The thunderclouds dispersed, and daylight broke.
Chen Kefa stood in the middle of the wrecked meditation room, the blue-violet arcs of electricity swirling around him slowly sinking beneath his skin.
A terrifying sensation of power, as if he could command the punishments of heaven and earth, surged through every inch of his body.
He clenched his fist. The air burst in his palm with a muffled pop.
This was what it meant to be a grandmaster.
The alloy doors burst open.
Outside, Zhang Meng, Li Muwan, and the others hurried over, their faces alight with joy. They were about to offer their congratulations when Chen Kefa raised a hand to stop them.
"Back to your posts. Get ready and stand by."
After those eight words, Chen Kefa didn't even pause to bask in their awed and admiring gazes. He flashed away, leaving only a blur behind.
He was now several times faster than before.
With a clear destination in mind, he headed straight for headquarters.
The patrolling soldiers felt only a gust of wind rush past. They couldn't even make out his figure before the heart-stopping pressure had already vanished into the distance.
Three minutes later.
Chen Kefa stood before the redwood doors that symbolized the highest authority at the Black Wind garrison's Forward Base.
He knocked, then pushed the door open and walked straight in.
Tea fragrance curled through the office.
Commander Lou Ming sat behind a broad desk, holding an elegant Yixing teacup.
Across from him, an old man in a gray Zhongshan suit sat on the guest sofa.
At the sound of the door opening, both men looked up.
"Oh? Is that him?"
The gray-clad elder set down his teacup and fixed his gaze on Chen Kefa.
It wasn't the cloudy, casual look of an ordinary old