Military Hospital.
Su Bei's examination results were out.
"How did this happen? From his chest cavity to his right arm, most of the internal flesh has crystallized. Any worse, and it would basically have reached necrosis!"
"His vitality and blood are completely depleted too. Even his origin seems somewhat damaged."
"How did this happen?"
Wang Qiaoyun had practiced medicine for many years. She had seen injuries more severe than this before, but this was the first time she had seen a First-order Martial Artist injured to such an extent.
Especially since several people had escorted him here together, which inevitably piqued her curiosity.
"He just came out of the Shattered Battlefield."
The medical team leader, a Second-order Martial Artist skilled in treatment, said, "He killed an Origin Devourer Beast in the Shattered Battlefield. That's how he was injured."
"Make sure he is cured!"
He had also received a call from Lu Yingyue just now. Her instructions had been clear: spare no expense in treating Su Bei, and absolutely do not leave him with any aftereffects.
Wang Qiaoyun immediately grew solemn. "Leave it to me."
As a military doctor, she naturally knew what a shattered space represented, and she understood even better what an Origin Devourer Beast meant.
She immediately arranged for treatment.
Su Bei lay on the hospital bed. Though injured, he was in remarkably good spirits. In his view, his injuries were actually far more optimistic than they appeared.
After all, they shared the same origin. Even if he had been severely injured, he could slowly recover under the circulation of the Great Sun Emperor Body Technique. It would just take longer.
As for his depleted vitality and blood...
Naturally, he had to put on a complete act. He had gathered all his vitality and blood into the sun within his inner universe, keeping it contained without releasing it. With the wonders of the Great Sun Emperor Body Technique, even a powerful expert personally examining him internally would not discover it.
From the outside, it naturally looked like depleted vitality and blood, along with damage to his origin.
That made his killing of the Origin Devourer Beast seem more convincing. Otherwise, even if this world had more good people than bad, suspicion would still be unavoidable.
Before long, two doctors came in and smilingly injected him with two tubes of liquid. He had no idea what it was, but his body reacted immediately. A tingling numbness gradually spread through his entire body as he began to recover.
Su Bei felt his eyelids fighting desperately against each other. In less than two minutes, he became drowsy and simply drifted into sleep.
Since the world entered the era of Gene Martial Arts, medicine had flourished alongside every step of its development.
Both were fields that studied the human body. They complemented one another, and neither could be lacking. They were like two legs needed for walking, which was why medical progress had been extremely rapid in recent years.
When Su Bei woke after a nap, he already felt much better.
The burning sensation had completely disappeared. Looking inward, much of the crystallized flesh in his body had recovered. He only felt a slight discomfort when he moved.
He estimated that with a few more days of careful recuperation, he would be fully recovered.
"Awake?"
The ward door was pushed open, and a woman in a white coat entered. She looked somewhat older, but her temperament was gentle and soothing.
She walked to the bedside, checked the readings on the instruments, and said:
"Your injuries are actually quite serious. If it were anyone else, they would have to stay in bed for at least half a month."
"But your genetic evolution path should have used an Ascension Secret Treasure related to vitality. Your recovery ability is very strong. After a few more days of observation, you can be discharged."
"Thank you," Su Bei said.
"No need."
Wang Qiaoyun lightly waved her hand. "Your superior just stepped out and will be back soon. You need to rest quietly over the next few days. Remember not to use your vitality and blood, or your injuries may worsen..."
Wang Qiaoyun gave Su Bei several more reminders. Only when Lu Yingyue entered did she take her leave.
"Captain Lu."
"Just lie there."
A bright smile filled Lu Yingyue's usually stern face. "You rendered a great service today. Quite a few people in the Jinnan Military Region have been asking me about you."
"Originally, some military headquarters leaders wanted to visit you, but considering that your injuries have not healed, they decided to let you rest first. You will be commended separately later."
"Even the medicine you used today was a precious drug specially approved by the higher-ups. Ordinary people are not qualified to use it."
"It was only what I should do..." Su Bei said modestly out of habit. "By the way, how are Liang Dao and the others? Are they all right?"
At that, Lu Yingyue's expression darkened somewhat. "Liang Dao and the other two are fine. Lei Bin was bitten by the Origin Devourer Beast, though, and lost his right arm. Fortunately, his life was saved. Medicine is advanced now, so the impact will not be too great."
"The three of them came to see you earlier too. They stayed for a while before leaving."
Su Bei could not help falling silent.
Of course, losing an arm had a huge impact. No matter how smoothly a prosthetic limb functioned, it could not compare to one's original body. But if one cultivated deeply enough, regrowing a severed limb was not impossible.
"Let's not talk about that for now."
Lu Yingyue said, "There is already a preliminary result regarding your reward. Aren't you curious?"
Su Bei's eyes lit up. How could he not be curious?!
He was incredibly curious!
Lu Yingyue did not keep him in suspense and said directly:
"First, there is a verbal commendation. Military headquarters has an eight-character evaluation for you. Listen carefully."
"Brilliant Star of Heaven, Pillar of the Nation Talent!"
Su Bei's heart shook.
Heavenly Star and Pillar of the Nation!
Heavenly Star was a special organization independent of the Alliance, and its authority was astonishingly vast!
Its main responsibilities were suppressing rebellions and maintaining order. At the same time, it handled all manner of abnormal incidents across the various Void Battlefields. Put simply, every member of Heavenly Star had the authority to act first and report afterward.
Heavenly Star also had the fewest members, but it was the strongest organization.
Every martial artist ranked within Heavenly Star was like the brightest star in the martial arts universe. Moreover, joining Heavenly Star required recommendations from several experts of the same rank, followed by a review before one could qualify for entry.
The requirements were absurdly strict. In recent years, Venerable Wugou had been the only new member.
Pillar of the Nation was not merely an empty title. It was a genuine designation!
There were eight people in the country who bore this title, and every one of them was a true War God level expert, supporting an entire region and revered by countless people.
Those eight characters included two identities that could be called transcendent. This evaluation was unbelievably high!
It was practically erecting a golden body for him out of thin air!
Envy appeared on Lu Yingyue's face. Afraid that Su Bei was too young to understand the hidden implications, she said, "Do not underestimate those eight characters. It means you have completely entered the sight of certain people. In the future, you will not be left out when good opportunities arise."
Su Bei understood all too well.
"This..."
Su Bei asked in confusion, "It was only a Shattered Battlefield open to Quasi-Martial Artists. How did it catch the attention of military headquarters?"
He had thought they might give him some material rewards and, at most, some military merit. That would already have been very good.
"Do you really not know, or are you pretending not to know?"
Lu Yingyue's expression was strange. Seemingly remembering Su Bei's utterly impoverished background, she explained, "Although it is only open to Quasi-Martial Artists, the existence of an Origin Devourer Beast means this Shattered Battlefield is almost impossible to destroy."
"Because of the rules, the maximum entry rank can only match the Origin Devourer Beast. Before a martial artist reaches the sixth order, killing an Origin Devourer Beast is extremely difficult. Entering in large numbers and batches will only make it stronger."
"The shattered space will constantly leak Cosmic Energy outward, and the leakage will grow worse over time. In order to evolve, exotic beasts will swarm toward it. The military must also establish a defensive line there."
"The manpower and resources consumed by this are an astronomical figure."
There was one thing Lu Yingyue did not say: it was because Su Bei's potential itself was astonishing enough!
Killing an Origin Devourer Beast at the same rank was an achievement unheard of for countless years! And coincidentally, the last person capable of such a feat was the current Sword Pillar.
Su Bei was left stunned.
If Lu Yingyue had not told him, he would never have known there were so many complications behind it.
"Next are the other rewards."
Lu Yingyue continued, "The military is awarding you one S-rank Ascension Secret Treasure, an opportunity to study at the Hidden Dragon Incubation Base, and... a Saint-grade Gene Method!"
Lu Yingyue's mouth had gone dry just from reading it.
She truly wished she could grab a gun right now, find an Origin Devourer Beast, and give it two hard shots.
Before you continue