Beside them, seeing the results appear on the display, Wu Tong smiled. "Not bad, Luo Feng. Congratulations! Once the official documents are issued and your information is added to the citizen registry, you'll be a Quasi-Martial Artist!"
After passing the assessment, the official certificate usually arrived within seven days, and the results were entered into the citizen registry.
Luo Feng clenched his right fist, thrilled. "I finally did it!"
"Congratulations, Luo Feng!" Luo Zhe stepped forward and offered his hand. "Let me introduce myself. I'm Luo Zhe. I passed the Quasi-Warrior Assessment just last month."
Luo Feng looked at Luo Zhe in surprise and shook his hand. "Hello, I'm Luo Feng."
He glanced around and lowered his voice. "Earlier, I saw you standing with Instructor Jiang Nian and the others, so I thought you were an instructor at the Extreme Martial Arts Hall too. I didn't realize you were like me."
Luo Zhe smiled sheepishly and scratched his head. "I'm not. I was just lucky enough to be recruited by the Dojo early."
Luo Feng was taken aback. What did he mean, recruited by the Dojo early?
Before Luo Feng could ask, Wu Tong walked over and said irritably, "How long are you two planning to chat? Get out of the way. Don't interfere with everyone else's assessment."
The two exchanged glances, then hurried off, drawing laughter from the others present.
They found an open spot, and Luo Zhe stopped to thump his chest and catch his breath.
"By the way, Luo Feng, you know that the last Martial Artist Combat Assessment this year is on August 1, right?"
Luo Feng nodded. Unlike the Quasi-Warrior Assessment, the Martial Artist Combat Assessment was held only twice a year, on February 1 and August 1. If you missed those dates, you had to wait until the following year.
"On the morning of the first, we'll gather at the Limit Dojo, then head out with the instructors and the other Quasi-Martial Artists to hunt monsters outside the human Base Cities! Once we pass the combat assessment, we'll be true martial artists!"
"Right! But I've heard online that the injury rate for the Martial Artist Combat Assessment is really high. More than a hundred Quasi-Martial Artists are usually left crippled each time. I wonder if that's true."
Luo Zhe waved a hand and explained, "The injury rate is high, but it's not as frightening as you think."
"The monsters used in the assessment are all the weakest H-Class Monsters, only as strong as Beginner Warrior Level martial artists. Anyone who can pass the Quasi-Warrior Assessment won't be at a disadvantage in physical fitness. Besides, monsters have an obvious weakness: their intelligence is very low." Luo Zhe spoke at length. "Generally speaking, as long as the Quasi-Martial Artists perform to their usual level, they're almost never in mortal danger."
"After all, the main purpose of the Martial Artist Combat Assessment is to temper our resolve and help us get used to fighting monsters to the death. We absolutely can't afford to show them mercy."
"That makes sense." Luo Feng nodded.
The purpose of the Martial Artist Combat Assessment was to give the Quasi-Martial Artists who were about to enter the Wilderness Zone and fight monsters a firsthand experience of how ferocious they were. After all, in the safe, peaceful Base Cities, most people had never experienced real combat.
Some people had good physical fitness and excellent swordsmanship, but the moment they saw blood or faced death, they couldn't bring out even a tenth of their ability. How could someone like that kill monsters?
"So, the Martial Artist Combat Assessment isn't just a test. More importantly, it's a trial of courage! When you eventually enter a dangerous area alone, the dangers you face will be ten or even a hundred times worse. The Wilderness Zone isn't home only to ordinary Beast Soldier Level monsters. There are also stronger Beast General Level monsters, and even Lord-level Monsters."
Suddenly, Luo Feng gave Luo Zhe a curious look. "By the way, Brother Zhe, have you ever killed a monster yourself?"
"..."
The atmosphere suddenly grew awkward. Luo Zhe hadn't expected Luo Feng to ask such a question out of nowhere, and he hadn't figured out what to say. He froze on the spot.
When Luo Zhe still hadn't answered after a while, Luo Feng grew puzzled. Why wasn't Brother Zhe saying anything?
A thought suddenly popped into Luo Feng's head. Could Brother Zhe have never killed a monster?
Luo Feng shook his head without thinking. No, no way. From the way Brother Zhe had been holding forth just now, he seemed like an old hand. How could he never have killed a monster? Impossible. He must be overthinking it!
At that moment, Luo Zhe was still standing stiffly, unable to come up with an answer.
"Last one, Yang Wu!" Wu Tong suddenly called out beside the Neural Response Tester.
There it was!
"Hey, Luo Feng, look! It's your friend Yang Wu. He's the last one." Luo Zhe feigned surprise and turned toward Yang Wu.
Sure enough, Luo Feng's attention was immediately diverted. He looked toward Yang Wu as he strode into the red circle.
I really am too clever. Pretending to watch Yang Wu's test intently, Luo Zhe couldn't help thinking.
But before long, Yang Wu's performance genuinely drew Luo Zhe's attention.
As Wu Tong pressed the start button, the Neural Response Tester's barrels began to rotate, quickly reaching an incredible speed. Dozens of gun muzzles inside fired rubber bullets in an instant, peppering the red circle.
Yang Wu moved swiftly, staying within a single step's range in every direction. His movements were remarkably economical.
"Hm?"
Watching Yang Wu's evasive footwork, Luo Zhe was secretly surprised. "Yang Wu's footwork seems a little stiff. It's not as nimble or quick as Luo Feng's, but it looks highly efficient. He barely moves at all when dodging, never making use of the red circle's full 3.6-meter diameter. He stays within a single step in every direction."
Yang Wu moved within a small area, yet dodged with great efficiency.
"This kind of footwork would be very useful in actual combat. But it requires extremely precise control. The slightest mistake, and a monster's claws could rip a martial artist apart!" Luo Zhe assessed him silently. At least to Luo Zhe, this footwork was efficient, but also extremely dangerous.
It was like dancing on a knife's edge!
"Bwoo—" Soon, the one-minute test was over, and the Neural Response Tester's barrels stopped rotating.
"Sixty seconds. Hit 52 times. No contact with the red light. Passed!" Wu Tong announced, looking at the results on the display.
Inside the red circle, Yang Wu clenched both fists in excitement. The veins stood out on his arms, and tears shimmered in his eyes. He had waited far too long for this day.
"That's great! Brother Yang passed too!" Luo Feng clenched his fist, unable to hold back his excitement. He knew how hard Yang Wu trained, but Yang Wu had always been just a little short of passing the assessment, held back by bad luck. Fortunately, he'd finally passed this time.
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