Jiangnan Pavilion housed the Elite Training Camp students from Jiangnan Base City. The structure was made up of three independent buildings.
Since both Wei Wen and Luo Feng came from Jiangnan Base City, it was natural that they moved into Jiangnan Pavilion. Two other students had already returned to the pavilion after completing their August survival training.
One was Shi Jiang, the other Zhao Ruo.
Shi Jiang had been at the training camp for 53 months. His strength wasn't ordinary. Back when Luo Feng had just arrived, even Yang Hui—their instructor—wasn't confident he could beat Shi Jiang in a head-on fight.
Zhao Ruo, on the other hand, had joined in 2055. Her talent and strength weren't on par with Shi Jiang's, and at present, she hadn't even broken into the top hundred in the rankings.
Right now, inside Shi Jiang's lounge at Jiangnan Pavilion, all four were present: Wei Wen, Luo Feng, Shi Jiang, and Zhao Ruo.
"Didn't expect a pleasant surprise like this right after returning. Two more talents from Jiangnan Base City have arrived this month!" Shi Jiang, dressed in a fitted black combat suit, had a lean, powerful build and a cheerful expression.
"Our base city may not be the strongest, but turns out it's brimming with talent." Zhao Ruo smiled. She had short, sharp hair and a mischievous glint in her eyes.
Under normal circumstances, out of the five major Base Cities in China, only one person from each would be selected for the Elite Training Camp every five years.
"You two were specially recruited, right? That means you passed the B-rank assessment?" Zhao Ruo asked curiously.
"Just lucky, really," both Wei Wen and Luo Feng answered modestly.
"You don't get into the Elite Camp on B-rank clearance by luck," Shi Jiang chuckled. "Looks like I might be asking you for help soon."
"In this place, remember one thing: rankings and points," Shi Jiang added seriously. "Your points decide your rank. Your rank decides how many cultivation resources you get. And the more resources you have, the faster your progress. It's a self-reinforcing cycle."
He wasn't wrong.
Take, for instance, the ancient gravity chamber—technology unearthed from a lost civilization and sold to Luo Feng by Hong himself. It cost 90 Dragon Blood units for access. But there was only one such chamber in the whole Elite Camp.
How was it distributed?
Simple: the higher your rank, the more time you got to use it.
The more resources you controlled, the faster you advanced. The fewer you had, the slower your growth. In a place like this, points meant everything.
Just then, a voice called from outside.
"Wei Wen, Luo Feng, I didn't see you at your rooms earlier. Are you at Shi Jiang's?"
It was Yang Hui.
"We're here!" both replied at once.
A moment later, Yang Hui stepped into the pavilion.
"Teacher Yang, what's the rush?" Shi Jiang asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No need to hide it," Yang Hui smiled. "The higher-ups were impressed with how Wei Wen and Luo Feng performed. Inspector Wang wants to see them. There are… rewards involved."
Shi Jiang and Zhao Ruo were visibly shocked.
They already thought highly of Wei Wen and Luo Feng for clearing the B-rank test and joining through special recruitment. But this? Getting the attention of upper management and being handed resources immediately upon arrival? That wasn't normal.
They'd underestimated them.
Wei Wen's eyes flickered. He had a decent idea of who Inspector Wang was and what this meeting might mean—most likely the start of something big.
Soon after, Yang Hui escorted Wei Wen and Luo Feng to meet Inspector Wang.
"Sit," the inspector said calmly, eyeing the two.
His demeanor was even warmer than they had expected.
Without fuss, Wei Wen and Luo Feng sat cross-legged on the cushions, facing Inspector Wang.
Moments later, a staff member entered and placed a contract in front of them.
"This is the official recruitment contract from the Limit Dojo," Inspector Wang explained. "It outlines your rights and obligations. Review it. If you find no issues, sign."
Wei Wen skimmed through it. The terms were simple. The obligations? Light. The benefits? Generous.
Among the benefits were annual activity funds, a healthy stipend in Earth currency—which he didn't care much about—and then the real treasures: a vial of Dragon Blood, the Tier 1 Black God Battle Set, and high-grade SS-tier equipment capable of withstanding combat with Emperor-level monsters.
Dragon Blood: a rare bio-enhancement substance. Applied externally, it drastically elevated a warrior's physical strength.
With his current level—just shy of peak Warlord—Wei Wen estimated that after using Dragon Blood, he'd break into early God of War-level strength.
His psychic power was already significant. The boost from Dragon Blood could push his psychic mastery into high-tier God of War class.
Even better, if Luo Feng also used Dragon Blood, the resulting resonance from their shared cultivation method might feed back into Wei Wen's own progress—possibly propelling him straight into Planetary-level psychic strength with a second dose.
As for the Black God Set, it was a high-density nano-fiber combat suit, reinforced with rare alloys, and among the best force armor available to Warlords.
SS-grade weapons and armor weren't any less valuable than Dragon Blood. Together, they represented a massive fortune in resources—now laid out for the taking.
Wei Wen had expected rewards, but even he hadn't predicted this level of generosity.
Luo Feng's contract, on the other hand, was conditional. Just like in the original history, he had to hit performance targets to unlock his own rewards.
"You've got strong perception and innate skill," Inspector Wang told them. "It'd be a waste to spend too much time on physical development. Dragon Blood will take care of that."
"But it only works once—repeating the dose is meaningless."
Then he turned to Luo Feng. "Your performance has been outstanding too. The terms we're offering from the Limit Dojo? I doubt anyone else in the world could match them."
"So," he paused. "Have you decided?"
No hesitation.
Both Wei Wen and Luo Feng signed the contracts immediately. Resources this valuable didn't fall into your lap every day. You don't say no.
"Wei Wen, your Dragon Blood, Black God Set, and SS-tier gear are already waiting for you," Inspector Wang nodded. "As for Luo Feng, once you hit the benchmarks, your rewards will follow."
"I expect you'll complete the third form of the Ninefold Thunder Blade Technique within the next month," he added. "That'll be enough to unlock your first reward: Dragon Blood."
Back at the Jiangnan Pavilion, Wei Wen stepped into the gravity chamber in the basement. He carried with him a compact silver briefcase packed with his new resources.
He sealed the alloy door behind him.
Placing the case on the floor, he completed a fingerprint scan and popped it open.
Inside, nestled in protective foam, was a test tube of golden liquid.
Dragon Blood.
Wei Wen knew exactly what to do. He wasn't a novice.
You didn't drink it. You applied it topically.
"Let's see how far this takes me."
He pulled out the stopper, poured the liquid into his hand, and began smearing it across his arms, shoulders, and chest.
His body began to react almost immediately.