The kid had "made something of himself"!

Inside Canglan Residential Area, Northwest Base City.

In the enormous second-floor training hall of a secluded detached villa, a lean man dressed in black, who looked about thirty, sat cross-legged in the center of the room with his eyes closed.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Several throwing knives flew around his body, sometimes forming different shapes, sometimes taking up attack formations, and sometimes circling into a round shield that enveloped him...

"Hm?"

The flying knives stopped abruptly. The man in black suddenly opened his eyes and looked toward the entrance. A few seconds later, a figure pushed the door open and stepped inside.

"Second Brother, what has you in such a hurry?"

The man in black showed no surprise at the visitor's arrival. The moment the other man had entered the villa, he had already sensed him through his spread-out spiritual force.

Still, it was rare to see his second brother, Wang Jiu, so agitated. Especially after their squad had disbanded, his years as chairman had made him much more composed in handling things.

"Haha, Captain, my boy has made something of himself!"

Wang Jiu's face brimmed with pride. His relationship with Inspector Zheng Cangli was more than that of a superior and subordinate. Over a decade as comrades who had faced life and death together had made them closer than blood brothers.

That was why, in private moments like this, they still used their old forms of address.

"Hm, you mean Yang Zheng? What happened with him?"

After a moment's thought, Zheng Cangli guessed whom his second brother, Wang Jiu, meant. Aside from Yang Yi, who was still young, it could only be Yang Zheng.

But Yang Zheng had "made something of himself"?

That came as something of a surprise. After all, he had always considered Yang Zheng to have little talent as a warrior.

"Come with me. I'll explain on the way!"

The thirty-third floor of the Limit Martial Hall headquarters building.

Yang Zheng stood before the holographic, transparent floor-to-ceiling windows and looked through the glass. Almost all the buildings in the main urban district lay within his view.

With a warrior's eyesight, he could just make out the vehicles moving along the streets below, as well as the people coming and going.

Although Northwest Base City was the smallest in size, it housed nearly two hundred million people. Being far from the threat of ocean monsters, it naturally accommodated a larger population.

Ultimately, the monster species on land were nowhere near as numerous or terrifying as those in the oceans.

Ding!

The elevator chimed. Yang Zheng turned and saw his father, Wang Jiu, approaching with a man dressed in black.

"Dad, Uncle Zheng!"

Yang Zheng hurriedly greeted them respectfully. It had to be said that he was truly fortunate in this life. He could even be called a second-generation warrior with an elite background.

Wang Jiu had found him right after he transmigrated, saving him from being torn apart by beasts in the Wilderness Zone, and had raised him as his own son.

His adoptive father, Wang Jiu, was a Beginner War God and the overall chairman of the Limit Martial Hall in Northwest Base City. His superior, Inspector Zheng Cangli, was also a comrade closer to him than a blood brother.

It was fair to say that no one of Yang Zheng's generation in Northwest Base City had a more powerful background.

An Inspector of the Limit Martial Hall possessed not only formidable strength but also immense authority. Among all the hall's members in a Base City, the Inspector was the highest-ranking leader.

Fortunately, their adoptive mother, Yang Rong, had always guided them with care. Otherwise, growing up in such an environment, it would have been a miracle if Yang Zheng and his two siblings had not become spoiled brats.

"Yang Zheng!"

Zheng Cangli looked at Yang Zheng and said seriously, "Your father has already told me about your situation, but we still need to test you again before deciding how many resources to allocate to you."

With that, Zheng Cangli pointed to the Punch Strength Tester in the corner of the training hall. "Your father said you've mastered the third layer of the Nine-Layered Thunder Blade. Go throw a punch and let me see."

This was merely a simple verification. With Zheng Cangli's and Wang Jiu's keen eyes, they could judge Yang Zheng's mastery of the Nine-Layered Thunder Blade from the repeated bursts of acceleration the instant he threw his punch.

They could also use the Punch Strength Tester's readings to determine how much his spiritual force had improved his physical attributes after he awakened his talent as a spirit reader.

"Okay!"

Yang Zheng nodded, walked to the corner, and switched on the Punch Strength Tester, the Speed Tester, and the other equipment. Then he casually threw two punches.

Bang! Bang!

The first used raw strength: 15,702 kilograms.

The second unleashed his full power: 44,010 kilograms.

Of the two readings, the first reflected his physical attributes alone, while the second reflected his explosive power using the third layer of the Nine-Layered Thunder Blade.

"Not bad. With a punch strength of 15,702 kilograms, your physical attributes are already close to the intermediate War General Level. Your second punch did indeed unleash three additional layers of hidden force."

Seeing the readings on the screen, Zheng Cangli could not help praising him. Compared with Yang Zheng's previous test, his physical attributes had improved significantly.

"Yang Zheng, I have two suggestions for you!"

Inspector Zheng Cangli pondered briefly. "First, I still have a place available at the Elite Training Camp. Once I upload your information to headquarters, you can go straight there next March."

"Second, go to the Basic Training Camp branch in Kyoto Base City and demonstrate your talent through the Trial Tower. The better you perform, the better the training contract the hall will offer you."

After speaking, Zheng Cangli looked at Yang Zheng. Wang Jiu also waited beside him for Yang Zheng's choice.

"I choose the second option!"

Yang Zheng answered without hesitation. The first option was clearly guaranteed admission, without even requiring a test. But if he had to wait until next March to enter the Elite Training Camp, it would be far too late.

"Although I gave you a choice, I was actually hoping you'd choose the second option too. All you lack is an opportunity to show what you can do."

Zheng Cangli nodded. The Elite Training Camp collaborated with the five major countries and the various major powers, so naturally, some admission places were allocated to them.

Huaxia Country had a strong martial culture and a large population, yet it received very few places. Only because Luo Feng had emerged a year earlier had Huaxia Country received a few more.

Ultimately, Hong's focus was on humanity as a whole. He had always relied on his own martial strength to maintain the balance between Earth's various powers, uniting every available force against the monster races.

"All right. Tomorrow, I'll have your father... never mind. I'll take you to Kyoto Base City myself tomorrow!"

At the mention of Kyoto Base City, Zheng Cangli's voice faltered. After a brief hesitation, he decided to take Yang Zheng there himself.

Besides, according to his second brother, Wang Jiu, Yang Zheng's initial spiritual force took the form of a fist-sized pyramid. His potential was far greater than Zheng Cangli's own.

After all, the original form of his own dormant spiritual force had only been a quarter-fist-sized

stone. Once all his spiritual force had been released, he had only become a spirit reader at the Beginner War God Level.

Yang Zheng's potential, however, guaranteed that he would become a High-level War God in the future. With his progress in cultivating the Nine-Layered Thunder Blade, he would become an Invincible War God once he matured, and might even have a chance of reaching the Councilor Level.

Perhaps, after the genius Luo Feng's "fall," Yang Zheng would be the next slowly rising star.