Devouring the Starry Sky: Cultivation Makes Me Stronger

Even though Luo Shen's talent was astonishing.

The fact that he had come this far made it clear just how much hard work and sweat Luo Shen had silently poured in behind the scenes!

Under such harsh conditions, Luo Shen had still performed this well. Zhuge Tao suddenly found himself looking forward to seeing just how outstanding Luo Shen could become if he were given more resources.

"Perfect. The applications for this year's special training contracts from the global headquarters have just come down."

Zhuge Tao stroked his mustache and said with a smile, "I might as well go with the flow and do him a favor. Give him a hand. If he achieves something in the future, my efforts won't have been in vain."

The night quickly passed.

"Wooooo~" As waves of piercing sounds rang out through the town, a deep voice boomed from the loudspeakers across the entire town: "Time's up! All prospective warriors, gather at the town exit immediately!"

"Time's up?" Luo Shen was slightly dazed.

The seven Shadow Cat Monsters surrounding him immediately launched their attacks, baring fangs and claws.

"Hm? I was planning to spare you, but unfortunately, you don't know how to appreciate it."

Instead of retreating, he charged forward. The Ghost Shadow Battle Blade in his hand swung rapidly, tracing a perfect arc through the air. With a RIP!, the monsters let out pained howls. Seven jets of blood erupted in succession, and all seven monsters died at once!

"Last night's practice wasn't for nothing. My strike accuracy is much better than when I first arrived."

That much was obvious from his blade technique proficiency.

Basic Blade Technique (803/1000)!

Luo Shen happily cut off the left ears of the seven monsters, stowed them in his backpack, and hurried toward the gates of Monster Town.

At the entrance to Monster Town.

One bloodstained prospective warrior after another emerged from the town. Under the soldiers' guidance, they dumped the left ears of the monsters they had hunted the previous night into metal pots prepared nearby.

"Look, it's Luo Shen, the one Limitless Martial Arts Academy recruited early. There isn't even a trace of blood on him."

"His backpack is stuffed full. How many monsters did he kill?"

"No way. Did he pack half a Shadow Cat corpse in there? Killing five monsters in one night would already be difficult."

As the only person among this batch of prospective warriors to be recruited in advance, Luo Shen drew everyone's attention the moment he emerged, and all sorts of comments rose one after another.

Wherever there were people, there was rivalry.

Moreover, Luo Shen was the only one recruited early, so he naturally drew plenty of jealousy. If his performance had been mediocre, rumors would have spread immediately.

With Luo Shen's hearing, he naturally caught every word of their discussion.

But his expression remained unchanged. He walked up to the three military officers seated nearby, took off his backpack, lifted it with his right hand, and directly poured out the monster left ears inside.

There were so many monster left ears that they filled the metal pot to overflowing.

This immediately caused the surrounding onlookers to erupt in shock.

Wasn't that a little too outrageous?!

Even the officers responsible for the assessment couldn't help but take another look at Luo Shen. This was the first time an examinee had filled the metal pot meant to hold monster left ears during the assessment.

The assessment officer quickly finished counting. "A total of 108 monster left ears!"

The way everyone looked at Luo Shen changed!

"108! Even the remainder is more than I got!"

"How did he do it? That's 108 monsters! Even if they all stood there and let me kill them, I wouldn't be able to finish."

"Did he rob the other examinees?"

"I think someone from Limitless Martial Arts Academy might have crippled the monsters for him first, then he went over to finish them off."

Some believed it, some doubted it, and opinions varied wildly.

But Luo Shen still didn't offer any explanation.

How could sparrows understand the ambitions of a swan!

Besides, even if an explanation were needed, it wasn't his place to speak. The officers in charge only needed to bring out the assessment footage, and everything would naturally become clear.

"Luo Shen." Wu Tong's voice came from behind him.

He turned around.

Wu Tong's old face was blooming with a smile, looking rather terrifying under the lights.

After holding it in for a while, Luo Shen finally managed to say, "Uncle Wu, don't scare people first thing in the morning. If you've got something to say, just say it. You're smiling like a chrysanthemum, and it's creeping me out."

At that, Wu Tong's smile immediately froze on his face.

"Uncle Wu, stop pulling such a long face. Look, your crow's feet are showing."

After taking a shower and changing into clean clothes, Luo Shen came out to find Wu Tong still waiting there with the same expression, as though someone owed him a fortune. He couldn't help but tease him.

Wu Tong subconsciously looked in a mirror.

When he realized Luo Shen had tricked him again, he flew into a rage from embarrassment. "You little brat, you fooled me again!"

As he spoke, he raised his fists, about to give Luo Shen a beating.

Luo Shen hurriedly begged for mercy. "Uncle Wu, Uncle Wu, I was wrong, I was wrong. Don't be mad. I'll treat you to drinks when we get back!" Wu Tong loved to drink, but his wife usually kept him on a tight leash.

How could he possibly resist such a killer move?

Though he could no longer stop himself from swallowing, Wu Tong still wore an expression that said, "Is this really how you test a cadre?"

After all, he had to put up a show of restraint.

But Luo Shen had sharp eyes. The moment he saw Wu Tong's reaction, he knew exactly what he was thinking. His lips twitched as he pretended to reconsider, and Wu Tong immediately grew anxious. He hurriedly said, "Let's make this clear first—I'm not going just anywhere. At the very least, it has to be the seventh floor of the HR Alliance Mall."

Wu Tong took the offered way out, and Luo Shen naturally knew when to stop. "Of course."

He pushed open the door to the lounge.

"Luo Shen, have a seat." Still dressed as before, Zhuge Tao sat in his chair and looked at Luo Shen with a smile. "Congratulations on passing the practical examination and becoming an official martial artist!"

"Hehe." Luo Shen did not stand on ceremony and simply dropped into the seat in front of Zhuge Tao.

Luo Shen's completely unreserved manner made Zhuge Tao think even more highly of him.

Zhuge Tao was the director of the Limitless Martial Arts Academy branch in a base city. His own strength had reached the High-level Warlord rank, and his status was comparable to that of a War God. The power in his hands was immense; it could be said that he had influence everywhere.

Very few people could remain so calm in his presence.

"May I ask what the director wanted to see me about?" Luo Shen already had a vague guess.

Before and after the Martial Artist Practical Examination, Zhuge Tao had summoned him twice in succession. If the first time had merely been to meet this newcomer who had been recruited early, then this second meeting was probably about more than just a chat.

Could it be that Zhuge Tao has finally recovered his lost investment instincts? Luo Shen thought.

Zhuge Tao did not beat around the bush. Smiling, he said, "I saw your performance during the examination. I think you're a Super Genius who shouldn't be buried, so I'm planning to apply for a special training contract from the global headquarters for you!"

The Limitless Martial Arts Academy's global headquarters had two major training camps: the Basic Training Camp and the Elite Training Camp!

The special training contract corresponded to the Basic Training Camp!

"With your current performance, getting that special training contract approved won't be difficult."

As they got down to business, Zhuge Tao's expression became somewhat serious. "But I have to tell you, the special training contract isn't the best one. Above it, there's also the elite training contract!"

Zhuge Tao explained the relationship between those two contracts and the two major training camps to Luo Shen.

Luo Shen knew the plot of the original work, so he was naturally already very familiar with all this.

"No, you still haven't understood what I mean."

Seeing Luo Shen's blank expression, Zhuge Tao stopped being mysterious and laid everything out in one breath. "Whether it's entering the Basic Training Camp or the Elite Training Camp, a Headquarters Special Envoy must come to assess you. But every January and February, both training camps go on break."

"And those two months are your opportunity!"

"Although I'm applying for the Basic Training Camp on your behalf, if your performance is outstanding enough, you may still have a chance to enter the Elite Training Camp directly!"

The Elite Training Camp was also known as the War God Reserve.

It gathered the most monstrously talented students from all over the world. Whether in blade techniques, movement techniques, or the level of bodily force exertion, they were the very best among martial artists of the same rank. There were even Mind Controllers among them!

Although Zhuge Tao himself did not really believe that Luo Shen could enter the Elite Training Camp, a person had to have dreams.

Otherwise, what was the difference between them and salted fish?

Besides, there was no harm in trying. What if he succeeded? That was the Elite Training Camp known as the War God Reserve, the Elite Training Camp said to guarantee that anyone who graduated successfully would become a War God!

Hearing this, Luo Shen nodded in understanding.

Wasn't this exactly the route Luo Feng took to enter the Elite Training Camp in the original work?

At first, Zhuge Tao and the others had only believed that Luo Feng could enter the Basic Training Camp, so they had merely applied for a special training contract. But when the special envoy arrived, he discovered that this young man's talent for cultivating the Nine Heavens Thunder Blade was terrifyingly high. In just a few short months, he had mastered the Third Level.

That was why Luo Feng had been given a chance to undergo a B-class Trial.

Pass, and he would enter the Elite Training Camp. Fail, and he would enter the Basic Training Camp.

"Your talent for bodily force exertion is quite good."