A crowd of onlookers stared, dumbfounded, at Zhao Ergou, who had been inexplicably thrown onto the arena floor. Ren Yuanhao had already received his new, 'C-class' work badge from the evaluators and strode away.
His back was forlorn and desolate, as if knocking down a man of completely unequal strength brought him no joy.
A back is always something to be admired.
"Ouch, holy crap!"
Ren Yuanhao was strutting forward, his mind completely occupied by the theme music of a gambling god, when he slipped on a banana peel someone had left and fell to the ground.
— Damn, smooth for only three seconds!
Ren Yuanhao, too lazy to turn his head and look at the onlookers whose impressions had been shattered by the stark contrast, continued his forlorn and desolate walk into another hall.
Speaking of which, Ren Yuanhao had now figured out the ranking system within 'Gray Wolf'.
When recruiting new members, everyone underwent a rigorous evaluation, starting from D-class and becoming increasingly strict as one moved up. The top tier was likely S-class, a rank perhaps equivalent to the 'Eight Kings'.
It was said that among the recruits that day, those who advanced quickly had already squeezed into the unimaginable A-class. At that level, they were considered to be priority trainees for 'Gray Wolf', enjoying both resources and wealth.
Therefore, Ren Yuanhao felt that being stuck at C-class was truly unreasonable. Little did he know that A-class was internally appointed, and those individuals had actually reported to 'Gray Wolf' days ago.
At this moment, as Ren Yuanhao stepped into the C-class evaluation hall, the staff had been replaced by stern-faced men in sleek black attire.
Various equipment to test human physiology was being upgraded. The most crucial test involved measuring the maximum force that the hands and feet could exert.
Ren Yuanhao watched with keen interest as over a dozen people lined up before the instrument.
"Don't rush, everyone. The most important parameter for remaining in C-class is whether you can exert 100 kilograms of force with a single punch. Your technique doesn't matter, but your running start must not exceed two meters. Violators will be kicked out."
The evaluator's voice was like a machine.
At this point, a rather short man spoke up, displeased, "I have a special talent. Can I have a slight exemption?"
The evaluator asked, "How special?"
The man snapped his fingers, retreated a dozen meters, then ran and leaped, executing a 720-degree spin before landing steadily.
The waiting recruits looked at him like he was an alien, and he seemed to be eagerly awaiting a response from the evaluator.
Unexpectedly, the expressionless evaluator simply replied, "I think you've come to the wrong place. The gymnastics team needs talent like you. Take him away."
Two black-clad staff members immediately grabbed the man by the armpits and tossed him out of the C-class area.
"Ah~"
A sound like an object falling from a great height suddenly erupted.
"Alright, I don't want to see any more attention-seeking individuals next time, understand?"
With the evaluator's command, over a dozen people bowed in unison.
Then, a man with a head shaped like a flattened, round snake slowly walked up to the force-testing apparatus. His biceps and triceps bulged like small hills. When they contracted, they were like arrows drawn taut on a bowstring. As they released, the force seemed to become tangible. The moment it hit the force meter, the numerical display instantly surpassed a hundred!
The crowd applauded, and the evaluator immediately announced in a cold tone, "114 kilograms, qualified, ranked 10th in C-class."
"Holy crap, only tenth with that much force? Bruce Lee only had 157 kilograms!"
"Kid, don't be so surprised. The people here are not normal, like me."
The man who spoke was like a giant rock. As he walked, his feet produced a heart-stopping 'thudding' sound.
He approached the force meter and, without any apparent exertion, struck it with lightning speed. The meter instantly emitted a crisp 'bang bang' sound!
"122 kilograms, qualified, ranked 8th in C-class."
The evaluator remained unfazed. At this point, someone finally asked with curiosity, "I wonder how much force the top-ranked person in C-class can exert?"
The evaluator pointed to the scrolling numbers on the large screen, "There, you can use it as a reference. As long as you make it into the top ten, your name will immediately appear on the screen."
"First place, Li Yan, single punch output 170 kilograms!"
"Holy crap? Truly a monster. That's enough to participate in professional boxing matches, isn't it?"
While everyone was astonished, Ren Yuanhao, chewing on a ripe street-vendor apple, approached with a swagger that acknowledged no one.
"Everyone, if you want to scream, go perform at a concert. This isn't a talent show; it's a monster selection."
Ren Yuanhao glanced at the scrolling numbers on the large screen with an arrogant air. It seemed he was prepared to push the 'Long Xiaotian' attribute to its extreme.
After all, according to his understanding, without reaching a certain level, not only would he be unable to approach the end goal, but he probably wouldn't even get to see the faces of high-ranking officials. He had to forcefully enter at least A-class with absolute strength.
— Mu Ziyue, I'll be able to find you soon.
A chilling glint flashed in Ren Yuanhao's eyes.
"Hey, kid, don't you know you can't eat here?"
"Exactly, don't understand the rules. How did this kid get in here? Could he have bought his spot?"
Ren Yuanhao ignored them. Just as everyone was about to 'attack', Ren Yuanhao casually tossed the apple core. The crowd felt a strong gust of wind brush past their cheeks, their hair being pulled into a straight line. With a 'bang', the apple core accurately struck the force-testing apparatus, instantly shattering into powder!
Immediately, the red light above the force meter lit up, and a mechanical female voice issued a warning: "Foul play. Do not use any auxiliary equipment. Do not use mechanical force for striking, to avoid equipment damage."
Upon hearing this, everyone's faces changed drastically. Even more terrifying was when the evaluator announced the number, everyone's legs went weak.
"Striking force 300 kilograms, first in C-class, immediate promotion."
The evaluator promptly replaced Ren Yuanhao's brand-new C-class badge with a B-class one. As Ren Yuanhao continued his swaggering walk to collect his badge, he suddenly noticed that the man's hand was trembling uncontrollably.
C-class was successfully passed. Ren Yuanhao walked out of the hall and into the B-class hall, but his legend remained in the C-class hall.
"Holy crap, evaluator, didn't that man just commit a foul!"
"Yeah, wasn't the limit two meters?"
"Exactly, that kid was at least five meters away. Is that considered passing?"
The evaluator coldly replied, "Kids, if you're not satisfied, grab an apple yourselves and hit it from five meters away with 50 kilograms of force. If you can do it, I'll admit defeat."
He paused for a moment, then looked disbelievingly at the shattered apple core, muttering to himself, "This is a true monster."