Resignation, Provocation at the Registration Point!

Meanwhile, Dongfang Yueming had long since put that insignificant little incident out of his mind.

He arrived at the familiar patrol station.

"Dongfang, you're here!" Li Yue came up to greet him with her usual bright smile, her eyes showing undisguised warmth. Over the past few days, her favorable impression of this powerful, steady, and handsome junior had been shooting up.

This time, however, Dongfang Yueming did not respond to her enthusiasm as he usually did.

He took out his patrol uniform, folded neatly, along with his token, and handed them over.

"Sister Li Yue, Captain Wang," Dongfang Ming said calmly, "I came today to resign from the patrol team."

"Resign?!"

The smile froze on Li Yue's face, and her eyes filled with shock and confusion.

Captain Wang Zhen was also a little surprised, but understanding quickly dawned on his face. He had long seen that Dongfang Yueming was no creature meant to remain in a pond; a small city patrol team truly could not hold on to a young man like him. Perhaps his time here really had only been a transition.

"Alas..." Captain Wang Zhen sighed inwardly, feeling a touch of regret, but he nodded nonetheless. "All right. Since you've made up your mind, I won't insist you stay."

Li Yue's eyes showed clear reluctance, and she could not help asking, "Dongfang, why... why are you leaving? Is it... is there something about the team you're unhappy with?" Her thoughts instinctively turned to Zhang Meng.

Dongfang Yueming shook his head. "No, it's just some personal plans of mine." He glanced around and asked with some curiosity, "By the way, how come I don't see Zhang Meng?"

"Oh, Zhang Meng," Captain Wang Zhen explained. "He resigned last night. He said he was going to seek his fortunes at the Beast Defense Frontier."

"Zhang Meng resigned too? He went to the Beast Defense Frontier?"

Dongfang Yueming's gaze sharpened slightly!

The timing... was far too much of a coincidence!

He had just killed that assassin Scorpion yesterday, and today Zhang Meng had resigned and run off, even going to the Beast Defense Frontier?

It seems... nine times out of ten, he was the one who sent Scorpion to ambush me! Dongfang Yueming was instantly certain! That guy must have learned that Scorpion failed and was killed. His guilty conscience made him want to run!

But... A meaningful, cold smile curled Dongfang Yueming's lips. He probably never imagined that I'm also preparing to go to the Beast Defense Frontier!

There was a road to heaven, but you wouldn't take it; hell had no gate, yet you barged right in!

Killing intent toward Zhang Meng quietly took root in his heart, but his face betrayed nothing.

"I see." Dongfang Yueming nodded and asked no more. He cupped his fists at Captain Wang Zhen and Li Yue. "Thank you, Captain and Sister Li Yue, for looking after me all this time. Farewell!"

With that, he turned and left without the slightest hesitation.

Li Yue watched Dongfang Yueming's crisp, decisive retreating figure as he was about to disappear into the distance. Her eyes were filled with complicated emotions; she was reluctant to see him go, yet she did not know what to say.

Captain Wang Zhen sighed, gazing in the direction where Dongfang Ming had disappeared, and said with emotion:

"Alas, we couldn't have kept him... A genius like him was never meant to be confined to this little patrol team. The wider world outside is where he should spread his wings and soar..."

After bidding farewell to the patrol team, Dongfang Yueming did not pause for a moment. He went straight to the registration point set up on the edge of the city, dedicated to recruiting people to go to the Beast Defense Frontier.

The place was packed with people, and the atmosphere was grim and fierce. Most of those waiting in line were rough-faced men with fierce eyes, all bearing scars to one degree or another. They were clearly seasoned veterans or desperadoes.

Dongfang Yueming's youthful face and somewhat clean-cut air stood out among the burly men, immediately drawing many appraising and contemptuous looks.

"Hey! Where did this green kid come from? This isn't a place for you!" a bearded brute called out with a broad grin, his voice rough.

"That's right! With skin that soft and tender, have you even been weaned yet?" Someone beside him burst out laughing.

A lean, muscular man with a venomous scorpion tattooed on his arm looked Dongfang Yueming up and down a few times, then said mockingly, "Kid, do you know the minimum requirement here? Flesh refining initiation! Don't tell me... you can't even meet that? Go home and drink your milk while you still can! Hahaha!"

The crowd erupted in laughter again, looking at Dongfang Yueming with ridicule and contempt.

The lean man apparently thought that was not enough. He walked over to a row of specially made stone locks nearby—the equipment the registration point used for preliminary strength tests. The stone locks came in three grades, engraved with the characters "one," "two," and "three," roughly corresponding to the three strength levels of flesh refining: Entry, Minor Accomplishment, and Great Accomplishment.

The lean man took a deep breath and gave a low shout! He easily raised the stone lock engraved with "two" with one hand! The muscles bulging on his arm displayed considerable strength!

"See that? Lesser flesh refining! That's the basic threshold here!" The lean man put down the stone lock smugly, shot Dongfang Yueming a provocative glance, then swaggered over to the registration window.

The laughter around them grew even louder.

Dongfang Yueming remained expressionless, as though he had not heard the mockery around him. He waited silently in line, and soon it was his turn.

The person in charge of registration was an expressionless middle-aged military officer. Without looking up, he asked, "Name and cultivation."

"Dongfang Yueming, flesh refining," Dongfang Yueming answered calmly.

"Flesh refining?" The officer raised his head and frowned. Seeing Dongfang Yueming's youthful face, a trace of suspicion flashed in his eyes. "Entry? Minor Accomplishment?"

Before Dongfang Yueming could answer, someone nearby immediately jeered, "Make him try the stone locks! We don't want some fake sneaking in and throwing his life away!"

The officer also thought that made sense. He impatiently pointed at the stone locks nearby. "Go on, lift one and let's see."

Dongfang Yueming wasted no words and walked straight over to the row of stone locks.

Under the crowd's mocking, spectacle-hungry gazes, he skipped straight past "one" and "two" and went to the largest, heaviest stone lock, engraved with "three"! This stone lock represented the strength standard for greater flesh refining!

"What's he doing?!"

"Is he crazy?! Challenging the greater flesh refining stone lock right off the bat?!"

"There's a limit to showing off!"

Just as everyone watched in startled uncertainty, ready to laugh at him,

Dongfang Yueming reached out with his right hand and casually grasped the stone lock's handle.

Then...

He gave it a gentle lift!

Hum!

The enormous stone lock weighed several thousand kilograms, enough to make even lesser flesh refining martial artists shrink back, yet he raised it above his head as easily as if he were picking up a toy!

The entire process was relaxed and effortless! It was as though he were lifting not a heavy stone lock, but a foam model!

!!!

The entire place fell deathly silent in an instant!

All the laughter, mockery, and ridicule came to an abrupt halt at that moment!