Assessment Passed

Every hammer blow carried full force and determination, as though he intended to completely conquer the incomparably hard metal before him.

Bang! As the first crisp, resounding impact echoed through the entire Assessment Room, an invisible pressure instantly spread through the air.

Then came the second, the third... The successive impacts reverberated through the vast space like dense drumbeats, deafening to the ears.

The Assessment Room was deathly silent. Not a bird chirped. Only the piercing clang of metal striking metal and the sharp whistle of the Metal Hammer slicing through the air with every swing intertwined, forming a unique and soul-stirring symphony.

"..."

Mang Tian, standing quietly to one side, kept his gaze fixed on the round metal block Gu Chen was repeatedly hammering.

At a certain moment, when he saw the distinct dents gradually appearing on the metal block's surface, he froze.

A humanoid tyrannosaurus?

This was fucking eight years old?

What kind of monstrous strength was this?

An unknown amount of time passed.

Counting each lift and drop of the hammer as one strike, there had probably been over two hundred blows.

Gu Chen stopped moving, tossed the Metal Hammer aside, clapped his hands, and looked at Mang Tian.

It was not because he had finished, but because the thing had already split apart.

The round metal block had fractured down the middle and broken into two pieces. Under the force of more than two hundred hammer blows, both pieces had been deeply embedded in the Metal Platform.

Mang Tian could not help but take another look at Gu Chen. If he were merely strong, that would have been nothing unusual; many Soul Masters with Sub-Dragon Martial Souls could do the same. But after so many strikes, Gu Chen showed no sign of fatigue and seemed not to have used his full strength, which truly surprised him.

Mang Tian stared blankly at the number on the display. "231."

Two hundred and thirty-one blows, and he had smashed this thing apart?!

A ten-centimeter-thick metal block in only two hundred and thirty-one strikes?

Huh?

Unlike Tang Wulin in the original story, Mang Tian had remained by Gu Chen's side the entire time, watching every hammer rise and fall.

Even though he had not stood that close, he still dared to say with certainty that Gu Chen had not used his full strength at all!

"Oh ho!"

A smile appeared at the corner of Mang Tian's mouth. He dug the metal pieces out of the Metal Platform and tossed them aside, then threw the Metal Platform away as well. He walked elsewhere, casually grabbed another metal block, carried over another Metal Platform, and placed them before Gu Chen.

"Do it again! Hammer it with all your strength!" Mang Tian pointed at the incomparably hard metal block and shouted anxiously.

Gu Chen, standing to one side, had no objections after hearing Mang Tian's order. He nodded to show that he understood.

He took a deep breath, then vigorously shook out both hands, trying to relax the muscles that had grown sore from gripping the Metal Hammer for so long.

Then he grabbed the heavy Metal Hammer from the ground and assumed his striking stance once more.

Gu Chen focused entirely on the metal block resting on the Metal Platform, as though it were the only thing in his eyes.

He bent his knees slightly and planted his right leg firmly into the ground like a nail, securing a steadier base of support.

At the same time, the strength of his entire body continuously gathered in his arms, making his already thick and powerful limbs appear even more solid.

At that moment, something astonishing happened without anyone noticing.

Beneath his fair skin, mysterious violet-gold patterns appeared upon Gu Chen's jade-white bones. Like ancient runes, they flickered with faint yet dazzling light.

Not only that, but the Core of Destruction hidden deep within his body, tightly bound by endless pitch-black shackles, also quietly lit up with a violet-gold glow and began rotating slowly.

In an instant, an incomparably powerful force erupted from Gu Chen's body.

The force that burst forth in that instant exceeded two thousand kilograms at the very least!

Although Gu Chen's Purple Desolation Heaven-Extinguishing Dragon Bloodline had always remained sealed, the influence brought by that powerful bloodline from an ancient divine beast could not be erased.

Ever since he had obtained this bloodline, one comparable to the Dragon God Bloodline, it had silently and steadily helped Gu Chen improve his physical condition and raise the limits of his strength.

Even in his ordinary, unintentional movements, he could sense the surging energy contained within that bloodline gradually changing his body's functions.

A thunderous bang rang out! It was deafening, as though it would rupture one's eardrums.

Gu Chen gripped the heavy Metal Hammer tightly. His arm muscles tensed, veins bulged, and he swung with all his strength. The Metal Hammer crashed down fiercely with a sharp howl of wind.

With that heavy blow, the metal block on the Metal Platform instantly failed to withstand such tremendous force. After emitting an ear-grating creak, it shot straight into the Metal Platform like a cannonball.

In an instant, countless cracks spread from the center of the metal block like a spiderweb, covering the entire piece of metal in the blink of an eye.

Then, amid a series of crisp cracking sounds, the entire metal block completely shattered into countless tiny fragments that scattered in every direction.

Yet that terrifying destructive force did not stop there. Under that earth-shattering strike, it was not only the Metal Platform and metal block that suffered devastating damage; even the Metal Hammer Gu Chen had been tightly gripping did not escape unharmed.

Dense cracks suddenly emerged along the incomparably sturdy hammer handle. Like vicious little snakes, they continuously extended toward the hammerhead.

The formerly smooth, even surface of the hammerhead had also become uneven and pitted, covered in dents of all sizes.

Mang Tian stared wide-eyed at the scene. For a moment, his mind went blank. His hands hung awkwardly in the air, and he fell completely silent.

Is this fucking human? That was Mang Tian's only thought at that moment.

Gu Chen paid no attention to the stunned Mang Tian beside him. He tossed the Metal Hammer aside, sat directly on the ground, and panted heavily.

In that instant just now, Gu Chen felt as though every bit of strength in his body had been drained away. At the same time, the moment that strike fell, he seemed to have entered a berserk state. His eyes held only the metal block; even his Double Pupils had directly exited the Martial Soul Possession state.

[ Ding! This system does not recommend that the host use his full strength. If the binding on the Core of Destruction were to completely collapse because of this, the host would undoubtedly fall into a slow death. ]

Gu Chen did not pay much attention to the system's warning. He merely recalled the power of that strike in his mind.

Everyone loved watching flowers bloom, yet no one considered how powerful the moment of withering and falling could be.

That had only been a slight leak of energy from the Core of Destruction. He did not dare imagine how terrifying that power would become if the Core of Destruction were fully unsealed.