Soon it was the time for the affinities of students to be tested. This included some tests on the fluids from the body, the physical performance of the body during various situations and the response of mind to the simulations. Since all these tests had to be done on every single student, it took nearly 1 month for the affinity tests to be completed. All these were done in order to ensure that no person strays away from the martial path or their meridian path. This is because only the implantation of meridian seed is done by the government. The rest of the path had to be done by the person.
It so happened in the past that a student was very sure that he was a swordsman. Even all of his teachers also believed that the student was a swordsman. He was so good with swords that, he could copy any technique at a single glance. But after his affinity test, he came out as an artificer, one connected with forging weapons. The reason why he was so good with swords was because he was connected to the metal in the swords. If he had become a swordsman, his future would have limited to be Martial Noble or maximum of a Martial Lord. But he did not stop there. He became the Martial Monarch Klaver Kalvin, the renowned artificer who could forge weapons for martial entities. He created countless materials for forging weapons, each of which had unique properties. Klaver also created 3 different types of combat vessels, that could navigate through various powerful celestial phenomena including blackholes.
It became a huge affair and was the season of nightmares for teachers, office staff and the government officials. The various institutes and research facilities of the government and various private players got the details of affinities of the students and they will begin to make the customized meridian seed. This was also the season for crime as well. There were many criminal organizations that wanted the top secret research about the meridian seed from the Gyagar country. Some also wanted the Gyagar country to be ruined. Hence, they used to attack the materials transported to the facilities. It had become increasingly rampant during the previous 5 years due to various reasons. So, this was a hectic season for almost everyone.
As always there was a crime spree all throughout the Gyagar country including Ben's city : Kel-Sherpa. 7 police officers and 3 military officers were killed in the operation. Its investigation and other procedures delayed the affinity testing by 3 days. The various security details that had to be done in the school due to the present situation further delayed it by another 4 days. So, the affinity test began almost 1 week late. Soon the things started. Every student of the final year had to spent additional two hours after their martial class. The first face of tests were physical tests, which tested the physical parameters of the students and their compatibility with various weapons.
Soon Ben's test started. The physical test included test for strength, stamina, endurance, speed, reflexes etc. This was followed by the test for weapons. These included the swords, blades, long range weapons, unorthodox weapons etc. Ben's was going to be long. This was because his physical and mental faculties were in the top 20 in the school. Although the exercises did not make him superhuman, it did its part by improving his prowess overall. He did not feel connected to any weapons, although he had reasonable proficiency in most of them. This made the teachers doubt if he becomes a 'Yogi' or an 'Artificer'.
The next type of test included the various mental tests. This included hypnotizing the students or making them go through mentally challenging exercises. It also included some simulations to test the various capabilities of students. Ben's mental tests soon started. The various hypnotizing martial artists had a tough time hypnotizing Ben. They considered bringing over a Martial Overlord for the purpose. After some effort the staff themselves hypnotized Ben. This was done because bringing a Martial Overlord was an expensive affair. The attribute determination is free from the side of the government. Hence, no extra fee can be taken from the student. After the hypnotizing tests various simulations were done. After that Ben was taken into a room where there were several cages, in each of there were various animals. He was asked to communicate with these animals. This was the test for Beast masters. Ben looked around. He could not find a perfect animal. He was alone in this room. So, he began to visualize the 'Jamadagni Bhavana'. The moment he did that; all the beasts became excited. Ben did not have any ill intent for them. He was trying to form a connection with any of them. So, to the animals, it felt as though the world was calling for them. They instinctively knew that if they went with this person, they would become powerful. The entire universe seemed to be within the grasp of this person. Their senses were screaming at them to go with the person standing in front of them. There were some measuring devices on the animals and in the room. They rang out and the staff came. Staff said "It seems as though you are destined to become a beast master. I have never seen a person who could illicit such a positive reaction from all these animals at the same time." Ben said " Well I think so too. I wanted to have a pet and I have always liked animals." The staff said " Good for you. Any way there is a blood test also due. We will do that and only then can we confirm."
The blood and body tests started. These tests consisted of a series of subtests which tested the compatibility of various martial seeds with the body and blood. This is because, the martial seed was predominantly connected to the nervous and cardiovascular system. The next system that it was mainly connected to, was the respiratory system. The blood and the spinal fluid were taken. Almost a litre of blood was required. The spinal fluid was needed in a very less quantity. After that there was a break of 1 hour. This was for the body to be healed after the extraction of the fluids. Then the body tests started. Various liquids were injected into Ben and various electrodes were attached to his chest and head. He was asked to perform various physical activities which included some lifting, reflex tests and running on the treadmill. This took another 2 hours.
Ben's tests were over and he headed back home. It had taken almost 1 month for Ben's test to get over. During the final phase of the test, that is during the blood and body tests, which took almost a week, he was in the school dormitories. So, he was heading back home almost after a week. The results would be given to him in 1-2 days time. The next day was a holiday and the day after that he had class. Ben was really excited after his affinity tests. He reached home. His sister was there. His parents had yet to reach after their work. His sister asked him excitedly about the test. He told her he would tell when the parents came. He straight away went for exercise. When he came back his parents were there. He told them what had happened. His sister was not there as she was on the phone. They were not supposed to speak about the contents of the test to non-martial artists. When his sister came, the parents stopped her from asking about it. Ben could not sleep that night. At some point, late at night he slept. He woke really late the next day. His parents also had holiday and hence they were also at home. Ben just wanted to check for updates. He looked at his device. It was there: His result. He looked at it excitedly. There were several pages. He did not care for them and he directly went to his affinity. It was written in bold characters – Affinity : Shamanic Beast Master.