Zhuge Qing

Jiang Nian had been in an excellent mood lately. Two promising young talents had emerged from the district his martial arts hall was responsible for, earning him considerable acclaim at the Yangzhou City hall and letting him hold his head high. He might even get a promotion soon.

One day, Jiang Nian, an instructor at the Extreme Martial Arts Hall in Yi'an District, returned from outside and headed up to the fourth floor of the advanced students' teaching building. As he passed a training room, he heard the heavy panting and shouts of a man and a woman coming from inside.

"Ah!"

"Ha!"

"Take this, my spear!"

"Ugh! Damn it, why is yours so long?!"

Smack, smack...

"..." If Jiang Nian hadn't known this was a training area at the Extreme Martial Arts Hall and not some kind of private club, his mind would have gone straight to the gutter.

The voices sounded familiar. Jiang Nian searched his memory briefly. Weren't those Chen Daolin and Ji Xuan? What were they doing in there?

His curiosity got the better of him. Jiang Nian carefully pushed open the training room door and stealthily poked his head inside like a thief. One look was enough to leave him deeply disappointed...

Chen Daolin and Ji Xuan were fully dressed. One held a long spear, the other a War Blade, and they were locked in a fierce exchange.

He had no idea how long they'd been fighting, but both of them were drenched in sweat. Chen Daolin's long spear blurred as he swung it, its countless afterimages piercing the air with a whistling sound. Ji Xuan wielded her War Blade with equal skill, its movements forming an impenetrable defense. Her attacks and close-quarters combat flowed together seamlessly, and her Movement Technique was extremely agile—considerably better than Chen Daolin's. She held a slight advantage over him, while Chen Daolin used his spear's reach to keep her just beyond the spear's shadow.

After watching for a few moments, Jiang Nian's expression turned serious. A trace of shock showed in his eyes. Chen Daolin and Ji Xuan's close combat and Movement Technique were nothing special in his eyes—only a little beyond the beginner level, with solid fundamentals. But their strength, speed, and reflexes astonished him.

"Stop!" Jiang Nian called out before he could help himself.

At the sound of his voice, Chen Daolin and Ji Xuan stopped sparring at the same time.

They were slightly surprised to see Instructor Jiang Nian standing outside the door.

"Instructor!"

"Mm." Jiang Nian walked over with his hands behind his back and circled the two of them. "What are you doing here?"

Ji Xuan replied sheepishly, "Chen Daolin and I thought we should get in some extra practice since the Martial Artist Practical Examination is on the first of next month."

Jiang Nian considered this for a moment, then suddenly looked up. "Have you both succeeded in cultivating Genetic Origin Energy?"

"Yes," Chen Daolin and Ji Xuan answered in unison.

Jiang Nian smiled faintly. It seemed his guess had been right: Chen Daolin and Ji Xuan had both cultivated the Genetic Origin Energy Cultivation Method. That was why they'd improved so quickly.

"Have you taken a punch strength test? What were your results?"

Chen Daolin and Ji Xuan exchanged a glance. Chen Daolin answered, "We tested on the third. I was at 2,900 kilograms, and Ji Xuan was at 3,100."

"What?!" Jiang Nian's body jolted. He spun around and stared at them, his gaze blazing. His voice held a note of excitement and disbelief. "Are you telling the truth?"

Chen Daolin said, "If you don't believe us, Instructor, we can test right now."

"Good. Let's go." Jiang Nian didn't hesitate. He was eager to see for himself. If Chen Daolin was telling the truth, this would be immensely important to the Extreme Martial Arts Hall in Yi'an District.

There was a Punch Strength Testing Machine on the fourth floor. Jiang Nian took them to test, and found that just as Chen Daolin had said, both of their punch strengths exceeded 3,000 kilograms. They had risen a little further since then, thanks to their recent progress.

"Good, good, excellent!" Jiang Nian stared at the numbers on the machine's screen, beaming with excitement.

Ji Xuan's punch strength had risen from 1,100 kilograms to 3,100, an increase of 2,000 kilograms.

Chen Daolin's punch strength had risen from 1,200 kilograms to 2,900, an increase of 1,700 kilograms.

Their initial improvements were both enormous—absolutely at the level of geniuses.

And they were both very young. Ji Xuan had just turned eighteen, while Chen Daolin was still under eighteen. Both were young, with boundless potential.

They then tested their speed and neural response, and both met or came close to the Intermediate Warrior standard. Instructor Jiang Nian stared at the dazzling results, his face flushed with excitement.

After all these years, the Extreme Martial Arts Hall in Yi'an District had finally produced a monster-level genius—and two at once.

This windfall had fallen from the sky with such force that Jiang Nian's head spun. He was ecstatic.

Jiangnan City had a population of two hundred million. In a given year, perhaps only one or two monstrous talents like these would emerge.

Yet the Extreme Martial Arts Hall in Yi'an District had produced two at once. Jiang Nian could practically see a mountain of contribution points flying toward him.

This year, Yi'an District would be the talk of Yangzhou City. In fact, it might even steal the spotlight across the entire Jiangnan Base City.

Jiang Nian grinned as he looked at the two of them like priceless treasures, his manner warm and friendly. "Xiao Chen, Xiao Ji, with talent like yours, you don't need to take the Martial Artist Practical Examination to join the Extreme Martial Arts Hall." With only one or two super-geniuses emerging each year from Jiangnan Base City's population of two hundred million, every faction would compete for them. Since these two had appeared at the Extreme Martial Arts Hall, the hall had to sign them before anyone else could.

Jiang Nian enthusiastically outlined the exceptional benefits the Extreme Martial Arts Hall offered talented recruits: a detached villa, 20 million in startup funds, and a free allowance of 50 million for purchasing items such as manuals in three categories—attacks, Movement Technique, and Guidance Technique. Chen Daolin and Ji Xuan, two children from poor, ordinary families, were stunned.

It was worth noting that an ordinary warrior joining a superpower like the Extreme Martial Arts Hall would normally receive only one million in startup funds. Chen Daolin and Ji Xuan's allowance was seventy times that amount!

That was the difference in treatment between a genius and an ordinary warrior.

And those were only the most basic, standard benefits. Joining the Extreme Martial Arts Hall—the world's largest martial arts hall—as a genius came with many other advantages that ordinary warriors could only dream of.

After Jiang Nian's enthusiastic persuasion, Chen Daolin and Ji Xuan discussed it and decided to join the Extreme Martial Arts Hall.

Jiang Nian didn't have the authority to make such an important decision. He called his superiors, then took Chen Daolin and Ji Xuan by train to the Extreme Martial Arts Hall's headquarters in the main urban district of Jiangnan Base City: the Extreme Main Hall.

Along the way, Jiang Nian explained the Extreme Martial Arts Hall and shared a great deal of knowledge about the world of warriors with Chen Daolin and Ji Xuan.

For example, warriors were divided by strength into Warrior Level, Warlord Level, War God Level, and those who had surpassed the War God level!

Each level—warrior, warlord, and War God—was further divided into beginner, intermediate, and advanced.

Those who had surpassed the War God level stood at the peak of humanity's martial strength. Hong, the founder of the Extreme Martial Arts Hall and the world's strongest fighter, and Thunder God of the Thunder Martial Arts Hall, the world's second strongest, were both at this level. Each possessed world-shattering power, comparable to a human nuclear bomb. Even the major nations had to treat them with the utmost seriousness.

Even War Gods were extremely rare, and most warriors considered becoming one the pinnacle of their ambitions. But reaching the War God level was exceedingly difficult. War Gods possessed unimaginable strength: they could move through a hail of bullets and artillery fire, crush a building beneath one foot, and were immensely strong, lightning-fast, and astonishingly quick to react. They could even stand up to conventional weapons, which was why they were called War Gods.

Warlords, on the other hand, were relatively common. Most warriors would stop at that level.

Warriors were the most numerous among martial artists, and the weakest.

Chen Daolin and Ji Xuan followed Jiang Nian to the Jiangnan General Hall. They listened eagerly to his explanations all the way there, broadening their horizons considerably.

Before long, they reached the spacious training hall on the second floor of a three-story villa inside the hall. There they met a middle-aged man in a black Tang suit, with delicate features and a gentle smile. Several suited men stood behind him.

"Director," Jiang Nian greeted him respectfully.

"Jiang Nian, these two young people are Chen Daolin and Ji Xuan, the ones you told me about?" the director asked.

"Yes, Director." Jiang Nian gestured for Chen Daolin and Ji Xuan to step forward. They promptly did so and bowed respectfully. "Greetings, Director."

"Mm." The middle-aged man in the Tang suit nodded slightly. "Old Bai, go ahead and assess the strength of these two young people."

The tests were soon complete.

The middle-aged director smiled. "Not bad, Jiang Nian. You've found two talented people in Yangzhou City this time. You've done very well."

The contracts were drawn up quickly. Chen Daolin and Ji Xuan picked them up and took a look, then both stared in surprise. Their startup funds were unchanged, but the free allowance of 50 million had been raised to 100 million. Chen Daolin and Ji Xuan exchanged a glance, then looked up together. "Director, this..."

The director smiled faintly. "I decided to give you the additional 50 million. I have high hopes for your potential."

"Thank you, Director." They weren't going to turn down a benefit that had been offered to them for free. Chen Daolin and Ji Xuan gladly accepted, though they couldn't help marveling at the director's generosity. Fifty million each, a hundred million between them—the man certainly knew how to spend.

"But there is something I'd like to ask you to do for me," the director said, watching them.

Chen Daolin and Ji Xuan felt a little nervous. "What would you like us to do, Director? If it's within our power, we'll do everything we can to help."

"It's a very simple matter, and shouldn't be difficult for you. There's little danger involved." The director sighed softly. "I have a daughter. She just passed the Quasi-Warrior Assessment, but she's determined to take the Martial Artist Practical Examination to prove herself. I can't talk her out of it, so I'd like you to accompany her during the Martial Artist Practical Examination on August first and protect her. What do you think?" As he looked at Chen Daolin and Ji Xuan, his gaze placed an invisible pressure on them.

Jiang Nian spoke up from the side. "The monsters in the Martial Artist Practical Examination are all low-level and weak, and they act alone. They won't pose much danger to you." He genuinely felt the task would be easy for Chen Daolin and Ji Xuan, and it would also help them build a relationship with the director, a powerful figure. It was a win-win.

The director smiled as well.

Chen Daolin and Ji Xuan exchanged a glance, then agreed.

Seeing them accept, a satisfied smile appeared on the director's face. He turned to the white-haired elder beside him. "Uncle Bai, go fetch my daughter."

Soon, a girl about the same age as Chen Daolin and Ji Xuan, perhaps even a little younger, came over with an unhappy expression. The director took her hand and said affectionately, "Qingqing, I've found two friends for you to take the Martial Artist Practical Examination with. They're talented warriors whom our Jiangnan City martial arts hall has just recruited. Get to know each other and get along from now on."

The girl gave an unwilling "Oh," then stepped in front of Chen Daolin and Ji Xuan, a hint of pride showing on her face. "I'm Zhuge Qing. Hello."

"Hello, Miss Zhuge. I'm Chen Daolin."

"I'm Ji Xuan."

Chen Daolin and Ji Xuan maintained polite smiles.

Zhuge Qing's lips twitched. Then she returned to her father's side.

Director Zhuge patted his daughter's hand helplessly, then addressed Chen Daolin and Ji Xuan with a hint of apology. "Qingqing has been spoiled by me. She's a little bad-tempered, so please look after her during the examination." His final words already carried a trace of command.

After leaving the Jiangnan Extreme Main Hall, Chen Daolin and Ji Xuan felt both excited about the enormous benefits they'd received from the Extreme Martial Arts Hall and worried about the coming month. That Miss Zhuge seemed a little spoiled and difficult to get along with. They didn't know if she would cause trouble during the Martial Artist Practical Examination.

But given the circumstances, they couldn't very well refuse the director's request after accepting his generous benefits. They would have to take things as they came and do their best to make it safely through the Martial Artist Practical Examination.