A senior examiner with the strength of a [Bronze Rank · 8-Star] complained helplessly to the middle-aged man sitting in the main seat, who was clad in black tactical armor.

  This middle-aged man was none other than one of the ten strongest individuals in Silver Moon City—Raymond!

  Not only was he the Director of the Professional Certification Department, but he was also a terrifying existence at [Silver Rank · 2-Star]!

  "True enough. But in Certification Hall No. 3, there's Julian—the number one genius who got into the Imperial Key Academy last year. He made a special trip back to Silver Moon City just for this certification, intending to show off in front of the hometown crowd. Rumor has it his base strength is already approaching 1,600 kilograms. Maybe he'll give us a little surprise."

  However, hearing his subordinate’s complaint, Raymond narrowed his eyes slightly and spoke slowly.

  His gaze was fixed on the surveillance feed of Hall 3, where a spirited young man was undergoing assessment.

  "Oh right! Julian is the most outstanding talent from the 1st Prep Academy in fifteen years. His aptitude rating will definitely reach [Elite Grade]. If he can make a run for the C-Class [Genius Grade] rating, our branch's KPI for this year will be met!"

  "It’ll be tough. His talent is good, but to get the [Genius Grade] certification, you need to awaken a combat Talent of Tier C or higher, or have a base strength of 3,000 kilograms at his age. Unfortunately, he hasn't awakened a powerful Talent. Even with War Art bursts, he's still quite far from that 3,000-kilo threshold."

  "Sigh, even just an Elite Grade would be great!"

  ...

  The dozen or so examiners in the department buzzed with discussion, pinning high hopes on Julian.

  BOOM-RUMBLE!!!

  Just then, as the teenager in Hall 3 slammed a heavy punch into the target, everyone in the surveillance room looked over with anticipation.

  [Alert]: High-Energy Reaction Detected! A candidate's explosive force has exceeded the upper limit of the Basic Testing Apparatus! Immediate attention required!

  But the next moment, a piercing red alarm left everyone stunned!

  They all looked at Hall 3 in disbelief. Even the usually composed Raymond widened his eyes, his face a mask of incredulity.

  "My God! Over 4,000 kilograms of explosive force at sixteen?! How is that possible!?"

  Raymond felt breathless!

  Did Julian really hide such terrifying strength? Previous intel said he had just reached 1,600 kilograms. Was the kid sandbagging all along?

  In that moment, everyone looked at each other, waves of shock crashing in their hearts.

  "Is Silver Moon City really about to birth a super-monster with an official [Genius Grade] certification!?"

  The thought surfaced in everyone's mind. Before, they only dared to dream about it, but now the facts seemed to be right in front of them. This was no small matter!

  [System Alert]: Please request the Director of the Certification Department to conduct a preliminary qualification review of the candidate with 'Over-Limit Explosive Force' in Hall No. 8 and report immediately to the Guild Master of the Silver Moon City Branch!

  However, another cold electronic voice ruthlessly shattered everyone's fantasy.

  "Hall No. 8? Damn it, so it wasn't Julian!?"

  "F*ck! Looks like it's another cowardly old geezer who trained for decades before daring to join the rookie certification!"

  "Look, Julian's data is out too. Explosive force: 2,200 kilograms. Looks like he trained a [Tier 1 · Mid-Grade] War Art to Proficient level, boosting his combat power by 30%! Unfortunately, that's still miles away from [Genius Grade]!! He barely counts as a [Mid-Tier Elite]; he can't even rate as a High-Tier Elite!"

  "Tch, got excited for nothing!!"

  ...

  The surrounding examiners deflated instantly, disappointment written all over their faces.

  Although Julian's results were far above average, compared to the mystery person who broke the machine, he instantly seemed lackluster.

  "A Mid-Tier Elite is still a decent seedling. Alright, I'll go evaluate the background of the guy who broke the machine. After dealing with this, I need to rush back for my old war buddy's daughter's birthday!"

  Raymond’s enthusiasm had been doused by the cold water of reality. He spoke with waning interest.

  Having said that, he used his Director's authority to pull up the detailed file of the candidate in Hall No. 8.

  Instantly, an encrypted file visible only to him floated on the holographic screen.

  "Lance? Graduated from the 37th Royal Preparatory Academy? A commoner school that can't even compare to the 1st Academy. Looks like this guy is at least fifty years old! His potential for this life is probably capped."

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  Seeing the name and the school on the first line, Raymond lost interest in reading further.

  Resigned, and adhering to the principle of doing his job, he patiently scanned down.

  However, the moment his eyes hit the third line—the "Age" column—it was as if he had been struck by lightning. His pupils contracted violently, and a look of sheer disbelief washed over his face.

  "Fif... Fifteen?! He's only fifteen?! How is that possible!?"

  An uncontrolled exclamation burst from his lips. The shout instantly stunned the examiners who were slacking off around him.

  Fifteen?! Who was the Director saying was fifteen?! Julian!? No, the file showed Julian was already sixteen.

  "Holy sh*t! Could it be!?"

  Suddenly, everyone jolted, an absurd yet undeniably real conjecture popping into their minds simultaneously.

  "You guys watch this. Lock down the information! I need to go find the Guild Master immediately!!"

  At that moment, Raymond abruptly closed Lance’s data interface. With a grave expression, he barked orders at his subordinates.

  Without hesitation, he stormed out of the surveillance room like a gale!

  Finally, everyone around realized what had happened—the monster in Hall No. 8 who blew up the machine was really only fifteen years old!

  They hurriedly fixed their eyes on the surveillance feed of Hall No. 8.

  Under their intense, almost predatory gazes, a teenager in a cheap tracksuit slowly walked out of the smoke-filled testing hall.

  And this teenager looked even younger and greener than Julian.

  "Damn it, why is this thing's quality so trash? One punch and it exploded? The Guild won't make me pay for this, right? Even the lowest-spec model of these military-grade solid testers costs tens of thousands of Credits!"

  Lance looked at the smoking machine behind him, feeling a little guilty.

  After blowing up the punch target, Lance speechlessly completed the remaining speed and durability tests, then walked out of the testing pod with a calm expression.

  Unsurprisingly, all his stats met the assessment standards. He had secured his ticket to the next round: the Live Combat Assessment.

  That punch had registered a destructive force of a full 4,000 kilograms.

  This was a delightful surprise for Lance. He had only used 1,000 kilograms of base strength, yet he produced four times the damage!

  This meant that [Titanium Collapse Fist], a technique from the [Titanium War Art] which he had trained to [Perfect] proficiency, provided a 400% attack bonus on its own. If he added the active boost from the [Titanium War Body] and the attribute modifiers from his [Undying God-Body], a full-power punch from him right now could easily crush a veteran [Bronze Rank · 2 or 3-Star] warrior like squashing an ant!

  That was jumping multiple star levels in combat power!

  Thinking about it, Lance felt a sense of unreality.

  "The System's Exploit Patching function is practically a divine skill!"

  Lance could only silently marvel at the System's power.

  A fourfold increase in base combat power was already terrifying, not to mention the trump cards he hadn't even used yet!

  "Hiss! It's that kid! That rookie just blew up a military-grade testing machine! What kind of monster is he!?"

  "Rumor has it those heavy-duty testers can withstand at least 4,000 kilograms of impact before failing. Does he have a base strength of 3,000 kilos?"

  "Impossible! Even with 3,000 kilos of base strength, you'd need a mid-tier War Art at [Expert] proficiency to deal that kind of damage!"

  ...

  As Lance walked out of the pod, the surrounding prospective Professionals stared at him like he was an alien, their whispers rising and falling in waves.

  "What the f*ck! Lance, I didn't expect you to be this fierce!"

  Marcus squeezed through the crowd, looking excited. He laughed as he walked toward Lance, eyeing him like a rare treasure.

  " Marcus, you passed too?"

  Lance smiled and greeted him. His unruffled attitude instantly calmed Marcus's anxious nerves.

  "Haha, although I've failed the live combat assessment a bunch of times, I could pass this basic physical test with my eyes closed years ago."

  Marcus grinned, revealing a set of pearly white teeth.

  "Damn it, when did that old slicker Marcus latch onto such a genius!?"

  "F*ck, looks like his certification is in the bag this time!"

  "For real. With a monster like that looking out for him, even just a little help in the live combat round would make passing a breeze!"

  ...

  Their friendly interaction naturally drew envious and jealous glares from the surrounding crowd.

  [System Announcement]: All personnel who failed the Phase 1 Basic Physical Test, please exit through the side doors immediately! All qualified personnel, proceed to the Phase 2 Live Combat Assembly Area at once!!

  The cold electronic voice echoed through the hall again.

  About forty percent of the candidates hung their heads and left through the side doors upon hearing the ruthless judgment.

  Although they barely met the threshold for [Bronze Rank · 1-Star], in the official eyes, "pseudo-professionals" who failed basic physical standards were no different from ordinary people. At best, they could be high-level security guards or movers.

  As the failures departed, the remaining sixty percent of the elites were guided by staff through massive alloy blast doors into a gigantic domed hangar.

  A colossal armed transport ship, painted with the Awakened Guild's crest, sat quietly in the center of the landing pad.

  Lance looked around and saw hundreds of people emerging from ten different tunnels.

  These were the elites filtered from all the assessment halls.

  Scanning the crowd, Lance noticed that aside from one other teenager who looked about fifteen or sixteen, the rest were mostly adults in their twenties or older.

  HISS-CLANK!!!!

  The transport ship's heavy hydraulic ramp slowly lowered.

  A middle-aged man in black tactical armor, radiating a suffocating aura of power, walked out slowly, surrounded by a squad of fully armed elite guards.

  The moment they saw him, everyone present was shocked.

  "Director Raymond! Lord Raymond is leading the team personally!?"

  "Legend has it Lord Raymond is the highest officer of the Silver Moon City Certification Department. I didn't expect him to come out himself! Is it for that Julian guy?"

  "Definitely for Julian! That kid is the brightest genius from the 1st Prep Academy in years, hailed as the 'Star of the Future.' It's only natural for Lord Raymond to value him!"

  ...

  Recognizing Raymond, the crowd buzzed with speculation about why such a big shot was here. When someone mentioned Julian was also in this batch, everyone seemed to find a reasonable explanation.

  However, only those who had witnessed Lance destroy the machine in Hall 8 wore strange expressions, all turning their eyes to Lance in unison.

  Given Lance's terrifying display of power and his absurdly young age, that so-called "genius" Julian probably wasn't even fit to carry his shoes. So even if Raymond came specifically for someone, it was definitely for Lance. Julian was, at best, a throw-in.

  "Silence! The content of this Professional Certification Assessment has been transmitted to your personal terminals via an encrypted channel. Furthermore, the assessment details are Top Secret. Leaking them is strictly prohibited. Violators will be wanted globally by the Guild!"

  An adjutant with [Bronze Rank · 5-Star] strength stepped forward from behind Raymond and shouted sternly.

  After speaking, he turned to Raymond, awaiting instructions.

  "Board the ship. Prepare for departure!"

  Raymond’s sharp gaze swept across the crowd, lingering on Lance for a moment before he coldly issued the order.

  Without another word, he turned and strode into the transport ship.

  "What the f*ck! Lance, Lord Raymond looked at you just now! Looks like he really came for you!"

  Marcus naturally caught that meaningful glance and excitedly bumped Lance’s shoulder.

  "Uh... as long as they don't make me pay for that busted testing machine," Lance shrugged, joking half-heartedly while silently calculating his next moves.