Just Normal Combat Power
"Don't be nervous. Relax and do your best!"
Seeing how nervous the man was, the certification officer immediately spoke up.
The man looked solemn. After placing his hand on the device, he silently used his elemental power.
Before long, an Earth Elemental Mark appeared on the device, with a Divine Mark flickering in and out of view on it.
"Cultivation certification successful!" the officer announced when he saw the mark.
Only then did the man let out a breath and lower his hand.
"Cultivation certification is simple. As long as there's nothing wrong with you and you haven't come here specifically to cause trouble, there won't be a problem," a man waiting in line said quietly.
The outcome of cultivation certification was a foregone conclusion. Anyone who hadn't broken through to become a One-Star Martial Artist wouldn't come to get certified, unless they really were here to cause trouble. In that case, they would be arrested.
"Next is combat power. Don't be nervous. As long as your combat power reaches the threshold of 300, you'll be an officially recognized One-Star Martial Artist. As long as you don't go into business, you can collect a monthly allowance of 10,000."
To encourage the man, the certification officer reiterated the benefits of becoming a martial artist.
This was also a benefit the Dragon Country government provided to martial artists, though there were conditions attached.
After becoming martial artists, some people chose not to enter the military or join an official organization, opting instead to open martial arts schools and the like.
Such people were generally concerned only with their own interests, so they received no allowance.
There were also people who, once they became martial artists and received an allowance, would loaf around waiting to die. The government therefore conducted investigations, and if that was confirmed, their allowances would likewise be revoked.
"Strike the combat power tester with all your strength!"
The certification officer addressed the man.
The man prepared for three seconds, then punched the tester.
Bang!
A number appeared on the combat power tester and began changing rapidly.
The man stared nervously at the device. Finally, the number stopped at 283.
The certification officer frowned. "Certification failed!"
"No, that's impossible! I clearly condensed an Elemental Mark and became a One-Star Martial Artist!" The man's face turned deathly pale in an instant, and he looked utterly unwilling to accept it.
"Alas, he must be a martial artist built up entirely with special drugs. The Martial Arts Association won't recognize martial artists like that!" someone said, shaking his head.
Some people took drugs like mad to become martial artists, but these drugs actually had serious side effects, and their combat power was very weak, so the government wouldn't recognize them.
The allowance wasn't as easy to get as people imagined.
"Second..."
The certification officer continued calling names one by one.
These people all passed their certifications.
After all, people like Zhang Xing, who had built themselves up with drugs, were a minority. Even many who had done so knew they wouldn't be officially recognized, so they wouldn't come here asking for trouble.
"Fifth, Liu Yun. Certification level: Two-Star Martial Artist!"
"Finally, a Two-Star Martial Artist!"
None of the people who had been certified earlier had left, apart from Zhang Xing.
People were curious by nature. After passing an assessment, they especially wanted to see how those who came after them would do.
It was like an ordinary person taking a driving test. Once they passed, they could relax and watch others take it with an eye to comparison.
Liu Yun had no trouble with his cultivation certification. Afterward, he punched the combat power tester.
710.
"He passed!"
Everyone drew a breath when they saw the number.
This also meant that from now on, the man named Liu Yun was an officially recognized Two-Star Martial Artist and could collect a monthly allowance of 20,000.
Twenty thousand! How much work would an ordinary person have to do to earn that? A martial artist only had to avoid loafing around waiting to die. It was much easier.
The people who had passed the One-Star Martial Artist certification all looked at him enviously. They had no idea how long it would take them to become Two-Star Martial Artists. Perhaps they never would in their entire lives.
The certification officer also nodded to Liu Yun. A Two-Star Martial Artist was already worthy of his respect.
"Next, Qin Chen. Certification level: One-Star Martial Artist!"
The certification officer looked at Qin Chen, anticipation in his eyes.
Xu Hua had personally brought him here and even called him a friend. The officer was very curious.
He knew their director well. The man never went out of his way to look after relatives or the like, much less personally bring them here.
The certification officer wasn't the only one who was curious. The others were curious too, though their thoughts were different. They wanted to see whether the director's relative would make a fool of himself.
Qin Chen remained calm. He stood up from his stool and walked over to the device, step by step.
Without wasting any words, he placed his hand directly on it.
A Fire Elemental Mark soon appeared.
"Cultivation certification successful!"
The certification officer glanced at Qin Chen and spoke seriously.
"He passed!"
The others looked over too, surprised. Qin Chen looked only seventeen or eighteen, yet he had actually passed.
"Qin Chen? How come I've never heard that name? Is there a Qin Family in Rongcheng?" someone couldn't help asking.
When they saw such a genius, the first thing they thought of was a talented junior from a prominent family.
"Could he... have been built up with drugs too?" someone whispered.
It wasn't unheard of for martial artists to be seventeen or eighteen, but they didn't appear every year. One in ten years was already good, so they found it hard to believe they had met one.
Most importantly, however much they thought about it, they couldn't come up with a prominent family surnamed Qin, and they had never heard the name Qin Chen before.
A genius like this should generally have attracted attention long ago.
At this moment, Xu Hua looked at Qin Chen with a happy smile. Although he knew nothing would go wrong, he was still a little excited now that Qin Chen had actually succeeded.
I was right to build a good relationship with him! Xu Hua thought to himself.
While everyone was lost in their own thoughts, Qin Chen stood before the combat power tester.
His breathing was perfectly steady.
He used the Flame Breathing Technique, then sent a punch thundering into the tester.
Boom!
The tremendous bang jolted everyone out of their thoughts. They stared at the rapidly changing number.
780.
Buzz!
Everyone's minds suddenly went blank. Immediately afterward, the hall erupted.
Even Xu Hua, who was a little farther away, nearly jumped out of his skin.
"780? Am I seeing things?"
"Holy shit, is he really Director Xu's relative?"
"Wasn't he supposed to be getting certified as a One-Star Martial Artist?"
Everyone stared at the number that shouldn't have appeared, their faces full of disbelief.
"Is the machine broken?" Even the certification officer was bewildered.
Xu Hua hurried over at that moment. He glanced at the machine. There was no way it could be broken; the Martial Arts Association wouldn't make such a basic mistake.
He looked at Qin Chen. "Brother Qin, this..."
He didn't know what to say. In all his years, this was the first time he had seen someone produce the combat power of a Two-Star Martial Artist during a One-Star Martial Artist certification.
Qin Chen smiled. "It's just normal combat power."
It really was his normal combat power. He had previously devoured Wind and Ice Elemental Mark fragments. Although they hadn't allowed him to break through, his combat power had increased.
Moreover, martial artist certification tested normal combat power, not explosive power, so martial arts techniques couldn't be used. He could only use his breathing technique; he hadn't used the Blazing Sun Fist.
If he had used it, his explosive power might have shot straight past a thousand. After all, it was a grandmaster-level martial arts technique.
"Normal combat power!"
Hearing Qin Chen's words, the others looked at him as though he were a monster. This was fucking abnormal to begin with!