Martial Artist Assessment!

Early the next morning.

Almost the entire family got up with dark circles under their eyes.

Mother Su had risen early and methodically prepared a lavish breakfast spread.

"Mom, isn't this a bit over the top?"

Looking at the entire table of food, Su Bei said with a helpless smile.

"Eat, eat." Mother Su said, "There's a custom back home. Before doing something important, you have to eat a good breakfast, and then everything will go smoothly."

"It's for good luck. Your mom got up at four to prepare it." Father Su chimed in from the side. "Will that friend of yours be here soon?"

With such a major event happening today,

how could they possibly be in the mood to work? Both of them had taken leave and stayed home.

Though they could not go to the site, they wanted to know the final result as soon as possible, whether it was good or bad.

"He should be here soon."

While muttering about superstitious nonsense, Su Bei's hands did not stop moving at all as he swept through the food like a whirlwind.

After making progress in his cultivation, his appetite had grown accordingly. No matter how much food there was, he could stuff it all down.

Right in the middle of breakfast,

a car horn sounded outside the door.

Su He stood by the window, his eyes lighting up. "Damn! A Light Shuttle 3000?!"

It was a type of flying car.

Unlike Su Bei, Su He had been extremely curious about mechanical things like cars and watches since childhood. He could rattle off the specifications of any car model.

The Light Shuttle 3000 was a high-end flying car model from the Zhou Gong Group. It was entirely handcrafted and used light energy converted into kinetic energy. It could withstand attacks from a Sixth-order Master-level martial artist, and its price tag alone ran into the tens of millions.

It was absolutely one of a kind in Tianhu City.

Su Bei checked his messages. Zhang Feiyu had already arrived. Stuffing the last bite into his mouth, Su Bei got to his feet.

"Mom, Dad, I'm leaving."

Father Su instructed, "All right. Be careful, son. If things don't work out, forget it. You're still young. At worst, you can spend more time on it."

"Bro, good luck! Whether I can rule No. 1 High School next semester depends on you!"

Although Martial Artist Assessments had become much safer after leaving behind the era of savage development, occasional bad news could still be heard.

Outside, a sleek, silver flying car hovered at the entrance to the apartment building. That honk had already drawn the attention of many residents in the complex, who were now peering through their windows curiously.

When they saw Su Bei get into the car, they were all rather astonished. "Old Su's eldest son has really made something of himself."

Su Bei got into the car.

Zhang Feiyu was half-reclining in the spacious back seat. "Brother Bei, lie down here."

"They only announced the assessment location last night. It's quite a distance from the city."

Su Bei did not stand on ceremony and directly lay down in the empty seat beside Zhang Feiyu.

You really got what you paid for. He had no idea what material was used inside, but it was remarkably comfortable to lie on, with faint streams of warmth gliding across his body.

Fully autonomous driving had long since become highly advanced. Nowadays, nearly all public transportation used autonomous driving technology.

Still, Su Bei found it strange. By all rights, Zhang Feiyu did not seem particularly favored, so he should not have had many resources. Yet he acted like some filthy rich tycoon, completely unconcerned about money.

His mother was probably quite formidable.

Though Zhang Feiyu had said it was a bit far, with the speed of the Light Shuttle 3000, they arrived only a few minutes after lying down.

This Martial Artist Assessment was being held at a forest operations base in the southern outskirts outside Tianhu City. It had been abandoned years ago due to the rampant spread of mutant beasts and had remained deserted for a long time.

Now, it had been reopened. If one looked farther into the distance, many areas behind it could be seen blocked off by barriers.

It was still early, but quite a few Quasi-Martial Artists had already come to participate in the Martial Artist Assessment.

The place was bustling like a marketplace. Groups of two or three friends gathered together, discussing the upcoming test.

There was also a wide age range. There were young people like Su Bei, not yet twenty, as well as uncles and aunties nearing fifty, their faces covered in stubble.

There were more than twelve hundred Quasi-Martial Artists participating in this martial artist examination, a considerable number. Gathered together, they formed a formidable force.

The written test had been organized as a unified online examination several days ago, and Su Bei had naturally passed without issue.

It had practically been effortless.

But even with so many people around, when the eye-catching Light Shuttle 3000 appeared, it still drew the attention of most of them.

After all, the thing was incredibly expensive. To put it bluntly, even the Ascension Secret Treasure awarded to the champion of the Martial Artist Assessment might not be worth as much as it. With a family background like that, there was no need to participate in the Martial Artist Assessment at all to become a martial artist smoothly.

To put it plainly, the Martial Artist Assessment was like the Gaokao. It appeared to be open to everyone, but in reality, it was more of a path for ordinary people to rise.

But according to Zhang Feiyu, this seemed to be an unwritten tradition at Wuji Martial Hall. Besides, not every Ascension Secret Treasure would appear on store shelves.

Su Bei could only call that pretentious.

After getting out of the car, in this era of martial arts development and generations upon generations of genetic optimization, even among so many handsome men and beautiful women, Su Bei's face could still be called strikingly handsome.

He attracted quite a bit more attention.

In a corner, five people stood together, their burning gazes fixed on Su Bei and Zhang Feiyu as they got out of the car. They were all in their thirties.

"That's Su Bei?"

"That's right. I've seen the photos. It's definitely him!"

"Damn, what a show-off. He came in such a nice car?"

The group clicked their tongues.

"Boss, are we sure about this? Someone who can afford a car like that can't be ordinary, right?" Someone looked toward the leader, a thirty-six- or thirty-seven-year-old man with an ordinary appearance. A long saber was slung across his back, and a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.

"No problem!" Wen Xiangwei licked his slightly dry lips, greed flashing in his eyes. "That car doesn't belong to that brat. It belongs to the one beside him."

"The one beside him is the son of Wuji Martial Hall's Ninth Hall Master. It's not strange for him to drive a car like that. This Su Bei is just his lackey."

"The Martial Artist Assessment being held here means there's a high chance it'll use an outdoor format. Our opportunity is huge!"

"When we make our move, as long as we avoid that second-generation heir, there won't be any problem!"

The five of them were the sort who had spent their lives licking blood off their blades, frequently going out to hunt mutant beasts—though that was only their side business.

Their main business was making money by killing people who had strayed off alone outside.

It was not that killing mutant beasts had no future. Killing people was simply more cost-effective.

Though they were all Quasi-Martial Artists, the five of them worked together seamlessly and had some degree of safety in the wilderness. They had even killed weaker martial artists, though three of them had been seriously injured in the process.

But the rewards had also been plentiful, enough for them to live comfortably for a long time.

A nineteen-year-old Quasi-Martial Artist? Wouldn't he be easy prey?

"This time, the employer is paying a hefty sum. It'll be enough for us brothers to live in luxury for years!" Wen Xiangwei swept his gaze over the others.

"Damn it, let's do it!"

"After this job, I'm washing my hands of this business!"

"Me too. I've saved up quite a bit over the years, enough to enjoy the rest of my life. Then I'll marry a wife, have a child, and live a simple life!"

"I'm planning to buy the cheapest Ascension Secret Treasure. Maybe this time I'll have a chance to break through successfully. Once I become a martial artist, I'll count as a big shot too."

Wen Xiangwei nodded, approving his companions' decisions. "When the time comes, I'm going back to my hometown. I've been away for so many years. I'll go home, build a few houses, and let those people back then see whether I, Wen Xiangwei, could make something of myself!"

Yes, everyone had a bright future.

These brothers were planting flags like mad over here.

Meanwhile, in another corner, Sun Zicheng and several others were gathered together as well.

With medical treatment so advanced nowadays, a few days had been enough for most of his injuries to recover. But facial injuries were not so easy to heal, and several scars still remained on his face.

Looking at Su Bei and Zhang Feiyu, Sun Zicheng's face nearly twisted with rage.

"They won't be arrogant for much longer!"

The people around him also stared at the two from afar with shared hatred.

Time flew by.

Before long,

a deep, booming voice rang throughout the venue:

"All examinees, attention! Proceed to the nearby strength-testing stations for the first stage of preliminary screening!"

"Anyone with a base punching force below 1,200 kg will be eliminated!"