Chapter 8: Actual Combat Assessment!
The feeling of becoming stronger was addictive.
"Right now, I'm only learning how to channel power through my body. Once I begin to comprehend the laws of power… I can't even imagine how exhilarating that kind of progress will be!"
After lunch in the underground cafeteria of the Traditional Martial Hall, Jiang Zhe headed toward the fifth floor to continue training. But just as he entered the elevator, his second brother pressed the button for the ninth floor.
Jiang Zhe looked at him questioningly.
Jiang Wu grinned. "You're already doing great. The actual combat assessment will be a piece of cake for you. Don't be so tense—you need to learn to balance work and rest. Let's go upstairs for a nap or watch some training videos first. We'll get back to learning new techniques after two."
Jiang Zhe thought about it and nodded. That made sense.
His second brother had nothing left to teach him in the [Bear-Eagle Combined Training], and there was no need to keep squeezing this poor guy dry.
Once they reached the ninth floor, Jiang Zhe went straight into the media room.
Watching his cousin's retreating figure, Jiang Wu and Jiang Sisi shrugged helplessly.
When someone more talented than you works harder than you… well, they're basically a "grind freak."
The media room's computer had a far more comprehensive video library than the one Jiang Zhe had on hand.
Each folder was named after a martial art manual, and the seven core styles that Second Brother had mentioned were pinned to the top:
"Six-Harmony Soaring Dragon Spear"
"White Tiger Windblade"
"Black Tiger Whip Technique"
"Chicken Step"
"Bear King Shield"
"Eagle Claw Technique"
"Thunder Sound"
Below these were miscellaneous video folders containing tips and tricks on martial arts basics.
[Bear-Eagle Combined Training] was among them.
Jiang Zhe had a clear goal: to master both "Bear" and "Eagle" forms during this phase.
The video began.
In the center of the screen appeared a thin, elderly man, about 1.7 meters tall, with a cold and aloof aura—someone who didn't look easy to get along with.
This was Jiang Lie, the Jiang family patriarch, and a former champion known as the "Invincible War God."
In reality, he was a gentle and kind old man.
A rectangular shield flew into the frame, which the old man caught effortlessly. He then demonstrated a martial form. Though his frame was skinny, in that moment, he exuded the fierce dominance of a charging bear.
After completing a full set of 24 forms, he transitioned seamlessly into another style—his energy abruptly shifted.
His movements became sharp and agile, like a hunting eagle diving through the sky.
The shield rose and fell like an axe striking down, powerful and relentless.
Decisive. Ferocious. Lethal.
Clearly, Second Brother's approach to the [Bear-Eagle Combined Training] was a direct imitation of Grandpa's method.
Start with the "Bear King Shield", then infuse eagle-style strikes into the shield technique, combining the two forms into a seamless whole—bear in stance, eagle in motion. Perfectly integrated.
And the video wasn't even over yet.
After the eagle form ended, the old man tossed the shield aside and adopted the "Three-Body Posture"—a classic stance from Xingyi Boxing—and began to perform a modified version of Xingyi.
Still combining bear and eagle movements, a few swift motions lit up Jiang Zhe's eyes.
"Amazing! Absolutely amazing!"
"His whole body radiates perfect power control!"
"No wonder Grandpa wears a tank top and beach shorts in the video. It's to clearly show his muscles and joints, to better demonstrate the subtleties of force."
By the time the video ended, Jiang Zhe was still immersed in those forms, feeling as if he had been spiritually enlightened.
Once he snapped out of it and thought back to Second Brother's teaching, his face twitched.
"One dares to teach, one dares to learn… He totally taught me the wrong fundamentals."
"I need to go back and study the original Bear King Shield and Eagle Claw Technique."
He moved the mouse and opened the folders to relearn the basics.
---
Two hours later, Jiang Wu knocked on the media room door.
When Jiang Zhe stepped out, his strange demeanor startled Jiang Wu.
His eyes were unfocused, dazed and vacant.
He didn't even greet Jiang Wu, just silently walked past him and headed toward the elevator.
"Hey, what's wrong with you—"
Before Jiang Wu could finish, Jiang Sisi quickly covered his mouth.
"Big bro, are you dumb? Can't you see Xiao Zhe's deep in thought? Don't disturb him."
Once she let go, Jiang Wu covered his mouth himself and nodded repeatedly.
The two of them quietly followed Jiang Zhe into the elevator.
As it descended, there was only silence…
"Ding."
The doors opened on the fifth floor.
Only then did Jiang Zhe's eyes light up again. His face showed excitement and anticipation.
The last two hours had been tremendously fruitful. He was eager to test his insights.
"Had a breakthrough, Xiao Zhe?"
"Haha, just wait, Sisi-jie. You two are going to be blown away."
Jiang Zhe rushed into the training hall, ran to the punch-force testing machine, and turned it on.
With a punch like a cannonball, he slammed into the target.
—"12,665 kg!"
Jiang Wu and Jiang Sisi had just stepped into the hall when they saw the red numbers flash on the screen.
They exchanged glances. By now, they were used to being shocked and didn't even flinch.
Instead, they had one thought:
Xiao Zhe, where is your limit?
Jiang Zhe was still replaying the scenes from the video in his mind, analyzing the differences between himself and Grandpa.
"Still lacking. Again!"
—"13,578 kg!"
"Need to tighten up my waist-hip power coordination. Shoulder rotation should be more contained. The power transmission through the limbs is working well, though."
"Again!"
—"14,668 kg!"
—"15,889 kg!"
—"17,664 kg!"
—"17,856 kg!"
…
Eventually, his punch power stabilized at around 17 tons.
Jiang Zhe stopped. He knew he had reached the upper limit of his current stage.
The power output using optimized techniques now matched his strength as a psychic warrior.
It's well-known that in early stages, psychic warriors usually have two small levels of advantage over their martial strength due to unfulfilled brain potential.
His unassisted punch strength was 5 tons, placing him in the high-level warrior (Tier 3) range. His psychic level, however, was mid-tier warlord (Tier 5).
"3.4x amplification." Jiang Wu gasped, his bear-like face contorted. "You hiding some forbidden tech or what?"
Jiang Sisi said quietly, "Perfect execution of the Bear-Eagle form gives 3x force. But that was Grandpa's cap… not Xiao Zhe's."
She paused. "I can't wait to see Grandpa's reaction when he comes back and trains Xiao Zhe."
"Haha, I want to see Grandpa scratching his head too. Too bad I'll be reporting to Elite Training Camp in early August."
Jiang Zhe turned off the testing machine and waved. "Second Bro, weren't you going to teach me new techniques this afternoon? Let's get started."
Jiang Wu's face visibly fell.
What he heard was: Warden! Time to return to your post!
With a bitter face and heavy steps like a man walking to the gallows, he trudged toward Jiang Zhe.
Midway, a wicked smile crept onto his face. He veered to the weapons rack and grabbed his massive Horse-Slaying Saber.
"Xiao Zhe, this afternoon's lesson is live combat. Grab a shield—your mission is to block my blade!"
The gleaming 5-series saber made Jiang Zhe's scalp tingle.
"Second Bro… it's just training. Do we really need real weapons? That looks seriously dangerous."
"No pressure, no growth." Jiang Wu kept a stern face. "Don't worry. I'll try to control my strength. And even if I slip, we have Life Water in reserve. You'll be fine."
Jiang Zhe: "…"
Off to the side, Jiang Sisi giggled. Finally, she got to see her cousin eat dirt for once.
In under two and a half days since his debut, Jiang Zhe was thrown into a brutal duel: saber vs. shield.
And promptly got his brains bashed in.
Jiang Wu unleashed his frustrations with near-realm-level swordplay, slicing again and again like a storm.
Jiang Zhe, holding up his shield, felt like a small boat in a hurricane—rocking, leaking, on the verge of capsizing.
The sheer pressure of the offensive almost made him suffocate.
White Tiger Windblade—truly worthy of its name.
Each combat round lasted 20 minutes, with 10-minute breaks. Then it was back to getting whacked.
After two hours and four rounds, Jiang Zhe gradually began to hold his own.
His high comprehension allowed him to evolve quickly through the grueling exchanges, making the shield feel like an extension of his arm.
His psychic abilities granted him powerful analytical skills, helping him predict Second Brother's sword movements.
...
But he still got beaten pretty badly.
This time, he was the one counting the minutes until dinnertime. The tables had turned.
After dinner, Jiang Sisi took over the lesson.
She taught movement techniques—mainly the fundamentals of Chicken Step, based on the stable, rooted stance of the chicken form in Xingyi.
With a shield in hand, it resembled an immovable mountain.
She also explained the characteristics of beginner, advanced, and "microscopic" movement techniques.
As a psychic warrior, Jiang Zhe excelled at this.
He quickly mastered the basics, and after testing on high-level neural response machines, he demonstrated Microscopic Movement level.
This meant he could control his body with extreme precision—dodging attacks with minimal effort, like moves calculated by a computer.
Not difficult. Nothing to brag about either.
In fact, this level wasn't even officially recognized in the universe.
It was more like showing off micro-control techniques—not even out of beginner territory.
Jiang Zhe found perfecting power delivery far more challenging.
Of course, to be officially recognized as "Microscopic," he would need verification from a beast encounter—just like his martial identity still required combat assessment to be accepted by Earth's martial circles.
The next level would be "Perfect Movement," which required special environmental conditions. It couldn't be achieved in the training hall.
Jiang Sisi's class ended in under an hour—leaving the ever-enthusiastic instructor a bit unsatisfied.
"Didn't even get into the fun part?" Jiang Wu chuckled. "Didn't you still have the power delivery part of Chicken Step left? Go back and finish teaching it."
"Heh. That's not teaching—that's asking for humiliation."
…
That night, before leaving the Traditional Martial Hall, Jiang Zhe returned to the media room.
This time, he watched videos on Chicken Step, memorizing the detailed power delivery mechanics.
Back in his courtyard, he sat in the primal core, cradling the Divine Crystal as he refined his insights.
With his enhanced comprehension, he quickly realized something:
"My body lacks a core power center…"
It was still the same "Three-Section Theory."
The body has three sections: root (legs), tip (arms), and middle (torso). Without the middle, the other parts can't connect. Force can't pass smoothly from foot to hand.
As the boxing classic says:
"If the upper section is unclear, the hands are stiff.
If the lower section is unclear, the feet are clumsy.
If the middle is unclear, the whole body is empty."
So, even with Divine Crystal-enhanced comprehension, combining the bear, eagle, and chicken forms only gave him a ~4x power multiplier.
With constant refinement and inspired revisions, he finally reached 5–6x force amplification.
The exact number would need to be verified with the punch-force machine.
"I've mastered three of the Six True Forms of Xingyi. Once I add Dragon Body, Tiger Embrace, and Thunder Sound… I might even surpass Thor's record!"
"Heh, maybe I'll write my own manual, sell it worldwide, and screw with Luo Feng's future choices. Didn't he want to learn the best technique?"
After feeding his cells with cosmic energy, Jiang Zhe drifted off to sleep with a mischievous smile.
---
August 28
Jiang Zhe returned early to the training hall.
He punched the test machine with his newly refined technique.
—"27,884 kg!"
"Roughly 5.3x force… Not bad."
With his movement skills mastered, today's focus was entirely on live combat.
By afternoon, Jiang Zhe could hold off Jiang Wu's attacks flawlessly with just a round shield—like an impenetrable tortoise shell.
By evening, that tortoise had grown teeth.
Had he not held back his strength, his nearly Tier-6 force could've flattened Jiang Wu with a single bull-rush.
---
August 29
More live combat. Jiang Wu was back in jail.
---
August 30
Jiang Zhe started learning whip techniques.
Since he hadn't chosen a main weapon yet, he didn't bother studying the full Black Tiger Whip Technique.
Just learned three basic moves—Sweep! Slash! Thrust!
---
August 31
A real weapons spar.
Jiang Zhe, wielding a whip and shield, engaged Jiang Wu in true combat.
Morning session: Jiang Zhe got wrecked.
His left and right hand coordination was off. Sometimes he accidentally attacked himself. One misstep, and Jiang Wu would seize the chance to unleash a beating.
Afternoon: Jiang Zhe adapted. With left shield and right whip, it was Jiang Wu's turn to suffer.
---
August 1
Martial Combat Assessment Begins!
Every martial artist must go through it. It's held twice a year—in February and August. Miss one, and you lose six months.
Jiang Zhe, accompanied by his cousins, didn't pull any strings and took the same train with other candidates to the Southern Military Zone.
After lunch at the base, he received his combat uniform and equipment.
The military only provided 2-series gear. Jiang Zhe wasn't impressed with the quality or weight. Swinging the hundred-kilo iron whip made him worry it might break in battle.
Led by military guides, over a thousand candidates marched for half an hour before reaching the Monster Town where the real assessment would take place.
"Xiao Zhe, this is your first public appearance. A lot of people are watching. Give it your best!"
Speed up! Speed up!
Next comes gene awakening, then power amplification, then planetary advancement, then off to space!
Let's go! Let's go!
(End of the Chapter)
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