Chapter Six: Advanced Student Assessment

"Alright."
Luo Yuan didn't ask any more questions. The staff member before him was only responsible for registration; though their attitude was unfriendly, they probably had some connections within the Extreme Martial Arts School, or else they would have been dealt with by others long ago.
After Luo Yuan finished filling out his registration information, he was handed an electronic application form, which surprisingly already contained his detailed personal data. It seemed the population management in this world was extremely strict.
Once he entered, he realized that the facility was divided into a newcomer area and a trainee assessment area. The newcomer area was for those with no martial arts background at all, ordinary rookies, whereas the trainee assessment area was for those with some martial arts foundation, who could directly participate in ranking assessments. Passing the test would earn them a trainee certificate of the appropriate grade.
It was just like the protagonist Luo Feng, who, at the age of sixteen, had joined the martial arts school and passed the intermediate trainee assessment at once, thus attaining the title of "Intermediate Trainee."
Luo Yuan left the queue of newcomers waiting to pay their tuition and headed straight for the trainee assessment area. This drew curious glances from those in the newcomer section; some even thought he was overestimating himself.
Coming to the trainee assessment area, he found the line here much shorter, with only a dozen or so people, all dressed in expensive attire. Luo Yuan felt no discomfort, handed in his application form, and waited calmly for the assessors to call his name.
He waited for about half an hour before he finally heard his name called by one of the staff.
"Luo Yuan, eighteen years old. Hmm, which level of trainee assessment would you like to take?" asked a mature and alluring female examiner, her voice gentle.
Luo Yuan looked at this beautiful woman in her fitted uniform dress. Her gaze was warm, and the commanding presence of her chest made him involuntarily swallow, but she showed no contempt for his cheap clothes. This won her some favor in Luo Yuan's eyes.
"Hello, I would like to participate in the advanced trainee assessment," Luo Yuan replied calmly.
A ripple of surprise spread among those nearby upon hearing his words. Some of the newcomers waiting in line looked at him with ridicule, thinking, "Where did this wild brat come from, daring to take the advanced assessment right away?" In all the years since the founding of the Extreme Martial Arts School, such occurrences were rare, and only the heirs of distinguished martial artist families usually had such strength.
"Uh, are you sure? Each person at the Extreme Martial Arts School can only take the assessment once per year. If you fail, you'll have to wait until next year," the female examiner said politely.
"Yes, I'm sure. Thank you for the reminder," Luo Yuan insisted.
"Very well, I wish you success," the examiner said, stamping his application form with an official seal.

Then Luo Yuan entered a spacious hall, where a row of invigilators in silver uniforms stood waiting.
"For this assessment, you will be tested in three categories: strength (punch force), speed, and neural response," explained one of the invigilators.
"This is the punch force tester, and here is the speed tester. Please begin with the punch force tester. Strike the target with your maximum strength. You may begin."
Luo Yuan took a deep breath, completely relaxed his body, then suddenly tensed like a lion ready to pounce. His spine was taut like a drawn bow, energy surging from his feet to his hips, then through his spine to his right fist, which shot forward like a cannonball in a graceful arc—
With a thud, Luo Yuan's right fist smashed into the target of the punch force testing machine.
The target shook violently.
Immediately, the machine's screen displayed: "805 kg."
"Wow, excellent! Your strength has reached the level required for an advanced trainee. Now for the speed assessment. Just run at full speed along this track," said one of the invigilators, eyes gleaming with expectation. Yangzhou's Extreme Martial Arts School was about to welcome a new advanced trainee, and such a young one at that; their performance bonuses would surely increase.
"Alright," Luo Yuan replied easily.
He adjusted his breathing and positioned himself on the track, which was sixty meters long. The area near the speed testing device was the timing zone.
With a sudden burst of power, Luo Yuan shot forward!
In the blink of an eye, he accelerated to his top speed, his legs pounding with strength, propelling him down the track like an arrow loosed from a bow, wind trailing behind him as he flashed through the speed testing zone. He then naturally slowed and stopped.
"22.8 meters per second! Ha, not bad at all. Your speed also meets the advanced trainee standard," one of the examiners said with a laugh.
"Next is the neural response test. Please come with me."
The invigilator led Luo Yuan to the 'Neural Response Testing Room' connected to the martial arts hall, a spacious chamber of about one hundred square meters.

In the center stood an enormous, sophisticated machine. At its front were numerous barrels, reminiscent of a six-barreled Gatling gun, except there were dozens more openings than on a Gatling.
With a click, the switch was flipped.
The edge of a three-point-six-meter diameter circle on the ground emitted a hazy red light, instantly enveloping Luo Yuan within a scarlet veil.
"Remember, no matter what, you must not step outside the circle. Leaving the circle means failure. Touching the red light results in point deductions," the examiner instructed, then moved to the control panel of the neural response tester, adjusting the difficulty by pressing several buttons.
"Begin!" The examiner pressed the red button.
A harsh buzzer sounded.
The barrels of the neural response tester accelerated rapidly, soon spinning at a dizzying speed. From the barrels, dozens of rubber bullets shot out in streaks of red light.
Luo Yuan's eyes narrowed in concentration, his mind rapidly calculating trajectories. His entire body moved with feline agility, dodging forward, backward, left, and right, evading rubber bullets again and again. Some came too fast to avoid, and he was forced to take a few hits, but perhaps due to his greatly enhanced mental power, his mind worked at lightning speed and his reflexes were sharper than ever.
"In sixty seconds, hit twenty times, no contact with the red light. Excellent!" The examiners all smiled.
"Luo Yuan, congratulations! You are now the 128th advanced trainee of Yangzhou's Extreme Martial Arts School. Here is your advanced trainee certificate. Allow me to present it to you."
An examiner personally stepped forward and placed the certificate, symbolizing his status as an advanced trainee, around Luo Yuan's neck. From now on, he would need this for access to the school.
Luo Yuan was elated. From now on, he could stroll the halls openly, collecting attributes without a care.

P.S. Esteemed readers, I humbly ask for your support: tips, monthly votes, and favorites. Luo Yuan bows in gratitude.