Wang Mian panted heavily, his complexion beneath the scarlet mask looking unnaturally pale.
However, his gaze remained sharp. He stared fixedly at Ian and declared in a deep voice, "The battle is over!"
"Even though... I broke the rules and my victory was dishonorable, consider this part of your lesson. The strong will always be the strong. Kid, give it your all and become even stronger!"
"Oh, right. I acknowledge your strength. Your power and combat skills have already far surpassed the level of a recruit. There is no need for you to participate in this training camp anymore."
With that, he solemnly extended his hand.
"Furthermore, Ian, on behalf of the Masked Squad, I officially invite you to join us!"
"Your strength deserves a much better stage!"
The other members of the Masked Squad also cast looks of approval and anticipation his way.
Qiangwei lowered her massive hammer, and even the usually eccentric Xuanwo turned serious.
Dead silence fell over the training field. All the recruits watched the scene unfold in absolute shock.
A mere recruit actually prompted the captain of the Masked Squad to issue such a solemn invitation?
Inside the command center, Yuan Gang watched the surveillance monitors and finally broke into a smile.
"This guy..."
Although Ian's overwhelming strength had completely derailed the assessment, Yuan Gang was genuinely happy for them.
Ian looked at Wang Mian's outstretched hand, that same breezy, nonchalant smile still hanging on his face.
"Join the Masked Squad?"
He looked at Wang Mian thoughtfully. "That does sound pretty interesting."
"However..."
Those words seemed to carry a magical weight, instantly making everyone's hearts leap into their throats.
"However, it doesn't seem like the battle is over yet!"
Before his voice even faded.
The Lamp Realm aura that Ian had just revealed suddenly began to skyrocket without any warning!
Peak Lamp Realm!
Pool Realm!
Peak Pool Realm!
River Realm!
Peak River Realm!
With every major realm he broke through, the air pressure on the training field grew heavier.
All the recruits felt a shudder originating from the very depths of their souls!
The ground began to tremble slightly, and the surrounding building walls groaned under the overwhelming strain.
The recruits' faces gradually turned pale, their legs trembling uncontrollably.
Finally, Ian's aura stabilized right at the peak of the Sea Realm—the exact same level as Wang Mian's unleashed state!
His terrifying coercion stood toe-to-toe with Wang Mian's!
The two auras clashed in the air, stirring up visible ripples of energy.
Wang Mian's pupils contracted sharply. The joy of cherishing talent and successfully recruiting him was instantly replaced by sheer shock.
"You... you're actually this strong?!"
Wang Mian's voice trembled slightly; he simply could not believe the reality unfolding before his eyes.
A recruit actually possessed the strength of a peak Sea Realm?
This completely shattered his entire worldview.
Just when everyone thought this was Ian's true strength, the corners of his mouth curled into a mischievous, triumphant smirk.
The next second.
His peak Sea Realm aura surged once more, his cultivation level shattering some invisible boundary!
A terrifying coercion far surpassing the Sea Realm suddenly descended!
This pressure caused the weather to change color and even made the surrounding space warp slightly.
The clouds in the sky began to churn violently, as if some horrifying entity was about to descend upon the mortal realm.
That was the legendary Klein Realm! No, it was even stronger. Could it be the Boundless Realm?
Wang Mian was completely dumbfounded, his mind going entirely blank.
His expression beneath the mask froze completely, leaving only a single thought echoing in his heart.
'Boundless Realm?!'
'A recruit is in the Boundless Realm?!'
'I was just fighting back and forth with a Boundless Realm monster?'
'Does this make any sense?!'
The massive hammer in Qiangwei's hands hit the ground with a loud clang, but she didn't even notice, her eyes staring blankly at Ian.
Tianping could no longer maintain his gravity field, and the invisible gravitational waves scattered and vanished.
Yuegui even stumbled and fell straight out of the shadows.
The entire squad fell into a collective silence and deep self-doubt.
'Are we... really the elite Night Watchman Masked Squad?'
'Is today really a recruit training camp? Or is it our training camp?'
'Could it be that headquarters thought we were getting too arrogant? Did they send someone to crush our confidence?' Xuanwo rubbed his chin, unable to stop himself from thinking.
Every single recruit, without exception, was left completely dumbfounded.
All their previous pride and unwillingness vanished, and their pitiful sense of competitiveness dissolved into nothingness.
The moment Ian revealed his unfathomable strength, all their defiance was wiped out!
It was replaced by endless shock and heartfelt awe.
"Is... is he really a 'peer' who signed up for the training camp with us?" a recruit stammered.
"Mommy, I want to go home..." another recruit burst into tears.
They felt utterly insignificant, like sheltered fools suddenly exposed to the vast universe; the sheer sense of smallness was despair-inducing.
Inside the command center.
The second specially-made, high-strength teacup in Yuan Gang's hand shattered.
Scalding tea spilled all over his hand, but he didn't notice it at all.
He continued to stare fixedly at the monitor, his eyes locked onto the figure radiating an aura that made even him feel suffocated.
The corners of his mouth twitched uncontrollably.
He muttered in a hoarse voice, "Boundless Realm..."
"The Night Watchman headquarters asked me to lead the recruits."
"They didn't tell me a recruit stronger than me had snuck into the batch!"
"Am I... even fit to be the Chief Instructor?"
"Should I just apply for early retirement?"
Yuan Gang felt that his military career was facing an unprecedented challenge.
His usually confident ability to train recruits seemed so pale and insignificant in the face of such an anomalous existence.
Ian maintained his breezy expression, looking at the dumbfounded Wang Mian with great interest.
He smiled and said, "Now then, Captain Wang Mian."
"Do you still think I need to join your squad?"
"Or rather..."
"Does your Masked Squad... still want to invite me?"
Wang Mian opened his mouth but couldn't make a sound. He stood frozen in place, completely at a loss for what to do.
"Oh, right, do you want to keep fighting?" Ian asked, raising an eyebrow at Wang Mian.
Then, the Archangel's Smite ring, which hadn't been seen in years, materialized on his hand.
As energy poured into it, the ring glowed faintly. Immediately after, a dense swarm of arrows materialized in midair behind Ian, nearly blotting out the entire sky.
"You were pretty good at dodging just now, weren't you? Looks like I need to get a little serious. Just a heads-up, these arrows are just like the last one—the faster they go, the higher the damage."
"And... they come with built-in tracking!"
Wang Mian broke out in a cold sweat as he stared at the sky-obscuring arrows. He roared in his mind, 'There are actually this many of such a powerful Forbidden Item?!'
'Does this make any sense?! Huh? Tell me! Does this make any sense?!'
Lin Qiye watched all of this silently from the sidelines.
His heart was completely tranquil; he even felt the urge to laugh.
Brother Ian's twisted sense of humor was acting up again. Sure enough, wherever he went, entertainment followed.
This so-called recruit training camp was destined to be completely derailed by him from the very beginning.
Lin Qiye could already foresee what would happen next. Ian definitely wouldn't stop here; his fun had only just begun.
Sure enough, Lin Qiye watched as Ian pulled out a whole handful of Watches of Flowing Time and hung them around his neck, as if the things were completely worthless.