In another room, Zhuge Tao looked at the information on Li Qingxu in his hands, then at the agile, natural figure on the screen. He felt utterly shaken.
He had failed to notice such a phenomenal talent sooner.
According to the information, Li Qingxu had passed his Quasi-Warrior Assessment at the Limit Dojo.
And it was the Limit Dojo in Jiangnan Base City—his own turf!
Most importantly, after passing the Quasi-Warrior Assessment, Li Qingxu hadn't signed a contract with the Limit Dojo.
"This is going to be a problem."
Zhuge Tao sighed.
A Quasi-Martial Artist with Perfect Level footwork at just eighteen—such a phenomenal talent was already beyond his ability to recruit on his own.
In fact, he felt that even the president might not be able to outbid the other factions.
"Hello, Inspector Liu. This is Zhuge Tao..."
Without the slightest hesitation, Zhuge Tao called the highest-ranking person at the dojo he could reach and reported Li Qingxu's information.
A few moments later, a skeptical voice came from the other end of the phone. "Are you sure?"
"Of course. I wouldn't joke about the dojo's reputation. I'll send you a copy of his combat footage."
Zhuge Tao replied helplessly.
"Good. I'll contact headquarters right away."
The call ended. Zhuge Tao looked at the young figure on the screen, his expression faintly aggrieved.
"Why didn't you show this during the Quasi-Warrior Assessment!"
An eighteen-year-old Quasi-Martial Artist with Perfect Level footwork—he wasn't merely War God material. He was Councilor material!
Inside the town, Li Qingxu stabbed all thirteen Shadow Cats to death one by one, then cut off their left ears and put them in his backpack.
He didn't know whether those people had noticed him. He could have taken care of the Shadow Cats in just a dozen or so seconds, but he had deliberately dragged it out for two and a half minutes.
He'd shown off his footwork on purpose so those peeping toms would notice.
It would be bad if he dealt with them too quickly and they missed it.
Gripping his alloy spear, Li Qingxu stepped into the darkness again.
For the next several hours, he wandered around the town like a tourist.
He only picked up his spear and strode into groups of monsters, dancing through their encirclement and cutting them down, when he encountered a camera or happened to come across a dozen or so monsters.
After several fights, he still looked just as he had when he first entered Monster Town. His breathing hadn't changed at all.
Even his combat suit and tactical boots were as clean as before, without a speck of blood from the monsters he'd killed.
"Woo~ Woo~"
A piercing sound suddenly rang through the town, followed by a deep voice booming from the loudspeakers.
"Time's up. All Quasi-Martial Artists, please gather at the town exit immediately."
The entrance to Monster Town was also its only exit, and the Quasi-Martial Artists who had taken part in the practical assessment gradually gathered there.
Most had bloodstains on them. Some were their own, but most came from monsters.
Quite a few Quasi-Martial Artists were helped out by their friends and teammates.
"Bzzzt~"
A piercing sound rang out as one heavy truck after another drove out of the town, carrying the overpowering stench of monster blood.
One truck stopped nearby. Numerous corpses were visible in its cargo bed, some of them mutilated—clearly, the monsters had eaten most of their bodies.
As the corpses were carried down one by one, many of the Quasi-Martial Artists present went deathly pale. Some even retched on the spot.
Some recognized friends among the pile of corpses and rushed over, wailing in grief.
"What are you crying for!"
An officer scolded them, furious at their weakness.
Warriors walked on the edge of a blade and could die at any moment. If they weren't devoured by monsters today, they might be tomorrow. All they could do was work hard to grow stronger!
"Get over there and line up. Hand in the left ears of the monsters you killed."
The officer pointed to a spot nearby, where three officers were waiting. Two of them were recording the results on laptops.
"Two monster ears. Leg injury. Next."
"Zhao Wu, three monster ears. Next."
Every Quasi-Martial Artist who came out handed in the ears of the monsters they had killed to prove how many they'd hunted.
Li Qingxu stood in line with a backpack in one hand and an alloy spear in the other.
Compared with everyone else, he looked rather relaxed.
His clean combat suit drew plenty of sidelong glances.
If he hadn't been carrying a backpack, some might have thought he hadn't killed a single monster and had spent the whole assessment hiding.
Even the officer recording the results looked at him with surprise.
"Are you Li Qingxu? Just dump the monsters' left ears into the metal pot beside you."
Li Qingxu nodded and emptied his backpack. A large number of ears tumbled into the metal pot, quickly filling it. Some even fell onto the ground.
"He has that many?"
"Impressive. Look, he doesn't even have a speck of monster blood on him."
Some of the watching Quasi-Martial Artists exclaimed in surprise.
"Fifty-three monster ears in total, and no injuries either."
The officer smiled. "You killed the most monsters. You've got a bright future ahead of you."
"Not bad."
Li Qingxu smiled and nodded, then left the area.
But he was a little puzzled. Had all his effort in town been for nothing? Had no one noticed him at all?
He didn't see that as soon as he turned around, the officer took out his phone and sent a message: The target's out.
Li Qingxu hadn't gone far when a middle-aged officer suddenly appeared in front of him.
"You must be exhausted, young man. Why not come sit in my barracks for a while?"
The big-bearded officer had appeared out of nowhere, smiling broadly. As he spoke, he stepped forward and grabbed Li Qingxu by the arm, trying to lead him off to the side.
"Iron Monkey, that's not very sporting of you! Sneaking out here to poach him!"
"Exactly! Didn't we agree to let him choose for himself once he came out?"
As voices rang out, four more figures appeared and blocked the way between Li Qingxu and the middle-aged officer.
They stared at Li Qingxu with burning eyes, as if he were a rare treasure.
"Haha! The Thunder Dojo is taking him. The rest of you can step aside."
Suddenly, a hearty voice boomed like rolling thunder.
A flying-saucer-shaped aircraft came into view and stopped nearby.
As its hatch opened, a lean middle-aged man appeared in an instant.
His eyes were like lightning, and a smile played on his lips. An invisible pressure spread through the area.
"He's Inspector Lei Meng from the Thunder Dojo in Jiangnan Base City, a War God Level powerhouse! I've seen him on TV!"
Many of the Quasi-Martial Artists watching from afar recognized the middle-aged man, setting off a wave of commotion.
He was a War God Level powerhouse! And now he was right here at their assessment site.
"On behalf of the Thunder Dojo, I invite you to joi—"
Suddenly, a sonic boom tore through the night sky.
"Beep!"
A jet-black, flying-saucer-shaped aircraft shot in from the horizon.
"What's that?"
Everyone's expression changed, especially that of Lei Meng, Inspector of the Thunder Dojo, whose invitation had been cut short.
Only Zhuge Tao and his group wore faint smiles.
The flying-saucer aircraft descended slowly, and its hatch opened.
A lean man with a hooked nose, dressed in a black combat suit, descended the aircraft's steps.
Just standing there, he made the surrounding dozens of meters seem to fall into darkness, as if he were a god ruling over that space.
Even the Quasi-Martial Artists a hundred meters away, still lined up to hand in their monster ears, held their breath instinctively, not daring to make a sound.
Even the pressure radiating from Lei Meng, a War God Level powerhouse, was dispelled in an instant.
"Councilor Zhu."
The senior representatives of the various factions lowered their heads and greeted him respectfully. Lei Meng was no exception.
"Mm."
Councilor Zhu replied blandly, his gaze fixed on Li Qingxu.
"I've come on behalf of Dojo Master Hong to invite you to join the Limit Dojo."
His brief words shattered the silence, and the area erupted into a commotion.
The only person who could be called Dojo Master by Councilor Zhu was Hong—the world's undisputed strongest man and founder of the Limit Dojo!
Before you continue