Chapter 94: The Martial God Academy

This restricted zone, off-limits to ordinary people, was vast, occupying nearly half of a large city. Here was the domain of the gene warriors—a group less than one ten-thousandth the population of the urban dwellers, yet in this world, gene warriors wielded such immense power. Moreover, many places outside these zones were also utilized and controlled by them.

The more Tang Shen observed, the more he realized just how exalted the status of gene warriors truly was in this world. This was why every ordinary person longed to become one.

Soon, the hovercar came to a stop before a colossal building—larger than the gymnasium at Tang Shen’s school, imposing in its grandeur. The entire structure was sheathed in black metal; nothing inside could be seen from the outside. From a distance, it resembled a giant beast crouched upon the earth, radiating a cold, metallic aura.

Two characters, “War God,” were embedded with ironclad strokes at the very top and center, the golden letters standing in stark contrast to the black building. Tang Shen looked up and felt an invisible pressure bear down upon him, causing his pupils to contract. Just two words, and yet they carried such force.

Yang Zhi said proudly, “Those characters were written by the War God himself. Impressive, isn’t it?”

Tang Shen nodded, “Very impressive!”

Yang Zhi beamed, clearly satisfied—this was the first time Tang Shen had answered so straightforwardly. It was a point of pride for the War God Alliance, and though the War God had passed away, this pride remained in every member’s heart.

Tang Shen narrowed his eyes, a glimmer flickering within. Truth be told, he was quite curious about the War God. The holographic game was inextricably linked to this man, who was also the last person to approach the world before its end. If only he could have met him, Tang Shen would have liked to ask whether this world was truly the original one. But alas, the War God had died—seventeen years ago.

This was Yang Zhi’s territory. Though his own strength was not great, he was one of their number, familiar with nearly everyone. With him leading the way, passage was unimpeded, though he still needed his own pass. Should anything happen, Yang Zhi would be held responsible.

“We’ll go straight to the second floor—the first is just for rookies,” Yang Zhi said with a chuckle, leading the group into the elevator. He swiped his pass, and the elevator rose—ordinary people weren’t allowed on the second floor.

The chatterbox Hu Da explained, “Each martial hall’s first floor is mainly for ordinary people to train, or for those who’ve only just awakened. Of course, even these ‘ordinary people’ aren’t truly ordinary—they have special permission to enter this zone. Most are from powerful families. The probability of awakening doesn’t just depend on intelligence—it’s also about physical fitness. The scions of major families are trained from childhood. The real treasures are on the upper and lower floors.”

Tang Shen cast a curious glance—on the first floor, there were many areas: training, combat, physical testing. The people there mostly had ordinary physiques, chatting and laughing.

This world was never fair. Those standing above the rest never stopped seeking to strengthen themselves, and their families. The cost for ordinary people to access the martial halls was beyond imagination, far more than most could ever afford. So even if a commoner awakened, there was no way to compare with the scions of the great families—it was an almost impossible struggle.

From childhood, those scions trained their bodies, enjoyed the finest conditions and awakening serums, and though it might seem everyone started on the same line, the gap had long since widened.

Tang Shen couldn’t help feeling grateful for the holographic game—without it, even if he managed to awaken, it would be nearly impossible to gain a foothold here. Even breaking through to become a gene warrior would never put him on equal footing with those from the great families.

On the second floor, there were quite a few people today, all here for testing—these days coincided with the annual gene warrior assessment.

Each year, the time for student awakenings and assessments differed from school to school. This year, however, the awakening period had come early, coinciding with the graduation and regular social assessments.

Once out of the elevator, Yang Zhi—well-versed in the process—asked for Tang Shen’s ID and quickly handled the paperwork, securing the assessment proof and access to the waiting area.

As they bantered, Yang Zhi explained the contract tiers within the War God Alliance. Even after passing the assessment and joining a faction, one had to sign a contract.

The contracts were divided into: ordinary, elite, and genius tiers. Above these was yet another level, one Yang Zhi knew nothing about—only the head coach was privy to it.

The contract the special department had offered at the time surpassed even the genius level, but by Yang Zhi’s estimation, it was still not the highest.

“Tang Shen.” The electronic announcement sounded.

“It’s your turn,” Yang Zhi said, rising.

“Alright!” Tang Shen stood and headed to the testing room, followed closely by the others—after all, their curiosity about his results was the reason they’d stuck by him all along.

Inside, the testing staff were baffled to see a whole group enter. Normally, each person came alone—why so many this time?

Tang Shen, though, remained calm, unlike the other anxious candidates, his eyes roaming with curiosity—it was his first time, after all.

“Yang Zhi?!” came a voice of surprise.

A burly man with a bristling beard emerged, frowning at the group before catching sight of a familiar face.

“Captain, are you in charge of this assessment?” Yang Zhi lit up at the sight of the bearded man. “We’re just here to observe—won’t get in your way.”

He had worried they might run into someone difficult, in which case they would’ve been kicked out. Who could’ve guessed the supervisor was his own squad captain, Qin Wu.

“Aren’t you on escort duty for the awakening serum? You’re back early today,” Qin Wu asked with a note of suspicion. Escorting the serum and supervising the tests were low-risk tasks, which was why so many vied for them—there were only so many each year, and they were more like breaks.

Yang Zhi gave a sheepish chuckle, not bothering to explain. “Well… just some unexpected circumstances! Captain, go ahead with the assessment—we’ll just watch.”

“Alright!” Qin Wu nodded, though a hint of doubt lingered as he glanced at the composed Tang Shen. Was this young man a relative of his team member? He hadn’t heard anything, and besides, there was no way to cheat in these assessments—even relatives couldn’t help.

The other recorders watched with equal puzzlement. Normally, only the candidate was allowed in—family and friends might cause nervous mistakes, as most people undergoing the basic gene warrior assessment had little experience.