Passing the Assessment

The group entered the elevator in an orderly fashion.

"Beep!"

With a soft sound, the elevator ascended rapidly, soon arriving at the sixth floor.

Whoosh!

The elevator doors slowly slid open, revealing a massive martial arts training hall before everyone's eyes.

Over a dozen people had already gathered in the training hall, among them Jiang Nian, the instructor for Yi'an District whom Luo Feng knew well.

Seeing them arrive, the gazes of these people all turned toward them.

Facing the scrutiny of these dozen powerful martial artists, the group participating in the prospective martial artist examination couldn't help but feel a tightening in their chests.

"Prepare for the test."

The middle-aged man with disheveled long hair, who was none other than the master of the Limit Hall and the chief instructor of Yangzhou City, Wu Tong, gave the order.

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

The martial artist who had led Luo Feng and the others up took the ID cards from the eight of them and delivered them directly into the hands of the chief instructor, Wu Tong.

Wu Tong then took an ID card and swiped it gently across the instrument opened beside him.

Beep!

A crystal-clear, transparent screen popped up on the instrument, and a large amount of detailed information about the examinee quickly appeared on it.

"First one, Tong Guan.

Test your punch strength first."

The chief instructor issued the command.

"Yes."

A bearded man in his thirties immediately stepped forward and threw a punch with all his might.

The punch target trembled slightly.

The screen of the punch strength tester immediately displayed the numbers clearly—"938kg".

Seeing the result, the bearded man couldn't help but let out a long breath, muttering to himself in relief.

"Thank goodness it exceeded 900kg, that was close."

"Pass. Next, Luo Feng."

The chief instructor casually swiped the second ID card across the instrument. Upon seeing the detailed identity records, he couldn't help but let out a surprised "Oh," and said.

"Oh? Eighteen years old? Old Jiang, this is from your Yi'an District, right? When did such a talented young man pop up?"

"Haha."

Hearing the chief instructor's inquiry, the instructor Jiang Nian couldn't help but laugh heartily and proudly.

Among the personnel who came to participate in the examination this time, most from other districts were in their thirties or forties; only Luo Feng and Yang Wu from Yi'an District were the youngest, with Luo Feng being only 18 and Yang Wu only 26.

"Whether he has the strength is hard to say. He's probably just here to see the world," a stout old man among the dozen martial artists nearby said with a mocking laugh, his words laced with skepticism.

Instructor Jiang Nian glanced at the old man with disdain and retorted.

"What, jealous? You don't have such geniuses in your Beiyou District, do you?

Luo Feng, show them the strength of my Yi'an District students."

"Yes, instructor."

Luo Feng stepped forward, responding in a loud voice, and then walked toward the punch strength tester with steady, measured steps.

"Old Jiang seems quite confident."

Chief instructor Wu Tong smiled, though his gaze remained fixed on Luo Feng.

For a moment, almost everyone present focused their attention on Luo Feng.

After all, an 18-year-old martial artist was extremely rare, even at the Yangzhou City main hall.

Under normal circumstances, only those from wealthy families or descendants of martial artists could possibly reach such a high level at this age by piling up massive amounts of resources.

Luo Feng stood firmly before the punch target, his feet rooted to the ground as he exerted force suddenly.

Luo Feng's fist shot out like an arrow released from a fully drawn bow, leaving a faint afterimage. With lightning speed, it slammed into the punch target with a heavy "thud."

After throwing the punch, Luo Feng felt that it had been incredibly satisfying, his power released perfectly.

He quickly looked at the display screen—"1081kg".

This result far exceeded the minimum threshold of 900kg, and the martial artists present couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

"Good."

"Not bad."

Chief Instructor Wu Tong stroked his chin and nodded in praise.

"Not bad, young man. You didn't lose your center of gravity when throwing that punch; very steady."

"Haha, this little guy Luo Feng has excellent practical combat ability."

Instructor Jiang Nian laughed proudly and continued.

"He once defeated three senior students who were no weaker than him in strength and speed simultaneously. It was a clean and decisive victory!"

Hearing the praise from the chief instructor and the instructor, a wave of satisfaction surged in Luo Feng's heart.

"Indeed a good seedling. Hmm, pass!"

After Chief Instructor Wu Tong finished speaking, he casually picked up another ID card, swiped it across the instrument, and shouted.

"Next."

The punch strength test for the eight people ended quickly. One person had a punch strength of only 892kg, which did not meet the requirements, so he could only lower his head and be eliminated in dejection.

Immediately after, it was time for the speed test segment.

Some passed smoothly, while others were regretfully eliminated in this round.

Finally, it was the turn of the second-to-last person, Luo Feng.

"Luo Feng."

Chief Instructor Wu Tong called out.

Hearing the call, Luo Feng walked out calmly and stood on the track.

He slightly adjusted his breathing and bounced lightly on the spot, letting his body relax completely.

Whoosh!

Luo Feng exerted force suddenly, his entire body like an agile leopard, instantly darting out. His speed was astonishingly fast, carrying a powerful gust of wind like a black bolt of lightning as he swept across the speed test area.

It was visible to the naked eye that Luo Feng's speed was significantly faster than any of the people tested before him.

"Feels alright."

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

Even Chief Instructor Wu Tong and Instructor Jiang Nian showed rare expressions of admiration, nodding one after another.

Luo Feng walked up to take a look, and the screen clearly displayed—"33.8m/s".

"The speed is quite good, it's actually this much higher than the passing line."

Chief Instructor Wu Tong nodded with a smile and continued to arrange for the next person to be tested.

The speeds of the others who passed were mostly right at the passing line. For example, Yang Wu; the lower limit for the prospective fighter assessment speed is 25 meters per second, and Yang Wu's result was 25.1 meters per second, which could be said to be a very lucky pass.

The speeds of the other few who passed were also around 26 or 27 meters per second.

After completing the punch strength and speed tests in succession, one person was eliminated in the punch strength test, and two more were eliminated in the speed test, leaving only five people remaining.

Next was the third item, the "neural reaction speed assessment."

"Follow me."

Chief Instructor Wu Tong led the group of fighters and the remaining five participants to the "neural reaction test room" connected to the martial arts hall.

A tall and expensive instrument was seen sitting steadily on the floor. At the very front of the instrument were openings resembling a six-barreled Gatling gun.

"First, Tong Guan."

Chief Instructor Wu Tong said.

The bearded man immediately walked to the front of the test machine's muzzle, inside a circle with a diameter of 3.6 meters.

"Click!"

As soon as the switch was turned on, the edge of the 3.6-meter diameter circle immediately emitted a hazy red light upward.

"Remember, no matter what, you cannot leave the circle. Once you leave the circle, it counts as a failure. If your body touches the red light, points will be deducted."

After Chief Instructor Wu Tong said this sternly, he walked to the side of the neural reaction test machine and pressed several buttons to adjust the intensity of the test.

This intensity was divided into multiple levels. The most basic was for the "intermediate student" assessment at the martial arts hall, while the highest level could even be used for testing and training at the "Wargod" level.

The chief instructor adjusted the level to "Fighter level" and then said.

"Start!"

The chief instructor pressed the red button.

"Beep~~ Beep~~"

The massive muzzle of the neural reaction test machine began to rotate rapidly. Dozens of gun barrels in the muzzle instantly erupted with beams of red light, and rubber bullets were fired into the red circle at different speeds and erratic flight trajectories.

The bearded man stared fixedly ahead, his eyes filled with tension, his body constantly dodging back and forth and side to side.

"Thwack! Thwack!"

In two consecutive hits, the man was struck.

However, these "bullets" were rubber-tipped, possessing very little power and moving at a slow speed, so they didn't hurt when they hit a person.

Time ticked away, second by second.

Soon, the one-minute mark was reached.

"Whirrr~~"

After Chief Instructor Wu Tong pressed the button, the muzzle of the testing machine rapidly decelerated and stopped rotating, while its central screen displayed a large amount of data.

"Within 60 seconds, hit 57 times, touched the red light three times. Not qualified, eliminated!"

Chief Instructor Wu Tong announced the result while tossing the identification card back to the bearded man.

"So close."

The bearded man gritted his teeth, shook his head in utter frustration, and walked out of the red circle.

Generally, for people in their thirties or forties like the bearded man, it is relatively easy to pass the fist strength and speed tests due to their longer training time.

However, the human body's prime growth period is between 16 and 30 years old. Once past this age, reflexes gradually slow down, making the nerve reflex test a very difficult hurdle to overcome.

"Next, Luo Feng."

Chief Instructor Wu Tong said.

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

Standing inside the red circle with the muzzle of the testing machine pointed directly at him, Luo Feng's heart was as calm as still water.

Half a month ago, his nerve reflexes had already reached the level of an elite fighter.

Ever since he fused with the Linley template, Luo Feng clearly felt that his nerve reflexes were significantly sharper than before.

"Remember, do not step out of the circle. Stepping out results in an immediate failure, and touching the red light will also result in point deductions."

Chief Instructor Wu Tong reminded him once more before pressing the red button.

"Beep~~ Beep~~"

The muzzle of the nerve reflex testing machine rapidly accelerated, and immediately after, dozens of barrels erupted with beams of red light almost instantaneously.

"Hmm?"

Luo Feng stared intently ahead, his mind rapidly calculating the position of every single bullet.

As he focused his entire being, he suddenly felt as if the speed of the incoming bullets had slowed down significantly.

Luo Feng could clearly feel that ever since he absorbed the memories of the Earth youth "Luo Feng" and subsequently fused with the Linley template, his nerve reflexes had been improving at an extraordinary pace recently.

Luo Feng naturally understood that nerve reflexes were closely related to a person's mental power.

He thought to himself.

Could it be that absorbing the extra memories of an ordinary Earthling can also significantly boost my mental power?

But since the assessment had already begun, Luo Feng had no time to dwell on it.

The next moment, Luo Feng seemed to transform into an agile cat, his body moving with grace as he dodged back and forth, skillfully evading the rubber bullets one after another.

"Hmm? This reflex speed?"

The martial artists watching from the side were all shocked, and even a silver-haired man in a black robe, who had been standing at the edge of the hall, couldn't help but take a few extra looks at Luo Feng.

"It's been so long, and not a single bullet has hit him. His nerve reflexes must have already surpassed the fighter level."

Luo Feng continued to dodge rapidly, while the martial artists watching nearby began to whisper among themselves.

The nerve reflex device could be adjusted; usually, the setting for prospective martial artist assessments corresponded to the fighter level, but based on Luo Feng's current performance, he had clearly transcended that tier.

"This young man is impressive. His reflex speed seems even better than it was half a month ago."

Jiang Nian looked at Luo Feng, his eyes filled with admiration.

A martial artist's physical fitness can be gradually improved through training.

However, nerve reflexes are closely tied to mental power and physical coordination; having great physical strength does not necessarily mean one has fast nerve reflexes.

"Whirrr~~" After the button was pressed, the nerve reflex testing machine rotated, decelerated, and came to a stop, with a long string of numbers appearing on the screen.

"Within 60 seconds, hit 0 times, did not touch the red light, perfect!"

Seeing these results, Chief Instructor Wu Tong's face broke into a gratified smile.

"Excellent, Luo Feng. Congratulations! Once the official documents are issued and your information is entered into the citizen identification system, you will officially be a prospective martial artist!"

Luo Feng just smiled slightly and said politely.

"Thank you, instructors, for your hard work!"

"Luo Feng, the martial artist combat assessment is on August 1st. Gather at the Limit Hall in the morning, and under the guidance of the instructors, you will go outside the human base city with other prospective martial artists to hunt monsters! Only after passing the combat assessment will you be considered a true martial artist."

Instructor Jiang Nian said with a smile.

"Understood."

Luo Feng nodded with a smile.

Soon, the remaining three people finished their tests; two passed successfully, and one unfortunately failed.

Of the eight prospective martial artist candidates, only Luo Feng, Yang Wu, and Bai Yang successfully passed in the end.

Yang Wu and Bai Yang had only passed the assessment by the skin of their teeth, while only Luo Feng had appeared completely at ease throughout the entire process.

Once the testing concluded, Chief Instructor Wu Tong led the silver-haired man in the black robe, who had been standing in the corner, away.

However, before the silver-haired man in the black robe left, he specifically came over to offer Luo Feng a word of encouragement.

"The three of you, come here."

Yang Wu and Bai Yang were still immersed in their excitement, but upon hearing the summons, they immediately walked over to Instructor Jiang Nian and the others alongside Luo Feng.

"Come into the martial arts hall."

The group left the nerve reaction test room and entered the spacious martial arts hall once again.

Instructor Jiang Nian looked at the three of them, nodded with a smile, and spoke.

"Today is July 1st, and there is one month left until the actual combat assessment. You must prepare well during this month. Oh, right."

As he spoke, Instructor Jiang Nian walked over to the keyboard nearby and quickly pressed a few keys. Soon, a massive, transparent screen appeared on the wall of the martial arts hall, displaying an article titled Genetic Energy Cultivation Method.

I've finally waited for it. With my current strength, once I successfully master the Genetic Energy Cultivation Method, I will definitely be able to awaken Spiritual Telekinesis.