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Southwest Military Region.

Inside the Exclusive Cultivation Room at its deepest point.

Lin Yuan became a ghostlike blur, constantly shifting about the cultivation room.

Layer upon layer of afterimages overlapped.

It was impossible to tell which one was his real body.

Three hours later.

It was as though he had broken through some invisible shackle.

Lin Yuan suddenly stopped, and the afterimages surrounding him vanished with a crash.

Success!

Wandering Dragon Step had broken through to the Mastery Realm.

But Lin Yuan did not rest.

He grabbed the eight-hundred-pound heavy alloy spear standing nearby.

The entire shaft was pitch-black, gleaming with a cold metallic sheen.

"Overlord Spear!"

The spear shot forward like a flood dragon bursting from the sea.

The air was instantly torn apart, producing a piercing sonic boom.

Every strike was immensely powerful.

Every strike carried an all-consuming, tragic momentum.

With every tremor of the spear tip, a deadly glint of True Qi bloomed in the air.

Seven hours passed.

Lin Yuan suddenly shook both hands.

The spear shaft let out a deafening dragon's roar.

The spear tip spat out a half-meter-long tangible blade of Qi, piercing straight through the alloy target opposite him!

Overlord Spear.

Breakthrough!

Lin Yuan panted violently for a moment, his chest heaving like a bellows.

He had already expended a considerable amount of stamina.

Yet the fighting spirit in his eyes only burned more fiercely.

The last one.

Broken Rock Fist!

Lin Yuan threw the spear onto the floor.

He clenched his fists tightly, his joints crackling like bursting beans.

True Qi surged wildly into his arms.

His already thick arms swelled another full size.

Bulging veins rose like coiling dragons, as though they might rip through his skin at any moment.

He threw a punch!

There were no flashy movements.

Only the purest, most violent outpouring of power.

Several hours flew by amid the monotonous punching.

Until Lin Yuan threw who knew how many tens of thousands of punches.

Boom!

The air in the cultivation room seemed to be sucked dry in an instant.

A terrifying inner force erupted completely from the edge of his fist.

The entire cultivation room trembled faintly along with it.

Broken Rock Fist.

Breakthrough!

Only then did Lin Yuan withdraw his fists and gulp down mouthfuls of air.

Though his body was utterly exhausted, a smile appeared at the corner of his lips.

With a thought.

A transparent screen appeared before Lin Yuan.

[Heaven Rewards Diligence System]

[Host: Lin Yuan]

[Strength: Early Stage Third-Tier Martial Artist]

[Technique: Heavenly Dipper Qi Refining Formula, Third Level (Entry Realm 3%)]

[Martial Techniques: Broken Rock Fist (Mastery Realm 1%), Wandering Dragon Step (Mastery Realm 4%), Overlord Spear (Mastery Realm 2%)]

[Treasures: None]

Looking at the three neatly listed "Mastery Realm" entries on the panel.

Lin Yuan shut off the system in satisfaction.

Early Third Tier cultivation, paired with three Third-Order Martial Techniques at Mastery Realm.

Lin Yuan's current strength had reached a terrifying level.

Afterward.

Lin Yuan sat down cross-legged and began restoring his True Qi and stamina.

In the battle ahead.

Not only would he win, he would win cleanly and decisively.

An hour later.

Lin Yuan suddenly opened his eyes, a frightening gleam flashing through them.

His condition had returned to its Peak Stage, and he was even several times stronger than before entering seclusion.

He slowly rose to his feet, put on a black combat uniform, grabbed the eight-hundred-pound heavy spear, and headed for the cultivation room's door.

With a click.

The heavy alloy door opened.

Outside.

A major stood ramrod straight.

The back of his uniform had long since been soaked through with cold sweat.

For the past dozen-plus hours.

He had remained outside the door.

Listening to the terrifying rumbles constantly coming from within.

He even began to suspect that he was standing guard over a humanoid tyrannosaur.

Several times, when the door shook, he thought the base was about to explode.

"Sir!"

Seeing Lin Yuan emerge from the cultivation room.

The major hurriedly straightened his back and saluted Lin Yuan.

"Is it almost time?"

Lin Yuan asked casually, his gaze calm.

"Yes!"

"There are less than three hours left until the Beast Tide is expected to erupt."

"Commander Zhao ordered me to wait here."

"To remind you not to miss the opportunity for battle!"

The major quickly reported.

Lin Yuan nodded and rested the heavy spear on his shoulder.

"Let's go."

"To the boarding gate."

The major did not dare say another word and immediately turned to lead the way.

A few minutes later.

At the massive military airfield, fierce winds howled.

Five heavy military transport planes had already started their engines.

The immense roar was deafening.

Many people had already gathered in front of the boarding gate.

Zhao Dingbang stood at the front of the group.

He still held a half-burned cigarette between his fingers.

And behind him.

Over a hundred soldiers wore identical combat uniforms.

They were all First-Order Martial Artists trained by the Southwest Military Region.

"Good kid!"

"Not only were you not late, you even came out of seclusion early!"

Seeing Lin Yuan approach with his spear over his shoulder.

Zhao Dingbang immediately tossed away his cigarette butt and strode forward to meet him.

He firmly patted Lin Yuan on the shoulder, his eyes filled with gratification.

"How could I delay something the Commander ordered?"

Lin Yuan smiled.

His gaze swept across the First-Order Martial Artists one after another.

These soldier kings, usually arrogant and unruly, all unconsciously tensed their bodies.

And the way they looked at Lin Yuan was filled with fervor and reverence.

Because they knew perfectly well.

This absurdly young colonel before them was an invincible War God.

"Colonel Lin!"

"The main force has already assembled at the Shu Capital Defense Line."

"The conventional artillery positions and missile forces are all in place."

"The burden on your shoulders is immense."

"The eyes of 1.4 billion people across the nation will soon be fixed on you."

"You cannot lose."

"And you absolutely cannot retreat."

Hearing Zhao Dingbang's words.

Lin Yuan held the spear in one hand and slammed its butt onto the concrete with a thud.

The hard ground instantly cracked like a spiderweb.

"Rest assured, Commander."

"If I do not retreat, the defense line will not retreat."

Clean and decisive.

There was not a single unnecessary word.

Zhao Dingbang's eyes reddened as he nodded heavily.

"Board!"

At his command.

More than a hundred First-Order Martial Artists turned in perfect unison and swiftly entered the transport planes' cabins.

Lin Yuan carried his spear and walked at the rear of the group.

As the heavy cabin doors closed.

The five transport planes accelerated down the runway, then sharply climbed into the sky.

Their destination.

The Shu Capital Defense Line!

At the same time.

Imperial Capital.

Combat Command Center.

The atmosphere throughout the hall was grave to the extreme.

Several hundred staff officers frantically typed at their keyboards before the Consoles.

Red warning lights flashed continuously across the walls.

On the massive electronic tactical display directly ahead.

Seven glaring crimson regions were rapidly expanding.

Four elderly men sat at the elevated command platform.

The preparations of every war zone had all been reported.

All heavy weapons were loaded and ready.

The martial artists of every military region had all been assigned to their designated positions.

Elder Long leaned back in his chair, his gaze sweeping over the largest red zone on the sand table.

"Begin."

"Livestream the Beast Tide across the entire internet."

Since the Spiritual Energy Revival.

Dragon Country's major online forums had been embroiled in endless arguments every day.

"Have you heard?!"

"That island nation next door completely lost internet access last night!"

"My second uncle does business at the border. He looked through binoculars and saw monsters several stories tall all over the primeval forest over there!"

"What exactly happened? Why are all the military districts mobilizing on such a massive scale?"

"Are we going to war? I just went to the supermarket and stocked up on two hundred kilos of rice!"

"..."

Ordinary people were not fools.

Several consecutive days of citywide lockdowns.

Gunshots fired to deal with all sorts of rampaging pets.

Together with the countless rumors spreading everywhere.

Everyone knew that something was seriously wrong with the world.

But no one could say for certain what exactly was wrong.

Fear came from the unknown.

Just as everyone's nerves had been stretched to their limit.

A sudden change occurred.

Countless phones that were playing videos suddenly went black.

Computers in internet cafés, where people had been gaming, froze all at once.

The giant advertising screens in commercial plazas across major cities flickered nonstop.

Even the televisions where elderly women in residential complexes had been watching soap operas emitted piercing static.

Two seconds later.

Every electronic device with a screen in the country lit up at the same time.

On-screen.

There was no flashy opening.

No drawn-out preamble.

There was only a stern-faced official host.

He sat upright at the anchor desk, with an enormous Dragon Country flag behind him.

"Compatriots across the nation."

"Good morning."

The host's deep voice reached everyone's ears through their screens.

The entire internet fell silent in an instant.

Countless netizens who had been furiously typing on their keyboards froze mid-motion.

A forced full-screen broadcast!

Something huge had really happened!