Just as Zhang Junbao was explaining things to Luo Feng and Wei Wen, a bald, middle-aged man in black walked over with a smile. When he saw the readings on the Punch Strength Tester, his face looked like a chrysanthemum in full bloom; the folds could have crushed a few flies without trouble!
"Luo Feng, you've made a lot of progress! A punch strength of 860 kilograms. If you push yourself, you might reach the Quasi-Martial Artist standard before the college entrance exam!"
The bald, middle-aged man was Jiang Nian, the head of this Limits Dojo. According to the dojo's rules, the students all called him instructor.
Luo Feng was one of the people his dojo paid special attention to. Most of the dojo's advanced students were in their twenties, and Luo Feng was the only eighteen-year-old among them. If a miracle happened, he might become a martial artist before he turned nineteen.
This time, however, things turned out differently from what he expected.
"Instructor, these two are my classmates. They were both intermediate students before, and I brought them here to take the test." Luo Feng gave a salute as he introduced them.
"Oh, intermediate students. Not bad either. You two should learn more from Luo Feng. Before long, he might become a martial artist." Jiang Nian nodded. Luo Feng was an advanced student who had brought two classmates to the advanced area for a test, and Jiang Nian would not be overly harsh with him for it.
"Um, instructor, that wasn't my score. My classmate Zhang Junbao was the one who got it!" Luo Feng said, embarrassed.
"What? Didn't you say they were intermediate students?" Jiang Nian asked in surprise. This was no joking matter.
"That's right. Junbao was still an intermediate student last month. He's been training especially hard lately and wanted to take a test today. That's how he got the score you saw," Luo Feng explained.
"You got that score?"
"That's right, instructor!" Zhang Junbao said calmly.
"Quick, throw another three punches and let me see!" Jiang Nian hurriedly said in excitement. Finding Luo Feng had already made him feel blessed by the heavens, and now another genius had appeared. It had to be the good fortune he had earned by helping an old lady cross the street on his way out that morning.
"All right!" Zhang Junbao said no more. He did not intend to hide too much. After all, only by showing enough strength and potential could he receive greater attention. He had no powerful enemies, so there was no need to hide his abilities all day long.
The world's resources were limited, and they would inevitably be allocated first to those with greater talent and potential. Only by giving resources to such people could human martial artists grow stronger quickly. Demon beasts would not wait for humans to cultivate at their leisure.
Humans had once ruled the world, but now they were only one part of the life on Earth. The law of the jungle applied to humans too. Humans were not the only ones who wanted good resources; demon beasts wanted them as well. If they could not reason with the beasts, they could only rely on force.
Wherever there was society, there was competition. That was true fairness!
"Bang! Bang! Bang!" Another punch. Zhang Junbao struck again, slamming three consecutive punches into the Punch Strength Tester.
"862 kg!"
"865 kg!"
"863 kg!"
"It's actually true! In just over a month, he went from an intermediate student to nearly the level of a martial artist. This is unbelievable!" Jiang Nian felt that he was about to make his fortune. Having discovered two geniuses in a single year, his promotion was practically guaranteed.
"Luo Feng, what's your punch strength now?" Jiang Nian asked, looking at Luo Feng.
"About 830 kg."
"One at 830 kg, the other at 860 kg. Hahaha, both of you are geniuses! Well done!
"Young man, are you planning to give me a surprise too?" Jiang Nian looked cheerfully at Wei Wen, the only one left, his face full of anticipation. His old face looked like a chrysanthemum in full bloom.
"Uh... well, instructor, I'm still an intermediate student." Under Jiang Nian's gaze, Wei Wen felt his face grow hot and answered awkwardly.
I'll lay my cards on the table. I'm trash!
So I'm the only piece of trash here? Being friends with geniuses is miserable. They can reduce me to dust in seconds.
"Hahaha, I was expecting too much. Having two geniuses is already wonderful. I shouldn't ask for too much.
"You two have a little over two months until the college entrance exam, right? No matter how you do on it this year, put all your effort into cultivation and try to become martial artists this year!
"In this age, an ordinary college student can't compare to a martial artist in what they can contribute!
"Once you become martial artists, join our Limits Dojo. That's a career with a limitless future!"
Jiang Nian was not wrong. In this chaotic age, a college student's contribution was simply too small, nowhere near that of a martial artist who could fight and kill demon beasts.
Even the most brilliant scientists could not develop weapons capable of killing the strongest demon beasts. Even nuclear bombs, which had once possessed the power to destroy heaven and earth, could do only limited damage to the strongest demon beasts. Humanity had its powerhouses, but among the demon beasts there were Lord-level, King-level, and even Beast Emperor-level existences.
Hong, the world's strongest man, had forced the Beast Emperor to negotiate peace through his strength alone. That was power!
"You two are talented members of the Limits Dojo in Yi'an District, and you're at the age when your physical fitness improves the fastest. If you waste your energy going to college and lose those four precious years, your path as martial artists will come to an end for the rest of your lives.
"It's not that I, your instructor, look down on college students. Times have changed. Every age needs different kinds of talent, and right now, you have the chance to become heroes of this age!" Jiang Nian urged them earnestly.
Luo Feng and Wei Wen hesitated. They had not had much contact with martial artists, and if they failed to get into college and could not become martial artists either, they would truly be letting down the parents who had worked so hard to raise them all these years.
Zhang Junbao saw the matter more clearly. He said, "The instructor is right. Becoming martial artists, or even War God Level powerhouses, is what we should be doing most right now. As for the education you get at college, with a martial artist's ability to learn, if you really wanted to study, you could finish the entire college curriculum in less than a month. In that case, what difference would going to college make?
"College isn't the only place to learn. If you really want knowledge, you can learn even in the middle of a fight.
"If you've made up your minds to follow the path of a martial artist, it's best to focus your energy in one direction."
Zhang Junbao understood this more deeply. He had lived through an age of war himself, so naturally he would not divide his attention.
As for college, there would be no problem at all if he got in. But if he could finish the coursework in a month, would he still care about a college diploma after becoming a martial artist?
"Heh, it looks like Junbao sees things clearly. We've been overthinking it. If I do well on the college entrance exam, I'll attend classes for a month, learn what I need to, and then put all my effort into cultivation." Luo Feng had come around too.
"Junbao, Luo Feng, I..." Seeing that both his friends had chosen their paths, Wei Wen was deeply conflicted. He did not have Luo Feng's talent, nor had he suddenly had a dream like Junbao. What was he supposed to do?
"Wei Wen, I don't think you need to rush into a decision. Don't let the two of us influence you!" Zhang Junbao could see Wei Wen's confusion. Sometimes being friends with geniuses really was disheartening.
It had been clear from Wei Wen's embarrassment just now. The three of them had come to the dojo together, and Junbao had undoubtedly become an advanced student, earning even the instructor's great admiration. Only Wei Wen was left like an outsider.
Zhang Junbao was not too worried, though. Over this period, he had sorted through the memories in his mind and learned that the current world was far stronger than it had been before, and that many legendary heavenly treasures were appearing one after another in this age.
There were now quite a few heavenly treasures that had been impossible to find before. If all else failed, once he became strong enough, was there any reason to fear he could not get some good things to help Wei Wen become a martial artist?
"That's right. Don't worry. How could the two of us ever forget you?"
"I'll be holding tight to both your thighs!" Wei Wen said without standing on ceremony.
"Hahaha, that's the spirit! Talent is important, but a cultivator needs an open mind even more. If you shrink back at the slightest difficulty, how can you keep moving forward on this path?" Zhang Junbao said, moved by his feelings.
He had seen plenty of geniuses, but the ones who ultimately became powerhouses were instead those who had not been so gifted to begin with, yet had persevered to the end.
"You little brats, why are you showing off your brotherly bond in front of me? You're making me miss my old comrades! That's right, back during the Grand Nirvana period, humanity's strongest man, Hong, relied on sheer determination to fight his way out of the demon beast hordes and lead humanity in building the safe Base Cities we have today!
"You all have hope of becoming martial artists. Conditions back then were nowhere near as good as they are now, so don't give up," Jiang Nian said.
There were plenty of geniuses, but temperament was also indispensable to becoming a powerhouse. Although Zhang Junbao's strength had soared, he had not grown arrogant because of it. That was essential for becoming a top powerhouse!