A Slot

Wu Tong, appearing in a virtual 3D projection, bowed slightly and replied, "Envoy, Luo Feng, along with his Fire Hammer Squad teammates, entered the wilderness on March 1st. He is still in the wilderness and has not returned to the Base City."

"March 1st?"

The two War Gods, Yang Hui and Zhou Zhengyong, exchanged smiles. Yang Hui chided with a laugh, "When I arrived at Jiangnan Base City, Luo Feng hadn't even gone to the wilderness yet. It was you, Iron Hand. You dragged me there..." He stopped abruptly and waved his hand at Wu Tong, "Alright, that will be all."

"Yes, President, Envoy." Wu Tong bowed slightly.

*Hiss, hiss*~

The shimmering light faded, and the 3D projection vanished.

"You almost let it slip. If Wu Tong had heard that, he would surely make fun of us." Iron Hand Zhou Zhengyong's expression gradually turned serious. "Enough of that, let's talk about Luo Feng."

"What Wu Tong just said, it can't be false, can it?" War God Yang Hui frowned.

"Absolutely not."

Zhou Zhengyong waved his hand confidently. "I know Wu Tong's character. Moreover, if he lied, we would find out later... So why would he lie?"

"Hmm." War God Yang Hui nodded slightly. "I understand, but I truly can't believe it. A young man who just turned 19, whose physical fitness is comparable to a Beginner-tier Warlord, and who cultivated the Nine-Layer Thunder Blade to the third level in just half a year... It's rare, truly very rare. It seems I need to contact the higher-ups."

Zhou Zhengyong also nodded. "A special training contract is no longer suitable for Luo Feng. He should barely qualify for the War God Reserve Camp."

The legendary...

The Extreme Martial Arts Dojo has two training camps: the Basic Training Camp and the Elite Training Camp. The Basic Training Camp selects talented Warriors from around the globe, signing them to 'special training' contracts to enter and receive the best training.

The Elite Training Camp, however, is the world's number one training camp, also known as the War God Reserve Camp.

Globally, the Extreme Martial Arts Dojo has these two training camps, Basic and Elite. The Thunder Dojo also has its Basic and Elite training camps... But it is undisputed that the Extreme Martial Arts Dojo's Elite Training Camp ranks first in the world! Even Hong, the world's strongest individual, occasionally teaches there.

Even War Gods rarely receive guidance from Hong. But in this Elite Training Camp, there's a chance!

"You mean the Elite Training Camp?" Yang Hui frowned. "His conditions barely meet the requirements, but—I need to apply to the higher-ups. You know how precious the slots for the Elite Training Camp are."

"Hmm." Zhou Zhengyong nodded. "I understand!"

Under normal circumstances, within Jiangnan Base City, for example, the Extreme Martial Arts Dojo selects two or three geniuses each year for the Basic Training Camp. The Thunder Dojo's attempt to recruit Luo Feng earlier was precisely for such a slot.

But the Elite Training Camp is different!

In the entire Jiangnan Base City, a Base City with a population of 200 million, only one person is selected for the Elite Training Camp every five years or so! And the entire Huaxia Nation only has six Base Cities. So, it can be said that out of Huaxia Nation's over a billion people, only one such talent is chosen each year!

"Connect to Inspector Wang." Yang Hui issued a voice command.

*Beep, beep...*

"Hello!"

A deep, hoarse voice echoed throughout the audio-visual room.

"Lord Inspector!" Both Yang Hui and Zhou Zhengyong immediately stood up, extremely respectful.

An Inspector!

Their status in the Extreme Martial Arts Dojo is second only to the founder, Hong. According to the Extreme Martial Arts Dojo's rules—any Warrior within the Extreme Martial Arts Dojo who can become 'an existence beyond a War God' directly obtains the position of Inspector. In other words, an Inspector is an existence beyond a War God!

"Oh, Yang Hui, what is it?" The Inspector's voice came through.

"Lord Inspector, this time I came to Jiangnan Base City to verify a young man named Luo Feng. I found that at just 19 years old, his physical fitness is already at the Beginner-tier Warlord level, and he cultivated the Nine-Layer Thunder Blade to the third level in just half a year! I believe he should qualify for the Elite Training Camp," Yang Hui said.

"Oh?"

The Inspector fell silent for a moment, and the audio-visual room was quiet. Yang Hui and Zhou Zhengyong remained silent, not daring to interrupt.

"The Huaxia Nation military just negotiated with my headquarters and requested a slot for the Elite Training Camp. This year's slots are almost full, so logically, we shouldn't give another slot to the Huaxia Nation... Hmm, how about this, give Luo Feng a chance. Let him take the B-level test. If he passes, he can enter the Elite Training Camp." The Inspector's hoarse voice echoed in the audio-visual room.

"Yes."

Yang Hui responded respectfully.

*Beep.* The call ended.

Only then did Yang Hui and Zhou Zhengyong breathe a sigh of relief. A War God and 'an existence beyond a War God' seemed only a step apart. But in terms of strength and status, the difference was too vast! An existence beyond a War God could completely level a city of tens of millions and negotiate as equals with a superpower.

"B-level test?" Zhou Zhengyong frowned. "Isn't passing an A-level test usually enough?"

"The slots are too few, and the Huaxia Nation has a large population with a strong martial arts culture. It's common for one or two peerless geniuses to emerge. A previous slot was taken by the Huaxia Nation military! So, it's not surprising that if the Huaxia Nation wants another talented Warrior to enter the training camp, they need to undergo a more difficult test," Yang Hui explained.

"Hmm." Zhou Zhengyong nodded. "By the way, the Wang family from Jingdu City hopes to reserve an Elite Training Camp slot for next year. They are willing to pay fifty billion Huaxia coins."

"The Wang family from Jingdu City? For next year?" Yang Hui frowned. "The HR Alliance and our Extreme Martial Arts Dojo have a long-standing partnership. The HR Alliance reserves slots every year. How is it that the Wang family, being one of the nine core family conglomerates of the HR Alliance, couldn't secure a slot allocated to the HR Alliance?"

"If they could secure it, why would they try to pull strings?" Zhou Zhengyong chuckled. "There are nine core family conglomerates, so it's not surprising that the Wang family couldn't secure one, especially since the major Western family conglomerates still hold the advantage in the HR Alliance's underground council."

"This matter is quite troublesome." Yang Hui shook his head. "Usually, only an Inspector can make the final decision. Fifty billion is a huge sum, but it's hard to say if it can move an Inspector."

"Your relationship with Inspector Liu isn't bad, is it? The Wang family also hopes to make a connection through you," Zhou Zhengyong said with a smile.

"The son-in-law of the Wang family is truly something, even selling out old friends." Yang Hui shook his head. "Iron Hand, for your sake, I'll talk to Uncle Liu. You should know... there are only so many Elite Training Camp slots each year. Major powers worldwide and various super-rich family conglomerates are staring at them like wolves. Trying to pull strings isn't easy."

"Understood. If it succeeds, the Wang family will remember this favor," Zhou Zhengyong said.

The Wang family.

The number one family in the entire Huaxia Nation, and one of the nine core families of the HR Alliance. However, these family conglomerates still have a significant gap compared to behemoths like the Extreme Martial Arts Dojo and the Thunder Dojo! After all, the two founders of the Extreme Martial Arts Dojo and the Thunder Dojo, Hong and Lei Shen, are existences that even major powers fear.

They are invincible!

"Prepare a fighter jet for me. I'll go to the wilderness to see Luo Feng and administer the B-level test to him," Yang Hui said.

"Alright, the fighter jet will be ready immediately. But for the B-level test, even though Luo Feng is formidable, the possibility of him passing..." Zhou Zhengyong shook his head.

"By the way, first call Luo Feng and confirm his current location," Yang Hui instructed.

"Don't worry, do I need you to tell me such a small thing?" Zhou Zhengyong laughed heartily.

...

In Base City 023, the sky was dim, and cold winds howled.

Luo Feng was sitting cross-legged with his five centers facing the sky, cultivating gene original energy. The ubiquitous cosmic energy rapidly surged into his body through these 'five centers,' and every cell in Luo Feng's body, ravenous with hunger, seemed to cheer, madly devouring the cosmic energy passing through them.

Inside the cells, through mitochondria, it was rapidly converted into gene original energy.

It was then quickly absorbed by the cells, slowly improving the body's genes, and gradually strengthening the entire body at an extremely slow pace.

"Hoo!"

Feeling that every cell in his bones, muscles, and other parts of his body was completely saturated, Luo Feng exhaled, scrambled to his feet, feeling invigorated.

"Luo Feng, done cultivating? Come out, it's dinner time." Brother Chen's voice came from the living room.

"Coming!" Luo Feng walked out with a smile.

A group of people quickly gathered around in the living room, and Luo Feng joined them. Everyone cheerfully picked up their water bladders, some compressed biscuits, high-energy candy pills, and even vacuum-packed meat chunks.

"Our backpacks are already full of monster materials. I think we should return to the supply base in a couple of days," Gao Feng said, drinking water. "Mainly because Luo Feng made a great contribution, getting a lot of monster materials."

"Compared to the madman, we're getting old," Wei Tie sighed deliberately.

Chen Gu couldn't help but shake his head. "I've spent over a decade in the wilderness, and I have no more room for improvement. In a while, Luo Feng's strength will probably grow to the point where he needs to join a new, more powerful Warrior Squad. I'm also planning to retire then."

"Retire, my brothers and I are also planning to retire in the next year or two." Wei Tie and Wei Qing also nodded.

The atmosphere suddenly became a little melancholic.

"Retirement is a good thing, we should be happy!" Gao Feng laughed heartily. "By then, maybe I can join the same Warrior Squad as Luo Feng, or if they don't want me, I'll have to choose another squad. Anything can happen... Regardless, I still want to fight for another ten years and see if I, Gao Feng, can become a War God in this lifetime!"

Luo Feng was about to speak when suddenly—

The wristwatches of all five members of the Fire Hammer Squad vibrated.

Looking down, they saw a satellite positioning system map on their watches, with a dazzling red dot on it.

"Emergency rescue signal?" The five members of the Fire Hammer Squad exchanged glances. "It's only about 1500 meters from us?"

"Quick!"

"Let's go!"

The five members of the Fire Hammer Squad quickly grabbed their backpacks and weapons and rushed out.