Chapter 160: Chapter 151 Confidential
On the palace road, Molten Hammer and the others jogged alongside Zhou Leng, whispering as they went.
"How about it? Our Ancestral Protection is awesome, right? Tsk tsk, your muscles are getting more and more like a dwarf’s..."
"I asked General Julu, and when the Giant Trial appears, we also have a chance to participate..."
"When we get some vacation days, let’s visit your human world, and you can show us around..."
As they exited the imperial palace, a black "Whistling Arrow" demonized fighter was parked outside.
The aircraft had a beautifully narrow triangular shape, and unlike ordinary fighter jets, it was longer and could carry multiple people.
Zhou Leng’s eyes lit up; he had only seen it on TV videos before.
Due to the suppression of technological power, high-end demonized equipment was rare and expensive.
The demonized fighter combined human technology, dwarf technology, and the threefold power of the Demon Spirit World, possessing great capabilities.
Materials were scarce, its cost was high, and it took a long time to build.
Altogether in the world, there were fewer than five hundred units.
"Let’s go back to the Huishui Continent base first."
Zhou Leng waved goodbye to Molten Hammer.
Molten Hammer and the others stood on the ground, watching the Whistling Arrow fighter take off vertically.
The loud roar echoed nearby, and the demonized fighter grew smaller and smaller until it disappeared from view.
Inside the Whistling Arrow fighter, the space was small, and everyone crammed together.
It was Zhou Leng’s first time on a plane, looking out the window at the blue sky, white clouds, and the earth like a carpet.
He reflected on the scenes of recent days, feeling a sense of gratitude.
Soon, the fighter descended, penetrated the Two Realms Barrier, entered Shuizhou Demon City, then climbed and flew rapidly.
Previously, it took eight days to travel from the Human Race’s Huishui base to the Furnace of Flame.
When the fighter landed, Zhou Leng checked the time.
Just over half an hour had passed.
Connecting to the network, information popped up in Martial Faith, but Zhou Leng ignored it for the moment.
Everyone disembarked, seeing a hundred soldiers of the Martial Arts Brigade holding demonized crossbows, escorting them into a standalone building.
The courtyard walls surrounding the building were lined with barbed wire, sentries stood on the roof, and searchlights were placed at four corners.
CCTV cameras densely covered every corner.
The walls of the room were lined with clear demon patterns.
Zhou Leng recalled online discussions, where countries have rooms with high confidentiality to prevent eavesdropping, and it seemed this was one of those places.
Zhou Leng, Zhang Xinglie, and the entire team of Lou Fei Qiong were led into separate rooms.
After a simple body search, a soldier handed over a shielding bag and placed Zhou Leng’s Magic Spirit Bag inside, letting Zhou Leng take it.
Zhou Leng walked into the room.
Inside were only two steel chairs and a steel table.
Aside from that, it was square-shaped with nothing else, no surveillance, and no one-way glass.
Zhou Leng sat for a while before the door opened.
An elderly man in his sixties entered, and the guards closed the door from outside.
Zhou Leng stood up and looked over.
The old man had streaks of white in his black hair.
His body was very robust, cheeks slightly lean, face aged, but his gaze was bright and sharp.
"Junior Zhou Leng, greetings to General Chen."
Chen Changyi, commander of the Seventh Division, nodded with a kindly smile, scrutinized Zhou Leng, and said, "A young hero emerges, please sit."
Once Chen Changyi sat on the opposite side of the table, Zhou Leng took a seat.
"Roughly tell me what’s going on," Chen Changyi said.
Zhou Leng replied, "In the Ancient King’s Treasure, I gained knowledge of Divine Texts. Some of it is from Beastman notes, and another part seems to be the Divine Text heritage of ancient ruins... The most important is the pronunciation, full form, and meaning of twenty complete Divine Texts. Although I don’t fully understand it, I have recorded it. Not just the pronunciation of the Divine Texts, but also their full three-dimensional forms..."
After Zhou Leng finished speaking, Chen Changyi was speechless for a long time.
Although Chen Changyi had not deeply studied Divine Texts, as a Grandmaster Martial Artist, he had been intermittently studying them and paying attention to major news in the Divine Text Domain.
"Divine Text pronunciation... full-form three-dimensional diagram..."
Chen Changyi muttered to himself, then looked up at Zhou Leng and said, "According to this, is the foundation of Divine Text studies, which had no clue for years, about to be laid?"
Zhou Leng replied, "If previous Divine Text studies were at 0.1, with the pronunciation and full form of Divine Texts, it’s at 0.99. To reach that 1, we’re only 0.01 away. But, the journey of that 0.01 could be longer than the previous 0.99."
"I understand roughly. How do you want to proceed? We respect your personal decision," Chen Changyi said.
Zhou Leng was silent for a while, recalling the words of Julu.
Before advancing to Grandmaster, protect yourself well.
Zhou Leng said, "I wish to anonymously contribute twenty Divine Text pronunciations and full-form diagrams. If they have to be made public, then do so after I advance to Grandmaster. If I can’t reach Grandmaster, then let the country decide."
Chen Changyi opened his mouth, then slowly closed it again.
He thought of Zhou Leng’s uncle Ma Xingkong and more people.
Chen Changyi nodded, "Fine. Your life is incredibly precious. This is the best choice for you at the moment."
Zhou Leng said, "Then next, we’ll make a video. The video will demonstrate, and I’ll provide the pronunciation, then hand over the video to the Divine Text Bureau."
"Then... how will you receive the rewards from the country and the Divine Text Bureau?"
"Anonymously send them to my Martial Arts City account, that should work, right?" Zhou Leng asked.
"Absolutely. If it’s a special item, relevant personnel will deliver it to you."
Chen Changyi pondered again and asked, "Do you prefer rewards from the Divine Text Domain, cash rewards, or rewards in Martial Arts Resources?"
"Martial Arts Resources."
"Hmm." Chen Changyi nodded gently, seemingly deep in thought.
"Here is also a confidentiality agreement and a Demon Spirit Contract..."
Zhou Leng glanced over briefly and signed the confidentiality agreement and the Demon Spirit Contract.
Chen Changyi stood up and extended his right hand.
Zhou Leng hurriedly extended both hands to shake.
Unexpectedly, Chen Changyi also extended his left hand, lightly clasping both hands, gazing into Zhou Leng’s eyes, and said slowly, "Some may forget the contributions you’ve made for humanity and the people, but there will always be those who remember."
Zhou Leng felt a warm rush in his chest.
"Thank you, General Chen."
"I will have someone assist you in making the Divine Text video. Do you have any other requests?"
The elder and the younger locked eyes.
"No, that’s all," Zhou Leng replied.
"Good." Chen Changyi patted Zhou Leng’s shoulder and turned to leave the room.
Soon, a familiar lieutenant walked in.
"Lieutenant Luo."
"Lieutenant Zhou, please follow me to make the video." Luo Guanqiang smiled. At that time when Zhou Leng was bedridden, it was he who came to inquire and record.
Zhou Leng followed Luo Guanqiang and, together with the technical staff of the Demon City Army, made a Divine Text video.
Including 120 face characters and pronunciations, and 20 complete Divine Texts and pronunciations.
Afterward, Zhou Leng wrote a study reflection and sent the Divine Text content and notes of the Beastmen tribe to the Demon City Army.
After the video was made, a Demon Spirit Master checked the medium-sized Magic Spirit Bag, which had no markings, as was typical for the Beastmen.
Zhou Leng left the room and walked to the lobby on the first floor.
Zhang Xinglie and Lou Fei Qiong and others were present.
Zhang Xinglie saw Zhou Leng walking steadily out and smiled.
Lou Fei Qiong, however, took the initiative to come over and extend his right hand.
Zhou Leng hesitated for a moment, extending his right hand.
Lou Fei Qiong smiled and clasped it, saying, "Thank you for your help. I’m sorry we couldn’t cooperate this time. I hope we’ll have a chance to join forces in the future to slay demons."
"Good," Zhou Leng replied politely.
Lou Fei Qiong and Zhao Le turned and left.
Zhang Xinglie walked over, looking at their backs, and said, "Do you know what Zhao Le said to me?"
"What?"
"He said when they were at the Ancient King’s Treasure, their team saw you meditating and practicing in a place, your whole body turned red, surrounded by mist, with a sulfurous scent."
"Someone wanted to harm you, but Lou Fei Qiong and Zhao Le stopped him. Because Zhao Le said, the knowledge you gained in the Divine Text classroom would be of great help to the entire human Martial Arts."
"Later, some Beastmen passed by, and they helped drive them away. They only left when you were about to wake up."
Zhou Leng immediately recalled that when he took the Dragon Marrow Blood Bone, his entire body indeed turned red, shrouded in mist.
At that time, when he opened the Demonized Watch, the networks of Lou Fei Qiong and Zhao Le were indeed nearby.
And after that, he encountered no enemies until he finally met up with Lou Fei Qiong and their battle with the Beastmen, and he went to assist.
Zhou Leng nodded, his gaze subtly changing as he looked at Lou Fei Qiong’s receding figure.
As they walked outside, Zhang Xinglie asked, "Are you preparing for the Giant Trial next?"
"Yes. Preferably during the Body Refining Stage."
"Then, do I need to hold off a bit?" Zhang Xinglie asked.
"Hmm?" Zhou Leng took a closer look at Zhang Xinglie, his aura suddenly surged, silently advancing to the Late Stage of Body Refinement.
"What on earth did you grow up on?" Zhou Leng scrutinized his long-time friend.
Zhang Xinglie spread his hands and said, "The Light of the Ancient Gods, followed by Ancestral Protection, plus your Divine Fruit and other gains along the way, my body has grown extremely fast. Although I haven’t mastered the Steel Skin Divine Technique, overall, I’m stronger than the elementary Steel Skin."
"Freak." Zhou Leng shook his head, amazed at how geniuses always make unimaginable progress.
Zhang Xinglie said, "I’ll return to Xiong City and gather combat techniques for battling Giants and send them to you when the time comes."
"Good. I’ll also find an instructor for dedicated learning; I hear that dealing with Giants requires more emphasis on Leg Techniques and Joint Techniques. Only after advancing to Innate, where martial skill destructive intensity drastically increases, can these techniques be ignored."
"Right, in the upcoming period, practice Leg Techniques and Joint Techniques more. Your Leg Techniques need strengthening." Zhang Xinglie said.
Zhou Leng nodded, "My Overlapping Waves Palm is nearing its limit, focusing on enhancing Leg Techniques."
Zhang Xinglie looked around and whispered, "Remember, before advancing to Innate, you must bring at least one form of Inner Power or Martial Arts technique to above the Extreme Realm, that is, to Divine Communication."
"Alright," Zhou Leng agreed.
At this time, Chen Shouhu was standing not far away and shouted, "Zhang Xinglie, are you heading back to Xiongjing now or in a few days?"
Zhang Xinglie paused for a moment, quickly understanding, "The sooner the better."
"Old Chen is heading to Xiongjing, he’ll give you a ride." Chen Shouhu said.
"Great, thank you, General Chen!" Zhang Xinglie turned back and said, "Thanks to you, I’ll be off then."
"See you at the Giant Trial!" Zhou Leng said.
"See you at the Giant Trial!" Zhang Xinglie flashed a big smile, showing his white teeth, waved his hand, and rushed over swiftly.
"Escort him," Chen Shouhu instructed his subordinates to take Zhang Xinglie away.
"What about you, Zhou Leng?" Chen Shouhu asked.
"I’m going back to Rucheng."
"I have something to do; let’s go together."
"Alright, thank you, General Chen," Zhou Leng said.
Zhou Leng followed Chen Shouhu and got into a military vehicle with the tail number 009, heading outside the Shuizhou base.
The roar of the fighter jet echoed.
Zhou Leng glanced at the car door, tentatively pressing an electric button, lowering the window.
He leaned closer to the window and looked up at the sky, watching a black Whistling Arrow Fighter jet fly straight to the north.