Ji Yun, Test

In the year 2056, humanity can only survive within the confines of base cities.

In this current era, everyone practices martial arts. People generally possess the physical fitness of top-tier athletes from before the Great Nirvana, and those who have made significant breakthroughs based on this foundation are known as Warriors!

A gentle breeze brushes across the earth. It is early summer, still May, and the heat has only just begun to emerge, leaving a hint of coolness in the wind.

Kyoto Base City, Changshan City, Limit Dojo, Panshan Residential District.

In the courtyard of a villa, a youth is practicing with a spear. The wind of the spear howls, and sharp whistling sounds ripple outward. This youth is Ji Yun, eighteen years old this year. The surname Ji refers to the residence of the Yellow Emperor, noble yet understated. As for the name Yun, according to Ji Yun's father, there was a general in the history before the Great Nirvana named Zhao Yun, whom the world called Zhao Zilong of Changshan. He possessed the courage of ten thousand men, along with loyalty and righteousness; the name was chosen in the hope that he would embody such character.

Ji Yun's spear movements accelerate continuously, the sound of the weapon cutting through the air growing increasingly rapid. With a sharp "clang," Ji Yun thrusts the spearhead into the test board. After he lets go, the shaft continues to hum and vibrate.

Examining the depth of the spearhead's penetration into the board, Ji Yun shakes his head, thinking to himself: Still not good enough. Why can I never reach the realm my father speaks of? Father is a War General-level warrior, and a rather formidable Senior War General at that. According to him, he once had the fortune to witness a powerful War God in action, using only a fraction of his strength to unleash several times the attack power. I consider myself to have done well, so why can I only output my own raw strength?

If he were not afraid of being unable to adapt to a sudden surge in power, he would have already begun cultivating Genetic Origin Energy. But to break through this realm before beginning cultivation—how easy is that to say?

In terms of combining the strength of my entire body, I have done well. It seems the problem lies elsewhere.

Ji Yun pulls the spear out and sits cross-legged, laying the weapon across his lap. This is a Heavy Mountain Spear forged from alloy, weighing 110kg. Unlike other spears, the "Heavy Mountain" implies a weight as steady and massive as a mountain. This was the spear Ji Yun's father, Ji Shan, used when he first became a warrior. The spearhead is already slightly damaged, showing signs of having been through many life-and-death battles.

The wind blows across Ji Yun's cheeks, and the sun feels warm, causing him to squint. Ji Yun enjoys the feeling of the wind; he finds it ever-changing, ranging from a gentle breeze brushing his face to gales capable of tearing open the sky.

Just as Ji Yun is pondering the issue of force exertion, a voice comes from outside the villa gate: "Ah Yun, Ah Yun? Are you there? It's your Uncle Wei. Ah Yun?"

Ji Yun stands up, places the spear on the rack, brushes off the non-existent dust from his clothes, and walks toward the gate, answering, "I'm here."

Ji Yun presses the button, the gate opens automatically, and he says, "Uncle Wei, what's the matter? Father went to the Dojo today. How come you didn't see him? Did he run off to play somewhere?" Ji Yun blinks, cracking a joke.

"You brat, if your dad knew you were making fun of him, who knows what he'd say," Wei Qing says with a laugh.

Heh heh, Ji Yun chuckles twice. "My dad wouldn't mind; he'd definitely retort right back at me." He looks at Wei Qing with confusion. "But really, what's the matter? Did my dad send you to call me?"

"You actually guessed right. Let's go, we need to be quick. I'll drive you there, and I'll tell you the details on the way."

"Alright, let's go." Ji Yun shakes his head and follows Wei Qing toward the car parked outside.

"Let me tell you, Ah Yun, this is an opportunity for you."

"What kind of opportunity, Uncle Wei?"

Wei Qing drives the car, ignoring the lanes on the street, driving as fast as he possibly can.

"Some big shots came to the Dojo today—real big shots. The Inspector for the Limit Dojo in Kyoto Base City, the Senior War God Mr. Liu, came to our Changshan Branch Dojo for a surprise inspection today. He said he wanted to see the training situation at the Limit Dojo. Since it was a sudden inspection, the Dojo didn't have time to gather the best talent for the Inspector to see." As he speaks, Wei Qing pats Ji Yun on the shoulder and says, "Your father thought it over and called you here to help save face. If you happen to catch the Inspector's eye, your future will be smooth sailing."

"The Inspector?" Ji Yun exclaims. "That's a Senior War God, a person second only to those who have transcended the War God level. Why would he come to our Changshan? Shouldn't he be visiting the Dojo in Kyoto?"

Wei Qing says, "I don't know either, but you'd better perform well. If you can gain his appreciation, you might reach my level in a few years, and even becoming a War God in the future is possible."

Ji Yun nods, turning his head to look out the car window, thinking to himself that this is a Senior War God—someone who can shatter mountains and divert rivers with a wave of his hand. The thought of gaining the appreciation of the Inspector makes his heart burn with excitement.

Just as he is thinking, Wei Qing says, "Sit tight. They might be getting impatient, so I'm going to drive faster." He slams on the gas, and the car surges forward, darting through the traffic.

The cold wind brought by the acceleration hits Ji Yun's face, causing him to shiver. His burning heart calms down, and he thinks: With my meager strength, I might not catch the Inspector's eye. If I start fantasizing before even being tested, wouldn't that be pure arrogance? Calm the heart, steady the mind. Ji Yun looks out the window as high-rise buildings flash past his eyes.

Ji Yun calculates how the Inspector might test him: In terms of physical fitness, I reached the level of a Quasi-Warrior at just eighteen. A month ago, I broke through my force-exertion level, and now a single punch can mobilize most of the strength in my body, reaching about 1000kg. In terms of neural reaction speed, I met the requirements even before becoming a Quasi-Warrior. In terms of speed, my current level is 27.8m/s, which is quite good among Quasi-Warriors. And this is only because I haven't cultivated Genetic Origin Energy yet; with my physique, it wouldn't be impossible to increase my strength by about 2000kg upon my first cultivation. My physical fitness is already quite good, so there's no problem there. Then...

Just as he is thinking, the car suddenly stops. Wei Qing pulls out the key and says to Ji Yun, "Get out, we're here."

Ji Yun snaps back to reality, acknowledges him, and follows Wei Qing out of the car. Along the way, guards constantly greet Wei Qing, but he is clearly accustomed to it and leads Ji Yun straight inside.

Entering the Limit Dojo building, even though Ji Yun has spent quite some time training there, he cannot help but marvel at the grandeur of the Dojo every time he visits. This building was constructed for senior students; it is slightly smaller than the other two, but that is precisely because senior students are so rare. One must know that if a person hasn't broken through to become a warrior by the age of 30, they are stripped of their student status and become an ordinary person, never again able to experience the splendor of the warrior world.

Ji Yun follows Wei Qing to the top floor. Standing at the entrance of the top-level training room is a young man in white robes, his entire aura like a drawn sword, exuding a sharp, piercing presence.

The white-robed youth looks at Ji Yun and then says to Wei Qing, "So this is Head Instructor Ji's son. Not bad. The Inspector has ordered me to bring you in."

Ji Yun is secretly sizing up the white-robed youth when he hears that the Inspector has summoned them, so he quickly follows him inside.

As soon as they enter the training hall, Wei Qing respectfully calls out, "Inspector!" Ji Yun doesn't dare to be sloppy and follows suit with a respectful greeting.

"Hey kid, you must be Ah Shan's son," a rugged voice rings out by Ji Yun's ear.

Ji Yun follows the source of the voice and immediately spots his father, Ji Shan. Ji Shan is standing beside a tall, middle-aged man, his attitude somewhat respectful but his expression relatively relaxed. The middle-aged man is wearing a seemingly ordinary tracksuit; his face is gaunt, and he has a scruffy beard, clearly showing that the owner is not one for grooming.

Anyone who can call his father "Ah Shan" must be the Inspector.

Inspector Liu waves his hand and says, "Come here, Yun kid. I came today to see the level of our Changshan Base City, but I didn't expect Ah Shan to be here. I'll test Ah Shan's son today." As he speaks, he has his attendants set up the testing equipment and recording devices, clearly intending to document the process. He adds, "Ah Shan told me you've already passed the Quasi-Warrior assessment. We can test your physical fitness, but the main content today is something else. Come, you start first."

Seeing the Inspector and his father so familiar with each other, Ji Yun assumes they must be old friends. While thinking this, he walks over to the activated Punch Strength Tester and prepares himself.

At Inspector Liu's signal, Ji Yun takes a deep breath, stands before the tester, and loosens his body slightly before going still, clearly gathering his strength. A moment later, under everyone's gaze, Ji Yun strikes the tester like a thrusting spear.

With a "bang," accompanied by a faint sound of air being broken, Ji Yun immediately looks at the display: 1024kg.

"Not bad, Yun kid. Next," Inspector Liu nods, signaling for the next test.

Following that are the speed and neural reaction tests, and the results come out quickly.

Speed Test: 27.9m/s

Neural Reaction Test: Junior Warrior Excellent

Ji Yun steps back from the testing equipment and stands still. Thankfully, there were no major issues. I was still nervous in front of Inspector Liu. His father, Ji Shan, also seems to let out a sigh of relief, looking at Ji Yun with expectation.

"Your physical fitness is good, and your neural reaction is even more gifted. You should know that those with good neural reactions find it easier to cultivate movement techniques, and such warriors are even more powerful." Inspector Liu strokes his chin. "I observe that your movement technique already shows signs of the Micro-Level; the test I originally prepared for you is a bit too weak." He adds, "Li Xuan, you spar with this kid. Use only the strength of a Quasi-Warrior."

"Yes, Inspector." The white-robed youth who had led Ji Yun in responds and walks in front of him. "I am a warrior recruited by Inspector Liu this year for the Special Training Camp. My name is Li Xuan. My current physical fitness is Mid-Level War General, my movement technique is at the Micro-Level, and I practice sword arts. I will only use the physical strength of a Quasi-Warrior to spar with you. Begin." With that, the white-robed youth picks up a sword from the nearby weapon rack.

So the real test is a test of actual combat ability? Ji Yun does not hesitate and walks to the weapon rack to find his familiar Heavy Mountain Spear.

Scanning the weapon rack, Ji Yun could not find the Heavy Mountain model and felt a bit strange, but there was no time for other questions, so he chose a spear that was slightly shorter and lighter.

Ji Yun stood holding the spear, took a deep breath, and prepared himself.

Li Xuan did not say much; seeing that Ji Yun was ready, he attacked with his sword. His sharp blade thrust straight forward, but just as it reached Ji Yun, he flicked the sword, instantly unleashing six strikes, the cold starlight at the tip descending like a flurry of stars.

Ji Yun was startled and hurriedly raised his spear to parry, using the spearhead to feint and barely blocking three strikes, but the remaining three shifted to the side of the blade, sliding along the shaft toward him. He had no choice but to stretch his body, release one hand, spin around, and grip the spear again, retreating a few steps to create distance.

My speed with a long weapon is clearly not as fast as his, but an inch longer is an inch stronger; perhaps I can find an opportunity by utilizing the weapon, Ji Yun thought, resetting his stance into a half-horse stance with the spear held ready.

Li Xuan's eyes narrowed as he unfolded his sword technique, filled with shimmering points of light; after the initial probing, he had already confirmed that his opponent's realm was inferior to his own.

Ji Yun was struggling to parry; the heavy weight of the spear made it impossible for him to block in time, forcing him to rely on his barely mastered footwork to maneuver.

After a dozen rounds, Li Xuan suddenly retracted his sword and thrust it out in one motion. A cold glint flashed before Ji Yun's eyes; unable to block in time, he could only try his luck with the spear tip in his haste. Clearly, the goddess of luck was not on his side, and Li Xuan's sword reached Ji Yun's chest.

"I lost," Ji Yun said helplessly, calming his heavy breathing.

"Kid, your mindset is good. Li Xuan just used the first level of the Cold Star Sword he practices; you didn't lose unjustly. It would be strange if you had won," Inspector Liu said.

"You seemed to hesitate before the fight started; you didn't find the Heavy Mountain Spear your father used, did you?" Inspector Liu said with a smile. "The Heavy Mountain Spear requires a manual called Thousand Heavy Mountains to be effective, so it is not a common model. This Thousand Heavy Mountains was created by a High-Level War God named Wei Potian, so naturally, it has many restrictions."

"You seem to want to release multiple layers of force quickly to unleash several times the attack power, and your spear technique is the same; it truly does not match your weapon."

Ji Yun was stunned. Could it be the weapon's fault?

"Of course, the weapon is not the main reason. The main reason is that you lack proper guidance. Your father hoped you could achieve something by exploring on your own; the Thousand Heavy Mountains he practices cannot be passed on, so he could only guide you slightly."

"Since I came to Chang Mountain today, I will give you a piece of advice," Inspector Liu said with a smile.

Ji Yun hurriedly cleared his mind of other thoughts and listened intently.

"I suggest you change your weapon, for example, the spear called Wind Lifter."