The Assessment Was Passed

Everyone filed into the elevator in an orderly line.

"Ding!"

With a soft chime, the elevator shot upward, soon reaching the sixth floor.

Whoosh!

The doors slowly opened, revealing an enormous Martial Arts Hall.

More than a dozen people had already gathered inside. Among them was the Yi'an District instructor Jiang Nian, whom Luo Feng knew well.

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When they saw the group arrive, everyone turned to look at them.

Under the gaze of more than a dozen powerful Martial Artists, those taking the Quasi-Martial Artist Assessment couldn't help feeling tense.

"Prepare for testing."

The middle-aged man with long, loose hair—the master of the Limit Hall and the chief instructor of Yangzhou City, Wu Tong—gave the order.

"Come up one at a time. Hand me your ID cards first."

The Martial Artist who had brought Luo Feng and the others upstairs collected the ID cards from all eight of them and delivered them straight to Chief Instructor Wu Tong.

Wu Tong took one of the cards and swiped it across the device beside him.

Beep!

A translucent, crystal-clear screen sprang up from the device. Detailed information about the person taking the assessment quickly appeared on it.

"First up, Tong Guan.

Start with the punch strength test."

The chief instructor gave the order.

"Yes, sir."

A burly man in his thirties with a thick beard immediately stepped forward and threw a punch with all his strength.

The punching target trembled slightly.

The Punch Strength Tester's screen immediately displayed the result: "938 kg."

Seeing the score, the bearded man let out a long breath and muttered in relief, "At least I cleared 900 kg. That was close."

"Passed. Next, Luo Feng."

The chief instructor casually swiped the second ID card across the device. After reading the detailed information, he let out a surprised "Huh."

"Eighteen years old? Old Jiang, he's from your Yi'an District, right? When did you get such a talented young man?"

"Haha!"

Hearing the chief instructor's question, Instructor Jiang Nian burst into a delighted laugh.

Most of the people taking the assessment today, from the other districts, were in their thirties or forties. Only Luo Feng and Yang Wu from Yi'an District were so young. Luo Feng was just eighteen, while Yang Wu was only twenty-six.

"Whether he's got the ability is still up in the air. He's probably just here to see what it's like," an overweight elderly man among the dozen or so Martial Artists remarked with a mocking smile, his words tinged with doubt.

Hearing that, Instructor Jiang Nian shot the old man a disdainful glance and retorted, "What, jealous? You don't have any geniuses like him in Beiyou District.

"Luo Feng, show them what a student from Yi'an District can do."

"Yes, Instructor."

Luo Feng stepped forward and answered loudly, then walked toward the Punch Strength Tester with steady steps.

"Old Jiang seems pretty confident," Chief Instructor Wu Tong said with a smile, though his eyes remained fixed on Luo Feng.

Almost everyone present turned their attention to Luo Feng.

After all, an eighteen-year-old Martial Artist was extremely rare, even at the Yangzhou City headquarters.

Usually, only those from wealthy families or Martial Artist families could reach a high level at this age, thanks to an abundance of resources.

Luo Feng planted himself firmly in front of the punching target, his feet rooted to the ground, then suddenly drove forward with all his strength.

His fist shot out like an arrow loosed from a fully drawn bow, leaving a faint afterimage. With blinding speed, it slammed into the target with a heavy thud.

As he threw the punch, Luo Feng felt a wonderful sense of ease. He had released his power perfectly.

His gaze darted to the display: "1081 kg."

The result was well above the minimum requirement of 900 kg, and the Martial Artists present couldn't help praising him.

"Good!"

"Not bad."

Chief Instructor Wu Tong stroked his chin and nodded approvingly.

"Not bad, young man. You kept your balance when you punched. Very steady."

"Haha, the kid's really good at actual combat," Instructor Jiang Nian said proudly with a laugh, then added, "He once beat three Advanced Students at the same time, even though they were just as strong and fast as he was. He took them down cleanly!"

Hearing the chief instructor and his own instructor praise him, Luo Feng felt a surge of satisfaction.

"You're certainly a promising talent. All right, you pass!"

After speaking, Chief Instructor Wu Tong casually picked up another ID card, swiped it across the device, and called out, "Next."

The punch strength tests for all eight people ended quickly. One person had managed only 892 kg, falling short of the requirements. He could only lower his head and leave in disgrace.

Next came the speed test.

Some passed without trouble, while others were eliminated with regret.

At last, Luo Feng's turn came. He was second to last.

"Luo Feng."

Chief Instructor Wu Tong called his name.

At the call, Luo Feng walked over calmly and took his place on the track.

He adjusted his breathing slightly, then bounced lightly on the spot a couple of times to relax his body completely.

Whoosh!

Luo Feng suddenly launched himself forward, darting off like a nimble leopard. He moved astonishingly fast, driving a strong gust of wind before him as he streaked through the speed-test area like a black bolt of lightning.

It was plain to see that Luo Feng was much faster than the people who had been tested before him.

"Feels pretty good."

Luo Feng turned around and saw Yang Wu giving him a thumbs-up.

Even Chief Instructor Wu Tong and Instructor Jiang Nian wore rare looks of admiration and nodded.

Luo Feng went up to check the result himself. The screen clearly displayed: "33.8 m/s."

"That's an impressive speed. You're well above the passing mark," Chief Instructor Wu Tong said with a smile and nod, then continued arranging the tests for the next person.

Most of the others who passed had barely cleared the minimum speed. Yang Wu, for example, had recorded 25.1 meters per second, just barely above the 25-meter-per-second minimum for the Quasi-Martial Artist Assessment.

The other people who passed had speeds of around 26 or 27 meters per second.

After the punch strength and speed tests, one person had been eliminated in the first round and two more in the second. Only five people remained.

Next came the third test: the Neural Reaction Test.

"Follow me."

Chief Instructor Wu Tong led the group of Martial Artists and the five remaining candidates to the Neural Reaction Tester room connected to the Martial Arts Hall.

A large, expensive-looking machine stood on the floor. At its front were rows of openings, like the barrels of a six-barrel Gatling gun.

"First up, Tong Guan."

Chief Instructor Wu Tong called out.

The burly bearded man immediately stepped in front of the testing machine's gun barrel, into a circle with a diameter of 3.6 meters.

"Click!"

When the switch was turned on, a hazy red light immediately rose along the edge of the circle.

"Remember, no matter what happens, you must stay inside the circle. If you step outside, you fail. Touching the red light will cost you points."

After giving the stern warning, Chief Instructor Wu Tong went to the Neural Reaction Tester and pressed several buttons to adjust the test's difficulty.

The machine had multiple difficulty levels. The lowest was for testing Intermediate Students at the Martial Arts Hall, while the highest could even be used to train War Gods.

The chief instructor set it to "Warrior Level," then said, "Begin!"

Chief Instructor Wu Tong pressed the red button.

"Beep~~ Beep~~"

The huge barrel of the Neural Reaction Tester began spinning rapidly. Dozens of gun barrels inside it fired streaks of red light almost at once, sending rubber bullets hurtling into the circle at varying speeds and erratic angles.

The bearded man fixed his eyes on the front, tension showing in his gaze as he dodged rapidly from side to side and back and forth.

Thwack! Thwack!

He was hit twice in quick succession.

But the "bullets" had rubber tips and little force, and they weren't very fast, so they didn't hurt when they hit.

One second after another passed.

Soon, a minute was up.

"Whirr~~"

Chief Instructor Wu Tong pressed a button. The machine's barrel quickly slowed and stopped spinning, and a string of data appeared on the central screen.

"Hit 57 times in 60 seconds and touched the red light three times. Failed. Eliminated!"

Chief Instructor Wu Tong announced the result and tossed the ID card back to the bearded man.

"I was so close."

The bearded man gritted his teeth, shook his head with a deeply unwilling expression, and stepped out of the red circle.

People like him, in their thirties or forties, had generally trained for longer, so they could pass the punch strength and speed tests more easily.

But humans were at their best during their growth stage, between the ages of sixteen and thirty. Once they passed that age, their reactions gradually slowed, making the neural reaction test very difficult to overcome.

"Next, Luo Feng."

Chief Instructor Wu Tong called out.

Luo Feng and Yang Wu bumped fists in encouragement, then Luo Feng calmly stepped into the red circle.

Standing inside it, with the testing machine's barrel pointed straight at him, Luo Feng's mind remained as calm as still water.

Half a month earlier, his neural reactions had already reached the Advanced Warrior level, with excellent results.

Ever since he had integrated the Linley Template, Luo Feng had clearly felt that his neural reactions had improved by more than a little.

"Remember, don't step outside the circle. If you do, you fail immediately. Touching the red light will cost you points, too."

Chief Instructor Wu Tong reminded him again, then pressed the red button.

"Beep~~ Beep~~"

The Neural Reaction Tester's barrel rapidly accelerated. A moment later, dozens of gun barrels inside it fired streaks of red light almost at once.

"Hm?"

Luo Feng fixed his eyes on the front, calculating the position of each bullet in his mind.

As he focused completely, he suddenly felt that the bullets flying toward him seemed to have slowed down quite a bit.

Luo Feng could clearly feel that since absorbing the memories of the young Earthling Luo Feng and then integrating the Linley Template, his neural reactions had improved remarkably fast in recent days.

Luo Feng understood that neural reactions were closely related to a person's mental strength.

He wondered to himself, Could absorbing the memories of an ordinary Earthling have greatly increased my mental strength, too?

But the test had already begun, and Luo Feng had no time to think about it.

In the next moment, Luo Feng seemed to become a nimble cat, his body light as he dodged back and forth, skillfully avoiding one rubber bullet after another.

"Hm? Those reactions...?"

The Martial Artists watching Luo Feng were all shocked. Even the silver-haired man in black robes who had been standing at the edge of the hall couldn't help taking a closer look at him.

"It's been this long, and not a single bullet has hit him. His neural reactions may already be beyond the Warrior Level."

Luo Feng kept dodging rapidly as the Martial Artists watching him began whispering among themselves.

The Neural Reaction Tester could be adjusted. For the Quasi-Martial Artist Assessment, it was usually set to test reactions at the Warrior Level. But judging from Luo Feng's performance, he had clearly surpassed that level.

"This young man's good. His reactions seem even better than they were half a month ago."

Jiang Nian looked at Luo Feng with an approving expression.

A Martial Artist's physical abilities could be gradually improved through training.

But neural reactions were closely related to mental strength and physical coordination. Having great physical strength didn't necessarily mean having fast neural reactions.

"Whirr~~" Chief Instructor Wu Tong pressed the button. The Neural Reaction Tester slowed down and stopped, and a long string of numbers appeared on the screen.

"Hit 0 times in 60 seconds and never touched the red light. Perfect!"

Seeing the result, Chief Instructor Wu Tong's face broke into a pleased smile.

"Excellent, Luo Feng. Congratulations. Once the official documents are issued and your information is entered into the citizen database, you'll be a Quasi-Martial Artist!"

Luo Feng merely smiled and said politely, "Thank you for all your hard work, instructors!"

"Luo Feng, the Martial Artist Combat Assessment is on August 1. Meet at the Limit Hall that morning. Under an instructor's guidance, you'll go with the other Quasi-Martial Artists outside the human Base City to hunt monsters. You'll only be a true Martial Artist after you pass the combat assessment."

Instructor Jiang Nian said with a smile.

"Mm."

Luo Feng nodded with a smile.

Soon, the other three finished their tests. Two passed, while the last one failed.

Of the eight people who took the Quasi-Martial Artist Assessment, only Luo Feng, Yang Wu, and Bai Yang passed in the end.

Yang Wu and Bai Yang had only barely passed, while Luo Feng had remained completely at ease throughout the entire assessment.

Once the tests were over, Chief Instructor Wu Tong left with the silver-haired man in black robes who had been standing in the corner.

Before leaving, however, the silver-haired man in black robes made a point of coming over to encourage Luo Feng.

"You three, come here."

Yang Wu and Bai Yang were still caught up in their excitement. At the call, they immediately went with Luo Feng to stand before Instructor Jiang Nian and the others.

"Let's head to the Martial Arts Hall."

The group left the room where they had taken the neural response test and entered the spacious Martial Arts Hall once more.

Instructor Jiang Nian looked at the three of them and smiled as he nodded.

"Today is July 1st, and there's still a month until the practical assessment. Make good preparations during that month. Oh, right."

As he spoke, Instructor Jiang Nian went over to the keyboard nearby and quickly pressed a series of keys. Soon, a huge transparent screen appeared on the wall of the Martial Arts Hall, displaying an article titled Genetic Energy Cultivation Method.

Finally, the moment I've been waiting for—the Genetic Energy Cultivation Method. With my current strength, once I master it, I'm sure to awaken Spiritual Telekinesis.