Chapter Twenty-Five: Mastery

After making a brief acquaintance with the Fire Hammer squad and the others, Luo Yuan took his leave. In the days that followed, he spent his mornings at the Extreme Pavilion gathering attribute orbs, while his nights were devoted to training in the martial hall of his villa, focusing on the “Ninefold Thunder Blade.” The introductory cultivation technique, “Ninefold Primal Source,” was not particularly difficult, and when practiced in tandem with the Gene Primal Energy Method, the results were remarkable—Luo Yuan’s strength and rate of improvement were noticeably faster than before.

However, the movement technique “Streamglow” and the blade art “Thunder Blade” from the “Ninefold Thunder Blade” proved to be quite challenging. Although Luo Yuan already possessed a movement technique at the Subtlety level, even after integrating it into “Streamglow,” he had yet to reach the first level. As for the blade art “Thunder Blade,” he could only execute all eighteen moves of the first level, but had not yet grasped their true essence.

“Open personal attribute panel,” Luo Yuan commanded inwardly.

“Name: Luo Yuan
Power Level: Apprentice (Intermediate Warlord)
Strength: 27,000 kg
Speed: 192 m/s
Defense: 27,000 kg
Mental Power: 11,000 kg
Evasion Technique: Subtlety level
Cultivation Methods: Five-Hearts-Upwards Method, Introductory ‘Ninefold Primal Source’ (First Level)
Skills: Movement ‘Streamglow’ (Beginner), Blade Art ‘Thunder Blade’ (Beginner)”

As Luo Yuan looked at his attribute panel, he was slightly taken aback—there was now a new field for the degree of evasion technique, listed as Subtlety level. It seemed the panel was being updated, with more detailed information, even splitting “Ninefold Thunder Blade” into its components. This was a welcome change, as it allowed a clearer view of his current prowess.

These past few days, Luo Yuan had been collecting attribute orbs and cultivating the top-tier “Ninefold Primal Source” in conjunction with the Five-Hearts-Upwards Method. His strength had soared, bringing him close to the advanced Warlord level, and even his mental power nearly reached the intermediate Warlord class. Evidently, cosmic energy also contributed to boosting mental strength. Yet he noticed that the attribute orbs dropped by warriors on the second to ninth floors of the Extreme Pavilion were no longer enough to satisfy his needs.

After taking a quick shower and changing into his training attire, Luo Yuan decided to undergo the rank assessment at the Extreme Pavilion. He aimed to access the tenth to nineteenth floors, the domain of Warlord-class warriors—there, he hoped to find more valuable attribute orbs.

Upon arrival at the Extreme Pavilion, Luo Yuan directly requested an audience with the Pavilion Master, Wu Tong. He soon received a response and was ushered into Wu Tong’s office.

“Luo Yuan, what brings you here today?” Wu Tong poured him a cup of tea as he spoke.

“Chief Instructor, I wish to train in the halls reserved for Warlords, so I’m here to apply for access to the Warlord-level floors,” Luo Yuan replied evenly.

“Warlord level! Luo Yuan, have you really reached this stage so quickly?” Wu Tong sprang to his feet, his tone full of excitement.

Luo Yuan nodded.

Upon receiving Luo Yuan’s confirmation, Wu Tong’s eyes sparkled with delight. He promptly led Luo Yuan to the strength testing hall, where the punch force tester, speed analyzer, and neural response hall were all activated for the assessment.

Twenty minutes later, Luo Yuan and Wu Tong emerged from the testing hall. Luo Yuan remained composed, while Wu Tong was visibly unsettled. The boy’s progress was nothing short of monstrous.

“Luo Yuan, congratulations on reaching the Warlord level. I’ll report your achievement to headquarters,” Wu Tong said once he had regained his composure, suddenly feeling the weight of his own age.

“Thank you, Chief Instructor. May I now train in the Warlord area?”

“Normally, the Pavilion requires you to hunt two monsters of your level in the wilderness to update your rank, but I’ve used my authority to skip that step for you—just this once. You’ll soon be going on squad missions, won’t you? Give it your all,” Wu Tong encouraged him.

“Thank you, Chief Instructor.”

After bidding Wu Tong farewell, Luo Yuan took the elevator straight to the tenth floor of the skyscraper. At the entrance, he underwent facial recognition.

“Name: Luo Yuan
Rank: Warlord (Junior)
Access: Floors 1 to 19”

Luo Yuan smiled faintly at the information on the screen. For the assessment, he had only revealed the strength of a junior Warlord. He decided to keep his full abilities hidden—relations between warriors were not always harmonious, and it was unwise to show all one’s cards. Besides, junior Warlord status was more than sufficient for now.

Entering the tenth-floor training hall, he found no more than twenty Warlord-class warriors present; most others were out on missions in the wilderness, and making the leap from Warrior to Warlord was no simple feat.

“Hey, Luo Yuan, what brings you here?” A hearty voice rang out.

Luo Yuan glanced up to see a middle-aged man, not especially tall—just over 1.8 meters—but with a frame as solid as cast iron. Luo Yuan was momentarily confused; he didn’t recognize this person.

“Haha, you probably haven’t met me before. I’m Gao Feng, captain of the Fire Hammer squad. Chief Instructor Wu showed me your file. I couldn’t make it to your welcome banquet last time, but I didn’t expect to meet you here. Weren’t you a Warrior? How did you get up here?” Gao Feng grinned, his facial muscles bunching like slabs of rock.

“Ah, Captain, hello. I just passed the Warlord assessment and gained access, so I came up,” Luo Yuan replied honestly.

“What? Warlord? You must have just completed the combat assessment, right?” Gao Feng exclaimed, his booming voice drawing the attention of all the Warlords present, who now looked at Luo Yuan in astonishment.

Luo Yuan simply nodded as he always did.

“Tsk, tsk, Luo Yuan, a Warlord at eighteen—you’re a monster. No wonder Chief Zhuge recruited you early. Look at me, after years of grueling training and risking my life for resources, I’ve only just become a junior Warlord. Geniuses really are a world apart from us ordinary folk.” Gao Feng’s iron bulk seemed to shrink a little, his eyes tinged with melancholy.

“Hey, Gao, don’t be like that. Geniuses have their own way of life, and so do we ordinary people. There’s no point comparing,” an older warrior stepped forward, patting Gao Feng on the shoulder in consolation.

Having spent years battling in the wilderness, Gao Feng quickly regained his composure and began introducing Luo Yuan to the other Warlords present. Most were middle-aged, with sharp eyes and a deadly aura—clearly not to be trifled with.

Yet all the Warlords were friendly toward Luo Yuan. He also met another member of the Fire Hammer squad, Zhang Ke, a tall, thin, and stern-faced man who wielded an iron spear with impressive vigor.

After making their acquaintance, Luo Yuan resumed his daily routine of gathering attribute orbs. The ones dropped by Warlord-class warriors were mostly yellow—indicating a higher tier than before.

“Strength +5.”
“Strength +5.”
“Speed +5.”
“Speed +5.”
“Defense +5.”
“Defense +5.”
“Neural Reflex +5.”
“Neural Reflex +5.”
...
“‘Ninefold Primal Source’ Proficiency +1.”
“‘Streamglow’ Proficiency +1.”
“‘Thunder Blade’ Proficiency +1.”

“Hm?” Luo Yuan paused, sensing the infusion of knowledge about the “Ninefold Thunder Blade” in his mind—his proficiency with the manual had increased slightly. This delighted him; his golden finger had evolved, now even granting proficiency in martial manuals.

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