On the evening of July 1, in the main urban district of Jiangnan Base City, an elderly man was looking over some documents in a room of a three-story white villa in the Jiangnan Extreme Main Hall, which stood amid beautiful scenery.
"These are the assessment candidates submitted by the martial arts halls throughout Jiangnan Base City this July." The old man studied them carefully. As an assistant to one of the four directors of Jiangnan Base City's main hall, part of his job was helping his superior, the director, handle internal affairs for the martial arts halls.
Only candidates with sufficient talent and excellent performance were selected and collected for the director to review.
"Chen Daolin, Yi'an District, Yangzhou City, seventeen years old."
"Ji Xuan, Yi'an District, Yangzhou City, eighteen years old?"
The old man muttered, "Two Quasi-Martial Artists under eighteen from Yi'an District, Yangzhou City, this year? That's quite rare." He didn't think much more of it. Quasi-Martial Artists of seventeen or eighteen were certainly talented, and rare in a small place like Yi'an District, but they were nothing special across the whole of Jiangnan Base City.
On July 1, Chen Daolin and Ji Xuan had successfully passed the physical fitness assessment for Quasi-Martial Artists, becoming Quasi-Martial Artists. Their certificates would be issued soon.
What's more, they had received the Genetic Origin Energy Cultivation Method from the martial arts hall. By practicing it, Warriors could grow even stronger.
On the evening of July 2, Chen Daolin sat cross-legged on his bed, assuming the five-heart-facing-heaven posture. Following the Genetic Origin Energy Cultivation Method, he calmed his mind and tried to sense the energy outside his body.
"This Genetic Origin Energy Cultivation Method feels similar to the King Kai Fist in some ways." The thought had occurred to Chen Daolin the first time he saw the method, and once he began practicing it in earnest, he became even more certain.
Strictly speaking, the King Kai Fist was also a form of physical cultivation. It simply focused more on unlocking the body's potential, constantly tempering the body and breaking through its limits. Its emphasis was on the internal.
The Genetic Origin Energy Cultivation Method, on the other hand, absorbed energy from the universe and converted it into Genetic Origin Energy, improving a person's physique. The speed and results varied according to each person's aptitude.
Some people could sense the energy of the universe in just a few days.
Others couldn't even get started after half a year.
"Practicing the Genetic Origin Energy Cultivation Method generally requires the physical fitness of a Quasi-Martial Artist. I wonder if I can do it." Chen Daolin was a little worried.
The method's principles were simple: sense the energy outside the body, absorb it, merge it into the cells, and convert it into Genetic Origin Energy to transform the body.
But there was an important prerequisite: one's physical fitness had to meet the required standard.
Without using the King Kai Fist, Chen Daolin's physical strength was currently less than seven hundred kilograms.
"I'll give it a try first." Chen Daolin stopped thinking about it.
Sitting on the bed, Chen Daolin instinctively followed the steady breathing method he used when practicing the King Kai Fist. His mind soon entered a strange state. The whole world grew quiet, as if only he remained. Every change in every corner of his body was clear and vivid, but Chen Daolin paid no attention to what was happening inside him. Instead, he extended his awareness as far outward as he could.
Time passed slowly. Gradually, Chen Daolin vaguely sensed wisps of mist flowing into his body through the soles of his feet, the centers of his palms, and the Baihui point at the crown of his head.
"Is this the energy of the universe?" Chen Daolin sensed it at once and felt a rush of joy, but years of practicing the King Kai Fist helped him keep his mind calm and maintain that state.
The human body naturally absorbed the energy of the universe even at rest, but the process was incredibly slow.
"Absorb it. Absorb it."
That thought spread through Chen Daolin's mind. The energy of the universe flowing in through his soles, palms, and Baihui point suddenly surged. As soon as it entered his body, his long-starved cells devoured it. The sensation was so wondrous that Chen Daolin couldn't help shuddering.
Chen Daolin's body changed with every passing moment. His skin, muscles, bones, and even each cell deep within him were changing slightly. His genes themselves were changing, too!
"According to the Genetic Origin Energy Cultivation Method, the first cultivation session gives the best results. The body has never cultivated Genetic Origin Energy before, so it's in a state of hunger and can absorb a large amount of energy at once, increasing its strength."
Chen Daolin kept absorbing energy, and his physical fitness rose rapidly.
One hour.
Two hours.
Three hours.
Four hours.
"Why hasn't it stopped? It's still going?" Chen Daolin was already a little dazed. According to the brief explanation in the Genetic Origin Energy Cultivation Method, the longer the first absorption lasted, the more energy one took in, and the stronger one's body became. When ordinary people succeeded at cultivating Genetic Origin Energy for the first time, most absorbed energy for one or two hours. The longer they absorbed it, the better their aptitude.
An hour of absorption generally added three hundred kilograms of strength, which was fairly average. Two hours added six hundred kilograms, which counted as quite good. More than a thousand kilograms meant one was elite.
Different levels of talent naturally meant different cultivation speeds.
"Four hours... I've already gained more than 1,200 kilograms of strength. Is my cultivation aptitude really that good?" Chen Daolin didn't believe he was exceptionally gifted. Otherwise, his strength wouldn't have improved so slowly during his previous training.
The only thing that set him apart from ordinary people was the King Kai Fist.
Not only could it let Chen Daolin unleash strength beyond his limits and improve his physical attributes in every way, it had also continuously unlocked his body's potential during his previous training.
If everyone's physical aptitude was fixed and inborn, then by practicing the King Kai Fist and constantly unlocking his body's potential, Chen Daolin could improve his own physical aptitude. This hadn't been very noticeable through physical training alone, but once he practiced Genetic Origin Energy, the change was earth-shattering.
The more Chen Daolin thought about it, the more likely it seemed. His excitement grew.
If other people's bodies were little puddles that could hold only so much energy during their first cultivation session, then the King Kai Fist had already turned Chen Daolin's little puddle into a large pond. In the future, it could become a reservoir, or even a lake—or a vast ocean.
As the saying went, human potential was limitless—as long as one could unlock it.
The King Kai Fist was a miracle technique for unlocking the body's potential.
Chen Daolin continued absorbing and refining the energy of the universe, converting it into Genetic Origin Energy, optimizing his genes, and transforming his body. His physical strength kept rising.
Five hours.
Six hours.
Seven hours.
Dawn broke.
In a quiet room on the fourth floor of the advanced students' teaching building at the Yi'an District Extreme Martial Arts Hall, Ji Xuan sat cross-legged in an otherwise empty room, with only a meditation cushion beneath her. A specially made iron blade, the kind the martial arts hall used for student practice, floated in front of her. Ji Xuan calmly watched it as an invisible force slowly bent the blade, making a grating sound. At last, it became a black iron ball hovering above the room.
"Phew..."
Not long afterward, Ji Xuan, now dressed in casual clothes, stepped out of the room and went to the spacious training hall on the third floor. She switched on a Punch Strength Testing Machine and stood quietly for three seconds. Then, in one smooth motion, she clenched her fist, swung her arm, and punched the target hard.
Her punch tore through the air with an explosive crack.
Bang!!!
The target swayed violently from the force, and an astonishing number appeared on the Punch Strength Testing Machine's screen—
"3097 kg."
At the same time, Chen Daolin opened his eyes, stood up, and looked at his body and hands, feeling as if he were in a dream.
A full ten hours!
He clenched his fist and felt how much stronger his body was than before.
"I wonder how much stronger I've gotten."
Chen Daolin was full of anticipation.
Still worked up, Chen Daolin didn't hesitate. He left his room and headed straight for the Yi'an District Extreme Martial Arts Hall.
At first, he wasn't quite used to the sudden surge in his strength, but the King Kai Fist had given him excellent control over his body, and he quickly adjusted. He ran down the road as fast as the wind, his hair flying behind him while the air whooshed past his ears. In the blink of an eye, he had run from one end of the street to the other, though he had kept his speed under control for fear of hitting a passerby.
Chen Daolin soon arrived at the martial arts hall. There weren't many people around in the morning; the hall was busiest and liveliest at night.
As Chen Daolin started up the stairs, he saw Ji Xuan coming down from the third floor.
Their eyes met, and both were taken aback.
"Up so early? You're here too," Chen Daolin said with a smile.
"It's inconvenient at home, so I borrowed a place here to practice last night." Ji Xuan gave a brief explanation. Her family's place was small, and her parents and younger sister needed to sleep at night, so she had to practice somewhere else. Besides, she had secrets of her own.
Seeing Chen Daolin looking energetic and cheerful, she felt a stir in her heart and couldn't help asking, "How's your Genetic Origin Energy cultivation going?" She cared about him as a friend. Besides, she was genuinely happy that they had both set foot on the path of the Warriors.
"I succeeded last night," Chen Daolin said without hiding it.
There was nothing wrong with telling people about it. And compared with how quickly he had cultivated, the results were what was truly terrifying.
Ji Xuan wasn't particularly surprised. She had cultivated Genetic Origin Energy successfully quite quickly herself the previous night. She suspected it might have something to do with her special ability. Chen Daolin had changed a great deal recently, and she felt he was hiding some secret. But who didn't have secrets? Ji Xuan had her own, too, and if her friend didn't want to talk about them, she wouldn't pry.
"I succeeded in cultivating it yesterday, too. Are you here to test your physical fitness?" Ji Xuan told him about her own success, then asked. She was very interested in how much Chen Daolin's strength had increased. She was a confident, competitive person, after all, as her usual behavior at school and in the martial arts hall made clear. Chen Daolin had become a Quasi-Martial Artist before her, which had stirred a little competitive spirit in her.
"Have you tested it yet? How much did you get?" Chen Daolin asked curiously after learning that Ji Xuan had succeeded in cultivating Genetic Origin Energy the previous night.
"3,100 kilograms," Ji Xuan replied.
Chen Daolin stared at Ji Xuan, stunned. At the Quasi-Martial Artist physical fitness assessment, her punch strength had been only a little over 1,100 kilograms. To gain almost 2,000 kilograms from her first cultivation session was ridiculously impressive.
He had always known Ji Xuan was talented in martial arts, but he hadn't realized she was a genius.
Chen Daolin didn't think Ji Xuan would lie about something like that. What would be the point?
Since Chen Daolin had arrived, Ji Xuan decided not to leave. She wanted to see what he could do. The two went to the training hall on the third floor. It was still early, and the place was empty. Ji Xuan switched on the Punch Strength Testing Machine and stood beside Chen Daolin, watching with keen interest as he prepared to test himself.
Chen Daolin hadn't thought much of it at first, but the moment Ji Xuan stood beside him, he suddenly felt a little nervous.
He took a deep breath and adjusted his body to its best condition. Taking his stance, he clenched his fist and gathered all his strength. His muscles bulged, and in the next instant, his fist shot forward like a cannonball, slamming into the black target.
Bang! The target swayed violently, and a number appeared on the Punch Strength Testing Machine's screen.
"2875 kg."
Ji Xuan looked surprised.
When Chen Daolin had taken the Quasi-Martial Artist assessment, he had used the King Kai Fist, and his punch strength had registered at 1,200 kilograms. (His physical strength was actually close to 700 kilograms, but he hadn't used the King Kai Fist at full power during the test.) Based on that, people would think his first cultivation session had added 1,600 kilograms of strength. Although that wasn't as astonishing as Ji Xuan's 2,000 kilograms, it was still exceptional.
Only Chen Daolin knew that his physical strength before had actually been less than 700 kilograms. That meant his first cultivation session with Genetic Origin Energy had increased his strength by more than 2,100 kilograms.
"Daolin, you're pretty impressive," Ji Xuan said with a smile.
"You're still stronger than me." Chen Daolin shook his head, smiling.
Although the numbers made him look a little weaker than Ji Xuan, adding 2,100 kilograms of strength in one night still left Chen Daolin thrilled.
From what Chen Daolin currently knew about Warriors, a Quasi-Martial Artist needed a punch strength of 900 kilograms. A true Warrior began at Warrior Level, the first rank of Warriors, and a Beginner Warrior needed a minimum punch strength of 1,000 kilograms.
A Beginner Warrior needed a minimum punch strength of 1,000 kilograms. An Intermediate Warrior needed at least 2,000 kilograms, and an Advanced Warrior needed at least 4,000 kilograms.
With their punch strength, Chen Daolin and Ji Xuan were already well above the Intermediate Warrior threshold.
As everyone knew, there were three standards for a Warrior's physical fitness: punch strength was the most important, followed by speed and reflexes.
But physical fitness alone didn't make someone a truly powerful Warrior. They also needed practical combat ability.
Practical combat ability required close-combat techniques, such as swordsmanship, blade techniques, spear techniques, and axe techniques; Movement Technique, or dodging skills; Force Application Technique, or Strength Amplitude; willpower; combat awareness; and many other things. These could be even harder and more important to improve than physical fitness alone.
A person like Chen Daolin, who had only increased his physical strength and had no practical combat ability, was actually much weaker than a Warrior of the same level who had been tested in life-and-death battles. In a real fight, he might not even be able to put up a decent fight.
The most important measure of a Warrior's strength was practical combat ability.
That was why anyone who wanted to become a Warrior had to take the Martial Artist Practical Examination.
In the training hall, Chen Daolin looked at the target and thought, Should I try hitting it with the King Kai Fist?
Forget it. A little over 2,800 kilograms was already impressive enough. If I pushed it even higher, it'd be too shocking. Chen Daolin didn't know what kind of trouble that might cause. The martial arts hall had surveillance cameras inside, and the machines kept usage records. It was better to play it safe.
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