Volume One: Emerging Talents, Chapter 108: To Think It Was You, Little One

When Wang Jue stepped into the main hall of the actual Adventurer's Guild assessment grounds, the person who had guided him turned back.

"Sir, are you here to take the Adventurer's Practical Assessment?" A sweet-looking young woman in the hall smiled and said, "If so, please have a seat over there. We will conduct the assessment collectively with the others at ten o'clock."

"Many thanks." Wang Jue nodded and expressed his gratitude.

He then walked toward the side of the hall where the young woman had indicated. There was a small bar there, staffed by a waiter and a bartender.

"Hm?" Wang Jue glanced over and noticed three people already seated in the small bar area. Two of them were chatting, while the third sat in silence on another sofa.

"Look at that—those villas over there are said to be the benefits for adventurers who join the Martial Association," a young man in a yellow shirt and black trousers said excitedly. "I heard that once you become an adventurer and join the association, you’re assigned one for free. And you get to live here from then on... tsk tsk, look at this environment, how comfortable."

"It’s a Martial Artist residential area, so of course it’s different from the ordinary ones outside," another youth, dressed entirely in black, replied with surprise. "Look, a newcomer is here."

The three of them noticed Wang Jue. Wang Jue gave them a slight nod and sat down on a nearby sofa. Since they were strangers to each other, no one spoke.

As time passed, four more people arrived. Wang Jue did not know these four either, but judging by their appearance, they were all on the older side—likely over thirty, with some perhaps even past forty.

"Ha, Junior Brother Wang!" A loud voice rang out.

"Hm?" Wang Jue was startled. He turned his head to see his senior brother from the martial arts gym, Monkey, walking toward him. "Haha, why are you here for the Adventurer's Practical Assessment too?"

"Senior Brother?" Wang Jue stood up to meet him. "What brings you here? Are you taking the practical assessment as well?"

"Yes, it’s quite embarrassing to say, but I came to test once last month." Wang Jue said with a touch of helplessness, "It’s a pity my speed test only reached 29.6 meters per second. I was just a hair short—I didn't pass!"

In truth, Monkey had long since cleared the requirements for punch force and nerve reaction speed; speed was his only weakness. However, since the start of the year, Monkey had been making gradual progress. The difference between 29.6 and 30 meters wasn't much; with a bit of luck on the day, he could easily hit the 30-meter mark.

"Haha, I believe you’ll definitely pass this time, Senior Brother," Wang Jue smiled.

Suddenly, a booming voice came from nearby: "This guy surnamed Hou has tested several times already and never passed. I reckon this time is looking shaky, too."

Wang Jue looked over. The speaker was a burly man with a face full of jowls.

Upon hearing this, Monkey glared at him: "Gou, stop talking about me. Didn't you also fail three times? Looking at your nerve reaction speed, I suspect you’ll need to train hard for another year or two before you’re ready."

"Quiet."

At that moment, a cold reprimand came from the center of the hall. The ten people present turned their heads to see a middle-aged man in loose training clothes looking at them. "Let's go. Follow me upstairs to take the basic assessments. Remember, behave yourselves once we're up there. An old friend of Director Ning is visiting today, so don't cause any trouble."

"Yes," everyone replied respectfully—the arrogant burly man, Monkey, Wang Jue, and the four others alike.

"An old friend of Director Ning?" Wang Jue couldn't help but speculate. "Could it be the Sword Sect's Feng Qingyang or Fire Rose Zhou Yunling?"

As for the big figures in Peaceful Town, Wang Jue had only ever seen Ning Chuan, Feng Qingyang, and Zhou Yunling; he had never met the others.

...

After entering the elevator, the middle-aged man in the loose training clothes pressed the button for the ninth floor.

"Beep!" The elevator arrived at the ninth floor quickly.

"Whoosh..." The elevator doors opened to reveal an enormous martial arts practice hall. Inside, more than twenty people were gathered, among them Ning Chuan, whom Wang Jue had met once before!

"The people are here. Stop chatting," Ning Chuan glanced at Wang Jue and the others before speaking to the group.

In an instant, the twenty-plus people in the hall turned their gaze toward the ten newcomers. Facing their collective stare, Wang Jue and the others felt a tightening in their chests. They knew that anyone present here was either staff or high-ranking members of the Martial Association—in other words, essentially all of them were adventurers!

Seeing this, Ning Chuan instructed the person beside him: "Since everyone is here, prepare for the tests."

"Come over one by one and give me your ID cards."

The person who had led the ten of them upstairs collected their ID cards and handed them directly to Director Ning Chuan, smiling, "Boss, we have quite a few people today. Ten of them!"

"Mm." Ning Chuan pulled out an ID card at random and swiped it across the instrument nearby.

*Beep!*

A crystal-clear, transparent screen popped up on the instrument, displaying a wealth of personal information.

"The first one, Gou Liang." Ning Chuan said indifferently, "Start with the punch force test. I didn't expect someone from the Security Team to come to my Martial Association for an assessment. Interesting."

Wang Jue, standing nearby, couldn't help but smile. The Martial Association had been founded by the ancestors, and its branch halls were spread across every safe zone, large or small. The adventurer assessment provided by the Martial Association was credible and highly regarded. Once the assessment results were issued, they were recognized by all safe zones across the entire Azure Planet! Even military personnel from the safe zones or those from hereditary martial families loved to come to the Martial Association for their adventurer assessments.

Ning Chuan spoke up: "Don't waste time. Begin."

"Yes." The burly man stepped forward, his eyes widening. He blocked his face with his left hand, and his right fist carved an arc through the air, slamming into the giant punching target. The target vibrated slightly. The screen of the punch force tester immediately displayed the number... 1021kg.

"Passed. Next, Wang Jue."

Ning Chuan swiped the second ID card through the instrument. After glancing at the detailed identity records, he couldn't help but say in surprise, "Oh? I didn't expect it to be you, little one. Come on, let me see your progress during this time."

Among the twenty-plus martial artists nearby, an old man with a hunchback teased, "Judging by his appearance, this little guy is quite young. Perhaps he's just here to see the world; he doesn't have much strength. I doubt he'll pass."

Ning Chuan glanced at him and said to Wang Jue, "Wang Jue, since they doubt your strength, show them what you're really capable of."

"Understood, Director Ning!" Wang Jue stepped forward and replied loudly before walking toward the punch force tester.

"It seems Old Ning has high hopes for this little guy?" Ning Chuan's old friend thought to himself, a faint smile on his face, though his eyes remained fixed on Wang Jue. Almost everyone in the room watched Wang Jue, waiting for his assessment results.

Wang Jue stood before the target. He exerted force through his feet, and as his body twisted, a powerful force erupted from his waist and hips, traveling through his body and into his arm. His fist moved like an arrow shot from a taut bow; with a blur of motion and a loud *bang*, it struck the target.

Wang Jue had struck with everything he had. A hint of joy appeared in his eyes: "That felt great. Every bit of force went into the strike."

He looked at the display screen.

1314kg!

"Good."

"Not bad."

"Another true genius!"

Immediately, many of the martial artists present started praising him.

"This little guy is quite good. He remembers not to lose his center of gravity while punching. If he had disregarded everything just to throw the heaviest possible punch, it might have been even more powerful," Ning Chuan's old friend stroked his chin and nodded. "But in a real fight against star beasts, that would be suicide! Not bad, not bad. From his stance alone, you can tell this little guy's practical experience far exceeds his peers."

"Haha, little Wang Jue is indeed very strong," Ning Chuan laughed. "He once defeated several people at the ninth level of Body Tempering while he was only at the seventh level, and even took down someone at the first level of Spirit Condensation. It was clean and decisive!"

"He's a good seed," Ning Chuan's old friend nodded again.

Ning Chuan didn't waste any more time; he swiped another ID card through the instrument: "Mm, passed! Next, Guan Shan."

Wang Jue returned to the area where the others were waiting.

"Not bad, Junior Brother," Monkey whispered with a surprised smile. "Your raw physical strength alone is this strong. Wouldn't it be even more terrifying if you added star energy?"

"Haha..." Wang Jue grinned. "I'm not sure about that."

...

The ten people finished their punch force tests quickly. Three of them were unlucky, scoring 997kg, 998kg, and 999kg, respectively. They were eliminated for falling just short of the passing mark.

Only seven people remained for the speed test.

Ning Chuan walked over to the speed tester and flipped the switch: "One by one. The order is the reverse of before. First, Hou Wen."

Since Hou Wen had been the last to test his punch force, he was the first to test his speed.

"Hiss..." Monkey took a deep breath. He had been here for the practical assessment nearly ten times and had almost always stumbled on the speed test.

"Senior Brother, good luck," Wang Jue patted Monkey on the shoulder.

Monkey adjusted his breathing and stepped onto the track: "Watch me."

He kicked off the ground with a low *bang*, swinging his arms powerfully and pushing off with intensity. His speed quickly accelerated to his limit. His face was contorted, the veins on his forehead bulging, and he ran with gritted teeth. As he sprinted through the speed testing zone, he let out a suppressed roar!

"I have to pass!" he shouted in his heart.

When Monkey stopped, he was feeling extremely anxious. He didn't dare look at his result; instead, he looked at Wang Jue. Seeing Wang Jue give him a thumbs-up, Monkey felt as if he had ascended to heaven.

"Haha, Hou Wen, good luck. You actually cleared the line," Ning Chuan said with a hearty laugh. He had some memory of Hou Wen.

Monkey ran over to check the display screen.

'30.1 m/s'.

"Phew, that was close," Monkey chuckled to himself. If his condition had been even slightly worse, his speed might not have reached 30 meters per second, and he would have failed again.

"Mm, passed!" Ning Chuan smiled. "Next."

One by one, the candidates were tested. Wang Jue had been the second to test his punch force, but for the speed test, he was the second to last...