Chapter 141. An Eighth-Realm Martial EmperorâHuaxiaâs Commander-in-Chief Was Stunned
The minimalist office fell into a brief, deathly silence.
Hong Wu, dressed in military uniform, stared at the four members of the Divine Battle Division, his tone thick with suspicion.
âAre you certain? Jiang Yichen only just graduated from Central China Martial Arts Academy. Reaching the Fifth Realm would already make him one in ten thousand. Do you even understand what an Eighth-Realm Martial Emperor means?â
Hearing that, the four exchanged glances.
At first, they had not believed it either, but the facts were right in front of them. They had no choice but to believe.
Mei Xueâer, disguised as a bearded middle-aged man, nodded heavily. âCommander-in-Chief, weâre certain. When Jiang Yichen fought us, he could freely manipulate the surrounding space. That is the ability of an Eighth-Realm Martial Emperor who has gained control over a domain.â
!
Shock flashed through Hong Wuâs eyes, and countless thoughts surged through his mind.
Perhaps Jiang Zhentian had given Jiang Yichen some kind of treasure that allowed him to wield such power, or perhaps...
But all of those thoughts were merely excuses he had come up with because he could not accept that someone who had only graduated not long ago had already reached the level of an Eighth-Realm Martial Emperor.
Looking across all of Huaxiaâs geniuses since the Great Cataclysm, not one of them had ever been as terrifying as Jiang Yichen.
He completely overturned Hong Wuâs definition of what a genius was.
Hong Wu took a deep breath and slowly leaned back in his chair. Thinking of Jiang Zhentian, who had already become a god, he could not help marveling that this whole family was monstrous.
And Jiang Zhentian was also incredibly scheming. The fact that he had managed to make a peerless martial arts prodigy, one unrivaled in all of Huaxia, pretend to be a useless wastrel for four whole years showed that Jiang Zhentian was absolutely not someone easy to deal with.
âCommander-in-Chief, what the minister said is true. Jiang Yichen is really far too strong. He even shattered my simulated robot soul vessel with a single punch.â
Thinking Hong Wu still did not believe them, Lingling explained with shame and admiration.
Liang Shan also nodded in agreement. âAnd the ministerâs Law of Charm was useless against Jiang Yichen, so... thatâs why the mission failed.â
Mo Yan originally wanted to speak, but when he thought that he might bring disaster upon himself with one careless sentence, he shut his mouth again.
He flipped his folding fan over, revealing the side with the word âRight!â written on it.
As Mei Xueâer listened to his team members explain, a faint smile curled at the corner of her lips. âCommander-in-Chief, no matter what, our first mission ended in failure. We are willing to accept punishment.â
There was far less of his usual frivolity in her voice.
Hong Wu slowly came back to himself and shook his head slightly. âI canât blame you. It was my intelligence that was wrong.â
âBy the way, since Jiang Yichen possesses such terrifying strength, why didnât you invite him to join the Divine Battle Division?â
The moment those words were spoken, helpless expressions immediately appeared on the faces of Mei Xueâer and the others.
âCommander-in-Chief, we did invite him, but Jiang Yichen refused,â Lingling said bitterly.
Someone who had reached the Eighth Realm as soon as he graduated was a heaven-defying powerhouse. More than anyone, they wanted to understand him and hoped he would join the Divine Battle Division.
But the problem was that he simply was not willing.
Mei Xueâer also nodded. âI even said that you could give the order personally, Commander-in-Chief, but Jiang Yichen told me to have you speak to his father.â
Hearing that, Hong Wuâs face immediately darkened. That brat really did bring out his godlike father whenever anything came up.
The last time Tang Wuji wanted Sleep God to join the Divine Battle Division, it had been the same story.
But Jiang Zhentian was now the first martial artist in all of Huaxia to become a god, so Hong Wu could not exactly refuse to show him respect.
Hong Wu drew in a deep breath, a thoughtful look rising in his eyes.
Jiang Yichen possessed such overwhelming strength, and he had even trained Starfire Team into a championship team. If he joined the Divine Battle Division, he might be able to raise the entire division to a new level.
It just so happened that the Divine Ruins at Guankou needed to be explored. If Jiang Yichen joined them, the chances of success would likely be much greater.
As for whether he was willing...
Hong Wu smiled faintly. Forcing him was certainly not an option, but handling it through proper procedure was a different matter.
After the first two months of collective training during their military district internship, the recruits would be assigned to the various battle divisions or military districts according to their results in the Recruit Assessment.
Jiang Yichen would be no exception.
âAll right, I understand.â Hong Wuâs expression returned to its usual sternness. âAfter Jiang Yichen finishes his Recruit Assessment in two months, I will arrange for him to enter the Divine Battle Division.â
When Mei Xueâer and the others heard this, delight rose in their hearts.
They were all extremely curious about Jiang Yichen as well.
âYes, Commander-in-Chief.â
Hong Wu gave a slight nod, and with a small movement of his finger, a virtual screen appeared.
âIn addition, you have a new mission. This contains the basic information on the Divine Ruins at Guankou. For the next two months, you will carry out an exploration of the ruins.â
âOnce Jiang Yichen joins the Divine Battle Division two months from now, it will be much safer for you to continue the exploration together.â
Mei Xueâer and the others looked toward the information on the virtual screen, their expressions turning grave.
Exploring ruins was completely different from killing demonic beasts and dealing with a beast tide crisis.
The dangers inside ruins were many, and often impossible for people to predict.
Every ruin currently under Huaxiaâs control had been explored at the cost of countless martial artistsâ blood.
âUnderstood, Commander-in-Chief. We guarantee that we will complete the mission.â
Mei Xueâer accepted the order with forced resolve and saluted Hong Wu.
Hong Wu smiled. âThereâs no need to be nervous. Iâll come up with a foolproof plan for you.â
âOh, right. You have a new member joining you. Iâll have him come in and meet you.â
Hong Wu looked toward the guard at the side. The man nodded and stepped out of the office.
Mei Xueâer and the others looked puzzled.
A moment later, a young man with hair as messy as a birdâs nest and bloodshot eyes slowly walked into the office.
âCommander-in-Chief.â He greeted him sleepily, as though he might fall asleep the very next second. His eyelids kept drooping shut.
Hong Wu gave a slight nod and introduced him. âHis name is Meng Yan. He is a Divine Contract Holder who came out of Slaughter Dream Valley, and he is also your new teammate.â
Meng Yan quickly nodded to Mei Xueâer and the others. âJust call me Sleep God. Thatâs the name my boss gave me.â
Boss?
Tilting her head, Lingling asked, âWho is your boss?â
âYoung Master Jiang, of course. He treats me really well.â Sleep God grinned.
The four members of the Divine Battle Division froze at the same time.
Huh?
Wait, Jiang Yichen trained a Divine Contract Holder too? Why did he suddenly seem ridiculously overpowered!?
âAre you very strong?â Lingling asked.
Sleep God shook his head. âWhen Iâm awake, Iâm very weak. I wonât hurt you.â
Curiosity shone in Linglingâs eyes. âWeak when youâre awake? Then what about when youâre asleep?â
Sleep God opened his eyes slightly and let his gaze sweep across the four of them. After thinking for a moment, he said, âBeating the four of you shouldnât be much of a problem.â
Lingling: â...â
The other three: â...â
So, so arrogant!
Seeing their reactions, Hong Wu could not help laughing. âMeng Yan is telling the truth. The main issue is the gap in your cultivation arts. The cultivation art Meng Yan practices has been appraised by the research institute as âGod-tier.â It is perfectly normal that you canât defeat him.â
???
Question marks practically popped up over their heads. A God-tier cultivation art? They had never even seen one before.
Fine. Then you really do have the right to be arrogant.
Sleep God scratched his messy hair and said modestly, âItâs all because Boss taught me well. Without the cultivation art Boss gave me, I never would have reached this level.â
The four members of the Divine Battle Division felt even more dead inside.
Jiang Yichen even handed out God-tier cultivation arts?
There were only a few of those in all of Huaxia.
And basically all of them were in the hands of the five Martial Gods.
Rich. He was simply unimaginably rich.
Mei Xueâer stood there in a daze. Recalling what Jiang Yichen had said to her before, she could not help feeling somewhat ashamed of herself.
She let out a sigh, straightened her clothes, and strode up to Sleep God.
âMy name is Mei Xueâer. Iâm from the Divine Battle Division. Welcome to the team.â he extended his right hand.
Hearing that cutesy loli voice, Sleep Godâs eyes filled with confusion. He reached out and shook her hand as he said,
âMister, why are you still using a voice changer?â
Mei Xueâer: â...â