Quasi-Warrior Assessment

In a sunlit room, a boy with an unhandsome but sharply defined face stood in front of a machine. He planted his feet shoulder-width apart, stepped forward with his left foot, drew his right foot slightly back, and twisted his hips, channeling his strength into his right arm. His fist shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow, leaving a blur in its wake. With a bang, it slammed into the target.

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

"Whew! I finally met the standard. All that's left is speed."

The number on the screen filled the boy with excitement.

Suppressing his excitement, he went over to the track and switched on the Speed Tester.

The boy steadied his breathing, stood on the track, then suddenly burst into motion!

With a whoosh, he shot forward like a cannonball, passing through the Speed Tester's range in an instant.

"26.1 m/s"

After stopping, the boy walked over to the speed test screen. When he saw the number on it, he burst into laughter, then started to cry. He looked up at the ceiling and cried out, "Dad, Mom, can you see this? Ning'er has met the Quasi-Warrior standard! It won't be long before your son becomes a Warrior. You can rest easy now."

After letting it all out, the boy's emotions settled. But when he thought of the parents he'd had in this life and the hardships of the past decade, his vision blurred.

The boy wasn't from this world. To be precise, he was a transmigrator. In both his previous life and this one, his name was Guan Ning.

In his original world, Guan Ning had been a forensic doctor. During a mission, he'd been stabbed several times by a criminal and died on the spot.

He'd thought his life was over, but his soul had transmigrated to this world and become a newborn baby—the boy who was now Guan Ning.

He'd been certain that with the knowledge from his previous life, he would thrive in this one. But when he learned that this was the world of Swallowed Star, his thinking changed completely. From that moment on, he had only one goal: to become a Warrior.

Guan Ning had to admit he was quite lucky. Both his parents were Warriors, and they were even High-Level Warriors, which meant they could provide him with abundant resources.

On top of that, because he'd transmigrated, Guan Ning was more mature and intelligent than his peers. He had excellent grades and had already graduated from high school at fifteen.

Ever since he was three, he'd spent every day either studying or exercising. Thanks to all that effort and the ample resources his parents provided, Guan Ning's physical fitness had reached the High-Level Trainee standard by the age of fifteen.

Everything had been going well, until the day Guan Ning's parents received the news that he'd reached the High-Level Trainee standard. Then disaster struck: a Beast Tide erupted, and his parents' bodies were never found.

The devastating news struck Guan Ning like a bolt from the blue. After two or three days in a daze, he pulled himself together. Having read the original novel, he knew that a Universe Master could Reverse Time and Space to resurrect the dead. He didn't know what it would take, but at least he had a goal.

Nor was he completely ignorant about Reverse Time and Space. From what he remembered of the original novel, everyone who'd been resurrected had been an undying being with an eternal lifespan, and the price was considerable. As for how to get a lofty Universe Master to intervene, Guan Ning had a plan. He also suspected that Reverse Time and Space might have something to do with lifespan.

Guan Ning's parents had been born around the year 2000. It was now 2057, which meant they'd been around fifty when they died. They'd been High-Level Warriors, or Apprentice Rank, Third Stage. Their life levels hadn't yet undergone a transformation, but they could still have lived to a hundred.

Fifty years—that was the time Guan Ning had set for himself. Within those fifty years, he had to meet or get in contact with an apex being like a Universe Master. That left him only one path: take part in the upcoming Peak Genius Competition, become a Core Member of the Virtual Universe Company, enter the Initial Universe and Chaos City, and then make contact with the Chaos City Lord. It was the only path he could think of.

From then on, Guan Ning gave up on going to college and devoted all his energy to martial arts.

Even if he failed to make it in time for the Peak Genius Competition, he'd accept it, because he would have done everything he could. But he still had a fallback plan. He just didn't want to use it unless he had no other choice.

Guan Ning's parents had left him a sizable inheritance: a three-story villa with a Training Room and a substantial sum of money. Over the past year or so, he'd spent all of it on monster meat, medicinal herbs, Nutrient Solution, and other supplies.

It was only thanks to those abundant resources and his hard work that Guan Ning had achieved what he had: at seventeen, he was a Quasi-Warrior.

"Beep beep..."

The Communication Watch on Guan Ning's wrist rang, bringing him back from his reverie.

"Uncle Zhong, what's up?"

He glanced at the caller ID and smiled.

Uncle Zhong's name was Zhong Liang. He was not only Guan Ning's neighbor but also a friend of Guan Ning's parents. Zhong Liang had always been fond of the mature, clever boy. After Guan Ning's parents died, he often checked in and looked after him, and Guan Ning was deeply grateful.

"Ning, I just got back from the Wilderness Area. Come over for dinner."

A weathered voice came through the watch, full of concern.

"Uncle Zhong, first of all, congratulations on making it back safely. I have something to take care of right now. I'll come over once I'm done."

Guan Ning replied apologetically.

"What could be so important? Even if you're training, you need to relax sometimes. Keep pushing yourself nonstop and you'll collapse eventually."

Zhong Liang sounded anxious. He knew how hard Guan Ning had been pushing himself lately and was very worried about his health.

"My physical fitness has reached the Quasi-Warrior standard. I'm going 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 taking the Quasi-Warrior Assessment?"

Zhong Liang's voice was full of disbelief. He could hardly imagine what a seventeen-year-old Quasi-Warrior would be like.

"Uncle Zhong, you heard right. My punch strength is 916 kg, my speed is 26.1 m/s, and my nerve reaction speed met the standard six months ago."

Hearing Zhong Liang's astonishment, Guan Ning briskly recited his stats.

"Th-this... Ning, you really... If Big Brother Guan and his wife knew, they'd be so happy for you. Oh! Ning, don't... I'm just... Forget it. I wish you all the best. Go on, hurry!"

On the other end, Zhong Liang was so stunned he didn't know what to say. He genuinely cared for the sensible, obedient Guan Ning. Ever since Guan Ning's parents had died, he hadn't gone to college. Instead, he'd stayed cooped up at home, training nonstop. Whenever Zhong Liang called him, he never answered, so Zhong Liang had to visit in person to get him to take a break.

Every time he saw Guan Ning drenched in sweat, Zhong Liang's heart ached for him. Now that he'd heard the good news, he was genuinely happy for him. At the same time, he felt relieved. Now Guan Ning would be able to ease up a little instead of pushing himself to the limit every day.

"Thanks, Uncle Zhong. I have to go now. I'll hang up."

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

Ginkgo Residential District was where Guan Ning lived. It was a Warrior Residential Area in Suzhou City, Jiangnan Base City. Both of Guan Ning's parents had been Warriors in the Limit Martial Hall, and the villa he lived in had been assigned to them by the Limit Martial Hall. The Limit Dojo was the Limit Martial Hall's headquarters in Suzhou City, right in the center of Ginkgo Residential District, so it was extremely convenient for Guan Ning.

As Guan Ning made his way over, he passed the tall Limit Dojo standing in the middle of the district. Elsewhere, rows of detached villas stood in neat yet varied arrangements. Between them were rock gardens, ponds, and lawns, all quiet and peaceful.

"Sir, how can I help you?" asked a sweet-looking young woman politely as Guan Ning entered the lobby.

"I'm here to take the Quasi-Warrior Assessment."

"Please wait a moment."

After hearing Guan Ning's request, the young woman made a phone call, then led him to sit nearby.

"Ding!"

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

He caught sight of Guan Ning, a glint flashing in his eyes, and called out, "You're here for the Quasi-Warrior Assessment? Come upstairs with me."

"Yes." Guan Ning sensed the fierce aura radiating from the middle-aged man and answered respectfully.

Once they were in the elevator, the middle-aged man in loose athletic clothes pressed "6."

"Ding!" The elevator reached the sixth floor.

Whoosh!

The doors opened onto a huge training hall. More than a dozen people had gathered inside, including several Warriors Guan Ning knew—some were his neighbors, while others had been his parents' friends. Thinking that all these people were Warriors made Guan Ning's heart tighten, despite his decades of composure.

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

"What a pity about Guan Hong and his wife. They were both on the verge of reaching the General rank!" said an elegant-looking man with a sigh. This was Ning Tao, a former teammate of Guan Ning's parents.

"The poor boy. He didn't even go to college. He scored 620 on the entrance exam. He could've easily gotten into First Military Academy, or even a top school."

Guan Ning had heard similar remarks a lot lately. He'd learned to ignore them completely, following the middle-aged man with an expressionless face until they reached a capable, spirited middle-aged woman.

"Ning, what are you...? Although the middle-aged woman knew why Guan Ning had come, she couldn't help herself when she saw the boy's youthful features."

Because of his mother, Guan Ning knew this middle-aged woman fairly well. She was the owner of the Limit Dojo and the Chief Instructor in Suzhou City, Qian Yun.

"Aunt Qian, I'm here to take the test," Guan Ning said respectfully, then added, "The Quasi-Warrior test."

The dozen or so Warriors in the training hall stopped what they were doing when they heard him. They all wanted to see whether Guan Ning could pass the test.