“My name is Duo Mi, and I will be leading you through the ‘Basic Physical Fitness Test’,” Duo Mi said as he led Brother Jue forward.

“Okay,” Feng Bujue replied.

“Before the test begins, I need to confirm something.” Duo Mi turned his head to look at Brother Jue. “The equipment you’re currently wearing… is that your standard equipment for hero activities?”

“More or less…” Feng Bujue replied.

“Hmm…” Duo Mi continued, “To ensure that the data obtained during the test doesn’t deviate too much from your actual hero activities, we generally recommend that everyone take the test in their equipment. Of course, if you need to, you can also change into lighter clothing; there are changing rooms over there.”

“No need,” Feng Bujue declined. “I don’t need to.”

Unless it was a special situation allowed by the system, players couldn’t change clothes in the script, so Brother Jue didn’t need to consider changing at all.

“Alright…” As he spoke, Duo Mi had already led Brother Jue to a corner of the arena, standing next to a ring-shaped machine. “Before we start, there’s some information I need to confirm with you.” He picked up the tablet in his hand and tapped it a few times. “According to the information fed back by the instrument when you passed through the ‘checkpoint,’ your basic biological information is—young adult male Earthling, homeothermic mammal, intolerant of vacuum environments, requires an oxygenated environment to maintain the respiratory system, adapts to gravity of approximately 2.3 *bengbeng*…”

“Uh…” Hearing this, Feng Bujue couldn’t help but interrupt. “Excuse me… what does ‘*bengbeng*’ refer to?”

“‘*Bengbeng*’ is a universal unit of gravitational measurement, named after the surname of the great cosmic physicist Professor Gravitiy *Bengbeng*.” Duo Mi seemed very patient when answering questions. He faced countless aliens from different galaxies and races every day, asking all sorts of questions, so he was used to it. “Among the known advanced cosmic civilizations, the vast majority grew up in gravitational environments of 1.3 to 3 *bengbeng*, so we usually use this range as the standard. You Earthlings are considered to be in the upper-middle range of physical fitness within the standard range.”

“Oh…” Feng Bujue listened to the other party’s narration with great interest, nodding in response like a humble student. He was most interested in this kind of world-building setting. Even setting aside the purpose of “gathering materials,” he was very happy to learn about these things.

“Alright, let’s confirm again…” Duo Mi quickly brought the topic back on track. “Are there any major deviations in the items I just mentioned? If so, please bring it up now to avoid injuries during the test.”

Although the data fed back from the “checkpoint” was accurate in 99% of cases, the staff would still confirm these matters with the hero himself again and again, because there had indeed been “test-related injuries” in the past.

“There are no problems,” Feng Bujue replied. “I can start at any time.”

“Then, now… please stand in the testing device.” Duo Mi raised his hand and gestured towards the ring-shaped device next to him.

The machine looked like a large metal tire without a tread, or rather, like a six-meter-diameter ring standing upright.

After Feng Bujue stepped inside, he immediately noticed something unusual. He immediately understood… within the range of this “ring,” there was a different level of gravity than outside.

“The first item will test your maximum and average running speed under one standard *bengbeng* of gravity. The test time is one cosmic hour (approximately five minutes). Please go all out from the start of the test and try not to slow down until the end, so that we can measure the best peak value and the truly stable average.” Duo Mi said, “You can use auxiliary items or activate special abilities during the test, but you cannot use transportation; also, please do not use flight or teleportation abilities, as they are not within the scope of this project’s test.” After saying that, he walked to the console next to the machine. “If there are no objections, I will start the device.”

“Okay.” After Feng Bujue said that, he had already adopted a starting posture.

*Buzzing—*

In the next second, a mechanical starting sound came, and an electronic voice immediately followed: “Program started, speed measurement ring countdown, five, four, three, two, one…”

*Bang—*

A burst of explosive sound, bringing out a wave of scarlet spirit radiance.

At the beginning of the test, Brother Jue used the [Spirit Gathering Technique - Modified] and sprinted with all his strength.

During the test, the speed measurement ring itself did not “rotate,” and the user’s position would not change. Once a person running in the ring started running, their feet would become like they were treading on air, looking like they were running on an “air treadmill,” but they would still have the feeling of “standing on solid ground.”

At this time, from outside the machine, Feng Bujue’s body was leaning forward, in a posture of frantic running, and the frequency of his legs and arms swinging had created afterimage effects in the eyes of most aliens with motion vision…

“Hmm?” Duo Mi looked at the soaring data on the control screen, his expression slightly changed. “This…” It seemed that Brother Jue’s performance greatly exceeded his expectations.

Even many heroes and staff members waiting nearby to do other tests were attracted by this Earthling in the corner.

“Hey, hey… is that really an Earthling?”

“Not sure, maybe he’s a hybrid of a human and a cheater alien.”

“Don’t underestimate Earthlings too much. Although the probability is very low, some of them are mutants who can withstand the effects of chemicals or special rays, and their physical fitness can reach the level of a galactic hero.”

“Hmm… it’s also possible that he’s a speed-type hero.”

“You’re all overthinking it… that must be a galactic-level senior trying to break the test record!”

And so… amidst the discussions of others, Feng Bujue completed this first test.

In the first minute, he had the Spirit Gathering Technique activated, but he stopped after a minute. After all, it cost 1% of his Survival Value per second, and it wasn’t worth risking his life for a test.

And in the next four minutes, his running speed was still not slow, because a “standard *bengbeng*” of gravity was relatively easy for humans, equivalent to more than half of our weight on Earth.

When Brother Jue came down from the speed measurement ring, Duo Mi’s tone of voice had changed: “Whoa! Poker Face, your performance is really good.” He thought he was a pretty indifferent guy, but he turned out to be a pretty normal (alien). “If your scores in other tests are also at this level, planetary-level… no, it’s possible to be rated as a galactic-level hero.”

“Hehe… I hope so,” Feng Bujue replied with a wry smile.

To be honest, Brother Jue really hoped that he could join the ranks of galactic-level heroes, otherwise he wouldn’t have waited until level fifty to return to this mode. He wouldn’t force himself to become a god-like existence like a “cosmic-level” hero for the time being, but if he wanted to have higher authority and freedom, and be able to participate in handling more incidents… the higher the hero level, the better.

“Well, then…” Duo Mi continued, “Please come with me, the second test is over here.”

…………

In the next hour and a half, Feng Bujue completed all the items of this “Basic Physical Fitness Test” with Duo Mi’s accompaniment.

Although there were quite a few items, things like the “jumping power test,” “physical technique destructive power test,” and “weightlifting test” were basically done in a minute. And things like the “reaction speed test,” “oppression test,” and “aerial movement test” … only took a few minutes.

In addition, there was almost no rest time between each item, and they were not allowed to take “nutrient solutions” or anything like that to replenish their physical strength. Because at the end of the test, the computer would assess the hero’s “endurance” and “recovery” based on the decline in physical strength in each item. If they used supplements or something, the data obtained would not be accurate.

In short, after Brother Jue played with all the equipment in the arena, most of his physical strength had been exhausted. But, the “Hero Level Test”… was far from over.

Next, he had to face the “written test.”

“Walk along this passage, and when you get to the written test venue, the staff there will continue to guide you.” Duo Mi sent Feng Bujue to the exit of the physical fitness test arena and pointed out the way for him.

“Okay,” Feng Bujue said.

“Good luck,” Duo Mi waved to Brother Jue.

“Well, thank you for your kind words.” Brother Jue said a few polite words to the other party, said goodbye, and then turned and walked away.

The written test venue was not far from here, and the connecting passage was only twenty-odd meters long, but a layer of force field was added to the passage. When Feng Bujue passed through the force field, he knew that this thing was used for “soundproofing.”

Waiting for Brother Jue here was a staff member who looked like a cactus. She was about one and a half meters tall, and her facial features were very “cartoonish.” Her whole body was cyan-green, spiky, with a barrel-shaped body, and three hands (presumably hands). Her lower body was connected to a mechanical flower pot with a levitation device.

Although no Earthling concepts of gender characteristics (breasts, hair, voice, etc.) could be seen on her, Feng Bujue judged from the style of the uniform (unquestionably a skirt) that she should be a female alien.

“Poker Face?” she asked when she saw Brother Jue.

“That’s me,” Feng Bujue replied.

“Your seat is number 213, go forward and turn left at the twenty-first row.” This person was too lazy to even give her name, and spoke in a commanding tone. “Take your seat yourself, and you can start answering the questions after you take your seat.”

“Uh…” Feng Bujue didn’t leave immediately. He still wanted to ask some details about answering the questions, such as how much time he had, the types of questions, the scoring criteria, and so on.

However…

“‘Uh’ what ‘uh’? Hurry up and go inside,” the other party said quickly.

“I just wanted to…” Feng Bujue said.

But the other party interrupted him again: “Okay, you don’t need to say anything. I won’t go out with you. Don’t say lines like ‘I think I’ve seen you somewhere’ or ‘Give me a chance’ or something.” She recited like a machine gun, “I already have a boyfriend, and even if I didn’t, you’re not my type. Call me shallow if you want, but I just like them a little more handsome. Although you’re not bad, you’re far behind my boyfriend. And I like more mature men… I’m getting annoyed by you little brats harassing me every day, hurry up and get out of here!”

Hearing this, Brother Jue stood there stunned for a few seconds and came to the conclusion that “normal communication with her is impossible.” He could only give up on this and silently walked into the venue…

The layout of this written test venue was like a Go chessboard. In each of the square cubicles separated by thin walls, the superheroes of different appearances and clothing were all obediently sitting at the metal desks, writing furiously…

Feng Bujue quickly found his seat number 213. After sitting down, he first looked down at the metal desk in front of him.

The surface of the desk was an entire interactive electronic display screen, and text would emerge from it. On the right side of the desk, there was also a small storage box that could be opened by touching it. The storage box contained several metal rods of different lengths and diameters, looking like… pens.

“Hmm… so we have to write by hand?” Brother Jue looked at the [Written Test Instructions] on the table while taking out a pen suitable for him from the box.

The UCO adopted this written test format mainly for three reasons: First, the keyboard input methods and operating systems of each planet were different. Second, the heroes’ races, relative intelligence, and cultural levels varied. Third, the UCO’s written test questions were mostly very bizarre.

Combining the above three points… using a “pen” to answer questions was undoubtedly the best way.

[If you cannot read the contents of the “Written Test Instructions,” please click the icon in the lower right corner of the table to enter the voice-graphic question mode.] Seconds after Feng Bujue sat down, the metal desk in front of him emitted this voice prompt.

The supercomputer in the UCO test area already knew that he was a creature with sight and hearing, and had no disabilities, based on the data Feng Bujue had previously passed through the “checkpoint” with. However, the system could not confirm whether he was illiterate, so it gave this prompt.

“That’s pretty detailed…” Feng Bujue muttered, ignoring the voice and continuing to read the written test instructions.

After reading the entire contents, Brother Jue raised his eyebrows slightly and smiled: “Heh… this mode is very novel.”

The UCO’s written test didn’t have the atmosphere of a school exam at all, but rather felt more like some kind of variety show quiz. The computer would randomly generate questions based on the test taker’s race and civilization type, and ask them in a step-by-step manner. Each “step” had seven questions. As long as you answered five of them correctly, you could enter the next step, and the difficulty of the questions would also increase.

The written test would end when the hero couldn’t answer any more questions.

As for the content of the questions, it was usually… common sense questions, intelligence tests, natural science (of the hero’s home planet), simple concepts of good and evil, basic mathematics, and so on. After three to four steps, which was about thirty questions, there would be intermediate knowledge reserves, logical analysis, academic tendencies, more complex concepts of good and evil, intermediate mathematics, and other questions. Further on, in five to six steps, there would be gradually added niche knowledge reserves, cosmic physics, advanced mathematics, in-depth discussions of law and morality, case reasoning, and even highly difficult questions such as tactical planning in simulated scenarios…

At this stage, if you could still persevere, the computer would start to make things difficult for you. It would ask questions that only people in specialized fields could answer, and it would mix them up… such as the geological conditions of a certain star, advanced theories of cosmic physics, discussing the superiority of a certain electronic device compared to similar products, analyzing their cultural emotions from the psychological perspective of the Shoulder-Shrugging Star, and so on… All of these questions that required researchers in various fields to answer were given to one person to answer.

Although this was not impossible, the difficulty was undoubtedly very astonishing. As the developers and first testers of this “written test project,” Toad Hero Enwe Slub and Tinfoil Hero Ketas Nito were the only two people who answered all one hundred and sixty-eight questions in all twenty-four stages.

According to an unreleased internal statistic, the average score of the heroes of the UCO who participated in this test… was the fourth stage. That is to say, most superheroes couldn’t do it in the stage of the twenty-second to twenty-eighth question… not even reaching the “mid-level” of the question bank.

“Okay…” Feng Bujue read the instructions and stretched his arms a few times. “I want to see how difficult this written test can be…”
Chapter 1 The Beginning
Hu Die Lan