6: Qualification Survey

September 1st, early morning.

District Seven of Whirlpool City was like a pond into which a massive boulder had been thrown, suddenly boiling over.

An almost tangible sense of expectation and anxiety permeated the air, overpowering the usual smell of industrial exhaust.

Countless parents led their children—those who had just turned five or were about to turn six—emerging from the web-like alleys of the shantytowns and the honeycomb-like low-rent apartment units, merging into a massive, silent human tide moving slowly toward the District Seven Public Testing Center.

Today was the Federation's legally mandated Minor Aptitude Census Day.

For countless families like Chen Jun's, this was no holiday; it was a fate-deciding "trial."

The child's future, the family's hope, and even whether the parents' hardships in the latter half of their lives would be worth it would all be preliminary adjudicated today.

Chen Jun hadn't slept all night.

His eye sockets were sunken, and his eyeballs were bloodshot.

He had put on his only grey work uniform without patches and carefully, even somewhat clumsily, combed his eldest daughter Chen Xi's hair, tying two slightly loose but clean little braids.

Xi Xi seemed to sense the unusual atmosphere and was uncharacteristically quiet, wearing a small dress that was faded from washing but neat, her small hand tightly clutching her father's thumb, which was as rough as sandpaper.

Lin Wei held three-year-old Xiao Lu and led four-year-old Yao Yao, her eyes a mix of endless anticipation and unconcealable tension.

Li Goudan had also specifically taken half a day off and rushed over early in the morning, slapping Chen Jun hard on the shoulder and shouting in his characteristic loud voice:

"Brother Jun! Sister-in-law! Relax! Today is just going through the motions! Our Xi Xi will definitely scare them to death the moment she shows up!"

He tried to dispel the heaviness in the air with exaggerated optimism, but a trace of hard-to-detect tension was also hidden in the depths of his own eyes.

The entrance to the testing center was already a sea of people. Parents and children of all sorts formed a winding, long dragon of a queue, nearly blocking the nearby streets.

The noisy discussions, the cries of children out of fear or impatience, the gentle yet unquestionable electronic prompts from the Federation Security Robots maintaining order...

All sorts of sounds mixed together, forming a strange, unsettling background noise.

"Quiet! All parents please remain quiet! Keep a close eye on your children! Enter the preliminary testing hall in order according to the numbers displayed on the light screens! Repeat, do not crowd! Observe order!"

A staff member wearing the standard blue jacket of the Federation's Civil Affairs Department stood on a high point, shouting hoarsely into a megaphone, but his voice was quickly swallowed by the larger wave of human voices.

Chen Jun tightly clutched the thin electronic card in his hand printed with the number "91197" as if he were holding a red-hot branding iron; the cold sweat from his palm almost soaked the card.

The surrounding parents were engaged in all sorts of discussions.

"Old Zhang, how's it going? Nervous? Your boy usually performs so well; he took first place in the community fun fitness competition last time, and the affinity pre-test said he's B-rank? My god, B-rank! He'll be at least a War General Rank figure in the future!"

A man wearing a semi-new leather jacket said to another slightly plump man beside him, his tone full of envy; pre-tests were a privilege only the wealthy had.

The man called Old Zhang couldn't help but show a trace of pride on his face, but he quickly reined it in and waved his hand, saying:

"Oh, Old Wang, don't say that! Those pre-tests aren't reliable; the margin of error is huge! How can B-rank be that easy? I only hope he's a solid C-rank, so he can steadily Breakthrough to 'Warrior Rank' in the future and maybe get into the 'Federation Public Security Force' or the security department of some large enterprise; then I'll be satisfied! War General Rank? That's something you only dare think about with A-rank Aptitude or higher! For us ordinary people, becoming a 'Warrior' is changing our fate!"

"True, true,"

A mother nearby who looked like an intellectual pushed up her glasses and picked up the conversation, analyzing in a low voice to her anxious-looking husband,

"The Federation's Cultivation System is extremely strict. These nine stages of the 'Apprentice Level' may seem like just one Realm, but in reality, they are worlds apart. 'Warrior Rank' is the foundation, the cornerstone of the Federation's armed forces; they are the most numerous, and the treatment is fairly stable, but the upward path is narrow."

She paused and lowered her voice even further:

"Once you reach 'War General Rank,' that's when you truly step into the elite class! Energy can leave the body, and you can serve as a squad leader, Advanced guard, or even the backbone of some special departments. Income and social status are a whole level higher than the Warrior Rank! As for 'War God Level'..."

She shook her head, a trace of awe in her tone.

"That's a truly big figure! A regional tycoon! They can fly short distances with their Physical Body, live for a thousand years, and possess extremely high authority and resource allocation capabilities. I heard Advanced War Gods can even withstand small ship-borne energy cannons! They are strategic-level existences! Every one of them is a precious treasure of the Federation. If our child can even touch the edge of the War General Rank, I'd consider it a blessing from our ancestors!"

This clear analysis resonated with a small circle of surrounding parents, who nodded one after another.

"So true! The key is the first step—whether you can cross it!"

A father with a worried face sighed,

"This damn 'Universal Energy Affinity' is like a natural chasm! My girl's pre-test was only E-rank... E-rank! That means it's almost impossible for her to condense an 'Acquired Martial Body' on her own and Breakthrough to the Warrior Rank! In the future, her best path might be to go to an ordinary vocational high school and then enter a factory as a technician, or... sigh!"

He sighed heavily, unable to go on.

Another mother immediately comforted him with empathy:

"Don't lose heart! E-rank isn't completely hopeless! I heard that as long as one is willing to put in hard work and with the family's resources tilted toward them, buying some Advanced nutrients or even... even those 'gene therapies' on the black market that are said to slightly improve affinity (though the Federation strictly forbids them and the risk is huge), maybe there's a slim chance to barely Breakthrough to the Warrior Rank?"

"How much would that cost? Even bankrupting the family wouldn't be enough! And the success rate is pitifully low!"

Someone immediately retorted,

"If you ask me, for F-rank and E-rank, just accept your fate! It's also fine to be a Mortal and live a peaceful life. The Federation's welfare is good now; you won't starve to death."

"You can't say that!"

A grandfather who looked like an old-school Martial Artist spoke up in a sonorous voice; a sturdy little boy stood beside him,

"Affinity determines the floor and the ceiling! It's the 'entry ticket'! It's like building a house: F-rank and E-rank might not even be able to lay a solid foundation; D-rank is like having a shallow foundation—whether you can build it up depends on luck; C-rank and B-rank foundations are solid, at least enough to build a bungalow (Warrior Rank) or a small building (War General Rank); A-rank and S-rank, those come with the foundation for a skyscraper! As long as they aren't lazy, their future achievements will never be low!"

He patted his grandson's head, his eyes burning:

"As for SS-rank or even SSS-rank... those are legends! Born divine! It's said that such existences, even if thrown into the wild mountains, can naturally condense an 'Acquired Martial Body' and become an Elementary War God upon reaching adulthood just by instinctively absorbing universal energy! They are to be nurtured as the Federation's ultimate strategic forces! They are destined to stand above the clouds from birth!"

This vivid analogy caused a low wave of exclamations and discussions among the surrounding crowd.

"SSS-rank? In a place like our District Seven, it's already incredible if one A-rank appears in decades!"

"Yeah, I heard an S-rank girl appeared in the Central District last month; it directly alerted the high-level officials of the Planetary Defense Force, and she was taken away that very day. The whole family went along to enjoy the good life!"

"Comparison is the thief of joy..."

...

Listening to the discussions around him, Li Goudan couldn't help but nudge Chen Jun again, whispering excitedly:

"Brother Jun! Our Xi Xi will definitely be fine! Look at her strength, her spirit—she's definitely more amazing than what they're saying!"

Chen Jun's throat was so dry he couldn't make a sound; he could only nod heavily.

His heart was pounding, and his blood was racing.

They were still discussing affinity...

Still arguing over whether C-rank or B-rank had a better future...

They had no idea that Xi Xi... she wasn't in this System at all!

She had an 'Innate Martial Body'!

A monster who directly surpassed all of this! A super Genius!

This secret burned in his chest like a ball of scorching fire, almost igniting him. It brought both unparalleled ecstasy and anticipation, as well as an apprehension bordering on fear:

What if, what if the System made a mistake? What if that prompt was fake?

Just then, a sudden commotion came from the front of the line, mixed with exclamations and cries. A mother sat slumped on the ground, holding a dazed little boy in her arms, crying heart-wrenchingly:

"Impossible! How can it be F-rank! The instrument must be broken! My child exercises every day, he works so hard... how can it be F-rank! Won't you give even a sliver of hope?!"

The nearby staff member was expressionless, merely recording mechanically before signaling the security robot to lead the mother and son to the side so as not to block the passage.

That mother's despairing cries were like a cold awl, piercing the last bit of wishful thinking in the hearts of many parents present.

Reality was just that cruel.

Affinity F-rank and E-rank were almost a death sentence for the path of Cultivation.

D-rank was a straw at the edge of a cliff, C-rank and B-rank were rugged but visible mountain paths, A-rank and S-rank were flat and wide expressways, and SS-rank and above...

Those were the legendary rockets that went straight to the heavens!

The queue moved forward slowly and silently; every step forward meant being one step closer to judgment.

Every time a child came out of the preliminary testing area, they would instantly be surrounded by parents—some ecstatic, some lamenting, some numb; all aspects of the human condition were played out vividly here.

"C-rank! It's C-rank! Son! Good job! We can get into the Warrior Academy!"

"...D-rank... sigh, it's okay, it's okay, at least there's a ray of hope..."

"F-rank... sob sob... why..."

"B-rank?! Honey! Did you hear that? B-rank! Our son is B-rank! Oh my god!"

...

All sorts of voices bombarded Chen Jun's eardrums like a tide. Li Goudan stopped talking as well, just nervously rubbing his hands and occasionally standing on tiptoe to look ahead. Lin Wei's face grew paler and paler, her arms holding her youngest daughter trembling slightly.

"District Seven! Number 91197! Family of Chen Xi! Please proceed to Preliminary Testing Station 356!" The synthesized electronic voice rang out clearly, like a court summons.

Hearing this voice, Chen Jun felt like his heart was about to jump out of his throat.

Chen Jun gave a sudden jolt, took a deep breath of air that seemed to taste of rust, and tightly gripped his daughter's small hand.

"Xi Xi, don't be afraid, follow Daddy."

His voice was terribly raspy. Li Goudan gave him a hard push:

"Brother Jun! Go for it! Xi Xi, good luck!"

Lin Wei urged with a tearful voice:

"Xi Xi, be good..."

Chen Jun no longer hesitated. Leading the ignorant yet exceptionally calm Chen Xi, he walked step by step, as if toward the stand of fate's judgment, merging into the bright but cold light of the preliminary testing hall.

Behind him were countless gazes mixed with curiosity and numbness.