War God Glinda came gracefully from the neighboring courtyard. She had dressed with care, wearing a simple yet elegant white dress. Delicate lace trim and a dainty brooch at her chest complemented each other, showcasing her purity while hinting at a subtle, alluring charm.
"What's the matter? Are you thinking of joining the War God Palace?"
Her makeup was light and refined, accentuating her features just right. Her emerald-green eyes were especially striking.
At that question, Liu Yun first put on a mysterious act and put on a little show with his Reverse Scale Flying Knives. Under his Psychic Power, the knives seemed to come alive, crisscrossing through the air to weave an impenetrable web of light. In an instant, they scattered like points of starlight, then converged into razor-sharp flashes. Their precision and agility were breathtaking.
"That's right. I'm planning to join because I want better treatment as soon as possible. That's the only way I can gain even greater power more quickly."
Glinda wasn't especially impressed by his technique. At most, his control was at War General Level—but then she sensed Liu Yun's Psychic Power. She couldn't help exclaiming, "That's the strength of your Psychic Power? It's already at the level of an intermediate War God!"
That was what truly astonished her. As an intermediate War God-level Psychic, Glinda knew firsthand how difficult it was to cultivate Psychic Power.
Yet Liu Yun's strength had been improving by leaps and bounds. She even wondered whether there was something unusual going on. His progress was simply too fast! He had gone from a crippled man who'd been injured to a beginner War God-level Psychic.
And after going out just once, he had reached the intermediate War God level—or at least, his Psychic Power had. How could she not be shocked?
Liu Yun smiled and gave a small nod, as if he had expected Glinda to be surprised.
"Don't ask me why I'm so strong. If you're satisfied with my strength, then promote me to War God and register me with the War God Palace! Surely your authority can exempt me from hunting a Lord-level Monster?"
At that, Glinda's lips curled into an amused smile. She lightly stamped her foot, making the ground tremble. Six scarlet Crystal Sword Blades appeared out of thin air and circled her. Their tips glinted coldly, a striking contrast to her graceful bearing that only added to her imposing air.
"Since you're so determined, I'll test your strength myself." Glinda's voice turned serious. "Each of these six Crystal Sword Blades contains a portion of my Psychic Power. They'll be your opponents—and the test of your promotion. There are always countless back doors for the truly strong. It all depends on whether you can take advantage of them."
As Glinda spoke, the six Crystal Sword Blades seemed to come alive. They darted through the air, sometimes weaving together into a net, sometimes splitting up to launch attacks. Each sword image could easily kill a high-level War General!
This was Liu Yun's weakness. In truth, his Psychic Power control was no better than that of a Junior War General. His Psychic Power had simply surged explosively after he'd taken drugs.
"Fine. If I win, let me join the War God Palace!"
Though Liu Yun lacked the ability to control them himself, he still had a Crystal on his chest: his Machine Race Clone, with its peerless computing power. With computer assistance, Liu Yun could be the finest fighter around.
Liu Yun took a deep breath, his gaze turning intensely focused. He raised his hands and closed his eyes, concentrating. In an instant, he seemed to merge with the surrounding air, as though the entire world had come to a standstill. Then his Psychic Power surged out like a tide, precisely locking onto the trajectory of every Crystal Sword Blade.
The Reverse Scale Flying Knives appeared under his control once more and clashed fiercely with the Crystal Sword Blades. Amid the flashing blades, Liu Yun displayed astonishing Psychic Power control. Every dodge and counterattack was perfectly timed, as if he shared an indescribable understanding with the knives.
Liu Yun had no idea how the computer was doing its calculations. But after he exchanged blows with Glinda, all six Crystal Sword Blades shattered into fragments before her disbelieving eyes.
"This... this can't be. I was watching you train just now. You were clearly only a Junior War General-level Psychic... at least, that was your level of control..."
Glinda had completely lost her bearings. How could Liu Yun, who had seemed so "clumsy" just moments ago, suddenly become this powerful? His control of Psychic Power was practically masterful, with a wild, freewheeling flair.
"Haha! I knew you were watching. I was deliberately holding back. Don't waste any more time—register me with the War God Palace!"
Liu Yun laughed and bluffed, but Glinda had no choice but to believe him. It was the only explanation that made sense.
She planned to study Liu Yun's combat footage carefully later, examining every frame. She wanted to discover the secret behind how he had so quickly increased both his Psychic Power and his control of it.
Glinda stood frozen, watching Liu Yun with a complicated look. She was both shocked and curious. She had never seen such an unbelievable transformation; it was as though Liu Yun held endless secrets. Yet as an examiner for the War God Palace, she knew her duty. No matter how many questions she had, she still had to make a fair judgment.
"All right, Liu Yun. Your strength has proven that you're qualified to join the War God Palace." Glinda finally spoke, her voice betraying a faint tremor. "Your War God Helmet will be sent to you soon. But remember, you haven't formed a team, and many people within the HR Alliance still don't know you. In the end, your strength still needs to be proven through your contributions."
As one of the HR Alliance's senior executives, she had the authority to serve as an examiner, as well as to verify Liu Yun's strength. Everything that had just happened had been recorded and would be uploaded to the War God Palace Council.
"Thank you, Miss Glinda. I'll wait to hear from you!"
Liu Yun remained calm. Although he had used the Crystal Ball to deceive Glinda, it was also part of his strength.
In future battles, he could still get by using War General-level Psychic Power. At a critical moment, he only needed to display the might of a War God. He didn't care what others thought of him.
As for the bounty, the Li Yao couple were acting under the Crystal Ball's surveillance. All the data Liu Yun had uploaded showed that he had been fighting in Dongying and Xianbeiliya. Even the footage had been generated.
In the footage, Liu Yun was always fighting monsters. There was no way he could have had a grudge against Li Wei. So, as long as they hadn't gone completely insane, they wouldn't suspect him for the time being.
A short while later, three men in matching uniforms entered Liu Yun's courtyard.
Among them, a bald Chinese man held a finely crafted metal case. He addressed Liu Yun respectfully. "War God Liu Yun, you have officially joined the War God Palace and are entitled to a Consciousness Sensor Helmet at no cost. This helmet is extremely advanced. No matter where you are on Earth, just put it on and you can instantly enter the virtual space."
As he spoke, he set the case down between them and said proudly,
"Becoming a member of the War God Palace means you'll enjoy many special privileges," the bald man in the lead continued. "Those privileges also come with special responsibilities." He handed the metal case to Liu Yun. "War God Liu Yun, once you use this Consciousness Sensor Helmet to enter the virtual space, you'll truly understand the greatness of the War God Palace."
"All right, understood." Liu Yun smiled as he took the case and opened the latches. Click. The metal case sprang open, revealing a helmet that glowed red.
The staff took their leave. Liu Yun smiled to himself and quietly instructed,
"Time to get to work, clone. Give this helmet a thorough upgrade. Show Earth's War Gods what real technology looks like!"
He had never taken the bald man's words seriously. After all, he had a Machine Race Clone with computing power beyond belief. In theory, the entire internet on Earth was practically open to Liu Yun.
"Understood! Connected to the War God Palace system. Beep. After three microseconds, the War God Palace security system has been completely breached!"
The Machine Race Clone's voice sounded. The entire War God Palace system had been taken over; it was now Liu Yun's system.
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