He had not finished speaking when both he and Yang Hui suddenly froze. A sense of danger had inexplicably risen in their hearts?!
With a War God's reflexes, there could be only one explanation for sensing danger!
That was—
Could Jiang Li's punch be powerful enough to hurt a War God?
Jiang Li clenched his right fist. His blood and energy surged, and his mental power burst forth in that instant. His whole presence changed dramatically.
If Jiang Li had seemed like a gentle boy next door just moments ago, now he was a god of slaughter!
Faint dragon scales even appeared on his skin, which had turned crimson.
"Rumble!"
His punch fell like a meteor, and a thunderous boom erupted across the room.
The entire top-floor training hall shook. The whole guild hall trembled, and many staff members were shaken right off their chairs.
"What happened? An earthquake?"
"No way! There wasn't an earthquake warning!"
"The shaking came from the top floor. Could Chairman Zhou and Special Envoy Yang be sparring?"
"Are you crazy? A spar between War Gods could tear the whole guild hall apart!"
"Look! What's that?"
"Holy crap! The Punch Force Testing Machine?!"
"..."
The Punch Force Testing Machine Jiang Li had struck was smashed to pieces. It tore through the Mixed Metal Wall and flew out, leaving a crater over ten square meters wide.
The next moment,
sunlight streamed straight inside.
### "How is that possible?"
"The punch force testing machine at the main guild hall can withstand a force of a hundred tons!!!"
Zhuge Tao's eyes nearly popped out of his head, and even the two War Gods' expressions changed again and again.
'Beep!' 'Beep!' 'Beep!'
Only then did a string of numbers appear on the display: '99999KG'!
"A hundred tons of force!"
Even Yang Hui, a dignified War God, couldn't help twitching the corner of his mouth. "Nearly the full force of a Junior War God!"
"Special Envoy, I'm afraid you'll have to take back what you just said!"
Zhou Zhengyong took a couple of deep breaths, then laughed in exhilaration. "A burst of strength nearly eight times his normal force... He'd need at least the sixth layer of the Ninefold Thunder Blade to achieve that..."
"Jiang Li has a very good chance of passing the B-Level Trial!"
!!!
"Sixth layer?"
"How is that possible?"
Zhuge Tao's eyes widened, a hint of alarm flashing through them. "Jiang Li only bought the first three layers of the Ninefold Thunder Blade manual, and he only has the first layer of Annihilation!"
The thing was...
Whether it was the Limit Martial Arts Hall, the Thunderbolt Martial Arts Hall, or another organization, the copyright to every manual they sold belonged to its creator.
Buyers only had the right to study them. Anyone who leaked, privately shared, or sold them would be hunted down by the Limit Martial Arts Hall, Thunderbolt Martial Arts Hall, the Underground Alliance, and the Military. Even Beyond War God Existence wouldn't dare do such a thing!
In other words,
Jiang Li had only bought the first three layers of the Ninefold Thunder Blade manual. If he used the sixth layer, he wouldn't just lose the Limit Martial Arts Hall's support; he'd be hunted by all the major organizations.
Of course, they would need conclusive evidence.
"Let's set that aside for now..."
Yang Hui waved a hand and offered no further explanation. "Zhuge, you should think about the cost of repairing the training hall!"
"Special Envoy, weren't you the one who told him to use all his strength?"
Zhuge Tao's mouth twitched.
The training hall was made of Mixed A3 Metal, a material capable of withstanding a full-force strike from someone at Advanced General Level. Repairs would cost at least several billion!
"Jiang Li, I underestimated you!"
When Jiang Li returned, Yang Hui didn't beat around the bush. He apologized frankly. "I take back what I said earlier. Given your current abilities, passing the B-Level Trial shouldn't be too difficult!"
"You're too kind, Special Envoy Yang!"
Jiang Li didn't take Yang Hui's words to heart. He glanced at the hole letting in the wind and said, a little embarrassed, "About that hole...?"
"Jiang Li, it's a minor problem. I'll take care of it!"
Zhuge Tao laughed heartily, then handed Jiang Li a contract. "This is the Special Training Contract. Take a look first."
"Okay."
Jiang Li took the contract and skimmed through the terms. Like the previous one, it was straightforward and contained no jargon.
After signing four copies, Yang Hui took out a Jade Seal and stamped them. "One copy is for you. The other three have to go through the guild hall's internal procedures."
"Also, Zhuge will arrange the ten billion Hanxia Currency mentioned in the contract for you."
"Just come to the Military Region airport in Jiangnan Base City next March, and meet up with me there!"
"Okay!"
Jiang Li said goodbye to the three of them and took the Limit Guild Hall's car home.
Mingyue Residential Area, Yangzhou City.
'Beep!'
The Limit Guild Hall's car pulled up right outside the hall. Ling Ling was waiting there, gazing down the road with anxious anticipation. Wu Tong, Jiang Nian, and the others were waiting for Jiang Li to return, too.
The moment Jiang Li got out of the car, Ling Ling rushed over and hugged him tightly. A ripple of emotion stirred in her eyes. "Honey!"
"Honey!"
Jiang Li could feel how happy and worried she had been. He held her close without caring who was watching, then kissed her gently.
"Haha, as long as you're all back safe and sound. Jiang Nian, now we can go have a proper drink."
Seeing them, Wu Tong tactfully smiled and led Jiang Nian away.
Back home...
Jiang Li didn't immediately buy manuals or start training. For three days straight, he went shopping, strolled around, bought groceries, and cooked with Ling Ling. They enjoyed a leisurely, peaceful life.
At dusk, Jiang Li had just brought the groceries home.
"Brother Jiang, are you free? The captain and the others are here."
Luo Feng called to ask.
"Sure. I'll come over in a bit."
Jiang Li finished preparing the ingredients for Ling Ling, then changed into casual clothes and headed to the Limit Guild Hall.
In a small bar on the first floor of the Limit Guild Hall, Gao Feng, Zhang Ke, Chen Gu, the Wei Brothers, and Luo Feng sat together.
"Brother Jiang, over here!"
When Jiang Li came over, Wei Qing grinned. "I heard that a War God test might've taken place at the Jiangnan Guild Hall a few days ago, and that their top-of-the-line punch force testing machine was smashed to pieces..."
"Brother Jiang, was that your handiwork?"
Chen Gu, Zhang Ke, and the others craned their necks, eyes full of anticipation.
Their eyes looked just like those of greedy, ferocious wolves. Jiang Li feigned surprise. "You're not here on Manager Zhuge's orders to make me pay for it, are you?"
"I knew it!"
They'd already suspected as much, but hearing Jiang Li admit it still left the other members of the Fire Hammer Squad stunned.
That had been a War God's strike—a hundred tons of force. How terrifying!
"Jiang Li."
After the shock had passed, Gao Feng spoke solemnly. "After you left with the Special Envoy that day, our squad discussed it. Chen Gu, Zhang Ke, and the Wei Brothers have all used Gene Potions."
"Hm?"
Jiang Li looked at Gao Feng, brows furrowing slightly. "Captain, if nothing unexpected happens, I'll be heading to the Training Camp next March."
He knew about Gene Potions. They could improve a martial artist's physical abilities in an extremely short time, but it was like forcing a seedling to grow. After using one, a person's potential was basically capped.
"We all figured."
Chen Gu and Zhang Ke exchanged glances and smiled. "Zhang Ke and I aren't young anymore. We've probably reached the limit of what we can achieve at Warrior General Level."
"If you hadn't been there this time, Jiang Li, we might've died at the hands of the Fang Squad."
Zhang Ke still felt shaken when he thought about it. "We might as well raise our strength now, take on a few more jobs, earn enough money, and then retire with honor!"
Nobody wanted to die.
But everyone had burdens to carry, and often there was no other choice.
"It'll take about a month for the Gene Potion to take full effect, so I'm planning to head back to the Wilderness Zone before winter sets in."
Gao Feng looked at Jiang Li and Luo Feng. "What do you think, Jiang Li? Luo Feng?"
Before you continue