The next day, at eight in the morning.
Aside from Qin Xiaozhi and the other three members of the Battle Dragon Squad, the entire personnel of the other four guardian squads also arrived at the entrance of the East Sea Martial Arts Academy's training ground.
The Ministry of Military Affairs headquarters had requested that the other four guardian squads report by 9 AM this morning. As a result, they had all rushed to the East Sea Martial Arts Academy overnight and received their missions: to assist the East Sea branch of the Ministry of Military Affairs in monitoring and preventing extraterrestrial enemies, and simultaneously observe the genius challenge competition.
The four guardian squads, led by Gu Tianlong, Ye Kunlun, Wang Tuo, and Ye Feng, arrived at the entrance of the East Sea Martial Arts Academy's training ground, and their gazes all fell upon Qin Xiaozhi and his three teammates.
After the Ministry of Military Affairs established the guardian squads, the Battle Dragon Squad had surged ahead, leading the competition by a significant margin. In particular, Jiang Wuming and Qin Xiaozhi had shone brightly, overshadowing the members of the other four guardian squads.
“Brother, I watched the videos of your Battle Dragon Squad’s battles at Putuo Temple, the God of War Pharmaceutical Research Institute, and the East Sea Martial Arts Academy. Your marksmanship is incredible, never missing a shot!”
Yuan He, the successor of the Buddhist sect, walked directly up to Qin Xiaozhi and said enthusiastically.
*Swish! Swish!*
As Yuan He finished speaking, the expressions of two people present instantly changed.
One was Lin Xiao, the son of the Southern Region Legion Commander, and the other was the sniper from the Southern Region Legion’s Blade Guardian Squad.
When the Ministry of Military Affairs had organized and established the five guardian squads, Lin Xiao had publicly ridiculed Qin Xiaozhi, calling him merely a seven-star martial artist who had entered the Battle Dragon Guardian Squad through connections and backdoor dealings.
As a result, after that, every time the Battle Dragon Guardian Squad completed a mission, Lin Xiao’s face was slapped!
At this moment, Yuan He’s words were like a silent slap across his face!
Bad luck!
Lin Xiao cursed inwardly, his expression extremely unpleasant. He felt an intense urge to leap forward and stab Yuan He twice, just to make him shut up!
Meanwhile, the sniper from the Blade Guardian Squad looked visibly excited.
He had been an ace sniper in the military, successfully completing numerous missions. However, without Qin Xiaozhi’s absolute sense of aim, the specialized sniper rifle in his hands was less than a tenth as effective as Qin Xiaozhi’s.
In his heart, Qin Xiaozhi was like a god, someone to be worshipped, and he felt an urge to seek his guidance on the spot.
Ye Feng, noticing the excited look on his subordinate’s face, knew what was going on and secretly shook his head, signaling him not to seek guidance from Qin Xiaozhi publicly – the occasion was not suitable!
“My martial arts skills are weak, so I can only compensate with a specialized sniper rifle,” Qin Xiaozhi replied humbly and politely.
He hadn’t noticed the change in Lin Xiao and the sniper from the Blade Guardian Squad’s expressions, but he knew that Yuan He was on good terms with Jiang Wuming.
“Brother, you are truly humble,” Yuan He praised with a smile, then asked, “By the way, when will Brother Wuming arrive?”
*Swish, swish, swish…*
As Yuan He’s question left his lips, everyone present turned their gaze towards Qin Xiaozhi.
“I don’t know, Captain didn’t say,” Qin Xiaozhi shook his head.
Yuan He was stunned for a moment. Just as he was about to say something else, he saw Qi Wufu, accompanied by Zhou Hetu, Qin Yuanzheng, and others, approaching. He swallowed the words that were about to be spoken and returned to his own team.
Suddenly, all eyes were on Qi Wufu and his entourage.
“Qin Xiaozhi, step forward!”
Soon, under everyone’s watchful gaze, Qi Wufu’s group approached. Qin Yuanzheng’s eyes fell on Qin Xiaozhi, his expression filled with an undeniable excitement.
“Yes, Chief!”
Qin Xiaozhi received the order and stepped out from the ranks.
Qin Yuanzheng took a deep breath, trying to calm his emotions as much as possible. He then took out a red-header official document from his pocket, opened it in public, and read:
“After deliberation by the Ministry of Military Affairs and approval by the Dragon Country Elder Council, Comrade Jiang Wuming is appointed as the Deputy Commander of the Eastern Region Legion and concurrently serves as the Captain of the Battle Dragon Squad; Comrade Qin Xiaozhi is appointed as the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Eastern Region Legion of the Ministry of Military Affairs, and concurrently serves as the Deputy Captain of the Battle Dragon Squad. Comrade Qin Xiaozhi, this is your appointment document, please accept it!”
“Yes, Chief! Thank you for the organization’s trust!”
Qin Xiaozhi loudly accepted the order and expressed his gratitude, his face showing no trace of excitement.
This was because he knew that this appointment had gone through twists and turns, and it was his good brother who had fought tooth and nail to secure it!
“Comrade Qin Xiaozhi, according to regulations, appointments of Deputy Commander level and above require a general assembly. Representatives from the Ministry of Military Affairs and the Organization Department will attend the meeting. However, due to the current special circumstances, everything will be simplified. You must continue to work hard and not let down the organization’s expectations!”
Just then, Qi Wufu also spoke, looking at Qin Xiaozhi with anticipation.
“Please rest assured, Chief, I will work even harder and absolutely will not let down the organization’s expectations!”
Qin Xiaozhi publicly pledged, then stepped forward to receive the appointment document.
Seeing this scene, the members of the other four guardian squads all wore expressions of envy, to varying degrees. Qin Xiaozhi’s position and rank were now higher than all of them, and he was the youngest Deputy Commander in the entire Ministry of Military Affairs, with an immeasurable future!
In addition to envy, Gu Tianlong’s face also showed deep jealousy, but soon, a subtle cold smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
In his opinion, everything Qin Xiaozhi had achieved was because of Jiang Wuming. If Jiang Wuming met with misfortune, Qin Xiaozhi would not fare any better; their fates were intertwined, rising and falling together!
“The appointment document has been issued. Jiang Wuming should be here by now, shouldn’t he?”
At the same time, a thought flashed through the minds of many people present.
…
Longhu Mountain.
Jiang Wuming had also received the appointment document, albeit an electronic version.
He, who had been in seclusion, was awakened by Li Lianyi. He received a call from Li Rui, a staff officer from the Ministry of Military Affairs headquarters, who sent him the appointment document from the Ministry of Military Affairs in an electronic format.
Just like Qin Xiaozhi, Jiang Wuming showed no emotional fluctuation after receiving the appointment document.
“Grandfather Tianlong came by last night and asked you to find him on the highest peak of Longhu Mountain after you woke up,” Li Lianyi said after Jiang Wuming finished his call.
After Long Shengzhe left, Jiang Wuming had entered the mysterious space to cultivate in seclusion and had instructed Li Lianyi not to wake him up the day before the challenge date unless it was an extremely important matter.
When Tianlong Daoist had arrived last night, Li Lianyi had truthfully informed him, and Tianlong Daoist had not woken Jiang Wuming.
“Okay.”
Jiang Wuming nodded and then went alone to the highest peak of Longhu Mountain.
As was the case most of the time, Tianlong Daoist sat cross-legged on a large rock at the peak of Longhu Mountain, facing the cliff, his body shrouded and surrounded by white mist, appearing like an immortal descending to the mortal realm, mysterious and unfathomable.
“Wuming, you’re out of seclusion?”
When Jiang Wuming arrived at the peak of Longhu Mountain, Tianlong Daoist’s voice rang out as he turned to look at Jiang Wuming.
“Master, I received a call this morning and came out of seclusion temporarily,” Jiang Wuming saluted and replied.
“Your second senior brother just told me that Long Shengzhe did everything he promised you, so you will definitely face the extraterrestrial martial arts genius,” Tianlong Daoist said with certainty.
He was the person who understood Jiang Wuming best in this world, and no one could grasp Jiang Wuming’s psychology better than he could.
“Yes, Master.”
Jiang Wuming nodded and then added:
“Originally, even without Long Shengzhe’s prior actions, I would have accepted the challenge immediately. Because I can sense that the extraterrestrial martial arts genius is coming for me. Or rather, my act of leaving a message on the enemy’s back during the battle at the East Sea Martial Arts Academy has provoked them. They want to wash away their shame, so they have set the challenge location at the East Sea Martial Arts Academy’s training ground!”
“Have you considered that you might be defeated and die?” Tianlong Daoist’s gaze instantly became sharp as he spoke.
“I have, but I am fearless.” Jiang Wuming said with firm conviction.
“In a battle of the same realm, even if you encounter the most powerful martial arts genius from beyond the heavens, you can remain undefeated. However, in your current state, your martial arts cultivation is at the eleventh stage of Two-star War God, and the extraterrestrial martial arts genius will certainly be much higher than you!” Tianlong Daoist paused here.
“I know.” Jiang Wuming nodded again. Through the past few battles, he could roughly assess the strength of the extraterrestrial martial arts geniuses. Even if suppressed and weakened by world rules, they would certainly not be below the tenth stage of Three-star War God!
“Wuming, in this battle, if you cannot break through to Three-star War God, you will surely die!” Tianlong Daoist warned, his tone more solemn than ever!