About two or three hours later, inside a seemingly inconspicuous quiet chamber of the Jiangnan Province Flying Leopard Sub-base.

Although this chamber was located within such a special military base, it surprisingly followed an ancient aesthetic. The interior was decorated with antique charm. Upon entering, one's eyes would immediately be drawn to a piece of calligraphy written with powerful strokes—*Stand like a pine, sit like a bell.*

It was unknown who had written it, but the characters were incredibly forceful and vigorous, with strokes resembling coiling dragons and dancing snakes, like iron hooks and silver lines. It instilled in the viewer a sense of constant self-vigilance, a reminder to reflect thrice daily upon one's conduct. From this, it was easy to see that the author must have been a person of great ambition.

"Are you saying that his Cultivation Level has completely surpassed yours, and it's very likely he has already reached that Innate Realm that towers above Ancient Martial Arts?" In the quiet chamber, Elder Luo, dressed in loose casual attire, sat in a rattan chair. He rhythmically tapped his fingers on the table surface, his murky eyes staring somewhat absently ahead as he murmured to himself.

From his tone, it was as if he had heard something utterly inconceivable.

"I don't know; I can't be certain. But I'm sure of one thing: not even my senior brother, Jun Duanshan, could have pushed me to that extent. For him to be so young… if he truly has reached that realm, it's enough to shock the entire Ancient Martial Arts circle!" Ma Dong, who had lost an arm, said beside him, his face pale. His eyes still held a lingering trace of fear and reverence.

In fact, the biggest reason he was so certain Chen Fei had reached that level was his sense that Chen Fei hadn't used his full strength during their fight at all! I, Ma Dong, am a genuine, bona fide Half-Step Innate Powerhouse! My cultivation in the Divine Skill of the Divine Fire Token has reached the Eleventh Layer! Yet, I wasn't even worth that young man's full effort. What did that imply? It meant his strength had completely surpassed my own; to say it overshadowed mine wouldn't be an exaggeration in the slightest. He crushed me. And since I am currently a Half-Step Innate Powerhouse, what Cultivation Realm could possibly overshadow me? The Innate Realm! Obviously, only someone at the Innate Level would be qualified to do that! To completely and utterly overshadow me!

"It seems that we in Jiangnan have truly produced a rare talent, a treasure! If such a fine prospect could join our Flying Leopard, that would be wonderful," Elder Luo sighed upon hearing this, squinting his eyes in a somewhat distant manner.

He, Elder Luo, was obviously no layman; he naturally understood what that realm—what an Innate Ancient Martial Artist—truly signified! It meant that even they, the Flying Leopard, did not possess a powerhouse of such a level. If he could join them, he could even help the Flying Leopard reverse their years of decline. This had been a goal he had striven to achieve for many years, yet he had not succeeded.

"Elder Luo, forgive my frankness. With that senior's Cultivation Level and strength, I fear he wouldn't even look twice at 'merely' a Flying Leopard. An organization like ours is too small to accommodate such a great Buddha," Ma Dong stated bluntly.

In his view, for Chen Fei to become an Innate Level Expert at such a young age was, in itself, a miracle. Thus, their Flying Leopard was too 'small', unlikely to be able to contain such a revered figure.

"Too small to accommodate him?"

Elder Luo was struck speechless for a moment, then chuckled. He couldn't help but joke, "Ma Dong, at your age, doesn't it feel strange calling a young whippersnapper like him 'Senior'?"

"Strange? Why would it be strange? I consider myself lucky to still be standing here, able to call such a young person a senior. Otherwise, I would have died long ago, with not even a corpse left behind," the one-armed Ma Dong said, shaking his head with reverence in his eyes.

Strange? Perhaps only an outsider like Elder Luo would find it strange at a time like this.

Because any member of the Ancient Martial Artist circle, upon completing their training and stepping into the wider world, would have an incredibly important iron law etched into their minds: The strong are revered!

Obviously, a strong fist was the only truth; everything else was illusory.

"Alright, alright, I misspoke. The rules of you Ancient Martial Artists are sometimes indeed too realistic, too cruel," Chief Luo said, waving his hand and shaking his head with a sigh.

He was a thorough military man. He had participated in various counterattacks and defensive wars, earning distinguished military honors. Therefore, his worldview was more readily aligned with the army, with machine guns and cannons, missiles and mines… However, by now he had come to understand that some people and some things could not be judged by common sense.

Take Innate Experts, for instance. During a certain world-shocking defensive counterattack, he had personally witnessed such a being take on a thousand enemies alone, annihilating an entire brigade overnight.

That was over a thousand elite enemy soldiers! Yet, they were all wiped out by a single person. It was unimaginable.

It was only after that he became desperate to understand that circle. He didn't even regret stepping down from his position as the former commander of the Lingnan Military District to volunteer for a special military assignment. This was what led to the founding of the Flying Leopard.

"Elder Luo, Mr. Chen has arrived." Just then, a Member of Flying Leopard knocked, entered, and reported, their words causing both men's expressions to tense.

"I will go greet him," Ma Dong said without hesitation, preparing to go out and welcome him. It was no joke; in his mind, Chen Fei was no different from a grim reaper! A moment's displeasure could cost him his life. How could he not be terrified?

Elder Luo was once again taken aback, finding it incredible that Chen Fei could inspire such reverence in Ma Dong.

"Mr. Chen, please follow me." Just then, the polite voice of another Member of Flying Leopard came from outside the room.

This place was the Jiangnan Province Flying Leopard Sub-base, so it was naturally filled with members of the organization. After leading Chen Fei back, Instructor Lei Long had casually told someone to bring him here, as he had other matters to attend to.

This was the clear difference between soldiers and Ancient Martial Artists. The former, driven by the fire in their hearts, were straightforward and often acted casually, without considering the finer details. But Ancient Martial Artists were different. As the ones who knew their own circle best, they were more aware of its rules and attitudes. The strong are revered!

SWOOSH!

Hearing the member's words, Ma Dong's expression changed instantly. Ignoring Elder Luo, he hurriedly rose to go out and greet the guest.

Seeing this, Chief Luo couldn't help but shake his head slightly as his gaze shifted to the doorway. A young man, no older than twenty-six or twenty-seven, walked in. It was, of course, Chen Fei.

"Greetings, Senior." Upon seeing Chen Fei, Ma Dong bowed deeply without a moment's hesitation, his face a picture of utmost respect. The sight startled the Member of Flying Leopard who had led him in.

Wh-what in the world... S-Senior?! But before he could even process his shock, another event occurred that nearly dumbfounded him. In the next instant, he saw Chen Fei—that mere lad in his twenties—pat Deputy Instructor Ma on the shoulder with a smile and say in the lazy tone of an elder acknowledging a junior, "Oh, you're here too." The Flying Leopard member who had brought Chen Fei in nearly collapsed. An expression of pure absurdity crossed his face. It was unbelievable! That was one of the five deputy instructors of the Headquarters of Flying Leopard! Yet here he was, as docile as a grandson in front of Chen Fei, his head bowed respectfully. The scene was so surreal he felt like he was dreaming.

"You may leave now," Elder Luo said with a slight frown.

"Yes, yes…" The Member of Flying Leopard shuddered, then turned and quickly departed.

"Elder Luo, you were looking for me?" Chen Fei just smiled faintly at the scene before turning his gaze to Chief Luo.

"Senior, perhaps I should take my leave as well? So you and Elder Luo can speak alone?" Seeing the situation, Ma Dong also felt he shouldn't stay and quietly sought Chen Fei's permission.

"Sure," Chen Fei nodded. The latter immediately bowed and retreated without hesitation, a sight that left Elder Luo speechless.

After Ma Dong had left and closed the door, Elder Luo couldn't help but say helplessly, "Why do I feel like he isn't our Flying Leopard's deputy instructor, but rather a raw recruit under your command?" That was genuinely how he felt right now.

"An accident, just an accident. Chief Luo, what did you want to see me about?" Chen Fei replied with an awkward smile.

"Have a seat," Chief Luo said, gesturing with his hand.

He paused for a moment before asking, "Would you like some tea?"

"No, no need. Chief Luo, please just say what you need to. You being like this is making me a bit uncomfortable," Chen Fei replied, feeling a bit awkward.

Admittedly, with my current cultivation—Mid Stage Qi Refining Fourth Layer, comparable to an Ancient Martial Artist at the Innate Early Stage—I already have every right to sit on equal footing with him, perhaps even surpass him... But the problem is, as someone who grew up under the red flag as an exemplary Young Pioneer, when facing someone worthy of the title 'Chief'—a title symbolizing glory and the people's heroes—I still instinctively feel a lack of confidence, like I'm half a head shorter. After all, if they hadn't thrown their heads into the fray and shed their blood for the rise of an era and the struggle of our nation, how could the youngsters of this new generation enjoy the good lives we have now? In my heart, he is a hero worthy of respect.

"It seems you're a bit formal yourself. But at least you're finally acting a bit like a young man. Not bad, not bad, hahaha." Seeing this, Elder Luo couldn't help but smile.

In fact, until that very moment, his own heart had been pounding, and he had been unsure what attitude to adopt. But now, he didn't need to overthink it. It seemed a normal approach would suffice.

With that in mind, he got straight to the point. "I asked you here today because I do have something to discuss, and it is a very important matter."

"Please speak, Chief Luo," Chen Fei said, his gaze flickering slightly.

"Alright then, I'll get right to it."

Chief Luo's piercing eyes met Chen Fei's as he spoke slowly, "I would like to invite you to join our Flying Leopard."

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