After briefly getting acquainted with the members of the Fire Hammer Squad, Luo Yuan headed home.
Over the next few days, Luo Yuan went to the Limit Hall to collect attributes during the day and stayed in his villa's Martial Arts Hall at night, practicing the Nine-Layered Thunder Blade. Its Guidance Technique, Nine-Layered Hunyuan, was not particularly difficult. Practicing it alongside the Genetic Origin Energy method produced especially noticeable results, and both his physical strength and his rate of improvement increased substantially.
However, Luo Yuan found the Nine-Layered Thunder Blade's Movement Technique, Flowing Light, and its blade technique, Thunder Blade, genuinely difficult to practice. He already had micro level footwork, but even after incorporating it into Flowing Light, he still had not reached the first layer. As for Thunder Blade, he could execute all eighteen moves of the first layer, but he had not grasped their essence at all.
Open my personal attribute panel, Luo Yuan commanded mentally.
Name: Luo Yuan Strength tier: apprentice level (Intermediate Warlord) Strength: 27,000 kg Speed: 192 m/s Defense: 27,000 kg Mental power: 11,000 kg Evasive footwork: micro level Cultivation methods: Five Hearts Facing the Sky Method, Guidance Technique "Nine-Layered Hunyuan" (first layer) Skills: Movement Technique "Flowing Light" (beginner), blade technique "Thunder Blade" (beginner)
Luo Yuan paused as he looked at his attribute panel. It now included a rating for his evasive footwork: micro level. Apparently, the panel was updating too, and its contents were becoming more specific. It had even broken the Nine-Layered Thunder Blade down into separate components. That was good, though-it gave him a clearer picture of his capabilities.
Over the past few days, Luo Yuan had collected attributes and practiced the top-tier Guidance Technique, Nine-Layered Hunyuan, alongside the Five Hearts Facing the Sky Method. His strength had improved rapidly, bringing him close to the Advanced War General tier. Even his mental power was approaching the Intermediate Warlord tier. It seemed cosmic energy could improve mental power too. However, he had discovered that the attribute bubbles dropped in the Warrior Level areas on the Limit Hall's second through ninth floors could no longer meet his needs.
After taking a shower, Luo Yuan changed into his training clothes. He decided to go to the Limit Hall for a rank assessment. He wanted access to the tenth through nineteenth floors, where War General Level Warriors trained. He should be able to pick up plenty of good things there.
Upon arriving at the Limit Hall, Luo Yuan immediately requested a meeting with its head, Wu Tong. He soon received a response and went to Wu Tong's office.
"Luo Yuan, what brings you here today?" Wu Tong asked as he poured him a cup of tea.
"Head Instructor, I'd like to train in the Martial Arts Halls used by the War Generals, so I'm here to apply for access to the War General Level floors," Luo Yuan said calmly.
"War General Level! Luo Yuan, you've reached that stage already?" Wu Tong suddenly stood up, his voice brimming with excitement.
Luo Yuan nodded.
Surprise and delight filled Wu Tong's eyes at Luo Yuan's confirmation. He immediately took him to the strength assessment hall. The Punch Strength Tester and Speed Tester were switched on, and the Nerve Reaction Test hall was activated as well.
Twenty minutes later, Luo Yuan and Wu Tong emerged from the testing hall. Luo Yuan remained calm throughout, but Wu Tong was anything but composed. This kid was improving far too quickly. He was practically a monster.
"Luo Yuan, congratulations on reaching War General Level. I'll report your situation to the higher-ups," Wu Tong said after calming down. He suddenly felt old.
"All right, thank you, Head Instructor. Can I go train in the War General area now?"
"Yes. Under the Limitless Martial Hall's rules, you're supposed to hunt down two monsters of the same rank in the Wilderness Zone before your rank can be updated. However, I've used my authority to update it for you. This is a one-time exception, though. You'll be joining your Warrior squad on missions soon, won't you? Do your best," Wu Tong encouraged him.
"I will. Thank you, Head Instructor."
After bidding Wu Tong farewell, Luo Yuan went straight to the tenth floor of the Skyscraper. He used the facial recognition scanner at the entrance.
Name: Luo Yuan Rank: War General Level (junior) Access: floors 1-19
Luo Yuan smiled faintly at the information on the screen. He had only revealed Junior War General strength during this assessment. He had decided to keep something in reserve. After all, Warriors were not always on friendly terms, and he could not expose all his trump cards. Besides, his current status as a Junior War General was already sufficient.
There were not many War General Level Warriors in the tenth-floor Martial Arts Hall-only twenty-odd people. Most of the others were out on missions in the Wilderness Zone. Moreover, breaking through from Warrior Level to War General Level was no easy feat in itself.
"Huh? Luo Yuan, what are you doing here?" a deep voice suddenly rang out.
Luo Yuan looked up. The speaker was a middle-aged man, not particularly tall, standing just over 1.8 meters. What stood out most was his incredibly muscular build. He looked like a man cast from steel. Luo Yuan was a little confused; he had never met him before.
"Haha, Luo Yuan, you haven't met me yet, have you? I'm Gao Feng, captain of the Fire Hammer Squad. Head Instructor Wu showed me your information. Something came up at the last minute, so I missed your welcome banquet. I never expected to run into you here. Aren't you at Warrior Level? How did you get up here?" Gao Feng grinned, the muscles of his face bunching together like rocks.
"Uh, hello, Captain. I just passed the War General Level assessment and got access, so I came up," Luo Yuan answered honestly.
"What? War General Level? Luo Yuan, didn't you just pass the martial artist combat assessment?" Gao Feng exclaimed. His booming voice drew the attention of every War General present, and they all looked at Luo Yuan in surprise.
Luo Yuan nodded, just as he always did.
"Would you look at that. Luo Yuan, a War General at eighteen-you really are a monster. No wonder Supervisor Zhuge recruited you early. Look at me. I've trained painstakingly for years, risking my life to earn cultivation resources, and I've only just reached Junior War General strength. Ordinary people like us really can't compare to geniuses." Gao Feng's towering, ironlike frame slumped slightly, and a hint of despondency appeared in his eyes.
"Hey, Gao, don't be like that. Geniuses have their way of living, and ordinary people like us have ours. There's no need to compare," an older Warrior said, coming over and patting Gao Feng's shoulder in consolation.
Gao Feng was, after all, a veteran Warrior who had weathered countless battles in the Wilderness Zone. He quickly regained his composure and introduced Luo Yuan to the War Generals present. Most were middle-aged, with sharp eyes, abundant experience, and an aura of bloodshed. One glance was enough to tell that none of them were to be trifled with.
Still, all these War Generals treated Luo Yuan warmly. He also took the opportunity to meet Zhang Ke, another War General from the Fire Hammer Squad. He was a tall, thin man with a stern expression, wielding an iron spear that whistled fiercely as he swung it.
After getting acquainted with the War Generals, Luo Yuan began his daily attribute collecting. Nearly all the attribute bubbles these War General Level Warriors dropped were yellow. As expected, they were higher-grade than the ones he had collected before.
Strength +5 Strength +5 Speed +5 Speed +5 Defense +5 Defense +5 Neural reflexes +5 Neural reflexes +5 ... Guidance Technique "Nine-Layered Hunyuan" proficiency +1 Movement Technique "Flowing Light" proficiency +1 Blade technique "Thunder Blade" proficiency +1
"Huh?" Luo Yuan suddenly stopped. As knowledge of the Nine-Layered Thunder Blade poured into his mind, he felt his proficiency with the manual increase a little. This was a delightful surprise. Apparently, his cheat had upgraded too-he could now pick up proficiency in manuals.
P.S. Great gods, please send tips, monthly votes, and bookmarks. Luo Yuan bows before you.
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