A week after Chu He broke through to Intermediate War General, Zhou Haichao finally called and arranged to meet at the Eastern Military Region's Warrior Supply Base.
That's right. For some reason, that War God had been delayed for another two days.
As the train pulled into the station, Chu He had barely stepped off when he spotted a burly man standing beside Supervisor Zhou at the entrance to the Warrior Supply Base.
Chu He and Zhou Haichao were both locals of Northeast Base City. Chu He stood 185 centimeters tall, and Zhou Haichao was 180 centimeters. In China today, neither of them was considered short.
But the man beside Zhou Haichao stood a full head taller than him.
Two meters tall, with a massive build and clearly defined muscles, his knotted muscles were like the tangled roots of an ancient tree...
He exuded a sense of strength and unshakable dependability.
Not to mention the broad shoulders and solid chest beneath his black battle suit, which glinted with the cold sheen of refined iron.
What drew the eye most of all were undoubtedly his thick arms and the pair of enormous black battle axes in his hands.
The blades were sharp and gleaming, and sturdy leather was wrapped around the handles to keep them from slipping from his grasp in the heat of battle.
People passing by almost always looked straight at him, their eyes lingering longest on the pair of massive axes.
"Chu He!" Zhou Haichao waved to him.
"Come, let me introduce you. This is Giant Axe Zheng Lei, an Intermediate War God."
"Zheng Lei graduated from the Elite Training Camp just a few years ago. In only a few years, he became an Intermediate War God."
As he spoke, Zhou Haichao turned to Chu He with a kindly expression. "Of course, if you join the Thunder Dojo's Elite Training Camp, you can call him Senior Brother Zheng."
Chu He turned and took a close look at this "Senior Brother Zheng."
His resolute expression and steadfast gaze, along with his imposing presence, were immediately etched into Chu He's mind.
One glance was enough to tell that he was a reliable man, someone worth trusting!
No wonder Zhou Haichao had sought out this War God for the deal.
"Hello, Senior Brother Zheng." Chu He didn't hesitate to address him that way.
"Good to meet you, Junior Brother Chu." Zheng Lei's voice was deep and resonant. He turned to Zhou Haichao and said, "A friend asked me for help these past two days, so I held everyone up."
"No worries, no worries." Supervisor Zhou waved his hands repeatedly. "You're the one who'll be using the Spirit of Vegetation, so what's two days' delay?"
"Don't worry, Supervisor Zhou. No matter how things turn out, I won't take back the cultivation resources I paid you earlier." Zheng Lei slung the two battle axes into the harness on his back and continued, "If we don't find a Spirit of Vegetation in the end, then I was simply unlucky."
"Either way, I'll remember that you recommended me to the Elite Training Camp back then."
At that, Chu He glanced at him.
Giant Axe Zheng Lei looked steady and dependable, but he was by no means some dim-witted simpleton.
That last remark had clearly been his way of saying that, whether or not they found a Spirit of Vegetation, he would consider his debt to Supervisor Zhou repaid.
It made sense. Anyone who had risen to the War God level couldn't be a real fool.
They would've been used and discarded long ago!
Zhou Haichao was an old hand at reading people, so naturally he caught Zheng Lei's meaning. He forced a somewhat awkward smile. "Hey, don't worry. I'm 90% sure there's a Spirit of Vegetation there. You've got a great chance of using it to break through to Advanced War God!"
In Zhou Haichao's eyes, Zheng Lei was the most successful investment he'd made in years.
This time, in exchange for a chance to break through to the War God level, Zhou Haichao had set everything else aside and made sure to contact Zheng Lei.
And Zheng Lei had given him a reply that was close to perfect.
What a shame. After this, that debt of gratitude will be spent. If he breaks through to the War God level, that'll be fine. They'll be War Gods together, and there'll naturally be a chance to renew their friendship. But if he fails...
Zhou Haichao sighed inwardly. For some reason, he suddenly felt a faint sense of loss.
But when he thought of the cultivation resources he'd just received, his resolve returned.
No matter what, the chance to break through to War God was right before him...
It was the kind of opportunity that might not come even once in a lifetime. It would be a true shame not to seize it with everything he had.
On the way to County 0316, Zhou Haichao explained in detail to Zheng Lei what Chu He would be tested on.
When Zheng Lei heard that Zhou Haichao intended to test Chu He's actual combat strength, he turned and studied Chu He for a while before looking back at Zhou Haichao. "Supervisor Zhou, does Junior Brother Chu really need a test?"
"Just seeing how he can keep up with us so effortlessly, I can tell he must already have a General Level physique. Isn't that right, Junior Brother Chu?"
As he asked the last question, Zheng Lei looked at Chu He.
Under the gaze of those resolute eyes, shining from a pair of dark pupils, Chu He found he had no desire to hide anything.
Besides, they'd be fighting soon anyway. Chu He hadn't planned to hide it.
He nodded. "That's right. I had a sudden insight while I was home these past few days and broke through to Intermediate War General."
"Intermediate War General!" Zhou Haichao exclaimed in surprise. "If I remember right, you're also a Spirit Reader?"
"A Spirit Reader?"
This time, it was Zheng Lei's turn to be surprised.
"Then your Spiritual Force must have already reached Elementary War God Level!"
"Just got lucky," Chu He said with a faint smile.
"Good!" Zheng Lei clapped a hand on Chu He's shoulder, making him stumble as he ran. "Junior Brother Chu really is a prodigy!"
"That makes our chances of success even better, if there really is a Spirit of Vegetation!"
Beside them, Zhou Haichao remembered Zhao Changkong's assessment of Chu He: "He actually thinks he can break through to War God in a year. He has no idea how high the heavens are!"
Looking back on it now, Zhou Haichao felt fantastic!
By any reasonable definition, Chu He already counted as a War God!
It was a delight to see an old comrade he'd been competing with for over a decade fail to recognize a gem and make such a huge mistake.
And even more satisfying was that he, Zhou Haichao, had gotten his hands on that "gem"!
Never mind if it was by accident. The point was, had he gotten it or not?
Imagining the priceless expression that might appear on Zhao Changkong's face when he told him about this after they got back, Zhou Haichao couldn't help the corners of his mouth from lifting.
Harder to keep down than a Barrett.
"Given Junior Brother Chu's strength right now, I don't think this so-called test is necessary, is it?"
Just as Zhou Haichao's thoughts were running wild, a deep voice sounded beside him.
"Of course!" Zhou Haichao immediately replied. "Not only can we skip the test, but we'll also need to revise how the spoils are divided."
As a Warrior, Zhou Haichao might indeed have had limited talent. But after serving as a supervisor at the Thunder Dojo in Northeast Base City for so many years, he'd become first-rate at investing in prodigies.
Zheng Lei, right in front of them, was one such example.
This chance to break through to War God was the return on his investment back then!
Now another lottery ticket—one whose coating had already been scratched away—was waiting for him to invest in. How could Zhou Haichao possibly hesitate?
Before you continue