The Round Table Conference

At midnight, as Luo Feng chatted with Xu Xin, his laptop displayed the final rankings for the month's Heilong Leaderboard. Luo Feng glanced at it—his ranking was indeed 68th. Evidently, the leaderboard hadn't changed much in the last forty minutes. Luo Feng was happy tonight. Meanwhile, Candace returned to his residence, his face grim. Inside Candace's pavilion, in his study. Candace, fresh from a shower, sat before his laptop. The computer had already received two video call requests. Candace glanced at them—one was from the Polenas family headquarters, the other from his aunt, Wenina Polenas, who currently resided in Huaxia Nation. He clicked 'accept' on his aunt's chat invitation. “Auntie,” Candace greeted with a smile. “Candace, my dear, it’s been too long,” Wenina said warmly. Candace and his aunt shared a strong bond. Since childhood, his parents' relationship had been strained, leading to a quick divorce, and Wenina had raised Candace from a young age. To Candace, Wenina was more than an aunt; she was like a mother. His formidable strength was also due to his aunt's deliberate guidance and education from an early age. “My dear, you don’t seem to be in good spirits?” Wenina remarked. “A little,” Candace nodded. “The family isn’t too pleased with you because of Luo Feng,” Wenina chuckled. Candace couldn’t help but curse under his breath. “I knew those old geezers would give me trouble. At the end of last month, the family asked me to invite Luo Feng. Yes, I rejected the proposal. But even if I had gone, it wouldn't have worked. Luo Feng had already turned down everyone.” At the end of March, when Luo Feng joined the training camp, the Polenas family, one of the core families of the HR Alliance, had intended to invite Luo Feng. However, at that time, Candace and William had a conflict with Luo Feng. How could Candace be willing to step forward and invite him? “Some people in the family just look for faults in you,” Wenina said dismissively. “Don’t take it too seriously.” “My brothers, every single one of them, covet my position. They all want me to make a big mistake so they can strip me of my status as first heir,” Candace sneered. In super family conglomerates like Polenas, internal struggles were brutal. “Don’t worry, dear. Your aunt here absolutely supports you,” Wenina chuckled. “And many in the clan support you too. You’re currently in the world’s top training camp, and you’re performing exceptionally well. Rest assured, dear, once you graduate from the training camp and gain more experience, you’ll naturally be able to take over the entire family.” “Mm,” Candace nodded. “Your ranking this time is good. Work hard and strive to break into the top 30 this year,” Wenina encouraged. “I will,” Candace nodded. His aunt and uncle were among Candace’s staunchest supporters. “Auntie has something she needs your help with,” Wenina said, her expression slightly troubled. “What is it?” Candace asked, puzzled. Wenina sighed, “As you know, your brother William was killed.” “Yes,” Candace knew about it. “I want you to pay a little attention to Luo Feng while you’re at the training camp. If you discover he might be a 'Psychic Master,' you must inform me immediately,” Wenina said. Luo Feng’s recent prominence had indeed caught the attention of Wenina and Li Yao, which was why she sought Candace’s help. “A Psychic Master?” Candace exclaimed in shock. “Auntie, do you suspect Luo Feng is the killer?” Of course, Candace knew about the exorbitant bounty. “If he is a Psychic Master, then he is almost certainly the killer,” Wenina nodded. “The possibility of him being a Psychic Master isn’t high, is it?” Candace frowned. “But don’t worry, Auntie, I’ll keep an eye on him.” Throughout April, the first 28 days were fiercely competitive. But with the leaderboard now set, the students were quite relaxed for the last two days of April, the 29th and 30th. On the 29th, at 8 AM, inside a small Training Hall on the second floor of the Ninefold Tower. “Senior Sister.” “Senior Brother.” After Luo Feng entered the Training Hall, he greeted the three other students already there. Soon, two more students arrived. There were six people in total: four Huaxia Nation citizens and two Caucasians. And among these six students, three were women, making up exactly half. Given the male-to-female ratio in the training camp, the proportion of women in Luo Feng’s six-person group was quite striking. “Luo Feng, you actually shot up to 68th place, awesome!” a tall, burly Huaxia Nation youth said, giving a thumbs-up with a smile. “Just one word—awesome!” “Junior Brother.” A Caucasian girl with long brown hair smiled at Luo Feng, speaking in fluent Mandarin. “Everyone in the training camp was talking about you at breakfast this morning. I never realized how amazing you were, Junior Brother. I want to learn from you. Shall we practice our blade techniques together this afternoon?” “Janet, do you have your eyes on Luo Feng?” another Caucasian girl chuckled. “Luo Feng, Janet is asking you out. Don’t miss your chance!” “So what if I am?” Janet retorted, raising an eyebrow. “Oh!” “Haha, Junior Brother Luo Feng, what are you waiting for?” The others immediately chimed in. Female students were rare in the training camp, and male students were very eager to marry them. After all, anyone who could enter the Elite Training Camp was destined to become a War God. War Gods marrying War Gods meant their children would have excellent futures. Luo Feng was speechless. Western girls were indeed bolder than Eastern girls. Instructor Jiang Fang currently had six disciples. Since Jiang Fang was from Huaxia Nation, she generally accepted Huaxia Nation citizens as disciples. Occasionally, she would accept disciples from other countries or Base Cities, but from other countries, she usually only accepted females! “Instructor.” “Instructor.” Jiang Fang, dressed in a purple training suit, walked in from outside with a smile. “It’s the 29th today, and all six of you are here. Hmm… Luo Feng, well done, yesterday was truly impressive.” The blade technique class didn’t end until 10:30 AM. Everyone left one by one. “Luo Feng, wait a moment,” Jiang Fang said. The other five students left, leaving only Luo Feng and Jiang Fang in the Training Hall. “Instructor,” Luo Feng looked at Jiang Fang, puzzled. Jiang Fang smiled at Luo Feng, her eyes crinkling with joy. It was a joyous thing for an instructor to have such an excellent disciple. Jiang Fang said softly, “Luo Feng, you managed to reach 68th place in your very first month, and you’re only 19 years old. Moreover, you come from a relatively poor background with no special auxiliary conditions… I can imagine that countries and organizations worldwide will extend olive branches to you.” “Mm,” Luo Feng nodded. “However, I have some advice for you,” Jiang Fang said. “Please tell me, Instructor,” Luo Feng said, curious. What kind of advice would Instructor Jiang Fang give? Jiang Fang said, “This Elite Training Camp was founded by the Extreme Martial Arts Dojo. Although the Dojo has agreements with various countries and the HR Alliance for fair competition over talent, the Extreme Martial Arts Dojo will absolutely not easily allow talent like you to join other organizations. And I also advise you not to accept offers from other organizations. It’s best to join the Extreme Martial Arts Dojo.” Although Luo Feng was originally a member of the Extreme Martial Arts Dojo, that didn’t mean he had to stay with them his entire life. For example, after entering the Elite Training Camp, he had the right to accept invitations from other organizations. “Why?” Luo Feng asked. “Because the terms the Extreme Martial Arts Dojo offers you will be the best!” Jiang Fang smiled faintly. “The best?” Luo Feng was curious. Usually, only those without strong backing would strive to offer better benefits to retain talent. Would the Extreme Martial Arts Dojo’s benefits truly be the best? “Of course,” Jiang Fang nodded. “Because our Dojo Master is the world’s strongest expert. Whether it’s ancient civilization ruins or unique treasures, the Dojo Master always acquires the most! For instance, Dragon Blood… the only one in the entire world who openly sells and supplies Dragon Blood is our Dojo Master.” Luo Feng blinked twice. From Jiang Fang’s words… Dojo Master Hong was the world’s wealthiest individual. “Just wait,” Jiang Fang said. “The higher-ups should summon you in the next day or two.” Virtual Space. Inside a large conference hall, the floor was silver, the walls were silver, and the massive round table was also silver! Only the six chairs were pure black, a black that seemed to devour everything. And at this moment, around the silver round table, on the six chairs… Five of the chairs were occupied by five white-robed figures. The ceiling of the conference hall was an infinite starry sky, seemingly boundless. Of the five white-robed figures, three were Huaxia Nation citizens, one was Caucasian, and one was Black. “Gentlemen, here is Luo Feng’s data.” “His trial tower level is 2.9, and his punching power exertion level is 2.8. This means his combat power amplification is 8.12, which is considered ‘Elite Tier’,” a Huaxia Nation white-robed figure said. “1-2 is Beginner Tier, 2-4 is Intermediate Tier, 4-8 is Advanced Tier. 8-16 is Elite Tier, and Luo Feng just entered the ranks of Elite Tier.” A Black white-robed figure nodded. “His monster hunting achievement points are comparable to a third-year veteran student in the training camp. His combat power amplification is Elite Tier, and although he’s just entered it, it’s comparable to the average level of a fourth-year veteran student. Combining both, he ranks 68th.” “Inspector Wang, I agree to recruit Luo Feng, but the benefits you’re offering…” “Vladimir, I don’t think the benefits I’m offering are high.” The five white-robed figures were discussing. If some of the War Gods of the Extreme Martial Arts Dojo were to see this, they would undoubtedly be thrilled. Because this was the legendary highest council of the Extreme Martial Arts Dojo—the Round Table Conference! Only six individuals were qualified to participate in the Round Table Conference: Dojo Master Hong and the five Grand Inspectors. The five Grand Inspectors were all beings who surpassed War Gods! The Dojo Master and the five Grand Inspectors constituted the highest echelon of the Extreme Martial Arts Dojo! Any one of them was enough to make a nation wary. The Round Table Conference was usually held by the five Grand Inspectors, with the Dojo Master rarely intervening personally. Because the five Grand Inspectors were scattered across the globe, the Round Table Conference was conducted in a virtual space. Naturally, other War Gods had only heard of the Round Table Conference but had never witnessed it. “Five Grand Inspectors!” an electronic voice echoed. Silence. The five Grand Inspectors looked up. From the starry sky above the conference hall, five documents drifted down, landing directly in front of each Grand Inspector. The electronic voice continued, “This is the Dojo Master’s decision regarding Luo Feng. If you have any objections, you may report them to the Dojo Master. If not, please execute this decision.” “Any objections?” the electronic voice asked. “None.” “None.” “None.” “None.” “None.” The five Grand Inspectors quickly flipped through the documents and responded in rapid succession. “Then, Inspector Wang, please execute it immediately!” the electronic voice commanded.