"...I thought we were going to Central Command Headquarters?"
Sword Master Zheng Renyi stepped out of the car. Perhaps he'd become attached, but ever since filming that Alchemist show, the old man always wore a floral beach shirt and shorts when going out. Plus sandals he'd somehow acquired.
"The Marshal moved that man's body here several days ago. Only a few people know. He just told me yesterday too."
Huang Zihuan answered. The main reasons were security and preventing kidnapping attempts. The Night Shadow Thieves hadn't reacted since the incident. But anyone who knew this group's reputation was certain they wouldn't stay quiet.
When he finished, the elderly butler pulled black sunglasses from his pocket and handed them over.
"Oh? Thanks. How do I look?"
Zheng Renyi didn't refuse the kindness. He took the glasses and put them on, then asked Wu Jia for his opinion.
"...They suit you."
The Divine Doctor looked at the Sword Master's majestic appearance and sighed quietly. Maybe it was because he no longer worried about his granddaughter - this old man was finally starting to enjoy life.
Their group was conspicuous. Besides their non-official clothing, three or four kids were following them. Most importantly, several Black Hawk unit members came out personally to greet them. Just standing in the front courtyard attracted many curious looks.
"Let's go inside."
Liu Yianfei could feel those stares. He cut things short and led everyone inside. Along the way, they passed a training room combining technology with cultivation practice. It was a large room filled with various exercise equipment. Strange-looking devices sat there too, with several scientists maintaining them.
Bai Fanxian was interested. One sweep of her eyes told her many cultivators were inside.
"Since we revealed cultivators back then, cultivation methods aren't secret anymore." Liu Yianfei explained with a smile when he saw his lady stop to look.
"Besides the special unit that only accepts cultivators from the start, many ordinary soldiers are now interested in this path too."
Suddenly the training room door opened. Jin Ling walked out and finished speaking that sentence.
"Welcome, Grandmaster Bai."
Unexpectedly, after not seeing him for just over a month, he looked this worn out. Bai Fanxian noticed Liu Yianfei's assistant's eyes were showing dark circles.
Even though their boss was on vacation, the Black Hawk unit's work hadn't decreased. On the contrary, with more cultivators, their work had grown even heavier.
"Huang Zihuan, give him some medicine..."
Bai Fanxian spoke to the elderly butler without turning to look. Of course Huang Zihuan understood what his lady meant. He pulled out a white bottle from his chest. When he poured it out, a brown elixir pill rolled out.
"Please."
The elderly butler used a handkerchief to hold the elixir and offered it to the confused Jin Ling.
Jin Ling accepted it, confused. But seeing everyone's eyes on him, including his boss, he could only resign himself and swallow the unknown elixir in one gulp.
The moment the elixir reached his stomach, the outer shell broke. A massive warm current suddenly flooded out and circulated throughout Jin Ling's body.
Jin Ling raised his hand in shock. He could feel incredible freshness and vitality surging through him. The dark circles under his eyes gradually faded without him realizing. His face looked more and more radiant, like someone who'd slept well.
This was a grade four elixir Bai Fanxian had specially refined in large quantities. Her people had suddenly become obsessed with training and refused to sleep after Liu Yianfei broke through to Sage level.
It dissolved stress and reduced accumulated fatigue. Additionally, the elixir was packed with nutrients ready to replenish the body almost instantly if not overused. So she left them with Huang Zihuan and allowed each person to request only one pill per day from the elderly butler.
It could be called the "ultimate energy booster."
*Beep!*
While everyone was amazed at the elixir's effects, a loud shout came from inside. At one machine in the middle where most people had gathered, a man walked out drenched in sweat. He looked at the screen and showed a proud smile. His friends surrounding him congratulated him enthusiastically.
Just then, when he turned and noticed Jin Ling, he broke away and walked straight over.
"What's up, Jin Ling? Haven't seen you in days."
Though his manner seemed polite, everyone present were distinguished figures. They could see at a glance that his tone and expression were challenging and mocking.
"Lu Pin... what do you want?"
Jin Ling looked displeased. He didn't want this guy causing trouble when he was receiving important guests.
"Just wanted to tell you I broke all your Black Hawk records?"
His words made Jin Ling's cheek twitch. He looked at the screen. His name was gone. It had been replaced by Lu Pin's time of 3 minutes 58 seconds.
To explain this, we'd have to talk about the relationship between the military's four special units: Black Hawk, Red Tiger, Green Dragon, and Blue Shark, stationed in each region of the country.
Though they were all special units, members of each unit always saw the others as rivals. Some friction or competition between them was normal.
This man "Lu Pin" was from the Green Dragon special unit. For certain reasons, his unit leader sent him on a mission to the east. According to records, he'd only recently joined the official military. Before that, he was an independent cultivator.
At first it was fine. But when he heard they were researching machines to help with cultivation training, many Green Dragon members immediately showed interest.
After that, an "unofficial competition" secretly emerged. In their free time, members of both units would come to test those machines. They'd use their statistics to compete back and forth.
Jin Ling, being Liu Yianfei's close aide, wasn't ordinary in strength. He'd just broken through to Martial Master level seven and held records on many machines in this room.
But these past few days he'd been coordinating with the Marshal about the Night Shadow Thieves and Barbatos, barely sleeping.
"I'm busy right now... later."
Jin Ling had to escort Bai Fanxian to where Barbatos was being held, so he waved dismissively. But Lu Pin hearing that thought Jin Ling was making excuses.
"Running away already? Or is this all Black Hawk can do?"
His words were spoken without caring that Liu Yianfei stood right there. Jin Ling, who was used to trash talk between units, even frowned.
Was he not giving the General standing here any respect?
But Liu Yianfei wasn't angry. He stood there in silence, his expression unchanged. Having reached the Sage level, there were things he no longer felt the need to cling to as emotions.
But someone else grew angry instead.
Hui'er stepped forward from beside Liu Yianfei. She handed the sleeping Dragon Queen to Tang Yeye, then stood before Lu Pin.
"...Interested in competing with me?"
Hui'er's question and attitude could surprise many people. Huang Zihuan and Liu Yianfei were surprised the shy girl from back then had grown enough to dare confront others.
It wasn't often Hui'er showed emotion. Lately she tended to stay quiet when others talked. This was the first time she was running toward trouble like this.
Lu Pin looked down at Hui'er who didn't even reach his waist, speechless, while Bai Fanxian was watching the situation with a faint smile.
.
.
.
A few minutes later, the large training room filled with military technology was packed full of people.
"...What's happening?"
"Black Hawk and Green Dragon competing again."
"That's not surprising, right? Those special units compete all the time?"
The people talking were military workers on break. For them, entertainment like this was too good to miss.
At the center of their attention, Hui'er stood alone at the front of the machine, facing Lu Pin fearlessly.
"You sure you want to go in this machine?"
Lu Pin laughed. He didn't see this kid as a rival at all. He was just killing time. The machine before them trained reaction responses. Inside was a wide space with attacks coming from all directions - from simulated punches and kicks to attacks with cultivator weapons like knives, swords, and blades. At the highest level, it even had guns and war weapons.
"Someone like you probably can't even dodge the first punch." Lu Pin said with a teasing tone. Yet inwardly, he believed every word he had spoken.
Hui'er didn't answer. She still felt displeased.
For her, the Black Hawk unit meant nothing - except that Liu Yianfei was its leader.
Insulting Black Hawk was like insulting Liu Yianfei. Even though he wasn't angry, for Hui'er who'd been with him nearly two months and received such close care, it was something she couldn't accept.
It was a strange feeling, but probably some kind of bond. Maybe when her lady got angry because someone hurt them, she felt the same way?
So she'd fight herself.
"...Just dodge the attacks inside, right?"
Hui'er completely ignored Lu Pin. She asked the scientist controlling the machine nearby, who answered politely and opened the door for Hui'er to enter.
"Right. And don't worry. Everything's created with virtual reality technology. So even if you get hit, you won't be injured. The test will just stop immediately."
When he finished, he sighed softly. He was tired of experiments being stopped because curious kids wanted to try. He guessed she came with some high-ranking official. He figured an ordinary punch would probably send her out immediately.
While he was about to wrap this up quickly, something strange caught his attention on the screen showing the interior.
Hui'er stood in the center, eyes closed, calmed down. She was almost completely still.
Beside her appeared a blue figure created by technology. It had full human body structure. The moment it fully materialized, it twisted and sent a punch with the strength and speed of a vigorous adult straight at the girl.
She didn't move. People thought she couldn't dodge. She opened her eyes at the moment the punch was less than half a meter from her face.
Many who thought it would end there shook their heads and started leaving. But the sudden uproar made them turn around.
The girl they thought would be sent out in one hit was still standing. She'd only shifted her body slightly and the punch grazed past her face. There was no beeping sound that rang when a test subject got hit. She'd dodged completely!
"...What did you say earlier?"
People watching the screen felt like Hui'er was staring them down. She was looking at the camera and tilting her head slightly like a curious child. She would have looked innocent — if not for that cold smile!
Only Lu Pin knew who that kid was talking about.
She was challenging him for real!
"...Wonder who she got that from?"
Huang Zihuan laughed out loud, unable to hold back. The elderly butler glanced at Bai Fanxian, who turned her face away as if pretending not to know who he meant...