Different Choices

“The further you go, the harder it gets to improve,” Luo Feng mused. “From 23.8 meters per second to 25 meters per second... that’ll probably take a year. And increasing my punching power from 809 kg to 900 kg will likely take even longer. I probably won’t earn the ‘Warrior’ title until after I’m in college.”“If, if... I were to faint again, my physical conditioning would probably meet the Warrior requirements.”Of course, the ‘fainting’ he referred to wasn't being knocked unconscious by someone. It was fainting from an extreme headache.Luo Feng suffered from a condition that caused severe headaches.Every day, he would occasionally experience a bout of headache, but he always endured it. However, when the headache reached its peak, he would faint!Since childhood, Luo Feng had fainted twice.When he was eight, his younger brother’s leg was crushed by a car. Luo Feng was overcome with grief, and suddenly felt an intense headache, accompanied by an astonishingly rapid heartbeat. His blood circulation accelerated to an incredible degree, feeling as if his heart would burst from his chest, until he could no longer bear it and fainted.Then, when he was twelve, his mother was hospitalized with a serious illness. Terrified of losing her, Luo Feng was in a panic, and again suffered a terrible headache, his heart racing, leading to another fainting spell.After both fainting incidents, his family took Luo Feng to the hospital for examination, but no medical condition could be found. After all, even now, the brain remains a medical enigma.“However, both fainting spells mysteriously boosted my physical conditioning significantly,” Luo Feng thought with anticipation. “At eight and twelve, after waking from those two fainting spells, my strength, speed, and neural response were noticeably much stronger. That’s why, at just sixteen, I passed the Intermediate Student assessment immediately upon entering the Martial Arts Hall, earning the ‘Intermediate Student’ title. Because of that strong foundation, I earned the ‘Advanced Student’ title at seventeen.”“If I could faint just one more time, my strength would definitely leap forward again!”Fainting, in his case, was actually the body’s self-protection, not entirely a bad thing.Luo Feng had suffered from headaches since childhood, but after his first fainting spell at eight, he noticed that each subsequent headache was less severe. After the second fainting spell at twelve, the headaches became even milder.“Following this trend, if I could faint one more time, the headaches should lessen again... one or two more fainting spells, and perhaps the headaches would disappear forever.” Luo Feng yearned for this, as each fainting spell alleviated his headaches and brought a leap in physical conditioning.Unfortunately...fainting wasn't something he could simply choose to do. Since childhood, it had only happened twice.“When the headache reaches its peak, my heart rate also accelerates to its limit.”Luo Feng glanced down at the watch on his wrist, which had a pulse-testing function.“But even during extreme exertion, my heart rate doesn’t exceed 120 beats per minute,” Luo Feng observed. “How great would it be if my heart rate could reach over two hundred beats per minute?” The precursors to his fainting were an excruciating headache and an extremely fast heart rate.Alas—No matter how intense his exercise, his heart rate couldn't accelerate enough to trigger the headache and subsequent fainting....Inside the Training Hall, Yang Wu, his face marked by a scar, stood before the punching power tester. Without much wind-up, he casually unleashed a flurry of powerful punches at the target. *Thump! Thump! Thump!* A series of dull thuds echoed as a string of numbers flashed across the screen: “956kg, 912kg, 936kg, 981kg...”Yang Wu threw dozens of punches in one go before stopping.Luo Feng, watching from the side, couldn't help but feel a pang of envy. His full-power punch was only 809 kg. If he were to punch as rapidly and continuously as Brother Yang, each punch exceeding 700 kg would be considered good.“Brother Yang, I wish my full-power punch could match the strength of your casual one,” Luo Feng said with a smile.“You rascal,” Yang Wu said, walking over and patting Luo Feng’s shoulder. “You’re only 19 this year, just turned 18. When I was your age, I was still just an Intermediate Student at the Martial Arts Hall. With your rate of progress... give it two years, no more, and you’ll definitely meet the physical requirements of a Warrior. Tsk tsk... a Warrior at 20, that’s truly enviable.”Luo Feng smiled.Martial Arts Halls recruit students between 16 and 30, as this is the period of most rapid growth. The earlier one can become a Warrior, the stronger they are likely to become in the future. He had become an Advanced Student at 17 last year, which indeed made many envious.“By the way, Crazy, you have your college entrance exam soon, right? What are your plans after the exam?” Yang Wu asked with a smile.“I plan to apply to a military academy,” Luo Feng replied with a slight smile. “Typically, students who graduate from military academies become low-ranking officers in the regular army. But for me, entering special forces after graduation shouldn’t be a problem.”“Oh.”Yang Wu pursed his lips. “Joining the military academy is good, but... I feel like personal freedom is restricted. After you graduate and join the special forces, you’ll have to obey military regulations! I, for one, couldn’t stand it. It’s better to be a free Warrior.”“Being a free Warrior is good,” Luo Feng said, shaking his head. “However, I don’t want my parents to worry. Entering a military academy and then the army... at least in terms of safety, it’s much higher than being a free Warrior.”There are generally four paths for a Warrior.The first path is to join the military. The advantage is high safety; the nation would not easily allow Warriors to take unnecessary risks, and it provides many benefits to their families, ensuring Warriors have no worries.The second path is to join a Martial Arts Hall. Martial Arts Halls have a more relaxed management system, forming a relatively loose group. Moreover, the Extreme Martial Arts Dojo was founded by Hong, the world’s strongest individual. Becoming a ‘Warrior’ under the Extreme Martial Arts Dojo offers many benefits, and its relaxed management allows for more freedom.The third path is to join a corporate group, a family, or a major power, essentially serving as a hired enforcer.The fourth path is to join a mercenary group, which involves constant life-and-death situations. It’s the most dangerous, but also the most free.“Joining the military is safe, yes. But I don’t want a life without freedom,” Yang Wu said, shaking his head. “This year, I expect to take the Provisional Warrior Assessment again, and I should pass. Once I pass, I’ll immediately take the Warrior Combat Assessment this year, striving to become a Warrior.”Luo Feng’s eyes lit up. “Brother Yang, you’re confident you’ll pass the Provisional Warrior Assessment?”“Haha,” Yang Wu chuckled. “For the three physical tests, my punching power and neural response have long met the standards. My weakness is speed! But now, if I perform well, I can barely reach 25 meters per second. With a bit more effort these days, I should pass the assessment.”“Congratulations, Brother Yang,” Luo Feng said, genuinely happy for him, as Yang Wu had been striving to become a Warrior for many years. “Brother Yang, what do you plan to do after becoming a Warrior?”“Of course, I’ll join the Extreme Martial Arts Dojo,” Yang Wu said with a smile. “The Extreme Martial Arts Dojo’s system is very flexible, and the Dojo is spread across the globe, with many senior Warriors, which is beneficial for one’s development. Plus, I can rest when I want, and go hunt monsters when I want. So much freedom.”Luo Feng nodded.“Crazy,” Yang Wu said, looking at Luo Feng. “You’re a wild one at heart, I can tell. I think you’re very suited to the path of a free Warrior. Joining a Martial Arts Hall, how much freedom is that? And the Extreme Martial Arts Dojo also provides us with a lot of help.”“I...” Luo Feng hesitated slightly.Seeing this, Yang Wu shook his head and smiled. “Crazy, free Warriors constantly face life-and-death situations, honing themselves in battle. It’s dangerous! But similarly, precisely because they frequently fight on the brink of death, their strength improves the fastest! Look around, no matter where, the majority of the strongest Warriors are free Warriors.”...Night fell, and the streetlights glowed.Luo Feng walked alone on the sidewalk after leaving the Extreme Martial Arts Dojo, Yang Wu’s words still echoing in his mind, having a significant impact.“There are actually two paths suitable for me,” Luo Feng thought silently. “One is to enter a military academy, graduate smoothly, and then join the special forces. The second is to become a Warrior, join the Extreme Martial Arts Dojo, and freely hunt monsters.”“Of these two paths, the first, entering a military academy, offers high safety and good family welfare. Even if I die in battle, the nation will take good care of my family.”“The second path, becoming a free Warrior, involves constant life-and-death struggles, leading to rapid strength improvement. Hunting monsters can also bring in huge sums of money, making it a quick way to earn. This path... is dangerous, offers rapid strength improvement, quick money, and freedom. Its only drawback is the danger.” Luo Feng pondered continuously; he had often thought about this question throughout his senior year of high school.“My parents only have two sons, and my younger brother is already disabled. If I become a free Warrior and die in a life-and-death battle, what will happen to my parents in their later years?”His brother needed care.His parents were also getting older. If he died, what would become of them?“I’ll go to military academy.”“In the future, when I join the special forces, I can also learn ‘military martial arts,’ combining it with the ‘Extreme Martial Arts’ I learned at the Extreme Martial Arts Dojo. My strength should improve further. I can still hone my skills in the military! And even if I die in battle as a Warrior in the army, the nation will still provide my parents with a pension every month.” Luo Feng, considering his parents’ perspective, still chose to apply to a military academy.However...Military academy wasn't something he could just walk into. He still needed high academic scores, so everything depended on the college entrance exam in June.