Chen Feng fully expected Justin to retaliate, but upon reaching the "Rookie Barracks," he found no one waiting for him.

Yet, he couldn't believe someone like Justin would suddenly show mercy, so he remained secretly vigilant, constantly sweeping the air with his spiritual sense, guarding against any assassination attempt.

By the time Chen Feng arrived at the "Rookie Barracks," he was already feeling mentally drained.

What he couldn't fathom, no matter how hard he thought, was that merely a single sentence from the Seventh Prince had completely extinguished Justin's desire for revenge—and the most crucial part of that sentence related to the incident involving the pterodactyl swarm he had led...

"To enter, you must first pass an assessment and then collectively pay the registration fee," Judy announced, reading the posted notice outside the Rookie Barracks.

Chen Feng saw it too and nodded. "If anyone could just walk in without assessment, this place would have been packed ages ago."

Though the "Rookie Barracks" was grand, it had its limits. To save costs and minimize the rounds of competition, the required assessment was necessary to secure lodging.

The trio entered the gate, and a young maiden stepped forward to greet them.

"You've come for the Rookie Tournament too, haven't you?" Although her looks paled in comparison to Judy's, her voice was quite sweet.

Brent instantly perked up upon seeing the girl, puffing out his chest and nodding firmly, "We have."

The maiden chuckled at Brent’s affected posture, then curtsied, pointing with her right hand. "Please follow me this way; you must undergo the assessment first."

"What kind of assessment is it? Can you give us a hint beforehand?" Brent asked with a flattering smile.

"Fighters are tested on strength. Mages are tested on magical power," the maiden replied sweetly.

"How is it tested?" This time, Chen Feng spoke up.

The maiden smiled again, glancing at Chen Feng's strikingly unusual attire. "Are you heading to the Fighter section or the Mage section?"

"Are there different sections?"

"Lodging is unified. The assessment requires sections. If you are a fighter, please go to my left. If you are a mage, please go to my right," the maiden explained.

"We are all fighters. Please lead us to the fighter area," Judy interjected quickly, fearing Brent would continue to engage the maiden.

The maiden bowed and led the way.

It was a long corridor; after two turns, they saw a noisy, long queue in the distance.

"Are all those people here for the assessment?" Brent asked in surprise.

The maiden nodded. "Since the Rookie Selection Tournament is approaching, talents from across the Empire have gathered. We assess hundreds daily, and this is the location for the first round."

The trio felt a dizzy spell looking at the line stretching dozens of meters ahead. If they had to wait for all those people, would they even get a chance to sleep?

The maiden sensed their apprehension, a smile playing on her lips. "No need to worry. The first round is very simple. There is a magic wall ahead. You just need to strike it with one punch, and a set of numbers displaying your punch's force will appear at the top of the wall. If the number exceeds 1000, you pass the first round."

The three understood and nodded in succession.

After explaining the process and arranging their queuing order, the maiden bowed and left to welcome new arrivals.

Brent noticed several burly men standing before the magic wall not far ahead.

"Hoo..." A large man swung his fist, creating a strong whistle in the air, and roared fiercely before smashing it into the magic wall.

The magic wall seemed to shake, and wave-like ripples emanated from the point of impact.

"1024, Pass!" A voice sounded from behind the magic wall.

The big man grinned. "Damn, this thing is harder to smash than it looks... I used all my strength and only just cleared a thousand." He shook his head and walked toward a side door nearby.

"So it's that simple," Chen Feng mused inwardly, slowly approaching the magic wall behind the crowd.

"Huh?" A strong man ahead of Chen Feng turned and glanced at him. "You’re here for the assessment too?"

Chen Feng nodded.

"With a frame as thin as yours, you might as well turn back. Did you see that big fellow just now? His punch was over a thousand pounds of force, and he barely squeaked by. Looking at how frail you are, you definitely won't make it," the strong man offered with 'good intentions.'

Chen Feng's body was slightly slender. Over the past six months, his growth from practicing the Cyclone Force had caused him to shoot up from about 1.7 meters to 1.8 meters. This rapid growth, combined with his slightly pale complexion, gave him an almost malnourished appearance.

"No need, I just want to try," Chen Feng replied calmly, not wanting conflict with this type of person.

The strong man shook his head, about to say something more, when a sudden commotion erupted in the crowd ahead.

A giant, standing nearly three meters tall, walked up to the magic wall.

"Ah... It's Joseph, the number one strongman in the Imperial City! Why is he here too!" someone in the excited crowd exclaimed.

"Joseph is only 25 this year, so he's exactly the right age. Of course he can come," another person said enviously, looking at the imposing figure standing before the magic wall.

"I heard he has already cultivated to the 7th Level Fighter rank. Is that true?" someone asked.

"It must be true. Last time, the 8th Level Fighter, Ronte, fought him and was turned into pulp with a single punch. It couldn't have been done without the cultivation of a 7th Level Fighter," praised one person who seemed well-informed.

"Joseph..." The strong man in front of Chen Feng also looked on with admiration.

"Is that guy really that strong?" Brent, standing behind Chen Feng, interjected.

"Of course he is. Rumor has it he has the bloodline of the Southern Behemoth, possessing endless monstrous strength. When he was only a 3rd Level Fighter, he could kill 5th Level Fighters. Now that he’s 7th Level, he must be even stronger. If I'm guessing right, he will definitely be in the top five of this competition," the strong man said.

"Boom..." A tremendous sound echoed. The water-like ripples on the magic wall vibrated violently, as if the entire structure was about to collapse.

"12400, Pass!" The voice behind the magic wall boomed.

"Good heavens, over ten thousand! That’s incredible. This assessment has been running for over a month, and the highest score before was just over 7000. I didn't expect Joseph to hit 12400 on his first try. The Imperial City's number one strongman truly lives up to his name," the strong man ahead of Chen Feng marveled.

Joseph, standing before the magic wall, frowned at the displayed score; he seemed somewhat dissatisfied with the result and turned to enter the smaller door for the second assessment.

Since everyone struck the wall once, the process moved quickly. However, aside from one person who scored slightly over 3000, almost everyone else hovered within the 2000 range, with most failing outright for not reaching 1000 points.

Soon, Chen Feng and his companions reached the front of the magic wall. The strong man right before him had struck exactly 1000 points.

"What a close call!" The strong man exhaled, turning to Chen Feng with lingering anxiety. "Just passed. I was lucky." He then smugly added, "But strength accounts for a huge part of it. You’re so frail; I think you're in trouble."

He didn't hurry off, wanting to watch Chen Feng get eliminated.

Chen Feng smiled faintly, a hint of unseen sarcasm flickering across his cold face. He slowly walked up to the magic wall, didn't gather any momentum, and casually threw a punch.

"Heh, looks like he’s given up already, seeing he’s not even trying to gather force!" the strong man muttered from the side, assuming Chen Feng was conceding defeat.

Everyone who intended to pass the assessment gathered their power before striking. Even Joseph, the Imperial City's strongest, had paused for two seconds to brace himself. If this thin young man could pass with such a casual punch that didn't even look where it was going, everyone could probably pass.

"If you can pass with that, I shouldn't have had to try so hard..." the strong man chuckled, but then his eyes snapped to the score displayed on the magic wall. Upon seeing the number, his eyes immediately filled with disbelief.

"This... impossible..." The strong man rubbed his eyes, his shock impossible to mask.

"59800... How is this possible?" A voice from behind the magic wall also exclaimed in undisguised astonishment.

Hearing such a score, the crowd behind Chen Feng gasped audibly; this result was too earth-shattering, and no one dared to believe it (during Chen Feng's waiting time, more people had joined the queue behind him).

"Who threw that punch just now?" As everyone was reeling from Chen Feng's score, an old man rushed out from behind the magic wall and shouted loudly. Upon shouting, he saw Chen Feng standing before the wall.

"It was you..." The old man looked at Chen Feng’s slight frame, clearly disbelieving.

"It was me," Chen Feng replied with a slight, wry smile. It seemed he hadn't held back enough power; he had used too much force.

'Using that much power would naturally draw attention. This old man probably wants me to pass directly without taking the assessment,' Chen Feng thought.

But before he could finish his thought, he heard the old man explode with curses: "Damn it... This magic wall that I and several old friends painstakingly set up has been smashed by your single punch! You will pay for..."

"..." Chen Feng.

Only then did everyone look at the wall, which was as smooth as glass. Indeed, where Chen Feng's fist had landed, fine cracks were spreading out like a spiderweb across the surface of the magic wall.

"A wall formed by converging magic elements can actually shatter?" Chen Feng stared at the cracks ahead, finding it unbelievable.

"Nonsense! If the force is too great, cracks will naturally appear!" the old man snapped irritably. He grabbed Chen Feng's sleeve and commanded, "Kid, come with me." He turned and strode toward the inner side of the small door, shouting as he walked, "The magic wall is broken! Today's testing is canceled! Everyone will stay in the Rookie Barracks for now, and we’ll resume testing tomorrow night!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he had already pulled Chen Feng inside the small door.

ps: Four chapters today. Old Ya is almost dead from exhaustion. Old Ya has a day job, and I'm still at an internet cafe right now, sweating... My computer hasn't been fixed yet, and the person who was supposed to buy me a fan hasn't delivered the item. I'm going crazy. Every time I enter an internet cafe, I feel like throwing up... I got sick from overworking last time, but even if I get sick again this time, Old Ya will strive to update! Everyone, please give me your monthly votes. Seeing others gain dozens a day while I only get a few, or none at all, pains my heart... (To be continued, for future developments, please visit www**com for more chapters, supporting the author and legitimate reading!)