Qinling, the location of the Dragon Gate Sect.
"Senior Brother is mighty!"
"These extraterrestrial enemies can't even withstand Senior Brother's single move!"
On a hillside, the young disciples of the Dragon Gate faction cheered excitedly, their gazes filled with admiration for Gu Tianlong.
This was because seven extraterrestrial enemies had descended moments ago, and Gu Tianlong had killed them all within a few seconds, each a swift, decisive blow!
This sent the Dragon Gate disciples into a frenzy, to the point where they forgot about Gu Tianlong's performance in the genius group matches of the Global Martial Arts Tournament.
For Gu Tianlong and Long Yongjie, that competition was a humiliation; in Zhuge Lingjun's words, it was an utter disgrace!
As for the Dragon Gate disciples, they were unaware of Qi Wufu's command before the match – that the Dragon Nation would compete as a genius team. They simply believed Gu Tianlong had performed poorly.
"You clean up the bodies."
As the cheers of the Dragon Gate disciples subsided, Gu Tianlong said emotionlessly, then flickered and glided towards Long Yongjie's residence.
"Master."
Gu Tianlong entered and bowed to Long Yongjie.
"Resolved?"
Long Yongjie asked.
When the curtain appeared, Long Yongjie was the first to arrive at the scene. He saw the seven extraterrestrial enemies and sensed their strength was not great, so he assigned Gu Tianlong to eliminate them.
In addition, he had someone report this news to the Military Department headquarters immediately.
"Yes."
Gu Tianlong nodded, his robe as white as snow.
During the process of killing the seven extraterrestrial enemies, he had not allowed their blood to stain his person, demonstrating perfect control over the combat.
Yet, even so, he did not appear happy at all, but rather frowned.
This was because the strongest of the seven enemies was only at the seventh stage of a one-star War God.
"Still haven't recovered from the blow of the Global Martial Arts Tournament?" Long Yongjie saw his expression and understood clearly.
"I'm sorry, Master..."
Gu Tianlong lowered his head and apologized to Long Yongjie again.
"No need to apologize. You, this Senior Disciple, were chosen by me personally. Even if the Sect Master reprimands me, I will not regret my original choice, nor do I believe I did anything wrong!"
Long Yongjie waved his hand, interrupting Gu Tianlong.
Hmm?
Upon hearing this, Gu Tianlong's pupils suddenly widened, and he looked at Long Yongjie with astonishment.
"Tianlong, I know you have a strong sense of pride, so strong that it could be described as arrogance. The matter of the Global Martial Arts Tournament has dealt you a great blow, and that is inevitable. However, one cannot live in the past; one must seize the present and master the future."
Long Yongjie admonished, "Extraterrestrial enemies have descended again, and our world will be completely changed. A new era has arrived.
No one can say for sure what the future will hold, but I hope you can turn your setbacks into motivation, seize the present, strive to improve your strength, find ways to kill extraterrestrial enemies, vindicate yourself, and bring glory to your master. Can you do it?"
"Yes, Master!"
Gu Tianlong bowed to Long Yongjie again, his face filled with determination.
Long Yongjie smiled with satisfaction and said no more.
...
Yanjing, the Ye Family Courtyard.
Ye Zheng, the helmsman of the military, had already received intelligence about the reappearance of extraterrestrial enemies.
After he hung up the phone, his expression turned grim as he sat in his chair, staring blankly at the ceiling.
"Knock knock—"
After an unknown amount of time, a knock echoed.
"Enter."
Ye Zheng took a deep breath, then resumed his usual stern expression and uttered a single word.
"Grandfather."
Ye Feng pushed the door open and, as usual, saluted Ye Zheng.
"Sit and talk."
Ye Zheng gestured to the sofa opposite his desk.
"Yes, Grandfather!"
Ye Feng obeyed, sat on the sofa, removed his military cap, and sat upright with his chest out, his posture impeccable.
"I watched the broadcast of your match in the Global Martial Arts Tournament. You performed well," Ye Zheng stated.
"Grandfather, the reasons I assisted Jiang Wuming during the competition and followed his orders are twofold. First, it was Marshal Qi Wufu's command. Second, it was for the greater good," Ye Feng explained.
"I know. You did very well," Ye Zheng affirmed again.
"Grandfather, although Jiang Wuming is truly strong, I will not concede. I will work even harder to improve my strength. One day in the future, I will defeat him openly and make him come to the Ye Family Courtyard to apologize to you and my parents!"
Ye Feng clenched his fists, speaking each word with exceptional determination.
For him, Jiang Wuming's humiliation of his parents and others at the Ye family was a thorn in his side, as well as the driving force behind his rejuvenation and hard work.
Seeing this, Ye Zheng changed the subject and asked, "Have you heard the news from the Military Department?"
"Yes, Grandfather," Ye Feng nodded.
"Go to the Military Department."
Ye Zheng was silent for a moment, then sighed.
"Wh-why?" Ye Feng was stunned.
"Xiao Feng, each of us is but a ripple in the tide of the times; we must adapt to the development of the era. As the saying goes, there are no eras defined by individuals, only individuals within eras."
Ye Zheng's expression was complex as he slowly said, "Extraterrestrial enemies have descended again, and new points of descent have appeared. This signifies that our war with extraterrestrial enemies has not ended, and the situation is likely more severe than before!
Publicly, as a soldier, you should go to the battlefield to kill enemies and contribute your strength to defending the nation.
Privately, from today onwards, the military will completely withdraw from the center stage, with the Military Department taking its place.
Your joining the Military Department is equivalent to following the trend of the times. Regardless of the war's outcome, it will be the best path for your future."
"I understand, Grandfather."
Ye Feng finally understood, nodding with a complex expression.
"Regarding your arrangements, I will discuss them with Qi Wufu. You can await notification."
Ye Zheng stated the decision and arrangements he had already made, then added:
"Furthermore, you can use Jiang Wuming as motivation for your progress, or you can be dissatisfied with him, but you must not make an enemy of him!"
Swish!
Ye Feng's expression changed, and he hesitated to speak.
"Because he is the darling of the new era."
Ye Zheng sighed softly.
Ye Feng swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.
He was powerless to refute!
...
At the same time, Jiang Wuming, whom Ye Zheng called the darling of the new era, received a phone call while en route to the Western Regions Airport in a car from the Loulan Legion.
The caller was Caroline.
The Saintess of the Nether Hall, and also the granddaughter of the Nether Hall Master!
"Hello, Miss Caroline."
Upon seeing Caroline's call, Jiang Wuming pondered for a moment before answering directly.
"Jiang Wuming, I didn't lie to you, did I?" Caroline said triumphantly.
"What do you mean?" Jiang Wuming asked.
"Extraterrestrial enemies have descended again! You don't know yet, do you?"
Caroline said with some confusion, "According to the information I've obtained, you went to the ancient city of Loulan, so you couldn't possibly not know about this!"
"Oh, I know about that," Jiang Wuming replied.
"Jiang Wuming, everything is as my grandfather predicted. Not only have extraterrestrial enemies descended again, but new points of descent have been added. This means that the full-scale invasion war of extraterrestrial enemies against Earth is imminent, and Earth cannot resist at all!"
Caroline did not beat around the bush, but directly stated the purpose of her call.
"Join the Nether Hall. My grandfather can guarantee that you will survive this war, and he can also guarantee that you will live well after the war!"
"Caroline, thank your grandfather again for his kind intentions. Also, please convey to him that my stance is very firm."
Jiang Wuming's mind flashed with images of his parents and the graves of fallen heroes. His tone was resolute, "I would rather die standing than live kneeling!"
...