Selection Complete

The crowd fell into an uproar.

They had never seen a selection process like this. As far as they were concerned, the right way was to hold a tournament and pick the strongest fighter.

While everyone argued and fidgeted, a figure stepped out of the crowd. Their eyes were drawn to him before they knew it.

Ganlan, the son of the Leiquan City Lord.

Ganlan didn't spare the crowd a glance. He walked straight to the White-Hat General, thinking, Of these thirty-five spots, one is definitely mine. This isn't a challenge for me. The real test is waiting in Lionheart City, the Capital City!

Ganlan stopped before the White-Hat General and bowed respectfully. "General, I'd like to try now."

"Put on the wristband, then give it a try. Aim at the trunk and put all your strength into a punch."

Ganlan put on the black wristband and immediately felt some of his strength being restrained. Whenever he tried to exert more than the strength of someone just entering Tier 6, the wristband absorbed the excess.

Ganlan felt nothing unusual. It wasn't his first time using one of these wristbands.

He walked toward the Great Tree, adjusting his condition as he went. By the time he reached the trunk, he didn't even need to look. He simply threw a punch.

The branches began to sway at once.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four!

The fourth branch trembled slightly, then went still.

The Great Tree had only six branches in all.

"Four. Not bad." The White-Hat General nodded. Someone went over to Ganlan and recorded his name and how many branches he had moved.

After Ganlan's demonstration, someone immediately stepped forward.

He was a Tier 8 Warrior.

There were six branches in total. Ganlan, a Tier 7 Warrior, had moved four. As a Tier 8 Warrior, he was sure he could move all six with ease. Confidently, he stepped forward.

"This tree's quite something. Even with your strength restricted to that of someone just entering Tier 6, a punch would normally snap an ordinary tree in half. Yet this one hasn't got a scratch on it. And two of its branches didn't even stir," Uncle Jack marveled.

By then, the Tier 8 Warrior had put on the black wristband and walked up to the tree. He gave a low shout and threw a punch.

One, two.

The leaves on the third branch only quivered slightly.

The crowd erupted in startled murmurs. The White-Hat General glanced over. "Two. Next."

"Wait! I haven't used all my strength. I can do more than that. Let me try again!" The Tier 8 Warrior flushed and tried to make another attempt, but one look from the White-Hat General silenced him. He reluctantly handed over the black wristband.

"Why? Why did this happen?" Still unable to understand, the Tier 8 Warrior returned to the crowd in a daze.

"Idiot." Ganlan shot him a cold look, ignoring the Tier 8 Warrior's glare. "Still don't get it? Once you put on the wristband, your strength is fixed at the level of someone just entering Tier 6. So what if you're a Ninth-rank Warrior? You can only exert the strength of someone just entering Tier 6. If you want to move more branches, you have to exert more force. It has nothing to do with your rank.

"This is about how your body exerts force. It's the most fundamental thing. Once you master it, your speed and strength will both be affected and improve along with it. This is a technique. The test is meant to assess your understanding. If a high rank were all that mattered, why not just have Ninth-rank Warriors take the test?"

Ganlan's attitude was harsh, but his explanation helped many people understand.

"So that's how it works. Anyone who can exert more strength on the same foundation must have a better grasp of the technique—in other words, more talent. Damn, I only just realized it. I don't even know how much I can increase my Force Multiplier." Uncle Jack felt he'd missed his chance.

If he'd realized this sooner and trained for it specifically, he could have improved his strength considerably.

Just as Ganlan had said, this kind of increase in strength was fundamental. Once mastered, it made you stronger in every way.

One warrior after another stepped forward, brimming with confidence.

"Two."

"Two."

"Two."

"Three."

"Two."

The White-Hat General remained expressionless as he called out one number after another.

Only then did everyone realize that Ganlan's four branches were an almost unreachable number.

Only about one in every seven or eight people managed to move three. Just as the White-Hat General had said, moving three branches really was the standard for making the top thirty-five.

"Four."

Another warrior managed to move four branches. He was a thin man with a gloomy expression. After he punched, the fourth branch clearly quivered. Then he quietly returned to the crowd.

No one dared ignore him after that. Even Ganlan watched him closely for a few moments.

A little while later, an Artifact User appeared. The Artifact User was also required to wear a wristband, but the test was different: they had to control the vines on the trunk and squeeze it with all their might.

In the end, two branches swayed.

An Artifact User?

This time, Guen wasn't the only one who was puzzled. Everyone was. Some of them had never seen an Artifact User before, but they knew that Artifact Users could become high-ranking members in any organization. Why would one need to take the test? They couldn't make sense of it.

"Come on, let's give it a try too." Uncle Jack was already eager to go. The four of them joined the line.

Each person only had to throw one punch, and putting on the black wristband took little time, so Uncle Jack's turn came quickly. He took the wristband, drew a deep breath, and threw a punch with all his might.

"Thud."

The trunk had taken more than a hundred blows from the crowd, yet not a mark had been left on it. Now, though, it swayed, and three branches shook.

"Three." The White-Hat General remained expressionless.

"Hahaha, I did it!" Uncle Jack returned with a broad smile and encouraged them, "If I can do it, I think you can too."

He was talking to Guen and the others, but the people nearby who had only managed to move two branches sneered. They figured that one person in this little group managing three was already lucky. How could anyone else among them do it?

But Setti, who stepped up next, surprised everyone.

The fourth branch trembled slightly too. The movement wasn't large, but everyone present could see it clearly. They were all High-level Warriors, at least Tier 7. The Tier 6 Warriors had been eliminated outside.

"Four." Setti returned with an easy smile and gave Chen some encouragement as well.

Chen wasn't particularly surprised by the result. Being able to lure away a Vajra Ape that had nearly broken through to Super Tier was already a sign that he wasn't ordinary. Still, moving four branches was more than Chen had expected.

Chen took the wristband, and his result once again drew surprised looks from the onlookers.

"Three."

Now everyone's eyes turned to Guen. It was obvious that the four of them were a group. The first three had all managed to move at least three branches, and one had even moved four. Could the last one move three as well?

Guen walked up to the tree with ease. He didn't gather strength or take time to prepare. He simply threw a punch.

One.

Two.

As the onlookers stared in disbelief, the fourth branch shook violently, and then the fifth branch moved slightly. Though the movement was small, the crowd erupted in astonished gasps.

"Looks like each branch represents one Force Multiplier. This is the first time I've broken through, and I can perform all fifty-one moves of the Hundred Refinement Fist—that's a 5.1 Force Multiplier. Not bad." Guen wasn't the least bit proud.

He still remembered what his father had told him.

Before becoming a Super Tier Warrior, a Force Multiplier of eight was considered decent. His father, Kolong, had been able to perform the entire Hundred Refinement Fist before reaching Super Tier.

So Guen wasn't just not proud—he wasn't all that satisfied with his progress.

"Five. Very good, very good." For the first time, the White-Hat General smiled. Even Ganlan, the gloomy man, and Setti had each moved four branches without changing his expression, but now he smiled. "My name is Tom. What's yours?"

"Guen," Guen replied calmly.

The White-Hat General was even more pleased, but said nothing further.

As soon as Guen returned to his companions, Chen shook his shoulder vigorously. "Seriously, you were hiding your abilities? And that was a Super Tier master! You don't meet one every day, and you spoke to him so calmly."

"Let me see. Is your heart racing, and are you just pretending to be calm?" Uncle Jack put a hand on Guen's chest and made an exaggerated face.

Guen could only smile.

A Super Tier master?

Someone rare?

His parents were both so-called Super Tier masters. According to them, that was only Planetary Level—nothing special on a planet. And his parents were the sort who didn't think much of any Super Tier master except for the five Saint Tier experts.

Guen took Super Tier Warriors in stride.

The warriors continued the challenge one after another, but the best most could manage was three branches. Not one more moved four, let alone five.

After quite a while, just as the challenge was nearing its end, Keen appeared before Guen again. He exclaimed, "Guen, I never expected you to be this good. You were really hiding your abilities. I only barely managed to move the third branch."

Guen smiled. "That's still good. At least you've got a shot at making the top thirty-five."

"Not really." Keen shook his head. "I saw quite a few people complete the three-branch challenge, but only three moved four branches. You're the only one who moved five, so you'll definitely make it."

Just then, the White-Hat General Tom's voice rang across the field. "All right, everyone's finished the challenge. Come over here."

The warriors gathered together again.

This time, though, they were clearly divided. Most stood toward the back, while those who had moved three branches naturally gathered at the front.

"This time, you did very well—better than I expected." As soon as Tom spoke, everyone looked at Guen, then at Ganlan, Setti, and the others. "Not only did we get a genius like Guen, we also had more people than I expected. Forty-seven of you managed a three Force Multiplier. Well done. Congratulations—you can come with me to Lionheart City."

Someone asked in surprise, "General, didn't you say there were only thirty-five spots? Why are there suddenly so many of us?"

Tom laughed. "If I hadn't said that, would you have given it your all? Some of you might not have taken the test seriously and would have tried to hide your abilities. I don't like unnecessary trouble. It isn't worth holding another round just to weed out one or two lazy people. A three Force Multiplier is the real requirement.

"A one Force Multiplier is something first- and second-rank warriors can manage. For ordinary people, it means bringing their full strength to bear, which is already decent. But it's nowhere near enough to break through to Super Tier.

"Most of you have a two Force Multiplier. That's very ordinary. As warriors, you might be a little more talented than ordinary people, but only a little. Reaching Tier 9 might even be a bit of a struggle for some of you. Still, I believe you can manage that much. Don't lose heart. The Three Official Organizations are waiting for you. Once you obtain a Transcendence Method, you'll still have a chance to break through to Super Tier."

Tom looked over their expressions, then suddenly barked, "Don't think I'm just trying to comfort you. After my third trial, I could barely manage a three Force Multiplier. Barely. But now I've become a Super Tier Warrior."

Seeing the crowd's disbelieving looks, Tom continued calmly, "It's true. If you can't do it now, it means that at this stage, you're already behind others. That makes it all the more important to work hard. Back then, when I was an eighth-rank warrior training my Force Application Technique, I kept punching until my bones started to crack. Have you done that? If not, then you need to work even harder. You're already behind, and if you don't push yourselves, you'll have even less of a chance. I have to be honest: if you're behind now, your chances of breaking through to Super Tier are lower than theirs. But if you don't work hard, you won't have any chance at all. Go on. Let those organizations recruit you, then make yourselves stronger."

Tom's words reignited the fighting spirit of those who had been discouraged.

Some even called out to Guen, saying they'd make him their target and become Super Tier Warriors before him.

Guen didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He'd somehow become the standard everyone was aiming for.

"Oh, and remember: everything about the valley must remain secret. Those who come after you need to be tested too. Some of you have taken part in trials before, so you know what happens if you let anything slip—you'll be hunted by every faction. Go." Tom gave the crowd one last warning, then waved the three hundred or so people away.

Only forty-seven people remained, including two Artifact Users. They had each moved only two branches, but were still counted.

Tom explained that Artifact Users were special. Without proper guidance, improving their Force Multiplier in the early stages was harder. They qualified as long as they were a little above a two Force Multiplier, rather than only barely reaching it.

"Now, bring your mounts and come with me to Lionheart City."