Ultragenic Warlord

Chapter 175: Apprentice Qualifications

"Limit fragments are core to the Zenith Dojo, and they form the foundation for our disciples. Before the foundational breakthrough, none of you can strictly be considered official disciples of the dojo," Zhang Lie explained. However, except for Jun Jiuxiao, Ye Xianchen, and Wu Wei, the other disciples all blanched.

They had learned that the foundational breakthrough wasn't something that could be guaranteed; what if they failed to advance?

"Don't worry. Relax and let your training take over, and trust that your instructors have your best interests at heart."

"Yes, Dojo Leader!" the disciples chorused, each clenching their fists and preparing to do their best.

"Follow me!" Zhang Lie beckoned them all toward an indoor training chamber. The disciples looked uneasily around them as they entered and stood at its center.

"Dojo Leader, aren't we going to be taking our breakthrough trial? May I ask what we're doing here?" one of them timidly ventured.

"This is where we'll be conducting the trial," Zhang Lie responded.

With a rumble, the chamber suddenly began to shake so violently that the children thought that there was an earthquake. A red siren began to blare throughout the chamber, causing them to shudder and quake in fear.

"Your trial will be to remain here for half an hour," Zhang Lie commanded, then turned to leave.

"Dojo Leader! Dojo Leader, why are you leaving us behind?!"

"Don't, don't go!"

A number of the youths reached out to Zhang Lie in despair, trying to get ahold of him, but Zhang Lie didn't even look back.

"Stay calm, everyone!" Jun Jiuxiao suddenly shouted. He seemed to be one of the youngest in the crowd, but was the calmest of them all. Ye Xianchen forced herself to remain calm, but her eyes were still darting uneasily around her.

Their surroundings seemed to change: the cold, icy walls of the chamber morphed into cliffs. The children were stuck on a precipice, with countless ferocious beasts surrounding them from all sides, opening their maws wide as they waited for the children to fall into their grasp. The beasts began to howl. In the darkness, the sound carried, chilling the children to their core.

"Where are we?!" a boy began to wail, his voice turning shrill from fear.

"Just where is this place?!"

"Did the dojo leader leave us here to die?"

Outside the chamber, Zhang Lie and the others were spectating what was going on within.

The most important part of the foundational breakthrough was to induce adrenaline flow throughout the children's bodies. Most of these youth were from the slums of Ning, and they hadn't ever used a simulation chamber before.

This was undoubtedly the fastest and most reliable means by which he could induce a sense of despair and impending danger.

"Captain, nothing will go wrong, will it?" Sun Mengmeng asked after a brief moment of hesitation.

"If they wish to succeed as a hunter, this is an obstacle they shall have to overcome. Before the start of the trial, I warned them to have faith in their instructors. If they flee at the first hint of danger, can they truly remain loyal to our dojo? Take note of every child who screams about wanting to leave the dojo. We won't accept children like that as official disciples," Zhang Lie instructed.

He was well aware that this was a particularly challenging trial for children to overcome, but such was the nature of cultivation. If these children chose to be hunters, to step down this path of thorns, then they would have to face such trials sooner or later. The Zenith Dojo had prepared them as best they could for this trial, but in the end, they would determine whether they succeeded or failed.

From the outside, the trial didn't last much longer; from the inside, the children felt as though an eternity had passed. All of a sudden, the floor stopped quaking, and the environment in which they were trapped turned back into the four walls of the training chamber. The door to the chamber slowly opened up, and Zhang Lie and the other instructors walked inside.

Most of the youth had fallen to the floor, their gaze distant and their bodies trembling. What they had experienced was so shocking that they had still yet to come to their senses. However, there were a few children who were still standing upright, despite how badly their knees were shaking, Jun Jiuxiao and Ye Xianchen among them.

"Well?" As Zhang Lie's voice broke the silence of the chamber, the children turned to him.

"Dojo Leader? Dojo Leader, what was all that just now?" a few children asked. Their eyes were reddened, and tear tracks ran down their cheeks.

Zhang Lie didn't answer them. His gaze swept over the children before landing on Jun Jiuxiao and Ye Xianchen. Their faces were pale white, but their gaze resolute. Their genetic cores had, without their knowing it, undergone a metamorphosis.

"Show me the fist technique you've learned," Zhang Lie instructed.

Jun Jiuxiao and Ye Xianchen gritted their teeth as they mastered their bodies' shaking and got into battle-ready stances. Their fists shot out far faster and with more strength than before, causing both of them to gape at themselves in surprise.

Their constitution and senses had all been enhanced, and their stamina recharged to some extent. Otherwise, they should have been unable to muster up any strength after the traumatic experience they had just suffered.

Zhang Lie nodded: Jun Jiuxiao and Ye Xianchen had both broken through successfully. Of the other sixty or so children, fifty had also broken through, a startlingly high success rate.

"If you didn't break through just yet, don't worry—you'll still have another chance. However, those among you who cried out asking to leave the dojo during the trial are no longer welcome here. Leave at once," he commanded, his voice turning from gentle warmth to icy coolness.

"Dojo Leader, please, I was simply so frightened! Please don't chase me out!" several of the children wheedled, but Zhang Lie ignored them all. He motioned for Sun Mengmeng to herd them out.

"Fang Yi, I'll leave the other disciples to you. Those who have broken through, follow me!" Zhang Lie instructed.

Fang Yi led the remaining disciples into another trial, one that would challenge their minds and bodies—though in a different manner. The remaining disciples, all exultant at having succeeded in their first trial, followed Zhang Lie happily.

Now that they had successfully entered the Zenith Dojo as official disciples, their lives would surely change for the better.

"Behind this door lies the full set of techniques the Zenith Dojo has to offer to its disciples. However, before we head inside, I want to ask you all a question: have you ever considered your future?" Zhang Lie paused before a thick robotic door.

Jun Jiuxiao's eyes gleamed. His palms shook with anxiety and excitement.

"I want to become an existence like you, Dojo Leader," he began.

"I want to marshal my fate!" Ye Xianchen continued.

"Me too! I want to become strong!" Wu Wei and the others piped up, clenching their fists.

Young and inexperienced though they might be, their tone was resolute, their will unwavering. Zhang Lie saw a sea of expectant faces staring firmly in his direction.

For a moment, he thought he saw himself reflected in their gaze, the past him who had slowly crawled his way up from the slums. Despite his youth, he was already firmly aware of the darkness that the world held in store for those like him. His experience in his youth had given him the firm resolve he needed to walk further and further down the path to cultivation; for these children, it might have been much the same.

"Very good," Zhang Lie said. "I'm looking forward to your future accomplishments."

"Dojo Leader, I want to become your disciple!" Jun Jiuxiao suddenly shouted out loud.

"Oh? But you are."

"Really?"

"Of course!"

"No, no, that's not what I mean, Dojo Leader! I—"

"You want to be my apprentice?"

Jun Jiuxiao, Ye Xianchen, Wu Wei, and the others all kept their eyes focused on Zhang Lie's face, straining their ears to make sure they caught every syllable of what he was going to say next.

"I'll consider it, as long as you meet my qualifications," he continued.

In truth, not even the members of Team Zenith could be considered his apprentices. They were his teammates, more equals than disciples, but ones to whom he would occasionally give pointers. And all the children gathered here were disciples of the dojo, but none were at the point where they could be called his apprentices.

He was quite interested in Jun Jiuxiao's initiative.

"Dojo Leader, may I ask what these qualifications are?" Jun Jiuxiao pressed.

"Simple enough: once you choose an appropriate framework for yourself, head into the dimensional world. Within a month, kill ten basic lifeforms on your own. Everyone who meets these requirements will be eligible to become my apprentices," Zhang Lie promised.

The children all drew a breath. The dimensional world was a lawless realm, dangerous and bloody—and they were no more than thirteen- or fourteen-year-olds! There were still a few years before they would have been forced to enter the dimensional world for the first time, and Zhang Lie's trial was overly difficult for them.

After all, the first time anyone entered the dimensional world, they wouldn't be able to choose to which settlement they were sent. As a result, they couldn't even count on anyone or anything for protection.

Upon hearing the requirements for the trial, Jun Jiuxiao and Ye Xianchen blanched. As expected, it would be a difficult task indeed to become one of Zhang Lie's apprentices. However, wasn't it worth the risk? Zhang Lie, the Dragonwolf, had been the first to discover the existence of limit fragments, and if he could become one of his apprentices...

"I'm willing to take the trial!" Just as Zhang Lie was about to shake his head, thinking that Jun Jiuxiao had asked the question merely on a whim, Jun Jiuxiao responded in the affirmative.