“Mm.” Luo Feng nodded excitedly.
Beside the neural reaction testing machine, chief instructor Wu Tong smiled and said, “Alright, next, Bai Yang.”
Luo Feng walked over to Yang Wu. Yang Wu had an expression full of surprise as he lowered his voice and said, “Feng, congratulations. You are now a quasi martial artist. Once you pass the martial artist combat assessment, you will be a real martial artist.” Luo Feng also replied quietly, “Brother Yang, your neural reaction test will definitely pass. We will do the combat assessment together then.”
“Mm.” Yang Wu was also full of anticipation.
After that, Luo Feng and Yang Wu focused their attention on the candidates still being tested.
Soon, two more people finished. One passed, one failed.
“Last one, Yang Wu,” chief instructor Wu Tong called out.
Yang Wu took a deep breath. He had waited far too long for this day, and he had always been stuck at the speed test stage. Now he finally had the chance to take the neural reaction test at the Extreme Martial Arts Gym.
“Good luck,” Luo Feng encouraged him.
“Don’t worry.”
Yang Wu strode directly into the red circle. As soon as chief instructor Wu Tong pressed the start button, the neural reaction machine’s barrels began to spin. They quickly reached extreme speed, and dozens of gun ports fired rubber bullets that filled the red circle.
Yang Wu moved quickly, but only within a very small range, stepping forward, backward, left, and right in a simple and direct manner.
“Hm?” Luo Feng observed his brother Yang’s dodging technique and was slightly surprised. “Brother Yang’s movement technique seems a bit stiff. It is not as agile or fast as mine, but his efficiency seems very high. Each dodge has a very small movement. He is not using the full three point six metre diameter of the red circle. He is only moving within a one step range.”
Yang Wu’s movement range was small, but his dodging efficiency was very high.
“This kind of movement is indeed useful in real combat. However, it requires extremely precise control. Otherwise, even a small error could mean a monster’s claw tears through the body.” Luo Feng silently evaluated it. In his view, although it was efficient, it was also very risky.
It was like dancing on a knife edge.
Buzz.
After one minute, the machine stopped.
“60 seconds, hit 52 times, no contact with red light, pass.” chief instructor Wu Tong announced.
Inside the red circle, Yang Wu clenched his fists tightly in excitement. Veins bulged on his arms and tears almost appeared in his eyes. He had waited too long for this day. Finally, he had achieved his dream, and he was only one step away from the martial artist title.
“Yang Wu,” chief instructor Wu Tong frowned and said sharply, “Your dodging technique is an ‘micro level’ movement style. In monster battles, it relies on very small body movements so attacks just miss. Because the movement is small, you can dodge more times in the same time, and efficiency is very high.”
“But this technique is extremely difficult. Any slight error means that what you calculated as a two centimetre gap could instead be a fatal wound. In monster combat, a mistake often means death.”
“Therefore,” Wu Tong said seriously, “I advise you to avoid using this style for now. Increase your safety margin when dodging. Your current level is better suited to strengthening basic movement techniques.”
Yang Wu was startled, then nodded seriously. “Yes, chief instructor.”
“Remember this advice. In martial arts, do not rush for success. Micro level movement is powerful, but without sufficient control it becomes dangerous,” instructor Jiang Nian added.
Chief instructor Wu Tong smiled and said, “Alright. Out of this assessment, three have passed: Luo Feng, Bai Yang, and Yang Wu.”
Luo Feng, Yang Wu, and Bai Yang all struggled to hide their excitement.
If not for the presence of many senior martial artists, they would have already shouted in joy.
“Next, there are follow up matters such as signing the combat assessment contract. Please handle it,” Wu Tong said, then looked toward a silver haired man in black robes standing at the edge. “Team leader, sorry to keep you waiting so long. Let’s go.”
Team leader?
Luo Feng and the other two were shocked. The chief instructor was already the top authority of the Extreme Martial Arts Gym in Yangzhou City. If he called someone “team leader”, what kind of person was this?
The silver haired man in black robes glanced at them. In that instant, Luo Feng felt as if he had fallen into a boundless starry sky. His mind briefly sank, then he suddenly snapped back to clarity. “What just happened?” he thought in shock.
Beside him, Yang Wu and Bai Yang had blank expressions.
“Too terrifying. Just one look and we froze,” Luo Feng thought.
The silver haired man smiled faintly and looked at Luo Feng with interest.
“Little guy, good talent. Keep working hard,” he said.
“Hm, strong willpower as well,” Wu Tong nodded in satisfaction.
Then Wu Tong and the silver haired man left.
“What happened just now?”
“I, what happened to me?”
Yang Wu and Bai Yang slowly came back to their senses, still shaken. All three of them realised that this silver haired man was the most terrifying person they had ever encountered.
“I did not even notice his presence before,” Luo Feng thought. “He was there the whole time, yet it was like he did not exist. Unbelievable.”
When Luo Feng tried to recall his appearance, he was shocked to find that he only remembered those deep, absorbing eyes, and could not recall his face at all.
“Come here,” instructor Jiang Nian said with a smile.
The three followed him into the training hall.
“These are three combat assessment contracts,” a fat old man said, handing them over. “If you participate and die during the assessment, the Extreme Martial Arts Gym bears no responsibility. Of course, the death rate is very low.”
They all read the document.
“Death rate is low, but injury rate is not low,” a bald strong man said calmly. “This is real combat against monsters. If you cannot even pass this, you are not qualified to be a martial artist.”
Without hesitation, all three signed their names.
“Good,” instructor Jiang Nian said with a smile. “Today is 1st July. The combat assessment is in one month. Prepare well.”
He then turned on a screen, displaying an article titled “Genetic Energy Cultivation Method”.
Luo Feng held his breath.
The reason martial artists are so strong is because of genetic energy.
During the Great Nirvana period, humans were infected with RR virus and developed antibodies, causing their genes to evolve and optimise.
When gene optimisation reaches a certain level, the body can absorb energy from the universe and spread it into every cell. Bones, blood, organs, skin, everything evolves continuously.
Bones can become stronger than diamond many times over. Humans can even hold their breath underwater for half an hour or longer.
This power is called genetic energy.
Instructor Jiang Nian pointed at the screen. “This is the cultivation method of genetic energy, the Five Hearts Facing Heaven technique. It is the only method on Earth to cultivate genetic energy.”
Luo Feng read carefully.
Only those with sufficient gene optimisation can cultivate it. Most quasi martial artists meet this requirement.
“In the next month, you can begin attempting cultivation,” Jiang Nian said. “However, the most valuable part, the guiding technique, can only be obtained after becoming a martial artist and joining a faction like the Extreme Martial Arts Gym or the military.”
There is only one cultivation method in the world, but millions of guiding techniques. Different guiding techniques can change cultivation speed by dozens of times. That is what major powers truly value.