Two days later, in the classroom.
Xiao Feng swept his gaze over everyone and said:
"No training today. We'll do another round of basic tests. Before the assessment, I need to know where you currently stand."
"Speed first."
The six of them took their turns.
After all their training, everyone had improved to varying degrees.
Almost everyone had gained around one meter per second.
Mo Han and Bai Yu had made the biggest gains.
Mo Han had improved from 32.1 meters per second to 34.7.
Bai Yu had gone from 38.6 to 40.1, already crossing the threshold into meridian opening.
Once everyone else had finished, it was Jiang Lan's turn.
He walked up to the starting line, bent his knees slightly, then exploded forward.
"Beep-"
43.8 m/s.
Considerably faster than last time, but hardly dazzling.
Jiang Lan wasn't surprised. His agility stat had barely increased. This improvement in speed mainly came from his greater strength and better physical coordination.
It wasn't his strong suit. No big deal.
"Punch force testing."
Xiao Feng spoke.
Mo Han stepped forward first and drove a punch into the tester.
[2313 kg]
If Jiang Lan remembered correctly, this guy's strength had been under two thousand last time.
Such a big improvement showed how hard Mo Han had been working lately.
Of course, Jiang Lan figured Mo Han had only started pushing himself so hard because Jiang Lan had spurred him on.
Chu Yun followed right after him: 2050. He had broken the two-thousand mark too.
The others had also improved a little since last time.
Jiang Lan was last again.
He walked up to the tester, took a deep breath, adjusted his stance, and lowered his center of gravity, planting both feet firmly on the ground.
His feet drove against the ground. Power rose from his waist, flowed through his arm, and reached his fist.
After so much practice, the Iron Mountain Fist's method of generating power had almost become instinctive.
Boom-!
With a thunderous impact, the Punch Force Tester shook violently. Even its base shifted backward an inch.
Everyone's eyes snapped toward the display.
The numbers on the screen flickered wildly before finally settling.
[5762 kg]
The instant the number appeared, the entire training hall fell silent.
Chu Yun's mouth hung open wide enough to fit two tea eggs.
Bai Yu narrowed her eyes slightly, her gaze shifting between Jiang Lan and the display.
Pushing up his glasses, Lu Qingshan said, his voice a little dry:
"That's almost as strong as Mr. Xiao, isn't it?"
At those words, everyone turned to Xiao Feng.
Xiao Feng stood to one side, his expression unruffled, but inwardly, he was reeling.
At the entrance test a month ago, Jiang Lan's strength had been less than twenty-two hundred kilograms.
Now it had shot up to almost three times that.
Even with a special talent, wasn't this rate of growth a little too absurd?
Was it because of the Iron Mountain Fist?
If Jiang Lan hadn't understood how to generate power at all before, then with the Iron Mountain Fist added in, this number might not be entirely unreasonable.
But even so, Xiao Feng couldn't calm down for a long while.
Taking a deep breath, he closed his notebook, looked at Jiang Lan, and said:
"Good. Keep working hard."
Jiang Lan nodded.
The strength reading didn't surprise him.
On the contrary, that punch hadn't even brought out the full power of the Iron Mountain Fist.
Jiang Lan estimated that, with a punch delivered at his absolute best, his reading could probably reach six or seven thousand kilograms.
After settling himself somewhat, Xiao Feng spoke again:
"That concludes the testing. Next, I'll announce your assessment groups."
Hearing this, everyone put their surprise aside and perked up.
"Group A: Jiang Lan, Bai Yu, Liu Shiyu."
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"Group B: Mo Han, Chu Yun, Lu Qingshan."
The moment he finished, Chu Yun jumped up.
"Sir, isn't that unfair?"
Xiao Feng glanced at him.
"How is it unfair?"
Chu Yun pointed at Jiang Lan, then at his own group.
"He gets two beauties, and we're three grown men. You call that fair?"
Xiao Feng said expressionlessly:
"The groups are balanced by strength. Jiang Lan has the highest strength, so he's paired with Bai Yu and Liu Shiyu, whose strength is relatively lower. Mo Han ranks second, so he's taking you and Lu Qingshan. Any problem with that?"
Jiang Lan silently gave Xiao Feng a thumbs-up.
You're awesome, sir. I'd pick you as my teacher again in my next life.
Meanwhile, Chu Yun opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
It seemed... there really wasn't anything wrong with that.
So why did he still feel a little disgruntled?
Lu Qingshan pushed up his glasses, glanced at Chu Yun, and said:
"You're just jealous."
"Bullshit. I'm fighting for fairness."
"Sure. You almost sound convincing."
"Get lost."
Jiang Lan smiled without joining in the banter.
I've already gotten the better deal. No need to rub it in.
He glanced at Bai Yu and Liu Shiyu beside him.
Bai Yu looked as composed as ever, seemingly unconcerned about the grouping.
Liu Shiyu smiled and nodded at him.
"Jiang Lan, I'll be counting on you."
"No need to be so formal."
Xiao Feng then went over a few assessment precautions before dismissing the class.
Everyone filed out of the classroom.
Jiang Lan was about to leave when Xiao Feng suddenly called after him.
"Jiang Lan, stay a moment."
Jiang Lan stopped and looked at Xiao Feng. "Sir?"
Xiao Feng was silent for a few seconds before asking:
"How have you been training lately?"
Jiang Lan considered his answer.
"I've been using more blood essence, so I've improved a little faster."
The same old explanation.
Xiao Feng clearly didn't quite believe him, but he didn't press the matter. He merely nodded.
"When you enrolled a month ago, your punch force was twenty-two hundred. Now it's almost fifty-eight hundred. You're already catching up to me."
He paused, then looked at Jiang Lan and said:
"With your current strength, the Rocket Class's training intensity is no longer enough for you. After the assessment, I'll apply to the Academy to arrange more advanced training facilities for you."
Jiang Lan was momentarily taken aback.
"Thank you, sir."
Xiao Feng waved a hand.
"Be careful during the assessment. Conditions in the Western Suburbs Wilderness Zone are much more complicated than in the northern suburbs. There are more kinds of ferocious beasts, and they're stronger too. You may be strong, but don't get careless."
"Understood."
Xiao Feng nodded, then turned and left.
Watching him go, Jiang Lan felt a little warmth in his heart.
When he stepped out of the teaching building, Chu Yun was waiting outside, just as expected.
"So? Did the teacher give you some private coaching?"
"No. Just a couple of reminders."
Chu Yun slung an arm around Jiang Lan's shoulders and lowered his voice.
"Seriously, bro, over fifty-seven hundred, almost fifty-eight hundred kilograms? You're ridiculous. Train for another two months, and even someone in the astral condensation realm might be no match for you."
Jiang Lan smiled.
The punch force benchmark for the astral condensation realm was eight thousand kilograms.
Even with his power flowing cleanly through his body, he was still a fair way short of that number.
In terms of defense, though, Jiang Lan was confident he could face a third-tier ferocious beast without much trouble.
That brought him back to their next destination: the Western Suburbs Wilderness Zone.
It was pretty much the most dangerous area surrounding the Base City.
Not only were there more varieties of ferocious beasts, but even stronger beasts frequently appeared there.
But that suited Jiang Lan perfectly.
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