Beep! Beep! Beep!
Hearing three consecutive, sharp beeps from the punching force tester, the instructor was momentarily stunned.
This machine didn't usually make such a sound. It only did so when the measured force exceeded 1000kg.
He watched as Wei Wen's fist slammed into the target, causing it to shudder violently. On the screen, a number flashed: 1180kg.
"So high?!" The instructor's face was a mask of disbelief.
Typically, a reading of 700kg was enough to qualify as an advanced student, and most applicants hovered around that mark. But for Wei Wen, a newcomer to the assessment, to possess such staggering strength was simply incredible.
…
Just outside the advanced students' teaching building, a middle-aged man in black, Jiang Nian, was returning. His bald head gleamed under the lights.
Beep, beep, beep!
The faint, distinct sound from within the building caught him by surprise.
"The punching machines here are first-class models," Jiang Nian murmured to himself. "They only beep when the force surpasses 1000 kilograms." A look of curiosity crossed his face. "Among all the advanced students in our Yi'an District Extreme Martial Club, who could possibly throw a punch that heavy?"
Driven by intrigue, he quickened his pace and entered the building.
His eyes fell upon Wei Wen. "This person... he doesn't seem to be one of our previous advanced students." Jiang Nian was taken aback.
He knew all the advanced students by sight; their numbers were few and their faces familiar. This youth, however, was clearly a new face, and remarkably young at that.
To possess such strength at such a tender age... he was undoubtedly confident of passing the Quasi-Warrior assessment and the subsequent combat test, paving his way to becoming a true warrior.
As an instructor, discovering a talented student like this came with significant rewards.
"Young man, over here," Instructor Jiang Nian called out with a warm smile. "May I ask your name and age?"
"Wei Wen. Eighteen years old," came the straightforward reply.
"Excellent! To meet a warrior's physical standards so young is remarkable. Perhaps in the future, I'll be relying on you to earn some contribution points for our club," Jiang Nian said, his delight evident.
"You're here for the advanced student assessment, right? Come, I'll take you to complete the formalities."
"Thank you, instructor." Wei Wen offered a slight smile.
"You're welcome. Once you officially become a warrior, how would you like to join my Extreme Martial Club?" Jiang Nian suggested, his smile widening. "If you become a warrior through us, our gym will provide you with a single-family villa in the best area. And if you continue to excel, I can recommend you to our superiors for even more resources."
"No problem," Wei Wen replied lightly.
He had already planned to join the Extreme Martial Club. Their benefits and welfare packages were indeed top-tier.
After completing the necessary procedures, Wei Wen obtained his advanced student certificate as desired.
…
The morning of June 6th was clear, with crisp, fresh air.
Luo Feng and Wei Wen walked together toward the Yi'an District Extreme Martial Club.
Luo Feng was surprised to see Wei Wen, who had been coasting along for years, accompanying him to the gym for the first time. But what came next shocked him even more.
"On July 1st, let's go to the Extreme Club Hall—the headquarters of Extreme MartialClub in Yangzhou City—to take the Quasi-Warrior assessment," Wei Wen suggested casually.
Besides planning to rely on Luo Feng, Wei Wen also intended to secure some resources for himself by leveraging his knowledge of future events.
"Wei Wen, are you sure you can pass the Quasi-Warrior exam?" Luo Feng couldn't help exclaiming.
The Quasi-Warrior assessment? If his memory served him right, Wei Wen hadn't trained seriously in ages.
At best, his punching strength might have been on par with an intermediate student's. But then again, Luo Feng knew Wei Wen well; he wasn't one to make empty boasts.
Could it be that Wei Wen truly possessed the strength to pass? How was that possible?
"It's just the Quasi-Warrior assessment. I don't see it as a big deal," Wei Wen said nonchalantly. "If you don't believe me, how about an arm wrestling match to test my strength?"
His reasons for taking the assessment were twofold: first, to obtain resources, and second, to motivate Luo Feng, pushing him to train with even greater determination.
"Alright, let's give it a try!" Luo Feng extended his right hand.
"Bring it on!" Wei Wen met his challenge, and their hands locked together.
Luo Feng's right arm trembled slightly as he mustered all his strength, his body tensing like a coiled spring. He pushed against Wei Wen's arm as if trying to move an immovable object!
He hadn't held back, using his full power from the start. Sensing this, Wei Wen also began to exert his own strength in earnest.
'Such power!' Luo Feng was inwardly shocked.
There were only three advanced students in their entire Third High School, and Luo Feng was one of them. Despite his calm demeanor, he couldn't help but feel a certain pride in his abilities. Of course, even with all his hard work, it was only because of his mysterious headaches that he felt truly confident about passing the Quasi-Warrior exam.
But when he thought about it, Wei Wen had been sleeping in class for years and always seemed carefree during gym visits. In short, he had hardly practiced at all recently. Yet now, he possessed such formidable strength. Luo Feng's expression grew solemn.
'I must surpass this genius, Wei Wen!' A fierce resolve ignited within Luo Feng, who was not one to admit defeat easily.
In the eyes of ordinary people, competing with a genius like Wei Wen was unthinkable. But in Luo Feng's eyes, this peerless talent was the very first benchmark he needed to catch up to and surpass.
Luo Feng didn't believe in the adage of the early bird; he simply decided he would have to work ten times harder from now on.
If Wei Wen knew about Luo Feng's self-motivated, almost obsessive thoughts, he'd probably be laughing like a drain... But judging by Luo Feng's expression, Wei Wen felt his goal had been achieved. As long as Luo Feng started grinding, his own path would be smoother.
…
Extreme Martial Club, Advanced Students' Teaching Building.
"Luo Feng and Wei Wen are taking the Quasi-Warrior assessment?"
"Luo Feng only became an advanced student last year. How can he take the assessment this year?"
"Wei Wen is even more unbelievable. Wasn't he just an intermediate student before?"
"Not anymore. I heard Wei Wen just updated his student ID yesterday. They say he punched 1180kg!"
"Hiss!—"
The other advanced students sucked in cold breaths. Subconsciously, they didn't want to believe that Wei Wen and Luo Feng had already met the physical fitness standards of a full warrior. But the reality was that these two were already on a completely different level.
…
Nan'an Community, Luo Feng's home.
"Xiao Feng, that's enough. You should rest now," Luo Hongguo said, watching his son with deep concern.
While Luo Feng had always trained diligently, he had never pushed himself to such desperate extremes before.
Finally, Luo Feng finished his last move, his energy utterly spent. He collapsed weakly to the ground, breathing in heavy, ragged gasps.
"Wei Wen's talent is beyond mine. I have to work even harder," Luo Feng panted, explaining his relentless drive.
His parents had heard about Wei Wen's strength from him and understood the fire driving their son forward.
…
[Your friend Luo Feng is practicing his Movement Technique. Your comprehension of Movement Techniques is steadily increasing. Congratulations, you have reached the Micro-Level.]
Wei Wen, who had been lounging listlessly on his bed, shot upright as if electrified, staring at the prompt hovering before his eyes.
...
In truth, his strength had seen no significant improvement for over ten consecutive days since the college entrance examination.
But now, having transformed by emulating the Scroll King, Luo Feng's insights into movement techniques had been elevated within Wei Wen, directly surpassing Luo Feng himself and reaching the Micro-level first.
"It seems the previous stimulation was simple yet effective," Wei Wen couldn't help but smile.
"It looks like future improvements will almost entirely depend on Luo Feng."
Wei Wen was very satisfied with Luo Feng's talent. He was a truly qualified… well, hard worker to rely on.
…
The Extreme Martial Club Hall held monthly assessments for Quasi-Warrior on the first day of each month.
Early on the morning of July 1st, Wei Wen and Luo Feng left the Nan'an Residential Area together, heading for the Yangzhou Mingyue Community's Extreme Club—the headquarters of the Extreme Martial Club Hall.
As time passed, several senior students arrived after Wei Wen and Luo Feng. This time, a total of nine people were participating in the Quasi-Warrior assessment.
These individuals all looked… older. Some were estimated to be over thirty, and others even over forty.
Wei Wen and Luo Feng, participating at such a young age, naturally became the focus of this assessment. After all, the younger one took the Quasi-Warrior assessment, the greater their potential.
"Alright, all of you, follow me upstairs for the assessment," a warrior instructor who had come downstairs around 10 a.m. said.
"Yes."
Wei Wen, Luo Feng, and the others nodded. As the instructor arrived, everyone responded respectfully.
…
Sixth Floor.
A large martial arts training hall served as the venue for the Quasi-Warrior assessment.
Upon entering, Wei Wen and the others found a dozen martial arts instructors already present, among them Jiang Nian.
When Jiang Nian saw Wei Wen and Luo Feng, a hint of anticipation flashed in his eyes.
"Alright, get ready for the test," Chief Instructor Wu Tong glanced at the time and walked up to the senior students. "Come forward one by one and give me your ID cards first."
After collecting the ID cards from the nine participants, Chief Instructor Wu Tong couldn't help showing a trace of surprise.
"Two 18-year-olds taking the assessment this time, and both are from Yi'an District? Interesting. You two will go first."
Wu Tong randomly selected one of the IDs belonging to Luo Feng and Wei Wen and swiped it on an instrument nearby.
Beep!
The instrument projected a crystal-clear, transparent screen displaying a wealth of Wei Wen's personal information.
"The first one, Wei Wen." Wu Tong looked at Jiang Nian beside him. "Old Jiang, he's from your Yi'an District. When did such a talented youngster appear there?"
"Haha, just a stroke of luck. I never expected him to be this capable," the instructor Jiang Nian replied, unable to hide his happy smile. "Wei Wen, go on and show them what a talented student from Yi'an District is made of."
Wei Wen nodded and walked towards the super-force testing machine.
Hearing that Wei Wen was only 18, the instructors' gazes fell upon him one by one. All the participating students also looked at Wei Wen, awaiting his performance.
In truth, Wei Wen's strength was more than sufficient to pass the assessment. His purpose in taking it was to legitimately obtain the Gene Energy Cultivation Method. Otherwise, he would have no way to explain his sudden increases in strength in the future.
Wei Wen stood seriously before the punching force tester. He shifted his weight slightly, and a powerful force erupted from his waist and hips.
His fist shot out like a cannonball, leaving an afterimage as it slammed hard into the machine's target.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
A line of data immediately appeared on the display—1240kg.
Just from the sound, every warrior instructor present knew that Wei Wen's punching power exceeded 1000kg. With such strength at such a young age, few would dare to look down on him.
Luo Feng, looking at Wei Wen's result, secretly resolved to train as hard as he always had.
"Haha!" Jiang Nian, seeing that Wei Wen's result was even higher than last time, couldn't help but rub his shiny bald head.
"Wei Wen, punching force 1240kg, passes the strength test!" Wu Tong revealed a smile.
Although a warrior's prowess in this era was primarily judged by actual combat, there were still rigid standards for becoming a Quasi-Warrior.
For instance, the qualifying benchmark for punching force was 900kg. For running speed, it was 25 m/s. Furthermore, since warriors often needed to combat monsters, physical reaction speed was also crucial, requiring a level equivalent to a junior warrior.
Only by meeting the standards in all three areas could one pass the Quasi-Warrior Assessment and proceed to the next round of combat evaluation.
Wei Wen and the other eight participants quickly completed the strength test. Only one of them fell short of 900kg and was directly eliminated.
Next was the speed test, in which Wei Wen also achieved excellent results. Although he hadn't practiced movement techniques extensively, the insights he gained from Luo Feng were, in essence, his own—and were even superior to Luo Feng's.
After the speed test, two more people were eliminated. In the end, only six participants, including Wei Wen and Luo Feng, remained for the final assessment—the neural reaction speed test.
"Follow me," Wu Tong said, leading the group of warriors and the remaining five candidates into the Neural Response Testing Room connected to the training hall.
Compared to the massive, thousand-square-meter training hall, the neural response testing room was significantly smaller.
A tall, sophisticated instrument stood on the ground, its front equipped with a Gatling gun-like apparatus. In fact, compared to ordinary people from Earth's past, modern powerful individuals not only possessed greater strength and speed but also neural reaction speeds far surpassing the norm.
Thus, the device had dozens of muzzles capable of firing special rubber bullets, far more than a typical Gatling gun.
"The first one, Wei Wen," Chief Instructor Wu Tong announced.
Having observed Luo Feng's test previously, Wei Wen was already familiar with the process. Combined with his movement technique having reached the Micro-level, this final test was a breeze for him.
Wei Wen stepped calmly into the center of a circle approximately 3.6 meters in diameter in front of the neural response speed tester.
"Click!" Wu Tong switched on the instrument.
Suddenly, the edges of the circle emitted a misty red light upwards, enveloping Wei Wen within.
"You all know the rules, so I won't elaborate," Wu Tong said directly. "Are you ready?"
"Ready!"
As soon as Wei Wen finished speaking, Wu Tong pressed a series of buttons.
Whirr~ Whirr~
The Gatling gun-like muzzles of the neural response tester began to spin rapidly, firing streaks of red light in rapid succession.
The red lights varied in speed, and their trajectories were chaotic and unpredictable as they shot into the red-lit circle.
"Not a problem," Wei Wen thought, feeling completely at ease as he sensed the speed and frequency of the red lights.
He was seen weaving and dodging within the circle as if strolling through a tranquil garden, his movements smooth and fluid like drifting clouds and flowing water.
Each step he took was small, and the range of his evasions was minimal, yet his body accurately avoided rubber bullet after rubber bullet within the barrage of red light.
"This young man is very impressive. His neural reaction speed seems even better than his punching power and speed," one martial arts instructor remarked.
"Indeed, he dodges every time without losing his balance and can change direction in an instant, as if he has complete control over the situation."
"This level of skillful movement… usually takes decades of hard training to achieve, yet he's managed it at such a young age." The martial arts instructors present were full of praise.
They were all astonished by Wei Wen's reaction speed, unaware that his ease stemmed from his movement technique having reached the Micro-level.
"Is this… the Micro-level?!" The well-informed Wu Tong was instantly shocked.
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