Chapter Six: Sensation

All afternoon, Qin Ming focused on adapting to his surging strength. The left side of the yard was completely destroyed; even two artificial hills had been reduced to rubble.

By nightfall, though he hadn't fully mastered his newfound power, he was no longer stumbling with every step.

At the dinner table—

"Brother, did you really break through?" Qin Lulu ruffled Qin Ming's hair, her large eyes darting up at him. "How come I can't see any difference?"

"A man may lose his head or his blood, but never his hairstyle!" Qin Ming wanted to brush his sister's hand aside, but was afraid of hurting her, so he could only protest helplessly.

"Show off!" Lulu pouted, then lifted her chin with pride. "We share the same parents. If you can become a warrior, then I definitely can too!"

"Of course you can!" Qin Ming nodded earnestly.

Luo Xia, delighted, kept piling food onto the two children's plates.

Qin Yicheng, however, said, "Ming, come with me to the guild hall tomorrow for an assessment. Let's see just how far you've progressed."

"Dad! Let's wait a bit. The May First holiday is in a few days. It's not too late to do the evaluation then. I can use these next few days to settle and solidify my foundation!"

"That works too."

That meal stretched on for a long time.

Deep into the night, in his room, Qin Ming did not rest. Instead, he continued cultivating with the Mysterious Dao Diagram, starting over from the beginning, again and again.

Alongside his improvements, this was the best way to master his strength.

Qin Ming could feel clearly that he was changing dramatically every day.

On April 23rd, he completed the thirteenth diagram.

By April 29th, he finished his first round with the fourteenth diagram.

On May First, all the top-level trainees in Yangzhou City who had reached the standard of a quasi-warrior arrived at the guild hall.

Qin Ming came as well, accompanied by Qin Yicheng and Zhou Jing—his father and the head of his gym.

They both wanted to see what level Qin Ming had reached after these days of training. Upon arrival, they didn't wait idly, but went straight upstairs.

"Qin Ming, I heard you've reached the quasi-warrior standard!" Wang Lang came over. "Keeping that secret from your brother? Not cool!"

"Wang, I only made quick progress recently!" Qin Ming shrugged. "You're getting tested today too?"

"Yeah! I'll give it a try. Even if I fail, I'll know how far off I am, right?"

"Maybe you'll pass!"

"That would be great!"

They chatted easily.

There were eight other candidates for the assessment. Two were about their age, the rest were much older—some even in their thirties or forties.

Yangzhou City had twelve Extreme Martial Arts Gyms, yet so few top trainees. It spoke to how rare they were.

The heads of the Extreme Martial Arts Gyms were also called instructors. The head of the guild hall, Wu Tong, was the chief instructor.

As the time arrived, a staff member led them up to the sixth floor—a vast martial arts training hall. Nearly a dozen people sat on either side, including Zhou Jing and Qin Yicheng.

They all looked over, making Qin Ming's heart tighten.

He knew these were true warriors.

A warrior’s blood and will were strong—just a glance from them brought palpable pressure.

Qin Ming immediately recognized Chief Instructor Wu Tong. He was a middle-aged man, his long hair draped casually, giving him a wild, untamed air.

"Prepare for the test," Wu Tong ordered.

A staff member quickly collected everyone's IDs and handed them to Wu Tong, saying with a smile, "Chief, we've got some real talent today!"

"Let’s hope I’m not disappointed," Wu Tong replied, swiping an ID through a nearby device. A screen popped up showing the individual's information.

"Liu Yan. From the Liu family?" Wu Tong said. "Begin the strength test!"

"Yes!"

Liu Yan was petite, but her movements were crisp and neat. She struck the punching target, and the measurement device showed: 899 kg!

"Not qualified. Next!" Wu Tong picked up the second ID. As for Liu Yan, he paid her no further attention—someone else led her away.

Liu Yan pouted, muttering, "Just one kilo short! I need one more month of work!"

"One kilo? Don't underestimate it. Of the three tests, strength is the easiest. Even if your punch hits nine hundred kilos, your speed and nerve response won't pass. Let's go."

"Alright."

Liu Yan left, a minor episode.

The tests continued quickly—soon it was Wang Lang’s turn. His result was impressive: 923 kg.

"Qin Ming, you’re up!" Wu Tong swiped the final ID, looking at Qin Ming with a smile. "Eighteen years old—just a year younger than Wang Lang. So we have a real prodigy in our community! Old Qin, you have an heir!"

"Chief, don’t be too surprised in a moment!" Qin Yicheng laughed.

"Oh? Is there another surprise? I’ll look forward to it!" Wu Tong replied.

Qin Ming stepped in front of the device.

His toes gripped the floor, muscles coiled, spine quivering—a surge of power raced into his arm. His fist shot out like a dragon, whipping up a gust of wind and a thunderous crack.

"A sonic boom?"

Wu Tong and the others were visibly surprised.

To punch with a sonic boom was extraordinary.

Bang!

His fist landed. The reading on the device made everyone around gasp.

"Impossible!" Zhou Jing exclaimed first.

"This..." Qin Yicheng was dumbfounded.

Qin Lang rubbed his eyes. "Am I seeing things?"

"Ming, try again!" Wu Tong's tone had changed, now more familiar and affectionate.

"Alright!"

Qin Ming didn’t hesitate.

Bang, bang, bang—

He threw three more punches in quick succession. With the first, four in total.

3790 kg, 3800 kg, 3796 kg, 3806 kg!

Wu Tong, after his initial excitement, broke into a hearty laugh. "Yangzhou City finally has another genius—a true genius!"

"The standard for a novice warrior's punch is 900 kilograms, intermediate is 2000, advanced is 4000!" Zhou Jing said, thrilled. "On April 20th, Ming came to me for a test—his punch was only 950 kilograms. Because he’s from our neighborhood, I gave him the genetic prime energy cultivation method early. I never imagined, in just over ten days, his punch jumped to 3800 kilograms—almost to advanced warrior standard! Chief, to make such a leap in the first cultivation—this is more than genius, it’s monstrous!"

It was common knowledge that a person's first time cultivating genetic prime energy would result in a surge—at least two or three hundred kilograms, a thousand was considered elite, two thousand was a genius.

After the first surge, progress returned to normal.

In just over ten days, Qin Ming's punch increased by nearly three thousand kilograms. They believed this was the explosive growth from his first cultivation.

By that measure, even most geniuses couldn't compare.

"Zhou, you’ve got a great student. Qin, you have a great son!" Wu Tong calmed himself. "Come, let's test your speed and neural response!"

From here on, the others were mere background.

Qin Ming's results did not disappoint.

Speed: 59.5 meters per second. Neural response: perfect for beginner warriors, excellent for intermediate.

"Very good!" Wu Tong nodded in satisfaction. "Qin Ming, sign the agreement first. I’ll call the main association in a bit—they’ll want us to come right away. Be prepared!"