Opportunity

"You know, I used to be a member of Phantom Squad!"

Yang Wu was completely stunned by Wu Tong's words.

Wu Tong knew exactly what Yang Wu was thinking, so he explained, "Back then, Phantom Squad wasn't nearly as formidable as it is now. The captain was only an Intermediate War General Level warrior!

"But later, a new member joined Phantom Squad: Chu Tian, who is now the squad's captain. He turned out to be an extremely rare Spiritual Master. Thanks to his Spiritual Force, Chu Tian's strength improved at an incredible pace! Before long, he had become the strongest member of the squad.

"Unfortunately, though, the captain's talent as a Spiritual Master wasn't especially strong. Once his Spiritual Force reached the Primary War General Level, it was exhausted.

"Even so, the captain's strength continued to grow rapidly. Gradually, Phantom Squad grew stronger and stronger, and I struggled to keep up. In the end, I simply retired and returned to Yangzhou City to become an instructor!"

When he spoke of retiring, Wu Tong looked dejected.

For a warrior, retirement meant less danger, but it also meant losing the thrill of the fight.

"So you've had such an incredible journey, Uncle Wu!" Yang Wu exclaimed after hearing Wu Tong's story.

Yang Wu had asked Wu Tong to recommend a warrior squad simply because he didn't know many powerful warriors. He hadn't expected Wu Tong to give him such a wonderful surprise.

As for whether he could join Phantom Squad, Yang Wu was quite confident in himself.

"Yang Wu, you've actually met Phantom Squad's captain before!" Wu Tong said with a smile, his spirits restored. "Remember when you took the Quasi-Warrior Assessment last month? The captain came to see me. Do you remember?"

"So that silver-haired man in black robes was Chu Tian, the captain of Phantom Squad!"

Yang Wu immediately thought of the man who had appeared in the examination hall that day.

At the time, Yang Wu had been puzzled when Chief Instructor Wu Tong addressed him as Captain. Now he finally had his answer.

"Yang Wu, if you're interested in joining Phantom Squad, I can try to get you a chance to prove yourself!" Wu Tong said with a smile.

Actually, if Yang Wu had merely been a 24-year-old Primary War General Level warrior, Wu Tong would never have recommended him to Phantom Squad. But Yang Wu had not only mastered Specialist Level spear techniques; the strength he had gained from his first cultivation of Genetic Origin Energy had also been astonishing.

That was why Wu Tong planned to recommend Yang Wu to Phantom Squad. He could no longer venture into the Wilderness Area with his former teammates, so sending them a talented young warrior was one way to show he still cared.

"I'd love to! Thank you, Uncle Wu!" Yang Wu hurriedly replied.

Only a fool would turn down the chance to join such a powerful warrior squad.

"I'll contact the captain first!" Wu Tong said, then left the reception room alone.

In a Quiet Room, Wu Tong called Chu Tian, the captain of Phantom Squad.

The call was answered quickly, and Chu Tian's hearty laughter came through the phone.

"Hey, Brother Wu! What brings you to call me today?"

"Captain!" Wu Tong said with a smile. "You're not in the Wilderness Area right now, are you?"

"No! We just got back a few days ago. The squad's taking a break in the Base City. What's up, Brother Wu? Do you need something?" Chu Tian asked.

"There's something I need to trouble you with, Captain," Wu Tong said sheepishly.

Hearing that Wu Tong needed his help, Chu Tian immediately took the matter seriously. "Brother Wu, just tell me what you need. I'll take care of it!"

Back when Chu Tian hadn't yet grown strong, Wu Tong had looked after him in the squad. Now that Wu Tong had finally asked him for help, Chu Tian was bound to take it seriously.

"Here's the situation," Wu Tong quickly explained. "There's a young man here named Yang Wu. He just passed the practical portion of the Quasi-Warrior Assessment, and he's already at the Primary War General Level. But he hasn't found a suitable warrior squad yet, so I wanted to see if we could bring him into Phantom Squad."

Chu Tian furrowed his brow. The confidence he'd shown earlier vanished.

Every member of Phantom Squad had been selected from countless candidates. Bringing in a newcomer who had only just become a warrior would affect the squad's combat strength, even if his physical abilities were at the Primary War General Level.

If anyone else had approached Chu Tian with this request, he would have refused without hesitation. But Wu Tong was different. He had once been a member of Phantom Squad, and more than that, he was Chu Tian's brother in life and death.

For a moment, Chu Tian didn't know what to do.

Hearing the silence on the other end, Wu Tong immediately understood what Chu Tian was thinking. He hurriedly explained, "Captain, the man I'm talking about isn't just at the Primary War General Level physically. He's also mastered Specialist Level spear techniques, and his Movement Technique is pretty good. He hasn't reached the Micro-Level, but his fundamentals are solid. Even more impressively, he gained nearly 8,000 kilograms of strength the first time he cultivated Genetic Origin Energy!"

"That's impossible!" Chu Tian exclaimed in surprise from the other end of the phone. "If that's true, why aren't the Martial Arts Hall's higher-ups planning to invest heavily in him?"

"Yang Wu is already 24!"

After Wu Tong said this, Chu Tian fell silent.

As a once-brilliant Spiritual Master, Chu Tian knew how awkward that age could be for a talented warrior.

Generally, after awakening their Spiritual Force, Spiritual Masters had a chance to join the War God Preparatory Camp. But Chu Tian had awakened his Spiritual Force at 25. Since his talent as a Spiritual Master hadn't been particularly strong to begin with, that meant he had no chance of joining the Elite Training Camp.

If I'd been able to join the Elite Training Camp back then, maybe I'd be a War God Level powerhouse by now! Chu Tian, now 31, thought to himself.

After a moment, Chu Tian said over the phone, "Brother Wu, bring him over if you're free. But whether he can join Phantom Squad will depend on how he does in the assessment!"

Although Chu Tian felt that Yang Wu was in a similar predicament to his own, he still didn't agree to let him join Phantom Squad outright. After all, he had to consider the safety of every member of the squad.

"All right, we'll be right over!" Wu Tong replied at once.

Yang Wu was in the reception room, browsing Extreme Home's introduction to Phantom Squad. The more he read, the more certain he became that he should join them.

Just then, Wu Tong pushed open the door and walked in.

"Yang Wu!" Wu Tong said excitedly. "Phantom Squad is currently taking a break in the main district of Jiangnan Base City. There's no time to waste—we'll head over right away!"

"Great! Let's go!" Yang Wu replied hurriedly.

There was no time to lose. Yang Wu called his parents, then immediately followed Wu Tong onto a train bound for the main district.