The martial artist assessment center

Looking at the enormous martial artist assessment center, Lin Hao really had no idea where to go for his retest.

He shook his head inwardly. It seemed his cousin really had settled everything. She had not even arranged for someone to meet him. Was she not worried he would turn around and go straight home?

But just as he was about to look for a sign to find his way to the assessment area, someone approached.

It was a man wearing a martial arts branch bureau combat uniform, with a badge on his chest identifying him as a specially appointed assessment center staff member.

The man's gaze settled on him. Seeing how young he was, the man could not hide his surprise. "Here for an assessment? Please show me your ID."

Lin Hao handed over his ID.

The man scanned it with the device in his hand and checked the information.

But the instant he finished checking, the surprise vanished completely from his face.

Expressionless, he raised a hand and pointed inside. "Straight ahead, all the way to the end. Assessment Hall One. All of today's certifications are being done there."

With that, he turned and left without another word.

Watching his retreating figure, Lin Hao gave a self-deprecating smile.

It seemed he had already gained a little fame in Jiang City without even getting certified as a one-star martial artist.

The man clearly knew he was here for a blood qi retest. That was why his expression had changed so dramatically.

Lin Hao followed the direction the man had indicated and soon arrived at Assessment Hall One.

Inside the hall was an open space with a ceiling nearly ten meters high. Two testing machines stood at the far end.

These machines were several sizes larger than the ones at school. Supposedly, they could handle tests for martial artists up to four-star rank.

Of the two machines, the blood qi tester was currently running.

The twenty-odd people in line were mostly over thirty, and quite a few looked to be in their fifties.

Clearly, he was the only person under twenty who had come for the assessment.

He knew perfectly well that if two or three of these twenty-odd people successfully gained certification as one-star martial artists, that would already be a good result.

Many were simply trying their luck, or paying to experience the process in preparation for their next official assessment.

Looking at the rather long line, he sighed inwardly. It would probably take more than an hour before his turn came.

But just as he was about to join the back of the line, a group approached.

Leading them was a man who looked to be in his forties, wearing a Discipline Bureau uniform.

The man wore a gentle smile. "You're Lin Hao, right? I'm Chen Jing, the lead officer of Section One at the Jiang City Martial Arts Discipline Inspection Office. Your circumstances are special, so you don't need to queue. Come to the front with me."

Lin Hao remembered his cousin mentioning on the phone yesterday that a Discipline Bureau lead officer surnamed Chen would be there today to look after things. He smiled and nodded. "Sorry for the trouble, Officer Chen."

As he followed Chen Jing forward, he got a clear look at the eight people behind him.

Three wore Discipline Bureau uniforms, while five wore West City Branch Bureau combat uniforms.

Among them, he spotted a familiar face: Zhao Man, walking on the outer edge.

With her arms folded, Zhao Man looked at him with a touch of mockery he could not quite describe.

Lin Hao raised an eyebrow, thinking that his cousin had already given up the deputy director position, yet this woman still clung on like a lingering ghost.

It seemed his mother's worries really had been justified.

Seeing Lin Hao look her way, Zhao Man walked over. She wore a smile, but there was little warmth in her voice. "Relax. I don't have the spare time to butt heads with a high school student. I led the investigation into your case, so of course I have to be present for the retest.

"I do have some good news for you. We've confirmed that the blood qi tester previously used at the industrial park had a serious calibration error, so it's only natural that your previous blood qi reading was inaccurate.

"So even if you fail to reach the blood qi threshold of 0.9 today, the most that will happen is that your appointment to the security post will be canceled. There won't be any further consequences."

After saying that, she looked at Lin Hao, hoping to see delight on his face.

Contrary to her expectations, Lin Hao simply looked at her without much expression. He said nothing and merely nodded.

When he did not respond, Zhao Man's smile faded a little, and a trace of disdain flashed in her eyes.

At that moment, a bald, middle-aged man came over with a practiced, genial smile plastered across his face and smoothed things over. "Haha, Lin Hao, don't be nervous. I'm Wei Kun, deputy director of the West City Branch Bureau. With me here, just take the test as you normally would. It's only a matter of going through the process."

Lin Hao nodded without exchanging many pleasantries.

He did not know what relationship Deputy Director Wei had with his cousin, so there was no need to say too much.

When the people in line saw him being led straight to the front, discussion immediately broke out.

"Holy crap, who is he? Straight to the front of the line? Discipline Bureau people escorting him, with a branch bureau deputy director right beside him?"

"He still looks like a high school student, doesn't he? Could he be some young master from a powerful family, with such ridiculous talent that he can already get certified as a one-star martial artist?"

"That's incredible. I've been waiting almost an hour, and he goes straight to the front. I wouldn't dare dream of that kind of treatment in my lifetime."

"..."

But before the crowd could voice their amazement much longer, someone lowered their voice and said, "Stop envying him. Didn't you see those Discipline Bureau people? Did you hear about what happened at the West City Branch Bureau a few days ago? Lin Qing from the Third Detachment broke the rules to arrange an industrial park security post for her younger cousin, and the Discipline Bureau investigated her. This should be her cousin, here for a blood qi retest."

"So that's it. I wouldn't dare accept that kind of treatment. I never want anything to do with the Discipline Bureau in my life. What rotten luck."

"No wonder the Discipline Bureau and the branch bureau director are both here. I thought they were here to bolster his standing, but they're actually here to supervise him in person."

"These people really have some nerve. A little power in their hands, and they think they're above all laws. I'd like to see just how much blood qi this kid has."

"How much could he have? Definitely below the 0.9 required for the security post."

"0.9? Don't give people like him too much credit. If you ask me, he might not even have 0.6."

"..."

As the discussion drifted over, Lin Hao, now standing at the very front of the line, acted as though he had heard nothing. His gaze settled on the rest area to the side.

Wei Kun and Zhao Man had already sat down and were talking in lowered voices, thinking Lin Hao could not hear them.

They had no idea that Lin Hao's five senses had long since surpassed those of an ordinary high school student. Every word reached his ears with perfect clarity.

"Look at these people from the Lin family. They're all just like Lin Qing. What kind of attitude is that?" Zhao Man's voice was full of displeasure. "We've already settled everything for him, and he doesn't even thank us. Does he really think he's somebody?"

Wei Kun smiled and said unhurriedly, "Lin Qing has always been proud, so it's only natural. After all, she's our branch bureau's youngest two-star martial artist, and she's at the peak of two-star rank.

"In another year or two, she should be able to touch the threshold of three-star martial artist. Geniuses all have a bit of a temper."

"A genius?" Zhao Man scoffed. "Aren't I a two-star martial artist too? I'm only three years older than her. What kind of genius does that make her?"

"You can't put it that way."

Wei Kun shook his head. "Your father is the deputy head of the Jiang City Martial Arts General Bureau Equipment Department. How could Lin Qing compare to you in terms of the resources he's piled into you since childhood?

"She's a young woman with no connections and no one backing her. She clawed her way to her current position entirely by risking her life fighting demonic beasts outside the city. That's different."

Zhao Man's expression darkened. "Director Wei, are you saying I'm inferior to Lin Qing?"

"I never said that."

Wei Kun smiled and waved a hand. "Lin Qing trades her life for cultivation advancement. The road ahead is perilous. It wouldn't be surprising if she fell to demonic beasts one day.

"You're different. With your family protecting you, you can rise steadily and safely. The position you reach in the future will definitely be higher than mine.

"Having a background you can rely on is itself part of your strength. What's wrong with that? Didn't your family give you considerable help with this deputy director position?"

Zhao Man paused, then gave a wry chuckle. "All right. I'll need some time to digest that reasoning of yours."

Her gaze settled on Lin Hao's back again, and she curled her lip. "If Lin Hao didn't have Lin Qing as his cousin, he'd be destined to haul bricks in the mining district for the rest of his life. What does he have to be proud of? He's just trash with a blood qi value of 0.3."

Wei Kun did not respond, but he nodded, clearly thinking the same thing.