The improvement from this first training session also reflected a person's aptitude.
A 300-kilogram increase in punching force after the first session was considered average,
while a 600-kilogram increase was considered excellent.
An increase of over 1,000 kilograms made someone an elite.
And an increase of over 2,000 kilograms? That made them a genius!
In all of Jiangnan Base City, at most two such people appeared in a year.
"Xiao Ning, I'm sure you know that a genius like you—someone whose first Genetic Origin Energy training increased your punching force by over 2,000 kilograms and brought astonishing improvements to your speed and neural response—will be invited to join the martial hall ahead of time."
She patted Guan Ning on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Of course, that's not what matters. What matters are the resources the martial hall will provide you."
"A genius like you might appear only once or twice a year among the two hundred million people in Jiangnan Base City. When the combat assessment comes around, you'll naturally attract the attention of the Thunder Martial Hall, the Underground Alliance, the Military, and other forces. They'll definitely offer you generous terms."
"Wouldn't it be better to join the martial hall now? Of course, the terms it offers you are quite good, too." Qian Yun said warmly, "But I should make them clear to you: a villa, 20 million in start-up funds for purchasing weapons and equipment, and a set of manuals worth 50 million, including a Guiding Technique manual, a sword technique manual, and a movement technique manual. You can also exchange the villa for 10 million."
"The 50 million allowance isn't the most important part. The most important thing is that you can buy things at half price. Limit Martial Hall warriors get discounts when purchasing certain manuals from the Limit Martial Hall. But the higher the level of the manual, the more martial hall contribution points it takes! These free gifts don't require any martial hall contribution points." At the thought of the generous rewards, Qian Yun couldn't help feeling envious.
"You know how important martial hall contribution points are, so I won't say more. The decision is yours."
Guan Ning's parents were members of the Limit Martial Hall, and his friends were all in the Ginkgo Residential District. Not to mention, he could exchange the villa for ten million. All these reasons clearly told Guan Ning that the Limit Martial Hall was the best choice.
"Aunt Qian, I agree." Guan Ning nodded.
"Good." Qian Yun smiled. "I'll contact headquarters right now." She spoke softly to her wristwatch, saying, "Headquarters," and immediately placed the call.
A moment later—
An image appeared on the phone screen.
"Xiao Qian, what is it?" the white-haired old woman on the screen asked with a faint smile.
"Aunt Fang," Qian Yun said excitedly, "I've found a warrior with genius-level talent. His first Genetic Origin Energy training increased his punching force by 2,000 kilograms, and his speed reached 55 meters per second. Even his neural response test scored an excellent rating at the Intermediate Warrior Level!"
"Oh?" The white-haired old woman was astonished. She quickly asked, "His punching force increased by over 2,000 kilograms after his first session? How old is he?"
"Seventeen!" Qian Yun answered at once.
"What? He's only seventeen?" The white-haired old woman sprang to her feet and shouted, "Bring him to headquarters immediately! I'll arrange for people to assess the boy right now."
"All right, I'll head to headquarters with him now."
Qian Yun ended the call and turned to smile at Guan Ning. "Guan Ning, come with me to headquarters now."
"Sure, Aunt Qian." Guan Ning had barely begun to speak when Qian Yun grabbed him and hurried toward the stairs.
Qian Yun used her privileges. In this era, giving powerful warriors enough authority was true fairness, because only they could stand against the rampant monsters outside the Base City and protect it. Warriors had privileges in many areas, and they had earned them.
The two of them didn't buy tickets. They boarded a train directly and headed for the main district of Jiangnan City.
Trains connected the main district to the Eight Satellite Cities.
Ordinary people had to book train tickets three days in advance, and the fares were expensive. Traveling from one Base City to another cost an astronomical amount—ordinary people couldn't afford it at all. That was why the two hundred million people of Jiangnan City rarely had the chance to leave the Base City in their entire lives.
Jiangnan Base City, main district.
Guan Ning and Qian Yun walked side by side along the sidewalk.
"Xiao Ning, what do you think?" Qian Yun asked with a smile, gesturing around them. Guan Ning looked around. The skyscrapers stood in row upon row, and the place was indeed far more prosperous than Suzhou City.
"Aunt Qian, who was that old woman just now?" Guan Ning asked curiously.
Qian Yun sighed. "She's a senior. After she was injured, she took a position as an instructor at the martial hall. She even taught me once. She's old now and mostly retired. If this weren't so important, I wouldn't have wanted to trouble her."
"The struggle between species has always been the most brutal!"
Guan Ning knew that humans and monsters couldn't coexist. This was a battle between humanity and the demon race; the conflict could only end when one side disappeared.
"That's why warriors are the greatest people of this era. They're the ones who risk their lives to protect human civilization!"
Qian Yun felt the same way. They trained one warrior after another for no other reason than to give humanity an extra measure of strength when fighting the monsters.
"Hello?"
Just then, Qian Yun's wristwatch rang.
"Qian Yun, how much longer until you get here?" The old woman's portrait appeared on the phone screen.
"Aunt Fang, we're almost there," Qian Yun replied with a smile.
As they spoke, Guan Ning spotted a vast compound up ahead. Beyond its long, silver-white walls stood a towering, deep-blue skyscraper. Four enormous characters were visible on its façade, clear even from several kilometers away: Limit Martial Hall!
"This is the Limit General Hall! It's the Jiangnan City headquarters of the Limit Martial Hall," Qian Yun said.
"There are so many powerful people." Guan Ning sensed the auras around him and drew in a sharp breath.
"These are the troops stationed inside our Limit Martial Hall. They're at least High-Level Trainees," Qian Yun explained with a smile. "Our Limit Martial Hall is allowed to establish its own security force."
"Let them through!" A one-armed man with a scar on his face waved from the main gate. All the soldiers immediately stepped back in unison. Their disciplined presence made Guan Ning hold his breath.
Once they passed through the gate, Qian Yun pointed to the skyscraper. "Look. That building is the Jiangnan City headquarters for the warriors of the Limit Martial Hall! Almost everyone going in and out of it is a warrior."
"The first floor is for leisure. The second through ninth floors are where Warrior Level warriors usually train and spend time. The tenth through nineteenth floors are for War General Level warriors. The floors above the twentieth are used for group meetings."
As they walked, Qian Yun explained the headquarters to Guan Ning, telling him about the Inspectors, the president, the Four Giants, and the like. Guan Ning already knew about them, but he listened very carefully all the same. This was the real world, not a novel from his previous life; it was always better to be cautious.
They soon reached a three-story villa. An elderly white-haired woman called down from the second-floor balcony, "Xiao Qian, come on up!"
"Come on, follow me."
Qian Yun led Guan Ning into the villa.
"Aunt Fang." When Qian Yun reached the second floor and saw the old woman, she greeted her respectfully at once.
"Hello, Granny Fang." Guan Ning hurried to pay his respects as well. He held people like her in great respect.
"Are you Guan Ning?" At his words, the old woman turned her gaze toward him, her voice gentle.
Before Guan Ning could answer, she gave an order. "Check the equipment."
The staff behind her immediately got to work. They had everything ready in no time.
"Whirr."
All the cameras and other equipment in the spacious second-floor training hall switched on, clearly set to record Guan Ning's entire assessment.
The staff immediately got to work as well. Some held handheld computers, while others personally checked that each instrument was properly calibrated. This was clearly far more professional than the Quasi-Warrior Assessment.
"The equipment is all good."
The old woman looked at Guan Ning and said, "Guan Ning, let's begin. Start with the punching-force test."
"Bam!"
Guan Ning took a deep breath and bent his body slightly, like a fully drawn bowstring. He drove a heavy punch into the target.
A number appeared on the display: "3002 kg."
The old woman remained composed, but her slight nod was enough to show how pleased she was with Guan Ning.
Next came the speed test. The result appeared quickly: 55.4 m/s.
When the neural response test began, the expressions of the old woman and Qian Yun changed.
Guan Ning moved swiftly, but only within a single step in each direction. His movements were extremely economical. Since he barely needed to dodge, his efficiency was remarkable.
He was also incredibly agile and quick. Even when rubber bullets came at him from tricky angles, Guan Ning could dodge them in ways that seemed impossible. He performed the iron bridge pose over and over, showing just how flexible his body was.
Of course, that wasn't what the old woman and the others were focused on. They watched the movements of Guan Ning's body closely, murmuring, "Subtlety..."
The 60 seconds passed quickly. When Guan Ning's results came in, the old woman came back to herself and said reproachfully, "Xiao Qian, Guan Ning's movement technique has reached the 'subtlety' level. Why didn't you mention that?"
"Aunt Fang, I didn't notice..." Qian Yun was also deeply surprised. She had been too excited at the time to recognize that Guan Ning's movement technique had reached the "subtlety" level. Now, hearing the old woman's reproach, she felt rather embarrassed.
"Never mind. Let's look at the results first." The old woman spoke, and Qian Yun relaxed.
Neural response test—perfect score at the Beginner Warrior Level, excellent rating at the Intermediate Warrior Level!
After looking at the results, the old woman remained impassive. With movement technique at the "subtlety" level, such a result wasn't surprising. If Guan Ning's physical fitness were a little higher, he would have done even better.
"Looks like we'll have to trouble that boy Yu Sen after all," the old woman said softly.
"Yu Sen?" Qian Yun was confused at first, then her eyes widened. "Aunt Fang, do you mean Supervisor Yu Sen?"
"That's right." The old woman nodded. "Before you arrived, I spoke to Yu Sen on the phone. If he weren't out in the wilderness right now, you would have seen him here."
Before you continue