War God Temple Headquarters

"At last, we've arrived in Mingdu..."

Qi Ji pressed himself against the viewport of Luo Yuhang's black mecha, his face nearly touching the transparent Soul Tool glass as his eyes greedily took in the cityscape flashing past outside.

Soul Tool skyscrapers soaring into the clouds, radiant energy pipelines, Soul Tool cars weaving between buildings, and orderly streams of hovering vehicles along the streets.

The futuristic city before him looked as though it had been lifted straight out of a science-fiction movie.

Although Douluo Continent still seemed inferior to the world Qi Ji had lived in before his transmigration in many areas of civilian technology—such as internet penetration and the sophistication of consumer electronics—

in the field of Soul Tool technology, this world had already far surpassed the Earth he once knew.

Cities powered by Soul Tool energy networks, mechas, orbital trains—every one of them felt novel and awe-inspiring to Qi Ji.

"Uncle Luo, are we heading straight to the War God Temple headquarters later?"

Qi Ji turned to look at Luo Yuhang, his tone carrying a hint of anticipation and curiosity.

"Mm. After hearing about your talent, the Hall Master and Deputy Hall Master both wanted to meet you."

Leaning back in his seat with his arms folded, Luo Yuhang spoke casually, though there was unmistakable importance in his tone.

"After all, there haven't been many geniuses like you since the War God Temple was founded."

"I see..." Qi Ji nodded thoughtfully.

"Then, Uncle Luo, what do you think of the Hall Master and Deputy Hall Master? Are they easy to get along with?"

Qi Ji naturally knew Guan Yue and Chen Xinjie's personalities—one was an overworked "Shrek man at heart," while the other was hopelessly lovestruck over a certain woman.

Still, he wanted to know what kind of people these two superiors were in the eyes of Luo Yuhang, the Third War God.

After all, Luo Yuhang had spent decades with them. His perspective was far more vivid than those dry descriptions in the original work.

"Hall Master Chen is not only the Hall Master of the War God Temple, but also the commander of the Sea God Legion. Although he's become more politically inclined in recent years and has left almost all military management to his son, Hall Master Chen is still rarely in the hall. He's extremely busy with official duties."

Luo Yuhang thought for a moment before answering seriously.

"As for Deputy Hall Master Yu, there's even less need to mention him. He's the busiest person in the War God Temple. Not only is he the commander of the Central Legion, he's also the Deputy Minister of the Military Department. He's either in a meeting all day or on his way to one. Seeing him even once is harder than climbing to the heavens."

"So the one who actually handles affairs is Hall Master Guan. But don't worry. Hall Master Guan is different from his junior martial brother, Atlas Douluo Yun Ming, who's hailed as the number one person on the continent. Hall Master Guan is easygoing and pleasant to be around. Though his cultivation is somewhat below Yun Ming's, he truly puts on no airs when dealing with others."

"So... our War God Temple is somewhat similar to the Tang Sect?" Qi Ji could not help asking.

"That wouldn't be wrong." Luo Yuhang nodded, then added,

"However, the true leadership of the War God Temple consists of Federation higher-ups, so our organizational structure still differs somewhat from a jianghu sect like the Tang Sect. After all, we're an official organization, with the Military Department and Federation Parliament above us."

"But don't worry. Although they're nominally our superiors, we only need to answer to the Federation. They can't interfere with us too much, since we're all high-level Soul Masters. In the world of Soul Masters, cultivation is the only hard currency."

Luo Yuhang's tone carried the composure of a powerful expert.

"On Douluo Continent, strength is what truly matters. If we hadn't entered the Federation era and given ordinary people the chance to participate in politics, the Federation's upper ranks would probably all be high-level Soul Masters. Even if ordinary people sat in those positions, they wouldn't be able to hold them securely."

"But I'm not worried about you at all, Qi Ji. Your talent is the greatest I've seen in my life. With your potential, you probably won't need long before becoming the number one person on the continent."

"Then I'll gladly accept your good wishes, Uncle Luo!" Qi Ji smiled, neither confirming nor denying it.

He was modest aloud, but inwardly, he did not deny the possibility.

Luo Yuhang's black mecha slowly descended onto a mountaintop platform in the western outskirts of Mingdu.

As the Third War God of the War God Temple, Luo Yuhang naturally possessed authorization to fly through Mingdu's no-fly zone, allowing Qi Ji to personally experience what privilege meant.

Any ordinary Soul Tool aircraft daring to appear over Mingdu would have long since been locked onto and shot down by the defense array.

As the headquarters of a military organization, the War God Temple naturally could not be located within Mingdu proper.

The lesson from ten thousand years ago, when the Sun Moon Empire buried an ammunition depot beneath Mingdu, remained fresh in everyone's mind. The Federation had no desire to repeat that mistake.

The War God Temple headquarters was located within the highest mountain west of Mingdu. The entire mountain had been hollowed out and reconstructed, while the Federation's most elite Central Legion was stationed nearby. Its defenses were impregnable.

Luo Yuhang's mecha passed through layer after layer of checkpoints, each one verifying its credentials.

Every checkpoint was equipped with high-precision Soul Tool detection arrays and guarded by at least one Soul Douluo-level powerhouse.

After a series of identity verifications and authorization checks, the two finally passed through the Level Ten Soul Tool gate known as Hell's Gate and officially entered the interior of the War God Temple headquarters.

The moment he entered, Qi Ji felt a harsh, murderous atmosphere rushing toward him.

It was, after all, a military organization. While the War God Temple was fundamentally an organization of Soul Masters rather than merely an army, its long coexistence with the military had deeply shaped the atmosphere here.

The names of martyrs from generations of the War God Temple were engraved upon the corridor walls. The air carried a faint scent of metal and engine oil, and Soul Masters in standard military uniforms occasionally strode past, their footsteps neat and powerful.

"Everyone here holds at least some military rank. These posts can be honorary positions, or positions of real authority where they directly serve."

As they walked, Luo Yuhang explained to Qi Ji, "So the atmosphere here may differ from what you imagined, but you'll get used to it."

Luo Yuhang led Qi Ji to an elevator whose specifications were clearly far above those of the ordinary passages.

Its doors were forged from thick alloy, bearing the emblem of the War God Temple and emanating a steady, imposing aura.

"Next, we'll take the elevator down to the eighteenth level of the War God Temple. All three Hall Masters are waiting for you there."

Standing before the elevator doors, Luo Yuhang turned around and looked seriously at Qi Ji.

"You may feel some pressure, but it's all right. Even though they're important figures of great status, you're still a child. Just show them your talent. Don't overthink it."

Seemingly afraid that Qi Ji would be nervous, he deliberately emphasized his reminder.

"Mm, I understand." Qi Ji nodded, his expression calm.

The elevator doors slowly closed. A faint feeling of weightlessness followed as the elevator began descending.

Qi Ji silently estimated the descent time and speed. This eighteenth level was probably not merely deep—it had to be at least several thousand meters into the mountain.

But that made sense. After all, three Level Twelve Godslaying Cannon Shells were currently stored on the eighteenth level of the War God Temple. If they were not buried deep enough, who could rest easy?

After an unknown amount of time, just as Qi Ji settled himself and repeatedly considered how he should respond next, the elevator gave a soft chime and slowly came to a stop.