Chapter 8 Two Warriors
"557 points? The undergraduate cutoff is 561?" Luo Feng took a deep breath.
Just four points short! Because of those four points, he'd missed his chance to enter the military academy.
Twelve years of academic education had led to this outcome.
"Can't attend the military academy? So what? It's not the end of the world," Luo Feng said, his gaze sharpening as he formed a knife-hand with his right hand and sliced through the air. The wind generated by his palm sent shivers down his spine, "This coma has significantly boosted my strength!"
"Perhaps my physical condition now meets the standards of a warrior. I might pass the 'Provisional Warrior Assessment'."
"A slight deficit isn't a big deal. With a month or two of intense training, I should be able to clear it," he thought, bolstered by confidence from his recent physical enhancement.
Luo Feng was resilient; the sting of missing the cutoff was sharp, but the coma had boosted his strength once again, filling him with self-assurance. After all, the status of a warrior far surpassed that of a military academy graduate.
With a click, Luo Feng opened the door and stepped into the living room. His parents, Luo Hongguo and Gong Xinlan, along with his younger brother Luo Hua, turned to look at him, their eyes filled with concern. Gong Xinlan stood up and hurried over: "Xiaofeng, don't blame yourself for the college exam. It's that headache of yours—why did it act up now? It hasn't happened in years!"
"Brother, are you feeling down?" Luo Hua, seated in a wheelchair, teased.
Earlier, while Luo Feng was checking his scores inside, his parents and brother had accessed the results via Luo Hua's laptop, learning that he'd missed the cutoff by just four points. Though disappointed, they were more worried about him.
Luo Feng smiled: "Of course, I'm not discouraged. Mom and Dad, don't blame the headache. To be honest, I should thank it?"
"Thank it?"
"Thank it?"
"Thank it?"
Luo Hongguo, Gong Xinlan, and Luo Hua were stunned. The college exam was a pivotal moment in life, and here Luo Feng was thanking his ailment for ruining his chances?
"Mom, Dad, Ahua," Luo Feng said with a gentle smile, "I fainted from headaches twice when I was younger. Each time, I woke up feeling stronger and faster. This time... it's the same! I can feel my physical condition has improved drastically—I estimate I'll pass the Provisional Warrior Assessment."
"What?" Luo Hongguo, Gong Xinlan, and Luo Hua exchanged glances.
"Is it true, brother?" Luo Hua couldn't help but ask.
"Of course it is," Luo Feng replied with a smile. "After passing the Provisional Assessment, I can apply for the 'Warrior Combat Assessment.' I'm confident in my combat skills—I might become a warrior by this year!"
The three family members were stunned. A warrior! That represented the pinnacle of social status, privilege, wealth, and towering prestige. Moreover, the benefits a warrior brought to the family far exceeded those of an elite military academy graduate.
"Our family is going to have a warrior?" Luo Hua couldn't help but shout in excitement, "Haha! Brother, I admire you!"
"Xiaofeng, that's great!" Luo Hongguo exclaimed, patting Luo Feng's shoulder, "Being a warrior is better than any military academy graduate!"
The world revered warriors, and the Luo family's joy was palpable. Luo Feng chuckled, "But I haven't taken the assessment yet—let's not get too ahead of ourselves."
"A warrior at 18?" Luo Hua excitedly howled, "If my brother really becomes an 18-year-old warrior, that's... that's just... AMAZING!!!"
...
At five in the morning, as dawn broke, Luo Feng left home and headed to the Limitless Martial Hall.
"It's really quiet here," he noted upon entering, seeing only about a hundred people scattered across the vast grounds and pathways. The hall normally held tens of thousands of students, "The instructors teach at night when it's busiest."
Luo Feng made his way to the advanced students' training building.
A low rumble echoed, and he turned to see a sleek, white sports car with luxurious, fluttering thrusters—Aston Martin's THR-191, the latest model with flight capabilities. His younger brother had always admired such cars.
"An Aston Martin? The THR-191?" he marveled, then gasped, "That's 36 million in Chinese currency!"
The car stopped outside the training building. The door opened, and a man with fiery red hair and a loose-fitting martial arts outfit stepped out. His gaze, sharp and battle-hardened, briefly paused on Luo Feng before he entered the building.
"A warrior," Luo Feng's eyes lit up. The man's intense stare, honed through countless life-or-death battles, was unmistakable.
Luo Feng ascended to the third-floor training hall, which was empty at this early hour. He plugged in the punch-force tester and speedometer, then stepped up to the machine.
"Let's go!"
With a deep breath, he centered his strength in his waist and hips, then arched his spine like a coiled snake, channeling power through his arms. His fist struck the target with a thunderous "Thud!"
"Beep, beep, beep!" The machine emitted three consecutive tones—indicating a punch force exceeding 1,000kg.
Luo Feng's eyes widened. The standard for a warrior was 900kg, and his previous score was 809kg. Now, he'd jumped 280kg. Far beyond the requirement.
"Ha ha!"
Excited, he punched the target rapidly, the sound of his blows ringing out. The machine displayed a series of numbers: "956kg, 989kg, 923kg, 965kg..."
Next, he tested his speed. After adjusting his breathing, he sprinted down the track like a bullet.
...
On the fourth floor of the training building, a red-haired man and a bald, middle-aged man in black were chatting.
"Yan Luo, it's been nearly three years," the bald man said with a smile, "The once-innocent kid is now a legend. I heard you made nearly a billion in Earth coins this time. Sigh, seeing you makes me feel old."
"Pure luck," the red-haired man replied.
"Beep, beep, beep!"
The faint sound from below caught their attention.
"That's the basic punch-force tester—only emits that sound when exceeding 1,000kg," the bald man said, surprised. "Someone's practicing at five in the morning, and with a punch over a thousand? Could it be Yang Wu?"
"Let's go see," the red-haired man suggested.
In a flash, the two descended the stairs and arrived at the third-floor training hall. They saw Luo Feng standing on the track, then sprinting past.
"28.1 meters per second," both men read on the speedometer's screen.
"This Luo Feng, with a punch over 1,000kg and speed at 28.1m/s...," the bald man said, impressed.
"Brother, he's so young. He must have met the warrior physical standards," the red-haired man marveled. The bald man nodded, "His name is Luo Feng. He's one of our most talented students this batch. Just turned eighteen!"
"Eighteen? So young?" the red-haired man's eyes lit up.
Luo Feng, noticing the two men at the door, was startled. The red-haired man was the warrior who drove the sports car, and the bald man was the Limitless Martial Hall's director, Instructor Jiang Nian, the most powerful figure in the hall.
"Lnstructor!" Luo Feng greeted respectfully.
"Come here," Instructor Jiang said with a smile, "I didn't expect you to meet the warrior standards so quickly. Let me introduce you to your senior, Yan Luo. Yan Luo, I told him about you—no problem, right?"
"No problem," Yan Luo said, nodding at Luo Feng. "This kid, so young and already meeting the warrior physical requirements. Perhaps in the future, he'll cross paths with me."
Jiang Nian looked at Luo Feng and smiled, "Xiaofeng, you're 18 and must have taken the college exam this year. Never mind the results—what's the use of going to school? Focus on preparing for the 'Warrior Combat Assessment.' Oh, and on July 1st, head to the Limitless Hall in Yangzhou City for your Provisional Assessment. With your current strength, it'll be a breeze."
"College exam?" Yan Luo chuckled, "Don't waste time at university. You have talent—devote yourself fully to martial arts. Once you become a warrior and join our Limitless Hall, that's where the real future lies."
The two warriors, holding extremely high status , looked down on so-called tycoons and officials. But for Luo Feng, who was about to step into their ranks at such a young age, they held great expectations.