"Cadet Chen Daolin, you're at the Elite Training Camp, which is very close to the city. We can deliver what you requested within an hour. Please be ready to receive it," the deep voice concluded.
A little after three in the morning, Chen Daolin arrived at the front gate of the Elite Training Camp. He chatted casually with the military officer in charge of guarding the camp while waiting for someone from the Extreme Martial Arts Hall to deliver his items.
Having been through it once already, he wasn't in much of a hurry this time.
Suddenly—
A deep-blue streak of light tore across the sky and stopped above the camp's main gate. It was a deep-blue, triangular aircraft. The soldiers at the gate looked up at it curiously. Since the camp's defense system hadn't sounded an alarm, they knew it belonged to the Extreme Martial Arts Hall.
At present, triangular aircraft like this were widely used within the Extreme Martial Arts Hall. Other forces mostly used disc-shaped flying saucers.
The Extreme Martial Arts Hall's aircraft technology was far ahead of that of the other forces in the world. It could be called the best.
The deep-blue triangular aircraft began to descend slowly. As it drew closer, it naturally appeared larger and larger, becoming clearer to the naked eye.
"Which big shot from the Hall is visiting?" some soldiers whispered curiously.
Although Chen Daolin had seen this kind of aircraft before, he still envied it. Aircraft were incredibly expensive. Even mass-produced military models cost over a billion, while those capable of traveling through the Wilderness Area on their own cost more than ten billion. Even God of War-level warriors rarely felt they could afford one.
The deep-blue triangular aircraft slowly landed on a patch of grass near the camp's front gate. Its hull was over twenty meters long. Only when viewed up close could one appreciate its graceful design—the curves, the color... It was absolutely incomparable to those disc-shaped aircraft.
An electronic voice sounded.
"Cadet Chen Daolin, please come and receive your items."
The soldiers at the camp gate erupted in surprise. Countless envious gazes turned toward Chen Daolin.
Chen Daolin was a little bewildered, too.
It's... it's for me?
He suddenly realized.
Could this be the Extreme Martial Arts Hall delivering my rewards?
Chen Daolin marveled inwardly. Using an aircraft to deliver a package—the Extreme Martial Arts Hall really is something else.
With a swish, the hatch opened. A voice called out, "Cadet Chen Daolin, please enter the aircraft."
With all those eyes fixed on him, Chen Daolin walked toward the hatch, feeling excited, eager, and nervous.
A beam of blue light shone over him, and an electronic voice rang out. "Cadet Chen Daolin, identity confirmed. Please enter."
The aircraft's interior was spacious and luxurious. Four people were inside, two of them wearing black combat suits. All four looked at Chen Daolin. He felt a faint pressure from them. Judging by their auras... they were probably all God of War-level warriors, and fairly powerful ones at that.
The four people inside included two Asians, one Black man, and one white man. They had been speaking Chinese before, but fell silent as soon as Chen Daolin entered.
Chinese was the common language in Hongning Base City, so it was no surprise that most people at the Global Headquarters spoke it, too.
After stepping inside, Chen Daolin looked around and spotted a large silver lockbox, identical to the one he had received his previous reward in.
Another beam of blue light shone on the lockbox. "Reward items confirmed. No discrepancies," the electronic voice announced. "Cadet Chen Daolin, please accept your reward."
One of the four, a Chinese woman wearing a black combat suit, picked up the lockbox and handed it directly to Chen Daolin. They had been discussing something among themselves, but as soon as Chen Daolin entered, they all fell silent. The Extreme Martial Arts Hall maintained very strict oversight in this regard. With its powerful intelligent systems, hardly anyone dared to openly violate its rules.
Chen Daolin accepted the lockbox with a smile and left the aircraft. The hatch closed behind him, and the deep-blue triangular aircraft rose into the air, flew away from the camp, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
"My huge reward is finally here." Chen Daolin patted the silver lockbox, in an excellent mood.
Back at his residence in Jiangnan Pavilion, Chen Daolin went into the underground chamber again and used his fingerprint to open the lockbox. Inside were various items, arranged on two levels. The top level held a wooden box, a white plastic case, and a divider. The items inside included Dragon Blood, the Black God Set, and three complete martial arts manuals. The second level contained the SS-class Combat Suit and weapons he had selected. At Chen Daolin's request, the combat suit, boots, and gloves were gray.
"An SS-class Combat Suit. So this is what even Beyond War God-level powerhouses use?" Chen Daolin curiously took it out and examined it for a while. He gave it a hard tug. With his current strength of over a hundred thousand kilograms, he still couldn't make the suit budge.
"Impressive." Chen Daolin praised it. With this, he'd be much better protected when fighting in the Wilderness Area from now on.
As for the SS-class weapon, there wasn't much to say. It was a weapon capable of fighting King Level Monsters and piercing their bodily defenses.
Whether SS-class weapons or combat suits, both were astonishingly expensive. Even most High-level War Gods couldn't afford to buy them.
As for the three complete manuals, Chen Daolin had previously chosen the complete World Destroyer set. This time, he had chosen Nine-Layered Thunder Blade, Fanhe Sword, and Dragon Elephant Staff. He intended to give Nine-Layered Thunder Blade to Ji Xuan, Fanhe Sword to Zhao Ruo, and Dragon Elephant Staff to Shi Jiang. There was no helping it; those were the three people he was closest to at the Training Camp. He wasn't close enough to anyone else to give them something like this.
There was no sense in biting off more than he could chew. World Destroyer alone was one of the strongest martial arts on Earth, and Chen Daolin had no idea when he'd manage to cultivate it to the sixth level. He didn't plan to practice these other manuals. He would secretly keep copies for reference, but as long as he didn't practice them or get caught, the Extreme Martial Arts Hall naturally wouldn't punish him.
"Dragon Blood..." Chen Daolin studied the golden liquid in the test tube. Its effect on him had diminished considerably, so it would be a waste to use it himself. Perhaps he could offer it to Ji Xuan. He just didn't know whether she'd accept it.
Ji Xuan hadn't said anything the last time he gave her a Crystal Vine Fruit, since they were close enough not to stand on ceremony. Besides, the Crystal Vine Fruit was indeed extremely effective for a Spirit Reader. But if he gave her Dragon Blood now, would she feel as if he were "charitably giving" it to her? Even the best and closest of friends had their limits. Unless they were parents, family, a spouse, or children, one couldn't simply give such a precious item to a friend.
Dragon Blood really was precious. It was worth 160 billion outside, and even the Extreme Martial Arts Hall's internal price was 80 billion!
"I'll ask Ji Xuan first. If she doesn't want it, I'll figure something else out." Chen Daolin stopped dwelling on it and turned his attention to the last item: the white plastic case. This should be the Black God Set, but how had it fit inside a case this small? A puzzled look crossed his face.
Chen Daolin opened the plastic case. Inside was a thick black glove, with an instruction sheet beside it.
He picked up the instructions and read them. Only then did he learn that this was the Black God Set. It could change shape at will, becoming anything from clothes, a hat, and trousers to a ring, necklace, earrings, weapons, or a shield.
It was very simple to use. If the Black God Set had not yet bonded with anyone, the wearer only had to put it on. It would automatically seep through the skin and absorb blood. After absorbing some blood, it would undergo a transformation, making the entire Black God Set fit the wearer perfectly, like a second skin. It could also change shape according to the wearer's wishes.
In about fifteen minutes, Chen Daolin had bonded with the Black God Set. He could sense an additional part of himself now: the Black God Set on his body. It felt just like his own skin, as though it were part of his body. He could feel the movement of the air, as well as temperature and moisture.
"How amazing." Chen Daolin felt as if he'd found a treasure. At a thought, black light rapidly spread over his body, covering him from head to toe. Looking into the mirror in the underground chamber, he saw a figure covered in black skin, with everything but the eyes and nose obscured.
With another thought, the Black God Set turned into a black tailcoat. Then it became a black helmet, a black longsword, a black shield, black combat boots, a black cloak... Finally, it became casual black clothes that covered Chen Daolin. Still, he wouldn't actually go out wearing only the Black God Set. That would feel no different from being naked.
Chen Daolin picked up his SS-class spear and pressed its tip hard against the Black God Set's black membrane. It was like pressing against the toughest oxhide; the spear couldn't penetrate it, and it didn't leave so much as a scratch.
Chen Daolin nodded in satisfaction.
No wonder everyone wanted a Black God Set. It was incredibly convenient and useful. A God of War with one would be much harder to kill, and it would be nearly impossible for an opponent of equal strength to kill them.
In Hongning Base City, the Extreme Martial Arts Hall's Global Headquarters was a massive, spaceship-like building, ten thousand meters long and about a hundred meters tall. It had an enormous hatch, dozens of meters wide, large enough for people to enter. A huge military force was stationed outside, making the area seem heavily guarded.
Two people stood in front of a closed black door on the top floor of the spaceship-like building.
One was a captivating woman in a black robe, with long black hair and skin as white as jade. She wore a Golden Mask. The other was a black-robed man who radiated a cold aura and also wore a Golden Mask.
Whoosh.
The closed black door suddenly opened. The two people outside bowed their heads slightly at the same time.
"Hall Master."
A man about one meter ninety tall walked out. He wore black trousers and a black jacket, and had a close-cropped haircut. At first glance, he looked like a spear poised to pierce the heavens. His face was utterly free of wrinkles, making him seem to be in his twenties.
Beside him was a bald man in a white robe, his face wearing a warm, sunny smile.
"We spent half a month in seclusion studying this time. We finally made some progress," the black-haired young man said with a slight nod.
The bald man sighed softly. "We did make some progress, but unfortunately, I still haven't comprehended a domain."
The black-haired young man glanced at him. "I say you should go fight those two Beast Emperors in the sea. Whether you succeed or fail, you'd have a much better chance of comprehending a domain. Without a life-or-death battle, without pushing yourself to break through your limits, you'll make progress far too slowly."
He turned around. "Yao Rao, Iceberg, you're waiting here for me. Is something the matter?"
The black-robed woman in the Golden Mask, Yao Rao, replied respectfully, "Hall Master, there's something concerning the Elite Training Camp that we need to report to you..."
A moment later, a red triangular aircraft flew out of the Extreme Martial Arts Hall's Global Headquarters and sped toward the Elite Training Camp.
"Thunder God, I'm going to the Elite Training Camp. Why are you coming along?" The black-haired young man looked helplessly at the grinning bald man beside him.
Thunder God, still dressed in white, grinned. "Brother Hong, I'm just curious about that young fellow named Chen Daolin. He comes from an ordinary family and has no one backing him. In just half a year at the Training Camp, he's reached a Combat Power Amplitude of sixteen at only nineteen years old. If you don't want a genius like that, Brother Hong, you can let me have him."
Hong replied calmly, "Let's see first." Hong wasn't the sort to take just anyone as a disciple. As the world's number one and its strongest warrior, his standards were impossibly high. He didn't consider just anyone worthy. Hong had seen countless geniuses, but only a rare few had ever become his disciples.
Before you continue