Swallowing the Stars: Starting with a Meteor Tear

Chapter 18 Strength Test

After the spoils of the hunt were distributed, everyone said their goodbyes.

Zhou Yang and his father, Zhou Yong, casually hailed a car and returned home.

Having received advance notice, Wang Shumei, the mother, personally cooked a table full of dishes, and the family enjoyed a happy reunion dinner together.

That evening, Zhou Yang didn't cultivate; instead, he quietly chatted with Wang Shumei.

Since the Age of Warriors following the Great Nirvana of human civilization, life has become much more difficult for the vast majority of ordinary people.

Vast amounts of land have been turned into a paradise for monsters, and large numbers of people are crammed into crowded base cities, where the pressure of competition for survival is so intense that it's hard to breathe.

For martial arts practitioners' families like Wang Shumei's, their living conditions are naturally many times better than those of ordinary people crammed into tenement buildings.

However, they also often endure worries and anxieties that are unimaginable to ordinary people.

The wilderness is fraught with danger. Human warriors hunt monsters, but powerful monsters also harbor hatred and attack humans.

Therefore, every expedition of the martial arts team into the wilderness is an adventure where they risk their lives.

As family members of martial artists, they are constantly worried about their husbands, sons, or fathers, fearing that a phone call might bring sudden bad news.

In his previous life, Zhou Yang's parents died early, and he became an orphan at a very young age.

He grew up thanks to the charity of his relatives and neighbors. To avoid being looked down upon by others, he learned to read people's expressions from a young age and was exceptionally sensitive to the emotions of those around him.

Upon his return, he noticed that Wang Shumei was not in the same mood as usual.

However, despite having these thoughts, he felt helpless.

Having read the original work, he knew that the predicament facing human civilization was not only the mutated monsters on Earth, but also various challenges from the endless starry sky.

The starry sea is boundless, and myriad races coexist; the law of the jungle prevails.

I'm far from being at a point where I can settle down and enjoy life!

Only by becoming stronger, strong enough to sweep away everything, can one truly find a sliver of peace!

Zhou Yang chatted with his mother for a long time until late at night before finally falling into a deep sleep.

However, martial artists have strong physical abilities, so their need for sleep is reduced.

For him now, just three or four hours of sleep is enough to keep him energetic all day.

The next day, after breakfast, Zhou Yang told his parents what was going on and headed straight to the Yangzhou City Extreme Club.

Having spent over a month in the wilderness, his physical abilities have improved considerably, and he's here today to test his current strength.

As soon as he entered the lobby on the first floor, two figures caught his eye.

On a sofa to one side, two people were sitting opposite each other, chatting quietly.

One of them was Wu Tong, the head instructor and owner of the Yangzhou City Extreme Club, while the other was a one-armed man with a slightly pale face.

Zhou Yang recognized this person; he was Zhang Ke, a teammate of Luo Feng's Fire Hammer Squad, and also a martial artist living in the Bright Moon Community.

Looking at Zhang Ke's empty sleeves, Zhou Yang's heart stirred, recalling the plot of the original work.

When Luo Feng first entered the wilderness with the Fire Hammer Squad, they were ambushed by their rival Tiger Fang Squad, led by Zhang Zehu, resulting in teammate Zhang Ke losing an arm and putting the Fire Hammer Squad in danger.

In the end, it was only thanks to Luo Feng revealing his mental power that everyone was able to escape safely.

From that moment on, the Fire Hammer Squad and the Tiger Fang Squad became enemies.

The next time the Fire Hammer Squad enters City 003 in the Wilderness to hunt monsters, they encounter the Tiger Fang Squad again.

While seeking revenge on the Tiger Fang Squad, Luo Feng was forced to kill Li Wei, the son of the War God Vulture and the Poison Scorpion who were protecting the members of the Tiger Fang Squad, which led the two War Gods to issue an astonishing bounty of hundreds of billions.

It was under the pressure of the two high-level war gods that Luo Feng's strength soared like a rocket, and in just about a year, he directly jumped to the strength of an invincible war god.

"So, there's not much time left before Luo Feng enters the elite training camp. Looks like I'll have to step up my game and try to get on his good side!"

With that thought in mind, he stepped into the lobby of the Extreme Club.

"Hey, isn't this the famous Twins of our Bright Moon Community? Are you back from the wilderness?"

As soon as he entered, he immediately attracted the attention of Wu Tong and Zhang Ke. Wu Tong greeted him with a smile, and Zhang Ke, who was pale-faced, also smiled and nodded at him.

"Uncle Wu, Brother Zhang!"

Zhou Yang smiled and stepped forward, casually glancing at Zhang Ke's empty sleeves, and exclaimed in surprise:

"Brother Zhang, your arm..."

"I got ambushed in the wilderness."

Zhang Ke gave a bitter smile, but did not elaborate.

Wu Tong could tell that he was unwilling to talk more, so he smiled and changed the subject.

"Zhou Yang, why aren't you resting at home after you just got back? Why are you at the martial arts gym instead?"

Zhou Yang tactfully changed the subject, saying:

"Let's test our physical fitness."

"Oh?"

Upon hearing his words, Wu Tong showed interest and quickly said:

"Testing your strength? You wouldn't mind if I came along and took a look, would you?"

Zhou Yang was a genius he recommended to the martial arts school, so naturally he paid special attention to improving his strength.

After all, his contribution points rewards over the past few years still depend on Zhou Yang!

Zhou Yang didn't care. He was actually looking forward to showing off his strength so that the Extreme Martial Arts Academy would notice him.

Otherwise, if Luo Feng gets into the elite training camp while I'm still foolishly fighting monsters in the wilderness, I'll be at a huge loss!

"No problem, Uncle Wu, feel free to look around."

"Alright, let's go, Zhang Ke, let's go take a look!"

Wu Tong chuckled and pushed Zhang Ke along with Zhou Yang into the elevator.

It was still early morning, and the training hall on the sixth floor of the Extreme Club was still empty and deserted.

Wu Tong personally helped Zhou Yang turn on the punching power testing machine, speed testing device, and other equipment. After some adjustments, he urged Zhou Yang:

"Come on, let's get started! Let's test our punching power first!"

Zhou Yang nodded and slowly walked to the punching power testing machine and stood there.

He took a deep breath, then slowly gathered his strength, his body like a drawn bow. The next moment, his right fist slammed into the punching target of the punching power testing machine like a dragon emerging from its cave.

"Beep beep beep!"

The punching target shook, and a series of crisp electronic beeps sounded. Then, a line of numbers appeared on the testing machine's display screen.

"9218 kg!"

"Good heavens!"

Wu Tong and Zhang Ke were startled by the numbers they saw.

"Good lad, your punching power has increased so much in less than four months!"

Wu Tong looked at Zhou Yang, his eyes revealing undisguised surprise and joy. "9218kg, that's definitely the punching power of a beginner-level warrior!"

He hurriedly urged:

"Quick, quick, let's test their speed and reflexes again!"

Zhou Yang didn't waste any time and quickly completed the other two tests following his instructions. The test results came out soon—

Speed: 121 m/s!

Neurological reaction test: Excellent (Beginner Warrior Level)!

Zhou Yang nodded, somewhat satisfied with the result.

Meanwhile, Wu Tong, standing to the side, was already beaming with joy.

"Haha, an 18-year-old beginner-level warrior, he's truly a monster-level genius!"

"Zhou Yang, I have to thank you! Your Uncle Wu is going to make a killing on contribution points this year!"

(End of this chapter)