touchnovel Chapter 78 Disparity!
Chapter 78 Disparity!
It was approved almost instantly!
Immediately afterwards, Lin Yuan pulled the three people into a newly created WeChat group.
The group name remains the same familiar one: [Ordinary People's Mutual Aid Association]!
The moment the group was created, it exploded with messages.
[Wang Pangzi: "Holy crap, is that Brother Yuan?!"]
[Chen Ping: "We survived! Brothers, we really came back alive! My current location is in the North China Base City. I just tested it, and I actually brought back the true energy I had in my body. I feel like I could kill a bull with one punch!"]
[Zhao Ye: "Hahahaha, I just crawled out of the cellar and got teleported. Brother Yuan, we can't see each other's faces in the secret realm. Which base city are you in now? Where's Fatty?"]
[Wang Pangzi: "I'm in the First Base City! This place is really strict. I was taken for a blood test as soon as I came out. I only managed to sneak my phone back to you guys while I was in the bathroom."]
Looking at the words on the screen, so full of everyday life, Lin Yuan's smile grew even wider.
Lin Yuan: "I'm in Jiangnan Base City, in the same school as Liu Hao. He's probably being stared at like a giant panda right now."
[Lin Yuan: "Brothers, thank you all for taking care of me in the group chat over the past six months. Now that we're all alive, how about we get together sometime?"]
This statement immediately garnered enthusiastic responses in the group.
[Wang Pangzi: "Let's get together! We absolutely have to get together! I keep my word, as I promised in the group chat, as long as we go back, it's on me! Jiangnan Base City is in the middle of us, so it's a perfect meeting point. Once the official checks and tests are over in the next couple of days, I'll buy a ticket for the hover train and head straight to Jiangnan to find you guys!"]
[Zhao Ye: "Agreed! I'll book the tickets right away. See you in Jiangnan!"]
Chen Ping: "That's great! I've been wanting to see for myself how Brother Liu Hao's four arms grew, hahaha!"
Lin Yuan smiled and typed "Good".
Turning off his phone screen, Lin Yuan turned his gaze back to the noisy playground.
The returning students, under the guidance of their teachers, are preparing to go to the "psychic energy testing chamber" set up by the military to test their true cultivation level brought back from the secret realm.
but.
As he looked, Lin Yuan's eyes gradually narrowed.
A chill crept into his heart.
Something's not right.
Lin Yuan straightened his back. Although his divine sense, which was at the late stage of the Dao Integration Realm, was sealed, his keen intuition, that of a great demon, was frantically warning him.
He looked around.
On the parade ground, besides the heavily armed mech guards, there were also ordinary soldiers responsible for maintaining order.
Where is the head instructor of the First Military High School?
Where is the military commander of the Jiangnan base city?
Those high-ranking military officials who, in previous years, would stand at the very center of the reviewing stand and deliver a passionate speech during the Explorers' return.
Not a single one showed up today!
This is very unusual.
The so-called "highest-level state banquet" mentioned in the official publicity was nowhere to be seen on this parade ground; not even a single high-ranking military official could be seen!
"Could it be...?"
Lin Yuan slowly turned his head and cast his gaze toward the Far East.
East China Sea coastline!
Although they were thousands of kilometers apart, in Lin Yuan's perception, which was suppressed to the limit by the [Shangqing Ninefold Seal], it was all within his reach.
A strong, unyielding resentment.
It even carried a hint of overwhelming bloodlust, as if it were familiar with cause and effect.
It was like an invisible doomsday cloud hanging over the eastern defense line of China!
"Did the turbulent currents from the splitting of the River of Time actually bring things from the world of Investiture of the Gods to the present world of Earth?"
"No wonder none of the high-ranking military officials are here. It seems that the eastern defense line is already in complete chaos."
"The ultimate suppression of a ninth-tier Grandmaster..."
"If we were to encounter a causal monster that transcends dimensions, this level of power might not be enough."
He silently weighed the limits of his ability to break the seal.
Just as Lin Yuan was secretly making plans.
"Brother Yuan!"
A deliberately lowered voice sounded from behind.
Lin Yuan turned his head.
Liu Hao, seemingly out of nowhere, had wrapped himself up tightly in a large black trench coat, even putting on a hood and sunglasses, and crept up to Lin Yuan like a thief.
The two heads were squeezed together because of the limited space in the trench coat hood, making them look both comical and eerie.
"Brother Yuan... I, I finally managed to squeeze it out."
"There are too many people around here, I dare not reveal your true identity."
Liu Hao swallowed hard, his eyes, hidden behind the mask, fixed on the seemingly ordinary young man before him.
Only he knows.
Beneath this seemingly mortal body lies a terrifying and domineering demon immortal who dares to crush even the Golden Immortal disciples of the Chan Sect!
"Brother Yuan... what are you doing now...?"
Liu Hao cautiously probed.
"The laws of heaven and earth on this blue planet are so fragile. With your arrival as a true god, how much of your strength did you retain?"
Liu Hao had serious doubts. If a foolish ninth-level Grandmaster were to provoke Lin Yuan now, would he be able to withstand even half a move from him?
Seeing Liu Hao's cautious demeanor, as if afraid that even the slightest sound of breathing would disturb him.
Lin Yuan chuckled to himself.
Instead of putting on airs of superiority, he casually patted one of Liu Hao's bald spots on the forehead, just like he had done in the mysterious Jade Spring Mountain in the Sealed Mystic Realm.
"Alright, stop playing mysterious and get up."
"The laws of this mortal world may be fragile, but they are not made of clay."
"Right now, your brother Yuan is just an ordinary... ninth-tier grandmaster."
Ordinary.
Ninth-tier Grandmaster.
The combination of these two words, when they reached Liu Hao's ears, caused both of his heads to twitch simultaneously.
In this era of Blue Star, where a sixth-tier Grandmaster can hold sway over a region and a seventh-tier Grandmaster can become the foundation of a nation.
An eighteen-year-old youth who is regarded by everyone as an F-level cannon fodder.
He casually described himself as an "ordinary" ninth-level grandmaster?
If those geniuses queuing up at the testing chambers, gloating over their breakthroughs to the third or fourth tier, heard this, they'd probably be so ashamed they'd want to smash their heads against a block of tofu!
......
at the same time.
The atmosphere on the playground is heating up at a visible speed.
Following orders from high-ranking military officials, the media reporters who were frantically crowding around with their long guns and microphones were forcibly separated from the perimeter by fully armed mech guards.
The clamor was blocked by a steel air wall.
Right in the center of the playground.
A massive instrument, the "Psionic Testing Chamber," made entirely of deep-sea cold iron and covered with densely engraved ancient spirit-gathering array patterns, was emitting a low hum.
"Buzz—Buzz—Buzz—"
The test chamber began to warm up.
The originally sparse spiritual energy of the blue planet seemed to be drawn by something, transforming into a visible white vortex that surged into the spirit stone groove at the bottom of the cabin.
The nine indicator lights on the top of the instrument lit up in sequence.
From a gentle flicker, it gradually transforms into a dazzling, intense light!
"hiss--"
The heads of prominent families, military clerks, and school leaders on the viewing platform all gasped and unconsciously straightened up.
The grand show is about to begin!
This psionic testing chamber can not only accurately measure the explorer's blood and qi strength, but also directly observe the martial arts foundation deep within their soul.
Whether it's a mule or a horse, once you step inside, you'll see at a glance how much fortune you've gained in this mythical realm!
"quiet!"
The garrison commander of Jiangnan Base City strode onto the high platform, his voice like rolling thunder, silencing the murmurs of the entire audience.
"The testing will be conducted in the order of the comprehensive evaluation rankings of the senior students from each school before entering the secret realm!"
"Next, please welcome Lin Yuan, ranked first in theory at the First Military High School, to step forward for the test!"
Dead silence.
A brief silence fell over the vast playground.
One second, two seconds, three seconds passed.
There was no movement in the crowd.
The boy who was hailed as the strongest student at the top military high school a year ago, but who drew an [F-rank/common crow] at the start, did not appear.
"Heh, what's the use of being number one in theory? If you draw an F-rank flat-feathered beast, you'll probably get eaten by a wild cat on some tree right from the start."
"Exactly, this is an SSS+ level sealed secret realm. Can a crow live for a year? It probably won't get anything good."
A few undisguised jeers rang out from the crowd.
Just as the situation was about to become awkward.
Ms. Wang, the homeroom teacher of Class 7, Grade 12, hurriedly squeezed out of the crowd with her gray hair.
"Sir, sir, please calm down!"
Teacher Wang blushed and explained loudly.
"Lin Yuan just experienced a dimensional traversal, and his mind is still unstable. He's resting in the support tent right now. To avoid wasting everyone's time, how about... we let the other surviving students be tested first?"
In the old teacher's eyes, it was already a great miracle that Lin Yuan was able to return alive under the identity of a crow.
If we were to put him on stage now and give him a zero score, showing absolutely no talent, his self-esteem would instantly crumble under the scornful stares of the audience and the ridicule of the media!
Teacher Wang is procrastinating.
He was using his old face to carefully protect his most prized student.
The military clerk frowned, but didn't delve into it, and quickly wrote something down.
"Granted. Next up, Zhao Qiang!"
The words fell.
A burly young man with a resolute face strode out from the survivors' ranks.
It was Zhao Qiang who drew the [D-rank/Chaoge Imperial Guard Soldier] at the start of the game.
Zhao Qiang's expression was cold and stern, and he was no longer the naive young man he was a year ago. His experience in the Chaoge military camp had imbued him with an indelible aura of iron-blooded ruthlessness.
He walked to the test chamber and, without any hesitation, placed his hand directly on the test monument.
"boom!"
A loud bang.
At the bottom of the test chamber, a blinding blue beam of light suddenly shot up from the ground!
The beam of light, like a raging dragon with its scales reversed, climbed wildly along the scale.
Martial artist... Martial master... Grandmaster!
Without the slightest pause, the beam of light broke through the barrier of the Grandmaster and slammed into the scale range representing the Great Grandmaster!
Finally, the light settled steadily on a chilling scale.
[Third-Tier Grandmaster!]
"Whoosh—"
The entire playground instantly erupted in a frenzy, as if a bomb had been dropped on it!
"My God, a third-tier Grandmaster?!"
"Before Zhao Qiang went in, he was just a greenhorn who hadn't even gathered his true qi. In just one year, he skipped the ranks of Martial Master and Grandmaster, directly breaking through to Grandmaster?!"
"This is insane! This SSS+ level secret realm is practically a god-making machine!"
On the viewing platform.
Several patriarchs of martial arts families, who had previously maintained an air of composure, now had red eyes and no longer cared about appearances, squeezing themselves off their seats.
"Nephew Zhao Qiang, I am the head of the Li family in Jiangnan. This is my business card. If you are willing to join my Li family, you will be offered the position of Chief Elder, with an annual salary of 100 million yuan, plus three manors in the core area of the base city!"
"Get out of my way, you old dog Li! You dare to challenge me? Brother Zhao Qiang, come to my Wang Group! Resources are yours to choose from!"
This is an eighteen-year-old third-tier Grandmaster!
Even old monsters who have cultivated diligently in the main world for decades would give way upon seeing him. With such a physical foundation, a little nurturing would make him a sure thing for future titles and ranks!
Faced with such a frenzied recruitment, Zhao Qiang simply smiled coldly and ignored it.
He knew this was just the beginning.
Followed by.
Another surviving student was called on.
This student only drew the lowest-ranking E-level identity at the start, making it a near-death experience in the secret realm, barely surviving the entire way.
He cautiously placed his hand into the test chamber.
"Buzz—"
The beam of light lit up.
[First-tier Grandmaster!]
"thump."
The student's parents knelt down on the ground outside the viewing platform, embracing each other and wailing.
"Our ancestors have shown us their power... my son has become a dragon!"
The audience erupted in thunderous applause once again.
The military's top brass nodded in agreement, their eyes filled with fervor.
Don't think that first-tier and second-tier grandmasters are unimpressive.
Keep in mind, they were just a group of eighteen-year-old students!
The reason why those S-level masters who came out of the low-level dungeons back then were able to emerge as sixth or seventh-level grandmasters was because they were already renowned grandmasters before they went in!
These students, however, had a very weak foundation!
In that terrifying world filled with gods and Buddhas, one could casually breathe in a few breaths of spiritual energy and eat the leftovers of demonic beasts, thus elevating one's physical body to the level of a Grandmaster.
Such good fortune is already defying the heavens and changing one's fate!
With these benchmarks in place, the anticipation of the entire audience was pushed to an unparalleled climax.
All eyes turned to the front of the survivors' formation.
The young man, wearing a coat, with an arrogant expression and his arms crossed over his chest.
The legend of the First Military High School, the absolute prodigy who started as a [B-rank/Yin Shang general] – Chu Tianhe!
"Here comes the grand finale!"
"Even D-level and E-level commoners can be tested to detect the terrifying strength of second- or third-tier Grandmasters. Young Master Chu, on the other hand, commands three thousand soldiers and has even come into contact with the inner circle of the Shang Dynasty royal family."
"Is that even a question? Based on the military's S-level advance team conversion ratio, Young Master Chu starts as a B-level lieutenant general, enjoying an immense amount of good fortune. He'll be at least a sixth-tier grandmaster, and perhaps... even reach the threshold of a seventh-tier grandmaster!"
"My God, an eighteen-year-old seventh-tier Grandmaster? That's enough to directly crown him the Guardian God of War of Blue Star!"
Under the watchful eyes of the masses, as if on a pilgrimage.
Chu Tianhe's lips curled into an arrogant smile as he strode toward the test chamber, escorted by a group of mecha guards.
In the VIP seats at the very center of the viewing platform.
Chu Qingtian, the head of the Chu family, suddenly stood up, trembling with excitement, tears welling up in his eyes.
Chu Tianhe's grandfather, the old patriarch of the Chu family who leaned on a sandalwood cane, was also beaming, stroking his beard and laughing heartily as he accepted the almost fawning congratulations from the heads of the various powerful families around him.
Even the principal of the First Military High School had his hands tightly clutching the gold-embossed "Special Award Commendation Material," ready to announce it across the entire internet as soon as the data was released.
"Chu Tianhe".
Chu Tianhe walked to the front of the test chamber without even glancing at the scale.
With an arrogant expression, he suddenly stretched out his right hand and slammed it heavily onto the test monument!
"boom--"
A burst of light erupted from the bottom of the test chamber.
The beam of light began to rise!
Tens of thousands of people in the audience held their breath at that moment, their heartbeats seemingly stopping.
Warrior...
Martial arts master!
The beam of light rushed into the martial artist's measurement range.
Everyone was waiting for that beam of light to break through the barriers of Grandmaster and Great Grandmaster, like a raging dragon emerging from the sea, and soar into the sky.
however.
A second passed.
Two seconds passed.
The beam of light, which was originally quite bright, stopped shining when it reached a certain mark in the Martial Master range.
It's like a deflated balloon, or a broken-down car whose engine suddenly stalls.
It flickered twice with a "whoosh".
stopped.
It stopped there, firmly.
On the holographic screen in mid-air, four cold, ruthless, and even somewhat comical blood-red characters appeared prominently.
[Ninth-tier Martial Master!]
……
P.S.: Please continue reading! The climax starts tomorrow! I know the buildup has been a bit long, but the upcoming big climax won't disappoint!