At the end of August this year, news broke that a large number of Spirits of Vegetation had been discovered on Mist Island in Australia.
Ordinary people might not know much about it, but as a supervisor at the Thunder Dojo in Northeast Base City, Zhou Haichao naturally knew the ins and outs of the Mist Island incident quite well.
Although his status as an Advanced War General put him on a par with an ordinary War God, all he could do was envy Luo Feng for his role and gains in the incident.
Not everyone could survive a War God's hunt and still discover so many Spirits of Vegetation!
And because of the relationship between the Thunder Dojo and the Extreme Martial Arts Gym, he also knew a little about Master Hong of the Extreme Martial Arts Gym taking a vine plant from Mist Island.
In September, an Elite War General Squad under the Thunder Dojo in Northeast Base City met with disaster in the Wilderness Zone.
In the report submitted by the machine gunner, the squad's last survivor, the gunner had clearly written:
While chasing a Frost Shadow Deer, their squad had accidentally entered an upscale residential area shrouded in fog. Deep within the mist, there seemed to be an intelligent vine plant.
However, two months earlier, Zhou Haichao had gone to the Thunder Dojo headquarters in New Delhi Base City, India. It wasn't until he returned a few days ago that he happened upon the report.
He was instantly overcome with joy.
Mist, a vine plant, intelligence...
Considering the recent Mist Island incident in Australia, how could Zhou Haichao not be thrilled?
So the moment he saw the report, he contacted a War God he knew and sold him the news about the suspected Spirit of Vegetation.
Even if he did this, he probably wouldn't get to keep the Spirit of Vegetation if there was only one.
But with his current strength as an Advanced General-Level warrior, even if it really was a Spirit of Vegetation...
He wouldn't dare face a Spirit of Vegetation with War God-level strength alone.
By handling it this way, though, he could get a guarantee from that War God-level expert.
Whether or not there was a Spirit of Vegetation there, he would still make a hefty profit.
And he would be paid in advance, before they even headed to the site, so he could be sure the money was his!
Maybe he could even use this chance to break through to the War God Level!
By then, surely it would be his turn to take the position of Thunder Dojo president in Northeast Base City.
In high spirits, Zhou Haichao next came across Chu He's information and Zhao Changkong's evaluation of him...
Whether it was because he liked the people his friends liked or simply because he was in a good mood, Zhou Haichao reached a conclusion completely different—even the exact opposite—of Zhao Changkong's:
This kid was a genius!
After looking up Chu He's recent news, he learned that Chu He had spent over a month training alone in the Wilderness Zone and had made quite a haul.
With his plans to break through to the War God Level and take over as president in mind, Zhou Haichao felt he needed to cultivate a few more trusted allies.
This Chu He had appeared on his radar at just the right time. He couldn't have been a better fit.
So Zhou Haichao made him an extremely generous offer.
Of course, there was no way he would give this Chu He a Spirit of Vegetation. He couldn't even keep it for himself.
But in Zhou Haichao's eyes, gaining access to the cultivation resources at the Thunder Dojo's War God Training Camp was already an extremely generous offer.
Now that he had laid out his terms, Zhou Haichao waited confidently for Chu He's answer.
"President Zhou, does the Spirit of Vegetation count as part of the test reward?" Chu He's eyes lit up.
If there was a Spirit of Vegetation, and he could gather the ingredients needed to brew it into Spirit Wine, then forget the War God Level—even Planetary Level was within his reach in a year.
"Hahahaha!" Hearing the question, Zhou Haichao couldn't help but laugh.
"My mistake. I didn't explain it clearly." Zhou Haichao smiled. "Do you know that the misty area may contain a vine plant with at least War God-level strength?"
"Even one of my Thunder Dojo's Elite War General Squads went in after a Frost Shadow Deer and disappeared without a trace."
"With your current strength, trying to get a Spirit of Vegetation while that vine plant is guarding it..." Zhou Haichao shook his head with a smile.
"So the exact scope of your test is what I said earlier: confirm whether there is a Spirit of Vegetation there, and if there is, identify which kind."
Hearing this, Chu He understood.
So the mark they'd found on the Frost Shadow Deer back then had been left by the squad that disappeared in there!
But the rest of what Zhou Haichao had said left Chu He confused. He asked, "Supervisor Zhou, didn't you just say there's a vine plant in there, and that it's intelligent? Doesn't that make it a Spirit of Vegetation?"
On Earth, the definition of a Spirit of Vegetation was simply that it had intelligence.
The way to determine whether it had intelligence was to see if the plant displayed simple instincts to attack or defend itself.
The stronger its urge to attack, the greater its intelligence—and the more valuable it was.
"No, you didn't hear me properly. I said 'possibly.' The reason the machine gunner survived was that he never entered the mist. He only caught glimpses of a vine-like plant attacking something."
"He didn't know for sure what it was. For all we know, it could have just been a giant python."
That was what Zhou Haichao said, but he knew that unless the misty area could muddle people's minds, it was most likely a Spirit of Vegetation.
And the reason he'd set this test was that he wanted to see Chu He fight with his own eyes.
Neither Zhao Changkong's evaluation nor the reports he'd found about Chu He making a substantial haul alone in the Wilderness Zone were genuine proof of his combat strength.
So this time, he would go with Chu He and see for himself whether Chu He really had formidable strength.
If he did, then he was a genius worth cultivating as a trusted ally.
But if he didn't, Zhou Haichao wouldn't vouch for an incompetent for nothing.
That was Zhou Haichao's real purpose!
Selling the news about this suspected Spirit of Vegetation for a good price was the prerequisite for everything.
Testing Chu He and cultivating a trusted ally were just ideas he'd come up with on top of that.
Chu He recalled what he and the Jackal Squad had seen in County 0316.
Back then, they hadn't gone into the mist to investigate. They'd only caught vague glimpses of the supposed vine plant's outline from outside it.
"All right, then when do you plan to start the test, Supervisor Zhou?"
"You can decide," Supervisor Zhou said, looking at Chu He with a smile. "I'm testing you, after all, so we'll start once you're ready and have gotten yourself into good shape."
"What, are you planning to go right now? I don't mind. We can set out now."
Zhou Haichao was only saying that. He didn't even get up, remaining firmly seated on the sofa.
Aside from the fact that Chu He had already spent over a month in the Wilderness Zone and was nowhere near his peak physically or mentally, Zhou Haichao needed to prepare, too.
Without that War God-level expert there, how could he—a mere Advanced War General—dare to enter that misty area with Chu He, an Advanced Warrior?
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