The Disappearance of Wang Ji

The next day was Wednesday. Wang Ji did not attend any classes; instead, he stayed in the basement of his villa and put on the Virtual Consciousness Helmet. The basement was cast entirely from high-grade alloys, making it a very secure location.

"Beep! Student Wang Ji, please confirm if the following information is correct."

"Correct!"

"Beep, you may enter the War God Palace!"

Wang Ji's consciousness, clad in a white robe, instantly appeared in a room. This room spanned over 1,000 square meters and was fully equipped with a bed, a swimming pool, a desk and chair, a luxurious dining table, a lounge chair, and a training area complete with a yoga mat. The vast, open space was organized into various distinct sections.

"Welcome, Mr. Wang Ji." An electronic voice rang out abruptly. "Because you are entering with special authorization, your white robe will bear a special mark." As it spoke, a palm-sized embroidered badge appeared on the chest of his robe, reading "Special Observer."

"This is your private room within the War God Palace. Aside from yourself, no one else can enter." The electronic voice echoed through the room. "On your desk, there is a book, the War God Palace Regulations. Please collect it." The voice faded away.

Wang Ji looked out through the window. Outside, the view was vast and boundless, filled with swirling clouds and mist. The brilliant sunlight shone into the mist, refracting into seven-colored rays—a truly magnificent sight. Although this was a virtual space, the 100% fidelity made it feel identical to reality, leaving one in awe.

Wang Ji pushed open the door to find a massive hall spanning tens of thousands of square meters. The ceiling was thirty meters high, and on the elevated platform at the front, over fifty enormous, majestic seats were arranged in an arc.

Below the platform, thousands of sofa-style seats were scattered in rows. Half of these seats were already occupied by people, all dressed in white robes, engaged in lively conversation; some held red wine glasses, while others gripped battle blades.

"Whoosh!" On the platform above, 42 figures in gold robes suddenly appeared. The person in the very center was surrounded by light, yet his features remained obscured. When Wang Ji looked at him, it felt as if he were gazing up at a deity! A domain seemed to emanate for dozens of meters around him, accentuating his presence.

Wang Ji understood that this was Hong.

Beside him sat a bald man, who must have been Thor.

"Today, we are conducting our fifth discussion on the 36-Fold Waves. Before this session, we received 322 submissions regarding insights and explorations of the 36-Fold Waves. We have selected six to present today. I hope these six will provide everyone with some inspiration. This is the agenda for the morning. In the afternoon, we will have our usual time for free discussion and exchange."

"I hope we can quickly clarify the correct development path for amplitude to correct the biases in our past secret manuals, allowing our Earth's martial arts to progress in a healthy and sustainable manner."

"Next, I invite our first speaker, Inspector Ford of the Thunderbolt Martial Hall. Based on the 36-Fold Waves, he has reorganized his power output, which has now reached 6.2 times. This is a 6.2-fold increase in speed, strength, defense, and all other metrics. He will now share his insights and realizations with us..."

"Hmm... impressive!"

"Councilor Ford is indeed fast!"

"Quiet! Let's listen..."

Wang Ji's seat was in the back, but in this virtual space, no matter where one sat, looking toward the podium felt as if one were right in front of it. The sound was equally clear. Wang Ji absorbed all the insights and realizations like a sponge. The speakers were all at the absolute forefront of the field; even if some points were slightly biased, their perspectives were top-tier!

Wang Ji was mesmerized. At every moment, countless inspirations erupted in his mind. He couldn't even process them in time, so he simply engraved these undigested insights onto his Iron Will before continuing to listen and absorb more.

"Hm? It's over?" Wang Ji suddenly snapped to his senses, realizing the six reports had concluded.

Thunderous applause erupted below, and everyone felt they had gained a great deal. After a long while, just as everyone thought the morning session had ended, Hong pressed his palm downward. The applause ceased instantly, and Hong said in a low, slow voice, "Next, I would like to invite a special presenter to share his insights as well. He is Wang Ji, the discoverer of this 36-Fold Waves."

"Buzz..." The crowd broke into a flurry of discussion. Some had long known that the discoverer of this manual was Wang Ji, a nameless youth. But many others were unaware, assuming it had been discovered by the Chinese military. Only now did they realize it was this person.

A beam of light suddenly shone on Wang Ji. He was quite surprised, but he had no choice but to walk up to the podium.

"I believe..."

Wang Ji spoke of his own insights. Along the way, some people asked questions, but Wang Ji's viewpoints were always thought-provoking.

"Not bad. Although his understanding of power output is still immature, the logic is excellent!"

"Right! The direction is correct! It feels even clearer than the direction taken by Inspector Ford!"

After Wang Ji finished, the crowd buzzed with discussion. Then, scattered applause began, eventually swelling into a wave of enthusiastic clapping that lasted for quite some time.

Wang Ji saw Hong nod in apparent approval. When he looked again, it seemed as if nothing had happened. He couldn't tell if it was just his imagination.

"Ding! You have received 100,000 Limit Martial Hall contribution points. Your contribution level has risen to 3-star."

"Huh?" Wang Ji was startled, then asked the virtual space AI, "Where did this contribution come from?"

The virtual assistant prompted, "Those who participate in the presentations receive contribution points."

"Everyone gets 100,000?"

"Yes, everyone!"

"Alright! Perhaps to the big shots, 100,000 points are nothing; it's mainly about the increase in fame and potential influence. But for me, it's not a small amount! At the very least, it's equivalent to one billion yuan!" Wang Ji remarked.

During the afternoon of free discussion and exchange, the various War Gods no longer looked down on Wang Ji, and many engaged in heated discussions with him.

After the day ended, Wang Ji took off his helmet in the basement training room, his excitement beyond words. He didn't want to sleep at all and immediately began to practice.

"Hahaha... so that's how it is! The third fold is actually like this!" Wang Ji's power output instantly broke through 2, reaching 2.4.

No! That's not right!

Wang Ji immersed himself in his sea of consciousness, repeatedly reviewing the recorded inspirations and comparing them with his own realizations. He was obsessed, bordering on madness.

In the outside world, Wang Ji had "vanished"!

Shi Jiang and Zhao Ruo could no longer find him. Even when they knocked on his door, Wang Ji did not respond. He was nowhere to be seen in class, in the training grounds, or in the cafeteria! He was even absent during the times when he needed to go out to kill monsters to earn points!

If not for the fact that Wang Ji's name still remained on the Black Dragon scales, the two of them would have thought he had perished out in the wild.

Where was Wang Ji?