Neural Reaction Speed

“Old Jiang seems quite confident,” Chief Instructor Wu Tong said with a smile, his gaze still fixed on Luo Feng. Almost everyone present watched Luo Feng, awaiting his assessment results. Luo Feng stood before the punching target, his feet suddenly pushing off the ground. With a slight twist of his waist and hips, a powerful force erupted, instantly flowing through his body and into his arm. His fist, like an arrow shot from a full moon bow, left a blur as it smashed into the target with a resounding ‘thump.’ A hint of joy flickered in Luo Feng’s eyes after the punch. “That felt incredible, all the power went right through!” He glanced at the display screen— “1101kg.” “Good.” “Excellent.” Many of the Warriors present immediately offered their praise. Chief Instructor Wu Tong stroked his chin and nodded. “This young man is impressive. He remembers not to lose his center of gravity when punching. If he were to throw caution to the wind, aiming only for the strongest punch and losing his balance, the strike might be even more powerful. But in a fight against a monster, losing your center of gravity is suicide! Excellent, truly excellent.” “Haha, Luo Feng, this kid, his combat ability is formidable,” Instructor Jiang Nian chuckled. “He’s even cleanly and decisively defeated three Advanced Students whose strength and speed were comparable to his own!” Luo Feng felt a surge of exhilaration listening to the Chief Instructor and Instructor’s praise. In his youth, he had twice fallen unconscious, and each time his physical strength and speed had dramatically increased. From then on, he had set a goal: to become a powerful Warrior! And powerful Warriors demand high combat proficiency. Even before joining the Extreme Martial Arts Dojo, he had searched online for basic blade techniques and movement skills, practicing alone at home and slowly accumulating experience. This was the reason for his strong combat prowess. “He’s a promising talent. Yes, passed!” Chief Instructor Wu Tong casually swiped an ID card across the instrument. “Next, Bai Yang.” Luo Feng walked back to where the assessed group waited. “Impressive, Lunatic,” Yang Wu whispered with a surprised smile. Luo Feng grinned. … The eight candidates quickly completed the ‘Punch Force Test.’ Only one unlucky individual among them was eliminated, having only managed 892kg, just shy of the passing mark. Only seven remained for the next stage, the speed test. “Click!” Chief Instructor Wu Tong approached the speed testing device and flipped the switch. “One by one, in reverse order from before. First up, Yang Wu,” Chief Instructor Wu Tong instructed. Yang Wu had been the last to test his punch force, but now he was first for speed. Yang Wu took a deep breath. He had attempted this Prospective Warrior Assessment nearly ten times, stumbling on the speed test every single time. “Brother Yang, you got this,” Luo Feng said, patting Yang Wu lightly on the shoulder. “Watch me,” Yang Wu adjusted his breathing and stepped onto the track. Instructor Jiang Nian watched, frowning. Yang Wu was also from Yian District, but he had failed the ‘Speed Test’ numerous times. “Boom!” Yang Wu’s powerful push off the ground created a low thud. With strong arm swings and forceful strides, Yang Wu quickly accelerated to his limit. His face contorted, veins throbbing on his forehead, he ran with desperate intensity. As he passed through the speed testing zone, he let out a suppressed roar! “I have to pass!” Yang Wu roared inwardly as he stopped. He nervously turned his head, only to see Luo Feng giving him a thumbs-up. Seeing this, Yang Wu felt like he’d reached heaven. “Haha, Yang Wu, good luck. You actually passed the line,” Instructor Jiang Nian laughed heartily. Yang Wu rushed over and looked at the display screen— “25.1m/s.” “Phew, that was close,” Yang Wu chuckled to himself. If his condition had been slightly worse, his speed might not have reached 25 meters per second, and he would have failed again. “Alright, passed!” Chief Instructor Wu Tong also smiled. “Next.” One by one, the candidates took their turns. In the previous punch force test, Luo Feng had been second. This time, for the speed test, Luo Feng was second to last. Soon, it was Luo Feng’s turn. “Luo Feng,” Chief Instructor Wu Tong called out. “Lunatic, go for it! We’re going to the Warrior Combat Assessment together,” Yang Wu encouraged. Luo Feng smiled, nodded, and stepped onto the track. He took a slight breath, then lightly bounced in place. Unlike Yang Wu’s purely brute-force type, Luo Feng exuded a sense of relaxed agility. Swish! With a burst of power, Luo Feng shot out like a leopard, incredibly fast, leaving a gust of wind as he swept through the speed testing area. It was visibly clear that Luo Feng’s speed was noticeably higher than the previous candidates. “Feeling pretty good,” Luo Feng thought as he turned his head, seeing Yang Wu also giving him a thumbs-up. Even Chief Instructor Wu Tong and Instructor Jiang Nian nodded in rare admiration. Luo Feng walked over to see the screen display— “28.6m/s.” “Excellent speed, much higher than the passing mark,” Chief Instructor Wu Tong said, nodding with a smile. “Last one, Tong Guan.” … After completing the punch force and speed tests, one person was eliminated from the punch test, and two from the speed test. Only five remained. The third assessment was the ‘Neural Reaction Speed Assessment.’ “Follow me,” Chief Instructor Wu Tong led the group of Warriors and the remaining five candidates to the ‘Neural Reaction Test Room,’ which was connected to the Training Hall. This was a spacious room, roughly one hundred square meters. Of course, compared to the thousands of square meters of the main Training Hall, this Neural Reaction Test Room was significantly smaller. A tall, valuable instrument stood on the floor. At the front of this instrument were numerous openings, like the barrels of a Gatling gun, though far more numerous, easily dozens of them. “First up, Tong Guan,” Chief Instructor Wu Tong announced. The burly, bearded man immediately stepped into the center of a 3.6-meter diameter circle directly in front of the testing gun barrels. “Click!” As the switch was flipped, the edge of the 3.6-meter circle immediately emitted a hazy red light upwards, enveloping the tester within a shimmering red veil. “Remember, no matter what, you cannot leave the circle. Leaving the circle results in immediate failure. Touching the red light will incur deductions,” Chief Instructor Wu Tong explained, then walked to the Neural Reaction Test Machine and pressed several buttons, adjusting the test’s intensity. The intensity had many levels. The most basic was for Advanced Student assessments. The highest… that was for top-tier Warriors to test and train. “Begin!” The Chief Instructor pressed the red button. “Beep~~ Beep~~” The Neural Reaction Test Machine’s massive barrels began to rotate. Dozens of gunports almost instantly unleashed streams of red light. Their speeds varied, and their trajectories were completely erratic, shooting rapidly into the red circle. The bearded man’s eyes were fixed forward, his body constantly darting back and forth, left and right, weaving through the gaps between the incoming red ‘bullets.’ “Thwack! Thwack!” He was hit twice in quick succession. However, these ‘bullets’ were rubber-tipped, with very little force and not particularly fast, so they didn’t hurt much when they struck. Time ticked by. The bearded man desperately dodged within the circle, and soon, one minute was up. “Whoosh~~” After Chief Instructor Wu Tong pressed the button, the test machine’s barrels rapidly decelerated and stopped rotating. A large amount of data appeared on its central screen. “Within 60 seconds, hit 57 times, touched the red light three times. Not qualified, eliminated!” Chief Instructor Wu Tong announced, handing the bearded man his ID card. “Just barely missed it,” the bearded man muttered, gritting his teeth as he stepped out of the red circle. “Next, Luo Feng,” Chief Instructor Wu Tong said. Luo Feng and Yang Wu exchanged a fist bump, then Luo Feng walked directly into the red circle. Standing inside the red circle, with the test machine’s barrels aimed at him, Luo Feng took a deep breath. Even before joining the Martial Arts Hall, he had frequently practiced movement skills at home. Dodging had always been his strongest suit. “Before the college entrance exam, I was usually hit 50 to 55 times within 60 seconds. Now that my physical fitness has improved, my reactions are faster, so passing this test should be no problem.” “Remember, absolutely do not step out of the circle, or you’ll fail immediately. Touching the red light will deduct points,” Chief Instructor Wu Tong reiterated, then pressed the red button. “Beep~~ Beep~~” The Neural Reaction Test Machine’s barrels rapidly accelerated, quickly reaching an extremely high rotational speed. Immediately after, dozens of gunports almost instantly unleashed streams of red light, and rubber bullets shot out. “Hmm?” Luo Feng’s eyes were locked on, his mind rapidly calculating positions. His entire body moved like an agile cat, constantly dodging back and forth, left and right, avoiding one rubber bullet after another. Of course, some were too fast to completely evade, forcing him to take ‘a shot.’ As Luo Feng swiftly dodged, the Warriors observing on the sidelines began to discuss. “This young man is impressive; his reaction speed seems even more outstanding.” “He’s very fast, and his movement skills are excellent, with a very solid foundation. Look, his feet are like a cat’s paw pads; every shift in movement maintains his balance, allowing him to change direction instantly. Such movement skills… unless he’s a genius, it would take ten years of hard work to achieve such a firm foundation.” The Warriors present were all amazed. A Warrior’s physical fitness can be improved through training. However, movement skills, blade techniques, and the like rely on experience. It’s not simply that stronger physical power equates to superior movement skills. “Whoosh~~” After the button was pressed, the Neural Reaction Test Machine decelerated and stopped rotating. A long string of data appeared on the screen. “Within 60 seconds, hit 28 times, no red light touches. Excellent!” Chief Instructor Wu Tong smiled. “Excellent, Luo Feng, congratulations! Once the official documents are issued and your information is entered into the citizen identity system, you will be a Prospective Warrior!” With the assessment passed, official certificates are usually issued within seven days, and the information is recorded in the citizen identity system. Luo Feng clenched his right fist tightly. “I finally succeeded!” He had finally become a Prospective Warrior! “Luo Feng, the Warrior Combat Assessment is on August 1st. Gather at the Extreme Martial Arts Dojo in the morning. Under the instructor’s lead, you and the other Prospective Warriors will go outside the Base City to hunt monsters! Once you pass the combat assessment, you’ll be a true Warrior,” Instructor Jiang Nian said with a smile.