Combat Assessment!

The feeling of becoming stronger was intoxicating!

Right now, I'm only figuring out how to generate force with my body. Once I begin comprehending laws, I can hardly imagine how amazing that level of improvement will feel!

After lunch in the underground cafeteria of the Inherited Martial Hall, Jiang Zhe was about to return to the fifth floor to continue training. But as soon as they entered the elevator, his second brother pressed the button for the Ninth Floor.

Jiang Zhe gave him a questioning look.

Jiang Wu grinned. "Little Zhe, you're already excellent. The Combat Assessment will be a piece of cake for you. Don't keep yourself wound so tight; you need to know when to work and when to rest. Come on, go upstairs and take a nap first, or watch some recordings in the Audio-Visual Room... We'll head back down after two and learn something new."

Jiang Zhe thought about it and felt that made sense.

His second brother could no longer teach him anything about Eagle-Bear Integration. Better to let this part pass and spare the poor fellow from being squeezed dry.

Once the elevator reached the Ninth Floor, Jiang Zhe headed straight into the Audio-Visual Room.

Jiang Wu and Jiang Sisi could only shrug helplessly as they watched their cousin's back.

People more talented than you were working even harder than you. He really was born to grind.

The recordings stored on the Audio-Visual Room's computer were much more comprehensive than the copy he had.

Jiang Zhe's eyes were dazzled by folders named after martial arts manuals. The seven Core Classics Jiang Wu had mentioned were pinned at the top.

"Six Harmonies Dragon Roar Lance"!

"White Tiger Wind Summoning Blade"!

"Black Tiger Whip Technique"!

"Chicken-Form Step"!

"Bear King Shield"!

"Eagle Claw Art"!

"Thunder Tone"!

The folders below contained assorted videos teaching the tricks of various Freehand Combat techniques.

Eagle-Bear Integration was among them.

Jiang Zhe's objective was clear. For the time being, he would focus entirely on the Bear and Eagle forms.

The video began playing.

At the center of the holographic screen stood a gaunt old man around five foot seven, carrying a cold and aloof air that made him seem difficult to get along with.

He was Jiang Lie, Patriarch of the Jiang Clan, a powerhouse who had once earned the title of Invincible War God.

In reality, he was a kind old man who was easy to get along with.

A rectangular shield flew in from offscreen.

After catching it, the old man began demonstrating martial forms. Though his body was thin and wiry, at that moment he displayed the tyrannical momentum of a giant bear charging wildly ahead.

After completing the twenty-four-form sequence, he shifted his moves, and his entire aura abruptly changed.

He leaped and descended like an eagle hunting prey.

The square shield swept upward and crashed downward in straight lines, like a falling axe.

Decisive! Ferocious! Ruthless!

Clearly, Jiang Wu's understanding of Eagle-Bear Integration was to imitate his grandfather.

First came Bear King Shield, then he incorporated the Eagle Form's force generation into the shield technique, perfectly combining the two Force Amplification Techniques. Bear upon rising, eagle upon falling—seamless and flawless.

The video did not end there.

After finishing the Eagle Form, the old man tossed aside his shield, assumed the Three Body Stance, and began practicing Hsing-I Chuan in earnest.

This was his newly revised Hsing-I Chuan.

It was still Eagle-Bear Integration, but just a few movements made Jiang Zhe's eyes light up.

"Amazing! Truly amazing!"

"Every inch of his body is filled with Force Amplification Techniques!"

"The old man truly is the last inheritor of Old Era Ancient Martial Arts. A few punches perfectly explain force generation."

"No wonder he wore such an informal white tank top and beach shorts. He wanted to expose his muscles and joints so he could better display the mysteries of force generation."

Even after the video ended, Jiang Zhe remained immersed in those punches, feeling as if enlightenment had been poured straight into his mind.

When he finally came back to himself and thought of his second brother's teaching, the corner of Jiang Zhe's mouth twitched.

"One dared to teach, and the other dared to learn... My foundation was built crooked."

"I need to go back and watch the proper versions of Bear King Shield and Eagle Claw Art."

He moved the mouse, opened the folders above, and began relearning the basics.

Two hours later, Jiang Wu knocked on the door of the Audio-Visual Room.

Jiang Zhe walked out, and his strange state gave Jiang Wu quite a fright.

His eyes were vacant and unfocused, and he seemed dazed.

Without even greeting Jiang Wu, who was blocking the doorway, he mechanically walked down the corridor toward the elevator.

"Hey, what kind of blow did you—"

Before he could finish, Jiang Sisi raised a hand and covered his mouth.

Jiang Sisi lowered her voice. "Bro, why are you so dense? Can't you tell Little Zhe is thinking? Don't disturb him."

After Jiang Sisi took her hand away, Jiang Wu covered his own mouth with both hands and nodded repeatedly.

The two quietly followed behind Jiang Zhe and entered the elevator with him.

The elevator descended.

Only after a beep sounded—

The fifth floor had arrived.

—did light return to Jiang Zhe's eyes, and an eager expression appear on his face.

He had gained a great deal over the past two hours and could not wait to test it.

"Little Zhe, did you gain something?"

"Haha, Sis Si, just watch. I'll definitely leave you two stunned."

The elevator doors opened, and Jiang Zhe ran into the training hall. He rushed to the Punching Power Tester and powered it on.

A heavy punch slammed into the Punching Target like a cannonball.

—"12665kg!"

The moment Jiang Wu and Jiang Sisi entered the training hall, they saw the bright red number on the display from afar.

The two exchanged glances. They were already somewhat used to it and had developed enough mental resilience that they could no longer look surprised. They were merely puzzled—

Little Zhe, where exactly is your limit?

Jiang Zhe was still immersed in the video clips in his mind, analyzing the gap between himself and his grandfather.

"Not quite enough. Again!"

—"13578kg!"

"I need to pay attention to force generation from the waist and hips, and restrain the shoulder swing a little more. The transfer of force through the tip segments is fine, though."

"Again!"

—"14668kg!"

—"15889kg!"

—"17664kg!"

—"17856kg!"

His punching power eventually stabilized around seventeen tons.

Jiang Zhe stopped trying after that, understanding that this was temporarily the limit of his current stage.

The power he produced through Force Amplification Techniques had already reached the same level as his Psychic Master cultivation.

Everyone knew that after a Psychic Master first awakened, before their Brain Domain Capacity potential had fully manifested, their cultivation level would be two minor stages higher than their warrior cultivation.

Without using Force Amplification Techniques, his punching power was five tons, placing him at High-Tier Warrior/Apprentice Level 3. His Psychic Master cultivation, meanwhile, was Mid-Level Battle General/Apprentice Level 5.

"3.4 Times Force Amplification!" Jiang Wu sucked in a breath, his bear-like face twisting into a fierce expression. "There's something wrong with you, isn't there?"

Jiang Sisi also said faintly, "The Perfect Force Amplification of Eagle-Bear Integration is three times, but that's Grandpa's limit, not Little Zhe's..."

After a pause, she continued, "I'm really looking forward to Grandpa's reaction when he comes back to teach Little Zhe."

"Haha, I want to see Grandpa scratching his head too. Unfortunately, I have to report to the Elite Training Camp in early August."

Jiang Zhe turned off the Punching Power Tester, then waved Jiang Wu over. "Second Brother, didn't you say you were going to teach me something new this afternoon? Let's begin."

The instant he said that, Jiang Wu's expression visibly darkened.

What reached his ears was—Boss, come on, get in here and take your seat!

With a bitter expression and heavy steps, as though walking toward the execution ground, he headed toward Jiang Zhe.

After only a few steps, Jiang Wu remembered something.

His bitterness transformed into a malicious grin. As he walked, he loosened his joints and changed course toward the weapon rack by the wall, where he grabbed his Horse-Chopping Saber.

"Little Zhe, our lesson this afternoon is practical combat. Go get a shield. Your task is to block my blade!"

The gleaming, cold five-series Horse-Chopping Saber made Jiang Zhe's scalp tingle.

After confirming that his second brother was not joking, he said awkwardly, "Second Brother, even if it's practical training, we don't need to use real weapons, right? That thing puts a lot of pressure on me!"

"How can you improve without pressure?" Jiang Wu said with a stern face. "Little Zhe, trust your second brother. I'll do my best to control my strength. Even if I accidentally slip up, our family has Water of Life in reserve. It won't be a big problem."

Jiang Zhe: "..."

Jiang Sisi covered her mouth and giggled from the side. At last, she was seeing her cousin suffer a setback.

Warrior trainee Jiang Zhe, who had been on the path for less than two and a half days, was forced into action. The clash of blade and shield was about to begin.

Then... Jiang Zhe was hacked senseless by his second brother, who had been bottling up his frustration.

Blade Technique infinitely close to the Realm-Level poured forth, one slash after another, relentless as a gale sweeping across the land.

Holding his round shield, Jiang Zhe felt like a small boat in a storm, rocking on the verge of capsizing and leaking from every side.

The wild assault crashing toward him left him on the verge of suffocation.

The White Tiger Wind Summoning Blade truly lived up to its reputation!

Each round of practical combat lasted twenty minutes, with ten minutes reserved for Jiang Zhe to rest. Once the time was up, he had to get back on his feet and continue being chopped at.

Two hours passed. After four rounds of training, Jiang Zhe gradually gained the ability to hold his ground.

His high comprehension allowed him to transform through each fierce exchange, until he wielded the shield as naturally as an extension of his arm;

The powerful calculation ability granted by his identity as a Psychic Master helped him predict the trajectories of his second brother's blade moves;

Yet he was still beaten terribly.

They were still waiting for mealtime to arrive quickly, but the roles had quietly reversed. What went around truly came around.

After dinner, Sis Si took over the lesson.

She explained the application of movement techniques, focusing mainly on the stability and cohesion of Chicken-Form Step.

It originated from the single-leg stance of the chicken form in Hsing-I Chuan. The goal was to root one's feet firmly to the ground; paired with a shield, one would become like an unshakable mountain.

She also explained the essentials of basic movement techniques, as well as the characteristics of the Subtle Realm and Perfect Level Movement Technique.

For a Psychic Master, movement techniques were a strength. Jiang Zhe found this aspect of learning effortless.

After quickly mastering basic movement techniques, he made several attempts in the Nerve Reaction Test set to an extremely high difficulty and displayed movement at the Subtle Realm.

—The ability to control one's strength and body with extraordinary precision, evading in the most exquisite way at the smallest cost. Every movement and dodge seemed calculated by a computer.

There was nothing difficult about it, and nothing worth boasting over.

Here was a joke: this level was not even classified in the universe.

Put bluntly, it was just showing off fine-control skills. It had not yet left the scope of basic movement techniques.

Jiang Zhe felt that studying Force Amplification Techniques was harder than this.

Of course, true Subtle Realm movement required testing against monsters.

Just like his warrior status, he still had to go through the motions in the Combat Assessment before the public would acknowledge him and he could officially enter the circle of Earth's warriors.

Beyond the Subtle Realm was the Perfect Level.

However, the latter had environmental requirements. In any case, Jiang Zhe could not practice it in the training hall.

Less than an hour after class began, Jiang Sisi's teaching career ended early, leaving the teacher-loving girl somewhat displeased.

"Feel like you haven't had your fill?" Jiang Wu chuckled. "Didn't you leave something untaught? There are still the Force Amplification Techniques of Chicken-Form Step. Go back and keep teaching."

"Heh, that wouldn't be teaching. That would be asking for humiliation."

Late that night, before leaving the Inherited Martial Hall, Jiang Zhe went to the Audio-Visual Room on the Ninth Floor once more.

This time, he watched the recording of Chicken-Form Step, memorizing the Chicken Form's Force Amplification Techniques by rote.

After returning to his small courtyard, he entered the Original Core and held the Divine Crystal as he carefully pondered.

After his comprehension received the Divine Crystal's boost, Jiang Zhe clearly realized one problem.

"My body lacks a Power Core..."

It was still the same Tip-Segment Theory.

Of the three segments of the human body, the legs and feet were the root segment, the arms and hands were the tip segment, but the middle segment was missing. He could not make the force from every part coordinate and resonate, allowing power to flow through the tip segments and circulate freely throughout his body.

The Fist Scripture said: "If the upper segment is unclear, the hands become rigid; if the lower segment is unclear, the feet stumble and fall; if the middle segment is unclear, the entire body is hollow."

Therefore, even with the Divine Crystal enhancing his comprehension, Jiang Zhe could only achieve roughly four Times Force Amplification after integrating the force-generation techniques of the Chicken, Bear, and Eagle true forms.

Then, following the flashes of inspiration that continually appeared in his mind, he made extensive revisions, major changes, and minor patches until he could finally reach five to six Times Force Amplification.

The exact amount would have to be confirmed by the numbers on the Punching Power Tester.

"I already have three of the Xingyi Six Arts. Once I complete Dragon Body Form, Tiger Embrace Head Form, and Thunder Sound, my force amplification should surpass Thunder God's, right?"

"Hehe, then I'll put out a manual and sell it worldwide, interfering with Luo Feng's future choice. Doesn't he want to learn the best?"

After absorbing Cosmic Energy to nourish the cells in his body, Jiang Zhe entered dreamland with a mischievous smile.

On the twenty-eighth, Jiang Zhe arrived at the Inherited Martial Hall early.

Following the Force Amplification Techniques he had summarized the previous night, he threw a heavy punch at the Punching Target.

—"27,884 kg!"

"About 5.3 times force amplification. Not bad."

Thanks to the tremendous leap in his movement technique, all that remained of today's lessons was combat sparring.

By the afternoon, Jiang Zhe could use a round shield to defend against Jiang Wu's attacks without a single opening. Like an iron turtle, he gave Jiang Wu nowhere to strike.

By evening, the turtle had evolved into a snapping turtle. It had become aggressive.

If Jiang Zhe had not held back his strength, then with five times force amplification—nearing the upper limit of a Mid-Level Battle General—a single Lazy Bear Hits Tree might have knocked Jiang Wu over.

The 29th: combat sparring, Jiang Wu's prison sentence.

The 30th: Jiang Zhe finally began learning iron whip techniques.

Since he had yet to decide on his main weapon and was not particularly interested in the iron whip, Jiang Zhe had no intention of learning the Black Tiger Whip Technique.

He only learned three basic moves—sweep! Chop! Thrust!

The 31st: a true combat sparring session.

Jiang Zhe fought his second brother, Jiang Wu, in a real battle with whip and shield.

That morning, Jiang Zhe was beaten badly.

His left and right hands did not coordinate well. Before he could even fight an enemy, they tended to fight each other first. Whenever something went wrong, Jiang Wu would seize the chance and hack away at him relentlessly.

That afternoon, Jiang Zhe adapted to the Fighting Style of shield in his left hand and whip in his right. Then it was Jiang Wu's turn to serve time.

August 1st, the Martial Warrior Combat Assessment began.

Every Martial Warrior had to go through it. It was held only twice a year, in February and August. Missing one meant waiting another half year, a tremendous waste of time.

Jiang Zhe and the cousins who had come to accompany him did not receive any special treatment. They took the train to the Southern Military Region alongside the other Pre-Martial Warriors.

After lunch at the military region, they received their Combat Suits and equipment that afternoon.

The military region had only prepared Series 2 equipment. Jiang Zhe was not particularly satisfied with either its quality or weight. After swinging the iron whip, which weighed over a hundred kilograms, a few times, he was even afraid it might break during battle.

More than a thousand Pre-Martial Warriors followed military guides for half an hour before finally reaching Monster Town, which was in charge of the Combat Assessment.

"Little Zhe, this is your first public appearance. A lot of people are watching you. Do your best!"

Speed up! Speed up!

Next, I'll work on my Genetic Level, then Strength Amplification, then advance to Planetary Level, and then leave Earth.

Hurry up! Hurry up!