Chapter 3: Testing

The car sped for about ten minutes. The skyscrapers alongside the superconducting highway grew more numerous and taller. Buildings reaching three to four hundred meters were common, some even surpassed a kilometer!

As we neared the city center, the traffic on the superconducting highway grew denser, and the number of roadway layers and lane width doubled.

Chang’an, as the capital of the Asia-Pacific Community, is one of Earth’s largest super cities. The entire Guanzhong Plain, nearly 40,000 square kilometers, is part of the capital region with a permanent population exceeding 300 million. Among global cities, it ranks in the top five for population density.

Despite repeated government policies to discourage migration to the capital, their impact has been minimal.

This involves both human nature and historical factors, making it quite complex.

Managing such a massive city is, as one can imagine, immensely challenging.

Chang’an is divided into 36 districts. Ji Xinghuo lives in the “Qishan District” on the western side, over a hundred kilometers from the city center.

After twenty minutes, the car left the superconducting highway and soon reached our destination just off the ramp.

Ji Xinghuo got out of the car and looked up at the building in front of him.

It was a sports stadium.

Situated on the north bank of the Wei River, the stadium’s design was unique. The main building resembled a diamond-shaped spaceship in high-speed motion. Its sharp edges and silver-grey glass facade sparkled under the sunlight, making it one of the capital’s landmark structures.

The “Tianqin National Sports Stadium” covers over 150,000 square meters but is only twenty stories tall—an extravagance in the densely-packed center of Chang’an.

This stadium is a sacred place for many people nationwide and globally.

It serves as the home ground for several teams in the Asian Communal “Super League” and “First Division League”.

Here, multiple cultural and sporting events take place weekly. It has hosted several “International Invitations” and two “Super World Cups,” featuring numerous memorable battles and producing many famous world champions.

Ji Xinghuo has been here to watch matches before.

Today, however, he came for a physical fitness test. The Tianqin Stadium, a public facility, houses a “Divergent Services Center” by the Star Realm Department.

Ji Xinghuo entered through the main gate. The first to fifth floors on the west side of the venue make up the Divergent Services Center, bustling with people. Most, like him, were there for physical tests, some anxious, others calm, but all filled with anticipation.

He had booked his service the night before and followed the signs to the second floor.

Soon, Ji Xinghuo arrived at a counter.

“Ji Xinghuo.”

A woman in a white uniform called out his name. Looking at the photo on her screen, she instinctively looked up, quickly sizing Ji up before smiling and asking, “Mr. Ji, here for the physical test?”

“Yes,” Ji nodded.

“Please verify your identity,” the staff member said with unexpected warmth.

Following her lead, Ji stood in the designated area on the floor. A circular device scanned him from head to toe, collecting a few milliliters of blood for anti-doping and genetic testing.

“Mr. Ji, please wait in the resting area. The results will be out shortly.”

Ji took a seat in the waiting area, appearing calm, though inside he felt somewhat jittery.

The scanning process was critical for confirming applicant information to prevent identity theft and incorrect species claim.

With advanced biotechnologies, impersonation has almost reached a point of perfect deception.

Faking appearance and physique is the easiest. Face recognition, fingerprints, vocal patterns, and even iris scans can be manipulated, and even the safest genetic sequences can be perfectly replicated if someone pays the price.

Such incidents have occurred historically, where a gang used genetic technologies to deceive a Divergent Services Center, claiming several high-quality species illegally.

Since then, identity verification has become much stricter.

Ji’s identity was undoubtedly accurate, but he worried about the effects of the All-seeing Star Eyes, especially the information from his right eye’s iris. He watched long last night, and unless he deliberately showed it, the ring of light on the right pupil wouldn’t appear, but he feared the unexpected.

Fortunately, he soon received a notification.

Verification passed!

Ji silently exhaled in relief and headed toward the testing area.

The tests set by the Star Realm Department included strength, speed, endurance, and will—though only the first three directly related to physical abilities.

The passing standards for each test varied.

Passing any test qualified one to apply for a variant species.

The better the performance score, the higher the final evaluation, allowing one to apply for higher-grade species.

Ji chose to test in strength and speed.

He started in the strength hall.

This area resembled a giant gym, lined with rows of barbells and racks. Several people were already under examiner supervision for their tests, while others watched or warmed up. Regardless of gender, everyone’s body showed signs of extensive training.

The strength test was straightforward—unassisted bench presses, squats, and deadlifts, ten reps each.

The total weight for men had to reach 500 kilograms and 350 kilograms for women to pass.

These standards effectively split between those with and without natural talent. Those slightly talented, with correct training and hard work supported by modern fitness technology, could reach 500 kilograms in total.

Unfortunately, most people couldn’t maintain such intense training, falling short of the needed talent threshold.

Those who came for the test were generally confident of passing.

Ji was no different.

He didn’t watch others undertake their tests but chose a corner to begin warming up quietly.

Starting with a set of stretching exercises, he got his blood flowing quicker. Then, using two five-kilogram dumbbells, he did several sets of flyes and rows on an incline bench, gradually moving to heavier weights, and finally to the barbell, slowly increasing the load.

After about ten minutes, Ji’s body was warm, and he was slightly sweating.

“Ji Xinghuo,” the examiner called out loudly, “Is Ji Xinghuo here?”

“Here,” he replied swiftly.

Ji walked over quickly.

The examiner was a man in his thirties, towering and muscular, over two meters tall, with a trapezius that swelled high enough to stretch the singlet across his back, strong like a bear. Just standing there was intimidating—it was clear he was a Divergent.

“Must be a ‘Grand Marshal,’ a mid-level Divergent,” Ji thought to himself, “A typical muscle powerhouse.”

The examiner also scrutinized Ji, confirming his identity before eyeing him thoroughly and nodding slightly, “Your arm and leg proportions are excellent, well-trained, and your muscle form is standard. But looking good isn’t enough; you need to work harder to meet the strength standard, try to exceed expectations.”

Ji was surprised at the examiner’s accurate judgment.

His own strength was indeed nothing exceptional; only since the beginning of the year had he managed to meet the standard stably. During previous gym sessions, he occasionally failed one or two attempts out of ten.

Men and women waiting for their tests also observed Ji.

Men’s gazes were purely on muscle size, while women focused more on Ji’s face.

“How much are you lifting?” the examiner asked.

“130 kilograms.”

Ji set up the barbell plates and adjusted the incline bench angle according to his measurements before lying down. Once the examiner gave the start signal, Ji took a deep breath, engaged his strength to slightly lift the barbell off the rack, let his arms sink until the bar touched his chest, then pushed it up.

Repeating this bench press motion ten times completed the set in one go.

From start to finish, Ji’s expression remained calm, his face not contorted in strain.

The examiner was surprised at how effortlessly he performed the task but announced promptly, “Action complete, score validated, bench press weight 130 kilograms.”

Ji himself was also stunned.

Although he had merged with the All-seeing Star Eyes, besides enhanced sensory abilities, they hadn’t physically increased his strength.

“Must be due to ‘Micro-seeing’ and ‘Precision’” he thought to himself—functions of the All-seeing Star Eyes that allowed him to precisely manage his strength, making his movements more defined and indirectly enhancing his power.

“I can lift even heavier now.”

Still, Ji did not recklessly increase the predetermined weights; passing the test was sufficient.

Following this, his squats and deadlifts were all successfully completed in a set, scoring 181 kilograms and 195 kilograms respectively. His total score was 506 kilograms, passing the strength test.

The examiner, noting Ji’s relaxed demeanor, couldn’t help but comment, “Your strength capacity far exceeds 506 kilograms. Go back, train harder, at least 100 kilograms more to score higher. Consider that, why don’t you?”

Ji understood his suggestion—letting go of this test session to aim for a higher score next time.

A higher score meant a better species.

But Ji had plans of his own.

“No need, please register the score, thank you,” Ji politely declined.

“That’s a shame…” the examiner shook his head, his face showing regret. He had seen many talented individuals like Ji, but often they lacked the patience to train beyond passing the test, hastily applying for a species instead of waiting another year or two.

They would later realize how difficult it was to obtain high-grade species.

National welfare provided over 90% of Divergents with their sole chance in life to relatively easily obtain high-grade abilities.

The examiner didn’t persuade further and registered Ji’s score.

Ji left the strength hall for the neighboring speed testing area, where fewer people were present, and about a dozen specially designed treadmills were set up.

The speed test involved a 400-meter run, with men requiring a time of 52 seconds or less and women, 60 seconds.

The faster the time, the higher the score.

As he had just warmed up, Ji performed a few stretches before stepping onto one of the treadmills. These treadmills were specifically for speed testing; the tracks widened as the runner increased speed to maintain pace, with a wind machine at the front simulating air resistance.

Once the examiner verified his identity, Ji immediately sprinted at full speed.

Thump, thump, thump…

His footsteps were rapid and steady.

For the first three hundred meters, Ji ran effortlessly, but during the final hundred-meter sprint, he pushed himself to the anaerobic limit, with lactate accumulating in his muscles, twisting his facial features.

“Test completed!”

As the treadmill slowed to a halt, Ji jumped off, leaning on his knees, panting heavily, utterly exhausted, and on the verge of vomiting.

The last few seconds of the sprint felt as long as an hour.

This was why few participated in the speed test; a 400-meter run was almost the most painful and exhausting sport for ordinary people. Also, running demanded more natural talent, and many, no matter how hard they trained, never ran fast.

“45.8 seconds!”

Ji looked at the time on the treadmill, nearly a second faster than his past best performance, far surpassing the required standard.

The nearby examiner was shocked; it had been a long time since such an excellent score was recorded.

Ji steadied his breathing and left.

Previously, the strength test examiner had mentioned his strength training was lacking, but Ji intentionally focused on his true forte—speed and explosiveness. If he concentrated on strength training, gaining weight and muscle, it might drag his speed down.

The other two tests—endurance involved a 10,000-meter run with times under 33 minutes for men and 40 for women.

For will testing, enduring ten minutes of level-seven electric shock pain, the standard was the same for both genders.

Ji could pass both tests.

He often conducted self-tests during training, running 10,000 meters in under 29 minutes, and could endure the electric pain for over ten minutes.

Four years ago, at eighteen, Ji Xinghuo already met the criteria for the speed test but he waited until after graduating from university aiming to pass all four tests for a higher score to apply for a superior transcendent ability.

But now, having obtained the Myriad Star Eyes, he changed his plan to aim for an exceptional transcendent ability, a level lower.

There are two reasons.

First, Ji Xinghuo wants to maintain a low profile in the short term.

Applying for a superior transcendent ability requires an independent assessment and political review by the Star Realm Department, not just scanning and blood tests.

The department will meticulously scrutinize one’s whole history, conduct multiple physical exams, and hold several interviews. The evaluating officers are at least super transcendent beings, some even legendary. Ji Xinghuo isn’t sure the Myriad Star Eyes won’t be discovered.

Moreover, with his test scores, securing a superior transcendent ability isn’t guaranteed.

The Asia-Pacific Community has 5.6 billion people, teeming with geniuses.

Hundreds pass all four tests with full scores each year, many of them younger, even minors aged fifteen or sixteen.

Now at 22, Ji Xinghuo doesn’t see a significant advantage for himself.

Ji Xinghuo estimates his chances of securing a superior transcendent ability are only one in three, a risk he deems too high for exposing the Myriad Star Eyes.

The second reason is that Ji Xinghuo has already planned his path for the next few years.

Based on the functions of the Myriad Star Eyes, the few superior transcendent abilities available for application do not match with it.

Ji Xinghuo, pondering his future plans, headed to the ground floor of the Transcendent Service Center.

“Hello, I have passed the physical test and wish to apply for a transcendent ability,” he said as he entered the application room on the ground floor of the center.

“Please wait a moment.”

The staff member, a young woman, quickly checked Ji Xinghuo’s test results and asked, “Mr. Ji Xinghuo, which transcendent ability would you like to apply for?”

“Thousand Clever Hands.”

Ji Xinghuo replied without hesitation, “The Ranger’s Thousand Clever Hands.”