An Unremarkable Talent, Ten Consecutive Draws!

Cosmic energy flowed into Li Jing's body in a steady stream through the centers of his palms and soles, as well as his Baihui acupoint.

His cells, starved for more than a decade, were like parched land welcoming rain after a long drought. They frantically devoured the cosmic energy, accompanied by tremors deep in his bone marrow and a feeling of comfort throughout his body.

Because the cells had been starved for over a decade, the first absorption of cosmic energy took the longest and brought a martial artist the greatest improvement.

Li Jing absorbed it for a full two hours before reaching saturation.

After finding that he could not absorb another trace of cosmic energy no matter how hard he tried, Li Jing ended his cultivation and stood up, a hint of joy flashing in his eyes.

On the night before the combat assessment, he had finally sensed cosmic energy.

It had taken him three days in total. Though he could not compare to some true geniuses, he was still fairly good among Earthlings.

Let's see how much my physical stats have improved! With a thought, Li Jing opened the personal panel in the Card Draw System interface.

This was a small system feature he had figured out in his spare time. It let him see changes in his strength and status at a glance, and was fairly useful.

[Name: Li Jing

Bloodline: Earth Humans (ninth grade)

Strength: Beginner Warrior Level martial artist / Apprentice First Order (punching force: 1,570 kilograms; speed: 34.2 meters per second; neural response: excellent at Beginner Warrior Level)

Willpower: Intermediate Warrior

Movement technique: Basic Level, major mastery

Blade technique: Basic Level, major mastery

Items: none]

His punching force was 1,570 kilograms, which meant his first absorption of cosmic energy had increased it by around 600 kilograms.

It was the same as Luo Feng's first absorption of cosmic energy.

That made him a minor genius, but he was nowhere near the point of being breathtaking.

But Luo Feng also had Spiritual Force. Counting the improvement to his physical stats that came with its awakening, his punching force had increased by a full 2,200 kilograms or so.

The potential he displayed had leaped into the ranks of peerless geniuses, and the startup funds he received had far exceeded those of ordinary martial artists.

Li Jing was not too disappointed by this. Geniuses were always few and far between; mediocrity was the norm.

Besides, on Earth, his talent was actually not bad.

What was more, with the Card Draw System, he might yet catch up to Luo Feng in the future.

He would adjust his mindset, face tomorrow's combat assessment, and then earn his first bucket of gold!

Li Jing clenched his fist to himself, forced his feelings to settle, and fell peacefully asleep.

The night passed uneventfully, and early the next morning, Li Jing prepared to leave.

Before leaving, Li Jing looked at the cramped resettlement apartment where he had lived for eighteen years and thought that he would not return after today.

The Martial Artist Combat Assessment was held across all of Jiangnan Base City at the same time.

Li Jing first took a ride to the Limit Hall in Yangzhou's main urban district, where he met up with the other Quasi-Martial Artists from Yangzhou City who had passed the assessment.

Together, they went to the train station and boarded a train for the combat assessment site-the Northern Military Region of Jiangnan Base City.

Inside the carriage, the Limits Dojo, the Thunder Dojo, the Huaxia Military, the HR Alliance, and other major factions took turns appearing on the big screen to promote themselves to Li Jing and the other Quasi-Martial Artists, hoping to recruit fresh blood.

The whole carriage was in an uproar, with many Quasi-Martial Artists discussing which faction would be best to join.

Li Jing closed his eyes and rested, putting other thoughts aside. The prerequisite for joining a faction was passing the combat assessment alive.

After all, every combat assessment had a certain casualty rate.

Although Li Jing was confident in his strength, he did not have Spiritual Force to rely on as Luo Feng had back then, allowing him to disregard the risks of the assessment.

The train soon arrived at the Northern Military Region of Jiangnan Base City. Truckloads of H-Class Monsters, each equivalent to a Beginner Warrior, were transported into Monster Town, the assessment site.

The lively atmosphere grew solemn. Some Quasi-Martial Artists with poorer composure even turned pale when they heard monster roars in the distance.

After they had eaten the generous lunch prepared by the military region, a middle-aged officer in charge of the assessment gave an order.

Every Quasi-Martial Artist taking part in the combat assessment was issued a Communication Watch that could be used to call for help, and then lined up to select a combat uniform and the equipment they would use.

Li Jing chose a Blood Shadow series battle blade, the type he had practiced with most at the dojo, and a Hexagonal Shield. Both were first-series equipment suited for a Beginner Warrior to use in combat.

After collecting their equipment, they rested and adjusted for several hours. At 6:30 p.m., the Martial Artist Combat Assessment officially began!

With the Hexagonal Shield in his left hand and the Blood Shadow Battle Blade in his right, Li Jing cautiously entered the outskirts of Monster Town.

Usually, hunting three monsters and cutting off their left ears is enough to pass the combat assessment. To be safe, I should hunt four.

His sturdy combat boots tread on Monster Town's dilapidated concrete ground as Li Jing warily surveyed his surroundings, silently pondering.

You're the one, Ironfur Wild Boar!

Avoiding groups of monsters, Li Jing searched specifically for lone targets. At last, he found a suitable one to attack in an alley.

The H-Class Monster Ironfur Wild Boar possessed outstanding strength and defense, but lacked speed and agility, making it a relatively suitable opponent.

"Come on!" Li Jing slapped his shield with the Blood Shadow Battle Blade, making a noise.

At the sight of the human martial artist provoking it, the Ironfur Wild Boar let out a hoarse roar and charged at Li Jing like a chariot, its gleaming tusks resembling a pair of sharp knives.

His movement technique, at major mastery of the Basic Level, allowed Li Jing to easily dodge the Ironfur Wild Boar's charge and stab his blade into its vulnerable chrysanthemum.

The entire blade sank easily into the Ironfur Wild Boar's belly, leaving only the hilt outside.

The Ironfur Wild Boar, so ferocious a moment ago, gave a mournful cry and fell silent.

Experiencing killing for the first time, Li Jing displayed astonishing adaptability.

Looking at the blood all over the ground and the innards that had spilled out, Li Jing merely frowned.

He cut off the Ironfur Wild Boar's left ear and tossed it into his backpack, then immediately searched for his next target.

Soon, it was early the next morning, and the Martial Artist Combat Assessment was over. After a night of fighting, Li Jing looked a little tired.

Though he had initially planned to stop after hunting just four monsters, things often did not go as one wished. Monsters did not care whether he wanted to fight them; as soon as they spotted him, they attacked.

Over the course of the night, Li Jing had hunted a full twelve monsters. His most dangerous encounter had been when three Tiger Mastiffs surrounded and attacked him at once.

If his blade technique and movement technique had not had a solid foundation, he would probably have had to pay a price to shake them off.

When the results were tallied, Li Jing's haul of twelve left ears caused a minor sensation.

In a combat assessment where hunting three monsters-or two with good luck-was enough to pass, Li Jing's performance already made him a minor genius.

At the very least, it showed that he had a solid foundation, a steady mindset, and a character that met the standard, as well as extraordinary adaptability in battle.

After learning of Li Jing's assessment results, that he had successfully sensed cosmic energy within three days, and that his first absorption had increased his punching force by 600 kilograms,

Instructor Jiang Nian formally invited Li Jing to sign a contract on behalf of the Limits Dojo, offering ten million in Huaxia Currency as startup funds and a villa in Mingyue Residential Area.

The equipment and cultivation manuals Li Jing needed after becoming a martial artist could all be paid for out of those ten million in Huaxia Currency.

Compared with Luo Feng's twenty million in startup funds and an allowance of one hundred million for cultivation manuals, it naturally fell far short.

Even so, it was much better than the one million in startup funds given to ordinary martial artists.

The terms offered by the other factions were much the same as those of the Limits Dojo. In the end, Li Jing chose to sign with the Limits Dojo and moved into Mingyue Residential Area.

In the second-floor training room of Villa No. 231 in Mingyue Residential Area, Li Jing opened the Card Draw System interface.

"System, all in, ten consecutive draws!"