The Martial Arts Research Institute.
The doors to the command center slid open, and Lin Yuan stepped inside.
Elder Zhan turned toward him, unable to suppress the smile on his face.
"Well, well."
"Dragon Country's number one War God finally decided to come back from wandering the streets?"
Lin Yuan shook his head helplessly and rubbed his brow.
"Sir."
"Please stop teasing me."
"Su Qingxue told me everything."
"So dragging me around the city for the past three months was command headquarters' idea all along."
Elder Zhan burst out laughing and handed him a cup of hot tea.
"What?"
"Was strolling around with our military region's top female major general such a hardship?"
"That's called balancing work and rest. Stay cooped up in a cultivation chamber every day, and your bones will rust."
Lin Yuan took the cup and sipped, steam washing over his face.
"I know how to prioritize."
"If you'd told me earlier that the heavenly tribulation would trigger changes in the world's aura..."
"I could've simply postponed my breakthrough. Why go to all this trouble?"
At those words...
Elder Zhan's smile faded, and his expression grew solemn.
"That wouldn't do."
"The martial path demands a clear mind and the resolve to press forward."
"If we forced you to suppress your cultivation with military orders and damaged your martial dao true intent, Dragon Country couldn't afford that loss."
Warmth welled up in Lin Yuan's chest. He held his tea without replying.
Elder Zhan drew him over to sit by the sand table and pointed at the northwestern desert.
"Let's get down to business."
"How far have you refined your Heavenly Dipper Qi Refining Formula?"
"How long until you trigger the heavenly tribulation?"
Lin Yuan briefly sensed the true qi inside him and gave a precise answer.
"All three