"Next."
"Test your True Qi Projection."
Su Qingxue suddenly spoke, breaking the silence.
The most terrifying thing about a Second-Tier Martial Artist was not his physical strength, but his ability to attack with True Qi beyond melee range.
At Su Qingxue's words,
Old Li hurriedly had several thirty-centimeter-thick homogeneous steel plates brought in.
They were special plates used to test armor-piercing rounds.
Lin Yuan stood ten meters away.
He drew on the dense Heavenly Dipper True Qi within him.
Pale green energy began gathering furiously around his right fist.
Then,
Lin Yuan threw a punch through empty air.
The highly compressed green True Qi shot from his fist, forming a translucent fist imprint the size of a watermelon.
Boom!
The True Qi fist imprint struck the first steel plate.
The thirty-centimeter-thick plate tore apart in an instant as if it were made of paper.
The imprint kept going, punching through three plates before exploding against the fourth.
Old Li rushed over to inspect them.
Huge holes gaped in the first three plates.
The fourth had been blasted out of shape and driven deep into the wall behind it.
"That power... it's on par with a high-explosive shell!"
Old Li's face flushed with excitement.
Nie Dingguo turned and left without hesitation.
"Seal all the data and classify it at the highest level!"
"I'm reporting this to my superiors right now!"
Three days later.
In the base's second conference room,
Nie Dingguo handed Lin Yuan a Red-Header Document.
"Take a look."
"The orders just came down from above."
Lin Yuan took the document and quickly scanned it.
He had been exceptionally promoted to colonel.
He was also being transferred out of the Northwest Military Region immediately to a Southwest Military Region garrison near Shu Capital.
"Shu Capital?"
Lin Yuan looked up.
A sharp glint flashed in his eyes.
"According to the intelligence Instructor Su provided,"
"the first global Beast Tide will erupt seven days after the Spiritual Energy Revival."
"An Ironclad Mad Ape at the Peak Second-Order Stage will appear in the forests outside Shu Capital."
"It's the greatest Ferocious Beast threat we know of."
"You're the only person in all of Dragon Country capable of facing it alone."
"So the higher-ups have decided to send you back to defend the city."
Nie Dingguo nodded and pointed to a red dot on the map.
He walked over to Lin Yuan and clapped him firmly on the shoulder.
"I guarantee I'll complete the mission!"
Lin Yuan immediately stood at attention and saluted.
His home was in Shu Capital.
His parents and younger sister were there.
Even if the higher-ups had not sent him, he would have found a way back.
Now he could lead troops there and defend it openly. That suited him perfectly.
"But remember this."
"Your talent is too important. You're a strategic weapon for the nation."
"You can't remain tied to Shu Capital forever."
"Once you've dealt with that Ironclad Mad Ape and repelled the first Beast Tide,"
"the higher-ups will certainly have new assignments for you. You must be ready at all times."
Nie Dingguo's expression was grave.
"Understood!"
Lin Yuan answered clearly.
After the meeting,
Su Qingxue sought Lin Yuan out alone.
They walked side by side through the base's underground corridor.
"Congratulations, Colonel."
Su Qingxue made a rare joke.
"It's all thanks to my instructor's excellent teaching."
Lin Yuan smiled, genuine gratitude in his voice.
He truly was grateful to Su Qingxue.
If not for her,
he might still have been delivering takeout through the streets of Shu Capital.
"I came to tell you something very important."
At that moment,
Su Qingxue looked at Lin Yuan intently.
Seeing her expression,
Lin Yuan's smile faded, and he grew serious.
"There's one month left until the Spiritual Energy Revival reaches its full force."
"When spiritual energy fully descends, Blue Star will experience a rare Spiritual Energy Tide."
"The tide will last about an hour."
"During that hour, the concentration of spiritual energy in the air will reach a terrifying peak."
"Anyone caught in it, human or animal, will have their body cleansed and strengthened."
Su Qingxue paused.
Regret flickered in her eyes.
In her previous life, she had known none of this.
When the tide erupted, she had been asleep in her room and missed the greatest opportunity of all.
"You're at the Early Second Tier now."
"If you seize this chance and circulate the Heavenly Dipper Qi Refining Formula with everything you have,"
"your Strength will grow explosively."
Su Qingxue held Lin Yuan's gaze.
She had reported this intelligence to the leadership long ago.
Military regions across the country were preparing for the Spiritual Energy Tide.
That was also why
Lin Yuan was being transferred to the Southwest Military Region.
Everyone believed he would break through again during the Spiritual Energy Tide.
Once he did, he would certainly be able to deal with that Ferocious Beast at the Peak Second-Order Stage.
Still,
knowing was one thing.
Su Qingxue wanted to remind Lin Yuan once more.
His talent was too great, and he was too important to Dragon Country.
If he missed this opportunity,
the loss to all of Dragon Country would be enormous.
"Instructor."
"Don't worry. I won't forget!"
Lin Yuan nodded solemnly.
To protect everyone he cared about,
he would push his Strength as far as he could during the Spiritual Energy Tide.
Only then
could he kill that Ironclad Mad Ape at the Peak Second-Order Stage.
Early the next morning,
the roar of a helicopter echoed over Northwest Base.
Nie Dingguo handed Lin Yuan several small booklets and a black holster.
"Your identification, your firearms permit, and your sidearm."
"Though at your current Strength, I doubt you'll need any of them."
Lin Yuan took the pistol and slipped it expertly onto his belt.
"Better to have it and not need it."
Nie Dingguo burst out laughing.
"All right."
"New Year is only half a month away."
"The higher-ups have approved twenty days of leave for you."
"Go back to Shu Capital first and spend a proper New Year with your family."
Then,
Nie Dingguo's smile faded, and his voice turned solemn.
"But"
"you must report to the Southwest Military Region on the fifth day of the new year."
"According to our projections, the Spiritual Energy Revival will reach its full force on the ninth."
"We're counting on you for the first major battle."
At those words,
Lin Yuan stood at attention and saluted.
He said nothing more and turned to board the helicopter.
The rotors whipped up a fierce wind.
Through the window, Lin Yuan watched the base shrink below him.
He touched the officer's identification in his pocket.
Five months ago, he had been a delivery rider struggling to make a living.
Now he was the strongest fighter responsible for an entire city's survival.
Lin Yuan closed his eyes.
The faces of his parents and younger sister rose in his mind.
Don't worry.
I won't let anything happen to you.
"..."
A few hours later,
at the Military Dependents Compound in Shu Capital.
It was a villa complex in beautiful surroundings.
Armed soldiers stood guard around its perimeter.
Since Lin Yuan had been specially recruited,
his parents and younger sister had been housed there.
Lin Yuan wore casual clothes and carried a simple travel bag.
After showing his identification, he entered the compound without trouble.
The late-winter air in Shu Capital was cold and damp.
But True Qi flowed through Lin Yuan's body, and he felt no chill.
He reached Villa No. 3 and rang the doorbell.
"Coming, coming!"
Hurried footsteps sounded from inside.
The front door was yanked open.
Lin Xiaoxiao stood there in cartoon pajamas, half an apple still in her hand.
When she saw who was outside, the apple fell straight to the floor.
"Brother?"
Lin Xiaoxiao shrieked.
In the next instant,
a chair clattered over inside.
Their mother rushed out in an apron, spatula still in hand.
Their father sprang up from the sofa, his reading glasses askew.
"Yuan?"
Their mother's eyes instantly filled with tears.
Lin Yuan looked at his family, his throat tightening.
"Dad, Mom, Xiaoxiao."
"I'm home."
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