Martial Artist Assessment

The Martial Artist Assessment was a major event.

In terms of importance and strictness, it was no less significant than the Gaokao.

For every Martial Artist Assessment held in a base city, martial artists of varying ranks were transferred in from different places. There were five chief examiners, supported by dozens of assistants.

These personnel came from the Martial Artists Association, the federal government, and the military, fundamentally eliminating any possibility of cheating.

The value of a martial artist's status clearly far exceeded that of a college student, so such a grand arrangement was hardly surprising.

The Martial Artist Assessment had endured for so many years precisely because everyone had jointly upheld its authority.

Privileges flowed from the top down, and power answered only to its source.

Fang Dacheng truly deserved to be called a seasoned veteran who had taken it five times. His materials were indeed comprehensive. The several-hundred-megabyte document contained pictures, files, and even screenshots of local news reports.

Overall,

the Martial Artist Assessment roughly consisted of three stages.

The first was the review after registration, which usually presented no problems. Then came the written test after registration was completed. Its difficulty was generally not very high, and to Su Bei, it was practically free points.

The final stage, and also the most important one, was the Martial Test.

The Martial Test came in all kinds of forms, but overall, there were two main types.

One was the sparring category, where contestants determined who was stronger or weaker before martial artist qualifications were ultimately assessed.

The other was actual combat, which often required fighting savage beasts to the death.

Both carried a strong sense of competition and tested a Quasi-Martial Artist's overall abilities.

"With my current strength, passing the Martial Artist Assessment is practically certain."

Su Bei never underestimated himself. His Fist Technique Perfection martial arts realm had raised his strength to as high as 2,600 kilograms. Even genuine martial artists were not much stronger than that.

If even he could not pass, then the requirements would be far too demanding.

He turned his attention to the Ascension Secret Treasure.

Much of the Martial Artist Assessment's authority came from Ascension Secret Treasures!

Every outstanding person who passed the Martial Artist Assessment would receive an Ascension Secret Treasure provided by the Martial Artists Association.

To open the first Human-Body Secret Treasury, the Body Gate, one normally only needed physical strength exceeding 1,000 kilograms. After consuming a Secret Treasury Potion, one could attempt a breakthrough that altered the genes within the human body, with a certain chance of success.

One dose of Secret Treasury Potion cost three hundred thousand, which was also an expensive price.

However, martial artists who broke through using only Secret Treasury Potions were inferior in both strength and potential to martial artists who used Ascension Secret Treasures.

The prices of Ascension Secret Treasures also varied according to their rank.

But even the lowest F-rank Ascension Secret Treasure could make its user ten percent stronger than an ordinary breakthrough martial artist.

As for where Ascension Secret Treasures came from, they could only be found in the "Void Battlefield." Never mind the price—the key was that they were unavailable even with money. They were controlled by various factions, and ordinary people like Su Bei had extremely limited ways of obtaining them.

The Martial Artist Assessment was currently the only one of those avenues that he could reach.

"At the last Martial Artist Assessment, held in Baishi City, the top three all received B-rank Ascension Secret Treasures."

"Among them, the Eight Tiger Secret Treasure was especially rare. If used properly, once one entered the Body Gate, the body could gain the strength of eight tigers!"

"Even a B-rank Secret Treasure costs several million to over ten million per unit."

"The rewards for Tianhu City's Martial Artist Assessment this time should not be too different." Su Bei's eyes gleamed. "Opening the first Body Gate with a B-rank Secret Treasure will let my strength be developed to the greatest extent possible."

"If there's a Secret Treasure related to Solar Energy, that would naturally be the best."

If he had not possessed a cheat, Su Bei might have simply followed the usual path, saving enough money to use a Secret Treasury Potion and open the Body Gate.

Although his potential would be somewhat lower, his talent had only ever been average.

But things were clearly different now. He might not be unable to reach the very peak. On the path of martial arts cultivation, one slow step meant every step would be slow. If he built a solid foundation, he could save at least ten years of effort!

That evening,

his parents had both returned from work and prepared a simple meal.

The meal was actually quite plain. The only meat dish was something even the mischievous Su He would thoughtfully yield to his older brother on ordinary days.

As a Quasi-Martial Artist, Su Bei carried nearly all of this family's hopes.

Because spiritual energy had revived, savage beasts were plentiful, but most contained toxins ordinary people could not withstand. Only martial artists could digest them. Thus, properly raised livestock was not cheap these days.

His parents did not have respectable jobs. Supporting two boys through school had already stretched them thin, let alone Su Bei's pursuit of martial arts.

"Poor scholars, rich warriors" was no empty saying.

If Su Bei had not often taken on part-time work after becoming a Quasi-Martial Artist, he would not even have been able to cover his own cultivation expenses.

These days, it was truly difficult for ordinary people to make money.

The family sat around the table without much ceremony, chatting casually as they ate.

"Xiaobei, the Martial Artist Assessment is this month. How are your preparations?" Mother Su, Luo Ping, asked with concern on her face.

Mother Su was forty-eight this year. She had been a renowned beauty in her youth, but her family circumstances had been modest then, and she had been unable to continue her education. Now she worked as a tailor in a small shop. The pay was not high, but at least there was no such thing as mandatory overtime.

Although life had not been particularly good and wrinkles had appeared on her face, Mother Su had excellent features, and the years had left few traces on her. Eighty percent of Su Bei's looks came from his mother.

When Mother Su asked, Father Su and Su He both pricked up their ears and secretly looked toward Su Bei.

For this ordinary family, this was the most important matter. If Su Bei could truly become a martial artist, the entire family would undergo earth-shaking changes!

But Father Su was always quiet, while Su He was afraid of his older brother. Neither usually asked, afraid of putting pressure on Su Bei.

"My preparations are alright." Su Bei no longer concealed it. "Passing the assessment should be practically guaranteed. It just depends on what rank I get."

Su Bei did not underestimate himself, but neither did he look down on everyone else. Many people delayed their breakthroughs despite already having strength far beyond the standard, all for Ascension Secret Treasures. If he encountered such people, he would not have much chance of winning.

"It's fine, it's fine... If you can't pass this time, we'll work harder next time..."

"Wait? What did you just say? Practically guaranteed?"

Mother Su had already prepared what she wanted to say, but halfway through, she finally registered the startling words Su Bei had spoken.

Even Father Su and Su He stared at Su Bei with their mouths wide open.

"Practically guaranteed."

Su Bei repeated himself. "I've made some progress in my recent training. The Martial Artist Assessment shouldn't be much of a problem."

"As long as I become a martial artist—"

"Brother!? Really? You're going to become a martial artist?!"

Su He had the strongest reaction. His entire body nearly leaned across the table. "If you become a martial artist, then does that mean we can—"

But before he could finish, Father Su knocked on the table and cut him off. He then looked at Su Bei. "Xiaobei, whether you become a martial artist or not isn't important. Don't put too much pressure on yourself."

"You're still young. It's alright to do it later."

Father Su was forty-nine this year. He had a square face, and his hair had thinned somewhat, so he had simply shaved his head bald. He worked in a pharmaceutical factory workshop and was the sort of man everyone called a good old guy.

And because he worked at a pharmaceutical factory, he knew that certain medicines on the black market increased strength at the cost of a person's potential and health.

Those people all ended up short-lived and came to bad ends.

His son had only become a Quasi-Martial Artist recently, yet he was already the pride of the family. Even when faced with the smug superiority of relatives and coworkers, Father Su could still hold his head high—a Quasi-Martial Artist's father received some degree of preferential treatment.

But not much time had passed, and Su Bei was now claiming that passing the Martial Artist Assessment was practically guaranteed. How could Father Su not worry? He was terrified that Su Bei had gone down the wrong path.

"Dad, don't worry."

Su Bei naturally understood what his father was thinking and explained, "I encountered a few opportunities during my training, and my martial arts realm improved somewhat."

Only then did he tell his family that prepared explanation.

"So that means..."

Mother Su murmured, "Our family is really going to produce a martial artist?"

She exchanged a look with Father Su, and her eyes actually reddened.

After struggling through society for half their lives, they understood only too well the value of that status. All the grievances they had suffered in their daily lives seemed to vanish at that moment, leaving them overwhelmed with emotion.

Su He merely stared blankly at his brother. Anyone born into this society, constantly scrolling through videos and news every day, knew how powerful martial artists were.

Not to mention that there were children from martial artist families at school. Those were the truly arrogant and overbearing ones.

"Once your Martial Artist Assessment is over, we have to celebrate properly!"

In the end, Father Su set the tone and brought dinner to a close.

"I'm heading out." Mother Su did not even clean up the pots and stove before hurrying toward the door.

"Are you going out to show off again?" Father Su said helplessly. "There's not even anything certain yet. Don't go telling everyone!"

"I know what I'm doing." Mother Su waved a hand and walked straight out.

Su Bei could not help but laugh. At his mother's age, after all the comparisons people made, they ultimately still compared their children. Letting her talk about it was harmless enough.

"Sigh, I wonder who she learned all these habits from."

Father Su sighed as he told Su He to wash the dishes, then took out his phone. "Hey, Old Wang, it's me..."

"It's nothing much."

"The Martial Artist Assessment is about to start, right? My kid was bragging that he can definitely make it. I just wanted to ask, what level is basic punching strength of around 2,000 kilograms?"

"The kid also says his fist technique has reached perfection. Tell me, I don't understand this stuff..."