novelsite Chapter 28: Quasi-Martial Artist Assessment
Chapter 28: Quasi-Martial Artist Assessment
February 1st, around 6 a.m., just as dawn was breaking.
The low-rent housing area of Yangzhou was shrouded in a thin morning mist. A few barks could be heard in the distance, and occasionally an early riser would push a bicycle through the alleyway, the bicycle bells ringing.
Lin Yun sat up in bed, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled.
Today is a big day.
He put on the faded training uniform from the Extreme Martial Arts Academy, tidied himself up a bit, and his grandfather, Lin Guodong, stood at the door, looking at Lin Yun in the mirror. His cloudy old eyes were filled with a complex expression—pride, worry, and a trace of inexplicable reluctance.
"Yun'er, how about... Grandpa goes with you?" Lin Guodong's voice trembled slightly.
Lin Yun smiled, walked over and gently hugged his grandfather: "Grandpa, you can wait for me at home. I'll come back after my exams, and we'll have a nice meal tonight."
Lin Guodong opened his mouth, but in the end he just patted his grandson on the back and sighed heavily.
Luo Feng ran over from next door, carrying a plastic bag containing several steaming hot buns and a cup of soy milk. He shoved the bag into Lin Yun's hands, grinning, "Eat this on the way. Don't be nervous, you'll definitely make it."
Lin Yun took the breakfast, glanced at Luo Feng, and nodded.
The two grew up together, and some things didn't need to be said aloud.
As Lin Yun walked out of the alley, he glanced back at the dilapidated low-rent house. His grandfather stood in the doorway, his hunched figure appearing particularly frail in the morning light. Lin Yun waved to him, then turned and strode forward.
He won't let his grandfather down.
The headquarters of the Extreme Martial Arts Academy in Yangzhou City is located in the Mingyue Residential Area in the east of the city.
Lin Yun stood at the entrance of the residential area, looking at the quiet and exquisite neighborhood before him, and was secretly amazed. The towering walls, the soldiers guarding the area with real guns, the neat detached villas, and the meticulously manicured lawns—this place was like a completely different world from the dilapidated scene of the low-rent housing area.
"Is this the legendary Mingyue Residential Area?" Lin Yun murmured.
"Sir, this is Mingyue Residential Area. Please do not approach."
A line of six soldiers in uniform stood at the entrance of the residential compound. One of them shouted at Lin Yun, "Sir, please step back. Once you enter the yellow line area, we have the right to shoot you dead!"
Lin Yun remained calm. Standing outside the yellow line, he said calmly, "I am a senior student at the Limit Martial Arts Academy. I am here to undergo the preliminary martial artist assessment."
He knew the rules. Mingyue Residential Area was the headquarters of the Extreme Martial Arts Academy in Yangzhou City. It was not only the location of the academy but also the residence of the families of the martial artists under its command. The security level here was extremely high; even the police were not authorized to trespass.
"Oh?"
An elderly man with gray hair emerged from the guard's rest room next to the residential compound, holding a handheld computer. He looked Lin Yun up and down, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes: "Young man, you said you're here for the martial arts assessment? You look no more than fifteen or sixteen years old, right?"
Lin Yun handed over his prepared ID card and advanced student certificate.
The old man took the documents and swiped them across the handheld computer. Lin Yun's detailed information quickly popped up on the screen.
"Fifteen years old?" The old man's eyes widened as he looked at Lin Yun in surprise. "That's right. In all these years, I've never seen anyone who's fifteen years old participate in the preliminary martial artist assessment. I hope you can pass."
It's not uncommon for people to reach the advanced student level at fifteen—some martial arts families cultivate their children from a young age, showering them with all sorts of rare medicinal herbs, so it's not unusual for their children to reach the advanced student level in their teens. But those who dare to participate in the prospective martial artist assessment at fifteen and are confident of passing are truly rare.
"Thank you, sir." Lin Yun bowed slightly respectfully.
"Let him in," the white-haired old man waved his hand.
The electric sliding gate of the residential compound opened automatically, and a soldier carrying an assault rifle stepped forward, following beside Lin Yun: "Sir, I will take you to the Extreme Gym. Please do not wander around after entering the compound. You are only authorized to enter the Extreme Gym; you are not permitted to enter the martial arts family residential area. If you violate the rules, even if I don't take action, the brothers patrolling the compound will."
As the soldier spoke, he grinned at Lin Yun, revealing a set of white teeth.
"Definitely." Lin Yun nodded with a smile, but inwardly he was on high alert—the cooperative relationship between the state and the Extreme Martial Arts Academy was even closer than the rumors suggested. In the core area for martial artists, the security was no less stringent than that of a military restricted zone.
As Lin Yun entered the residential area, his gaze was involuntarily drawn to the surrounding scenery.
The detached villas are scattered throughout the community, interspersed with artificial hills, ponds, and lawns, creating an elegant and tranquil environment. In the center of the community stands a magnificent building—the Limitless Club, the holy temple of all martial artists in Yangzhou City.
"Phew, it's really comfortable to live here," Lin Yun thought to himself.
But he knew that all of this came at a price. Everyone living here was a martial artist who had risked their lives for their cause. Every time they entered the wilderness, they might never return.
Inside the Extreme Club in the center of Mingyue Community.
When Lin Yun entered the main hall of the club, the soldier who had led the way went back.
"Sir, are you taking the preliminary martial artist assessment?" A sweet-looking young woman asked with slight surprise in the lobby, her gaze lingering on Lin Yun's young face for a moment. "Sir, please sit over there. You will take the preliminary martial artist assessment with the others at 10:00 AM."
Lin Yun nodded and walked towards the side of the hall.
It was a small bar with a waiter and a bartender. Lin Yun glanced around and saw that there were already three people sitting in the bar—two were talking in hushed tones, and the other was sitting alone on a sofa in the corner, silent.
"Look, those villas over there are the perks for joining the Limitless Martial Arts Academy," a young man in white shirt and pants said excitedly, his eyes full of longing. "As long as you become a martial artist and join the Limitless Martial Arts Academy, you'll be assigned one for free, and you can live here from now on... Tsk tsk, look at this environment, how comfortable it is."
"The Martial Arts Community is certainly different from ordinary communities outside," someone next to him chimed in.
The two men were slightly taken aback when they saw Lin Yun, clearly not expecting such a young examinee. Lin Yun nodded to them and sat down on the other sofa.
Since they didn't know each other, they didn't talk to each other.
As time passed, three more people arrived. Lin Yun didn't recognize any of them, but they all seemed to be quite old—the youngest was around twenty-seven or twenty-eight, and the other was even over forty.
There were seven people in total. Apart from Lin Yun, the youngest of the other six was more than ten years older than him. Fifteen-year-old Lin Yun stood out among the group, and almost everyone who walked in would glance at him a couple of times.
"Little brother, you look to be no more than ten years old, right? To participate in the martial arts assessment at such a young age, you truly have a bright future ahead of you."
The only female trainee, who looked to be around thirty years old, showed particular interest in Lin Yun and teased him with a smile. She was wearing a red training uniform, was tall, and had a heroic air about her.
"Heh, I guess they're here to broaden their horizons. To reach the advanced student level at such a young age is already quite impressive," the man, who was over forty, interjected, his tone tinged with envy.
"Hey Liu, even if they're just here to see what it's like, they're still better than you. You probably weren't even a beginner when you were a teenager, right?" the woman retorted, clearly indicating that the two knew each other.
"Little brother, ignore this guy. He's over forty and has taken the preliminary martial arts assessment more than ten times, but he still hasn't passed. If it were me, I would have been too ashamed to even show my face."
"Hmph, I'll definitely get through today." After saying that, the man surnamed Liu stopped talking, walked to the sofa next to him, and sat down with a livid face.
Lin Yun secretly admired him—having failed the test more than ten times, his perseverance was something to be learned.
After a while, a middle-aged man walked in, his gaze sweeping over the seven people: "Are you all here? Follow me to the sixth floor for the assessment."
The group followed him into the elevator.
"drop--"
The elevator arrived on the sixth floor, and the moment the doors opened, a huge training hall came into view. A dozen or so people were gathered inside; some were chatting, others were adjusting their equipment, and the atmosphere was relaxed and casual.
Lin Yun spotted Jiang Nian, the owner of the establishment, in the crowd at a glance. Jiang Nian also saw him, nodded at him, and his eyes were full of encouragement.
"They're here, stop talking."
A middle-aged man with long, flowing hair spoke. The dozen or so people in the training hall all turned to look at Lin Yun and his group of eight, their gazes sharp and carrying an invisible pressure. Lin Yun's heart tightened—he knew that besides the service staff, only martial artists could be present at the Extreme Club.
In other words, all of these dozen or so people are martial artists.
This is the headquarters of the Extreme Martial Arts Academy in Yangzhou. Any martial artist who can appear here is at least a seasoned veteran with countless battles under their belt.
"Prepare for the test," the middle-aged man with long, flowing hair ordered.
Lin Yun had seen this person online—Wu Tong, the owner of the Extreme Gym and the head instructor in Yangzhou City. It was said that he himself was a high-level warrior, only one step away from becoming a war god.
"Come here one by one, and give me your ID cards first."
The martial artist who had led Lin Yun and his group of seven up earlier took their ID cards from them and handed them to the head instructor, Wu Tong, saying with a smile, "Boss, there are quite a few people today, seven in total!"
"Hmm." Wu Tong casually took out an ID card and swiped it across the open machine next to him.
"beep--"
A crystal-clear, almost transparent screen popped up on the device, displaying personal information.
"First up, Liu Tong," the head instructor said indifferently. "Punching test. Liu Tong, you should be very familiar with this, right? I won't say much more, let's begin."
Upon hearing this, Lin Yun couldn't help but smile slightly—this man was indeed the middle-aged man who had participated in more than ten assessments. Chief Instructor Wu Tong was already very familiar with him, so he didn't even need to give an opening speech.
"yes!"
Liu Tong stepped forward, took a deep breath, and assumed a fighting stance. He placed his left hand in front of his face, and his right fist slammed into the giant punching bag in an arc.
"Bang!"
The punching target trembled slightly, and the number "968kg" immediately appeared on the screen of the punching power testing machine.
"Pass. Next, Feng Lu."
The woman in red walked to the punching power testing machine and threw a punch.
"Bang!"
910kg.
"Phew, that was close." Feng Lu patted her chest, looking relieved.
"Pass. Next, Lin Yun."
The head instructor casually slid the third ID card across the device, glanced at the detailed information recorded on the ID, and suddenly stopped.
"Huh, fifteen years old?" Wu Tong looked up, his gaze falling on Lin Yun, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. "Old Jiang, this is from your Yi'an District, right? Fifteen years old and already participating in the assessment, when did your district produce such a promising talent?"
"Haha, isn't this just to give you a surprise, Chief Instructor!" Jiang Nian laughed heartily, his pride overflowing.
"Whether they have the strength or not is hard to say." Among the dozen or so martial artists nearby, a very fat old man sarcastically remarked, "Maybe they're just here to broaden their horizons and don't have much strength at all."
Jiang Nian glanced at the old man and snorted coldly: "What, jealous? You don't have a genius like this in your Beiyou District, do you? Lin Yun, show them the strength of the students from my Yi'an District."
"Yes, instructor!"
Lin Yun stepped forward, responded loudly, and then walked towards the punching power testing machine.
"Old Jiang seems very confident," Wu Tong said with a smile, but his gaze remained fixed on Lin Yun.
Almost everyone present was looking at Lin Yun, waiting for the fifteen-year-old boy's test results.
Lin Yun stood in front of the boxing pad, took a deep breath, and adjusted his breathing.
He couldn't reveal his full strength. Being too strong would attract attention, while being too weak would prevent him from passing the test. He needed to find the perfect balance—enough to make the martial arts school take him seriously, but not enough to attract the attention of other factions.
"I think I've reached the level of an intermediate warrior." He pondered to himself.
A fifteen-year-old intermediate warrior, while possessing astonishing talent, is not without precedent. The Limitless Martial Arts Academy headquarters has several such geniuses, so it won't cause too much of a stir.
Lin Yun suddenly exerted force with his feet, his body slightly twisting, unleashing a powerful burst of energy from his waist and hips. The power flowed smoothly through his body, entering his arms, and his fist, like an arrow shot from a fully drawn bow, left a trail of afterimages—
"Bang!"
The fist slammed into the punching bag, producing a dull thud.
All eyes turned to the screen of the test machine.
2345kg
The training hall was quiet for a moment, then erupted into chaos.
"good!"
"Holy crap!"
"abnormal!"
The martial artists present were all shocked. 2345kg—this figure far exceeded the passing grade for the preliminary martial artist assessment, reaching the level of an average warrior. If a veteran martial artist who had trained for many years achieved this result, it would only be considered ordinary. But the one who achieved this result was a boy who hadn't even cultivated genetic energy yet, and wasn't even fifteen years old!
"This young man..." The fat old man's mouth was agape, wide enough to fit an egg, and he couldn't speak for a long time.
Head Instructor Wu Tong stroked his chin and slowly nodded: "Good. Remember not to lose your balance when throwing a punch. If he recklessly tries to deliver the heaviest punch and loses his balance, his punch might be more powerful. But losing your balance when fighting monsters is suicide! Good, good!"
He was an expert and immediately saw the essence of Lin Yun's punch—it wasn't about the sheer power, but about the control of the center of gravity during the strike. This kind of control couldn't be developed without years of hard work.
"Haha, Lin Yun is quite capable." Jiang Nian laughed heartily, his face crinkling into wrinkles. "Back in his first year of junior high, he was already an intermediate student at the martial arts school."
Lin Yun stood to the side, his face calm, but inwardly he chuckled: "I only used less than a tenth of my strength, and you're all so surprised. If you knew that my true strength has reached the level of a mid-level warrior, and my mental power has even reached the level of a beginner war god... you'd probably faint from fright."
Of course, he won't say. At least not now.
"He's a good prospect." Wu Tong nodded, his gaze lingering on Lin Yun for a second longer before looking away. "Next, Li Dahai."
The seven people finished their tests quickly. In the punching power test, only one person was eliminated—Liu Tong, who was over forty years old, passed, but his score of 968kg was just barely above the passing mark.
Next up is the speed test.
This round eliminated more people. Of the three people tested earlier, two were eliminated. Their punching power was not bad, but their speed was not fast enough. Facing agile monsters in the wilderness would have been suicide.
"Next up, Lin Yun."
All eyes turned to Lin Yun once again. They wanted to see how this young man, who had shone in the punching power test, would perform in terms of speed.
Lin Yun walked onto the speed test track.
This is a 50-meter-long straight track, equipped with photoelectric sensors at both ends to accurately measure the runner's top speed. Lin Yun stood behind the starting line, slightly bent over, and assumed his starting posture.
"Ready—Go!"
The moment the starting gun fired, Lin Yun darted out like a cheetah.
His stride was incredibly fast, with long strides, each step landing precisely in the center of the track. The wind whistled past his ears, and the scenery on either side rushed past. In just a few seconds, he crossed the finish line.
Everyone looked at the instrument screen, which displayed a number: "38.3 m/s".
"Your speed is also very good, pass!" Wu Tong's eyes were full of smiles. At fifteen years old, with a punching power of 2345kg and a speed of 38.3m/s, these figures are among the top in the entire Jiangnan Base City's younger generation.
He deserves a lot of credit for discovering such a promising talent.
The remaining two also quickly completed the test. Feng Lu's speed was much better than her punching power, and she passed easily. Liu Tong, on the other hand, barely crossed the line and barely passed.
After two rounds of testing, four out of the seven people remained.
The final and most difficult round was the neural reaction speed test.
This was a spacious room of about 100 square meters, much smaller than the previous huge training hall, but the atmosphere was much more somber. In the center of the room was a tall piece of equipment, with a firing device at the front that resembled a six-barreled Gatling gun, but with many more barrels than a Gatling gun, dozens of holes.
"Is this the neural response testing machine?" Lin Yun thought to himself.
He had seen this thing in training videos at the martial arts school, but this was the first time he had seen it in person.
"The first one is Liu Tong," said Chief Instructor Wu Tong.
Liu Tong took a deep breath, walked to the front of the test machine gun muzzle, and stood inside a circle with a diameter of 3.6 meters.
"clatter!"
As soon as the switch was turned on, a hazy red light immediately emanated from the edge of the circle upwards. For a moment, the test subjects standing inside the circle seemed to be surrounded by a red veil.
"Remember, you must not leave the circle area under any circumstances. Once you leave the circle area, you will fail. If your body touches the red light, you will lose points." After Wu Tong finished speaking, he walked to the neural response testing machine, pressed several buttons, and adjusted the test intensity.
"Start!" Wu Tong pressed the red button.
"Beep—beep—"
The test machine's massive cannon began to rotate, and dozens of gun barrels almost instantly emitted streaks of red light. The red bullets, some fast and some slow, flew erratically and rapidly into the red circle area.
Liu Tong stared intently ahead, his body constantly shifting back and forth, left and right, weaving through the gaps between the bullets.
"Pfft! Pfft!"
I was hit twice in a row. However, these "bullets" had rubber tips and were not very powerful, so they didn't hurt much when they hit me.
Time ticked by. Liu Tong desperately dodged and weaved, the veins on his forehead bulging.
One minute later.
"Whoosh—" Wu Tong pressed the button, and the muzzle of the test machine quickly slowed down and stopped rotating. A large amount of data appeared on the central screen.
"Hit 56 times and touched the red light twice within 60 seconds, failed, eliminated!" Wu Tong said, tossing his ID card to Liu Tong.
"Just a little bit more... sigh..." Liu Tong gritted his teeth and walked out of the red circle with red eyes.
Seeing this, Lin Yun felt a pang of emotion. The path of a martial artist is long and arduous. This first hurdle alone has stumped countless people. Liu Tong, over forty years old, is still struggling for the qualification of a quasi-martial artist, while some are born for this path.
Fate can be so unfair sometimes.
The second person to be tested was Feng Lu.
Her speed and reflexes seem to be her strengths—being hit 37 times in 60 seconds, one touch of red light, and passing.
"Next up, Lin Yun."
Lin Yun took a deep breath and stepped into the area within the red circle.
Standing inside the red circle, with the muzzle of the testing machine pointing directly at him, dozens of dark gun barrels resembling eyes, Lin Yun remained completely calm.
Back in his first year of junior high, he had practiced movement techniques at home with Luo Feng, so his foundation was extremely solid. Although he hadn't yet reached the "microscopic" level, combined with his mental power, which was at the beginner level of a war god, he could achieve the effect of the microscopic level. He passed this test without any problems.
"Remember, never step outside the circle. Stepping outside the circle means instant failure. Touching the red light will also deduct points." After saying this, Wu Tong pressed the red button.
"Beep—beep—"
The test machine's cannons rapidly accelerated, quickly spinning to an extremely high speed. Immediately afterwards, dozens of muzzles simultaneously emitted streaks of red light, and rubber bullets shot out from all directions.
Lin Yun stared intently at the red lights, his entire being moving like a nimble cat, constantly dodging and weaving.
His steps were light and precise, each movement perfectly avoiding the incoming bullets. When he encountered one that he couldn't avoid, he would use his mental power to subtly guide its trajectory, causing it to graze past him.
To outsiders, it seemed as if the bullets were deliberately avoiding him.
"This young man is not bad." The martial artists watching the battle whispered among themselves. "His reaction speed seems to be much better than the previous two."
"His footwork is excellent, and his foundation is very solid. Look at his feet; they're like the paw pads of a cat. He doesn't lose his balance with every movement and can change direction instantly. This kind of footwork... is almost at the level of subtlety. You can't achieve such a solid foundation without ten years of hard work."
A martial artist's physical attributes can be improved through training, but movement techniques and swordsmanship require accumulated experience. It's not that strong physical strength automatically equates to superior movement skills. Lin Yun's level of movement skill at his age indicates that he has been training diligently since a very young age.
A minute passed quickly.
"Whoosh—" Wu Tong pressed the button, and the testing machine slowed down and stopped. A long string of numbers appeared on the screen.
"Hit 12 times within 60 seconds, without touching the red light, excellent!"
Wu Tong smiled, his gaze towards Lin Yun now filled with admiration: "Not bad, Lin Yun, congratulations. Once the official documents are issued and your information is entered into your citizen identity system, you will be a quasi-martial artist."
After passing the preliminary martial arts assessment, an official certificate is usually issued within seven days, and the information is recorded in the citizen's identity information.
"Thank you, Chief Instructor," Lin Yun said with a smile, but his heart was far from calm.
Although he had long known he possessed the ability, he still felt a surge of excitement the moment he received official certification and became a "quasi-martial artist." From this day forward, he was no longer a "senior student." He was a quasi-martial artist, someone standing on the threshold of becoming a martial artist.
Just one more step and you can become a true martial artist.
The last person was also tested—failure.
Of the seven people, only Lin Yun and Feng Lu passed all three tests.