Wu Tong took an ID card and swiped it across the device he had opened beside him.
Beep!
A crystal-clear, almost transparent screen popped up on the device, displaying a large amount of personal information.
"First up, Tong Guan." Wu Tong glanced down and said, "Punch strength test. You military types have come to take your assessment at the Extreme Martial Arts Hall, too. Interesting."
Hearing this, Luo Zhe, standing nearby, smiled. The Extreme Martial Arts Hall was the largest martial arts organization in the world, with branches of all levels across the globe. Its assessment results carried great credibility and were highly valued. Scores from its assessments were recognized in every country and region around the world.
As a result, people from the military and practitioners from certain hereditary families liked to take their assessments at the Extreme Martial Arts Hall. Among the people who had taken the Quasi-Warrior Assessment with him last month, two had been members of the HR Underground Alliance.
"Begin the punch strength test," Wu Tong ordered casually.
The test was held every month, and Wu Tong had long since gotten the hang of it. Besides, every so often, the Jiangnan headquarters sent someone to inspect and maintain the equipment, so there was no need to worry about malfunctions.
"Yes, sir."
A burly man with a thick beard stepped forward from the crowd. His eyes flew open, and he raised his left hand in front of his face. His right fist traced an arc before smashing into the enormous punching target. The target barely trembled, and the screen of the Punch Strength Tester immediately displayed a number: "986 kg."
"Pass. Next, Luo Feng." Wu Tong casually swiped the second ID card across the device. "Huh, eighteen years old? Old Jiang, this one's from your Yi'an District, right? Since when did such a talented young man show up?"
Luo Zhe, who had been looking rather bored, perked up as soon as he heard Luo Feng's name. He turned his gaze toward the group of examinees standing not far from Wu Tong.
The name Luo Feng was practically legendary. Back when Luo Zhe had been an Advanced Martial Arts Student at the Extreme Martial Arts Hall in Jiangdu District, the instructors had often brought him up as an example. They said he was a genius student from the neighboring Yi'an District branch, who had become an Advanced Martial Arts Student at sixteen. Once, in a fit of anger, he had challenged three Advanced Martial Arts Students in a row and beaten them so badly they couldn't get back up.
That guy was seriously tough!
Luo Zhe had thought it would be at least another two years before Luo Feng entered the world of warriors. He hadn't expected to cross paths with him so soon. He wondered how strong Luo Feng was now.
Not far from Luo Zhe, a bald, middle-aged man named Jiang Nian suddenly stepped forward and laughed heartily.
"Haha!"
"Chief Instructor, you don't know the half of it. Luo Feng's a new genius student from our Yi'an District over the past couple of years. He's incredibly strong."
A very fat old man standing near Jiang Nian gave a mocking smile. "Even if he's strong, can he match Luo Zhe? Maybe he just came to see what it's like. He probably isn't all that strong."
Caught off guard by being dragged into it, Luo Zhe was a little bewildered. All he could do was smile and keep quiet. Whatever he said would displease one side or the other, so he might as well let them talk.
Jiang Nian glanced instinctively toward Luo Zhe, then looked away and gave the fat old man a sidelong glance. "What, jealous? At least your Beiyou District doesn't have a genius like him. Besides, Luo Feng's only eighteen. Who knows which of them will be stronger when he's twenty-one?"
Of course, Jiang Nian said the last part so quietly that even he could barely hear himself.
"Luo Feng, show these old guys what our Yi'an District students can do."
"Yes, Instructor."
Among the eight examinees, the lean young man in a blue tracksuit—the one Luo Zhe had noticed in the bar downstairs—stepped forward and answered loudly. Then he walked toward the Punch Strength Tester.
"Jiang Nian sure is confident," Luo Zhe thought, his gaze still fixed on Luo Feng. Almost everyone present was watching him, waiting for his assessment result.
Zhou Yu stood nearby, rubbing his chin as he thought, He's only eighteen and already close to Quasi-Warrior level. That's some talent. If he keeps developing well, I could look for a chance to recruit him into the team. Old Yang will be getting on in years in another couple of years. By then, Luo Feng could take over for him.
Luo Feng had no idea what the others were thinking. Standing in front of the punching target, he took a slow, deep breath and relaxed his whole body. Suddenly, his gaze sharpened. Like a lazy lion springing into action, he slammed his fist into the target like a cannonball. The target shook back and forth, and the screen displayed a number: "1101 kg."
Luo Zhe rubbed his chin and nodded. "To be this strong without training in Genetic Origin Energy is impressive. And from his form when he threw that punch, you can tell his fundamentals are solid. Even I might not be able to throw such a perfect punch right now."
The bald, middle-aged Jiang Nian couldn't help laughing heartily. "I told you Luo Feng was strong! You lot didn't believe me. Well, are you convinced now?"
Wu Tong rubbed his chin and nodded approvingly. "Not bad, young man. You remembered not to lose your balance when throwing a punch. The punch itself is only thirty percent; the return is seventy. Turn your waist and drive through your hips, sink your shoulders and drop your elbows. That way, you preserve your natural force and have more room to maneuver when fighting monsters."
"Thank you for your instruction, Chief Instructor." The lean young man remained neither servile nor arrogant, earning quiet admiration from those present.
"Mm, pass!" Chief Instructor Wu Tong casually picked up another ID card and swiped it across the device. "Next, Bai Yang."
Luo Zhe kept his eyes fixed on Luo Feng as he walked back to the group of examinees.
Perhaps Luo Zhe had been staring too intently, or perhaps Luo Feng's senses were too sharp. Before long, Luo Feng noticed his gaze and instinctively met his eyes.
The two of them sized each other up curiously, then smiled at each other and nodded. As if by silent agreement, they looked away at the same time.
Zhou Yu had seen the whole thing. Curious, he asked, "Do you know him?"
Luo Zhe shook his head. "No, I've just heard his name. He seems like an interesting guy."
"Why not go introduce yourself? You might even become friends. I'd say he has a pretty good chance of passing." Perhaps Zhou Yu had started talking more after coming to terms with things. He had actually begun looking for things to chat about with Luo Zhe.
Luo Zhe shook his head again. "There's no rush. We'll have plenty of time after the assessment. I have a feeling I'll get plenty of chances to interact with him in the future."
After that, he stopped responding to Zhou Yu, who had gone into chatterbox mode, and focused on watching the tests.
The remaining six examinees completed the punch strength test one after another. One unlucky person fell just short of the passing mark and was eliminated, but everyone else passed and advanced to the next stage: the speed test.
The order was the exact opposite of the previous test. Luo Feng had been the second to take the punch strength test, but this time he was second to last.
The examinees took their turns, and soon it was Luo Feng's.
Luo Feng stepped onto the track and adjusted his breathing slightly. He hopped lightly in place twice, looking completely relaxed.
Whoosh!
As soon as he pushed off, Luo Feng shot forward like a leopard, moving at incredible speed. A gust of wind followed as he shot across the testing area. Even with the naked eye, it was clear that he was faster than the people who had gone before him.
"His speed's not bad, either."
Luo Zhe had sharp eyes. The instant the result appeared, he saw the number on the screen: "28.6 m/s"—far above the Quasi-Warrior Assessment's passing mark of "25 m/s."
Clearly, judging by his punch strength and speed, Luo Feng's abilities were far beyond the Quasi-Warrior passing requirements. The final Neural Response Tester would probably pose no challenge to him either.
Sure enough, Luo Feng passed the neural response test with remarkable ease.
The huge barrel of the Neural Response Tester spun wildly. Dozens of muzzles inside it erupted with streaks of red light almost at once, and red rubber bullets came flying at him.
The rubber bullets traveled at different speeds, and their trajectories were far from parallel. They zigzagged wildly as they shot into the red-circle area. Like an agile cat, Luo Feng dodged back and forth, avoiding one rubber bullet after another. Of course, some were simply too fast to avoid, and he had no choice but to take a hit.
But his final score still proved how outstanding he was: in sixty seconds, he was hit twenty-eight times and never touched the red light. An excellent assessment result!
Watching Luo Feng's outstanding performance, Luo Zhe couldn't help marveling. At eighteen, he himself hadn't had such solid footwork. And every time Luo Feng shifted his stance, he managed to keep his balance. His feet were like the soft pads of a cat's paws, letting him change direction in an instant.
Even a genius like Xieding would need years of hard training to achieve such solid footwork.
Luo Zhe could already tell that, given the warrior talent Luo Feng had shown so far, he would become one of the most notable figures in the warrior world within ten years!
Most importantly, he was only eighteen!
The slight arrogance Luo Zhe had developed after his own strength had improved by leaps and bounds quickly vanished when he saw Luo Feng's talent. There were many, many gifted warriors like Luo Feng in the world. Even with a cheat like the Dimensional Space to help him, if he didn't push himself to the limit, he would still be left behind by the world.
Suddenly, Luo Zhe remembered a line he had once read somewhere: "When you tilt your head forty-five degrees and gaze up at the starry river, you'll feel awe. It's a great reverence for creation, and an understanding of how small you are."
The world was vast. Never lose your sense of awe!
Before you continue