Novice Warrior Assessment

In a room illuminated by bright sunlight, a teenager with sharp, defined features—though not classically handsome—stood before a machine. With his feet spread shoulder-width apart, he stepped forward with his left foot while slightly retracting his right, twisting his hips to channel force into his right arm. Like an arrow released from a bow, his fist blurred into a shadow and slammed into the target with a resounding "thud."

The screen of the Punch Strength Tester displayed the number: "916kg."

"Hoo! Finally reached the standard. Now, all that's left is the speed."

Seeing the number on the screen, the teenager felt a surge of excitement.

Suppressing his agitation, he walked over to the adjacent track and activated the Speed Tester.

He adjusted his breathing, stood on the track, and suddenly exploded with force!

With a "whoosh," his figure shot forward like a shell leaving a cannon, crossing the Speed Tester's zone in an instant.

"26.1m/s"

After coming to a stop, the teenager walked to the speed display. Upon seeing the number on the screen, he let out a loud laugh, followed immediately by tears. He cried out toward the ceiling, "Dad, Mom, did you see that? Ning'er has reached the 'Quasi-Warrior' standard. It won't be long before your son becomes a 'Warrior.' You can rest easy now."

After venting his emotions, the teenager calmed down, but thoughts of his parents in this life and the hardships of the past dozen years left his eyes clouded with confusion.

The teenager was not from this world; to be precise, he was a transmigrator. Whether in his past life or his current one, his name was Guan Ning.

In his previous life, Guan Ning had been a forensic doctor, but he had been stabbed to death by a criminal while on duty.

He had thought his life was over, but his soul had transmigrated into this world, becoming a newborn infant—the current Guan Ning.

He had firmly believed that with the knowledge from his past life, he would surely make a name for himself in this one. However, once he realized this was the world of Swallowed Star, his mindset changed completely. From that moment on, he had only one goal: to become a Warrior.

It must be said that Guan Ning's luck was quite good; his parents were both Warriors, and high-level ones at that, which provided Guan Ning with ample resources.

Coupled with the maturity and intelligence he retained from his past life, Guan Ning was more advanced than his peers. Not only were his grades excellent, but he had also graduated from high school at fifteen.

Furthermore, from the age of three, he had spent every day either studying or training his body. Relying on such diligence and the abundant resources provided by his parents, Guan Ning's physical fitness reached the "High-Level Trainee" standard by the age of fifteen.

Everything had been moving in a positive direction, but just as Guan's Father and Guan's Mother received word that Guan Ning had reached the "High-Level Trainee" standard, tragedy struck. A "Beast Tide" erupted, and Guan Ning's parents were left with no remains in the aftermath.

The devastating news hit Guan Ning like a bolt from the blue. After two or three days of living in a daze, he pulled himself together. Having read the original work, he naturally knew that a Universe Master could reverse time and space to resurrect the dead. Although he did not know the conditions for reversing time, he at least had a goal.

Moreover, Guan Ning was not entirely ignorant about reversing time. From the original work, he knew that those resurrected were all Immortals with eternal life, and the cost was not low. As for how to get a high and mighty Universe Master to take action, Guan Ning had a direction. Additionally, he speculated that reversing time might be related to one's lifespan.

Guan's Father and Mother were born around the year 2000, and it was now 2057. This meant they were about fifty years old when they died. They had been High-Level Warrior Rank, which was Apprentice Rank Tier 3. Although their life level had not yet undergone a transformation, they still had a lifespan of about a hundred years.

Fifty years—this was the timeframe Guan Ning set for himself. He had to see or come into contact with a peak existence like a Universe Master within fifty years. To achieve this, there was only one path: through the upcoming Peak Genius Competition, becoming a core member of the Virtual Universe Company, entering the Initial Universe's Chaos City, and subsequently meeting the Chaos City Lord. This was the only path Guan Ning could conceive.

From that point on, Guan Ning abandoned his plans to attend university and shifted all his energy toward martial arts.

Even if he couldn't make it to the Peak Genius Competition, Guan Ning would accept it, because he would have given his absolute best. However, he did have a backup plan, though he was unwilling to use it unless it was the final moment.

Guan Ning's parents had left him a considerable inheritance: a three-story villa with a Training Room and a significant amount of funds. Over the past year or so, those funds had all been converted into monster meat, medicinal herbs, nutrient solutions, and the like.

It was precisely because of these abundant resources and his own hard work that Guan Ning had achieved his current status—a seventeen-year-old "Quasi-Warrior."

"Beep, beep..."

The Communication Watch on Guan Ning's wrist rang, pulling him out of his reverie.

"Uncle Zhong, is something the matter?"

Looking at the caller ID, Guan Ning smiled slightly.

Uncle Zhong, whose name was Zhong Liang, was not only a neighbor but also a friend of Guan Ning's parents. He had been particularly fond of the mature and intelligent Guan Ning since he was a child. After the incident with Guan's parents, he had often cared for and looked after Guan Ning, and Guan Ning was very grateful to him.

"Little Ning, I just returned from the Wilderness Area. Come over to the house for a meal."

A weathered voice came from the watch, filled with concern.

"Uncle Zhong, first of all, congratulations on your safe return. I have something to take care of right now, but I'll come over once I'm finished."

Guan Ning said with a hint of apology.

"What could be so important? Even if you're training, you need to relax. If you stay wound up like this, you'll collapse sooner or later."

Zhong Liang said urgently, knowing full well how fanatical Guan Ning had been lately and worrying deeply about his health.

"My physical fitness has reached the 'Quasi-Warrior' standard. I'm planning to go to the Limit Dojo for the assessment now. If I miss today, I'll have to wait another month."

"What! Did I hear that right? You're going to take the 'Quasi-Warrior' assessment?"

Zhong Liang's voice was filled with disbelief; he couldn't imagine what a seventeen-year-old "Quasi-Warrior" would look like.

"Uncle Zhong, you heard me right. My current punch strength is 916kg, speed is 26.1m/s, and my nerve reaction speed met the standard half a year ago."

Listening to the shock in Zhong Liang's voice, Guan Ning stated his data clearly and concisely.

"This... this... Little Ning, you really are... If Brother Guan and his wife knew, they would be so happy for you. Oh! Little Ning, don't... Uncle was just... Never mind, Uncle wishes you all the best, hurry and go."

On the other end, Zhong Liang was too stunned to speak. He genuinely loved the sensible and obedient Guan Ning. Ever since the accident, Guan Ning hadn't gone to college and instead stayed home, training without a moment's rest. Every time he called, Guan Ning wouldn't answer, and it was only when he visited in person that Guan Ning would take a break.

Every time he saw Guan Ning drenched in sweat, Zhong Liang felt a deep sense of heartache. Now, hearing the good news, he was truly happy for him. At the same time, he felt a sense of relief; this way, Guan Ning could finally relax a bit and wouldn't have to push himself to the limit every single day.

"Thank you, Uncle Zhong. I won't keep you, I'm hanging up now."

After finishing the call with Zhong Liang, Guan Ning changed into casual clothes and headed straight for the Limit Dojo in the center of the residential district.

Ginkgo Residential District, where Guan Ning lived, was a community for martial artists in Suzhou City, Jiangnan Base City. Both of his parents had been martial artists of the Limit Martial Hall, and the villa he lived in had been allocated to them by the organization. The Limit Dojo was the headquarters of the Limit Martial Hall in Suzhou City, naturally located in the center of Ginkgo Residential District, which was extremely convenient for Guan Ning.

As Guan Ning walked along, aside from the towering Limit Dojo in the center, the rest of the area was filled with well-arranged detached villas. Between the villas were rockeries, ponds, and lawns, creating a serene atmosphere.

"Sir, is there anything I can help you with?" a sweet-looking young woman asked politely as she saw Guan Ning step into the lobby.

"I am here to take the Quasi-Warrior assessment."

"Please wait a moment."

After hearing Guan Ning's words, the young girl made a phone call before leading him to a seat nearby.

"Ding!"

After Guan Ning waited for about a minute or two, a middle-aged man wearing loose training clothes stepped out of the elevator.

Upon seeing Guan Ning, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes as he called out, "You are the one here for the Quasi-Warrior assessment? Come upstairs with me."

"Yes." Feeling the explosive aura radiating from the middle-aged man, Guan Ning replied respectfully.

After entering the elevator, the man in the loose training clothes pressed the button for the 6th floor.

"Beep!" The elevator arrived at the sixth floor.

Whoosh!

The elevator doors opened to reveal an enormous martial arts hall. Over a dozen people were gathered inside, including several warriors Guan Ning recognized—they were either his neighbors or friends of his parents. Thinking that every one of these dozen people was a warrior, even with Guan Ning's decades of composure, he felt his heart tighten.

"Isn't that little Ning?" asked a burly man with a full beard. His name was Guo Ze, and he was a neighbor of the Guan family.

"It's a pity about Guan Hong and his wife; they were both capable of reaching the rank of Battle General!" sighed an elegant man named Ning Tao, a former teammate of Guan Ning's parents.

"The poor kid has suffered for it, not even getting to attend university. His college entrance exam score was 620—he could have easily gotten into any top-tier school, let alone the First Military Academy."

Guan Ning had heard similar remarks quite often lately, and he had learned to turn a blind eye and remain expressionless as he followed the middle-aged man to stand before a capable and forthright middle-aged woman.

"Little Ning, you are here to...?" Although the middle-aged woman knew his purpose, she couldn't help but ask when she looked at the youth's still-tender features.

Because of his mother, Guan Ning was quite familiar with this woman; she was none other than the master of the Limit Dojo and the Chief Instructor of Suzhou City, Qian Yun.

"Aunt Qian, I am here for the test," Guan Ning said respectfully, then added, "The Quasi-Warrior test."

Hearing this, the dozen or so warriors in the hall stopped what they were doing, all wanting to see if Guan Ning could pass the assessment.