War God Zheng Lei, Heading to Mist Residential District

One week after Chu He broke through to become an Intermediate War General, Zhou Haichao finally called to set a meeting at the Warrior Supply Base in the Eastern Military Region.

That's right, that War God had once again been delayed for two days for some unknown reason.

As the train pulled into the station, the moment Chu He stepped off, he saw a large man standing next to Supervisor Zhou Haichao at the entrance of the Warrior Supply Base.

As natives of the Northeast Base City, Chu He, at 185cm, and Zhou Haichao, at 180cm, were already considered quite tall in present-day China.

However, the large man beside Zhou Haichao was a full head taller than him.

Standing two meters tall, his build was massive, with well-defined muscle lines. His knotted muscles looked like the gnarled roots of an ancient tree...

Everything about him gave off a sense of security, filled with power and unyielding resilience.

Not to mention the broad shoulders and thick chest visible beneath that suit of black combat gear, which shimmered with the cold light of refined iron.

But what drew the eye most were undoubtedly those thick arms and the pair of massive black battle axes held in his hands.

The axe blades were sharp and glinted with a cold light, while the handles were wrapped in sturdy leather to ensure they wouldn't slip during intense combat.

The crowds passing by would almost always look at him first, their gazes lingering longest on that pair of great axes.

"Chu He!" Zhou Haichao waved at him.

"Come, let me introduce you. This is Giant Axe Zheng Lei, an Intermediate War God."

"Zheng Lei just graduated from the Elite Training Camp a few years ago, and in just a few years, he has already become an Intermediate War God."

As he spoke, Zhou Haichao's expression toward Chu He turned amiable. "Of course, if you can join the Elite Training Camp of my Thunder Dojo, you could also call him Senior Brother Zheng."

Chu He turned his head, carefully sizing up this "Senior Brother Zheng."

The resolute expression, the firm gaze, and that aura of natural authority were instantly etched into Chu He's mind.

At a single glance, he knew this was absolutely a reliable and trustworthy man.

It was no wonder Zhou Haichao had sought out this War God for the deal.

"Hello, Senior Brother Zheng." Chu He didn't stand on ceremony and addressed him directly.

"Mm, hello, Junior Brother Chu." Zheng Lei's voice was deep and resonant. He turned to Zhou Haichao and said, "A friend of mine asked for my help over the last two days, which delayed everyone's time."

"It's nothing, nothing at all," Supervisor Zhou waved his hands repeatedly. "Besides, you're the one using the Spirit of Vegetation once we retrieve it, so what's a two-day delay?"

"Rest assured, Supervisor Zhou. Whether we succeed or not, I will not take back the cultivation resources already paid," Zheng Lei said, placing his two great axes back into the sheaths on his back. "If we don't find the Spirit of Vegetation in the end, then that's just my bad luck."

"Regardless, I will always remember the kindness you showed me, Supervisor Zhou, when you recommended me to the Elite Training Camp."

Hearing this, Chu He glanced at him slightly.

Giant Axe Zheng Lei looked steady and reliable, but he was by no means the type to be dull or simple-minded.

That last sentence of his clearly indicated that regardless of whether they found the Spirit of Vegetation or not, Supervisor Zhou's favor would be considered repaid.

Come to think of it, how could anyone who managed to grow into a War God be a true fool?

They would have been used and discarded long ago!

Zhou Haichao was an old fox; he naturally caught the subtext in Zheng Lei's words. He smiled somewhat unnaturally and said, "Hey! Rest assured, I am 90% certain that there is a Spirit of Vegetation there. You have a great chance of using this to break through to an Advanced War God!"

In Zhou Haichao's mind, the Zheng Lei before him was the most successful investment he had made in the last few years.

This time, for the sake of an opportunity to reach the War God Level, Zhou Haichao had disregarded everything else and firmly reached out to Zheng Lei.

The latter had also given him what could be called a perfect response.

It's a pity that after this, the favor will be exhausted. If I can break through to the War God Level, it will be fine; as fellow War Gods, there will naturally be opportunities to continue our friendship. But if the breakthrough fails...

Zhou Haichao sighed inwardly. For some reason, he suddenly felt a faint sense of loss.

However, thinking back to the cultivation resources he had just received, Zhou Haichao's heart grew firm once again.

No matter what, the opportunity to break through to War God was right in front of him...

An opportunity like this, which one might not even encounter once in a lifetime, would be a true shame to let slip through his fingers.

On the way to County 0316, Zhou Haichao explained the details of Chu He's assessment to Zheng Lei.

Hearing that Zhou Haichao actually intended to test Chu He's true combat power, Zheng Lei turned his head to examine Chu He carefully for a moment before looking back at Zhou Haichao. "Supervisor Zhou, does Junior Brother Chu really need an assessment?"

"Just by seeing that he can keep up with us effortlessly right now, one should be able to guess that he must already possess the physical fitness of a War General. Don't you agree, Junior Brother Chu?"

When he said the latter part, Zheng Lei was already looking at Chu He.

Under the gaze of those firm eyes reflected in his pitch-black pupils, Chu He felt no inclination to hide anything.

Of course, since they were going to take action in a little while, Chu He hadn't intended to hide it anyway.

He nodded and said, "Yes. I had some insights while at home these past few days and broke through to an Intermediate War General."

"Intermediate War General!" Zhou Haichao exclaimed in surprise. "If I remember correctly, you are also a Spirit Reader, right?"

"A Spirit Reader?"

This time, it was Zheng Lei's turn to be surprised.

"Then doesn't that mean your Spiritual Force has already reached the Elementary War God Level!"

"Just luck, just luck," Chu He said with a faint smile.

"Good!" Zheng Lei slapped Chu He on the shoulder, causing the fast-moving Chu He to stumble. "Junior Brother Chu is truly a prodigy!"

"In that case, if there really is a Spirit of Vegetation, our success rate for this trip has increased by quite a bit!"

Off to the side, Zhou Haichao recalled Zhao Changkong's evaluation of Chu He from back then: [To think he wants to break through to War God within a year, he is simply ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth!]

Looking at it now, Zhou Haichao felt a sense of immense satisfaction!

Broadly speaking, the current Chu He could already be considered a War God!

Watching an old rival, with whom he had been locked in a power struggle for over a decade, fail to recognize a hidden gem and make such a massive blunder was truly a delightful thing.

And what was even more gratifying was that he, Zhou Haichao, had seized this "gem"!

Never mind whether it was caught by accident or not; the point was, he had caught it!

Imagining the spectacular expression that would likely appear on Zhao Changkong's face when he told him about this upon returning, Zhou Haichao couldn't help but let his lips curl upward.

It was harder to suppress than a Barrett.

"Given Junior Brother Chu's current strength, I suppose this so-called assessment should be waived, right?"

Just as Zhou Haichao's thoughts were soaring, a deep, resonant voice rang in his ears.

"Of course!" Zhou Haichao replied immediately. "Not only will there be no assessment, but the distribution method for the spoils of war will also need to be revised."

Perhaps as a martial artist, Zhou Haichao's talent was indeed limited. But having served as an executive at the Thunder Dojo in Northeast Base City for so long, his ability to invest in prodigies was absolutely top-tier.

To say nothing of the distant past, the Zheng Lei right in front of him was one such example.

This opportunity to break through to War God was the return on his investment from back then!

Right now, there was another lottery ticket, one that had already been scratched to reveal a win, waiting for his investment. How could Zhou Haichao possibly hesitate?