Gravity Tempering

Meanwhile, above the Gravity Well, inside the hidden Ring-Shaped Main Control Room.

The heavy Pressure Door slid open.

An exceptionally tall officer strode in.

He wore a dark gray Military Uniform. His right sleeve was gone, his arm entirely replaced by a heavy, dark red Mechanical Prosthetic.

Hydraulic lines and metal muscles gave off a cold glimmer as he moved. A Crossed Swords Insignia on his chest marked him as the chief examiner.

"One-Eye, how's this batch of recruits looking?" The newcomer's voice was rough and piercing, like two pieces of raw iron grinding together.

Chief Instructor One-Eye turned his head. A rare hint of amusement flashed in his remaining eye. He did not rise to salute; the two were clearly old acquaintances. "Iron Wrist? They sent a menace like you to be chief examiner? The front lines must be badly short of troops."

One-Eye paused and pointed through the one-way glass below. "This batch is split between extremes. A few monsters from the Capital Martial Arts Families are impressive, thanks to Medicinal Baths since childhood. Most of the rest are cannon fodder filling out the numbers."

Iron Wrist walked over to the enormous Holographic Monitor without comment, his sharp gaze sweeping the live feed from the deep well below.

The gravity setting had quietly climbed to 2.0 times normal.

"Hmm. That kid Chu Lin isn't bad." Iron Wrist's dark red mechanical eye shifted slightly, locking onto a young figure at the center of the screen.

Under the crushing pressure of double gravity, Chu Lin still stood straight, breathing steadily without a drop of sweat.

"Excellent Genetic Optimization. Solid foundations. A promising recruit," Iron Wrist judged coolly.

Then his gaze shifted to another figure at the edge of the screen.

The boy's muscles were taut, and his bones creaked under the pressure. Though his body trembled violently, he stood rooted like an ancient tree, his eyes full of ferocity.

"What about him? His bones are creaking, but he's still taking it head-on without even using Force Unloading. A madman with a death wish." Iron Wrist narrowed his eyes.

"Shen Qing. They say his ancestors passed down Ancient Martial Arts. He's holding on through sheer ruthlessness and killing intent."

One-Eye brought up Shen Qing's data panel. "At this rate, he should have no trouble making the top twenty out of these thirty thousand recruits."

As he spoke, One-Eye swiped a finger across the Holographic Monitor. The image zoomed in and froze on an inconspicuous corner of the Gravity Well.

A boy stood there, his face expressionless.

Around him, some recruits had collapsed to their knees in agony while others clenched their teeth until their veins bulged. He looked far too calm.

Double gravity weighed on him as though he had merely put on a slightly heavy coat.

"But this is the one I've been watching lately, more than those young masters from the capital."

One-Eye folded his arms, a knowing smile tugging at his lips.

Iron Wrist frowned slightly. His gaze passed over Jiang Yue, whose breathing remained steady, and his mechanical eye swiftly completed a simple Biological Scan. "Good body density. Strong muscle coordination. Looks like he's close to the 500-kilogram threshold for a Quasi-Martial Artist."

"But old friend, among thirty thousand recruits, that level of strength would put him around the top thousand at best. What's so special about him?"

"His name is Jiang Yue."

One-Eye grinned, pulled up an Initial Test Report from ten days ago, and pushed it in front of Iron Wrist. "When he first arrived on this Floating Land as a recruit, his initial punching force was only 286 kilograms. His striking technique was a mess. Utterly ordinary—near the bottom, even."

"Oh?"

At that figure, Iron Wrist's dark red mechanical eye contracted slightly. Surprise finally showed on his rough face.

"Ten days? From 286 kilograms to nearly the 500-kilogram threshold for a Quasi-Martial Artist?"

Iron Wrist fixed his gaze on Jiang Yue again, studying him. "Without a family supplying him... that kind of physical adaptability and efficiency in absorbing resources is interesting."

"That's why I want to see where his limit lies."

Anticipation shone openly in One-Eye's single eye. "I've already put him on the military's Higher-Dimensional List—on the watchlist for the Seed Sequence."

"The Seed Sequence?"

Iron Wrist snorted. "A bit early for that. You and I both know how few places that sequence has. Not just anyone can get in."

Iron Wrist raised his dark red mechanical right arm and tapped the console twice. "Fast progress early on doesn't mean he'll go far in martial arts. Don't forget, Skin Refining is a gulf few can cross!"

"The 1,000-kilogram Physical Limit is there for a reason. If he can't temper his Blood Energy into a true Skin Membrane to contain that strength, his rapid progress will be nothing but a flash in the pan. When Blood Energy Rampage hits, he'll cripple himself before anything else."

Iron Wrist's gaze sharpened, and he pressed the Pressure Increase Knob on the main console.

"Since you think so highly of him, let's turn up the pressure. I want to see how far these so-called monsters and madmen can last."

Bzzzt!

At the chief examiner's command, the deep blue Magnetic Field inside the Gravity Well flared with blinding light. An even more terrifying gravitational force descended like a solid mountain, bearing mercilessly down on the thousand recruits below!

Down in the Gravity Chamber, amid that suffocating blue glow, Jiang Yue had no idea that two senior instructors in the Main Control Room above were watching him closely.

His mind was wholly immersed in the Blood Energy surging through him like a river bursting its banks.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Dull thumps sounded one after another around him.

As gravity passed 2.0 times normal, recruits crumpled like wheat cut down by a scythe.

Beside him, Xu Bo gritted his teeth. His face was white as paper, and his legs shook as he fought to stay upright. Even when blood began seeping from his nose, he refused to bow his head.

Not far away, Shen Qing was fiercer still. Capillaries burst across his body under the pressure, leaving him covered in blood. His eyes were red, and he resisted the invisible weight through sheer, savage will.

Jiang Yue also stood where he was, but his condition was nothing like anyone else's.

[Action: Breathing]—[Smooth Breath] activated!

Under the relentless pressure, Jiang Yue's chest did not heave like the others'. It rose and fell so slightly and slowly that it seemed almost still.

The strain on his organs from the external pressure was instantly brought under control by the perfect rhythm of [Smooth Breath].

The vital energy at his core reached an exquisite balance, as though an invisible umbrella had been forced open around his fragile organs.

At the same time, Jiang Yue felt the gravity pressing in from every direction. Rather than crushing him, it was like thousands of iron hammers pounding every inch of his body!

That's it. Under external pressure, the Skin Membrane will be tempered more thoroughly...

This all-encompassing pressure was far more effective than any extra training he could do on his own.

[Extreme pressure detected from all directions...]

[Action: Body Forging—[Tough Skin] responding. Skin Membrane absorption and conversion efficiency continues to increase!]

[Blood Qi Oscillation Resistance active. Skin Membrane undergoing deep restructuring under crushing pressure...]

[Current status: +++]