Having reached an understanding, the three of them went to the martial arts hall on the third floor of the advanced trainees' teaching building, the same place Luo Feng had brought them to yesterday.
It was still early, and the vast martial arts hall was completely empty.
It was only a little past six in the morning, and the sun had risen not long ago. Ordinarily, not many advanced trainees practiced here, much less this early in the morning. Zhang Junbao also remarked on the dojo's extravagance. With such a luxurious cultivation environment, no one actually wanted to come. His outlook really hadn't kept up with the times.
In his era, a cool mountain cave to cultivate the Dao in was already considered a stroke of luck. How could he have dared hope for an environment like this? He wouldn't even have dared dream of it.
Zhang Junbao walked over and switched on the Punch Strength Tester, then turned on the Speed Tester as well. He wanted a numerical assessment of his strength. This was one of the benefits of using modern technology to assist cultivation: he could see exactly how strong he was and tailor his training accordingly.
"I want to see just how strong I am now, too. It's time to test the results of my cultivation over the past while."
"Hahaha, go ahead and show your full strength. In this era, the greater a genius you are, the more readily you'll be valued. The idea of hiding your abilities doesn't apply anymore.
"As long as you show your strength and potential, the dojo definitely won't be stingy with cultivation resources," Jiang Nian said confidently. He also hoped Zhang Junbao wouldn't be influenced by narrow-minded ideas.
These days, resources had to be fought for. In the Wilderness Zone, one fought demonic beasts for them. In the Base City, one likewise had to compete with the geniuses of the same generation.
If you had no potential and weren't worth nurturing, why should anyone give you resources? Hoping to bury yourself in cultivation and rely on yourself was simply a tale from the Arabian Nights. No matter how great a genius an individual was, it was difficult to compete for resources with a major organization like the Limits Dojo. Battle suits, weapons, and equipment alone were things no one could do without. Even a true monster needed the dojo's support to advance faster and farther!
Zhang Junbao nodded. Clearly, he agreed. This wasn't an era when one could reach the pinnacle through solitary cultivation alone. Only by making full use of resources could one grow faster.
Standing before the Punch Strength Tester, Zhang Junbao took a deep breath and spread his feet apart. They seemed rooted to the ground, immovable.
Seeing this, Jiang Nian couldn't help nodding. He could already tell that Zhang Junbao's fundamentals were exceptionally solid. The feet were the source of strength. If one's footing was unsteady, no matter how great one's strength, it would be difficult to bring it to bear.
A powerful force surged from the soles of his feet. After being compressed in his calves, it passed through his waist and hips, growing stronger again. His spine curved slightly like a mighty bow drawn to its limit. The force traveled through his entire body and into his arm, each segment linking seamlessly with the next. At that moment, all the strength in his body became one.
With a bang, Zhang Junbao's body snapped taut like the string of a mighty bow, and his fist was the arrow nocked upon it, ready to fly. It shot out like a streak and slammed into the punch target with a boom.
"Beep, beep, beep!" The Punch Strength Tester sounded three times in succession.
Jiang Nian's eyes lit up. He knew exactly what that sound meant. Normally, the Punch Strength Tester wouldn't make that noise. There was only one circumstance in which it did: when the punch strength exceeded 1,000 kg!
That meant... Jiang Nian grew excited and stared at the display on the Punch Strength Tester-1,205 kg!
"How is that possible? You clearly only punched 860 kg yesterday!" Jiang Nian asked in surprise.
"Well, I didn't rest well yesterday, and I got into a fight before coming here. My body wasn't in the best condition.
"Over 1,200 kg. That's not bad, I suppose!"
Zhang Junbao explained. The result of 1,205 kg was about what he had expected, so it wasn't much of a surprise.
"Not bad? You certainly aren't greedy!
"The physical requirement for a fighter is a punch strength of 900 kg. You're clearly well above that! Do you know that this strength is considered relatively high even among Beginner Warriors? And you're not even an official fighter yet.
"Again. Throw three punches in a row!" Jiang Nian was thrilled. He had witnessed the birth of a genius with his own eyes, and one who had come from his own dojo at that.
Every year, the dojo assigned instructors like him the task of discovering geniuses. If they exceeded their quota, they would receive an enormous reward, more than they could earn in a lifetime as instructors!
Beside them, Xu Yan covered her mouth, a look of surprise on her face. When Jiang Nian had introduced Zhang Junbao as an advanced trainee just like her, she hadn't thought much of it. But now Zhang Junbao had punched with a force of over 1,200 kg, far exceeding the qualifying standard for a fighter!
Zhang Junbao gathered his strength again, his fists striking the target in rapid succession like a machine gun. His whole body remained motionless, as steady as Mount Tai!
Three thunderous bangs rang out, and a string of numbers appeared on the Punch Strength Tester: 1,208 kg, 1,204 kg, 1,206 kg.
The strength of his successive punches was remarkably close, proving that his control over his strength had reached a highly precise level.
After the three punches, Zhang Junbao slowly straightened up and pressed both palms downward in a gesture of settling his qi. His breathing remained steady and controlled.
"How did you do that? How could the strength of several punches in a row be so close?" Jiang Nian felt as though he were dreaming. One miracle was happening after another.
"The reason our punch strength drops when we strike repeatedly is that we lack control and don't have enough time to build up strength. The force of the recoil affects us too, so we can't bring out our full strength.
"As long as you control the recoil, circulate it once through your body, and release it again, you can turn it into your own strength. That solves the problem of recoil and prevents your strength from dropping because you haven't built up enough force," Zhang Junbao explained seriously.
But Jiang Nian was badly shocked. He knew about this technique, but as far as he knew, everyone capable of using it was a War God Level existence.
It was just like Star Shifting in ancient martial arts tales, redirecting an enemy's force and sending it back out. But hearing those words from Zhang Junbao's mouth, Jiang Nian felt as though he were reading a fantasy novel. Why did it feel so unreal?
"Your muscle control is just too astonishing! Ordinary people simply can't do what you described!"
Jiang Nian said.
"Uncle Jiang, can't you do it either?"
Xu Yan blinked her big eyes, which sparkled with stars, and asked curiously.
"Ahem, naturally, I can... Even if your dad were here, he couldn't do it either!" Jiang Nian was a little embarrassed. He had originally wanted to boast that he could naturally do it, but on second thought, he gave up. If Xu Yan asked him to demonstrate, wouldn't he be exposed?
He might as well drag his old comrade-in-arms, Xu Yan's father, down with him.
"My dad is already an Advanced Warlord. Even he can't do it?" Xu Yan stared at Zhang Junbao in astonishment. In her eyes, although her father wasn't a War God, he was still an exceptionally powerful member of the family. Yet even he couldn't do it.
"This is a technique only someone at War God Level can master, all right? I don't know how this little monster managed it either!" Jiang Nian was utterly shocked, and even the way he looked at Zhang Junbao had changed.
"Hehe, you just need to practice it more. You can do it too!" Zhang Junbao said "modestly."
"You brat, can't you leave the rest of us a way to live?" Jiang Nian was somewhat speechless. Young people these days were so "modest" it stabbed right at the heart!