A-Grade Trial

Yang Hui changed his fist into a palm, bent his arm, and slapped the back of the sword with his right hand. The force sent the Qingming Sword off course, and his left fist followed through toward Guan Ning's chest. Feeling the strength behind Yang Hui's palm, Guan Ning could tell the War God before him was taking the fight seriously.

Yang Hui couldn't vent his frustration because of his status as an envoy, but he was still irritated that Guan Ning had knocked the War Blade from his hand. Naturally, he put more strength into his attacks.

Guan Ning touched the ground with his toes and spun in the direction the Qingming Sword had been knocked. He not only dodged the left fist aimed at his chest, but also swung the Qingming Sword in an arc through the air, slashing toward Yang Hui's neck.

Though this was only an assessment, Guan Ning had no intention of holding back. Besides, he didn't think he could hurt Yang Hui anyway.

Yang Hui wasn't wearing combat gear, and the Qingming Sword before him was only a prop. It couldn't hurt him, so he didn't need to dodge. But this was still an examination, so Yang Hui stepped back to avoid the sword.

The Qingming Sword's horizontal slash stopped abruptly. Guan Ning surged forward and thrust the sword straight at Yang Hui's throat.

Yang Hui was impressed by the sudden thrust and immediately responded.

He leaned his upper body back to evade the Qingming Sword. His feet stayed planted, motionless as iron nails, while he held a backbend and spun in place. When he was right beside Guan Ning, he reached out with both hands to grab Guan Ning's legs.

As soon as Yang Hui dodged the Qingming Sword, Guan Ning had controlled it and brought it down in a vertical slash, hoping to split him in two.

But he never expected Yang Hui to have such incredible coordination, capable of making a move like that. He couldn't help thinking, As expected of a War God.

Just as Yang Hui's hands were about to grab his legs, Guan Ning leaped up. Though he had no time to gather momentum, he still jumped more than a meter.

Before Guan Ning could catch his breath, Yang Hui sprang forward like a released coil and was suddenly right in front of him. His right hand clamped around the wrist of Guan Ning's sword hand.

Guan Ning was startled. He hadn't expected Yang Hui to move so quickly. He hurriedly tried to break free, but the hand gripping his wrist was like an iron clamp, unmoving.

Guan Ning knew he had lost and didn't struggle pointlessly. "Mr. Yang, I concede."

"Good sense, and you know when to advance and when to retreat. Excellent, excellent!"

When Guan Ning conceded, Yang Hui released his wrist. His eyes filled with even greater admiration, and he praised Guan Ning repeatedly.

The assessment was over. Qian Yun, Yu Sen, and Zhou Zhengyong came over as well.

Seeing Zhou Zhengyong approach, Yang Hui smiled. "Iron Hand, Jiangnan Base City really is a place of good fortune. In just a few days, you've produced a Luo Feng and a Guan Ning. You're making me want to apply to headquarters for the position of chairman."

With Zhou Zhengyong's discernment, he could naturally tell that Guan Ning's swordsmanship had not only reached Mastery-Level, but was also extremely polished. He was delighted.

They had discovered two geniuses in such a short time, both certain to enter the Basic Training Camp and with a chance of making it into the Elite Training Camp. As chairman, Zhou Zhengyong would receive an extremely generous reward, so he was naturally thrilled.

Hearing Yang Hui's joke, Zhou Zhengyong joked back, "Why don't I just give you the position?"

Yang Hui was at a loss for words. He longed for freedom; how could he let the duties of a chairman tie him down? He forced a laugh. "You haven't changed a bit after all these years."

After the pleasantries, Yang Hui looked at Guan Ning and said, "Your swordsmanship has indeed reached the second level, Mastery-Level. You passed the assessment."

Then he asked about what had been puzzling him. "What's going on with your strength? How did it increase so much so suddenly?"

Hearing that he had passed the assessment, Guan Ning was overjoyed. It meant he was about to enter a whole new world, one that was broader and wider than before.

He was just about to reply to Yang Hui when Yang Hui pointed to the Punch Strength Tester in the corner of the training hall. "Go test your physical stats."

Guan Ning adjusted his breathing slightly. Then, like an agile monkey, he swung his fist in an arc.

"Bang!"

A deep sound, like a blow against a drum, rang out. The target shook violently, and a number immediately appeared on the Punch Strength Tester's display: "4568 kg."

Then came his speed: "93.4 m/s."

Nerve reaction speed: "Intermediate War General Level, Excellent."

"Gasp! Based on the approximate standards for physical fitness, a punch strength of 4,000 to 8,000 kilograms falls within High-Level Warrior Rank! He's gained more than a thousand kilograms in half a month. That's incredible!"

Yu Sen spoke excitedly. Seeing a younger generation like Guan Ning rise up was like seeing the day humanity reclaimed its place as Earth's ruler.

Even Yu Sen hadn't expected the new warrior he'd invested in half a month ago to reach this level so quickly.

High-Level Warriors were nothing special to War Gods like Zhou Zhengyong and Yang Hui; even Junior War Generals weren't worth their notice. But going from Quasi-Warrior to High-Level Warrior in half a month was astonishing. Even with all their experience, they had seen only a handful of people capable of it.

"Not bad. I originally thought your comprehension was simply incredible, which was why you'd mastered the second level of footwork and swordsmanship at such a young age without a teacher. Now it seems your physical fitness is even more extraordinary."

"Without a Guiding Technique, you relied solely on the Five Hearts Toward Heaven cultivation method and increased your punch strength by more than a thousand kilograms in just half a month. That's an average gain of over a hundred kilograms a day. Even the Elite Training Camp doesn't have many people like that."

"Most astonishing of all is your nerve reaction speed. Your physical fitness is at High-Level Warrior Rank, yet your nerve reaction speed has reached Intermediate War General Level, Excellent—several levels above."

"Your strength does meet the requirements for entering the Elite Training Camp."

Yang Hui looked at Guan Ning as if he were examining a priceless treasure.

Hearing Yang Hui's praise, Guan Ning appeared incredibly excited, but inside he was calm. Part of that was thanks to his exposure to Daoist classics; the rest came from knowing exactly why his progress had been so rapid.

Without the extra cultivation time granted by his soul's transformation, how could his physical fitness have reached High-Level Warrior Rank?

His nerve reaction speed was also a result of his transformed soul. Though he hadn't awakened Spiritual Force, the benefits of the transformation were plain to see. Not only had his nerve reaction speed improved greatly, but his comprehension had also increased. Otherwise, no matter how solid his foundation was, he might not have grasped the second level of swordsmanship.

"But—I'll have to report this to the higher-ups. Put me through to Inspector Wang."

Having contacted the inspector twice in just three days, Yang Hui couldn't help smiling bitterly.

Under normal circumstances, the Limit Martial Hall selected two or three geniuses from Jiangnan Base City each year for the Basic Training Camp.

But the Elite Training Camp was different!

Across all of Jiangnan Base City, with its population of 200 million, only about one person was usually selected for the Elite Training Camp every five years! There were only six Base Cities in all of Huaxia Nation. Put another way, among the more than one billion people in Huaxia Nation, only one person was selected each year!

That was why the Elite Training Camp's admissions were decided by the higher-ups.

"Beep, beep..."

"Hello!"

A deep, hoarse voice echoed throughout the audiovisual room.

"Inspector!" Yang Hui, Zhou Zhengyong, and the others immediately stood up, their expressions respectful.

The Inspector!

In the Limit Martial Hall, his position was second only to its founder, Hong. According to the Limit Martial Hall's rules, any warrior who became Beyond War God was directly appointed as an Inspector. In other words, an Inspector was someone who had surpassed the War God level!

"Oh, Yang Hui. Wasn't Luo Feng's situation resolved? What is it this time?" the Inspector asked.

"Inspector, this isn't about Luo Feng. There's another genius in Jiangnan Base City, Guan Ning," Yang Hui said.

"Guan Ning? Tell me about him," the Inspector said. He knew Yang Hui was a cautious man.

"Guan Ning is seventeen years old. He passed the Quasi-Warrior Assessment on February 16 and the practical assessment on March 1. Relying only on the Five Hearts Toward Heaven cultivation method, he reached High-Level Warrior Rank in physical fitness in half a month. His nerve reaction speed is even at Intermediate War General Level, Excellent."

"After testing him in combat, I found that his footwork and swordsmanship have both reached the second level, and are extremely polished."

"I believe he fully qualifies for the Elite Training Camp, so I'm reporting this to you."

Yang Hui's tone was calm, but he was growing more and more excited.

"Oh?"

The Inspector fell silent for a moment. The audiovisual room was quiet as well. Yang Hui and Zhou Zhengyong remained silent, not daring to interrupt.

Guan Ning waited quietly too, though his palms had begun to sweat. It was clear he was nervous.

"You! You really know how to give me trouble. I only dealt with Luo Feng's case the day before yesterday, and now you've brought me another Guan Ning. Honestly..."

The Inspector didn't finish, but everyone present understood what he meant.

Did I fail? It's fine. Even the Basic Training Camp can speed up my growth.

Guan Ning was filled with disappointment and lowered his head. But a moment later, he raised it again. An inscrutable light flickered in his eyes, and his whole bearing changed. Before, he had seemed at ease with the world; now, he was like a drawn sword, unyielding even if it meant breaking.

Yang Hui and the others were startled by the change in Guan Ning and all turned to look at him.

"Inspector..."

As an instructor at the Elite Training Camp, Yang Hui was deeply protective of talented youngsters. He wanted to make another case to the Inspector.

"Yang Hui, take him directly to the Elite Training Camp," the Inspector said in a steady voice.

"Does he need to undergo an assessment?" Yang Hui asked dutifully.

"An assessment..." The Inspector fell silent for a moment, then said, "An A-Grade Trial. If he passes, let him enter the Elite Training Camp." The Inspector's hoarse voice echoed throughout the audiovisual room.

"Yes, sir."

Yang Hui answered respectfully.

"Beep." The call had already ended.

Only then did Yang Hui and Zhou Zhengyong let out a breath of relief. A War God and someone Beyond War God might seem only a step apart, but the difference in strength and status was enormous! Someone Beyond War God could flatten a city of more than ten million people and speak to a superpower as an equal.