"Mom, Dad, I'm going to participate in the elite examination tomorrow. Once I pass, you can move to the protected area, so start getting ready."
After informing his parents, Wang Xu left the house and headed towards the elite examination site.
The examination is straightforward, requiring tests of strength, speed, and reaction ability. As long as each item meets the standard and you can hold your ground against a virtual martial artist for a quarter of an hour, you'll earn the elite title.
"Strength, 2056kg, excellent."
"Speed, 30m/s, excellent."
"Reaction ability, excellent."
With excellent scores in all three tests, Wang Xu entered the Virtual Cultivation Field.
"Please enlighten me."
A burly man clad in a black martial robe appeared and folded his fists towards Wang Xu, then sank his waist and launched a punch straight at Wang Xu's face.
Wang Xu calmly evaded the strike, wrapped his arm around the burly man's fist, and exerted force with his legs, attempting to hurl the man to the ground.
The burly man remained unmoved and unleashed another wind-breaking punch. Unlike the first, this punch was incredibly fast, and Wang Xu's expression turned serious as he raised his arms to barely block the strike...
The two exchanged blows back and forth, with the Virtual Cultivation Field prohibiting the use of weapons, forcing combatants to rely solely on their flesh bodies. Fortunately, Wang Xu's "Basic Flesh Body" had reached the fourth layer, providing a solid foundation that allowed him to hold his ground against the burly man.
......
A roughly twenty-meter-long anti-gravity hovercraft descended slowly, and as the hatch opened, a muscular man whose muscles twisted like wyverns emerged.
"How many people are here for the examination today?" the man asked the person in charge of reception as he stepped down.
The reception person, a lean middle-aged man, shook his head with a wry smile and said, "Fewer and fewer people are participating in the examination these days. All those who could be discovered have been discovered. There is a promising young fellow taking the exam today, currently undergoing the actual combat assessment."
The man sighed, "Genetic Warriors may be common, but those with cultivation talent are still too few. All those with such talent have been fully discovered, and the number of elites decreases year by year... Let's go have a look at that young fellow in the examination."
......
"Is it him you're talking about?"
The man arrived at the observation platform and gazed down through the transparent glass. The scene of Wang Xu battling the black-robed man was fully displayed in holographic form, as they exchanged blows on the platform.
"Correct, these are his scores for the three assessments." The middle-aged man handed over a document recording Wang Xu's examination results, all marked excellent.
"Hmm, impressive. This young man's hands are covered in calluses, indicating a proficiency in sword techniques. He can match my shadow without using a weapon; not bad," the man remarked, noting that the black-robed man fighting with Wang Xu was indeed his shadow.
"Additionally, he has already cultivated the 'Basic Flesh Body' to the fourth layer," added the middle-aged man.
The man's eyes lit up as he looked at Wang Xu, who was seriously battling his shadow, with a hint of admiration in his eyes.
The "Basic Flesh Body" remained widespread for several days, yet no classification could be agreed upon for this ancient martial art.
Some claimed it should be categorized as a low-class martial art due to its challenging entry and even more difficult cultivation, making it seemingly unnecessary to practice.
Others argued it should be labeled as top-grade martial art, as its benefits become immediately apparent once cultivated to a high level.
Thus, no definitive classification has been reached to this day.
Wang Xu's ability to cultivate the "Basic Flesh Body" to the fourth layer at such a young age testified to his talent, a talent rooted not just in cultivation but in the comprehension of ancient martial arts!
Merely relying on cultivation resources is never enough to fully master an ancient martial art; only through constant practice, pondering, and refining can one grasp its profound mysteries.
In this light, considering Wang Xu to possess a genius-level talent in ancient martial arts is by no means an exaggeration.
This observation made the man nod in agreement.
"Time's up!"
As the mechanical voice announced the end, the burly shadow that was fiercely engaged with Wang Xu retracted its stance, then disappeared entirely after saluting Wang Xu.
"Congratulations, Wang Xu, you have successfully passed the elite examination. From now on, you are part of our human elite. We hope you will strive for the dawn of humanity's future!" Wang Xu received a golden badge, engraved with the relief of a meteor descending from the heavens, symbolizing the moment that altered human history—forever memorialized by humanity.
Wang Xu felt a slight surge of excitement. He had long anticipated this elite badge since childhood, and now clutching it in his hands felt like all his past efforts and struggles had been rewarded!
"Wang Xu, here is your key, to apartment 809 in building 302 of the protected area, the government's reward for human elites, take it." Accepting the key from the assessment officer, Wang Xu almost wanted to shout out loud in joy.
As a human elite, he also received other rewards in cultivation resources, which, too numerous to count, Wang Xu stuffed into his space ring all at once without taking them one by one.
"Young brother, please wait a moment."
Suddenly, a deep voice called out, and Wang Xu turned around, his eyes lighting up.
The man before him was none other than the shadow he'd just fought!
"Director."
"Director."
The assessment officers respectfully greeted the man, letting Wang Xu realize that this burly man was actually the director of the elite examination center.
"Hey there, I see you've got some talent. Interested in joining my Freedom Alliance?"
The director didn't beat around the bush and got straight to the point, "Our Freedom Alliance can offer vast cultivation resources. Our warriors are spread across the entire world, present everywhere. If you ever need help, you can find support anytime. Care to consider joining us?"
A few examiners heard this and couldn't help but look at Wang Xu with envy. Being invited by the director meant his status in the Freedom Alliance would definitely not be low.
"I'm sorry, I would love to join the Freedom Alliance, but I'm already a member of the Extreme Ancient Hall." Wang Xu cupped his hands and said to the director.
Extreme Ancient Hall?
The director quickly understood and couldn't help but shake his head. The Extreme Ancient Hall was fast in its actions, snatching up talent as soon as they appeared.
Since recruiting wasn't possible, the director didn't need to press the issue. After exchanging a few pleasantries, Wang Xu left the elite examination office.
......
"Welcome to the 'Extreme Ancient Hall'!"
Wang Xu walked into a skyscraper, and a receptionist with a sweet smile approached immediately.
At this moment, the Extreme Ancient Hall was bustling with people. Some were there to sell insect beast corpses, others to consult trainers, and some to temporarily rent a cultivation room. But due to limited space, most people were waiting.
"I'm here to report in. This is my Light Computer Chip." Wang Xu handed over his Light Computer Chip. The receptionist took one look, her eyes gleamed, and she guided Wang Xu inside with a sweet smile.
The people waiting were stunned. Who was this young man? How did he get in so quickly? They had been waiting for two hours already.
Wang Xu pushed open a luxurious door and walked inside, immediately attracting the gaze of everyone present.
"Oh? A new member has joined?" An effeminate man lounging on a sofa, enjoying wine and grapes, said with a smile.
"Judging by the age, he's quite young!" An elderly man with a red nose, sitting at the bar counter and reeking of alcohol, said with a hiccup.
"Welcome, welcome!" A burly man with two blades on his back saw Wang Xu, extended his hand, and said with a smile, "I'm 'Shuangren'. Welcome to the big family of the Extreme Ancient Hall!"
"Welcome!" Everyone in the Extreme Ancient Hall chimed in with laughter.
"Thank you!" Wang Xu returned the courtesy one by one.
There were only a few people in the Extreme Ancient Hall, barely over twenty. However, Wang Xu felt that the aura of each Genetic Warrior was incredibly powerful, their strength surpassing his own!
This was the Extreme Ancient Hall. They wouldn't recruit anyone unless they were among the elite, one in a million!
Everyone here was enthusiastic, with no airs of superiority, no seniority, all referring to each other as brothers, joking around, especially poking fun at Wang Xu as the newcomer, causing an uproar of laughter.
"Brother Wang, here's your Extreme Ancient Hall Light Computer Chip. Your identity card has been activated, and you can now access the Extreme Ancient Hall's virtual network. Inside, you can use points to purchase anything. As a newcomer, the Extreme Ancient Hall gifts you with 3000 points. Make sure to use them wisely!" Shuangren handed Wang Xu the Light Computer Chip.
Wang Xu expressed his thanks, gave a command, and entered the virtual network.
"Wow!"
Entering the Extreme Ancient Hall's points mall, Wang Xu's eyes sparkled at the sight of the vast array of rare items.
On the item list, whether it was technology weapons, cultivation resources, various ancient martial arts, or mysterious materials unheard of outside, all could be purchased with points here.
Wang Xu didn't hold back, transferred the 30,000 points given to him by the dean into his account, and then began selecting suitable equipment for himself.
"I've always lacked a suitable weapon, let's see the prices of A-level weapons here."
Wang Xu entered the A-level weapons list. Fortunately, A-level weapons weren't expensive; the cheaper ones could be obtained for little over a thousand points, and the most expensive ones cost only ten thousand points.
"A-level weapons are so cheap? Let me check out S-level ones."
Wang Xu entered the S-level weapons list, and suddenly his heart sank. The cheapest S-level weapon cost 36,000 points, with the most expensive exceeding half a million.
"Forget it, better buy an A-level weapon."
Although A-level weapons weren't as powerful as S-level ones, they were sufficient to deal with Tier Four and Tier Five insect beasts, at least capable of breaking their defenses without much trouble.
"Shadowless Saber, A-level weapon, forged from seven series minerals, capable of cutting B-level metals, weighs 56 kg, about 2 meters long..."
"Star-Breaking Saber, A-level weapon, forged from Deep Sea Blue Stone, weighs 47 kg, about 2.3 meters long..."
"Giant Eye Saber, A-level weapon..."
There were many A-level weapons, most were lightweight, but Wang Xu didn't need lightweight ones.
The more powerful a weapon, the heavier it is. Technology weapons are powerful because they can reduce the weight of weapons, allowing Genetic Warriors to wield them effortlessly.
But Wang Xu knew that no matter how advanced technology became, it couldn't change the essence of weight. His current strength was enough to wield weapons weighing over a hundred kilograms without breaking a sweat, so he needed a heavyweight weapon.
"Hmm, this one will do." Wang Xu's eyes lit up as he selected one of the A-level weapons.
"Blood Bone Giant Saber, A-level weapon, forged from Tier Four insect beast bones, weighs 109 kilograms!"
The price of this weapon was among the top for A-level weapons, nearly 9,000 points, which instantly consumed one-third of Wang Xu's points on this weapon alone.