Warrior Academy Assessment
North of the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts on the Yulan Continent, the O'Brien Empire was unaffected by either the Radiant Church or the Dark Church. In the four great empires, imperial authority was supreme, and its ancestor was a god-level powerhouse-the War God.
Basil, the provincial capital of the Northwest Province.
For three months, Luo Feng trained in seclusion at home. Both his hands had fully recovered, and his Battle-qi had gradually stabilized at the middle stage of the fourth level. If Luo Feng faced the Rock Turtle pack again now, he could utterly crush them. Little Luo Fu hadn't disappointed Luo Feng either. He trained diligently every day, and after three months, he had reached the late stage of a Warrior of the First Rank.
The provincial capital, Basil, covered a vast area and was home to over a million people. It ranked among the ten greatest cities on the entire Yulan Continent, and yet it was only the capital of the O'Brien Empire's Northwest Province.
As evening fell, Luo Feng brought Luo Fu into the provincial capital of Basil.
Walking down the main street of Basil's eastern district, Luo Feng found himself dazzled. The ancient buildings and modern skyscrapers he had seen in his previous life were in a completely different league from the sights before him. Fortunately, his adult mindset let him keep himself well under control. Luo Fu also stared around with wide eyes, terribly excited. After all, he was a child, and this was his first visit to the provincial capital of Basil.
Fortunately, the entire eastern district was bustling and noisy, and nobody noticed little Luo Fu's voice.
The eastern road was paved with smooth bluestone slabs and was wide enough for several carriages to travel abreast. Hotels, clothing shops, weapon shops, bars, and all manner of other businesses lined both sides. Neat rows of tall pines and cypresses also stood along either side of the road.
Noble ladies and young misses, dressed in fashionable clothes, strolled along the street, chatting and laughing with one another.
Some of the noble ladies nearby saw Luo Feng's reaction and began snickering to one another, occasionally pointing at Luo Fu. Clearly, the brothers' reactions marked them as country bumpkins visiting the city. The nobles of the royal capital had an innate sense of superiority over country folk.
Luo Feng smiled calmly, hardly bothered by their pointing and whispering. Human vices were the same everywhere. The O'Brien Empire valued martial prowess, and strength alone reigned supreme. True experts wouldn't care about the way others looked at them.
The brothers found a cheap inn and rested there while they waited for Philipzi Academy's admissions test the next day.
As soon as he finished eating, Luo Feng sat cross-legged on the bed and began cultivating his Battle-qi. He never wasted a single opportunity to train. Over the years, he had developed the habit of cultivating whenever he had time.
"My brother works so hard. He even cultivates Battle-qi at night," Luo Feng, who was beside him, said in heartfelt admiration when he saw his brother's actions.
The next morning, on Red Leaf Road in Basil's eastern district: Red Leaf Road was one of Basil's main thoroughfares. Most of the buildings along it were luxurious mansions, and the tallest group of buildings belonged to Philipzi Academy.
That morning, a large crowd had gathered outside Philipzi Academy's admissions office. The vast majority were nobles dressed in fine clothes, and carriages nearly filled the open square in front of the church. The nobles exchanged greetings with one another.
The brothers Luo Feng and Luo Fu arrived just then.
"Brother, there are so many people here today. Lots of nobles have brought their children," little Luo Fu said to Luo Feng, a little worried.
Luo Feng nodded and smiled calmly. "Nobles? Any warrior who graduates from Philipzi Academy in the provincial capital of Basil can easily become an Earl in a kingdom."
Among the tens of thousands gathered in the square were some commoners and minor nobles from the countryside. Minor country nobles were generally looked down upon, to say nothing of the Luo Feng brothers. Most nobles from the royal capital were rather arrogant and looked down on others.
The square was clearly divided into two groups: the nobles, who talked loudly and at length, and the commoners and minor country nobles.
Two warriors in battle armor stood at the academy entrance, preventing outsiders from entering. Judging by their bearing, Luo Feng felt that the two men before him were like mountains. He couldn't see through their strength, but by a conservative estimate, they should be at least Seventh-level Warriors.
After a while, a burly man in a close-fitting black warrior's outfit walked out slowly. He stopped at the entrance to the academy's admissions office and said with a smile in a clear voice, "Philipzi Academy's admissions test begins now. I am Tizi, your chief examiner for this test. I announce that the warrior test begins now. The recruiters from the various warrior academies are also ready. Everyone taking the warrior test, please follow me into the hall."
Under the chief examiner's direction, everyone in the square entered the academy's assessment hall in an orderly fashion, one after another.
The enormous hall had a gleaming marble floor and a huge colored crystal chandelier overhead. Even with tens of thousands of people inside, it didn't feel crowded in the least.
At the front of the hall was a row of chairs occupied by recruiters from the various academies. The testing area was right in the center.
The man in the close-fitting black outfit smiled and said in a clear voice, "The testing area is in the center. Those taking the test will come forward one at a time. No one else may approach the force-measuring device in the center. Those preparing to take the test, please line up. Parents and relatives, stand to the side."
"Luo Fu, here's the testing fee and your proof of identity. Hold on to them, and remember to go take the test when it's your turn," Luo Feng said. Since the two of them weren't in the same line, he gave Luo Fu the fee and proof of identity beforehand.
Luo Fu accepted the ten gold coins and went to line up. The oldest boys were eleven or twelve. If his brother hadn't waited three years for him, he would never have come to take the test only now. The youngest were only six or seven. The children formed two lines, and his brother was in the one over there. Judging by the lines, Luo Fu should be tested before his brother.
The force-measuring machine was a large sphere three meters in diameter. Three adults stood beside it: two were responsible for testing and one for recording the results.
"First one."
The examiner beside the machine pointed at it and said, "Use all your strength to punch the force-measuring device in front of you. It will display the force of your punch, and we'll give you a corresponding result based on that force."
The first to step up was a boy of seven or eight. Somewhat nervously, he raised his right hand, clenched his teeth, and gathered his strength for a long while before finally throwing a punch. Smack! The clear sound echoed in everyone's ears.
The examiner stepped forward. The force-measuring device stopped running and recorded the data on it. He then announced coldly, "Age: seven. Force measurement: 190. Aptitude: low." The boy walked away dejectedly.
A clamor rose from the crowd. With ordinary aptitude, he could still attend a small academy, but he fell far, far short of the standards for Philipzi Academy in the provincial capital of Basil. And so the boy left dejectedly.
"Quiet," the examiner said coldly. The large group of nobles immediately fell silent. "Next."
Luo Feng watched with interest.
The boys were tested one after another. Of the first ten, only one was found to have upper-middle aptitude, and the academy recruiters watching eagerly nearby immediately surrounded him.
Time passed slowly. At one point, someone whose aptitude was close to high actually appeared and was immediately admitted by the nearby Philipzi Academy. Most of the others were average, and only a handful had high aptitude.
As time went on, more and more people filled the hall. The warrior test would continue for half a month, so most people weren't in any particular hurry. By the time Luo Fu's turn came, the line of people taking the test extended beyond the hall.
"Next," the examiner called again.
Luo Fu composed himself and stepped forward. He looked back at his brother and saw the encouragement in his eyes. Clenching his teeth, Luo Fu spread his legs as if assuming a horse stance and slowly raised his right hand. Then he struck fiercely. A bang rang through the hall, powerfully catching everyone's eye.
"Age: seven. Force measurement: 742. Aptitude: upper high." The young examiner felt his heart pounding. Most people's aptitude was average, while high aptitude was very rare. As for aptitude approaching exceptional... that was rarer still.
Even many of the nobles nearby looked at Luo Fu differently. The force-measuring device tested each person's aptitude: generally, 0-250 was low, 250-500 was average, 500-750 was high, and anything above 750 was exceptional. Yet the child before them had scored 742. What did that mean?
The force-measuring device was not to be underestimated. Everyone taking the test was under twelve, and the rating was calculated from the boy's age and the force of his punch. Even if an adult were a Warrior of the Fifth Rank, his score would probably still be between 500 and 750. A stronger punch didn't necessarily mean a higher test score.
"Does anyone know that boy? What family is he from?" the nobles below murmured among themselves.
If they befriended a boy with such potential early on, they might have a powerful friend in the future.
The recruiters from the various warrior academies, who had been sitting and chatting, also rushed over to watch. Which of the great warrior academies wouldn't want to recruit a few geniuses?
Luo Fu ignored the attempts by the various warriors to recruit him and went to stand beside his brother, waiting for his brother's test result.
As time passed, it was finally Luo Feng's turn. When he heard the examiner call "Next," he walked straight up to the force-measuring device.
Without even looking, he casually swung his arm, then waited there for the examiner's answer.
The examiner frowned slightly. People as conceited as this were quite rare. Still, he said nothing and stepped forward. When he saw the result before him, his eyes widened, and he said in disbelief, "Age: eleven. Force measurement: 1021. Aptitude: ex... exceptional."
The crowd erupted. Such talent was frighteningly great. They looked at Luo Feng with awe. What did this mean? The child before them had limitless potential for future accomplishments. Even becoming a Saint Warrior wasn't impossible.
Several warrior academy recruiters immediately rushed in. "Hello, Luo Feng. I'm from Lance Warrior Academy. We sincerely invite you to join our academy. If you do, your tuition will be waived in full, and you'll receive a scholarship of one thousand gold coins every year. We'll also have the academy's vice dean, an Eighth-level Warrior, instruct you."
Just then, the warrior academy recruiters obediently moved aside because they saw a man in a close-fitting black outfit approaching. "Hello, Luo Feng. On behalf of Philipzi Warrior Academy, I extend my sincerest invitation to you and your younger brother. Would you be willing to join our Philipzi Warrior Academy?"
"Mr. Tizi, I would be honored to become a member of Philipzi Warrior Academy," Luo Feng said politely and respectfully, pulling his younger brother Luo Fu along.
The man in the close-fitting black outfit was surprised by Luo Feng's composure, but he continued with a smile, "Luo Feng, Luo Fu, I'll report all your identity information to the academy. When the time comes, you only need to bring your proof of identity and take another test after entering the academy. Then you can officially become members."