War God Palace

Led by Jia Yi, Xue Xi arrived at an authentication room. Although it was past 3:00 AM, many staff members were still bustling about. Xue Xi followed in Jia Yi's footsteps and stopped at a testing area, where an inspector wearing a black combat suit was waiting.

Seeing the two arrive, the inspector stiffened and placed a palm to his temple in a standard military salute: "Sir, the authentication procedure is ready. The authentication personnel from the War God Palace will arrive shortly!"

Jia Yi nodded, "Then let's start first. When the people from the War God Palace arrive, they can just extract the video data."

The inspector turned on the switch for the testing area. The alloy Punch Target looked even more durable than the one Xue Xi used herself. She walked up slowly, interlaced her fingers, and cracked her knuckles with a forceful pull, though no sound was emitted.

Holding her breath, Xue Xi clenched her right fist. The next second, with a sharp whoosh, her fist tore through the air and slammed heavily into the center of the target. The alloy Punch Target let out a dull thud, and the number "353000kg" appeared conspicuously on the display screen. The inspector nearby immediately cast a look of shock and awe at Xue Xi.

Seeing the result, Jia Yi burst into laughter: "Good, good, good! Xue Xi, your punching power has already exceeded the standard threshold for a high-level War God; it's not inferior even to an invincible War God. Huaxia has gained another powerhouse! Quickly, test your speed now."

A while later, Xue Xi sat on the sofa holding her martial artist license and a virtual helmet from the War God Palace. She turned the helmet over and over, exploring it thoroughly. So this was the legendary virtual helmet; it didn't look much different from a motorcycle helmet.

Watching Xue Xi, who looked like a child, Jia Yi took out his own helmet from who knows where: "Come on, girl, I'll take you to get familiar with the War God Palace. In the future, you can also use it to promote your restaurant or post notices, so you don't have to spend all day holding that handwritten menu and scribbling away."

"What do you mean? I just think a handwritten menu has more character!" She pouted and explained herself, then followed Jia Yi's lead and put on the deep blue helmet. Closing her eyes, she pressed the button on the top. A vortex of countless lines appeared before Xue Xi's eyes, and a burst of blinding white light made her instinctively squint.

As the light faded, she found herself in an independent, spacious room, with the view of the cosmic starry sky outside.

Xue Xi curiously touched her own arm; it felt fleshy, smooth, and full of elasticity. She sniffed the faint scent of fresh flowers in the room: "Wow, is this the virtual world? It's so amazing. Even the War God Palace, which is a relatively low-level virtual space, is so realistic. I'm a bit curious about what that vast Virtual Universe is actually like."

In the virtual space of the War God Palace, Xue Xi was wearing a pristine white dress. Her shoulder-length hair couldn't hide her fair back, which featured a strapped design, and she navigated the 3cm high heels with ease. After a quick glance at the manual, Xue Xi received a message from Jia Yi and walked out of the room.

Passing through a small corridor, a massive circular plaza came into view. Jia Yi stood at the exit in a formal suit. "Hello, Councilor Jia," the War Gods passing by greeted him one after another. Jia Yi didn't put on airs and responded to each with a smile.

Seeing Xue Xi walking over in her white dress, a look of admiration flashed in Jia Yi's eyes. He secretly lamented to himself: My son is already married, and my grandson is only 3 years old; otherwise, I could have tried to get closer to this girl and build a connection.

He shook his head and walked up with a smile: "The little girl looks quite stunning when she dresses up. There will be a welcome ceremony in the plaza in a moment. Every newcomer who joins the War God Palace gets one, so don't be too surprised. Let's go."

Xue Xi nodded and stepped into the first-floor plaza hall of the War God Palace. Instantly, the lights in the entire venue dimmed, and high-pitched, stirring background music began to play. The crowd was stunned for a moment before they realized what was happening, all looking toward the gathering light with expressions of amusement.

A voice, originating from nowhere, boomed like thunder: "The War God Palace welcomes a new War God. Their name is... Xue Xi!"

A section of text slowly appeared on the three-dimensional holographic stele in the center of the War God Palace:

[Name: Xue Xi

Nationality: Huaxia

Rank: High-level War God]

"The total number of War Gods in human society has now increased by one, reaching 3,513!" As the voice faded, the background music softened and the lights gradually brightened, but the focus of everyone's discussion was now centered on Xue Xi.

"Isn't this the owner of that popular Cat Ear Restaurant? I didn't expect her to be so young and yet have reached such a terrifying level of strength. The younger generation is truly formidable!"

"I wonder if she eats higher-grade Crab Roe Soup Dumplings every day? I only broke through to a mid-level War God after eating a few servings of second-grade Crab Roe Soup Dumplings. How old is she? I feel like the food this girl makes is even more incredible than a Spirit of Vegetation!"

"It looks like I should visit the Cat Ear Restaurant more often in the future. Who knows, maybe one day I'll break through to the Councilor level."

Every War God present was well-informed, and they discussed this heatedly. Some who were socially adept tried to build a rapport with Xue Xi. After turning down several dinner invitations from other War Gods, she pulled Jia Yi to a seat in a less crowded area. To be honest, she wasn't very good at handling this kind of scene.