"Will you win?"
Someone's worried voice echoed across the training arena.
"I'll win."
Han Jue smiled confidently, running his fingers through his distinctive white hair as he picked up the wooden training sword. His calm demeanor spoke volumes, this was a warrior who knew his own abilities intimately.
Across from him stood a burly opponent wielding a thick combat knife that was far heavier than Han Jue's wooden blade. The weapon's heft gave it an undeniable advantage, a fact the man clearly intended to exploit. It was somewhat shameless, choosing a near-combat-grade weapon for what should have been a standard training duel.
But as Han Jue had said, he would win.
The burly man's eyes burned with fierce determination as he charged forward, bringing his heavy blade down in a powerful overhead strike. The blow carried tremendous force, but Han Jue deflected it with practiced ease, using the wooden sword's flexibility to redirect rather than absorb the impact. The man staggered back, momentarily off-balance.
"Again!" the burly man roared, his pride wounded as he launched into a flurry of powerful swings and slashes.
Han Jue raised an eyebrow, choosing not to meet strength with strength. Why would he, when his opponent's weapon clearly held the advantage in direct confrontation? Instead, he relied on what made him exceptional, his agility.
The man's powerful attacks sliced through empty air as Han Jue moved with fluid grace, his body seeming to anticipate each strike before it came. Between one heavy swing and the next, Han Jue found his opening. In a blur of motion, he slipped behind his opponent and brought the wooden blade to rest gently against the man's neck.
"I... I lost," the man grumbled, frustration thick in his voice. He'd known defeat was likely, but he hadn't expected it to come so swiftly or so decisively.
"Well done, well done!"
The sound of applause echoed through the arena as Wang Heng, one of the martial arts school's supervisors, approached. "As expected of a sixteen-year-old advanced student! Little Han, your agility is nearly at the warrior level, isn't it?"
"Not quite, Brother Wang," Han Jue replied with a modest smile as he returned the wooden sword to its rack. A closer look revealed he hadn't even broken a sweat, the victory had required no real effort on his part.
"You're far too humble," Wang Heng said, shaking his head before his expression turned more serious. "When are you planning to take the quasi-warrior examination? Last time, you were just short on strength, if I recall correctly."
"Beginning of next month," Han Jue answered confidently.
"So soon?" Wang Heng's eyes widened in surprise before breaking into a wide grin. "Excellent! If you truly become a quasi-warrior at sixteen, you absolutely must join our Thunder Dojo! I'll personally ensure you receive the best treatment available. With talent like yours, you might even reach the War God level someday!"
"Then I'll be counting on Brother Wang's support," Han Jue said warmly.
They made their way to the advanced students' testing area. The space stood empty, any students who might have been there quickly vacated when they saw Han Jue and his supervisor approaching. Such was the respect commanded by the school's most promising talent.
Standing before the punch force tester, Han Jue took a deep breath, channeling every ounce of strength into his right arm.
Then,
"Bang!"
His fist slammed into the target with explosive force, causing the entire machine to shudder violently. A number flashed across the display, "923kg!"
"Magnificent!" Wang Heng exclaimed, unable to contain his excitement.
Only sixteen years old! While his peers were barely beginning their journey at the martial arts school, Han Jue had already reached a level most could only dream of achieving. Could there be another talent like this in all of Jiangnan Base City? Wang Heng felt fortunate to have transferred to the Thunder Dojo, now he had ammunition to counter the Extreme Martial Arts School's endless bragging!
At the very least, Han Jue would become a War God. Wang Heng was already planning to send him to the Thunder Dojo's global headquarters for specialized training after he passed the combat assessment. After all, Han Jue's true strength lay in his agility.
"Continue with the speed test," Wang Heng urged, eager to see how much the young prodigy had improved.
They moved to the track, and Han Jue positioned himself at the starting line.
Whoosh!
His movements were graceful yet explosively fast, his form blurring as he crossed the distance like a gust of wind given human shape.
Wang Heng, secretly shocked by what he'd witnessed, turned to check the digital display.
"29.9 meters per second"
The number seemed to burn itself into his vision. He remembered that just over a month ago, Han Jue's speed had been 26.5 meters per second. An improvement of over three meters per second in barely a month?
What terrifying talent.
Next came the nerve reaction test. Han Jue stepped into the circular testing zone, three meters and sixty centimeters in diameter, surrounded by a hazy red glow. The machines around the perimeter began firing rubber bullets at him from multiple angles.
"Microscopic level!" Wang Heng muttered in amazement. "Reaching this level at sixteen... I feel like I've lived half my life like a dog!"
Within the circle, Han Jue's figure moved with liquid precision, evading bullet after bullet. With his Microscopic-level agility, this test might as well have been child's play. His body seemed to know where each projectile would be before it arrived, flowing through the gaps in the barrage with effortless grace.
The final result came as no surprise: Excellent.
"Good, good, good!" Wang Heng repeated the word three times, his joy unmistakable.
"Brother Wang, what do you think?" Han Jue asked with a smile.
"Outstanding! There's no one more talented than you in all of Jiangnan Base City," Wang Heng praised without reservation. "Once you pass the combat assessment, I'll personally recommend you to headquarters! Perhaps even Thunder God himself, Lei Shen, founder of our Thunder Dojo and the world's second strongest, will take an interest in mentoring you."
Han Jue nodded thoughtfully. He was well aware of Lei Shen's reputation and accomplishments.
"I won't keep you any longer," Wang Heng said. "I'm confident the combat assessment won't pose any problems for you. Go home and prepare, and let your family know. Once you're accepted into the elite training camp at global headquarters, you won't be back for quite some time."
"Thank you, Brother Wang!"
While the Thunder Dojo might be slightly inferior to the Extreme Martial Arts School in some respects, Han Jue knew that Hong and Lei Shen were practically brothers. Even if there was a gap in resources, he was confident he could quickly advance from Apprentice Level to Planetary Level without relying on external support.
After that, Earth's resources would hold little meaning for him anyway, with the exception of Kirishima and a few ancient ruins, of course.
This was the confidence that came with being a transmigrator, combined with the assurance born of exceptional talent.
Indeed, Han Jue was a transmigrator. After awakening in this world and discovering it was the universe of Swallowed Star, he'd trained diligently, hoping to one day become a warrior who could participate in the world's great struggles rather than remaining a helpless spectator or, worse, becoming monster fodder. Fortunately, his new body had lived up to his determination.
In his first year as a martial arts student, he'd reached advanced student level. In just over six months after that, he'd achieved Apprentice Level, an extraordinary feat for someone with standard human qualifications. But his talents didn't end there.
The Six Eyes.
After reaching Apprentice Level, he'd awakened this ability, inheriting the name of the ability from the renowned Jujutsu sorcerer, Gojo Satoru. However, the effects in this world were completely different from those in Jujutsu Kaisen, only the name remained the same.
In the Swallowed Star universe, his Six Eyes had transformed into something far more suited to this reality: the ability to directly perceive and comprehend the workings of spatial laws. If certain warriors were considered favored children of the spatial laws, then Han Jue was their most beloved offspring, blessed beyond measure.
Furthermore, the Six Eyes granted him extraordinary learning ability and complete 360-degree vision, allowing him to see through his opponents' movements and predict their next actions with uncanny accuracy. Most importantly, unlike the version from the source material, he could control this ability freely without suffering any debilitating side effects.
Han Jue had a vague feeling that as his strength increased, this mutated Six Eyes ability would reveal even greater surprises.
With this talent, becoming a Universe Master someday presented no insurmountable challenge. Add to that the mental advancement potential inherent to Earthlings, and if Hong could eventually reach the True God level, why couldn't he?
Standing in the testing area, Han Jue clenched his fists and smiled. The path ahead was long, but he could see it clearly now.
He was determined to become the strongest.