Lin Qiye was led by Instructor Hong to an extremely spartan four-person dorm room.
It had bare concrete walls and floors, iron-framed beds, and an unpainted ceiling. The space wasn't particularly large either. Its only redeeming quality was being on the ground floor, with solid earth directly beneath it.
When it came to interior decoration and floor space, such things were entirely negligible to a Block Man.
As long as he lived on the ground floor, he had infinite space to work with.
While Lin Qiye rearranged the room's furnishings, Ian enthusiastically dug his way underground to tinker with a secret base.
After Lin Qiye finished his tasks, the other new recruits gradually began to arrive.
Suddenly, he heard a comical voice. "Make way, make way!"
A rotund figure squeezed inside, nearly knocking over the doorframe.
It was none other than Baili Tuming.
The moment Baili Pangpang entered and saw Lin Qiye, his eyes lit up. Completely ignoring his sweat-drenched state, he immediately started pulling items out of his spatial equipment.
"Oh man, I finally found my roommates!"
His face flushed with excitement as his hands rummaged wildly inside his coat.
"Come, come, come! Local specialties from my hometown, a share for everyone present!"
Dozens of luxury watches from various brands appeared out of thin air.
Rolex, Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin...
The sheer number of limited editions nearly blinded Lin Qiye.
"Don't be shy, take one each!"
Without taking no for an answer, Baili Pangpang moved to shove the watches onto Lin Qiye and Ian's wrists.
"Wait a minute, wasn't Brother Ian just digging a hole? When did he come up?" Lin Qiye paused in surprise upon seeing Ian suddenly appear.
Hearing the commotion, the other two recruits in the room tried to come over and see what the fuss was about.
As a result, the moment they reached the doorway, they were each stuffed with a luxury watch, leaving them standing there dumbfounded.
Any random watch from the pile before them was worth several years of their living expenses.
"W-we can't accept something this valuable..."
"What do you mean valuable? We're all friends here!"
"Besides, I have plenty more of these where that came from."
Baili Pangpang waved his hand magnanimously, turning around to slap a watch onto Lin Qiye.
Lin Qiye shrank back, easily dodging the attempt.
"No thanks, one is enough."
"Don't be polite, bro! This is a limited edition..."
Seeing Baili Pangpang's extravagant display, the corners of Ian's mouth curled up slightly.
"A meeting gift, huh?"
Ian reached behind his back, as if rummaging through the void.
Several perfectly round, glittering golden objects appeared in his hands.
Each one was several sizes larger than a basketball, entirely golden, and radiating a pure luster.
"One Gold Nugget for each of you."
He casually tossed the Gold Nuggets to the other recruits.
*Thud!* The Gold Nuggets smashed onto the floor with a heavy crash, causing the ground to tremble.
The two recruits stared wide-eyed at the Gold Nuggets on the floor—no, they were more like golden boulders.
What the hell were these made of? They sparkled and looked a lot like gold, but how could they be so heavy?
They tried to pick them up, only to find that it took both hands just to barely lift one.
Each piece had to weigh at least two hundred kilograms!
And judging by the purity... the texture...
Was this pure gold?
The two recruits' jaws practically dropped to the floor. Was... was this really for them?
*Godfather, are you by any chance in need of sons? The two of us are your long-lost boys!*
Baili Pangpang's eyes lit up when he saw Ian's handiwork.
"Oh my! You're a connoisseur too, brother!"
He paid no mind to Lin Qiye's coldness, becoming even more proactive instead.
"Since everyone is showing such sincerity, I can't be stingy either!"
Baili Pangpang began frantically pulling things out of his spatial equipment.
A pile of bizarre yet incredibly valuable snacks and items quickly formed on the floor.
"Come, come! Polar Snow Lotus Candy, Deep Sea Caviar, Millennium Ginseng Slices..."
"Oh right, and this good stuff!"
He pulled out a peculiarly shaped dagger.
"This is a Forbidden Artifact. Anything sliced with it tastes way better!"
Veins throbbed on Lin Qiye's forehead.
He seriously suspected that this fat guy might also have a mental illness.
What normal person would carry around so many weird things? Though, to be fair, he had brought quite a few himself.
"Student Baili, I think..."
"Just call me Pangpang!"
Baili Pangpang interrupted him enthusiastically.
"Since we're living in the same dorm, it's destiny!"
"I feel a real connection with you, so we absolutely have to be friends!"
Lin Qiye was speechless. "..."
In the afternoon, out on the training field.
The recruits gathered in twos and threes, chatting while secretly probing each other's strength.
Lin Qiye stood in a corner, quietly observing everyone.
Suddenly, he sensed someone covertly probing him.
The mental energy was incredibly strong; it likely belonged to an instructor.
Lin Qiye didn't intentionally hide anything, opening himself up and allowing the other party to inspect him.
The next second, the River Realm mental energy within his body naturally flowed out.
Ripple-like fluctuations of mental energy expanded outward with him at the center.
The training field instantly fell silent.
Everyone felt that powerful aura.
Gasps echoed around the field.
"What level of mental energy is that?"
"River Realm?!"
All the recruits, and even a few instructors, drew in sharp breaths.
A River Realm powerhouse!
And looking at his age, he couldn't be over twenty! Plus, he was a Dual God-Vassal!
This had already surpassed the realm of a "genius." He was simply a monster.
In the distance, Chief Instructor Yuan Gang nodded to himself.
As expected of a Dual God-Vassal. His strength certainly matched the title.
However, when he attempted to probe the depths of the other Dual God-Vassal, Ian, he received zero feedback.
It was like probing an ordinary rock.
Yuan Gang frowned.
But a moment later, he naturally assumed that some powerful god-given artifact or a special Divine Realm ability was shielding him from detection.
This person's strength should be similar to Lin Qiye's, perhaps only slightly inferior at worst.
After all, they were both Dual God-Vassals of a similar age; the gap in their strength couldn't be too large.
Yuan Gang didn't let his guesses wander in any more outrageous directions.
Early the next morning, the recruits gathered together.
Yuan Gang stepped to the front of the crowd, his expression stern.
He swept his highly oppressive gaze over every single recruit.
His eyes were like sharp blades, making people afraid to meet his gaze.
"Recruits!"
His voice was loud and powerful, carrying the unique authority of a soldier.
"As far as I'm concerned, every single one of you is trash!"
The moment those words were spoken, the training field instantly erupted.
Most of the arrogant and proud recruits were immediately indignant.
"On what grounds are you calling us trash?"
"I was selected out of thousands of people!"
"Yeah, you're looking down on us way too much!"
The scene descended into chaos for a moment, with various voices of dissatisfaction rising and falling.
Yuan Gang sneered, letting them clamor.
Only when the noise gradually died down did he continue speaking.
"Not convinced? Good."
"Then I'll give you a chance to prove yourselves."
He paused, his voice dropping lower.
"The core content of this training camp is a live combat exercise against the Great Xia Night Watchman elite, the Masked Squad!"
The recruits looked at each other in dismay.
The Masked Squad?
They were the elite of the elite among the Night Watchmen. Their members were at least at the River Realm. How were they supposed to fight them with their Lamp Realm strength?
"Your mission is very simple," Yuan Gang continued.
"Remove the mask from the face of any Masked Squad member."
"Those who succeed can end their training early."
"Oh, and don't worry about the realm difference."
As soon as he finished speaking, a strange humming sound echoed from the sky.
A massive, deep blue barrier descended from above.
The curtain of light rippled like water, ultimately enveloping the entire training camp.
The air inside the barrier became thick and viscous.
"For the sake of 'fairness'..."
Yuan Gang's smile turned dangerous.
"Inside this barrier, everyone's strength—including the Masked Squad's—will be suppressed to the peak of the Lamp Realm!"
Lin Qiye instantly felt his River Realm power being forcibly suppressed by an invisible rule.
However, he also had the feeling that he could restore it at any time using milk.
The roar of engines echoed from the distant sky.
A large black transport plane broke through the clouds, looking exceptionally striking against the backdrop of the setting sun.
The plane flew lower and lower, eventually circling above the training field.
The cabin door slowly opened.
Several figures wearing red masks appeared at the doorway.
Without any hesitation, they leaped directly from the high altitude.
They wore no parachutes, their bodies plummeting at high speeds like meteorites.
The recruits tilted their heads up, their heartbeats accelerating as they watched the rapidly falling figures.
"Is this the Masked Squad?"
"Are they crazy? Jumping from that high up!"
"Wait... they don't have parachutes!"