Zhu Hanyi adhered to his own style and agreed to participate in the Demon Mountain operation without much hesitation.

According to Wan Haihao's character, he originally should have hesitated for a long time, tactfully declining by citing his own lack of ability.

But after hearing what Old Huang had to say, he couldn't stop recalling the evaluations Lin Qiubai had given him in recent days.

"When it's time to be aggressive, you act humble."

"This is your true nature."

"You're stuck in life's mud, unwilling yet hesitant to advance."

"Choosing the easy way to tackle challenges, then regretting for the rest of your life, has become your instinct."

"Trash, your cowardice has truly astounded me..."

After much deliberation, Wan Haihao made the same decision as Zhu Hanyi.

"I am not a coward."

Without much explanation, just those simple five words silenced the Sword Master who had always looked down on him.

In theory, if the Academic Society directly arranged for Wan Haihao to go to Demon Mountain, Lin Qiubai would also have to follow.

But doing so would seem not aboveboard, appearing somewhat petty.

However...

Lin Qiubai also acted very freely, not waiting for President Huang to speak, he directly expressed his stance — he wanted to find the Perfect Sword and was in need of an opponent to test it against, and Demon Mountain was a good whetstone.

Thus, the high-intensity militarized training of the Demon Mountain elite squad officially commenced!

Standard shooting, environmental reconnaissance, battlefield first aid, position judgment, distance measurement...

Likely applicable skills that Su Qiangwei, Zhu Hanyi, and Wan Haihao were all learning.

As for essential projects such as equipment maintenance, mine laying, vehicle driving, material deployment, and tactical coordination, due to time constraints, were temporarily omitted.

Under professional training, the trio's military skill levels rapidly increased.

In addition, the team members received the benefit of unlimited supplies of Inner Qi Capsules, with their Inner Qi Cultivation also quickly improving.

Time, like a white steed galloping past a crack, swiftly passed by.

In the tense training, twelve days seemed to pass in the blink of an eye.

...

Xiangtan City, also known as "Lotus City."

New Face Road, a pedestrian street.

Ye Chudong leaned against a wall, silently waiting for the arrival of "colleagues."

The city beneath his feet had entered a semi-lockdown state more than a dozen days ago.

To the public, this city seemed to have turned into a special zone where they could exit but not enter.

Recently, rumors about extraterrestrial creatures and superpowers have been spreading rapidly online.

Because of this, many people, like sharks smelling blood, have been scrambling toward Lotus City.

Trains, planes, and other means of transport heading to Lotus City stopped operating at this time.

People who booked tickets in advance found that even the "reschedule" option disappeared from travel booking apps, leaving only "refund" available.

Many even chose to travel by car, journeying from afar to Lotus City.

Currently, the number of pedestrians on Lotus City's streets is slightly more than usual.

This is quite normal.

Throughout the city, in each square kilometer, there were at least three plainclothes, well-trained warriors patrolling.

"They're here!"

Ye Chudong's eyes sharpened as he noticed several men and women in uniform-like attire walking this way.

"The one with black and white hair... should be Ma Ran, for sure."

"The one eating is Su Qiangwei."

Ye Chudong had reviewed the intelligence on the two major National Guardian-level superpower users in the country countless times and couldn't possibly forget.

From the photos, he already thought these two people were eye-catching enough.

Seeing them in real life, Ye Chudong realized they were even more attention-grabbing than in the photos.

Su Qiangwei's beauty was outstanding, her gaze lively, innocent, lively, and cute, giving off a little sister next door vibe.

Ma Ran had a unique aura, exuding a hint of youthful energy amidst calmness, with a light and vibrant sparkle in his eyes that made him captivating at a glance.

It was hard to look away from him, with nearly a 100% return rate.

In the vast sea of people, Ye Chudong spotted these two at a glance.

Actually, the few young people around them were also quite remarkable.

Whether it was the long-sword bearing, ancient-style dressed Zhu Hanyi, or the refined and elegant Wan Haihao, they were all impressive enough.

But next to Ma Ran and Su Qiangwei, they immediately became foils to the red flower, seeming insignificant and worthless.

After a moment of daze, Ye Chudong quickly approached with a smile.

While showing his credentials, he said, "I am a member of the Xiao Xiang Academy, Ye Chudong."

"It's been a long journey for you all to get here."

After some simple pleasantries, the group left the city by car.

On the way, Ye Chudong kept talking, seemingly having endless words to say.

"The place we are heading to is at Zhao Mountain."

"Out of the city, another 20 kilometers or so and we'll be there."

"According to legend, King Zhao of Zhou led a southern expedition to the barbarian lands, reaching here but drowned in a deep pool at the foot of the mountain, hence its name Zhao Mountain."

"It's also one of the ancient Xiao Xiang's eight scenic spots known as 'Mountain City Clear Mist.'"

"Uh..."

"You all don't seem very interested, so I'll get to the point."

"The place we're heading to is the peaceful land in the outskirts of Xiangtan mentioned in Ma Ran's prophecy about the coming of Demon Mountain, and is also the wartime command center."

"Originally, our Xiao Xiang Academy planned to be set up here, but due to various reasons, the station was moved to Changsha."

"I've heard your names from Liu Huadie, Ding Shao'ai, Zhao Qingcong junior, and Song Chu, He Nanguang junior."

"Ah, everyone arrived a couple of days ago."

"Now, nationwide, almost all the elites from each academic society are here!"

After crossing a river, they arrived at the gate of a newly built base.

After passing through security checks, grabbing a quick meal at the canteen, and confirming their respective rooms, there seemed to be nothing left to do.

Going to sleep directly seemed a bit too early.

Cultivate Inner Qi or Sword Dao?

It would only unnecessarily deplete energy.

Sharpening the sword just before battle does help, but applying it to cultivation...

No way!

At the final moment, it's more important to rest well and store enough energy.

Aside from the mysteriously confident Su Qiangwei, both Wan Haihao and Zhu Hanyi seemed a bit tense.

But with Demon Mountain about to descend, they didn't have the mind for entertainment or leisure.

The "Xianlin Temple" and "Phoenix Temple" Ye Chudong mentioned during the meal didn't pique anyone's interest.

Clap!

Suddenly, Ye Chudong clapped his hands, excitement evident in his voice: "With all the busyness, I nearly forgot!"

"The Inner Qi Detector has arrived."

"Members of the Black Rock Martial Arts from various academic societies are checking their acupoint values over there, and it's being live-streamed on the DJI app."

"Wanna go take a look together?"

Zhu Hanyi and Wan Haihao both seemed interested.

The former wanted to see if his progress during this period could be detected by the machine, while the latter was curious about the scientific principles of the Inner Qi Detector.

Su Qiangwei was instantly intrigued as well.

"Let's go! We have to go!"

She wanted to see the gap between the prodigies of other academic societies and Ma Ran.

Qiangwei's happiness is often built on the pain of others.

The scenes of those geniuses being tormented to agony by Ma Ran were already circulating in her mind.

Sharing the difficulty!

She couldn't take this grievance alone!

With this thought, Su Qiangwei patted the back of the black-and-white-haired boy: "The decision is on you, Ma Ran!"

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