Performance Meets Standards

"I didn't expect... Alright, give me your ID card." Aunt Qian said with a slight look of surprise and a beaming smile.

After taking Guan Ning's ID card, she swiped it across the instrument nearby.

Beep!

A crystal-clear, almost transparent screen popped up from the instrument, displaying a wealth of personal information.

"Xiao Ning, let's begin. The first item is the punch strength test," Aunt Qian said gently.

"Yes."

Guan Ning immediately stepped forward, narrowed his eyes, and swung his right fist in an arc, slamming it into the target. The target merely trembled slightly. The screen of the Punch Strength Tester immediately displayed the number: '920kg'.

"Haha, well done, Xiao Ning!" Guo Ze laughed loudly.

"Not bad, young man. You remembered not to lose your center of gravity during the strike. You truly are Guan Hong's seed," said Ning Tao, who appeared refined but spoke with such ruggedness.

Hearing the praise from Guo Ze and Ning Tao, Guan Ning felt a wave of exhilaration, and even the pent-up frustration he had accumulated over the past year dissipated somewhat.

"Pass. Next item, speed test." Seeing the number on the screen, the smile on Aunt Qian's face grew even wider.

Walking onto the track, Guan Ning adjusted his breathing slightly, then "whooshed" forward like a pouncing leopard, swift and incomparable, crossing the track in an instant.

"26.5m/s"

"Good speed." Aunt Qian was also a bit surprised; she hadn't expected Guan Ning's speed to have increased by such a significant margin.

"The last item, nerve reaction test. Follow me." Aunt Qian led Guan Ning, followed by a crowd of onlookers, to the 'Nerve Reaction Testing Room' connected to the martial arts hall.

This was a spacious room of about one hundred square meters.

A tall, expensive piece of equipment stood on the floor. At the very front of this device were dozens of firing ports, resembling a six-barreled Gatling gun, though there were far more of them than on a standard Gatling.

"Xiao Ning, you know the rules, so I won't repeat them. Begin."

Hearing this, Guan Ning walked directly to the front of the tester's muzzles, standing within a circle with a diameter of 3.6 meters.

"Click!" Once the switch was turned on.

The edge of the 3.6-meter circle immediately emitted a hazy red light upward, instantly surrounding the tester within the circle as if by a misty red veil.

Aunt Qian walked to the side of the Nerve Reaction Tester and pressed several buttons to adjust the intensity of the test.

"Start!" Aunt Qian pressed the red button.

"Beep—beep—" The massive muzzle of the Nerve Reaction Tester began to rotate. Dozens of barrels erupted with red light almost instantly. The speeds varied, and the flight trajectories were completely non-parallel and chaotic, rapidly firing into the red circle.

Guan Ning moved like a nimble cat, constantly dodging forward, backward, left, and right, avoiding one rubber bullet after another. Of course, some were too fast to dodge, and he had no choice but to take a 'hit'.

The martial artists watching from the side observed Guan Ning's agile figure and began to discuss.

"This reaction speed of Xiao Ning's... I'm afraid it's on par with mine."

"His footwork is excellent; his foundation is very solid."

60 seconds later, The Nerve Reaction Tester slowed down and came to a stop, and a long string of numbers appeared on the screen.

Upon seeing the data, Aunt Qian revealed a look of astonishment. "Xiao Ning, you have truly surprised your Aunt Qian. Your nerve reaction speed has actually reached the level of an excellent Junior Warrior."

"It's truly incredible!"

"For a Quasi-Warrior to possess such nerve reaction speed, he is truly a natural-born gunman."

Guan Ning was also surprised. Since his nerve reaction speed had reached the Quasi-Warrior standard six months ago, he hadn't tested it specifically. He hadn't expected such a massive improvement in half a year. He then realized that, after all, he possessed the soul of an adult fused with a new soul, combined with his unique training methods, so such results were understandable.

"Excellent, Xiao Ning. Congratulations. Once the official file is issued and your information is entered into the citizen database, you will be a Quasi-Warrior!"

"Today is February 16th. In half a month, on March 1st, the Warrior actual combat assessment will take place. You will gather at the Limit Dojo in the morning and, under the guidance of instructors, go with other Quasi-Warriors to hunt monsters outside the human base city! Once you pass the actual combat assessment, you will be a true Warrior," Aunt Qian said with a smile.

There are two Warrior actual combat assessments per year. One is on March 1st—originally it was supposed to be February 1st, but due to the Spring Festival, it was set for March 1st. The second is naturally on August 1st, as in the original story.

"Understood." Guan Ning nodded excitedly.

"Xiao Ning, congratulations!"

"Xiao Ning, don't slack off during this time. Be careful during the actual combat assessment."

"That's right, Xiao Ning. The actual combat assessment is no child's play."

The surrounding martial artists congratulated Guan Ning while urging him not to let his guard down.

"Thank you, uncles."

"Xiao Ning, come with me."

Just then, Aunt Qian's voice came through.

Arriving in the outer martial arts hall, Aunt Qian took a contract from the corner and said solemnly: "Xiao Ning, although you know these things, your Aunt Qian still needs to make it clear to you. Once you participate in the Warrior actual combat assessment, if you are killed by a monster in the process, it has nothing to do with our Limit Martial Hall! Of course, the mortality rate for the Warrior actual combat assessment is very low, but the disability rate is relatively high."

"However, if you can't even pass this hurdle, then don't even talk about going to the Wilderness Area. The dangers of the Wilderness Area are far more terrifying than the actual combat assessment."

Guan Ning took the contract, read it through, and without the slightest hesitation, signed his name.

Seeing Guan Ning sign the contract decisively, Aunt Qian smiled and said: "Good, now for the main event."

Aunt Qian then walked to the keyboard nearby, quickly pressed a few keys, and soon a huge, transparent screen appeared on the wall of the martial arts hall, displaying an article.

It was titled: Genetic Origin Energy Cultivation Method.

"Once your physical fitness reaches the 'Quasi-Warrior' level, you can absorb cosmic energy, thereby enhancing bone density, cellular activity, and more."

"Your bones can become ten or even a hundred times harder than diamond, and your internal organs can become so powerful that you can hold your breath underwater for half an hour, or even longer!"

"All of this requires absorbing energy from the universe and integrating it into every cell to become your own energy—that is, Genetic Origin Energy!"

Qian Yun pointed to the article on the screen: "This is the cultivation method for Genetic Origin Energy—the Five-Heart-to-Heaven Cultivation Method! It is also the only method for cultivating Genetic Origin Energy on the entire planet."

Guan Ning did not hear what Qian Yun said afterward. Ever since the Five-Heart-to-Heaven Cultivation Method appeared, his body and mind had been completely immersed in it, because he knew that if he wanted to become strong, the Five-Heart-to-Heaven Cultivation Method before him was the only path. Although there were Guiding Techniques, without the Five-Heart-to-Heaven Cultivation Method, those techniques were nothing more than a pile of waste paper.

Seeing that Guan Ning had memorized the "Five-Heart-to-Heaven Cultivation Method," Qian Yun turned off the screen and said, "Little Ning, why don't you come to my place for dinner today?"

"I'm sorry, Aunt Qian, I already promised Uncle Zhong I'd go to his place," Guan Ning said apologetically.

Qian Yun said with a hint of regret, "Alright then."

After saying goodbye to everyone in the martial arts hall, Guan Ning left the Limit Dojo. His destination was naturally Zhong Liang's house; he couldn't break a promise once he had made it!

The Limit Dojo was located in the center of the Ginkgo Residential District, so it wasn't very far from Zhong Liang's house. If Guan Ning went all out, he could reach it in just three minutes.

But it was still early, and Guan Ning wanted to take this opportunity to relax. After all, for the past year or so, aside from the rare occasions he went to Zhong Liang's house for dinner, he had spent all his time in the basement in bitter cultivation. Even though he wasn't a seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy, but rather a soul in his thirties, he had still accumulated quite a bit of negative emotion. He needed to release some of it during this time so he could face the actual combat assessment in a better state.

Seeing the villa in front of him, Guan Ning pressed the doorbell directly.

"Ding-dong!"

"Who is it?" A crisp voice rang out.

Hearing this voice, the corners of Guan Ning's mouth curled up. This was Aunt Xue's voice. Aunt Xue was Uncle Zhong's wife; although she wasn't a warrior, she had taken care of him during the days right after Guan Ning's parents passed away, so he felt particularly close to her.

"Aunt Xue, it's me, Guan Ning. It's been a long time, I've missed you, so I came to visit," Guan Ning said with a grin.

"Click!"

After the door opened, a beautiful woman in her forties smiled and said, "Oh, you talk so sweetly. If your Uncle Zhong hadn't called you, would you have come over?"

Hearing this and seeing Aunt Xue's playful expression, Guan Ning straightened his face and said helplessly, "Aunt Xue, you're wronging me. I was already planning to come over after I finished my business; who knew Uncle Zhong would call?"

"You always have an excuse, you clever little devil! Come on in," Aunt Xue said, feigning annoyance at Guan Ning's words.

"What's good to eat today? I'm starving!" Guan Ning smiled and entered the villa.

"Huh!" Aunt Xue heard Guan Ning's words and looked a bit puzzled. "Little Ning, you seem a bit different today?"

"How am I different?"

"Hmm..." Aunt Xue thought for a moment and said, "You have a relaxed and comfortable air about you, much more so than before."

Guan Ning guessed it must have something to do with the special state he had just been in, so he asked, "Aunt Xue, do you think this change is good or bad?"

Aunt Xue didn't even think about it and blurted out, "Of course it's good."

"Then there you go."

Hearing Guan Ning's clear, bright voice, Aunt Xue didn't ask any more questions; after all, the current Guan Ning was much more pleasant to be around.

"Not bad, Little Ning, your neural reaction speed has reached the standard for a junior warrior."

Just as the two were talking, Zhong Liang appeared. When Guan Ning left the Limit Dojo, someone had already informed Zhong Liang of his assessment results. And so, the moment he saw Guan Ning, he showered him with praise.

"Uncle Zhong, you flatter me." Guan Ning was modest, but seeing only the three of them, he asked curiously, "Is Brother Xuan not home?"

"Your Brother Xuan has been a bit busy these past few days," Aunt Xue explained.