.
But when Zhao Xun saw him shake his head, he grew even more smug.
Li Jiangtao was a little disappointed too.
Still, it didn't matter. Even if Lu Lin's punch force didn't reach 1,200 kilograms, Li Jiangtao planned to apply to the main school for a Vitality Cultivation Method and set one aside for him. He could always pass it on once Lu Lin broke through.
Lu Lin didn't notice how either of them felt. He went straight to the Punch Strength Testing Machine, did his best to control his strength to around forty percent, and threw a punch.
A striking number appeared on the machine: 1,133 kilograms.
At the sight of it, Zhao Xun couldn't help grinning.
"Haha, Lu Lin, that's about the same as my rapid-fire punches. Maybe after another year or two of training, you'll actually have a chance to break through your limits."
"Hall Master, see? I told you Lu Lin—"
Bang!
Lu Lin ignored Zhao Xun's babbling and punched the target again.
This time, the Punch Strength Testing Machine displayed a result of 1,491 kilograms.
The staggering figure cut Zhao Xun off mid-sentence. He could only stammer, "Uh, uh, uh," staring at 1,491 in utter disbelief.
Impossible.
That punch had come close to 1,500 kilograms. Lu Lin was only an eighteen-year-old boy who had failed the Martial Arts Examination. What gave him the right to produce that kind of punch force?
Li Jiangtao's eyes narrowed too.
A punch force of 1,491 kilograms was far beyond the 1,200-kilogram threshold.
It was already extremely difficult for ordinary people to break through 1,200 kilograms. Once they did, every extra kilogram of strength required them to break through their own limits all over again.
That was why, even though Li Jiangtao had been displeased with Zhao Xun, he'd still held back his irritation and soothed him after Zhao Xun reached 1,215 kilograms of punch force.
It had already been so difficult for Zhao Xun to reach 1,215 kilograms, yet Lu Lin had reached 1,491.
Had Lu Lin taken some kind of powerful tonic, or had he suddenly experienced Talent Awakening?
Li Jiangtao had spent many years in the martial arts school business. He'd seen a few promising youngsters with ordinary aptitude whose punch force had suddenly soared despite never cultivating a Vitality Cultivation Method.
But none of them had been as astonishing as Lu Lin was now.
"Impossible! Impossible!"
Zhao Xun shouted. Not caring that Lu Lin was about to continue testing, he rushed up to the Punch Strength Testing Machine and slammed a punch into the target.
1,185 kilograms.
Because Zhao Xun hadn't been ready, his punch didn't reach 1,200 kilograms.
But it confirmed his suspicion: there was nothing wrong with the Punch Strength Testing Machine. Lu Lin's punch force was real.
He really had thrown a punch measuring 1,491 kilograms!
Lu Lin wasn't angry when Zhao Xun shoved him aside. He knew that if he wanted someone like Zhao Xun to shut up, he had to let him check the result for himself. No matter how much Lu Lin explained, it wouldn't help.
Now, seeing Zhao Xun looking utterly crushed, Lu Lin was more than satisfied.
"Lu Lin, try again. Test a few more times and see if you can exceed 1,500 kilograms."
Li Jiangtao suddenly spoke. Something had just occurred to him, and he needed Lu Lin to help confirm it.
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