Awakening! A Great Surge in Strength!

Black Continent.

The alarms in the underground fortress were especially piercing.

Under the dim lights, several men in suits looked ashen.

"They're taking advantage of the crisis!"

"This is outright extortion!"

"They actually demand the mining rights to our southern rare earth deposits before they'll trade us a batch of conventional weapons!"

A white-haired man slammed his fist onto the table.

The coffee cup shattered, spraying brown liquid everywhere.

"Mr. President."

"Ten minutes ago, our second line of defense completely collapsed."

"Those mutated wild boars aren't even afraid of armor-piercing rounds."

"If we don't agree to Dragon Country's terms..."

The bearded officer beside him gave a bitter smile.

He did not continue.

But the white-haired man understood what he meant.

Their nation stood on the brink of extinction.

Without martial artists, relying solely on those heaps of scrap metal was simply not enough to stop the evolved monsters.

"Sign it."

"Send the mineral coordinates to Dragon Country."

"Trade for weapons! Get as many as we can!"

A moment later.

The white-haired man seemed to have aged ten years in an instant as he spoke helplessly.

The same scene.

Played out in the meeting rooms of dozens of small countries across the world.

In the face of survival or destruction, dignity was worthless.

To obtain Dragon Country's overwhelming heavy firepower, they could only empty their national treasuries with tears in their eyes.

That was why weak countries had no diplomacy.

In this global tide of evolution, those who lagged behind were destined to become food.

Southwest Military Region.

Outside the special care ward.

Zhao Dingbang paced back and forth like an ant on a hot pan.

Two fully armed guards stood on either side of the door like statues.

"How much longer is he going to sleep?"

Zhao Dingbang lowered his voice, afraid of disturbing the person inside.

"Commander."

"Colonel Lin has been asleep for a full eighteen hours."

"His bodily functions... completely defy modern medical principles."

"When he was brought in, large areas of his muscle fibers had torn, and his internal organs had also shifted slightly."

"But in just these dozen or so hours."

"Colonel Lin's damaged cells have been dividing and repairing themselves at a terrifying speed."

"He doesn't need any medical intervention."

"He's like a primordial beast wearing human skin!"

"..."

The military doctor adjusted his glasses.

He clutched a vital signs report in his hand, his fingertips trembling slightly.

"Don't give me all that professional jargon."

"I only need him to be safe!"

Zhao Dingbang frowned.

Lin Yuan had made an enormous contribution to holding back this Beast Tide.

With one man and one spear, he had fought his way from Shu Capital to Shennongjia, destroying several Beast Tide cores in succession.

That kind of prolonged, high-intensity combat would have scrapped even a machine.

Yet Lin Yuan had endured it.

"Rest assured, Commander."

"The colonel's vital signs are stronger than ever before."

"Once he wakes up, he should recover to his peak condition."

The military doctor assured him repeatedly.

Only then did Zhao Dingbang wave his hand, signaling for the doctor to leave first.

Through the blastproof glass, he took a deep look at the young figure on the hospital bed.

For Dragon Country to produce such a true dragon was a great blessing for the nation.

Inside the ward.

Lin Yuan suddenly opened his eyes.

The glaring fluorescent lights shone into his eyes, yet caused him no discomfort whatsoever.

The next moment.

Lin Yuan abruptly sat up.

Every bone in his body crackled like popping beans.

"So hungry."

Lin Yuan rubbed his shriveled stomach.

He threw off the covers and got out of bed, intending to find something to eat.

But the instant his foot touched the floor.

A shallow crack appeared in the hard floor tile beneath it.

His strength was out of control.

Lin Yuan immediately noticed the changes in his body.

His formerly sore muscles were now brimming with explosive, violent true qi.

With every breath, his internal organs resonated in unison.

"System."

Lin Yuan called out silently in his heart.

A transparent screen appeared before him.

[Heaven Rewards Diligence System]

[Host: Lin Yuan]

[Strength: Early Third-Tier Martial Artist]

[Technique: Heavenly Dipper Qi Refining Formula, Third Layer (Beginner Realm 26%)]

[Martial Skills: Broken Rock Fist (Mastery Realm 35%), Wandering Dragon Step (Mastery Realm 48%), Overlord Spear (Mastery Realm 38%)]

[Treasures: None]

When he saw the data on the panel.

Lin Yuan's breath caught, and his pupils contracted sharply.

The Heavenly Dipper Qi Refining Formula had increased by more than twenty percent in one leap.

The three martial skills were even more outrageous, each having risen by over thirty percent!

"So that's how it is..."

Only after a long while.

Did Lin Yuan finally understand everything.

Sitting in a quiet room and painstakingly cultivating was ultimately the inferior path.

Life-and-death combat was the greatest catalyst for advancing in martial arts!

Under immense pressure.

The body instinctively operated its cultivation technique at a frantic pace.

The muscle memory of martial skills was branded directly into the marrow.

Every spear thrust pushed his potential beyond its limits.

Every dodge was a mad test at the edge of his limits.

"Heh~"

"The Wandering Dragon Step improved so much thanks to those Ferocious Beasts surrounding me."

Lin Yuan calculated silently.

Weaving and maneuvering through the beast horde, one wrong half-step would mean being smashed to pieces.

That kind of environment honed movement techniques a hundred times better than shut-in training on a practice ground.

After grasping the key to it all.

A faint smile appeared at the corner of Lin Yuan's lips.

He could never enter closed-door cultivation for too long again.

Wherever there were many Ferocious Beasts, that was where he needed to go.

Combined with real combat, this system was practically the perfect tool for cheating his way through proficiency gains.

A few minutes later.

After washing up.

Lin Yuan changed into a brand-new training uniform and pushed open the door.

The guards outside saluted in unison.

Their gazes burned with fiery, almost blind worship.

The day of the livestream, the footage of Lin Yuan facing the Ironclad Mad Ape alone had already become a legend in the hearts of Dragon Country's million-strong army.

"Colonel Lin, the commander wishes to see you."

A major serving as an adjutant quickly stepped forward, his tone respectful to the extreme.

"Lead the way."

After passing through layer upon layer of electronic isolation doors.

Lin Yuan arrived at the Southwest Military Region's command center.

"You brat, you're finally awake!"

The moment the door opened.

Zhao Dingbang laughed heartily and came forward, grabbing Lin Yuan by the shoulder.

"Sorry to have made you worry, Commander."

Lin Yuan straightened his back and gave a standard military salute.

"Sit."

Zhao Dingbang personally poured Lin Yuan a cup of strong tea and pushed it toward him.

There was no one else in the command room, making the atmosphere somewhat private.

Zhao Dingbang cleared his throat, his expression gradually turning solemn.

"Lin Yuan."

"There are three things I need to tell you."

Lin Yuan immediately sat upright and silently waited for what came next.

"First."

"You charged in and out of the Beast Tide's defensive line, slaughtering a great number of Ferocious Beasts. That is an immense achievement."

"But the entire country is currently rushing to repair the defensive lines and tally battle losses. The logistics system is so busy that it is nearly paralyzed."

"Your promotion and material rewards are still being urgently calculated by those above. It may take a few days before they can be issued."

"..."

Zhao Dingbang's expression also became grave.

The seven Beast Tides within Dragon Country had all been resolved.

But the price Dragon Country had paid was equally heavy.

The fallen soldiers alone caused Dragon Country immense grief.

"Commander."

"I don't care about those superficial things."

Lin Yuan shook his head and spoke with a serious expression.

He had killed Ferocious Beasts to protect everything he cared about.

As for rank and rewards?

If he received them, that would naturally be good.

Even if he did not, Lin Yuan would not care.

"Then let's discuss the second matter."

"Those above have already issued a notice."

"All gifted martial artists, including you, will be transferred to the Imperial Capital in the near future."

"..."

Zhao Dingbang spoke again to Lin Yuan.

"All of them gathered in one place?"

Lin Yuan paused, his hand holding the teacup.

This was a risky move.

What if the Imperial Capital came under attack from a massive Beast Tide?

Wouldn't Dragon Country's martial arts seeds be wiped out in one fell swoop?

Zhao Dingbang saw Lin Yuan's concerns.

He did not hide anything and directly explained the reason.

"Don't worry."

"The Imperial Capital's defense system is the strongest in the country."

"They've also gathered the nation's foremost scientific researchers, biologists, weapons experts..."

"The reason is simple."

"They're preparing to establish the Dragon Country Martial Arts Research Institute."

"To optimize martial arts techniques..."

"To decipher the genetic code behind Ferocious Beast mutations..."

"Even to develop medicine that allows ordinary people to quickly sense spiritual energy..."

"You top martial artists are the best source of data, as well as the research institute's strongest security force."

"..."