Quasi-Warrior Assessment

February 1st, shortly after six in the morning, the sky was just beginning to brighten.

The low-income housing district of Yangzhou City was shrouded in a thin morning mist. In the distance, a few dogs barked, and occasionally, early risers pushed their bicycles through the alleyway, the bells chiming with a rhythmic clatter.

Lin Yun sat up from his bed, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled.

Today was a big day.

He put on his faded Limit Dojo training uniform and straightened it slightly. His grandfather, Lin Guodong, stood at the doorway, watching Lin Yun in front of the mirror. His cloudy, aged eyes were filled with complex emotions—pride, worry, and a hint of indescribable reluctance.

"Yun'er, why don't... why don't I go with you?" Lin Guodong's voice trembled slightly.

Lin Yun smiled and walked over to give his grandfather a gentle hug. "Grandpa, it's better if you wait for me at home. I'll be back as soon as the exam is over, and we'll have a good meal tonight."

Lin Guodong opened his mouth, but in the end, he only patted his grandson's back and let out a heavy sigh.

Luo Feng ran over from next door, carrying a plastic bag containing a few steaming buns and a cup of soy milk. He shoved the items into Lin Yun's hands and grinned. "Eat on the way. Don't be nervous; you'll definitely pass."

Lin Yun took the breakfast, glanced at Luo Feng, and nodded.

The two had grown up together; some things didn't need to be said aloud.

As he walked out of the alley, Lin Yun looked back at the dilapidated low-income housing building. His grandfather stood at the entrance, his hunched figure appearing exceptionally frail in the morning light. Lin Yun waved at him, then turned and strode forward.

He would not let his grandfather down.

The headquarters of the Limit Dojo in Yangzhou City was located in the Bright Moon Residential District in the eastern part of the city.

Lin Yun stood at the entrance of the district, looking at the quiet and exquisite residential area before him, feeling a secret sense of awe. Towering walls, soldiers guarding with live ammunition, neat detached villas, and meticulously manicured lawns—this was simply a different world from the decay of the low-income district.

"Is this the legendary Bright Moon Residential District?" Lin Yun muttered.

"Sir, this is the Bright Moon Residential District. Do not approach."

A row of six soldiers in military uniforms stood at the entrance. One of them barked at Lin Yun, "Sir, please step back. Once you cross the yellow line, we have the authority to shoot you on sight!"

Lin Yun did not panic. He stood outside the yellow line and spoke calmly, "I am an Advanced Trainee of the Limit Dojo. I am here to take the Quasi-Warrior assessment."

He knew the rules. The Bright Moon Residential District was the headquarters of the Limit Dojo in Yangzhou City; it was not only the location of the Limit Hall but also where the families of the dojo's warriors resided. The security level here was extremely high; even the police had no authority to trespass.

"Oh?"

An elderly man with graying hair walked out of the guard station next to the entrance, holding a handheld computer. He looked Lin Yun up and down, a flash of surprise in his eyes. "Little guy, you say you're here for the warrior assessment? You don't look more than fifteen or sixteen years old, do you?"

Lin Yun handed over his prepared ID card and Advanced Trainee certificate.

The old man took the documents and swiped them across the handheld computer one by one. Lin Yun's detailed information quickly popped up on the screen.

"Fifteen years old?" The old man's eyes widened slightly as he looked at Lin Yun in astonishment. "Not bad. In all these years, I have never seen a fifteen-year-old come to take the Quasi-Warrior assessment. I hope you pass."

It was not uncommon for people to reach the level of Advanced Trainee by fifteen—some warrior families raised their children from a young age, pouring various rare medicinal herbs into them, so it wasn't rare for children to reach that level in their teens. But to dare to take the Quasi-Warrior assessment at fifteen, and to be confident enough to pass, was truly a rarity.

"Thank you, sir." Lin Yun bowed slightly in respect.

"Let him in." The gray-haired old man waved his hand.

The electric gate of the district opened automatically. A soldier holding an assault rifle stepped forward and followed by Lin Yun's side. "Sir, I will take you to the Limit Hall. Please do not wander around after entering the district. You only have authorization for the Limit Hall and are not permitted to enter the warrior family residential area. If you violate the rules, even if I don't take action, the brothers patrolling the district will."

As the soldier spoke, he grinned at Lin Yun, revealing a mouthful of white teeth.

"Understood." Lin Yun nodded with a smile, though he felt a secret sense of vigilance—the cooperation between the government and the Limit Dojo was even closer than rumors suggested. In the core area of the warriors, the security was no less stringent than a military restricted zone.

Walking into the district, Lin Yun's gaze was involuntarily drawn to the surrounding scenery.

Detached villas were distributed in an orderly fashion throughout the district, interspersed with rockeries, ponds, and lawns, creating an elegant and quiet environment. In the center of the district stood a magnificent building—the Limit Hall, the sanctuary for all warriors in Yangzhou City.

Whew, living here is truly comfortable, Lin Yun sighed inwardly.

But he knew that everything came with a price. Everyone living here was a warrior who had fought for their lives. Every time they entered the Wilderness Area, they might never return.

In the center of the Bright Moon Residential District, inside the Limit Hall.

When Lin Yun stepped into the main lobby of the hall, the soldier who had led him there turned back.

"Sir, are you here for the Quasi-Warrior assessment?" A sweet-looking young woman in the lobby asked with a hint of surprise, her gaze lingering on Lin Yun's young face for a moment. "Sir, please take a seat over there. We will conduct the Quasi-Warrior assessment collectively with the others at ten o'clock in the morning."

Lin Yun nodded and walked toward the side of the lobby.

There was a small bar there with a waiter and a bartender. Lin Yun scanned the area; three people were already sitting in the bar—two were whispering to each other, while the third sat alone on a sofa in the corner, silent.

"Look, those villas over there are the benefits for warriors who join the Limit Dojo," a young man in white clothes and white pants said excitedly, his eyes full of longing. "As long as you become a warrior and join the Limit Dojo, you get a villa assigned for free, and you can live here from then on... tsk tsk, look at this environment, how comfortable."

"A warrior district is naturally different from the ordinary districts outside," the person next to him chimed in.

The two noticed Lin Yun and were slightly stunned, clearly not expecting such a young candidate. Lin Yun nodded at them and sat on a sofa on the other side.

They didn't know each other, so there was no conversation.

As time passed, three more people arrived one after another. Lin Yun didn't know these three either, but they all looked quite old—the youngest was nearly twenty-seven or twenty-eight, and one was even over forty.

There were seven people in total. Except for Lin Yun, the youngest of the other six was more than ten years older than him. Fifteen-year-old Lin Yun was particularly conspicuous among this group, and almost everyone took an extra look at him when they walked in.

"Little brother, I see you're only in your teens, right? To come for the warrior assessment at such a young age, your future is truly boundless."

The only female trainee, who looked to be about thirty, was particularly interested in Lin Yun and teased him with a smile. She wore a red training uniform, had a tall figure, and carried a heroic air in her features.

"Heh, I reckon he's just here to gain some experience. It's already quite impressive to reach the level of Advanced Trainee at such a young age," the man over forty interjected, his tone carrying a hint of jealousy.

"Liu, even if he's just here to see the world, he's still better than you. I bet when you were in your teens, you weren't even a junior trainee, were you?" The woman retorted, clearly indicating the two knew each other.

"Little brother, don't mind this guy. He's over forty and has attempted the Quasi-Warrior assessment more than ten times, yet he still hasn't passed. If it were me, I wouldn't have the face to show up here."

"Hmph, I'll pass today for sure." The man surnamed Liu stopped talking after saying this, walked over to a sofa on the side, and sat down with a livid expression.

Lin Yun secretly admired him in his heart—to have failed over ten assessments and still persist, this level of determination was worth learning from.

After a while, a middle-aged man walked in and swept his gaze over the seven people: "Are you all here? Follow me to the sixth-floor assessment area."

The group followed behind him and stepped into the elevator.

"Beep—"

The elevator reached the sixth floor, and the moment the doors opened, an enormous martial arts hall came into view. Over a dozen people were gathered in the hall; some were chatting, others were adjusting their equipment, and the atmosphere was relaxed and casual.

Lin Yun spotted Jiang Nian at a glance. Jiang Nian saw him too and nodded, his eyes filled with encouragement.

"They're here, stop chatting."

A middle-aged man with long, disheveled hair spoke up. The dozen or so people in the hall turned their heads in unison to look at the eight newcomers, their gazes sharp as lightning, carrying an invisible sense of pressure. Lin Yun felt a tightness in his chest—he knew that anyone appearing inside the Limit Hall, aside from the service staff, could only be a warrior.

In other words, all these dozen people were warriors.

This was the headquarters of the Limit Dojo for the entire Yangzhou City. The warriors who could appear here were, at the very least, battle-hardened veterans.

"Prepare for the test," the long-haired middle-aged man ordered.

Lin Yun had seen this person online—he was the master of the Limit Hall and the chief instructor for Yangzhou City, Wu Tong. It was said that he was a High-Level War General himself, only one step away from becoming a War God.

"Come over one by one, and give me your ID cards first."

The warrior who had led Lin Yun and the others up took the ID cards from them, handed them to the chief instructor Wu Tong, and laughed: "Boss, there are quite a few people today, seven of them!"

"Hmm." Wu Tong casually took an ID card and swiped it across the instrument opened beside him.

"Beep—"

A crystal-clear, transparent screen popped up on the instrument, displaying personal information.

"The first one, Liu Tong," the chief instructor said indifferently. "Proceed with the punch force test. Liu Tong, you should be very familiar with this by now, right? I won't say much more, begin."

Hearing this, Lin Yun couldn't help but smile slightly—this man was exactly the middle-aged man who had participated in over ten assessments. Chief instructor Wu Tong was already so familiar with him that he even skipped the opening remarks.

"Yes!"

Liu Tong stepped forward, took a deep breath, and set his stance. He blocked his face with his left hand, drew an arc with his right fist, and smashed it fiercely into the giant punch target.

"Bang!"

The punch target only trembled slightly, and the number "968kg" immediately appeared on the screen of the punch force testing machine.

"Pass. Next, Feng Lu."

The woman in red walked over to the punch force testing machine and threw a punch.

"Bang!"

"910kg."

"Phew, that was close." Feng Lu patted her chest, looking relieved.

"Pass. Next, Lin Yun."

The chief instructor casually swiped the third ID card across the instrument, looked at the detailed identity record, and suddenly paused.

"Eh, fifteen years old?" Wu Tong looked up, his gaze landing on Lin Yun, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. "Old Jiang, this is from your Yi'an District, right? Coming to take the assessment at fifteen, when did such a good seedling appear in your district?"

"Haha, isn't this meant to be a surprise for you, Chief Instructor!" Jiang Nian laughed heartily, his pride evident.

"Whether he has the strength or not is another matter," a very fat old man among the dozen warriors teased. "Maybe he's just here to see the world; he might not have any real strength."

Jiang Nian glanced at the old man and snorted coldly: "What, jealous? You don't have such a genius in your Beiyou District, do you! Lin Yun, show them the strength of my Yi'an District trainees."

"Yes, Instructor!"

Lin Yun stepped forward, answered loudly, and then walked toward the punch force testing machine.

"Old Jiang seems very confident." Wu Tong smiled, though his gaze remained fixed on Lin Yun.

Almost everyone present was watching Lin Yun, waiting for the assessment results of this fifteen-year-old boy.

Lin Yun stood before the punch target and took a deep breath, adjusting his breathing.

He couldn't reveal his full strength. Being too strong would attract attention, but being too weak would mean failing the assessment. He needed to find the perfect balance—one that would make the dojo value him without making other factions target him.

The level of a mid-level warrior should be about right, he calculated in his heart.

A fifteen-year-old mid-level warrior, while possessing astonishing talent, was not without precedent. The headquarters of the Limit Dojo had several such geniuses, so it wouldn't cause too much of a stir.

Lin Yun exerted force from his feet, his body rotated slightly, and a powerful force erupted from his waist and hips. The power flowed through his body, transmitting into his arm, and his fist shot out like an arrow from a fully drawn bow, leaving a faint afterimage—

"Bang!"

His fist slammed into the punch target, emitting a dull, thunderous boom.

Everyone's eyes turned to the screen of the testing machine.

"2345kg"

The martial arts hall went quiet for a moment, then erupted into chaos.

"Nice!"

"Holy crap!"

"Monster!"

The martial artists present couldn't help but be shocked. 2345kg—this number far exceeded the passing line for the Quasi-Warrior examination, reaching the level of an Intermediate Fighter. If a veteran martial artist who had trained for many years had achieved this, it would be considered ordinary. But the one who achieved this was a teenager who hadn't even begun cultivating Genetic Origin Energy, and was not yet fifteen years old!

"This young man..." The chubby old man's mouth hung open wide enough to fit an egg, and he couldn't speak for a long time.

Chief Instructor Wu Tong rubbed his chin and nodded slowly: "Not bad. He kept in mind not to lose his center of gravity while punching. If he had disregarded everything just to throw the heaviest punch possible, losing his center of gravity, the power might have been greater. But in that case, losing one's center of gravity while fighting a Monster would be suicide! Not bad, not bad!"

He was an expert, and at a glance, he saw the essence of Lin Yun's punch—it wasn't about how much strength he had, but the control of his center of gravity during the strike. This kind of control could not be practiced without years of hard work.

"Haha, this little guy Lin Yun has always been very capable." Jiang Nian laughed, the wrinkles on his face bunching together, "As early as his first year of middle school, he was already an intermediate student at the dojo."

Lin Yun stood to the side with a calm expression, though he found it amusing internally: I used less than one-tenth of my strength, and you are already this surprised. If you knew my true strength has already reached the Intermediate War General level, and my Spiritual Force has even reached the Primary War God level... you would probably be scared unconscious.

Of course, he wouldn't say it. At least, not now.

"He's a good seedling." Wu Tong nodded, his gaze lingering on Lin Yun for an extra second before retracting it, "Next, Li Dahai."

The seven people finished testing quickly. In the punch strength test, only one person was eliminated—although Liu Tong, who was in his forties, passed, his score of 968kg barely scraped by.

Next was the speed test.

This round eliminated many more people. Of the three who tested before, two were eliminated. Their punch strength wasn't bad, but their speed couldn't keep up; in the Wilderness Area, facing agile Monsters would be a death sentence.

"Next, Lin Yun."

The crowd's eyes gathered on Lin Yun once again. They wanted to see how this teenager, who had shone so brightly in the punch strength test, would perform in terms of speed.

Lin Yun walked to the track for the speed test.

This was a fifty-meter straight track with photoelectric sensors at both ends, which could accurately measure a runner's top speed. Lin Yun stood behind the starting line, bent slightly, and set his starting posture.

"Ready—go!"

The moment the starting gun fired, Lin Yun darted out like a cheetah.

His stride frequency was extremely fast, his stride length was large, and every step landed precisely in the center of the track. The wind whistled past his ears, and the scenery on both sides retreated rapidly. In just a few seconds, he crossed the finish line.

Everyone looked at the instrument screen, which displayed a number—"38.3m/s".

"The speed is also very good, pass!" Wu Tong's eyes were filled with smiles. Fifteen years old, punch strength 2345kg, speed 38.3m/s—this data could be considered top-tier among the younger generation of the entire Jiangnan Base.

Discovering such a good seedling was a significant credit to him.

The remaining two also quickly completed the test. Feng Lu's speed performance was much better than her punch strength, and she passed easily. Liu Tong, however, had just barely crossed the line, passing by the skin of his teeth.

After two rounds of testing, only four of the seven people remained.

The final round, and also the most difficult one—the Neural Reflex speed assessment.

This was a spacious room of about one hundred square meters, much smaller than the previous super-large martial arts hall, but the atmosphere was even more solemn. In the center of the room stood a tall instrument; at the very front was an ejection device similar to a six-barreled Gatling gun, though it had far more barrels—dozens of them.

So this is the Neural Reflex Tester? Lin Yun thought to himself.

He had seen this thing in the dojo's training videos, but this was his first time seeing it in person.

"First, Liu Tong," Chief Instructor Wu Tong said.

Liu Tong took a deep breath, walked to the front of the tester's barrels, and stood within a circle with a diameter of 3.6 meters.

"Click!"

As soon as the switch was turned on, the edge of the circle immediately emitted a hazy red light upward. For a moment, the tester standing inside the circle seemed to be surrounded by a red veil.

"Remember, no matter what, you cannot leave the circle. Once you leave the circle, you are judged as failed. If your body touches the red light, points will be deducted." After Wu Tong finished speaking, he walked to the Neural Reflex Tester and pressed several buttons, adjusting the test intensity.

"Start!" Wu Tong pressed the red button.

"Beep—beep—"

The huge muzzle of the tester began to rotate, and dozens of barrels erupted with beams of red light almost instantly. The red "bullets" were fast and slow, and their flight paths were not parallel; they were chaotic as they shot into the red circle.

Liu Tong stared fixedly ahead, his body constantly dodging back and forth, left and right, weaving through the gaps between the bullets.

"Puff! Puff!"

He was hit twice in succession. However, these "bullets" were all rubber-tipped and had very little power, so they didn't hurt when they hit his body.

Time ticked by second by second. Liu Tong dodged desperately, the veins on his forehead bulging.

One minute passed.

"Woo—" Wu Tong pressed the button, and the tester's muzzle quickly decelerated and stopped rotating. A large amount of data appeared on the central screen.

"Within 60 seconds, hit 56 times, touched the red light twice, not qualified, eliminated!" Wu Tong said, tossing the ID card to Liu Tong.

"Almost again... sigh..." Liu Tong gritted his teeth, his eyes reddening as he walked out of the red circle.

Seeing this scene, Lin Yun felt a sense of emotion. The path of a martial artist is long and arduous. Just this first hurdle had stumped countless people. Liu Tong was in his forties and was still struggling for a Quasi-Warrior qualification, while some people were born for this path.

Fate, sometimes, is just that unfair.

The second to test was Feng Lu.

Her speed and neural reaction time seemed to be her strengths—hit 37 times within 60 seconds, touched the red light once, passing.

"Next, Lin Yun."

Lin Yun took a deep breath and stepped into the red circle.

Standing inside the red circle, the muzzles of the testing machine were pointed directly at him, dozens of pitch-black barrels resembling so many eyes. Yet, Lin Yun was not the least bit nervous.

As early as his first year of middle school, he had practiced movement techniques at home with Luo Feng, giving him an extremely solid foundation. Although he had not yet reached the Micro-Level, when combined with his Spiritual Force, which had reached the level of a Primary War God, he could achieve the same effect as the Micro-Level. Passing this test was not a problem at all.

"Remember, do not step out of the circle; stepping out means an immediate failure. Even touching the red light with your body will result in point deductions," Wu Tong said before pressing the red button.

"Beep—beep—"

The muzzles of the testing machine accelerated rapidly, soon spinning at an incredibly high speed. Immediately after, dozens of barrels erupted with red light simultaneously, and rubber bullets shot toward him from all directions.

Lin Yun stared fixedly at those red lights, his entire body moving like an agile cat as he dodged back and forth, left and right.

His footwork was light and precise, every movement avoiding the incoming bullets just right. When he encountered one he truly couldn't dodge, he would use his Spiritual Force to slightly nudge the trajectory of the bullet, letting it graze past him.

To outsiders, it looked as if those bullets were deliberately avoiding him.

"This young man is not bad." The warriors watching from the side began to whisper, "His reaction speed seems to be a huge step above the previous two."

"His movement technique is excellent, and his foundation is very solid. Look at his feet; they are like the pads of a cat's paws. Every shift in his movement maintains his center of gravity, allowing him to change direction instantly. This kind of movement technique... is already on the verge of touching the Micro-Level. Without ten years of hard work, one cannot achieve such a solid foundation."

A warrior's physical fitness can be improved through cultivation, but things like movement techniques and blade techniques must be accumulated through experience. It is not the case that having strong physical power equates to high-level movement techniques. That Lin Yun could possess such movement techniques at his age showed he had been training hard since he was very young.

One minute passed quickly.

"Whir—" Wu Tong pressed the button, and the testing machine slowed down and stopped. A long string of numbers appeared on the screen.

"Within 60 seconds, hit 12 times, did not touch the red light, Excellent!"

Wu Tong revealed a smile, his gaze toward Lin Yun filled with a hint of appreciation: "Not bad, Lin Yun, congratulations. As soon as the official documents are issued and your information is entered into your citizen identity records, you will be a Quasi-Warrior."

After passing the Quasi-Warrior assessment, the official certificate is generally issued within seven days, and at the same time, it is recorded in the citizen's identity information.

"Thank you, Chief Instructor," Lin Yun said with a smile, though his heart was not calm.

Although he had long known he possessed this strength, the moment he received official certification and became a "Quasi-Warrior," he still felt a trace of excitement. From today on, he was no longer an Advanced Trainee. He was a Quasi-Warrior, someone standing on the threshold of being a warrior.

He only needed to take one more step to become a true warrior.

The last person finished their test—failure.

Out of the seven people, the only ones who passed the three levels of testing were Lin Yun and Feng Lu.