That evening, Sett sat cross-legged in the Five Hearts Towards the Sky position, keeping the soles of his feet, the palms of his hands, and the crown of his head—the Baihui point—facing upward.
Sett regulated his breathing and calmed himself. He was practicing the Five Hearts Towards the Sky.
Half an hour later, Sett still hadn't sensed the so-called cosmic energy. But he wasn't in a hurry. The more impatient you were, the harder it was to succeed.
He tried again. Sett stood up and rested his numb legs before sitting cross-legged once more, maintaining the Five Hearts Towards the Sky position.
The two key points of the Five Hearts Towards the Sky were relaxation and stillness. Only when a person relaxed to a certain degree could they successfully sense Genetic Origin Energy.
Two more hours passed. Sett had forgotten about sensing cosmic energy and was growing drowsy. Just as he was about to fall asleep, a sudden wave of comfort brought him back to his senses.
"Hm? Is this cosmic energy?" Sett felt wisps of energy passing through the soles of his feet, the palms of his hands, and the Baihui point.
Sure enough, I have to be in this state to successfully sense cosmic energy, Sett thought.
As time passed, more and more energy flowed into Sett, like a stream swelling into a great river.
Sett's cells, parched for eighteen years, desperately absorbed the cosmic energy. As the seconds ticked by, his skin, muscles, bones, and organs all grew stronger.
He absorbed the cosmic energy for three hours before finally stopping, which meant his cells were full. This absorption had also brought him the greatest increase in strength he'd experienced in his eighteen years.
I wonder how much stronger I've become, Sett thought. Although he had four Innate Secret Techniques, at Apprentice Level he could only use Pummel. He would have to reach Universe Level before he could use all four.
Throughout July, Sett and Luo Feng spent their days training at the martial arts hall. They often sparred to improve their combat skills and prepare for the upcoming practical assessment.
"Luo Feng, you're so slippery! How do you dodge like a mudskipper?" Sett said after their spar.
"Your punches are too fierce. I can't take a hit from you, so I'd be an idiot not to dodge," Luo Feng said with a laugh.
Each of them had their own strengths. Luo Feng had the advantage in footwork, while Sett had the advantage in strength. Their speed was about the same.
So when they sparred, Luo Feng mostly relied on his footwork to evade Sett's punches, sneaking in a couple of blows whenever he got the chance.
But if Luo Feng was careless and Sett hit him, he couldn't withstand the punch. The two of them won and lost in turn.
Of course, Sett hadn't used Pummel. Pummel had a chance of making an opponent feel fear. The last time he'd fought that thug among the senior students, one punch had scared him so badly that he'd wet himself.
Sett was fairly satisfied with his strength. Luo Feng was a skilled fighter, and sparring with him had improved Sett's combat abilities considerably. He was confident he'd pass the upcoming practical assessment with flying colors.
"Hello, Instructor." As they rested, the two saw Instructor Jiang Nian walking over and greeted him.
"You two are certainly diligent, coming to train at the hall every day. So, have you managed to sense cosmic energy through the Five Hearts Towards the Sky?" Jiang Nian asked.
"I have. I feel like my strength has shot up."
"Me too."
Jiang Nian nodded in satisfaction. "I knew you two could do it. Now that you've successfully absorbed cosmic energy, your strength has increased quite a bit. You should have no trouble passing the upcoming practical assessment."
"By the way, let me see how strong you are now," he continued.
"All right." Luo Feng walked over to the Punch Strength Tester and threw a punch, registering a force of 3,208 kilograms. Then Sett struck it and registered an even higher 3,920 kilograms, nearly 4,000. There's no need to worry about revealing my strength now. I can just blame it on Genetic Origin Energy, Sett thought.
"What?" Jiang Nian exclaimed, stunned. He'd known that their strength would improve considerably after they successfully cultivated Genetic Origin Energy, but he hadn't expected such a huge increase—especially from Sett, that monster, whose punch force was nearly 4,000 kilograms.
When Martial Artists first cultivated Genetic Origin Energy, they had gone more than a decade, sometimes longer, without absorbing cosmic energy between birth and the start of their cultivation. They'd been starved of it for a long time, so their first cultivation brought the most noticeable improvement.
Depending on their talent, gaining several hundred or even a thousand kilograms of punch force made someone an elite. Luo Feng and Sett, however, had each gained more than two thousand kilograms in a single go. They were a pair of bona fide prodigies.
Jiang Nian said excitedly, "Hurry up and test your speed!"
Their results came back soon.
Luo Feng's speed was 59.5 meters per second, while Sett's was 59 meters per second.
As for their reflexes, Luo Feng had reached the excellent standard for an Intermediate Warrior, while Sett met the passing standard.
"Haha! I never imagined two prodigies would appear in Yi'an District at once!" Jiang Nian exclaimed, his face flushed with excitement. "You two young men are going to earn me a lot of contribution points at the hall."
They both grinned.
"Our Extreme Martial Arts Hall certainly won't let prodigies like you slip away. By convention, Quasi-Martial Artists have to pass the practical assessment before choosing which faction to join. For example, the Extreme Martial Arts Hall, the Thunder Dojo, the Underground Alliance, or the Military.
"You're both geniuses. Jiangnan Base City only produces one or two people like you in a year, out of a population of two hundred million. When the other factions hear about you, they'll naturally invite you to join and offer you generous terms. But to attract talents like you, we're letting you join the hall early. Besides the usual standalone villa, we'll also provide you with twenty million in startup funds and fifty million worth of manuals and equipment for free." Jiang Nian rattled off the whole offer in one breath, too excited to pause.
"Besides, our Extreme Martial Arts Hall has plenty of Martial Artists. When you venture into the Wilderness Zone to hunt monsters, it'll be easy to get help from your companions. Even the world's strongest man, Hong, occasionally gives guidance to talented elites!"
Everyone who lived in this era knew how powerful the Extreme Martial Arts Hall was. The two exchanged a glance and agreed to Jiang Nian's offer to join early without hesitation.
We'll be heading into the universe before long anyway, so it doesn't matter which one we join, Sett thought. He didn't want to make things complicated and figured they wouldn't be staying on Earth much longer.
"Haha, I'll report your situation to headquarters. Once they verify that everything I've said is true, you can join." Jiang Nian pulled out his phone and called headquarters.
"What? They're only eighteen, and there are two of them? Are you making this up just to cheer me up?" the person on the other end shouted when he heard Jiang Nian's report.
Jiang Nian looked at the two beside him and continued speaking into the phone with a smile. "It's absolutely true! I watched them grow step by step myself. Even I can hardly believe it."
"Then what are you waiting for? Bring them to headquarters immediately!"
After hanging up, Jiang Nian took the two with him and used his Martial Artist privileges to board a train to the main urban district of Jiangnan Base City. The city consisted of a central urban district and eight satellite cities. Farmland lay between the urban areas, which were connected by train.
"Luo Feng, compared with Yangzhou City, the main district just seems to have more cars, wider roads, and taller buildings. The rest feels about the same."
"Of course. There are more people in the main district. How else could they fit everyone if they didn't build taller buildings?" Luo Feng replied.
"Heh, you don't think there's anything special about it now. Just wait until we get there, and you'll see the difference." Jiang Nian spoke mysteriously from beside them.
The three chatted as they walked. Before long, they reached a skyscraper that seemed to pierce the clouds. Four large characters were clearly written on it: Extreme Martial Arts Hall!
"See that? This is the headquarters of our Extreme Martial Arts Hall in Jiangnan Base City. The building is 888 meters tall. You won't regret joining us, will you?"
Land in the main district of Jiangnan Base City was worth a fortune. The Extreme Martial Arts Hall had built such an imposing headquarters there, a clear display of its wealth!
"There sure are a lot of soldiers," Luo Feng remarked.
Jiang Nian led the way, and they were allowed through without any trouble.
"Since we're here, let's get started." Jiang Nian brought the two to the second floor of a villa.
After several staff members in suits checked the equipment, the tests began.
The results came back quickly. They were about the same as the scores from the Extreme Martial Arts Hall in Yi'an District.
"Luo Feng, Sett, I'm sure Jiang Nian has already told you about the terms. Are you willing to join our Extreme Martial Arts Hall?" The middle-aged man before them wore a black Tang suit and had a hooked nose.
"I'm willing."
"So am I."
"Excellent," the man in the Tang suit said.
"I'm very pleased today. Two geniuses have emerged at once from the Extreme Martial Arts Hall in Jiangnan Base City. So, how about this? I'll raise the allowance for manuals and equipment from fifty million to one hundred million. I'll cover the difference myself." The man in the Tang suit smiled.
"You're both outstanding, and I have high hopes for you. This little bit of money means nothing to me."
Luo Feng was secretly astonished.
"Thank you, Director," Luo Feng and Sett said.
Soon, a staff member in a suit brought over two contracts. They were simple and clear. The two skimmed them and signed their names.
"Welcome. Starting today, you're officially members of the Extreme Martial Arts Hall." After saying this, the man in the Tang suit left the villa.
"Instructor, who was that?" Luo Feng hurriedly asked Jiang Nian.
"He's one of the four top figures at the Jiangnan Extreme Martial Arts Hall. The highest-ranking person is the president, followed by the three directors. The four of them are known as the Four Great Figures!
"The director clearly thinks highly of you. He invested fifty million in each of you. That really is a small amount to him. You can think of it as an investment in your future. All right, don't dwell on it. With your talent, it's not impossible for you to work hard and reach a level like his."
Jiang Nian led the three out of the Extreme Martial Arts Hall and onto a train back to Yangzhou City.
"By the way, since you've both joined the Extreme Martial Arts Hall, you can move now. Would you rather go to Mingyue Residential Quarter or the Extreme Martial Arts Hall residential compound in the main district?" Jiang Nian asked before they parted.
"Let's go with Mingyue Residential Quarter," Luo Feng said.
"I'll go with Mingyue Residential Quarter too. I don't know the main district, and I can't be bothered with the hassle," Sett said casually.
Before you continue