Chương 44: War God — Chapter 44 - Wang Xian: Gave It His All, Barely Triumphed

Heavenly Blade Club, seventh floor. A young man with a steady expression stepped out of the elevator.

"Brother Yuan!" The receptionist hurried to greet him. Long Yuan nodded, glanced around the lobby, then paused at the large screen.

"Why is the screen dark?"

"Someone should be challenging the holographic intelligent beast..."

"People challenge it every day. Does it need to be turned off?" Long Yuan smiled.

"I don't know. Minister Zheng ordered it."

"Ah, I see..." Just then, martial artists emerged from the various training rooms on the seventh floor. They gathered around Long Yuan, greeting him with smiles.

"Brother Yuan, hello!"

"Brother Yuan's here? Quick, fist bump!"

"Brother Yuan, your aura has solidified even more. You're almost at the Second Realm, right?"

"As expected of someone who signed a contract directly with the club... We contract workers can't compare at all..."

"What's Brother Yuan training today? I'll assist you!"... All the training rooms on the seventh floor served First Realm Martial Artists. Most of them hadn't signed contracts with the Heavenly Blade Club. They were contract workers in an employment relationship, simply using that connection to train here. Long Yuan smiled.

"In a while, I'll be going out on a mission. The higher-ups told me to pick a few teammates and bring along a newbie." Everyone volunteered eagerly.

"Pick me, pick me!"

"Me, me, me! My life force is 75, and I'm about to unlock my first gene lock! My strength is definitely enough!"

"Brother Yuan, you specialize in the blade, focusing on offense. I specialize in the staff, plus my mid-tier talent [Boulder Mountain Bone], focusing on defense. I can absolutely shield you from wind and rain!"

"Bro, my martial talent is only the low-tier [Glazed Hands], but I cultivate the Vital Energy Art. I specialize in massage and energy restoration, healing and endurance! You can't not want that, right?"

"Newbies always get in the way. I'm a veteran, been down into two relics, experienced! And my total combat time against F-rank beasts is over 130 hours. Brother Yuan, your combat strength is high. Leave bringing the newbie to me!"... Long Yuan pointed at a few of them.

"Have you all passed the beginner holographic intelligent beast challenge?"

"The one with a half-hour time limit." The crowd that had just been volunteering fell into awkward silence. At least 90 percent lowered their hands. Only the veteran stood with his hand raised, face full of pride. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Bro, not everyone is as formidable as you..." In the crowd, a round-faced girl smiled bitterly.

"How can we First Realm Martial Artists succeed so easily? Without a time limit, it's still manageable. But with a time limit, and 10 consecutive fights, you can't make a single mistake..."

"Then my apologies..." Long Yuan shook his head helplessly.

"Actually, it's not their fault..." The veteran smiled.

"They're all young, most of them just stepped into the First Realm not long ago. They're basically newbies too. Newbies generally can't succeed in the challenge." At that moment, the door to the holographic challenge opened. A very young teenager walked out, heading straight for the observation room.

"See, this unfamiliar face is also a newbie." The veteran waved at the teenager and asked with a smile, "Young man, how did your challenge go? Did you fail? How do you feel?"

"Those saber-toothed wolves one after another, not easy, right? Did you hit a wall after seven or eight?" The teenager paused, thought for a moment, and said, "It was alright."

"Gave it my all, barely triumphed." The veteran's smile froze. Long Yuan looked at the teenager with some surprise, then glanced at the darkened screen.

"Youngsters these days are really getting more and more impressive..." The veteran laughed awkwardly.

"But, compared to you, Brother Long Yuan, he's still a bit lacking. After all, you can kill 10 real saber-toothed wolves in a row..." The teenager, who was about to leave, suddenly looked at Long Yuan.

"Your name is Long Yuan?" Long Yuan blinked, puzzled, and nodded. The teenager said, "Oh." Then: "Truly impressive." With that, he left. Wang Xian walked into the observation room and closed the door. Inside, Zhou Dahai and Zheng Changhong sat in chairs, smoking, staring at the ceiling. Puffing out clouds of smoke, their eyes dazed. As if recalling their entire lives.

"?" What was going on with these two?

"Actually, the path of martial arts isn't suited for everyone." Zheng Changhong held a cigarette between two fingers.

"Take me, for example. I trained under Teacher Bai for two years..."

"Teacher Bai thought I had talent."

"Those two years, not comprehending the Overlord Blade Intent wasn't because I couldn't comprehend it."

"It's mainly because I prefer nurturing talent. But teaching was too dull, so I chose to come to the Heavenly Blade Club."

"Over the years, I've discovered many promising martial artists for the club. That's proof enough!"

"Indeed." Zhou Dahai nodded.

"Everyone has their own strengths. I'm not too suited for martial arts either. Although I'm a Fourth Realm Martial Artist, when it comes to intent and such, I just don't want to comprehend it."

"My strength lies in teaching and nurturing, in having a discerning eye for talent."

"Back in school, I had my eye on Wang Xian!" The two looked at each other, slinging arms over each other's shoulders, as if they had found kindred spirits. Like two patients licking each other's wounds in a corner, soothing the trauma in their hearts.

"Teacher Zhou? Minister Zheng?" Wang Xian looked at the two of them. What were they talking about? The two looked at Wang Xian and immediately smiled with relief. Smiling, smiling, tears spilled from the corners of their eyes.

"You two are..."

"It's nothing. We're happy." Zheng Changhong wiped the corner of his eye.

"Let's go, Student Wang. I'll take you to sign the contract." If only... If only! Heaven gave the two of them another chance. They absolutely did not want to see that scene again. It was too damn soul-crushing!

'Oh heavens above, I, Zheng Changhong, have practiced martial arts for 25 years and stepped into the Fourth Realm over 5 years ago! And I've only just touched the surface of intent!' On the way, Zheng Changhong recalled the scene he had just witnessed.

'An 18-year-old student, in just one month, comprehended my teacher's Overlord Blade Intent... and perfectly fused it with his own martial arts...' The most terrifying part was this kid also possessed supremely high combat talent. A true combat genius! Recalling the battle just now, which seemed to have undergone the most precise calculation. No wonder this kid wanted 10 saber-toothed wolf models at once. No wonder he only dodged at the start and didn't attack. It was all for that final move.

Using the Overlord Blade Intent to intimidate the saber-toothed wolves charging together, then annihilating them all in an instant with Surging Waves Shake the Heavens. Zheng Changhong could guarantee that if Wang Xian had challenged them one by one, he definitely could not have succeeded. But a genius is a genius. Turning the impossible into possible, daring to do what ordinary people wouldn't. As for Zhou Dahai... He didn't want to say anything anymore.

Just earlier, he had felt that showing the martial arts class students the challenge video of Wang Xian slaying a saber-toothed wolf with one slash might damage their confidence. Fine. Now the boomerang had come back. As a martial artist who had also long since stepped into the Fourth Realm, he had never touched the threshold of intent. It was very hard to take. At that moment, Zhou Dahai suddenly felt it wouldn't be so bad if Wang Xian didn't come for winter break.

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