Zhuge Tao

Chen Hao chatted with Jiang Nian all the way and soon arrived before a three-story villa that occupied a large area. An elderly man with graying hair stood on the second-floor balcony. When he saw them approach, he immediately called out, "Jiang Nian, hurry up. Everyone's waiting for you."

"Coming, Uncle Bai. Come on, Chen Hao, let's go in." Jiang Nian quickly led Chen Hao inside.

The villa's second floor was extremely spacious, not the least bit smaller than the Training Hall at the Yi'an District Extreme Martial Arts Hall.

"Greetings, Chief!" Jiang Nian respectfully greeted a thin middle-aged man dressed in a traditional Chinese tunic suit.

Chen Hao's heart tightened. He looked at the smiling, effeminate middle-aged man and saw goodwill in his eyes, so he immediately followed with, "Greetings, Chief."

"Mm." The man nodded slightly. "Old Bai, begin. Review everything carefully. Don't make any mistakes."

Looking at the hooked-nosed middle-aged man before him, Chen Hao could not help muttering inwardly, So this is Zhuge Tao, Swallowed Star's first angel investor. His greatest investment was Luo Feng. That was the most successful investment in the entire story—he directly invested in a future Origin Lord.

The test results were quickly presented to Zhuge Tao. "Not bad. Punching strength: 4,788 kg. Speed: 71 m/s. Neural response test: full marks for Advanced Warrior, excellent for Junior Warlord, qualified for Intermediate Warlord."

Zhuge Tao looked at the results before him, deeply astonished. He glanced at Chen Hao. His punching strength increased by over 3,000 kg after his very first cultivation session. I haven't seen that in many years. Unless something unexpected happens, he will definitely become a War God Rank expert in the future. And once he does, he may very well become an invincible powerhouse among War Gods.

"Yi'an District has produced such a genius, Jiang Nian. You deserve much of the credit." Jiang Nian could not help revealing a trace of delight. "Hahaha, Chief, it really was my good fortune. I never expected Yi'an District to be hiding a genius of Chen Hao's caliber, and that I would be the one to discover him. Good thing I acted quickly."

"Mm." Zhuge Tao then looked at Chen Hao. "Jiang Nian should already have told you the terms of the Genius Contract. Are you willing to join our Extreme Martial Arts Hall now?"

"If you join our Extreme Martial Arts Hall, you may choose a villa to live in, either in Yangzhou City or here at the main urban district headquarters. Of course, you will not have the right to sell it. These villas belong to the Extreme Martial Arts Hall residential complex and are provided for Martial Artists of the hall."

"Besides that, you will receive twenty million in startup funds, as well as three manuals—a movement technique, Guidance Technique, and Attack Method—each priced at no more than fifty million. All of them will be given to you."

"But you are a Spiritual Thought Master. I can make the decision to give you one hundred million in startup funds. As for movement technique, Guidance Technique, and Attack Method manuals, anything costing no more than five hundred million will be free. I'll pay for it!" After saying that, he stared fixedly at Chen Hao.

Chen Hao was startled upon hearing this. Luo Feng's treatment in the original story had been far inferior to his own. His startup funds and spending limit were five times Luo Feng's.

But after giving it some thought, he found it perfectly reasonable. After all, Luo Feng had concealed his identity as a Spiritual Thought Master at the time, and his punching strength had only reached the Intermediate Warrior level. He was far inferior to Chen Hao in those respects. The only advantage Luo Feng had over him was that he was a year younger.

"Chief, I can join the Martial Hall, but I have one request." Chen Hao did not immediately agree.

Zhuge Tao raised his brows, somewhat surprised. "What request? Let's hear it."

"I want to obtain Martial Artist status immediately." Chen Hao directly stated what he wanted.

"Martial Artist qualifications are uniformly granted by the state after a Practical Assessment." Zhuge Tao frowned upon hearing this. "Are you short on money?"

Standing nearby, Jiang Nian saw Zhuge Tao frown. When he heard Chen Hao's request, his heart trembled a few times, and he kept signaling frantically to Chen Hao with his eyes.

"I am short on money, but more than that, I want to go into the wilderness and fight monsters. Only then can I become a true Martial Artist. There are still two months until the Warrior Combat Assessment, and I don't want to waste time." Although he saw Jiang Nian signaling to him, Chen Hao had no intention of changing his mind.

"The Warrior Combat Assessment is indeed held only twice a year, but this isn't something that cannot be accommodated. However, if we do this, you can only join our Extreme Martial Arts Hall in the future. You cannot join any other faction, no matter how favorable their offer is. And your benefits will revert to those of an ordinary genius. Are you certain?" Zhuge Tao tried to use the contract terms to force Chen Hao to change his mind.

But Chen Hao had already made up his mind. How could he change it so easily? "I'm certain. I won't change my mind!"

Zhuge Tao stared hard at Chen Hao. Seeing that he remained unwavering, he suddenly laughed. "Hahahaha! It has been a long time since I met such an interesting young man. Not bad. Only a Martial Artist who fights monsters can be called a true Martial Artist! Since you have such aspirations, I'll grant your wish. The contract terms won't change either. I look forward to the day you enter the ranks of the War Gods."

"Thank you, Chief." Seeing Zhuge Tao agree to help, Chen Hao finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Chief, the contract has been drafted." At that moment, a young woman walked up to Zhuge Tao and respectfully offered him a contract with both hands.

"Let Chen Hao take a look. If there are no issues, sign it."

"I have no objections." Chen Hao accepted the contract from the beautiful woman. Without even reading it, he directly signed his name at the end, prompting the woman to give him several curious extra glances.

Zhuge Tao was very satisfied by Chen Hao's clean and decisive manner. He activated his communications watch and began making calls.

"Zhuge Tao, I didn't expect you to call me. This is truly rare. Go ahead, what is it?"

"Wang Heng, our Extreme Martial Arts Hall will be conducting a separate Warrior Combat Assessment tomorrow. I hope your Thunderclap Martial Arts Hall can send someone over."

"A separate assessment?" The voice on the other end sounded surprised and paused for a moment. "Fine. Remember that you owe me a favor. I'll send someone over. If there's nothing else, I'm hanging up."

"Mm, I'll buy you a drink when I get the chance." Zhuge Tao was initially startled by the other party's straightforward agreement, then a playful smile appeared on his face.

"Director Liu, our Martial Hall will be conducting a Warrior Combat Assessment tomorrow. I'm using my special authority, and I hope your Security Bureau can make the arrangements."

"Understood, Zhuge Supervisor. Our Security Bureau will arrange everything at the Northern Military Region. Just come over tomorrow morning."

"Thank you. I'll treat you to a meal later!" Zhuge Tao said with a smile before hanging up.

"Alright, everything has been arranged." After ending the calls, Zhuge Tao smiled at Chen Hao.

He then instructed Jiang Nian, "Take Chen Hao downstairs to rest. Get a good night's sleep tonight and prepare for tomorrow's Warrior Combat Assessment."

"Yes, Chief. I'll make the arrangements for Chen Hao." Jiang Nian hurriedly agreed.

"Thank you, Chief, for granting my request!" Hearing Zhuge Tao's arrangements, Chen Hao was deeply grateful. After all, he himself had not held much hope.

Chen Hao then followed the sweat-soaked Jiang Nian out of the villa.

"You really have some nerve, kid!" After leaving the villa, Jiang Nian wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, still shaken. He clicked his tongue a few times. "It seems the Chief thinks very highly of you. He actually agreed to something this outrageous and even used his special authority. Special authority isn't something that can be used casually. Even the Chief can only use it once a year!"

"The Chief is a good man." Chen Hao merely smiled faintly, committing Zhuge Tao's support to memory.

"For tomorrow's Practical Assessment, the Security Bureau and Thunderclap Martial Arts Hall may have their own thoughts about this. You need to be mentally prepared." Seeing Chen Hao remain so calm, Jiang Nian could not help offering a few words of warning.

Thanks to Boss Wuqing for pointing out the many errors in the article. An excellent work cannot do without readers' help. Once again, thank you, Boss Wuqing, for correcting every mistake. May all your wishes come true and everything go your way. (^o^)