The Physical Examination Report
"Bukjin. You would do well not to let your arrogance get the better of you," Jo Pacheon spat, struggling to suppress the fury boiling within him. A cold sneer curled his lips as he continued, "You've received the invitation, so make sure you show up for the Sword Trial Agreement on time. Heh, the real test awaits you there. That is when your true strength and swordsmanship will be laid bare for all to see. The cheap tricks you pulled today won't work there. I'll be watching to see if you can keep that smug look on your face then."
Bukjin’s smirk only deepened. "Is that so? I’m looking forward to it. I just hope you actually show off some of that 'talent' you're so proud of before you start acting like a big shot. If you're just going to hide behind the reputation of White Cloud City and brag like a pathetic amateur again, the only thing I'll have for you is pity."
Jo Pacheon nearly coughed up blood. Bukjin’s tongue was more than just sharp; it was venomous. "I'm leaving," Jo Pacheon growled, spinning on his heel. He clearly didn't want to spend another second in Bukjin's presence.
As they watched the scene unfold, a soft expression flickered across Lee Cheong-hyeon’s face. He shot Bukjin a subtle look of approval—one that went unnoticed by the others—before turning to leave with the officials from the Bureau of Education.
Once they were gone, the atmosphere in the Demon Sword Hall erupted.
"You brat! How did you do that just now?" Cho Heun shouted, rushing over to Bukjin with a face flushed with excitement.
How had Bukjin caught that invitation? Naturally, it was through the 'Upload' and 'Download' functions of his Storage app. In that critical moment, the app had truly shone. Because Jo Pacheon had thrown the invitation slowly to show off, Bukjin had plenty of time to use his voice-activated AI, Sinsin, to orchestrate the perfect performance. If the invitation had been thrown with the speed of an arrow, Bukjin’s arm would have snapped before he even had a chance to touch his smartphone.
But he couldn't tell anyone the truth. Bukjin simply smiled and said, "I suppose this invitation and I were just destined to meet."
"..." Cho Heun was speechless. Even now, the boy was posturing. The other teachers remained silent as well. They realized Bukjin had no intention of explaining his methods, so they didn't press him further.
Han Bul-bu, however, looked grave. His face was etched with deep concern, yet he was the first to approach Bukjin, clasping his hands in a formal salute. Bukjin’s verbal takedown of Jo Pacheon had saved his dignity, after all.
Ak Hong-hyang seemed to have finally adapted to Bukjin’s eccentricities. After everything they had been through in the training grounds, nothing he did could surprise her anymore.
A short while later, Baek Geum-un returned from the infirmary. The young girl, who usually maintained a frigid, stoic expression, was now looking Bukjin over with a newfound vitality.
After a brief consultation, the three head instructors decided to proceed with the students' physical evaluations. The examination was divided into six main categories, which were further broken down into twenty-eight specific metrics. It took nearly an hour to complete the measurements for a single student. By the time all four had finished, four hours had passed.
The final results were not what anyone had expected.
The student with the highest overall capability was, as expected, Han Bul-bu. His skills were even higher than the teachers had anticipated; he had reached the 9th Grade Warrior rank. With just a bit more effort, he would soon cross into the Martial Warrior realm. Ak Hong-hyang was at the 6th Grade Warrior rank, while Baek Geum-un was at the 8th Grade Warrior rank.
Bukjin, however, stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Han Bul-bu at the 9th Grade Warrior rank.
A smile of satisfaction spread across Cho Heun’s face, though a small part of him felt a twinge of disappointment. Given the miracles Bukjin had performed thus far, he had secretly hoped for something even more explosive. Still, the results were more than acceptable.
Bukjin’s strongest areas were his swordsmanship, Mystic Energy, and physical attributes. His comprehension of sword arts, his total volume of Mystic Energy, and his physical resilience all received a Grade A rating. These three factors were what pushed his overall score so high. In fact, without them, he wouldn't have been classified as a 9th Grade Warrior at all.
His scores in other areas—such as energy fluctuation, frequency of energy surges, peak and trough values, and operational control—were relatively low. Some of these metrics were even lower than Ak Hong-hyang’s. This was clear evidence that his strength had skyrocketed in a very short period. It proved that Bukjin’s growth had truly begun only after the fall of the Jeon-cheon-hu family. In other words, his potential was staggering. Based on these results, his future growth was practically limitless.
Among the students, Baek Geum-un was the one who delighted the teachers the most. For a young girl still in her first-year classes, her talent and potential were extraordinary. If nurtured correctly, she would surely bring immense glory to the 3rd Academy. Han Bul-bu’s results were also highly satisfying, exceeding expectations.
As for Ak Hong-hyang... she fell slightly behind the others. However, the teachers knew exactly how she had made it to the finals of the Academic & Martial Arts Competition, so no one was truly disappointed. Furthermore, her strength had clearly improved since the mid-year tournament, and her rate of growth was impressive enough to keep the instructors satisfied.
Finally, the four students were handed their individual reports.
'This feels like getting my results back after a physical exam in high school back on Earth,' Bukjin thought.
"These reports contain a detailed analysis of your strengths and weaknesses in martial cultivation," Cho Heun announced. "Go back and study them carefully. Research ways to compensate for your deficiencies. Once special training begins, the academy will provide you with the most rational and effective training methods tailored to your needs."
With those words, the examination was officially over.
Back at Juk-won, Bukjin was lying on his bed, scanning his report. In truth, he understood his own shortcomings better than anyone. His biggest problem was his lack of a solid foundation. His current Mystic Energy, swordsmanship, and strength had all been acquired through smartphone apps. To put it in gaming terms, he was a character decked out in top-tier legendary armor and weapons, but the player behind the screen didn't know the controls. To truly unleash the power of his 'equipment,' he needed skill.
In Bukjin’s estimation, he was currently nothing more than a 'pay-to-win' player with great items but zero mechanical skill. To gain that skill, he needed consistent, real-world combat training. However, he wasn't overly worried about that for now.
As he read through the report, he felt a sense of satisfaction. After so much time in this world, he finally understood the hierarchy of martial ranks. Until now, he only had a basic grasp of the system; no one had ever sat him down to explain the specifics. Even during his visit to the library, he hadn't found any books detailing the exact metrics of cultivation. But this report laid it all out in simple, easy-to-understand terms.
Why do people cultivate? In this world’s martial civilization, there were three recognized goals:
First, greater power. Second, a stronger body. Third, a longer lifespan.
Every rank in the martial path was related to these three aspects. The Warrior Rank was divided into ten grades, using the intensity of Mystic Energy as the unit of measurement. An energy intensity of 1.0 meant a 1st Grade Warrior, 2.0 meant a 2nd Grade Warrior, and so on. A intensity of 10.0 represented the 'Great Completion' of the Warrior Rank, after which one ascended to the Martial Warrior realm. Above that lay the Great Martial Master realm.
All these ranks were defined by a single standard: Power.
Take a 1st Grade Warrior, for example. In addition to their natural physical strength, they could use Mystic Energy to generate a momentary explosive force of 100 jin. Following this logic, a 2nd Grade Warrior could exert 200 jin, and a 10th Grade Warrior at Great Completion could unleash an explosive force of 1,000 jin.
This was a terrifying figure. Being able to generate 1,000 jin of force in an instant meant one could kill most living creatures with a single flick of the wrist.
Bukjin suspected that the scholars who researched martial power in this world must have been obsessively meticulous to organize the ranks so perfectly. However, this system made it incredibly easy for practitioners to gauge their own strength and that of others.
There was one important distinction to make: the 'explosive force' mentioned in the ranks referred to the maximum output achieved by surging one's Mystic Energy. If a warrior relied solely on their physical body without channeling energy, they couldn't produce that much power. However, even when not actively channeled, Mystic Energy constantly resided within the body, naturally strengthening the muscles and bones. Thus, even without a 'surge,' a warrior was far stronger than an average person.
A typical 10th Grade Warrior using only their physical strength might be able to exert 300 to 400 jin of force. A warrior born with naturally immense strength might reach 600 jin. This was why even someone born with 'divine strength' would inevitably lose to a trained warrior; without Mystic Energy, raw physical power simply had its limits.
Overall Rank: 9th Grade Warrior