War God Palace

"Teacher Li, there's one more thing..." Feng Qingmo hesitated, but still told him about the two mercenary War Gods he had encountered earlier.

Li Ping's expression turned serious. After thinking it over, he said, "Given their personalities—and especially since they're both mid-level War Gods—it's unlike them to just give up the Golden-Veined Cloud Leopard's corpse like that... They must have had another motive!"

"Maybe they didn't think they could win?" Feng Qingmo found it strange too. He had sensed that Shenliukov was about to make a move, but hadn't expected Wang Xiangying to pull him away.

"With their strength as mid-level War Gods, even if they couldn't take you down, they should have been able to drive you off. Then they'd have gotten not only the Golden-Veined Cloud Leopard, but the Fire-Scaled Three-Trident Pig as well. They're mercenaries, after all. They risk their lives for money, so how could they easily give up the billions right in front of them?"

"Don't worry about this anymore. I'll report it and have the people above look into it." Li Ping thought it over, but couldn't figure it out. He waved Feng Qingmo away. "Go on back..."

"Thank you, Teacher Li." Feng Qingmo picked up the metal box and gestured to Li Ping. "See you!"

Li Ping had already sat down to file his report. Without looking up, he waved a hand.

Carrying the metal box, Feng Qingmo returned to his quarters.

He went into the underground cultivation room and locked the door.

He opened the metal box's latch. Inside lay a deep-blue helmet.

With a faint smile, he sat cross-legged, picked up the helmet, and set the safety detection range to ten meters before putting it on.

Feng Qingmo appeared in a vast, quiet room, dressed in a simple white robe.

"Virtual space really is great. I can see normally again..."

He wandered around the room. The space, which covered more than a thousand square meters, was neatly divided into sections: a bed, a swimming pool, a desk, a dining table, a cultivation area, and more. "Just like the original described..."

"Welcome, War God Feng Qingmo." An electronic voice sounded, though he couldn't tell where it came from.

"This is your private room in the War God Palace. No one but you can enter..."

"There is a copy of the War God Palace Regulations on your desk. Please read them first. We hope you enjoy your time in the War God Palace!"

Feng Qingmo walked over and opened the War God Palace Regulations. There was only one page.

"Welcome to the War God Palace..."

"The War God Palace offers many features, including the Mall, Auction Hall, Arena Plaza, and Trial Tower. Feel free to explore them!"

"That's convenient. There's a Trial Tower in the War God Palace too, so I won't have to go to the Training Camp's Central Building anymore..." He went to the wardrobe, chose a dark teal outfit, and walked out the door.

Perhaps because it was daytime, there weren't many War Gods in the War God Palace. The hallway was empty.

At the end of the hallway, he reached the spiral staircase leading down to the first-floor lobby. He stood at the top and looked down. The lobby covered more than ten thousand square meters and was furnished with thousands of sofas and chairs. Only a few hundred people were scattered about in small groups, drinking and chatting.

A huge display screen covered one wall of the lobby. It showed a single number: 3455.

Feng Qingmo descended the steps. When he reached the bottom and stepped onto the first-floor lobby's floor—

Smack!

The entire lobby suddenly darkened. The soft, pleasant lighting dimmed, and the soothing music faded away.

"Clang!"

A clear, ringing sound—one that seemed to make the soul tremble—rang out. The lobby immediately filled with lively, jubilant music.

The hundreds of War Gods who had been chatting and drinking all turned to look.

A faint beam of light fell on Feng Qingmo.

"The War God Palace welcomes a new War God. His name is—Feng Qingmo!"

A grand voice, like that of a heavenly deity, boomed out. At the same time, a three-dimensional projection appeared above the lobby, displaying several lines of large, three-dimensional text.

Name: Feng Qingmo

Nationality: Huaxia

Level: War God Level (Beginner)

"The total number of War Gods in human society has increased by one, bringing the total to 3456!"

At the same time, the number 3455 on the huge display screen flashed and changed to 3456. The beam of light disappeared, and the lively music gradually faded away.

A figure walked over to him.

"Li Ping sent me a message earlier saying he'd given you the Consciousness Sensor, so I came over to wait for you..." Guan Chenglong's gaze lingered on Feng Qingmo's bright eyes for a moment before he led him toward the seats they'd been using earlier.

"Teacher Guan!" Feng Qingmo lowered his head slightly to show respect, then followed him toward the sofa.

Seeing Guan Chenglong step forward, the other hundreds of War Gods in the lobby turned their attention elsewhere. But messages had already been sent in private: the Huaxia Military had gained another beginner War God.

"Sit down. It's your first time in the War God Palace, so what would you like to eat? My treat!" Guan Chenglong said heartily, handing him the menu from the table.

"How could I let you treat me, Teacher Guan? It's my treat!" Feng Qingmo wasn't about to take such a liberty. After all, Guan Chenglong was his direct teacher at the Training Camp, and he'd gone out of his way to wait for him at the War God Palace. That was a kindness, however small.

Guan Chenglong said, "You haven't even earned that much yet," but he was pleased all the same.

Fortunately, there were only two of them. They spent several million on delicacies and fine wine that they couldn't get in the real world, eating and chatting as they went.

"Of all the students I've taught, you've been the least trouble," Guan Chenglong said, taking a sip of wine. Its rich flavor made him narrow his eyes in enjoyment. "It's only been a few months. I'm not even sure I could beat you now..."

"I still have a long way to go!" Feng Qingmo replied with a smile.

"Do you know what I admire most about you?" Guan Chenglong asked, then answered himself. "You're always so clear-headed. That's a good thing..."

He studied Feng Qingmo's bright eyes and asked curiously, "What's it like to see normally? Can you still get used to things when you go back to the real world?"

"It feels great, of course," Feng Qingmo said with a nod. "I'm not having any trouble getting used to it. It's been twenty years, after all..."

"Haha, true." Guan Chenglong picked up a piece of meat with his chopsticks and chewed. "I heard that once your spiritual core fully transforms into Spiritual Force, your eyesight can recover?"

"Yeah. That's what Dr. Long said at the time, so it should be right..."

"Speaking of Dr. Long..." A trace of sadness crossed Guan Chenglong's face. "Those of us who knew her could say we watched her grow up. Her father was a War God, and her mother was a high-level Warrior. They both died in a monster tide when she was nine..."

Feng Qingmo couldn't help staring in surprise. He hadn't expected that the genius scholar was an orphan.

"She showed an extraordinary talent for learning from a young age. She was an exceptionally clever girl." Guan Chenglong's expression turned nostalgic. "Whenever a difficult problem landed in her hands, she solved it with ease..."

"Our country recently upgraded a batch of Laser Cannons. They're more powerful and consume less energy, and Dr. Long was the one who designed them. She also designed the gravity chambers that our Training Camp copied..."

"Those aren't even her main fields of research. She's always focused primarily on biotechnology, trying to find a way to curb the monster tides or wipe out monsters on a large scale... Old Huo—Huo Haitian—was on the same team as her parents. After they died, he took on the job of protecting her..."

He downed the rest of his drink and stood up. "There have been too many things like that since the Great Nirvana Period began. Forget it. Let's not talk about it. I'll show you around the rest of the War God Palace..."