"The Ten Foundational Forms truly deserve their reputation. The Extreme Martial Hall has perfected this training method through years of refinement," Rowan thought, deeply impressed.

Without learning these foundational techniques, there was no way his speed could have improved so drastically in such a short time.

"Rowan, your speed has advanced a great deal. You're very close to becoming a quasi-warrior now!"

Instructor Wu finally spoke, having just come to terms with his own astonishment.

"It's all thanks to your guidance, Instructor Wu," Rowan replied sincerely.

"No, I only helped a little. The real credit goes to your own dedication and effort," Instructor Wu said with a broad smile.

Truthfully, all Instructor Wu had hoped for was a simple word of gratitude some goodwill for the future. Rowan's genuine thanks had fulfilled that wish.

And Rowan's humility, his complete lack of arrogance despite his achievements, made him even more likable.

"Rowan, from today forward, you're officially one of our senior trainees here at the martial hall. I'll inform Director Norris of your progress he'll likely want to guide you personally."

Instructor Wu grinned as he spoke.

In the entire city of Yangzhou, there was only one Extreme Martial Headquarters, but there were twelve local martial halls under it.

The leader of the Headquarters held the title of Chief Instructor.

The heads of each martial hall were referred to as Instructors.

In Yi'an District, the hall's lead instructor was a man named Norris.

Norris oversaw six teaching instructors Instructor Wu was one of them.

"Thank you, Instructor Wu," Rowan said gratefully.

Without wasting time, Instructor Wu led him straight to the Senior Trainee Building.

The layout was similar to the junior section large classrooms on the first and second floors, a combat training hall on the third but the senior building included an exclusive fourth floor, accessible only to certified warriors.

Instructor Wu brought Rowan up to the third-floor training hall.

Compared to the junior level, there were far fewer people here only eight or nine trainees were present.

This didn't mean there were only that many senior trainees in the entire district. In fact, Yi'an's senior trainees numbered over a hundred. Most of them, however, trained at home unless there were scheduled lectures.

Only those from modest backgrounds, without dedicated training rooms at home, came to the hall every day.

The ones present now clearly belonged to the latter group.

"Instructor Wu!"

Upon seeing Instructor Wu enter with a new face, all the trainees paused their routines. Curiosity flickered in their eyes as they greeted him respectfully.

"Hello, everyone," Instructor Wu replied. "This is Rowan, who just passed the senior trainee assessment. You'll be seeing more of him from now on."

"Hi, everyone," Rowan greeted politely.

"So young! Rowan, how old are you?"

The others couldn't help but ask. He had a handsome but youthful face, and his presence carried a maturity unusual for his age.

Instructor Wu's lips curved into a small, knowing smile.

"I'm sixteen," Rowan answered.

"What? Six...teen?"

The trainee who asked froze in place. The others were stunned as well.

"Holy crap! Madman, did you hear that? This kid's even more ridiculous than you! Sixteen and already a senior trainee! My brain just exploded!"

A brawny man, towering over 6'3" with a scar across his cheek, slapped his companion's shoulder in disbelief.

"Yeah, Madman, your record's been broken! Sixteen and already in the senior ranks insane!" another chimed in.

The young man they called "Madman" chuckled and scratched his head. "Come on, guys, don't throw my nickname around like that. Give me a little dignity in front of the new guy!"

Rowan looked toward this "Madman."

The young man wore a simple blue tracksuit, stood about 5'9", with a lean build and sharp, handsome features. His dark eyes were calm, steady there was something quietly magnetic about him.

"Hey there, I'm Luo Feng," he said with a friendly smile when he noticed Rowan looking his way.

Luo Feng.

Rowan felt a jolt in his chest.

He hadn't expected this. What an unexpected turn to meet Luo Feng in person today.

"Nice to meet you, Senior Luo," Rowan replied calmly.

Though Luo Feng was technically just a fellow senior trainee and currently still a high school junior Rowan knew that he would play a pivotal role in this world.

Their paths were bound to cross many times in the future.

Luo Feng, in turn, studied Rowan closely.

A sixteen-year-old senior trainee one year younger than himself. Intriguing.

From Rowan's appearance tall, upright, with distinctly Western features and an air of composure Luo Feng could tell he came from a privileged background.

He'd never seen Rowan at the hall before, suggesting Rowan didn't train here regularly.

To reach this level at such a young age, there were only two possibilities: either Rowan had an unusual condition like Luo Feng's own "headache syndrome," or he came from wealth and had access to top-tier resources.

Luo Feng guessed it was the latter.

Still, even with money, becoming a senior trainee at sixteen was no small feat it demanded real effort and willpower.

What impressed Luo Feng most was Rowan's demeanor. He showed none of the arrogance common among wealthy kids like Zhang Haobai.

That earned Luo Feng's respect.

Just as the two finished introducing themselves, the trainees all turned toward the stairwell.

"Director Norris."

"Instructor."

"Sir."

Everyone greeted in unison.

Rowan turned and saw a bald middle-aged man in black attire walking toward them.

It was clearly Norris, the director of the Yi'an District Extreme Martial Hall.

"Director Norris," Instructor Wu greeted him with a respectful nod, then turned to Rowan.

"Rowan, this is Norris, the lead instructor of our martial hall."

"Hello, Director Norris," Rowan said, bowing slightly.

"Ah, hello," Director Norris replied with a gentle smile. Then, turning to Instructor Wu, he asked, "Wu Kuan, you mentioned something urgent over the phone?"

So Instructor Wu's full name was Wu Kuan, Rowan noted mentally.

Wu Kuan stepped closer and whispered a few words in Norris's ear.

Director Norris's expression changed immediately. His gaze turned sharp as he looked Rowan up and down again.

"You're saying Rowan's punch strength reached 786 kg, and his speed is 19.3 meters per second? And he's only sixteen?"

Director Norris asked in disbelief.

Wu Kuan nodded seriously.

Director Norris drew in a sharp breath.

He hadn't spoken particularly softly everyone in the hall heard his words clearly.

And all of them every senior trainee froze in place, stunned.

Even Luo Feng.

Until now, they had assumed Rowan had barely passed the senior trainee threshold.

They never imagined he had surpassed it so thoroughly.

The minimum requirements for senior trainees were a punch strength of 600 kg and a speed of 15 m/s.

But Rowan?

786 kg and 19.3 m/s.

This wasn't just a senior trainee. This was someone who was practically already a quasi-warrior.

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