"Unauthorized personnel are not allowed inside!"
Lin Yuan stopped and looked at the two somewhat unfamiliar faces. He wasn't angry.
He knew the rules here. Without a pass, even the officials of other nations had to wait outside.
He said nothing.
He simply reached into his coat with a calm expression, took out a completely black ID card bearing a dark gold blood-drop emblem on its cover, and handed it over.
The guard on the left furrowed his brow and accepted it suspiciously. He'd been stationed here for three years and had seen countless IDs, but this black one... seemed quite rare.
He opened it, his eyes scanning the information again and again.
At first, he was nonchalant. Then his pupils suddenly contracted!
It was as if he'd seen something unbelievable.
Name: Lin Yuan.
Position: Extreme Martial Arts Hall · Honorary Inspector.
Clearance level: Special (second only to the Hall Master and his personal guards).
"This..."
The guard's hand jerked, and the next moment his mouth fell open wide enough to fit an egg.
He quickly snapped the ID shut. As if jolted by electricity, he straightened his back, brought his feet together with a sharp click, and snapped off a perfectly executed military salute!
His companion froze for a moment, then followed suit.
"Greetings, Inspector!"
"What? An Inspector?!"
The other guard's mind went "buzz," and his thoughts went blank. His body instinctively followed suit, his head bowed deeply as he dared not look directly at the young man before him.
They'd never dreamed that this young man, who looked only a few years older than the trainees, was the legendary Inspector!
And not just any Inspector—the one and only Honorary Inspector!
Who in their circles didn't know the weight of the title "Honorary Inspector"?
It was an honor personally bestowed by the world's strongest man, Hong, and signified that its holder had the potential to surpass a War God. Warriors everywhere regarded him as a "reserve councilor"!
As long as he survived, he was destined to stand at the pinnacle of humanity.
Lin Yuan remained calm.
"Can I go in now?" he asked evenly.
"Of course!"
The two guards shouted in unison. They hurriedly withdrew their battle spears, pressed the button to open the gate, and silently stepped aside.
Though this was the Global Headquarters and its rules were strict, those rules applied to ordinary people.
For those above the War God level—especially big shots like Inspectors—the doors here were wide open. Everyone hoped to receive a War God's guidance.
Even the Hall Master, Hong, and the Second Speaker, Thunder God, occasionally came here to instruct the trainees.
As the massive alloy doors slowly opened, Lin Yuan strode inside...
The familiar scenery greeted him as he entered the Training Camp.
The imposing Jiangnan Pavilion, the quiet Nine-Story Tower...
Every blade of grass and every tree here carried memories of Lin Yuan's past.
A few years ago, he'd been one of the trainees here, fighting desperately for rank, points, and a dose of Dragon Blood.
"After all that wandering, I'm back again."
Lin Yuan sighed, then felt a little troubled.
Where was Luo Feng right now?
The Training Camp covered a vast area. The trainees might be hunting monsters in the Wilderness Zone or training in any of the many practice rooms. If he couldn't even find Luo Feng, how could he offer him guidance?
The simplest way would be to reveal his identity and have the person in charge summon Luo Feng.
But Lin Yuan immediately dismissed the idea.
The system's task required him to "guide him without leaving a trace."
Summoning Luo Feng with a great commotion and giving him a face-to-face lesson would not only look deliberate but would also stray far from the task's core requirement.
"Without leaving a trace" meant that he couldn't do it publicly, or hold a formal lesson with a group of people gathered around.
Ideally, it would be like a silent drizzle seeping into the soil, letting Luo Feng figure things out for himself without knowing who had helped him.
This system sure knows how to make things difficult.
As Lin Yuan stood by the road, deep in thought, a series of hurried footsteps came from ahead.
A middle-aged man in training clothes hurried over. Clearly, the guards at the entrance had informed him.
When he saw Lin Yuan, surprise flashed in his eyes. He immediately broke into a warm smile and saluted from a distance.
"Inspector Lin! What a rare guest!"
Lin Yuan took a closer look and couldn't help smiling.
The man was Yang Hui, the chief instructor of the Elite Training Camp and the one responsible for welcoming new trainees.
"Coach Yang, long time no see."
Lin Yuan smiled too. He didn't put on any airs as an Inspector, instead going to greet him like an old friend.
They drew close and embraced, still smiling.
Back when Lin Yuan had been at the Training Camp, Yang Hui had looked after him quite a bit. Lin Yuan still remembered that bond.
"Goodness, when I heard from the guards that an Honorary Inspector had arrived, I wondered who it could be. I never expected it to be you!"
Yang Hui looked Lin Yuan up and down, his eyes filled with emotion. "It's only been a few years, and you've already made it this far. You really put us old-timers to shame."
After exchanging pleasantries, Yang Hui asked, puzzled, "By the way, Inspector Lin, what brings you here all of a sudden? Are you here on official business?"
Lin Yuan had already thought of an excuse, so he answered casually, "Nothing important. I just finished a mission nearby and stopped in for a look.
"You know I came from here. I wanted to see if this year's trainees include anyone more talented than I was."
"Haha, so you're here to scout for talent incognito!"
Yang Hui laughed, wearing an expression that said he understood.
Then he leaned in conspiratorially. "You know, this year really does have a freak! His name's Luo Feng, and he's from Yangzhou City in Jiangnan Base City. He's already broken into the top hundred. The guy's a complete Madman!"
Hearing the name, Lin Yuan was delighted, but he kept his expression neutral and merely raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Interesting. Where is he?"
"At this hour, that Madman's definitely in the gravity training room at the Nine-Story Tower." Yang Hui glanced at the time and answered with certainty. "A few of the other top-ranked trainees are there too."
"Okay, I'll go take a look." Lin Yuan nodded.
"Want me to come with you?"
"No need, Coach Yang. You go take care of your work. I'll just look around. I don't want to disturb them or reveal my identity and make the kids nervous."
"Understood, understood! I won't keep you, then. I'll give you access to the Nine-Story Tower's highest-level monitoring system right away." Yang Hui was a sharp man and understood at once.
After saying goodbye to Yang Hui, Lin Yuan made his way to the Nine-Story Tower alone.
With the highest clearance, he didn't go straight into a training room. Instead, he went to an observation corridor with one-way glass.
He had suppressed his entire presence, becoming like a ghost wandering through the Training Camp as he silently watched the young faces below, drenched in sweat.
Through the glass, he saw many familiar names, such as William and Zhao Ruo. With just a glance, Lin Yuan could pick out their strengths and weaknesses.
This was the experience and treasure unique to him.
At last, he stopped outside the observation window of an advanced gravity room.
Through the specially reinforced bulletproof glass, he saw a black-haired young man wearing gray training clothes.
The display in the gravity room clearly showed "3x gravity."
The young man was drenched in sweat, as if he'd just been pulled out of the water, but the Blood Shadow Battle Blade in his hand showed no sign of stopping.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Each swing tore through the air with a sharp crack, brimming with power.
"So this is Luo Feng..."
Lin Yuan watched quietly, a note of approval in his eyes.
This kind of willpower was certainly a hallmark of the strong.
But...
After watching for only three minutes, Lin Yuan shook his head, the corners of his mouth lifting into a knowing smile.
At a glance, he'd spotted Luo Feng's biggest bottleneck—and the key to completing this task.
Luo Feng's blade was too "rigid."
The Nine-Layer Thunder Blade was all about stacking hidden force, with each strike faster and more powerful than the last.
But the way Luo Feng trained now, he put everything he had into each swing, as if trying to squeeze every last ounce of strength out of himself.
"He only knows how to unleash his power, not how to rein it in."
Before you continue