Chapter 74: Practical Combat Assessment
Li Yuan listened quietly. The entire video was very long, a full 22 minutes.
"Note, this file is classified, for internal viewing within Jiangbei Martial Arts University only, and must not be leaked." The video ended with this message.
Li Yuan closed his eyes and silently recalled the content. Then he reopened the video and reviewed it again, mostly speeding through it but rewatching certain parts multiple times until he was sure he had memorized all the information. His strong mental power gave him an impressive memory.
"Delete the source file."
"Delete the chat history."
"Delete the local network records." Li Yuan executed a triple command to destroy the evidence.
Of course, there would still be traces on the virtual network, but with Li Yuan's limited knowledge, this was the best he could do.
"If they really want to investigate, why bother with all the restrictions?" Li Yuan muttered to himself, "Besides, it's just the internal secret of Jiangbei Martial Arts University, not a military secret."
Li Yuan estimated that as long as he didn't spread it, even if it was discovered, the impact shouldn't be significant.
"Although, watching this video in advance does seem a bit unethical," Li Yuan thought. It wasn't like he was copying answers directly, but it was akin to knowing the scope and types of questions before an exam, making it naturally easier.
"However, if Lin Lanyue could get the video, it's possible that Wu Dongdong and others could get it too." Li Yuan shook his head. He wasn't a moral saint, and this was just a practical combat assessment, not the college entrance examination.
"Given the current situation, I should make the most of this information advantage."
"I'm not aiming for first place, but I'll try to kill as many astral realm creatures as possible to see if I can push my spiritual awakening level to over 10%," Li Yuan resolved.
Exiting the virtual network, Li Yuan walked out of the lounge, took out his spear, and continued his martial arts training for the day.
"Li Yuan, do you never rest? You're training again?" Gu Qianghan walked out of the therapy room, holding a can of cola.
He looked at Li Yuan in amazement, "These four days, I haven't seen you rest for a single day."
"You get up at four in the morning and start training."
"After lunch, you train for another two hours."
"In the evening, you train until midnight. Can your body handle it?" Gu Qianghan couldn't help but say, "You're a monster!"
"I don't have advanced cultivation methods. If I don't train, how can I catch up with others?" Li Yuan laughed.
"I give up." Gu Qianghan gave a thumbs-up sincerely, "My dad used to tell me that true top-tier experts, like Dongfang Ji, trained at least sixteen hours a day."
"I never believed it, thought it was just Dongfang Ji glorifying himself after he became famous," Gu Qianghan said casually.
Li Yuan: "..."
"After seeing you, I believe it now."
"But don't you have any hobbies or fun? How do you keep going with such intense training?" Gu Qianghan looked at Li Yuan.
"Hobbies?" Li Yuan thought for a moment and smiled, "Why would training be tiring? Watching yourself progress little by little should be enjoyable, right?"
"If I have to name a hobby," Li Yuan laughed, "training is my hobby."
Perhaps, in the early days, practicing spear techniques and cultivation methods was very tedious and painful for Li Yuan. But as time passed, if he couldn't adapt to this lifestyle and find passion in the monotony, even if he forced himself to continue, his progress would be slow.
Passion is the best teacher. Nowadays, Li Yuan thoroughly enjoyed the process of growing stronger through training.
"Training? A hobby?" Gu Qianghan was silent for a while, then suddenly sighed, "Li Yuan, to be honest, you'd make a great son for my dad."
"He would definitely like you."
"Why don't I introduce you to my dad as a godson," Gu Qianghan said reluctantly, "I could also reluctantly accept you as my godbrother."
"Come on, call me brother first and let me hear it."
"Get lost!"
...
Perhaps influenced by Li Yuan, Gu Qianghan, who usually only trained for an hour at night, trained for an extra ten minutes.
...
The next day, to ensure he had enough energy for the practical combat assessment, Li Yuan didn't wake up early to practice his spear techniques. He lay in bed and slept for two hours.
For the first time in over a year, Li Yuan slept in a bed, but perhaps due to his overly strong mental power, the quality of sleep was average.
"It seems that as my strength increases, someday in the future, simply sleeping might become a luxury," Li Yuan sighed.
...After breakfast at around six in the morning, the students gathered at seven.
On a field not far from the war fortress, thousands of students gathered. Dozens of Jiangbei Martial Arts University students, grouped in threes, were gradually verifying each student's identity.
Dozens of Jiangbei Martial Arts University teachers and military base officers stood at a distance. Professor Ming was also there.
"Very good." The burly man from yesterday was still wearing blue clothes, his voice cold and echoing across the field, "Out of you, 976 chose to participate in the practical combat assessment. I am proud of your decision."
"What is martial arts? The way of killing! Without killing, how can it be called martial arts?"
"Why does the country train martial artists?" The burly man's voice was thunderous, "To kill enemies and protect the nation!"
"To put it in broader terms, martial artists are the sharpest blade of human civilization."
"A battle blade unsheathed is meant to draw blood."
"You are all elite students of the province, having trained for six years from middle school to high school. Your strength is close to entry-level martial artists, with some of you even able to rival entry-level martial artists."
The burly man's voice was powerful, "I hope that six years of training, countless simulated battles on the Starry Sky Fighting Network, and the school's physical confrontations have prepared you."
"I wish you all success in the assessment and to return alive."
"Collect your equipment and move out!"
...
In the weaponry room, students lined up to receive their equipment.
"Li Yuan, this is yours: a complete set of first-grade lower-grade protective clothing, first-grade lower-grade soft armor, first-grade combat boots, and a helmet." The senior student handed Li Yuan a box of protective gear, "Try it on to see if it fits. If not, come back and change it."
"This is a dedicated positioning bracelet. In the assessment area, your smart bracelet won't have a signal."
"The positioning bracelet has limited functions, only positioning, emergency rescue, and monitoring your life signs," the senior student explained. "But its biggest feature is its durability."
"Durability?" Li Yuan was puzzled.
"Unless a second-level creature attacks it, it won't break," the senior student laughed. "The more sophisticated something is, the easier it is to break."
"The simpler, sometimes the more durable."
Li Yuan couldn't help but ask, "Made in Rosland?"
"Smart, the genuine ones are developed by Rosland's military! These are our imitated... improved versions, ahem, cheaper and better in performance," the senior student grinned.
Li Yuan was speechless, holding the box of protective gear, and went into the changing room next door.
...
After putting on the gear, Li Yuan felt it fit perfectly and was very comfortable. The protective clothing didn't hinder his agility at all.
Clearly, after a hundred years of war, martial artist equipment had improved significantly.
"First-grade lower-grade protective clothing, tough and flexible enough to not hinder movement," Gu Qianghan had also changed and stood beside him, smiling. "It can withstand attacks from level 11 martial artists without breaking."
"For first-grade middle-grade, it can withstand attacks from level 15 martial artists."
"For first-grade upper-grade protective clothing, it can withstand attacks from level 19 martial artists," Gu Qianghan listed knowledgeably.
Li Yuan listened. He wasn't very familiar with martial artist equipment since he never thought about killing extraterrestrial creatures before college.
"However, protective clothing also has weaknesses," Gu Qianghan explained. "It's tough and resistant to bites but lacks hardness, making it difficult to withstand impacts."
"That's why we wear an additional layer of soft armor and a helmet."
"While trying not to hinder flexibility, we add an extra layer of protection to the torso's vital organs and the head," Gu Qianghan said. "Against low-civilization astral realm creatures of the same rank, we human martial artists have a significant advantage with our weapons."
Li Yuan nodded lightly. He had seen many documentaries. Most astral realm creatures in the Astral Realm had low levels of civilization.
"When you become a source martial artist , it will be different," Gu Qianghan said enthusiastically. "Second-grade battle suits, or source power battle suits, need to be activated with source power. They are not only tough but can also greatly reduce all kinds of impacts, truly not fearing hot weapons..."
"You know a lot," Li Yuan marveled.
"Of course," Gu Qianghan became more excited. "I'm a military and equipment enthusiast."
He felt a sense of accomplishment in being able to teach Li Yuan.
"Just not very strong," Li Yuan said seriously.
"Hey!" Gu Qianghan was annoyed, "What about brotherhood?"
...
"Weapons." Li Yuan spent a long time selecting weapons in the armory.
Finally, he chose a black spear over two meters long, a half-meter short knife, and a dagger.
Holding the spear, he placed the dagger on his waist and the short knife in the weapon bag on his soft armor.
This was to have a short weapon ready in case the spear was lost.
As a fourth-rank expert, even unfamiliar weapons would be more powerful in his hands than in those of a third-rank master.
...
Everything was ready. All the students lined up to enter an inconspicuous-looking building.
Following that, they went underground.
Underground, it was a different world, incredibly spacious, resembling a super-large subway station.
Several fully enclosed trains with open doors had been waiting for a long time.