Chapter 7

Wu Tong led Xiao Yu to directly use Extreme Martial Arts Hall privileges to buy tickets, heading to the core urban area of Jiangnan Base City.

After getting off the car, the two arrived at a vast area; besides the extending silver-white outer wall, there stood a towering deep-blue skyscraper, on whose facade four large characters were clearly visible from several li away——Extreme Martial Arts Hall.

"This is Extreme Headquarters! Our Extreme Martial Arts Hall's headquarters in Jiangnan City." Wu Tong said.

Outside the walls of Extreme Headquarters, every point had someone armed with live ammunition on guard; the whole Extreme Headquarters felt like a beast armed to the teeth. Moreover, the main gate of Extreme Headquarters was a full hundred meters wide, with rows of soldiers scanning the surroundings.

"So many soldiers!" Xiao Yu exclaimed.

"These are our Extreme Martial Arts Hall's own army; many of them are wounded or retired martial artists from our Extreme Martial Arts Hall." Wu Tong laughed, "Come on, let's go inside."

"Clear the way!" a scarred, one-armed man at the main gate waved his hand, and immediately all the soldiers stepped back, their neat and uniform aura making people hold their breath.

The one-armed man glanced at Wu Tong with a smile: "Brother Wu, Old Jiang just came to headquarters a couple days ago, and you're here again after just a couple days—looks like your Yangzhou City Hall has had a big harvest this year!"

"Xiao Yu, this is your senior; call him Uncle Lu." Wu Tong glanced at Xiao Yu.

"Uncle Lu." Xiao Yu shouted respectfully; he greatly respected martial artists who had survived battlefield slaughter, and it was clear his missing arm was due to fighting in Huang Ye Qu, which is likely why he now stands guard here.

"Wu Tong! Come over quickly." A white-haired elder stood at the martial arts hall's gate, looking in the direction of the two.

"Uncle Bai, why trouble yourself to come down and meet us!" Wu Tong hurriedly went to greet him.

"Come on, follow me." Wu Tong greeted Xiao Yu.

Xiao Yu also greeted the elder: "Uncle Bai!"

"Not bad, kid!" the white-haired elder said, sizing Xiao Yu up and down.

The three chatted along the way and soon arrived outside a three-story standalone villa, which occupied a considerable area.

Uncle Bai said, "We've arrived; let's go up."

"Yes, Uncle Bai."

The villa's second floor was empty and spacious, not at all smaller than the training hall of the Extreme Martial Arts Hall in Yi'an Qu, Yangzhou City.

"Chief!" Wu Tong shouted respectfully upon entering the second floor.

"Wu Tong, this young man must be Xiao Yu, right?" a soft voice sounded.

"Yes, Chief." Wu Tong hastily replied.

Xiao Yu carefully sized up the scene; seven people stood ahead, six of them dressed in white suits, and at that moment those six stood respectfully behind a middle-aged man in black Tang clothing—this man was slender, with a hooked nose, his eyes holding a gentle smile, giving an overall effeminate impression.

Wu Tong coughed lightly, and Xiao Yu hastily responded, "Greetings, Chief."

The middle-aged man in Tang attire nodded slightly and said, "Old Bai, let's begin. Assess this young man's strength."

"Yes." Uncle Bai also replied respectfully.

In the time it took to exchange those few words, Xiao Yu had already determined that this middle-aged man in Tang clothing was the renowned angel investor Zhuge Tao.

All the cameras and other equipment in the spacious training hall on the second floor were turned on, evidently to fully record Xiao Yu's test images. The six young men and women in white suits also sprang into action; thanks to their experience from the past few days, their operations were extremely proficient.

"Uncle Bai, the equipment is fine." a young man in a white suit said.

"Good." Uncle Bai looked at Xiao Yu, "Xiao Yu, begin the test: first punch power, then speed, finally nerve reaction."

Xiao Yu took a deep breath, silently reminding himself to control his strength well.

Soon the test data appeared.

Punch power——3985kg!

Speed——62m/s!

Nerve reaction test——full marks for intermediate soldier-level! Excellent for advanced soldier-level!

"These three physical qualities—speed and nerve reaction are especially outstanding, particularly the nerve reaction part." Chief Zhuge Tao said with a smile.

"He's also 18 years old, within the age limit."

Zhuge Tao looked at Wu Tong and smiled, "Your Yangzhou City District has produced two geniuses in a row, Wu Tong—you've contributed greatly."

Wu Tong couldn't help but show a hint of joy, smiling, "It's mainly because Xiao Yu himself works hard."

"Hmm."

Chief Zhuge Tao's gaze fell on Xiao Yu, and he said solemnly, "Xiao Yu, are you willing to join my Extreme Martial Arts Hall right now? Believe me, Wu Tong has already told you about the conditions."

"Hmm, I'm willing to join the Extreme Martial Arts Hall!" Xiao Yu said solemnly.

Afterwards, Chief Zhuge Tao explained some details.

The conditions offered by Extreme Martial Arts Hall to Xiao Yu were: the right to reside in a villa, either in Yangzhou City or the main city district headquarters; twenty million in startup funds; and the three secret manuals of body technique, guiding technique, and attack method, each priced no more than fifty million.

Regarding the villa condition among those above, Xiao Yu chose the main city district headquarters option; he can still live with his parents in Yangzhou City District, thus effectively owning two villas.

As for the third condition, Chief Zhuge Tao, true to his reputation as an angel investor, personally provided 150 million in cash to purchase the three secret manuals of body technique, guiding technique, and attack method.

In other words, Xiao Yu now possesses a villa in the main city district, twenty million in startup funds, and two hundred million for purchasing the three secret manuals of body technique, guiding technique, and attack method.

After Wu Tong and Xiao Yu left, Chief Zhuge Tao called headquarters: "Envoy Yang, we've discovered a super genius in Jiangnan Base City—18 years old, on his first gene-energy cultivation he increased by 3000 kg; as an intermediate soldier-level, his nerve reaction actually rivals that of an elite advanced soldier-level!"

"Hmm, keep observing; once he reaches general-level and has undergone some actual combat, we'll talk again." the other end replied.

Although gaining 3000 kg in one go is rare, considered extremely uncommon, there is still a certain distance to go before entering the basic training camp of Extreme Martial Arts Hall.

A hard requirement for entering the basic training camp is becoming a general-level; after all, only geniuses who have undergone sufficient real combat are true geniuses.

On the way back, Wu Tong warned Xiao Yu: "Although your strength has now reached the peak of intermediate soldier-level, and you're about to become advanced soldier-level, this is just paper data; the true strength is hard to say, everything must be proven by actual combat before we can be certain—so don't get arrogant or complacent."

"Understood, Uncle Wu." Although Xiao Yu already knew this information himself, he also understood that Wu Tong said it for his own good.

"I haven't told you about martial artist ranks before; let me give you a rough overview. Martial artists are divided into soldier-level, general-level, and god-level, each of which further splits into elementary, intermediate, and advanced tiers. Your great-uncle Xiao Guohua belongs to god-level, and above god-level there are also senator-level powerhouses."

When Wu Tong mentioned senator-level, his eyes lit up: "There aren't many senator-level powerhouses worldwide; once you become one, you can say you're standing at the peak of the world."

Returning to Yangzhou City's Mingyue Residential Area, Xiao Yu needed to prepare for the upcoming martial artist practical combat assessment.

Inside the Xiao Family Martial Arts Hall in Yangzhou City District.

"What weapon should I choose?"

Xiao Yu walked toward the armory, lost in thought; in his previous life he was skilled with knives, both single and double knives were fine.

On the weapons rack lay a large quantity of weapons—knives, spears, staves, clubs, axes, hammers, swords, polearms and more, with many varieties. Moreover, each major weapon type further divided into many kinds. For example, among knives there are single‑handed and double‑handed knives, and even the single‑handed knife has many varieties.

Seeking a grand gathering, he chose the Silver Moon 3 series.

The Silver Moon 3 series warblade belongs to the Dual‑Wield Style; each blade's edge is 78 cm long, the whole blade is 101 cm, the width is 11.2 cm, the back is slanted like teeth, the tip is sharp and good for thrusting, and after many trials he found a warblade weighing 80 kg.

The backs of the two Silver Moon 3 series warblades can be snapped together.

"First, practice the basic moves!" Based on the dual‑wield offensive and defensive actions he learned in his previous life, he began to get familiar with the weapon.

It is said that a weapon is an extension of the body; he must train the dual blades as if using fists and feet to attack, in order to be competent.

A fourteen‑year‑old girl who was practicing fists and kicks froze when she saw Xiao Yu's blade technique in the adjacent weapons training area, exclaiming, "Cousin Yu, your blade work is so beautiful, it's like dancing!"

"Li Yijia, why are you spacing out! Keep training your fists!" Xiao Ling returned safely from Huang Ye Qu once again.

"Alright, coming right away, cousin!" Li Yijia replied.

"Sis, why are you so angry!" Xiao Yu heard the commotion from the fist‑and‑kick training area, stopped his blade‑and‑shield practice, and now he had achieved his goal.

Since Sister Xiao Ling learned Xiao Yu's prospective warrior assessment results, her usual composure vanished; she became exceedingly serious about everything, especially the training of her younger siblings. Even if the youngest, Xiao Zhe, performed a single move incorrectly, he would be scolded!

Even Third Uncle Xiao Guoxuan, standing nearby, would not intervene; the Xiao Family's second‑generation talent was more than happy to teach him personally.

When Xiao Yu arrived, Xiao Ling's anger eased considerably, and she reminded him, "Don't be careless in tomorrow's combat assessment; combat is, after all, different from practice!"

Xiao Ling continued to dote on this brother only a few months younger than herself, after all they grew up together.

"Don't worry, sis. Over the past month I've not only trained but also specifically studied many of the Huang Ye Qu monsters' characteristics," Xiao Yu said.

"Alright. It's getting late, go back and rest, replenish your spirit!" Xiao Ling said with a smile after checking the time.

"Got it," Xiao Yu nodded.

After bidding farewell to Third Uncle and Sister Ling, he headed straight back to his family's villa; the Xiao Family's martial arts hall is very close to Mingyue Community, only a ten‑minute walk.

On the morning of August 1, under the guidance of a warrior from Extreme Hall, more than thirty prospective warriors—including Xiao Yu, Luo Feng, and Yang Wu—rushed to the train station.

It was a special train, packed with many prospective warriors, all heading to the Warrior Combat Assessment.

Each carriage of the train is a fully enclosed structure; at this moment a silhouette appears on the large screen in every carriage.

"Prospective warriors, future warriors, I come from the HR Alliance," a middle‑aged man broadcast on the carriage screen announced. "I'm sure you've all heard of the HR Alliance—the strongest, the wealthiest, the group with the most warriors in the world! You are probably also familiar with our other name—the Underground Alliance!"

Since Luo Feng and Yang Wu moved into Mingyue Community, the three of them have been close and have gathered a few times.

On the train, the three sat side by side.

"Crazy one, Xiao Yu, you know the Underground Alliance, right?" Yang Wu chuckled, "They're a huge money‑lender! The richest group in the world, richer than any national government."

"Got it," Xiao Yu nodded.

The HR Alliance, also known as the Human Rights Alliance, actually formed during the Great Nirvana period when surviving super‑conglomerates and mega‑conglomerates banded together to protect their interests; warriors generally call it the "Underground Alliance".

"Let me introduce myself: I am the deputy director of the Jiangnan Base City Security Bureau, surname Liu. In my Huaxia Nation, the government's armed forces are undoubtedly the strongest…"

"I am the head of the Thunder and Lightning Grand Hall in Jiangnan Base City, surname Wang. Our Thunder and Lightning Martial Arts Hall…"

"Future warriors, the three before me have already introduced themselves. No need to say more; you all know I am from Extreme Martial Arts Hall…"

The figures on the carriage screen kept switching.

"Crazy one, Xiao Yu, my instructor and former senior brother also joined Extreme Martial Arts Hall, and now you both have joined it too. Of course I did the same! Anyway, even after joining Extreme Martial Arts Hall you can still take Underground Alliance missions; as for buying and selling items, you can do it inside Extreme Martial Arts Hall or in the Underground Alliance," Yang Wu whispered.

"From what I know, buying and selling items usually fetch higher prices in the Underground Alliance, but selling to Extreme Martial Arts Hall earns contribution points, which are very important for us warriors there," Xiao Yu whispered.

Luo Feng was naturally aware of all this.

"Look at this train, how many prospective warriors are there?" Luo Feng glanced around; in just one carriage there were over a hundred people.

"There are many people," Yang Wu sneered. "I just heard others say that there are two Warrior Combat Assessments each year, and each time over a thousand prospective warriors from the whole Jiangnan Base City participate."

"It should be over fifteen hundred people," Xiao Yu, who knew the exact figure, gave an estimate.

"Prospective warriors, the train is about to arrive at the station; please prepare to disembark,"

The carriage doors opened, and the prospective warriors in each carriage stepped off, the massive crowd of them marching into a large military camp.

In the azure sky, hundreds of flying beast monsters swooped by in a dense rush, their various cries echoing, causing a group of prospective warriors who had never seen combat to stop and watch.

A resonant voice reached every prospective warrior's ears: "Everyone, welcome to the Northern Military District of Jiangnan Base City. This time, your 1,680‑person Warrior Combat Assessment will be held in my Northern Military District. I hope most of you will pass, and I also hope you all survive this assessment!"

"Next, prospective warriors whose names are called, come up to receive combat uniforms and weapons."

"Fang Genxing."

"Lu Ruiting."

……

"Luo Feng."

……

"Yang Wu."

……

"Xiao Yu."

When Xiao Yu heard his name, he immediately rushed forward to collect his combat uniform, combat boots, warblade, and communication wristwatch.

The military district's preparations showed that this set of equipment alone must cost at least seven to eight hundred thousand, and outfitting all prospective warriors would run into one to two billion.

Xiao Yu carried his allocated gear back to the rest area, changed, then returned, chatting with Luo Feng, Yang Wu, and others nearby.

"Xiao Yu, Luo Feng, follow me," Wu Tong said, leading the way ahead.

"Alright, Uncle Wu."

Understanding the situation, Xiao Yu followed directly; Luo Feng, though puzzled, did not hesitate.

Newcomer seeks recommendation!!!

For discussion, join group 763688906

(End of chapter)