Devouring the Starry Sky: Cultivation Makes Me Stronger

As a mechanical reverberation sounded by his ear, Luo Shen felt a stream of clarity wash through his mind. His slightly dazed eyes quickly regained their clarity.

Yang Hui had just woken Luo Feng and was about to call Luo Shen.

But when he turned around—

Seeing Luo Shen's clear eyes, completely unaffected, he could not help but sigh inwardly. "His willpower is truly astonishing. No wonder he has achieved so much at such a young age."

After all, the eyes on that Black Dragon Carving had come from a genuine SS-class Monster.

Almost every new trainee fell victim to those eyes, but Luo Shen was the only one among all the trainees Yang Hui had guided who remained unaffected by the Black Dragon's gaze and stayed conscious.

"You're both awake now, right? Follow me, and remember not to wander off," Yang Hui instructed.

The two silently followed behind Yang Hui.

"That carving was terrifying!" Luo Feng said quietly.

"Its eyes are real. They were probably gouged out of some extremely terrifying monster and embedded into it," Luo Shen said. "Most people will accidentally fall for it if they meet its gaze."

"Then why were you fine?" Luo Feng asked curiously.

Luo Shen grinned. "That must be because I'm exceptionally gifted!"

Luo Feng and Yang Hui: "..."

They walked through the Training Camp.

Although the Training Camp was closed in January and February, some diligent trainees had remained behind. From time to time, they saw one or two trainees in loose training uniforms heading toward the Nine-story Tower, the enormous tower-shaped building at the camp's central core.

"That is called the Nine-story Tower."

Yang Hui explained, "The Nine-story Tower is where all trainees study and train. Some special training rooms are there as well. Once you join the camp, you'll spend most of your time there."

Luo Feng nodded, half understanding.

Luo Shen, meanwhile, craned his neck into the distance, trying to see what the Nine-story Tower actually looked like.

"Once you join the camp, you'll have all the time in the world to look at it. You can stare at it until you get sick of it," Yang Hui said.

"But I haven't joined yet."

Luo Shen laughed.

They continued onward.

Following Yang Hui through the cluster of buildings belonging to the Training Camp's War God instructors, the three soon arrived in the instructors' residential area.

Yang Hui led them forward with practiced familiarity.

He did not stop until they reached a tranquil villa that looked like it had been built in the style of ancient China's Tang Dynasty.

"Special Envoy Yang Hui."

At the villa entrance, an elderly man who looked like a butler gave the three a slight bow, a standard smile on his face. "May I ask which one is Mr. Luo Shen?"

"That's me," Luo Shen said.

The old butler smiled and led the three into the first-floor hall.

"The Inspector said that Mr. Luo Shen may go up alone. As for Special Envoy Yang Hui and this gentleman, you may sit and wait nearby for a moment," the old butler said.

Hearing this, Yang Hui quietly reminded Luo Shen, "When you meet the Inspector, be respectful. Do not be discourteous."

Luo Shen nodded.

Then, led by the old butler, he went straight up to the second floor. A faint tea fragrance that refreshed his spirits immediately drifted into his nose.

The old butler stopped outside a reception room.

"The Inspector is waiting for you inside."

After waiting for a moment—

Seeing that the old butler had no intention of moving, Luo Shen took the initiative and stepped into the room.

The moment he entered, he saw a lean middle-aged man with a mustache. Two teacups sat on the table before him, steam curling from the tea within, while a string of ancient Buddhist beads in his hand clicked rhythmically as he fingered them.

"Sit!" Inspector Wang opened his eyes.

Their gazes met for a moment.

Luo Shen felt an invisible pressure rush toward him. It was not that Inspector Wang deliberately intended to intimidate him; rather, the essence of a Planetary level expert's life had undergone a leap, and this was the oppression of a higher level of life.

Had it been when he had first arrived at the Training Camp, Luo Shen might have been affected somewhat.

But now—

Faced with that pressure, Luo Shen felt nothing at all. It was as easy and comfortable as a gentle breeze brushing his face.

"Yes, Inspector."

Luo Shen smiled at Inspector Wang and plopped down onto the cushion on the floor.

Seeing that Luo Shen was completely unaffected, Inspector Wang could not help feeling surprised. Forget ordinary people—even War God experts like Yang Hui would feel more or less uncomfortable in his presence.

Geniuses truly were different from ordinary people.

Inspector Wang attributed it all to Luo Shen's exceptional talent.

"This is the contract the academy has prepared for you." Inspector Wang pointed at the table, where two paper contracts lay. They were thin, only three or four pages each.

"There are two copies. If you have no objections, sign them."

After speaking, Inspector Wang fell silent again.

Luo Shen picked up the contract and quickly skimmed through its contents.

There were not many clauses in the contract.

It was not much different from the "early recruitment contract" he had signed before. Aside from several incentive and reward clauses, the rest mainly specified the rights and benefits Luo Shen would receive after joining the Limitless Martial Arts Academy as a core member.

The contract was written in plain, easy-to-understand language.

Therefore, even without any relevant knowledge, Luo Shen could understand it easily instead of staring at it for ages without making sense of it.

Annual operating funds: 8 billion per year!

Only a very small number of people in the Limitless Martial Arts Academy could draw a salary, which was distributed according to status. Even an Inspector, the highest-ranking position among War Gods, received only 10 billion in annual funds.

By comparison, it seemed that the Limitless Martial Arts Academy truly valued him highly.

Of course, core members capable of receiving this amount of funding generally would not care about such a small sum.

Besides that—

The third page also listed the other rewards Luo Shen could receive.

"If Party B enters the top 100 of the Black Dragon Ranking by March 2057, Party B shall receive one portion of Dragon Blood worth 80 billion!"

"If Party B's Combat Power Amplitude reaches 12 before May 1, 2057, Party B shall receive a full set of Series 7 combat uniform and weapons, one complete set of any secret manual, and one personal session of guidance and answers from an Inspector!"

"If Party B's Combat Power Amplitude reaches 16 before August 1, 2057, Party B shall receive a full set of SS-class combat uniform and weapons, one portion of Dragon Blood worth 80 billion, three complete sets of any secret manuals, one item from the Ancient Civilization Relic set 'Black God,' and one personal session of guidance and answers from either Hong or Thunder God!"

"If Party B's Combat Power Amplitude reaches 16 before January 1, 2058, Party B shall receive a full set of SS-class combat uniform and weapons, one portion of jade marrow worth 30 billion, two complete sets of any secret manuals, and one item from the Ancient Civilization Relic set 'Black God'!"

There were four reward clauses in total, and every one of them was enticing.

Especially the third reward.

Luo Shen saw through it at a glance. It was not merely a simple opportunity to receive guidance. Most likely, it was an opportunity for him to choose either Hong or Thunder God as his master.

He glanced at the composed Inspector Wang.

Although he did not care about the chance to become Hong's or Thunder God's disciple, he valued the other rewards listed in the contract quite highly. Moreover, the Limitless Martial Arts Academy offering such a contract truly counted as remarkably generous by industry standards.

Luo Shen, who had no ambition to speak of, was quite straightforward about it.

He directly signed his name on the contract.

Inspector Wang put away one copy and handed the other to Luo Shen for safekeeping. Then he spoke again. "This year's operating funds will be transferred into your martial artist account later."

Luo Shen nodded.

The money from selling monster materials had previously all been spent on secret manuals, weapons, and equipment. Now that he had 8 billion, he could use it to purchase other saber manuals.

One could use the stones of other mountains to polish one's own jade!

Though the Nine Heavens Thunder Blade was powerful, it had ultimately gone down the wrong path.

If he wanted to forge his own path of the saber, he needed to absorb the essence of more saber manuals and then create a saber art uniquely his own.

"Also, I have already learned about the matter between you and Li Yao."

Inspector Wang spoke as he fingered his Buddhist beads. His voice was hoarse and his pace of speech rather slow. Listening to him, one unconsciously sank into an atmosphere carrying a sense of Zen. "Members of our Limitless Martial Arts Academy cannot be bullied at will. The necessary punishment must be carried out."

"However—"

Inspector Wang paused, giving Luo Shen ample time to think.

He continued, "Although Li Yao made a move, he did not actually kill anyone. Even according to the rules laid down by the Head Curator, the most we can do is sentence him to ten years of detention."

Ten years of detention.

For ordinary people, that was indeed an extremely severe punishment.