Growing Strength

No words passed the night. Ji Yun cultivated the entire night, only coming back to himself when sunlight climbed across the sky and filtered through the curtains. He moved his body, stiff from sitting so long.

"Truly, the Genetic Origin Energy cultivation method is miraculous. I absorbed continuously for over three hours before my body reached apparent saturation, yet I feel that many fine terminal branches still haven't absorbed Cosmic Energy." Ji Yun reached for the water glass on the table, intending to hydrate.

"Crack."

The sound of shattering glass rang out. The water glass had been crushed in Ji Yun's grip, shards scattering across the floor.

Ji Yun stared blankly, then looked at his own hand. It seems I've gained quite a bit of strength. I can't even control the sudden increase when picking up a glass, let alone during force training.

It looks like my earlier decision to study force application without cultivating Genetic Origin Energy was correct. If I'd tried to study force while cultivating Genetic Origin Energy at the same time, I'd have gotten half the results with twice the effort.

"First, I'll familiarize myself and coordinate my body's strength. Then I'll cultivate Genetic Origin Energy every day, but the progress from now on won't be this dramatic." Ji Yun walked out of the bedroom and told the servants to prepare breakfast. But one serving couldn't satisfy his body after cultivation; after eating, he still felt quite hungry.

"Is eating this much considered a sign of successful cultivation?" Ji Yun chuckled wryly.

After two more servings, Ji Yun finally no longer felt hungry.

"First, get familiar with my body's power. I need a rough understanding of my current strength, so let's start with a physical fitness test."

Ji Yun went up to the third floor. The third floor of the villa allocated to Limit Dojo staff quarters was the training hall. Different equipment could be set up here as needed. It was sufficient for testing ordinary dojo students. For higher-level physical fitness tests, larger spaces and more advanced equipment would be required.

"Let's start with a punch strength test."

Ji Yun turned on the Punch Strength Tester. A "beep" sounded, indicating the device had started and was ready for testing.

Ji Yun stood before the tester. First, he mobilized the strength of his entire body, then threw a natural punch, without using the force application method he had previously comprehended.

"Thump."

He quickly looked at the screen. The display read: 3216kg.

Ji Yun was slightly startled. He knew that gaining 300kg from the first cultivation of Genetic Origin Energy was the normal standard. Gaining 600kg was considered an excellent level. Gaining 1000kg was a level only elite figures could reach, indicating good talent. Gaining 2000kg—that was already considered a genius.

"My first cultivation increased my strength by about 2200kg. That's an extremely high number. Besides, I felt last night that many parts of my body hadn't fully absorbed the Genetic Origin Energy, which means I still have a period of rapid growth ahead." Ji Yun grew excited.

Next, he tested his speed and neural reaction ability.

The test results came out quickly.

Punch Strength: 3216kg. Speed: 59.6m/s. Neural Reaction Test: Junior Warrior—perfect score, Intermediate Warrior—passing.

Looking at his physical fitness results, Ji Yun couldn't help feeling exhilarated. But he also had some doubts.

"When I became a Quasi-Warrior, my neural reaction test was already at Junior Warrior—excellent. Given the level of improvement in my other two stats, I should have at least advanced to Intermediate Warrior—excellent."

Why was the improvement in the neural reaction test so insignificant?

With this doubt, Ji Yun opened the Limit Dojo internal forum, searching for answers to his question.

Soon, an article titled "On Psychic Masters and Neural Reaction Ability" caught Ji Yun's attention.

The article explained: Psychic Masters are the most powerful subset among warriors. Psychic Masters are also warriors, but they possess an ability even stronger than ordinary warriors—that is, Psychic Energy. Currently, it is unknown where Psychic Energy comes from or how to cultivate it. However, it is universally acknowledged that Psychic Energy is a peculiar energy contained within the brain, which greatly enhances neural reaction ability. According to surveys, all Psychic Masters achieve the best neural reaction test scores among warriors of the same level.

"Psychic Master," Ji Yun murmured softly.

"Rumor has it that Psychic Masters can control objects from a distance and command weapons to attack enemies. They are the most powerful existence among warriors."

Ji Yun thought: Do I have the talent to become a Psychic Master? The article says Psychic Energy is a peculiar energy in the brain. It seems I need to search within my brain.

Ji Yun sat down cross-legged, closed his eyes, calmed his mind, and earnestly focused his thoughts on his brain area, searching for the peculiar power mentioned in the article.

Slowly, one minute passed, then two.

Half an hour later, Ji Yun opened his eyes. I have absolutely no clue. I can sense external forces using the environment as a reference, but how do I sense internally?

Could I use the Genetic Origin Energy absorbed in my body as a reference?

With a direction in mind, Ji Yun sat down quietly again, carefully searching for the Psychic Energy that might exist within his body.

Before long, Ji Yun indeed found the Sea of Consciousness. Within it, mist swirled. Placing his thoughts into the Sea of Consciousness, Ji Yun discovered that this energy was different from Origin Energy—it was another type of energy altogether. If Origin Energy was like a weapon held in one's hand, then this energy felt like an extension of one's limbs reaching toward the weapon.

"But I can't use this energy at all. This is completely different from what the article says about Psychic Masters driving Psychic Energy to attack. Is something wrong? Where is the problem?"

Could this be Mental Power rather than Psychic Energy? The difference of a single character highlighted the distinction between usable and unusable.

It seems I don't have the talent to be a Psychic Master. A trace of disappointment flashed through Ji Yun's heart.

"Psychic Master, Psychic Master."

"I refuse to believe that a warrior is inferior to a Psychic Master. If my speed is faster than a Psychic Master's, my strength is greater than a Psychic Master's, and even my neural reaction speed surpasses a Psychic Master's, then I am in no way inferior to a Psychic Master."

The world's number one powerhouse—Hong.

The world's number two powerhouse—Thor.

Neither of them was rumored to be a Psychic Master. This proved that a warrior's potential was no less than a Psychic Master's.

Thinking this, Ji Yun wiped away the disappointment in his heart and became resolute once more.

"Now that I understand my physical condition, I'll start by getting reacquainted with my body. Once I'm familiar with it again, I'll study how to exert force."

A month passed in the blink of an eye. During this month, Ji Yun's strength had grown tremendously, and his physical fitness had improved very quickly.

Ji Yun stood 187 centimeters tall, quite tall among the crowd, and his enhanced physique made him even more lean and powerful. With his upright posture, handsome face, and resolute features, he would likely have become a popular internet celebrity before the Great Nirvana.

However, internet celebrities were already a subject of controversy before the Great Nirvana, let alone in this new era where martial power reigned supreme.

After a month of training, Ji Yun's physical fitness had more than doubled compared to when he had just finished absorbing Genetic Origin Energy. During this month, Ji Yun focused on using every part of his body to absorb Genetic Origin Energy, reaching saturation at his current stage, which allowed for such significant progress.

Ji Yun's current physical fitness:

Punching force -- 6314kg.

Speed -- 84.3m/s.

Neural reaction test -- High-Level Warrior full marks, Low-Level War General passing grade.

Generally, 60 meters per second is considered the baseline for High-Level Warrior physical fitness. 90 meters per second is the baseline for Low-Level War General.

Generally, 4000kg is the baseline for High-Level Warrior. 8000kg is the baseline for Low-Level War General. Of course, these are just rough numerical standards, because nowadays, strength is judged not by physical fitness but by the record of killing monsters.

Ji Yun's physical fitness was now close to the Low-Level War General level, but it was already early July, with about a month left until the Warrior Practical Examination. Making a major breakthrough seemed impossible.

After a month of training, Ji Yun was also a bit tired. He planned to go out for a walk and see how the students in the martial arts hall were living.

Just then, his father Ji Shan called.

"Ah Yun, are you there?"

Ji Yun answered the phone and said, "I'm here, Dad. What's up?"

"I have a former brother-in-arms who got injured in the Wilderness Zone a couple of days ago and plans to retire. Today, he wants to have a meal with our family. Come to Hongyuan Restaurant tonight."

"Alright, Dad. I'll head over in a bit."

After hanging up, Ji Yun sighed. Warriors hunting monsters could easily get injured or even lose their lives. Every time they returned from the Wilderness Zone, it was a stroke of luck.

In the evening, Ji Yun drove to Hongyuan Restaurant. The waiter downstairs saw that Ji Yun had an extraordinary bearing and didn't dare to be careless. He asked, "Sir, do you have a reservation?"

"Yes, I'm going to room 502."

Hearing this, the waiter immediately changed his tone and said respectfully, "Sir, this way, please."

The fifth floor was where warriors often came. Being able to go to the fifth floor meant most people there were warriors.

Ji Yun glanced at the waiter's shifting expression and thought to himself, "Indeed, strength is everything. If I weren't a warrior, he wouldn't be so respectful to me."

Going up to the fifth floor, Ji Yun found the room, knocked, and entered.

Hongyuan Restaurant was quite luxuriously decorated. It was said that the owner of the restaurant was also a warrior who sourced some monster meat from his own circle. Most of it was ordinary monster meat, but occasionally, General-level monster meat appeared. Monster meat was rich in blood and qi, which was nourishing for the bodies of martial arts hall students still in their training period, but it had little effect on warriors.

As soon as Ji Yun entered, he heard Ji Shan's hearty laughter: "Now that you're retiring, you can finally rest easy. All these years of fighting haven't been too bad, have they?"

"Yeah, I used to worry about not making it back every time I went into the Wilderness Zone. Now, at least that's over."

"Ah Yun, you're here?"

"Come over here. This is your Uncle Luo, my former teammate," Ji Shan introduced.

"And this is your Uncle Luo's wife and daughter."

Ji Yun greeted them a few times and sat down.

Ji Shan winked and said, "Come on, Xiao Yue, Ah Yun. You're both young, so you should have plenty to talk about."

Luo Yue looked quite youthful and radiant, with a pure, student-like temperament, completely untouched by the taint of society.

"This feels like a blind date meeting the parents," Ji Yun muttered to himself, but he wasn't too opposed to it. He started chatting with Luo Yue beside him.

If you find this book enjoyable, to avoid losing it next time, please remember to add it to your bookshelf.