As for Dongfang Jun, Lin Zhen had not seen him in person in his previous life. He only knew that after Ice City Base City fell, Dongfang Jun left. This man later achieved extraordinary accomplishments, becoming a supreme expert who broke through the War God realm and reached the Stellar Realm.
The Stellar Realm was a legend. After War God Level Nine, one had to absorb cosmic energy into the dantian and form a Star Core before entering the Stellar Realm. Such people were exceedingly rare at this stage.
In fact, most people now did not even know the Stellar Realm existed. It was only after the God Transformation Calendar ended and humanity underwent its second great upheaval that the Stellar Realm became widely known.
When they arrived outside Dongfang Jun's room, Zhao Liang knocked on the rosewood door.
"Come in." A deep male voice answered.
Zhao Liang pushed open the door and led Lin Zhen and Meng Dong inside.
Behind a massive desk sat a man in his thirties. He wore a traditional Chinese tunic, and there was nothing particularly remarkable about his appearance, but his eyes were astonishingly bright. A faint divine light flickered within them whenever they opened and closed, making people unwilling to underestimate him.
"Hall Master, I've brought Lin Zhen and Meng Dong."
After saying that, Zhao Liang told the two of them, "Come greet the Hall Master."
"Students Lin Zhen and Meng Dong greet the Hall Master."
"Mm. Have a seat."
Zhao Liang led the two to the sofa. They sat upright and waited for Dongfang Jun to speak.
"I just watched the video Zhao Liang sent over. Both of you performed exceptionally well. You didn't panic when you were at a disadvantage, and you counterattacked calmly to turn defeat into victory. These are the most valuable qualities a martial artist can possess. Lin Zhen in particular, you left a deep impression on me."
Lin Zhen smiled in acknowledgment, neither modest nor showy.
"To be honest, our Raging Wind Martial Hall holds no advantage over Changfeng and Dragon Slayer in Ice City. We are even at a disadvantage. As the Hall Master, I have always wanted to change this situation. Discovering talent has always been Raging Wind's purpose, and we have never been stingy toward talented people."
Dongfang Jun pressed a bell as he spoke. Soon, a young woman entered and pushed two laptops along with their computer desks in front of Lin Zhen and Meng Dong.
"You may now log into Raging Wind's internal network. Your accounts are the same as before, but your statuses have already been changed. Meng Dong has received seven hundred points, while Lin Zhen has received three thousand three hundred points. Besides the points reward, you may each choose any product from the Martial Hall's internal network as a reward for your excellent performance this time. As for the price, Meng Dong may choose any item worth up to five million, while Lin Zhen may choose any item worth up to twenty million. This is the Martial Hall's reward for you. As long as it does not exceed that price, you will not need to spend a single cent."
Meng Dong's eyes immediately lit up. He could actually choose any item worth up to five million. He would have to choose carefully.
Lin Zhen was also delighted. Right now, he only had the five hundred thousand on him, and his family had yet to settle down. There were many places where money was needed, and he truly had no money to buy things for himself. With this free twenty-million allowance, many of his plans could be moved forward.
As they logged in, Dongfang Jun said, "I will be leaving the Martial Hall and the Base City in half an hour. So if the items you choose have any special requirements, it would be best to complete them within half an hour. During that time, I can still give you some advice. Of course, if you choose ordinary items, then there is no time limit."
Meng Dong said, "Isn't that easy? Half an hour is more than enough to choose something."
Zhao Liang smiled. "Don't be so confident. Choosing the item that suits you best in half an hour is not easy. Don't let all these choices dazzle you."
Meng Dong was somewhat unconvinced, but after opening the Martial Hall's internal store, his eyes immediately went wide.
"Wow! So many great cars! I love this Pegasus X9. The price isn't even that high—three million three hundred thousand, and it can be mine. And this Warhawk Generation Five, a sports sedan with dual engines in the front and rear. It would be so cool to drive out in that! Four million—I can afford it!"
"And this, this Azure Blood Battle Blade. They say it was developed by the Southern Base City Science and Technology Department. It's even a third-generation product, a must-have weapon for fighting monsters! One million five hundred thousand... should I buy it or not?"
"Oh my! They even have Gene Potion. This is something every martial artist must choose! As expected, the official price is ten million. What should I do if I don't have enough money?"
Listening to Meng Dong ramble on beside him, Lin Zhen could not help speaking up. "Meng Dong, be more focused when choosing items. Things like cars can wait until you earn money yourself. At this rate, you probably won't choose a single thing in half an hour. First, set the price limit to under five million. You can't afford anything above that anyway, so what's the point of looking? And the Martial Hall will give us Gene Potion for free, right, Hall Master?"
Dongfang Jun nodded. "That's right. The greatest benefit of joining a Martial Hall is receiving a free bottle of Universal Gene Potion. It is guaranteed to optimize successfully. This is your greatest advantage over martial artists without a Martial Hall."
There were two types of Gene Potion. One was the Universal Gene Potion commonly used by everyone. This potion could guarantee that a martial artist's physique would be successfully optimized, with an improvement generally ranging from forty to sixty percent. Occasionally, those with exceptionally good talent could improve by more than sixty percent.
The other type of Gene Potion was formulated by the Base City's Ministry of Science and Technology at a martial artist's request, based on their individual physique. If this potion was successfully matched, the improvement generally exceeded seventy percent. Ice City Base City was said to have a record case of an eighty-seven percent improvement.
As for improvements of ninety percent or even one hundred percent, Ice City had never seen such a case. A martial artist could never truly understand their own genetic proportions, so precisely formulating such a potion was basically impossible.
Instead, the greater possibility was a failed match, which would completely eliminate any chance of advancement.
Therefore, very few people chose to request a custom formulation. Most preferred to play it safe and use Universal Gene Potion to ensure success.
The success rate for customized potions was even less than twenty percent.
Moreover, customized potions were not cheap. A bottle of Gene Potion cost ten million, and a single customization required an additional ten million.
Only after hearing Lin Zhen's words did Meng Dong realize he had gone down the wrong path. He hurriedly set the item price limit to under five million. Sure enough, many items disappeared. He also restrained himself from looking at consumables like cars and focused on studying things that could increase his strength.
Lin Zhen's purpose was much clearer. He had long since formed a plan for what he would choose.
The first thing he chose was Gene Potion.
Others might not know their exact genetic makeup, but Lin Zhen did.
In his previous life, he had tested his genes in his later years. It was advanced technology from an Extraterrestrial Civilization, with an accuracy rate of over ninety percent. Since he knew Lin Zhen's genetic results, he naturally knew what kind of Gene Potion would have suited him best when he was young.
Thus, his first choice was Personal Customization.
Personal Customization meant that as long as one paid, the Base City's Ministry of Science and Technology would tailor a unique Gene Potion specifically for them according to their requirements.
Of course, if the optimization match failed, the Ministry of Science and Technology would absolutely not issue a refund. Ten million per bottle, with no room for negotiation.
"Hall Master, if I customize my own Gene Potion, the Martial Hall will cover the original ten-million potion cost, right? I only need to pay the additional ten million for Private Customization, correct?"
"You want to choose a Customized Potion? Lin Zhen, you must choose carefully. If the match is unsuitable for you, not only will twenty million go down the drain, but after failing, taking Gene Potion again will be harder than reaching the heavens." Dongfang Jun kindly warned him.
"Please rest assured, Hall Master. Since I dare to do this, I naturally have confidence."
"Very well. Every martial artist dreams of reaching the pinnacle. I cannot stop you from pursuing your dream. The Martial Hall will pay the ten million for the potion, but you will no longer be able to receive the free Universal Gene Potion."
"I understand. Then I'll choose the Customized Potion."
As he spoke, Lin Zhen entered his Gene Potion requirements on the Private Customization page.
"Potion requirements: strength enhancement agent ratio, 42.35%; agility enhancement ratio, 33.91%; Neural Reaction enhancement, 22.80%; Comprehensive Gene Fluid."
Lin Zhen had this number engraved in his heart. As long as it was formulated according to this ratio, his overall enhancement after taking it would be at least ninety percent!
My talent is decent, but it isn't especially outstanding. Compared to those geniuses, there is still a considerable gap. If I want to achieve anything in the future, every step must be solid. This Gene Optimization is the first step in closing the gap between me and those geniuses. After taking the Gene Potion, my strength will surely improve tremendously!