HR Alliance's Quasi-Warrior Assessment

Time passed quickly, and before long, June 1 arrived. The first day of every month was the day of the Quasi-Warrior Assessment.

Xu Ai, who had finished preparing, returned to the Xu Family's headquarters that day.

As one of Huaxia's twelve great families and a member of the HR Alliance, the Xu Family naturally had the authority to hold Quasi-Warrior Assessments. The HR Alliance's assessment in Yangzhou City was hosted by the Xu Family.

As a member of the Xu Family, Xu Ai would naturally take the assessment on her own family's turf.

It took her a little while to reach the Xu Family's headquarters.

"Xiao Ai, over here!"

Downstairs in the Martial Artist Building, a rather handsome young man waved at Xu Ai.

"Big Brother!"

Xu Ai waved back and jogged over to him.

The person Xu Ai called Big Brother was naturally Xu Gang, the Xu Family's eldest legitimate son and Xu Xin's older brother.

Unlike the spoiled young master described in the original story, Xu Gang wasn't particularly talented, but as the Xu Family's future heir, he still had some ability.

And since Earth in Swallowed Star valued martial strength above all else, Xu Gang couldn't avoid taking up martial arts. With the Xu Family's resources behind him, his physical fitness had reached the level of an Advanced Student.

As for reaching Quasi-Martial Artist standards, he would probably need another two or three years...

Xu Gang looked at Xu Ai, who had run over to him, and said with satisfaction, "Not bad. You're only sixteen, and you're already able to take the Quasi-Warrior Assessment. The next generation's star of our Xu Family's main branch is counting on you."

"I'll do my best."

Xu Ai smiled, without bothering to be modest.

From her past memories, she knew Xu Gang's personality inside and out.

In a word, he was a total siscon!

Another lifelong rival for Xu Ai, who was a siscon herself!

But Xu Ai didn't know that, as far as Xu Gang was concerned, she was his little sister too...

The Martial Artist Building had ten floors in total. The first floor was, as usual, a bar-style leisure area for Martial Artists to relax and have fun. The second floor was for testing, and it was also where the Quasi-Warrior Assessment took place.

Xu Ai had arrived rather late. By now, more than a dozen students taking the assessment were already on the second floor.

After bringing Xu Ai upstairs, Xu Gang went off to take care of things. A high-level General-Level expert was overseeing the assessment, but Xu Gang was actually in charge. The aim was to give the Xu Family's future heir a chance to gain experience and, along the way, build up his connections.

After a while, more Martial Artists gradually came up from downstairs. By the time the assessment began, there were twenty-seven candidates.

The first test was the punch strength test. Five Punch Strength Testers stood side by side, and the twenty-seven candidates were divided into five lines.

In Xu Ai's line, the first candidate was a burly young man who looked about her age.

He stood in front of the Punch Strength Tester and took a deep breath. His right arm tensed, then he suddenly drove a straight punch into the target.

The target gave a muffled thud, and the display lit up.

"900 kilograms. Right on the mark."

The staff member smiled and announced the result. The screen on the Punch Strength Tester also showed 900 kg.

But Xu Ai, who knew what was really going on, understood that the Martial Artist's actual punch strength was probably somewhere between 895 and 900 kilograms.

That was why more students took the HR Alliance's Quasi-Warrior Assessment. Compared with other major powers, the HR Alliance's assessment really was much more lenient. After the machines were calibrated, as long as the result wasn't too far off, they would display 900 kg.

Of the Quasi-Warrior Assessments, the military's was the strictest, the Extreme Martial Arts Hall's the most authoritative, the HR Alliance's the most lenient, and the Thunder Dojo's the least notable...

"Next, Xu Ai."

When the staff member said her name, he glanced at Xu Ai.

As an employee of the Xu Family, the staff member naturally knew the family's important members.

Xu Ai was the most talented Martial Artist of the Xu Family's new generation and a member of its main branch. She had also become a disciple of Ruthless Councilor, so her status was very high. The entire Xu Family was looking forward to her becoming the second War God of the main branch!

Xu Ai stepped up to the Punch Strength Tester, tensed her body slightly, then took a heavy step forward, twisted at the waist, and slammed a punch into the target.

"903 kilograms. Not bad, not bad."

Watching the screen, Xu Gang couldn't help smiling.

The Xu Family was very lenient when assessing outsiders, but it was extremely strict with its own people. If your physical fitness didn't meet the standard, then it didn't meet the standard. You were eliminated on the spot!

Xu Ai's result of over 900 kilograms was genuine, which meant her physical fitness truly met the requirement!

The other candidates looked at Xu Ai in surprise. Most of those who came to the HR Alliance for their assessment were the sort to cut corners. Barely meeting the standard was already considered pretty good, so it was rare to exceed it.

Seeing the result, Xu Ai sighed inwardly.

Before coming to the assessment, she had used the testing machine at Empress Ruthless's home. Her punch strength had reached 907 kilograms then, so this time she had actually regressed...

The punch strength test soon ended. Three candidates who had cut too many corners and fallen more than ten kilograms short were eliminated on the spot and escorted out by several staff members.

Next came the speed test. Candidates had to run at least 25 m/s to pass. But the HR Alliance's usual leniency applied: anyone who managed 24.8 m/s passed.

Even so, five people were eliminated. They had clearly come to try their luck. One of them had only managed 24 m/s. The HR Alliance's cheating really was common knowledge.

Of course, speed was Xu Ai's strong suit. Her final result was 25.7 m/s.

This time, she had performed beyond her usual level.

Last came the neural response test. The Xu Family's testing machines had also been adjusted; there was a slight pause when the machine aimed and when it fired. To Xu Ai, this flaw was simply too obvious.

With the test rigged in her favor, she easily achieved a result of "29 hits, without touching the red light."

The reason she had been hit so many times was that she didn't want to make too much of a show of it. Everyone knew the HR Alliance cheated, and nobody made a fuss, but she couldn't be too blatant about it...

Though the neural response test was lenient, it was harder for people trying to cut corners than either the punch strength or speed test. It eliminated ten people outright, leaving only nine, including Xu Ai.

After Xu Gang had the eliminated candidates escorted out, he turned to Xu Ai and the others.

"Congratulations. Your test results have been uploaded. Once the review is finished and the official documents are issued, your Quasi-Martial Artist status will be added to your citizen records, and you'll be entitled to some of the privileges Martial Artists enjoy. Now, follow me."

The third floor of the Martial Artist Building was a rest floor, with plenty of guest rooms. Martial Artists could register and rest there for free when they were exhausted from training, or use the rooms like hotel rooms. The Martial Artist Building's management office was there too.

Xu Gang led them into the spacious office.

"These are nine applications for the Martial Artist Practical Examination."

Xu Gang took nine forms out of a drawer and handed them to Xu Ai and the others.

"Taking the Martial Artist Practical Examination is voluntary. Once you take part, no one will be held responsible if a monster injures or kills you during the test."

"Of course, the practical examination uses only the weakest and most feeble monsters, so the death rate is quite low."

The practical examination was meant to cultivate the new generation of Martial Artists' combat instincts. They wouldn't send Quasi-Martial Artists to their deaths, so under the military's control, the death rate was indeed quite low.

But the rate of serious injuries was genuinely high!

The application mainly emphasized that candidates were responsible for their own deaths and injuries and couldn't withdraw midway. Only at the end did it explain the benefits of becoming a Martial Artist after passing.

Xu Ai looked it over curiously, then signed the application.

Watching the others sign one after another, Xu Gang smiled with satisfaction.

"Good. Today's June 1, so you've picked a pretty good time. The next practical examination is still two months away, so you should use that time to prepare."

Xu Gang picked up the remote and pressed a button, projecting an image onto the screen on the wall behind him.

It showed an illustrated manual. Across the top were several large characters: Genetic Energy Cultivation Method.

"You've probably heard about this many times, so it won't be unfamiliar. That's right, it's the dividing line between Martial Artists and ordinary people: the Genetic Energy Cultivation Method known as Five Hearts Towards Heaven."

"Your physical fitness has already met the standard. By practicing this method, you can try to sense the energy of the universe and absorb it into every cell in your body, making it your own energy. That energy is called Genetic Origin Energy."

Xu Gang spent a while explaining the origins and significance of the Genetic Energy Cultivation Method. Afterward, the high-level General-Level expert gave them a few more pointers about what to keep in mind while practicing.

Before leaving, Xu Gang reminded them that they weren't allowed to share the Genetic Energy Cultivation Method with anyone else.

Xu Ai gave it a casual glance, then left.

In fact, she had already mastered the cultivation methods. She knew both Five Hearts Towards Heaven and the upgraded Five Qi Towards Origin by heart.

The only reason she hadn't started cultivating yet was that she wanted to complete the Quasi-Warrior Assessment with ordinary results.

Now it was up to the Quasi-Martial Artists themselves. They weren't allowed to make copies of the Genetic Energy Cultivation Method; they could only memorize it.