Luo Feng's Cadet Assessor Stage

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

Beep!

A crystal-clear, translucent screen popped up from the instrument, displaying a wealth of personal information.

"First one, Tong Guan." Wu Tong glanced down and said, "Proceed with the punch strength test. It's interesting that people from the military are coming to my Extreme Martial Arts Hall for assessment."

Luo Zhe, standing nearby, couldn't help but reveal a faint smile upon hearing this. The Extreme Martial Arts Hall was the top-ranked large-scale martial arts hall today, with branches spread across the globe. Its assessment results carried immense credibility and high value. Once an assessment score was obtained, it was recognized in every country and region around the world.

This led many practitioners from the military or those with family-inherited techniques to favor the Extreme Martial Arts Hall for their assessments. Among the few people who participated in the prospective martial artist assessment with him last month, two were members from the HR Underground Alliance.

"Begin the punch strength test now," Wu Tong ordered casually.

This type of test was conducted once every month, so Wu Tong was already well-versed in the process. Furthermore, the Jiangnan headquarters sent people to perform maintenance on the equipment every so often, so there was no need to worry about any malfunctions.

"Yes."

Among the crowd, a burly man with a thick beard immediately stepped forward. His eyes widened, his left hand shielded his face, and his right fist traced an arc before slamming into the giant punching target. The target only trembled slightly, and the screen of the punch strength tester immediately displayed the number—'986kg'.

"Pass. Next, Luo Feng." Wu Tong casually swiped the second ID card across the instrument. "Huh, eighteen years old? Old Jiang, this one is from your Yi'an District, right? When did such a talented young man pop up?"

Luo Zhe, who had been feeling a bit bored on the side, instantly perked up upon hearing Luo Feng's name. He cast his gaze toward the few examinees standing not far from Wu Tong.

Luo Feng—this name was like thunder to his ears. Back when Luo Zhe was still a senior student at the Jiangdu District Extreme Martial Arts Hall, the instructors often mentioned this name, using him as a role model. They said he was a genius student from the neighboring Yi'an District branch who had become a senior student at sixteen. In a fit of rage, he had once challenged three senior students in a row, beating them until they couldn't get back up.

This guy was a ruthless one!

He had originally thought it would take at least another two years before Luo Feng entered the circle of martial artists, but he hadn't expected to cross paths with him so soon. He wondered what his current strength was like.

Not far from Luo Zhe, a bald middle-aged man named Jiang Nian suddenly stepped out, laughing with pride. "Haha."

"Chief Instructor, you don't know this, but Luo Feng is a genius student who has emerged in our Yi'an District over the past two years. His strength is truly formidable."

Not far from Jiang Nian, a very fat old man teased with a laugh, "How strong can he be compared to Luo Zhe? Maybe he's just here to see the world; he probably doesn't have much real strength."

Being brought up for no reason, Luo Zhe felt a bit bewildered, but he could only smile and stay silent. Saying anything now would offend both sides, so he simply let them talk.

Jiang Nian subconsciously looked toward Luo Zhe, then withdrew his gaze and glanced at the fat old man. "What, jealous? At least you don't have such a genius over in your Beiyou District. Besides, Luo Feng is only eighteen this year. By the time he's twenty-one, who knows who will be stronger?"

Of course, Jiang Nian said this last part very softly, almost unable to hear himself.

"Luo Feng, show these old guys what a student from my Yi'an District is made of."

"Yes, Instructor."

Among the eight people introduced for the assessment, the lean young man in the blue tracksuit—the one who had left a deep impression on Luo Zhe when he saw him at the bar downstairs earlier—stepped forward, responded loudly, and walked toward the punch strength tester.

This Jiang Nian is certainly confident, Luo Zhe thought to himself, his eyes still fixed firmly on Luo Feng. Almost everyone present was watching Luo Feng, waiting for his assessment results.

Zhou Yu, standing to the side, rubbed his chin and thought, To have the strength approaching a prospective martial artist at eighteen, this talent is quite good. If he develops well from here, I could find an opportunity to recruit him into the squad. In another two years, Old Yang will be getting on in age, and it would be perfect for him to take over Old Yang's spot.

Luo Feng was unaware of what everyone was thinking. Standing before the target, he took a slow, deep breath, relaxing his entire body. Suddenly, his gaze sharpened. Like a lazy lion suddenly pouncing, his fist struck the target like a cannonball. The target vibrated back and forth twice, and the screen displayed the number—'1101kg'.

Luo Zhe rubbed his chin and nodded. "To have such strength without having practiced genetic energy is quite impressive. And from that punch just now, one can tell from his form and movement that Luo Feng's foundation is very solid. Even if it were me right now, I might not be able to throw such a perfect punch."

The bald middle-aged man, Jiang Nian, couldn't help but laugh out loud. "I told you, Luo Feng's strength is formidable. You guys didn't believe me, so are you convinced now?"

Wu Tong stroked his chin and nodded in approval. "The young man is good. He remembers not to lose his center of gravity when throwing a punch. Three parts force in the strike, seven parts in the recovery; turning the waist and covering the hips, sinking the shoulders and dropping the elbows—this way, the internal energy is never lost, leaving more room for maneuver when fighting monsters."

"Thank you for the guidance, Chief Instructor." The lean young man remained neither humble nor arrogant, causing everyone present to applaud inwardly.

"Hmm, pass!" Chief Instructor Wu Tong casually picked up another ID card and swiped it. "Next, Bai Yang."

Luo Zhe kept his eyes locked on Luo Feng as he walked back to where the examinees were waiting.

Perhaps Luo Zhe's gaze was too piercing, or perhaps Luo Feng's perception was too sharp; soon, Luo Feng noticed Luo Zhe's stare, and they subconsciously locked eyes.

Both sides examined each other with curiosity, finally sharing a smile and a nod before looking away as if by mutual agreement.

Zhou Yu, who had seen it clearly, asked curiously, "Do you know him?"

Luo Zhe shook his head. "I don't. I've only heard his name. He seems like a pretty interesting guy."

"Why not go over and introduce yourself? You might even make a friend. I think his chances of passing the assessment are quite high." Whether it was because he had cleared his mind, Zhou Yu had become more talkative and was now actively looking for topics to chat with Luo Zhe.

Luo Zhe shook his head again and replied, "No rush. Once the assessment is over, there will be plenty of time. I have a feeling I'll have plenty of opportunities to interact with him in the future."

Having said that, he stopped paying attention to the now-chatty Zhou Yu and began to focus on the test.

The remaining six people also finished their punch strength tests one after another. Except for one unlucky fellow who was eliminated for falling just short of the passing line, everyone else passed and moved on to the next stage: the speed test.

Contrary to the previous order, Luo Feng had been the second to test his punch strength. This time, for the speed test, he was the second to last.

As each person performed their test, it was soon Luo Feng's turn.

Luo Feng walked onto the track, adjusted his breathing slightly, and bounced lightly on the spot, appearing completely relaxed.

Whoosh!

With a burst of force, Luo Feng darted out like a leopard, incredibly fast, sweeping past the speed testing zone with a gust of wind. Even to the naked eye, it was clear that Luo Feng's speed was significantly higher than that of the previous few.

"His speed is also quite good."

Luo Zhe, with his sharp eyes, saw the result on the screen the moment it appeared—'28.6m/s', which was far higher than the passing line for the prospective martial artist assessment of 25m/s.

Clearly, judging by the results of the punch strength and speed tests, Luo Feng's strength far exceeded the requirements for a prospective martial artist. Presumably, the final nerve reaction test wouldn't be able to stump him either.

Sure enough, Luo Feng passed the nerve reaction test with considerable ease.

Although the massive muzzle of the nerve reaction test machine spun frantically, dozens of barrels erupted with red light in an instant, sending red rubber bullets streaking toward him.

The speed of the rubber bullets varied, and their flight paths were completely erratic, crisscrossing as they entered the red circle. Yet, Luo Feng moved like an agile cat, dodging back and forth, left and right, narrowly avoiding the projectiles time and again. Of course, there were some that were simply too fast to evade, forcing him to take a "hit."

Nevertheless, the final test results proved Luo Feng's excellence—within 60 seconds, he was hit 28 times and never touched the red light. The assessment grade was Excellent!

Watching Luo Feng's outstanding performance, Luo Zhe couldn't help but marvel; when he was eighteen, he hadn't possessed such a solid foundation in footwork. Moreover, with every shift in movement, Luo Feng ensured he never lost his center of gravity; his feet were like the padded paws of a cat, capable of changing direction in an instant.

With such proficient footwork, even a genius like Xieding would struggle to achieve such a solid foundation without several years of hard work.

Luo Zhe could almost determine right now that, given the martial artist talent Luo Feng had displayed, he would leap to become one of the most prominent figures in the martial arts circle within ten years!

The most important thing was that the kid was only 18 years old this year!

The slight sense of arrogance that had emerged due to his own rapid growth in strength vanished instantly upon seeing the talent Luo Feng displayed. There were still many, many genius martial artists like Luo Feng in this world; even with a cheat like the Dimensional Space, if he didn't give his all, he would still be eliminated by this world.

Suddenly, Luo Zhe recalled a quote he had seen somewhere: "When you look up at the galaxy at a 45-degree angle, you will feel awe; it is a worship of the greatness of creation, and also a recognition of one's own insignificance."

This world is vast, so vast; never lose your sense of awe!