The scarred man and the girl with the purple headband wore incredibly complex expressions.
Among all the people present, the two of them could be considered calm and composed—but even so, the shock in their eyes couldn't be hidden no matter how hard they tried.
At that moment, the examiner's attitude toward Lu Sheng shifted once again.
He became incredibly gentle.
"Please, don't be nervous. Just relax. You can take the Combat Power Rating test as many times as you want—just give it your best shot, the one you're most satisfied with…"
Everyone else twitched at the corners of their mouths.
Weren't they just told that each person could only test three times? What's this about as many times as you want?
Lu Sheng took a deep breath and said to the examiner, "No need. Once is enough."
The examiner was stunned, not quite processing the words yet.
Then he saw Lu Sheng's punching motion.
The others barely caught a glimpse of the starting position of his strike.
Only the scarred man's eyes abruptly burst with a gleam of light. His entire body moved forward involuntarily by two steps.
"Boom—"
A deep, thunderous crash echoed through the room, louder than even the one made by the scarred man during his own test.
Everyone's hearts jolted violently with the sound.
When they managed to refocus their eyes on the testing device and the numbers displayed—
In that single moment—
Everyone was stunned.
Their mouths gaped open. Their eyes were blank. Their expressions were as if they'd seen a ghost.
"1...1...1…"
The examiner stood frozen, trying to read the number aloud.
But soon he realized he had been stammering on the first digit for far too long.
He quickly shut his mouth, took a deep breath, and announced the result in one go:
"15,709!"
A five-digit number!
A Combat Power Rating over ten thousand!
Over fifteen thousand—almost sixteen!
Far exceeding the standard for a second-level warrior. He'd charged straight into the realm of level three! And compared to the scarred man's result earlier, this was a full five thousand points higher!
The room fell into a deathly silence.
Everyone stood up in unison, frozen like statues.
The scarred man's thick-knuckled hands clenched tightly into fists. His eyes were wide with disbelief.
The girl with the purple headband covered her mouth with one hand, afraid she'd cry out on the spot.
The others had blank minds, buzzing with white noise, like they were suffering from oxygen deprivation.
When something exceeds the bounds of human understanding by too much, the brain can enter a brief state of "shutdown."
Clearly, that was what had happened to everyone here.
Lu Sheng, on the other hand, wasn't surprised at all by the result.
He had already tested once at the Hongchuan Martial Hall.
That time, he scored over fifteen thousand six hundred, a little lower than this.
"With the breakthrough in my fist technique, combined with Stellar Force and the Nature's Pulse Breathing, my Combat Power Rating has reached ten times my Vitality Index.
So this is the power of martial techniques..."
Lu Sheng marveled inwardly.
After appreciating the result, Lu Sheng turned to the examiner.
"No need for a second test."
The examiner snapped out of his daze like waking from a dream and nodded instinctively before reciting his usual closing line.
"Congratulations, Student Lu Sheng. You've passed the First-Level Warrior assessment. From today onwards, you are officially... you are…"
He trailed off mid-sentence.
Because he didn't know what level to assign Lu Sheng.
Lu Sheng had registered for a First-Level Warrior exam, but his true strength far surpassed not only first level but even second. His Combat Power Rating had reached the threshold of third level and beyond.
So what level should he be granted?
First? Second? Or Third?
The examiner looked troubled.
If he handled this poorly, he might provoke Lu Sheng's dissatisfaction.
And to offend such a supremely talented young warrior... he'd probably lose his job.
Thinking of this, the examiner quickly said to Lu Sheng:
"As for your level assessment, I'll need to report it and discuss it further before making a final decision.
Don't worry, Student Lu Sheng—the Martial Union will never overlook a single promising talent… no, I mean genius.
Especially a genius like you."
Lu Sheng was a bit surprised but quickly accepted the outcome.
So basically, he just had to wait for further notice.
"...Then am I allowed to leave first…"
He was just about to ask a few more questions when he realized the examiner had already bolted out of the testing room, leaving behind most of the people who hadn't even taken their test yet.
Lu Sheng sighed helplessly, shook his head, and headed for the exit.
But just as he was about to reach the door, a figure suddenly stepped in front of him.
It was the man with the scar on his face.
"Zhao Changfeng!"
The man extended a hand, eyes blazing with intensity.
Lu Sheng hesitated for a moment, then reached out to shake hands with him.
"Lu Sheng."
The moment Lu Sheng spoke his name, a flash of barely contained excitement lit up Zhao Changfeng's eyes. He nodded solemnly and took a step aside to clear a path for Lu Sheng.
Lu Sheng's thoughts stirred.
Was this… a gesture of goodwill?
Or an attempt to build a connection?
He wasn't familiar with warrior etiquette, but instinctively he recalled a fact he'd read in a history
In the ancient martial era, it was seen as an honor for a warrior to be acquainted with someone stronger.
Was that Zhao Changfeng's intention?
"Wang Dameng…"
Out of the corner of his eye, Lu Sheng saw another person rushing toward him with an outstretched hand—and others seemed ready to do the same.
He quickly dashed out of the testing room like his life depended on it.
A single gesture of etiquette might've been meaningful—but a whole crowd? That'd be a joke.
Besides, who were the rest of these people anyway? Just a bunch of nobodies!
Watching Lu Sheng's departing figure, many people inside wore expressions of deep regret and self-blame. Some even smacked their thighs hard in frustration.
A genius like Lu Sheng, with such terrifying talent—
Anyone with half a brain could tell: in the near future, that name would resound across Baihe City.
And they had just squandered the perfect chance to connect with someone who would one day become one of the city's most influential figures.
They were dying of regret.
Some couldn't help but feel a surge of jealousy toward the first person to act—Zhao Changfeng.
Seeing Zhao Changfeng's outwardly calm but secretly elated expression, his scarred face barely hiding the joy at the corners of his eyes, everyone could only sigh.
Damn it—no wonder he's a third-level warrior. The man's quick on the uptake!
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]