Quasi-Martial Artist

December 2057, 1.

Today is the day for the monthly martial arts proficiency assessment and certification.

Three months ago, Zhou Tong was discovered by the Lifeng Squad and brought back to Tianfu Base City.

The military registered him as an ordinary citizen, provided him with a single-person resettlement room, and a living allowance of 1000 yuan per month for one year.

Then Zhou Tong went to the Extreme Martial Arts Academy to register as a student.

In the wilderness, Qiu Wan, the vice-captain of the Lifeng Squad, had said that his physical fitness was stronger than that of martial arts students of the same age, so Zhou Tong naturally embarked on the path of a martial artist.

Afterwards, Zhou Tong relied on the power of the Chaos Primordial Embryo and the Three Thousand Great Daos to train desperately for four months, and finally met the requirements for the quasi-martial artist assessment today.

至于为何要赶在1月1日考核，因为一个月后的2月1号是每年两次的武者实战考核日期，如果错过了就要等到8月1日。

However, August of this year is also the time when Luo Feng goes to Australia. At that time, the spirits of plants and trees on Kirishima Island, and the wooden crystals that Babata released to lure Luo Feng, will be discovered and divided up.

Moreover, Zhou Tong didn't want to be just another bystander caught in the crossfire of those subsequent global crises.

If you have cheat codes and still can't control your own destiny, then you're really useless.

Testing hall of Tianfu City Extreme Martial Arts School Branch.

"Next, Zhou Tong."

Upon hearing his name called, Zhou Tong strode to the giant punching bag used for strength testing.

After the instructors from the nearby Extreme Sports Club checked the information on Zhou Tong's ID card on the equipment, they stared at Zhou Tong for a moment.

"Identity confirmed! Begin the punching test!"

"yes!"

Zhou Tong immediately shifted his feet, adjusted his posture, clenched his fists, channeled his power from his feet to his waist, drew his fists back like drawing a bow, and then punched the punching bag in front of him with all his might.

"bump!"

999kg

"pass."

Looking at the numbers displayed on the punching power testing machine, Zhou Tong showed a satisfied expression. His four months of tireless training had not been in vain.

......

A total of 9 people passed the preliminary martial arts assessment.

"Congratulations to the nine prospective martial artists. The official notification documents and information entry will be delivered to you within seven days."

The instructors gave Zhou Tong and his nine teammates a round of applause with big smiles on their faces.

Then the instructor said seriously, "Those who want to participate in the martial arts combat assessment on February 1st next month, come with me to sign the combat assessment contract. The rest of you can leave after receiving the 'Gene Energy Cultivation Method'."

Without hesitation, Zhou Tong replied, "Instructor, I want to sign up for the martial arts combat assessment!"

With someone taking the lead, the other eight people, except for Zhou Tong, all echoed him, and none of them left.

Martial artists are all confident individuals with unwavering will and proud spirits who refuse to fall behind others. They choose to participate in the assessment at this time with the intention of becoming martial artists in one fell swoop.

The instructor nodded in satisfaction at the eight men's confidence and drive. But he still had to say what needed to be said.

"The martial arts combat assessment is a life-or-death battle with monsters. You should all be well aware of the dangers involved. The probability of injury or even death is not low. Think it through carefully."

After speaking, the instructor led Zhou Tong and the other eight back to the hall and took out eight contracts from a cabinet in the corner.

"Once you've made up your mind, come here to collect the contract. Once the contract is signed, you can't back out. Going back out will be considered desertion, which will not only disqualify you from becoming a prospective martial artist, but will also subject you to severe punishment from both the authorities and the Extreme Martial Arts Academy."

The nine men involuntarily shivered at the instructor's icy gaze. This breach of contract was tantamount to suicide, a fate no different from death, perhaps even worse.

Zhou Tong accepted the contract without hesitation and readily signed his name. After receiving the "Gene Origin Energy Cultivation Method," he happily returned to his low-rent apartment.

The moon and stars are rare.

Zhou Tong reluctantly opened his eyes again in the room.

What exactly is cosmic energy?

He hadn't eaten since returning from the test at noon, and had been practicing the Five Hearts Towards Heaven Technique until midnight, but he felt nothing at all.

Looking at the "Gene Energy Cultivation Method" that he had already read more than a dozen times, Zhou Tong pondered deeply but still could not understand what cosmic energy was.

Logically, having awakened his mental power, he should be able to sense cosmic energy more easily, but on the contrary, he hasn't sensed anything yet.

If he could know exactly what cosmic energy is, or have a sample, he could create it using the Alchemy of the Gate of Truth.

But he was all alone, had no friends, and didn't have enough money to hire a martial artist to demonstrate his skills, so he could only bury himself in his training.

"How the hell do I manage to calmly sense and connect with cosmic energy?"

Zhou Tong tossed aside the "Gene Energy Cultivation Method" and muttered to himself, venting his frustration with a gloomy expression.

All afternoon until now, whenever he closes his eyes, a torrent of random thoughts floods his mind. He's tried every method he can think of—meditation, chanting mantras, self-hypnosis—but nothing has worked.

As for the Three Thousand Great Daos, he hasn't mastered any of them yet, so naturally he can't use them.

Recalling the descriptions in the book Swallowing the Stars and the Gene Energy Cultivation Method, geniuses can sense cosmic energy on their first cultivation, while ordinary people need a year and a half.

Zhou Tong thought to himself that he was a transmigrator with a cheat code, so he couldn't possibly be an ordinary person, right?

However, reality is cruel.

The first attempt at cultivation ended in failure.

Today, Zhou Tong had only eaten breakfast and had been so engrossed in cultivation that he hadn't remembered he was hungry. Now that he had stopped cultivating, he immediately felt incredibly hungry.

Downstairs, Zhou Tong went to a roadside stall and ordered a table full of food, then wolfed it down like a hungry wolf.

"I went to the construction site to carry bricks today. I was so tired that my hands and feet were trembling, and I only earned two hundred yuan. Sigh."

"I helped a martial artist's family move today and earned half a month's wages in one go. It's really good to be a martial artist!"

"I'm so tired every day that I don't even have the energy to dream, otherwise I could at least fantasize in my dreams..."

While Zhou Tong was enjoying his meal, he overheard the conversation between two middle-aged men at the next table, and a sudden thought struck him.

"Exactly! The inability to calm down stems from too many distracting thoughts and excessive energy leading to overthinking. Releasing that energy will naturally stop the excessive thinking and allow you to calm down!"

At this moment, Zhou Tong recalled that in the previous few months, he often trained until he was exhausted, and each time he would fall asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, unlike before he transmigrated when he often cultivated immortality until midnight.

With that in mind, Zhou Tong quickly finished the rest of his meal, paid the bill, and headed straight for the Extreme Martial Arts Hall, where he began training like crazy.

This practice lasted all night.

Zhou Tong didn't return to his house until dawn, completely exhausted.

Sitting on the bed, Zhou Tong forced himself to endure his exhaustion and began practicing the Five Hearts Towards Heaven cultivation method once more.

Sure enough, this time his mind was free of as many distracting thoughts as yesterday, only a deep weariness.

"I can't sleep, I absolutely can't sleep..."

In a daze, Zhou Tong felt a strange, slightly stimulating yet pleasant sensation slowly invading his head, palms, and soles.

Immediately afterwards, the cosmic energy that Zhou Tong was drawing in suddenly became much denser, almost visible to the naked eye, and no longer attracted by him but actively flowing into his body.

A day and a night passed, and the morning sunlight shone through the glass onto Zhou Tong's smiling face. He could clearly feel the tremendous increase in his strength.