Departure! Destination: Netherworld Lake!

The gates of Xinhang Martial University were bustling with activity. It was the semiannual practical training assessment.

Special vehicles came and went, picking up team after team of students.

"Lin... Wei, isn't your bag... a little too big?"

Chen Dai stood at the school gates, watching Lin Wei drag an enormous combat backpack, swallowing hard again and again.

"What's wrong?" Lin Wei said disdainfully. "Can't I bring some toiletries and clothes?"

"This bag can hold beast materials too. Those are all money. Teacher Rox is a War God—filling this entire bag with Beast King materials would only take him an afternoon."

"In the future, the goods in this bag could be worth hundreds of billions. Do you understand?"

Chen Dai's face twitched. He did not even know how to refute her. In any case, he was only there to make up the numbers in the team.

Chu Wen stood to the side, listening to the two bicker, feeling somewhat helpless as well.

An extended sedan pulled up beside the three of them. Rox sat in the passenger seat as the translucent windshield lowered.

"Get in. That bag won't fit. Switch to a smaller one."

Rox spoke coldly, not caring what Lin Wei had to say.

Lin Wei could only puff up her cheeks and take a smaller bag from Chen Dai, stuffing in some skincare toner before getting into the car.

As for the large bag, two housekeepers and three security guards carried it back together.

"Miss Lin, please pay attention. We're heading into the wilderness this time, not going on an outing."

Rox still offered a reminder.

He was the worst at dealing with women from great clans. Not only did every one of them reek of powder and perfume, but even after coming to practice martial arts, they still had to care about their appearance.

When men fought, it did not matter if all their clothes were blown to pieces. Girls were different. They had to watch their appearance at all times and remain graceful and composed.

"Hey, why are we going in a different direction? Aren't we going south? Wasn't that place just opened up as a battlefield?"

Lin Wei asked in confusion, noticing that the navigation route was wrong.

Rox replied flatly, "You're elite students, after all. Are you going to be like those ordinary students, forming teams to play house and bully Beast General-level beasts?"

"The place we're going this time is the lair of several Demon Kings, near the Kunlun Mountains."

"So far away?" Lin Wei's eyes immediately widened.

Chu Wen recalled that the Kunlun Mountains in this world covered an area six times that of Blue Star's Kunlun Mountains in his previous life.

Not many beasts had been born within them, but every single one was exceptionally powerful.

Unlike the Beast Nation pouring in from the south, they formed a faction of their own. Under normal circumstances, they did not even invade human territory.

The human outposts established there were merely for vigilance, and conflicts rarely erupted.

"If you want to go south, wait until I'm not leading the team next time and go yourselves."

Rox said, "This operation is confidential too. You'll only find out once you arrive."

"This was arranged jointly by Xinhang Martial University and the Lin Family. Once you get there, you'd better be careful."

"That place is called Netherworld Lake."

Rox sneered, sending a chill down Chen Dai's spine.

Chu Wen and Chen Dai both searched the term in their minds, but their lightbrains contained no explanation.

Only Lin Wei's face went pale. "No, I'm only Warrior-level. Why am I going to Netherworld Lake? Let me go home!"

"Naturally, because your performance has been outstanding."

"And to let you broaden your horizons, to see what intelligent beasts are like."

"There are too few beasts in the south, and they're too stupid. Most are simply wild animals. The beasts near the Kunlun Mountains are the ones with intelligence."

Rox spoke casually, but Lin Wei already looked as though she were about to cry.

Chu Wen and Chen Dai did not feel much about it. Their vehicle drove all the way to an airport belonging to the Chaos Martial Arts Hall, where they boarded a fighter jet for the vicinity of the Kunlun Mountains.

The fighter jet took only half an hour before Chu Wen saw the towering Kunlun Mountains. Beneath their blanket of snow lay a weathered ancient air, as though veiled by the passage of time.

Flying beasts even circled beneath the jet, yet not a single one dared approach. The moment they came close, concentrated cannon fire would turn them to ash.

As the fighter jet's roar gradually faded, the four of them jumped down one after another.

"See you in seven days."

The fighter jet took off again and vanished from the area.

Chu Wen and the other two then saw the signal on their lightbrains change from one bar to an X.

Human technology was restricted here as well.

"The outpost is up ahead. Your mission this time is to assist with the outpost's patrol duties. The patrol area is near Netherworld Lake."

Rox warned, "You are not allowed to reveal anything you see here to the outside world. If you're held accountable, don't come begging me."

Chu Wen asked, "Will every squad have a different mission? Then won't anything happen if they bring along the lowest-ranked students?"

Rox said flatly, "The squads formed by the top ten will all have special missions. The other squads will not. Only by bringing along deadweight can you understand what teamwork means."

"Human warriors in the wilderness do not merely fight alone. Of course, War Gods are the exception."

He looked at the three beside him. Were these people not his own deadweight as well?

Especially at Netherworld Lake, where the weakest warriors were all War Kings!

This place was the entrance to the Kunlun Mountains, guarding against the Demon Kings within Kunlun!

Winter had not even officially arrived, yet the Kunlun region was already blanketed in snow, with visibility no more than ten meters.

With Rox leading the way, Chu Wen and the other two finally reached 01010 Warrior Base with great difficulty.

"I'm freezing to death." Lin Wei had worn only a martial arts uniform when she left home, and the exposed skin now reddened from the cold.

Even for a Warrior-level martial artist, enduring temperatures of minus ten degrees Celsius was still somewhat difficult.

Chen Dai shivered from the cold as well. Only Chu Wen did not seem to feel anything.

Rox noticed it and found it strange. A Warrior-level martial artist could at most ease a temperature difference of around twenty degrees, yet Chu Wen had felt nothing all the way here. It truly was odd.

"You're the team from Xinhang Martial University, right? All heaven's favored sons. We've arranged a detached villa for you. You can find it through your lightbrain navigation. These are your access keys for the next few days. One reminder: your lightbrains only work within the base. Once you leave the base, there'll be no signal."

The female warrior responsible for receiving them was entirely composed. Even facing Rox, a War God, she showed not the slightest loss of composure.

One had to know that in warrior fortresses elsewhere, the appearance of a War God-level martial artist would absolutely cause a sensation. Yet here, it did not.

The warriors along the road all wore calm expressions. No one even greeted them—or rather, no one cared about them.

After arriving at their assigned villa, Lin Wei finally changed into the fleece-lined combat uniform she had just bought from a general store.

Holding a steaming cup of white tea, she said worriedly, "You two really are fools."

"That Rox guy brought us here. We're nothing more than lucky mascot accessories!"

Chen Dai scratched his head. "How can you say that about Teacher Rox? Teacher only just went out to coordinate intelligence, and you're already badmouthing him behind his back?"

Lin Wei rolled her eyes, then looked at Chu Wen as if asking for help. Is something wrong with this guy's brain?

Knowing that Lin Wei, as a member of a great clan, surely possessed plenty of information, Chu Wen smoothed things over. "Ah Dai, wait until Lin Wei finishes speaking before interrupting."

Chen Dai gave an "Oh," then sat back down and began playing with the swivel chair.

After hesitating for a moment, Lin Wei said with conflicted reluctance, "My grandfather once told me that the beasts of Kunlun are different. They rarely take the initiative to attack humans, so humans rarely attack them either. There is only one exception, and that is the area around Netherworld Lake."

"Netherworld Lake is said to have been contaminated by the lingering aura of some beast after its death. Any beast that approaches it becomes violent? Anyway, that's what I heard."

"But one thing is true. There is a mutated ancient tree within Netherworld Lake. The fruit on that tree can grant Beast Kings intelligence, so control over Netherworld Lake has constantly changed hands."

"Sometimes human warriors occupy it. Sometimes the Kunlun Demon Kings do."

Chu Wen suddenly understood. That insect queen from before had served the same function! That was why the lightbrain had formulated an emergency exploration plan.

When Beast Kings gained intelligence and transformed into Demon Kings, their strength did not improve much, but their danger level soared in a straight line!