“Hmm.” Luo Feng nodded excitedly.
Beside the neural reaction tester, Chief Instructor Wutong chuckled, “Alright, next one, Baiyang.”
Luo Feng walked to Yang Wu’s side. Yang Wu wore an expression of pleasant surprise and whispered, “Lunatic, congratulations! You’re now a Novice Warrior. Once you pass the Warrior Practical Examination, you’ll officially become a full Warrior!” Luo Feng whispered back, “Brother Yang, you’ll definitely pass the neural reaction test. Then we can both take the practical exam together.”
“Hmm.” Yang Wu was equally filled with anticipation.
Then both Luo Feng and Yang Wu focused their attention on the ongoing examination.
Soon, two people took the test in succession—one succeeded, one failed.
“Last one, Yang Wu!” Chief Instructor Wutong called out.
Yang Wu took a deep breath. He had waited for this day for far too long. Previously, he had always been stopped at the speed test. Now, finally, he had earned the chance to take the neural reaction test at this prestigious Pinnacle Gym.
“Good luck,” Luo Feng encouraged.
“Don’t worry.”
Yang Wu strode directly into the red circle. As Chief Instructor Wutong pressed the start button, the barrel of the neural reaction tester began to spin, quickly reaching maximum speed. Dozens of gun barrels inside fired rubber bullets simultaneously, completely covering the red circle area.
Yang Wu moved swiftly, shifting within a one-step radius in front of, behind, left, and right—his movements were very concise.
“Hmm?” Luo Feng observed Yang Wu’s evasion techniques and thought in surprise, “Yang Wu’s movements seem a bit stiff compared to mine, which are more fluid and rapid. Yet his evasion method seems highly efficient. Each dodge is minimal, not utilizing the full 3.6-meter diameter of the red circle. He only moves within a one-step range.”
Yang Wu’s small movement range resulted in surprisingly high evasion efficiency.
“This technique is indeed very useful in actual combat. However, it requires extremely precise control. If there’s even a slight error, a monster’s claw could tear a warrior’s body apart!” Luo Feng inwardly assessed that while this technique was efficient, it was also extremely risky.
It was like dancing on the edge of a blade.
“Wu~~” Soon, one minute passed, and the barrel of the neural reaction tester stopped spinning.
“60 seconds, hit 52 times, did not touch the red light, passed!” Chief Instructor Wutong announced.
Inside the red circle, Yang Wu clenched his fists tightly, his arms bulging with veins, his eyes glistening with tears. He had waited for this day for far too long. Finally, he had realized his dream, now only one step away from the legendary title of Warrior.
“Yang Wu,” Chief Instructor Wutong frowned and called out, “the evasion technique you used belongs to the ‘Microscopic’ level. In life-and-death battles against monsters, you use minimal body movements to let their attacks graze past your body without injury. Because the movement range is small, naturally within the same time frame, you can perform more dodges, making it extremely efficient.”
“But this technique is extremely difficult. Once there is even a slight error, the monster’s claw that you calculated to pass two centimeters away from your body might instead slash across you, ripping your body open. In battles against monsters, a single mistake might cost you your life. Therefore—”
“I advise you, in future battles against monsters, when evading, try to dodge further away, giving yourself room to maneuver.” Chief Instructor Wutong said seriously, “With your current level, it’s better to master the fundamental evasion techniques first. That will yield better results.”
Yang Wu was startled, then nodded solemnly, “Yes, Chief Instructor.”
“Yang Wu, remember the Chief Instructor’s words. On the martial path, never recklessly pursue advancement. Microscopic-level techniques are indeed powerful. But if you lack the ability to perform them and still insist on using them, you’ll only end up imitating without understanding, inviting ridicule.” Instructor Jiang Nian earnestly advised.
Chief Instructor Wutong smiled, “Alright, this Novice Warrior Examination had three successful candidates: Luo Feng, Baiyang, and Yang Wu.”
The three—Luo Feng, Yang Wu, and Baiyang—had suppressed joy in their eyes.
If not for the presence of senior warriors around them, they would have already shouted in excitement.
“Everyone, the next steps involve signing the Warrior Practical Examination contract and such. Please assist them.” As he spoke, Chief Instructor Wutong turned to a silver-haired, black-robed man standing at the edge and smiled, “Captain, sorry for keeping you waiting. Let’s go.”
Captain?
The three were shocked. Chief Instructor Wutong was the supreme head of the Pinnacle Gym in Yangzhou City, holding an extremely high status. Yet he addressed this silver-haired, black-robed man as “Captain.” What position could this man possibly hold?
The silver-haired, black-robed man glanced at the three. Instantly, Luo Feng felt as though the man’s eyes were like an endless starry sky, pulling him into their depths. But then, a sudden jolt brought Luo Feng back to full awareness. “What just happened?” He suddenly noticed Yang Wu and Baiyang beside him had blank expressions.
“So terrifying. A single glance made us completely dazed,” Luo Feng thought in shock.
This level of power was truly terrifying.
For example, in a duel, before even engaging, a single gaze from the opponent could cloud one’s consciousness. By the time one regained awareness, one might already be pierced through the heart by the opponent’s blade.
The silver-haired, black-robed man smiled slightly, glancing at Luo Feng with surprise.
“Young one, you have good talent. Work hard,” the silver-haired, black-robed man smiled at Luo Feng.
“Hmm, his willpower is quite strong too,” Chief Instructor Wutong nodded in satisfaction.
Then, Chief Instructor Wutong and the silver-haired, black-robed man left directly.
“What happened just now?”
“What’s going on with me?”
Yang Wu and Baiyang finally regained clarity, exchanging glances before recalling what had happened moments ago, breaking into cold sweat. Whether it was Yang Wu, Baiyang, or Luo Feng, in their growth so far, this silver-haired, black-robed man was undoubtedly the most terrifying figure they had encountered.
“This silver-haired, black-robed man was watching our test all along. But from the beginning until just now, I didn’t even notice his presence,” Luo Feng inwardly marveled, “He didn’t speak a word, as if he didn’t exist in this space at all. It’s unbelievable. Wait…”
When Luo Feng tried to recall the silver-haired, black-robed man’s appearance, he was shocked to find—
he could only remember those mesmerizing eyes, but couldn’t recall the man’s facial features at all.
“You three, come over here.”
Instructor Jiang Nian and the other warriors smiled at the three, “Come to the training hall.”
They moved from the neural reaction testing room into a spacious training hall.
“These are the three Warrior Practical Examination application contracts.” An elderly, fat man retrieved three contracts from a corner of the training hall, “Once you participate in the Warrior Practical Examination, if you are killed by a monster during the process, it has nothing to do with our Pinnacle Gym! Of course, the death rate of the Warrior Practical Examination is very low.”
Luo Feng, Yang Wu, and Baiyang each took a contract and began reading its contents.
“Low death rate, but the disability rate is not low,” a bald, muscular man said gravely, “The Warrior Practical Examination is a life-and-death battle against monsters! Of course, this is the most basic form of combat. When you later go alone to dangerous zones to hunt monsters, the danger will be far greater than this practical exam. If you can’t even pass this stage, you don’t have the qualifications to become a warrior.”
Luo Feng, Yang Wu, and Baiyang exchanged glances.
The contracts were simple, mainly stating that the Pinnacle Gym would bear no responsibility for any deaths or injuries during the practical examination.
Without hesitation, the three took pens from the side and signed their names.
“Hmm.”
Instructor Jiang Nian smiled, “Good. Today is July 1st. There’s still one month until the practical exam. During this month, you must prepare well. Oh, right.” As he spoke, Instructor Jiang Nian walked to a keyboard nearby and pressed several keys. Soon, a transparent, giant screen appeared on the wall of the training hall, displaying an article.
Titled—”The Method of Cultivating Genetic Energy.”
“Hmm?” Luo Feng couldn’t help but hold his breath.
The reason warriors’ bodies were powerful, with some top warriors even capable of moving faster than the speed of sound, or slicing through steel plates several meters thick with a single slash—of course, Luo Feng’s current abilities were still far from these legendary warriors.
Why were warriors so powerful?
It was all due to Genetic Energy!
During the Great Nirvana Era, humans were infected with the RR Virus and developed antibodies, naturally optimizing their genetic structure.
“Instructor Jiang Nian smiled, “When genetic optimization reaches a certain level, one can absorb the faint cosmic energy, integrating it into every cell of the body. Throughout this process, the genes continue to evolve and refine, enhancing bones, cells, blood, organs, skin, and more.”
“Your bones can become hundreds of times harder than diamonds. Your organs can be so strong that you can hold your breath underwater for half an hour, or even longer!”
“All of this depends on absorbing energy from the universe and integrating it into every cell of your body, transforming it into your own energy—this is Genetic Energy!”
Instructor Jiang Nian pointed at the article on the screen, “This is the cultivation method of Genetic Energy—the Five-Point Facing Heaven Cultivation Method. It is the only known method of cultivating Genetic Energy on Earth.”
Luo Feng immediately read the article carefully.
Genetic Energy was the foundation for human genetic optimization and evolution!
“Oh, I see.” Luo Feng quickly grasped the concept upon reading.
Ordinary people couldn’t cultivate it because their genetic optimization wasn’t sufficient. Generally, when one reaches a punch strength of 900 kilograms, a speed of 25 meters per second, and a neural reaction speed at the Novice Warrior passing standard, their genetic optimization level would be approximately at the qualifying threshold. About 90% of Novice Warriors could begin cultivating Genetic Energy!
“You can start attempting to cultivate Genetic Energy this month,” Instructor Jiang Nian smiled, “As for the most precious ‘Guidance Techniques,’ you’ll only receive them after becoming a full Warrior and joining our Pinnacle Gym, the military, or other organizations.”
There is only one method in the world for cultivating Genetic Energy.
However, there are millions of different Guidance Techniques worldwide. Different Guidance Techniques can result in vastly different cultivation speeds for Genetic Energy—sometimes differing by dozens of times. Therefore, Guidance Techniques are the most valuable assets of various factions.
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