Training Ground Instance

Wang Ji nodded, then asked, "Uncle Jiang, can we go upstairs?"

Jiang Nian smiled. "Once your Quasi-Martial Artist information is entered into the system, you can go up with your certificate! Everything upstairs, including the sixth floor, is for Warriors only. If you want to go in today, I can talk to security for you."

"Hehe! No need, no need! I'll come back another day. I just want to see what the Warrior-only training grounds are like... Are they more advanced? Hehe!" Wang Ji said with a grin.

North Bank Residential District faced South Bank Residential District, where Luo Feng lived. Both were low-rent housing complexes. Building 48, apartment 4402.

Wang Ji walked into the complex looking relaxed.

"Uncle Lai... You're home! Aunt Chunhua, hey, I took the day off..." Wang Ji greeted his neighbors with a smile, then raced up the stairs like a nimble leopard, taking two steps at a time as he hurried up to the forty-fourth floor.

His mother had been bedridden and frail for the past two years. She could barely make it downstairs a few times each year. After all, climbing up and down forty-four flights was far too difficult. Now, things would be better. They would soon be able to move into the Warrior Residential Area.

Thinking this, Wang Ji pushed open the door.

"Mom!"

"Xiao Ji, you're back! Did you... Did you pass the assessment?" Wang Ji's mother asked cautiously.

Wang Ji broke into a wide smile. "Mom! I passed! Your son's about to become a Warrior!"

At last, Wang Ji's mother beamed with joy. "Wonderful! Wonderful! My son really is something!"

Wang Ji smiled. "Mom! We'll be able to move into the Warrior Residential Area soon! We'll get to live in a detached villa for free!"

"Really?"

"Really!"

"Oh, that's wonderful! When your sister gets home, we'll make dumplings!"

"Okay!"

After school that afternoon, his older sister, Wang Yan, came home, and the house filled with laughter and excitement again. The past two years, after their mother fell ill, had been the hardest the family had ever endured. Fortunately, things were finally looking up.

"Sis, don't rush into finding a job. I'll ask Instructor Jiang tomorrow if he can find you something safe and easy," Wang Ji said.

"Wouldn't that be too much trouble for Instructor Jiang? Would we owe him a favor?" Wang Yan asked worriedly.

Wang Ji smiled confidently. "Instructor Jiang would be happy if I asked him for help!" He was confident about this. It was confidence in the future—in his ability to repay all the favors he owed.

Truthfully, Wang Ji wanted his sister to stop working. But she was adamant that she wouldn't.

It was late March, and the next Quasi-Warrior combat assessment was four months away. Wang Yan said she was worried they would run out of money. After all, their family had never managed to save much. She wanted Wang Ji to focus on training while she earned money to support them.

Wang Ji stopped trying to talk her out of it. Although Wang Yan seemed delicate, she was strong-willed and rarely changed her mind. He would just ask the instructor to find her an easy job.

The next morning.

Wang Ji arrived at Limit Martial Hall early.

Seven people from Yangzhou City had gone to take the Quasi-Warrior Assessment, but only three had passed. All three had arrived early and were waiting at the entrance.

"Hey! You guys are certainly eager!" Jiang Nian said with a teasing grin. "Come on, let's head upstairs!"

The fifth floor of the Advanced Student building.

The first three floors were where Advanced Students trained and rested. Students were not allowed on the fourth floor or above.

There were few Advanced Students to begin with, and fewer than a hundred came here to train regularly. The first three floors of the Advanced Student building covered more than ten thousand square meters, making them absurdly spacious.

The fourth, fifth, and sixth floors were even quieter. These were training grounds reserved exclusively for Warriors.

Jiang Nian's office was on the fifth floor, spacious and impressive. He pressed a key on the computer, and soon a passage appeared on the large screen mounted on the wall.

The "Genetic Energy Cultivation Method"!

The three Quasi-Martial Artists were all fired up. They had heard the legends about this technique. They had heard that only after learning this cultivation method could someone truly be considered a Warrior. They had also heard that cultivating it could greatly improve one's physical fitness. At last, they were seeing it for themselves!

What made Warriors so powerful? It was Origin Energy.

"Back during the Great Nirvana Period, humanity was infected with the RR Virus and developed antibodies. This caused our genes to naturally change and improve," Instructor Jiang Nian said with a smile. "Once our genes have improved enough, we can absorb the faint energy between the stars and merge it into every cell in our bodies. During this process, our genes improve, and our bones, cells, blood, organs, skin, and everything else continue to evolve and grow stronger."

"All of this depends on absorbing energy from the universe and merging it into every cell, making it your own. That is Genetic Energy."

Instructor Jiang Nian pointed to the passage on the screen. "This is the method for cultivating Genetic Energy—the Five-Heart-to-Heaven Cultivation Method. It is also the only method for cultivating Genetic Energy on the entire planet."

"You can start trying to cultivate Genetic Energy over the next month," Instructor Jiang Nian said with a smile. "As for the most precious Guidance Technique, you'll only be able to obtain it after becoming a Warrior and joining Limit Martial Hall, the military, or another organization."

After the three had recovered from their excitement, Jiang Nian sent the passage to them. The other two couldn't wait to find somewhere to practice, but Jiang Nian stopped Wang Ji.

"Xiao Ji, as soon as you succeed in cultivating, call me right away! Remember, this could affect the benefits you receive," Jiang Nian said.

Wang Ji nodded, then asked as if he were embarrassed, "Uncle Jiang, do you know anywhere that's hiring temporary workers? Somewhere safe to work."

"You're looking for a job? Xiao Ji, don't do anything reckless! I'll tell you, you may have the greatest potential, but honestly, you're the one I'm most worried about for the combat assessment. Your physical fitness is strong, but your fundamentals are poor! The others have all practiced footwork, saber techniques, and sword techniques. You, on the other hand, can't even generate force properly! The Warrior Combat Assessment can really get you killed!"

Wang Ji smiled. "Don't worry, Uncle Jiang. It's not me looking for a job; it's my sister. She was harassed by some hooligans last time, remember? I thought I'd find her something safer. Don't worry, I'll train hard over the next few months and work on my fundamentals!"

Jiang Nian let out a sigh of relief. "That's no problem! I'll take care of it. Your Uncle Jiang still has some pull!"

In the blink of an eye, Jiang Nian had finished making a call. "There's a position right here at Limit Martial Hall, in the archive building out back: assistant clerk in the general affairs office. From 17:00 to 21:00, four hours a day, five thousand a month! It's simple work. When the self-service robots can't handle something, someone needs to operate them remotely. It's easy."

"Thanks so much, Uncle Jiang!"

"Don't mention it, kid. The best way you can thank me is by working hard on your fundamentals! Go on, go on."

The fourth floor of the Martial Hall, a quiet room.

The conditions for training in the Martial Hall were naturally much better than at home. The floors reserved for Warriors were also open to them around the clock, so there was no need to worry about disturbing anyone.

The room was over a hundred square meters, with natural stone and wood floors. It was simple, elegant, comfortable, and quiet.

Wang Ji calmed himself and tried hard to sense the energy of the universe. He was curious: How long would it take him to sense it? And how much stronger would he become after his first attempt?