第13章 准武者考核

"I can't believe the prospective warrior assessment is tomorrow."

"What a coincidence..."

Lin Fan stood on the bustling street, his calm eyes reflecting the scrolling text on a massive holographic screen.

For ninety-nine percent of the hot-blooded youths in this base city, those red characters represented dreams and a leap in social class.

They represented the ability to live in a grand villa, marry a beautiful wife, and perhaps one day become a big shot like "Thor" or "Hong."

Just thinking about it was enough to make any young person's hormones surge.

But for Lin Fan at this moment, the word "passion" held no sway in his mind.

For him, this assessment was stripped of all that ethereal sense of glory, leaving only two essential words—

Legitimate.

This was a ticket to the upper class, and more importantly, the only legitimate channel he desperately needed to offload his goods.

With a warrior's status, he could access the internal network of Limit Home and openly turn the pile of "junk" in his ring into cold, hard cash.

More crucially, the Limit Martial Arts Hall was never stingy with geniuses who were "capable and alive."

As long as one showed enough value, rights to villa residency, advanced guidance techniques, or even one-on-one instruction from a War God-level mentor—these luxuries in the eyes of the lower class were merely bargaining chips used by the martial arts hall to recruit talent.

"Looks like I need to prepare well. Who knows, I might even run into our future City Lord Luo."

Lin Fan's lips curled slightly. He pulled his coat tighter and turned, blending into the vast night.

Returning to the moldy public housing unit, Lin Fan didn't rush to sleep. Instead, he began his final "pre-exam cramming."

"True Self."

He awakened the diligent "worker" within his sea of consciousness and began to repeatedly simulate the tomorrow's assessment process.

The difficulty wasn't in passing.

With his current physical fitness, bolstered by the nourishment of the Calamity, combined with the force-generating techniques of the Basic Warrior 36 Forms, passing the assessment was easier than drinking water.

The real difficulty lay in "control."

"Luo Feng should be in this batch as well."

Lin Fan sat cross-legged on his bed, recalling the timeline of the original story.

"At this point, Luo Feng's punch power should be around 1100 kilograms, his speed 28 meters per second, and his nerve reaction rating 'excellent'."

"That's already genius-level data."

"If I perform too weakly, I won't get the best contract and will be dismissed as an ordinary warrior; if I'm too strong, say, punching out 2000 kilograms..."

Lin Fan shook his head.

"That wouldn't be a genius; that would be a monster. I might get dragged off for dissection or, worse, targeted by other factions, inviting a world of trouble."

"So, I have to act."

"I'll keep my punch power around 1500 kilograms and my speed at 35 meters per second. It's enough to firmly outshine Luo Feng and draw the attention of the higher-ups, without being so shocking that people start wondering if I've been possessed by a monster."

"This is what you call, between being a badass and a fool, using micro-management to trigger a 'peerless genius' bug."

The night passed without incident.

The next morning, Yi'an District, Limit Martial Arts Hall.

The silver-gray, massive building crouched in the city center, exuding a cold, metallic texture under the morning light like a dormant steel beast.

Lin Fan carried his empty canvas bag, pulled down the brim of the five-dollar baseball cap he'd bought, and mingled with the crowd arriving for the assessment.

Most of those around him were burly men with thick necks and fleshy faces, the air thick with the pungent smell of sweat and cheap tobacco.

In contrast, Lin Fan, wearing a washed-out school uniform and looking somewhat thin, stood out like a husky mixed into a pack of wolves.

But he wasn't the only one who looked like a student.

At the front of the crowd, he saw that familiar back—Luo Feng.

Luo Feng was whispering to a burly man named Yang Wu, his expression a mix of nervousness and excitement; the youthful vitality unique to his age was practically overflowing.

Lin Fan withdrew his gaze, shoved his hands into his pockets, and stood quietly at the end of the line, perfectly playing the role of a "transparent person."

"Assessment begins! Everyone, line up and enter the sixth floor of the martial arts hall!"

Following the instructor's command, the assessment officially kicked off.

First was the punch power test.

The burly men ahead went up one by one, slamming into the punch targets.

"806kg! Fail!"

"890kg! A pity!"

"910kg! Pass!"

Some cheered, some hung their heads in defeat; the various states of life were vividly displayed before this small testing machine.

Soon, it was Luo Feng's turn.

"Luo Feng, go for it!" Yang Wu shouted from the side.

"Old Jiang seems quite confident," the Chief Instructor Wu Tong said, hands behind his back, watching Luo Feng with a smile. "I heard this kid was scouted by you?"

"Heh, just watch," Instructor Jiang Nian replied, looking smug.

Luo Feng stood before the target, took a deep breath, and his eyes turned sharp.

He pushed off with his feet, his body twisted slightly, and a powerful torque erupted from his waist and hips, traveling through his body like a flood before surging into his arm.

Boom!

His fist, trailing an afterimage, slammed heavily into the target.

The target swayed violently, emitting a heart-trembling thud.

The numbers on the screen jumped frantically before finally settling.

[1101kg]

"Good!"

"Not bad!"

Amidst the praise, Wu Tong nodded with satisfaction. "18 years old, 1100 kilograms, a good seedling. Hmm, pass!"

A look of joy appeared on Luo Feng's face; after all, this was the result of years of hard training.

"Next, Lin Fan."

Hearing the name, Jiang Nian, who was still happy for Luo Feng, paused and looked toward the back of the crowd.

"That student kid? Seems like his first time here, too."

Lin Fan walked out from the crowd.

As he passed Luo Feng, their eyes met for a second.

Luo Feng looked at this "transparent" schoolmate with some surprise. Though they weren't close, he still nodded kindly, giving him an encouraging look.

Lin Fan nodded slightly, his expression calm as he walked to the target.

Everyone present, including Chief Instructor Wu Tong, hadn't paid much attention to this thin, weak-looking teenager.

After all, with Luo Feng's impressive performance just moments ago, everyone was still savoring the impact of that punch.

Who would care about a student who looked like he could be blown over by a breeze?

Lin Fan stood before the target and lightly shook out his wrists.

"1500 kilograms... that should be about seventy percent of my power."

He took a deep breath.

No extra wind-up, no exaggerated roar.

His toes dug into the ground, power exploding from his heels and traveling up his spine to his right fist.

BOOM!!!

A sound, even deeper and more violent than Luo Feng's, exploded through the training hall!

The entire target machine shook violently, as if it couldn't bear the weight.

The warriors who had been whispering fell silent instantly, all turning their heads in unison.

Chief Instructor Wu Tong's previously casual expression froze, and the teacup he had just picked up nearly shattered in his grip.

On the screen, the red numbers jumped like crazy before settling.

[1552kg]

Silence.

The entire hall went quiet, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Luo Feng, standing to the side, widened his eyes, his mouth slightly agape as he stared at his usually unremarkable classmate in disbelief.

1552 kilograms?!

That was a full 450 kilograms higher than him!

What kind of concept was that?

Was this guy raised on dynamite?

Instructor Jiang Nian's jaw dropped so low it nearly hit his feet, his eyes bulging.

"18 years old... 1552 kilograms?"

Wu Tong took a deep breath, his gaze becoming extremely sharp, as if trying to see through Lin Fan's physical structure.

"Your name is Lin Fan? Which martial arts hall did you train at before?"

"None."

Lin Fan pulled back his fist and calmly rubbed his wrist, his tone as casual as if he were saying he'd just eaten two buns.

"Just practiced on my own at home."

Pfft.

Jiang Nian nearly coughed up blood.

Practiced on your own?

You call this practicing on your own?

Then what are we, who train in the martial arts hall every single day, doing? Performing aerobics?

"You can hit 1500 kilograms by practicing on your own?" Wu Tong's mouth twitched uncontrollably, but the wild joy in his eyes couldn't be hidden. "Good! What a 'practiced on my own'! A genius! This is a true genius!"

"Go! Test your speed!"

Wu Tong waved his hand, his voice an octave higher.

Next was the speed test.

Yang Wu barely scraped through.

Luo Feng ran an excellent time of 28.6m/s, drawing another round of applause, though it was noticeably quieter than before.

Because everyone was waiting.

Waiting for the "Self-Taught Brother" to step up.

It was Lin Fan's turn.

He stood at the starting line, his body leaning slightly forward, his leg muscles taut.

Whoosh!

He moved like a black bolt of lightning, instantly crossing the sensor zone and kicking up a gust of wind that ruffled the recorder's hair.

The screen displayed: [35.1m/s].

Another crushing set of data!

This time, even Luo Feng couldn't help but offer a wry smile.

He had thought he was a genius, only to find such a powerhouse hiding in his own class.

This blow to his ego was a bit unexpected.

"This speed... it's already approaching the threshold of an intermediate warrior."

Jiang Nian muttered to himself, looking at Lin Fan as if he were an uncut piece of jade, his mouth practically watering.

Finally, the nerve reaction test.

Luo Feng showed excellent footwork during the test, being hit 28 times in 60 seconds without touching the red light, earning an "excellent" rating.

"A genius, absolutely a genius." Wu Tong's evaluation of Luo Feng was high, and he nodded repeatedly.

Then, it was Lin Fan's turn.

Lin Fan walked into the red circle, facing the massive six-barreled machine gun.

"Start!"

Tat-tat-tat-tat!

Rubber bullets poured out like a rainstorm.

Under the perception of his spiritual power, the trajectory of these bullets was as clear as slow-motion playback.

To avoid being too outrageous, he deliberately performed some dodges that looked desperate but were actually precise, even letting a few bullets graze his clothes to create the illusion of a "narrow escape."

After all, dodging everything would be too fake; if his footwork and power were both that terrifying, he would be far too dazzling.

One minute later.

The screen displayed: [Hit 20 times in 60 seconds, did not touch the red light. Excellent!]

Hiss...

Outside the monitoring room, the crowd of warriors gasped, nearly sucking all the oxygen out of the training hall.

Hit 12 times?

Is he even human? This reaction speed is more than twice as fast as Luo Feng's!

What on earth was this kid raised on?

The assessment ended.

Chief Instructor Wu Tong looked at the two scorecards in his hands, his hands trembling slightly.

One was Luo Feng's, a perfect template for a genius.

The other was Lin Fan's, with data so fierce it was like a monster wearing human skin.

"What kind of day is today?"

Wu Tong couldn't help but sigh, the smile on his face brighter than a blooming chrysanthemum.

"To think that two dragons have emerged from the small pond of Yi'an District at the same time! I'm going to make a name for myself at headquarters now!"

He raised his head, his burning gaze fixed on the two youths before him, so intense it felt as if he might melt them.

"Luo Feng, Lin Fan."

"Congratulations, as soon as the official documents are issued, you will be prospective martial artists!"

Luo Feng clenched his right fist tightly, his eyes filled with excitement. "I finally succeeded!"

Lin Fan merely nodded calmly, though his peripheral vision keenly caught the look exchanged between Wu Tong and Jiang Nian.

He understood that look.

It was the look of a wolf eyeing its prey.

"Lin Fan, stay behind for a moment."

Wu Tong spoke suddenly, his face wearing a kind, fatherly smile, yet his tone left no room for argument.

"Come to my office for a cup of tea. Regarding your contract to join the Limit Martial Arts Hall... I think we need to have a deeper discussion."

Luo Feng, who hadn't yet managed to leave, froze for a moment. A flicker of envy crossed his eyes, but he quickly let it go.

The strong deserved preferential treatment.

Lin Fan straightened his slightly disheveled collar, a subtle smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"Very well, instructor."