Five Hearts to Heaven

"Mm." Luo Feng nodded excitedly. Beside the neural response testing machine, Chief Instructor Wu Tong chuckled, "Alright, next up, Bai Yang." Luo Feng walked over to Yang Wu, who, with a look of pleasant surprise, whispered, "Crazy, congratulations! You're a Prospective Warrior now. Once you pass the Warrior Combat Assessment, you'll be a true Warrior!" Luo Feng also whispered, "Brother Yang, I'm sure you'll pass the neural response test. We'll take the combat assessment together then." "Mm." Yang Wu was also filled with anticipation. Luo Feng and Yang Wu then focused their attention on the ongoing assessments. Soon, two more individuals completed their tests, one succeeding, one failing. "Last one, Yang Wu!" Chief Instructor Wu Tong called out. Yang Wu took a deep breath. He had waited for this day for far too long, always getting stuck at the speed test. Now, he finally had the qualification to undergo the neural response test at the Extreme Martial Arts Dojo. "Go for it!" Luo Feng cheered encouragingly. "Don't worry." Yang Wu strode directly into the red circle. As Chief Instructor Wu Tong pressed the start button, the neural response testing machine's turrets began to spin, quickly reaching an extremely high speed. Dozens of muzzles inside the turrets instantly fired rubber bullets, covering the red circle. Yang Wu moved swiftly, within a single step's range in all directions, his movements incredibly concise. "Hmm?" Luo Feng watched Brother Yang's evasion technique, secretly surprised. "Brother Yang's footwork seems a bit stiff. Not as flexible or swift as mine, but this technique of his seems highly efficient. Each dodge is minimal; he's not even using the full 3.6-meter diameter of the red circle, just moving within a single step's range in all directions." Yang Wu's movement range was small, yet his evasion efficiency was very high. "This kind of footwork is indeed very useful in actual combat. However, it requires extremely precise control during a fight. Otherwise, even a slight error, and a monster's claws could tear a Warrior's body apart!" Luo Feng secretly evaluated. At least in Luo Feng's opinion, while this technique was highly efficient, it was also extremely dangerous. It was like dancing on a knife's edge. "Whoosh~~" A minute quickly passed, and the neural response testing machine's turrets stopped spinning. "60 seconds, hit 52 times, no red light touched, qualified. Passed!" Chief Instructor Wu Tong announced. Inside the red circle, Yang Wu clenched his fists in excitement, veins bulging on his arms, tears welling up in his eyes. He had waited for this day for so, so long. Finally, his dream was within reach, just one step away from the legendary title of Warrior. "Yang Wu." Chief Instructor Wu Tong frowned and admonished, "Your evasion technique is a 'micro-level' dodging technique. In life-and-death battles with monsters, you use minimal body movements to let their attacks graze past you without harm! Because your movements are small, you can naturally perform more dodges in the same amount of time, making it extremely efficient." "However, this technique is incredibly difficult. Even a slight error, and what you calculated as a monster's claw missing you by two centimeters could, with that error... slice through your body. It could disembowel you! In a fight with monsters, one mistake can mean death. Therefore—" "I advise you, when fighting monsters in the future, try to dodge further away. Give yourself more room to maneuver," Chief Instructor Wu Tong said solemnly. "With your current strength, it's best to master basic footwork. The results will be better." Yang Wu was startled, then nodded solemnly. "Yes, Chief Instructor." "Yang Wu, you must remember Chief Instructor's words. On the path of martial arts, never be greedy for quick success or rush ahead. Micro-level footwork is powerful, but if you lack the strength to execute such a technique and force it, you'll only make a fool of yourself, like Dong Shi imitating Xi Shi, becoming a laughingstock," Instructor Jiang Nian earnestly advised. Chief Instructor Wu Tong smiled, "Alright, for this Prospective Warrior assessment, three people passed: Luo Feng, Bai Yang, and Yang Wu." Luo Feng, Yang Wu, and Bai Yang all had suppressed joy in their eyes. If not for the surrounding group of senior Warriors, they probably would have been shouting with excitement. "Everyone, for the next steps, like signing the combat assessment contracts, please help them out." With that, Chief Instructor Wu Tong looked at a silver-haired, black-robed man standing at the edge and chuckled, "Captain, sorry to have kept you waiting so long. Come, let's head out." Captain? Luo Feng and the other two were greatly astonished. The Chief Instructor was the overall head of the Extreme Martial Arts Dojo in Yangzhou City, holding an extremely high status. For him to call someone 'Captain,' what kind of identity did this silver-haired, black-robed man possess? The silver-haired, black-robed man's gaze swept over Luo Feng and the other two. For a moment, Luo Feng felt as if the man's eyes were the boundless starry sky, and he instantly became lost within them. But then, Luo Feng jolted, snapping back to full awareness. "What just happened?" Luo Feng suddenly noticed that Yang Wu and Bai Yang next to him had blank expressions. "How terrifying, a single glance made us completely blank," Luo Feng thought, shocked. This power was too terrifying. For example, in a duel, before even exchanging blows, a single glance from the opponent could blur one's consciousness. By the time one regained awareness, their heart would likely already be pierced by a blade. The silver-haired, black-robed man smiled faintly, looking at Luo Feng with surprise. "Youngster, good talent, keep working hard," the silver-haired, black-robed man smiled at Luo Feng. "Oh, and good willpower too, tsk tsk," Chief Instructor Wu Tong also nodded in satisfaction. Immediately after, Chief Instructor Wu Tong and the silver-haired, black-robed man left the area. "What happened? What was that just now?" "What happened to me?" Yang Wu and Bai Yang finally regained consciousness. They looked at each other, recalling what had just happened, and broke out in a cold sweat. Whether it was Yang Wu, Bai Yang, or Luo Feng... in their lives up to this point, that silver-haired, black-robed man was indeed the most terrifying figure they had encountered. "This silver-haired, black-robed man was watching our test the whole time. But from the beginning until just now, I didn't even notice his presence," Luo Feng thought, secretly alarmed. "He made no sound, as if he didn't exist in the space. It's incredible. No, wait..." As Luo Feng tried to recall the silver-haired, black-robed man's appearance, he was shocked to discover— He only remembered those captivating eyes, but couldn't recall anything about the man's face. "You three, come over here." Instructor Jiang Nian and the other Warriors smiled as they watched the three. "To the Training Hall." They moved from the neural response testing room into the spacious Training Hall. "These are three Warrior Combat Assessment application contracts." A stout old man took three contracts from a corner of the Training Hall. "Once you participate in the Warrior Combat Assessment, if you are killed by a monster during the process, it has nothing to do with our Extreme Martial Arts Dojo! Of course, the death rate for the Warrior Combat Assessment is very low." Luo Feng, Yang Wu, and Bai Yang all took the contracts and read through the contents. "The death rate is low, but the disability rate is not," a bald, muscular man said in a deep voice. "The Warrior Combat Assessment is a life-and-death struggle with monsters! Of course, this is just the most basic struggle. When you eventually go alone into dangerous areas to hunt monsters, the danger will be far greater than this combat assessment. If you can't even pass this stage, you don't have the qualifications to be a Warrior." Luo Feng, Yang Wu, and Bai Yang exchanged glances. The contract was simple, mainly stating that the Extreme Martial Arts Dojo would not be responsible for any deaths or injuries occurring during the combat assessment. Without hesitation, the three took the pens nearby and signed their names. "Mm." Instructor Jiang Nian smiled from the side, "Good. Today is July 1st, so you have one month until the combat assessment. You must prepare well during this month. Oh, right." With that, Instructor Jiang Nian walked to a nearby keyboard, quickly pressed some keys, and soon a transparent giant screen appeared on the Training Hall wall, displaying an article. It was titled—"Gene Origin Energy Cultivation Method." "Hmm?" Luo Feng couldn't help but hold his breath. The reason Warriors' bodies are so powerful, with some top-tier Warriors even moving faster than the speed of sound! A single blade strike can cleave through several meters of thick steel plates! Of course, Luo Feng and his companions' current strength is vastly different from these legendary powerhouses. Why are Warriors so powerful? They rely on Gene Origin Energy! "Back during the Great Nirvana period, humans were infected with the RR virus and developed antibodies. This naturally led to changes and optimization in their body's genes," Instructor Jiang Nian explained with a smile. "When genes are optimized to a certain extent, one can absorb wisps of cosmic energy, integrating it into every cell of the body! During this process, gene optimization, bones, cells, blood, internal organs, skin, and so on, all continuously evolve and improve!" "Your bones can become ten, even a hundred times harder than diamonds, and your internal organs can become so powerful that you can hold your breath underwater for half an hour, or even longer!" "All of this depends on you absorbing cosmic energy, integrating it into every cell, making it your own energy. That is—Gene Origin Energy!" Instructor Jiang Nian pointed to the article on the screen. "This is the cultivation method for Gene Origin Energy—the Five Hearts to Heaven Cultivation Method! It is also the only method on Earth for cultivating Gene Origin Energy." Luo Feng immediately read the article carefully. Gene Origin Energy, humanity's reliance for gene optimization and evolution! "So that's how it is," Luo Feng understood after a careful read. Ordinary people cannot cultivate it because their gene optimization level isn't sufficient. Generally, one needs to reach a punch force of 900 kg, a speed of 25 m/s, and a neural response speed at the Prospective Warrior's passing line. Upon reaching this level, the gene optimization level is roughly at the passing line. Ninety percent of Prospective Warriors can then begin cultivating Gene Origin Energy! "For this month, you can start trying to cultivate Gene Origin Energy," Instructor Jiang Nian smiled. "As for the most precious 'Guide Technique,' you can only obtain it once you become a Warrior and join our Extreme Martial Arts Dojo or the military, and so on." There is only one method for cultivating Gene Origin Energy in the entire world. However, there are tens of millions of Guide Techniques worldwide. Cultivating different Guide Techniques can lead to vastly different speeds in Gene Origin Energy cultivation, even differing by dozens of times. Guide Techniques are truly the most valuable assets of various factions.