The atmosphere in the conference hall was heavy.
The general’s name was Ye Shi. He wasn’t that old, less than fifty years old. His eyes were bright like torches, and his body emitted the aura of a ferocious beast.
Ye Shi did not come from a martial arts family, but he cultivated martial arts. Strictly speaking, all the soldiers in Xia Country were qualified to cultivate martial arts and were all martial artists.
Although the country was wary of the power of martial artists, it also needed it.
Many times, things were just so contradictory.
As the saying goes, if you can’t beat them, join them.
The existence of genetic modification made martial arts even more indispensable for the higher-ups in Xia Country.
Although the entire world was resisting genetic modification technology, it would bring about a significant increase in national strength when used in the military.
Xia Country explicitly forbade the use of genetic modification on humans, so the soldiers had to cultivate martial arts to increase their own strength to fight against the genetically modified people of other countries.
Ye Shi said solemnly, “Everyone should know that we expect those monsters to awaken in three years.
“You all know how terrifying the monsters are.
“The chances of defeating them are slim.
“Because of this, our military discussed with the President for many days. In the end, we decided to use the power of martial artists, especially those martial arts families in the Hundred Thousand Mountains.”
With this, everyone fell into deep thought.
There was a moment of silence.
Someone asked, “General Ye, is this the President’s decision?”
Ye Shi nodded solemnly. “Yes, the President was the first to suggest this.”
Everyone was shocked. They didn’t expect the President to be the one to suggest this.
Then, someone asked again, “Does that mean we have to cooperate with those martial arts families?”
“That’s all we can do in the current situation,” Ye Shi said helplessly.
Whether they would cooperate or not was still unknown.
After all, after entering the new era, the government had been suppressing those martial arts families and even wiped out a few of them.
If they were to propose cooperating with them now, asking to use their strength, there was a good chance that they would not agree.
However, in order to defeat the monsters, they were needed no matter what.
“By the way, you should have heard about what happened to the Leslie Clan some time ago!” Ye Shi suddenly said.
Everyone faltered. They did not understand why Ye Shi suddenly brought this up.
Is it related to Xia Country?
Ye Shi glanced around and did not continue to keep them in suspense. He began directly, “Today, our military intercepted an intelligence report. The Leslie family’s demise was not from an organization, an empire’s military, nor an alien force. It was because of one person.”
One person?
Everyone became even more confused.
After that, Ye Shi tapped on the table, and the large conference table immediately lit up with a technological glow.
A few seconds later, a holographic image appeared on the conference table.
In the image, a figure flying rapidly in the air. Below him was a boundless desert.
“This person…” Everyone was wide-eyed.
“That’s right, this person is most likely a Land Immortal,” said Ye Shi.
After he finished speaking, the image froze. Then, the figure was enlarged, and his facial features became clearer.
“This person’s name is Qin Chuan. He is from Xia Country.
“According to investigations, the one who appeared in the Hundred Thousand Mountains today and destroyed the Leslie Clan are the same person. This is his information.”
A large amount of information regarding Qin Chuan appeared on the screen, including all his experience since he was in the orphanage until now. It was very detailed.
A long time later.
Some people raised their doubts.
“I’ve studied martial arts history, and we’ve never had a Land Immortal in his twenties.”
Ye Shi nodded. “That’s right. This is also why I’m not 100% sure if he’s a Land Immortal.”
“But, judging from the Leslie Clan’s incident, he is terrifyingly powerful. If he can cooperate with us, our chances of winning against the monsters will be much higher.”
Everyone agreed.
Our current circumstances require the power of martial arts.
Ye Shi continued, “Our military will attempt to contact this expert called Qin Chuan. Due to the extraordinary nature of his identity, I hope that everyone will keep it a secret. Make sure not to alert the enemy.”
“Understood!”
At this moment, the head of the National Security Bureau said, “Does anyone have any questions or opinions regarding the contents of this meeting?”
Everyone thought for a moment and said, “There’s no problem for now.”
“Alright, then I’ll leave Chief Lu and General Ye in charge of our cooperation between the martial arts families and the Land Immortal.
“The meeting ends here.”
…
Storm Island.
On an island located in the sea of the southern continent.
The weather here was cold, and there were strong winds all year round. The conditions were extremely harsh.
Even so, there were many boats docked on the island shore.
This was because the martial arts conference’s elimination competition would be held here.
It was the beginning of November, and there was only a month left until the end. However, the rate of people coming had not slowed.
On this day, as usual, a few ships arrived. Many people stepped off, and most of them were here to participate in the competition.
These people came from all over the world and were dressed in all kinds of garments.
Among them, ten people’s clothing was exceptionally eye-catching in the crowd.
These ten people had masks on their faces and wore long white robes. There was a red character on the back of their robes: “immortal.”
Their disposition was otherworldly. With every move they made, they were as gentle as a breeze. They emitted an ethereal aura as if they had walked out of a painting.
These ten people were from Qin Chuan’s cultivation class.
Two months ago, Qin Chuan had returned to the sect after the Li family’s guest elder appointment ceremony.
He gathered the members of the Combat specialization to share his thoughts.
When everyone heard this, they expressed their support.
Initially, Qin Chuan had intended for everyone to participate. However, he had heard that the number of participants was limited to ten.
He could only select ten people to compete.
These ten people could be said to be the elites of the Combat specialization. Among them, Wang Zhixing, Wang Jiajun, and Ma Dong were included.
Qin Chuan named the group of ten as the Immortal Sect, with Wang Zhixing as the leader.
Wang Zhixing and company followed the crowd. After more than an hour of walking, they finally arrived at the venue of the competition.
The venue for the competition was located on top of a peak on Storm Island. It was a huge cylindrical building that took up about 50 hectares of land. There were spectators’ stands inside that could accommodate hundreds of thousands of people.
Presently, there was a long line in front of the entrance.
Wang Zhixing and the others waited for more than two hours before it was their turn.
“Hello, we’re here to participate in the competition.”
Wang Zhixing used a fluent all-purpose language to communicate with the staff.
The staff seriously surveyed Wang Zhixing and company, then said, “Please remove your masks first.”
“Alright!”
Wang Zhixing smiled in response.
Then, the ten of them took off their masks.
The staff examined them seriously again. Then, he took out an instrument that resembled a thermometer gun and shone it on their wrists.
This instrument was used to measure bone age.
This was because the participants of the martial arts conference had to be below the age of thirty.
Forging identities was common, so it was tested using advanced technology.
Most of the people in the sect were over 70 years old. Although their bodies had become younger, their bone age would not change.
Hence, before they came, Qin Chuan had used a spell to adjust their bone age to ensure that they would pass safely.
As the green light lit up, Wang Zhixing and the others successfully passed through.
Then, they began to get registered.
