After this series of twists and turns, Li Chonglou finally arrived smoothly at the secret base.
After passing through the memory wall and descending a rotating staircase, the two arrived at a camp.
Although the entire camp was built underground, it was brightly lit. Standing on the stairs, Li Chonglou could see everything clearly.
A large training ground connected several buildings, covering a considerable area, appearing to be the size of two football fields. The ground was not empty but was filled with various training equipment.
Similar to what they had seen before, the difference this time was that the equipment here was not just about weight; each item seemed to emanate an aura of spiritual energy.
Currently, in Li Chonglou's eyes, many people were training on the ground.
Ma Kaiji said, "The training here is different from outside. It not only helps realm masters stabilize their cultivation but also unlocks more potential. Do you see that dumbbell-like object? That's called spiritual iron. It's difficult for those below the third layer to lift it. If you can complete ten reps of lifting it, your strength will increase by at least 10%."
Li Chonglou asked in confusion, "Just doing lifts can increase strength?"
Ma Kaiji explained, "Of course not. However, spiritual iron is made of special materials. When you consume your internal energy and spiritual energy, it replenishes them through the spiritual medium in the air. The principle is similar to strength training for ordinary people; it's a refinement of one's spiritual and internal energy."
This was easy to understand.
Spiritual energy and internal energy were essentially the same, just referred to differently in the martial world. In terms of their fundamental nature, they shared characteristics with human muscle cells.
The more you damaged and rebuilt them, the stronger they would become, consequently unlocking more of your body's potential.
The training ground before them was likely an upgraded version for special forces.
It made sense; as the facade of Shangjing, without special methods of improvement, it would indeed be difficult to win over the populace.
Ma Kaiji continued, "However, you don't need to worry about these. Your main tasks are still learning and examinations. If you wish to train, you can, as long as it doesn't affect your progress."
As they spoke, the two descended to the ground. Ma Kaiji led Li Chonglou directly to one of the few buildings.
As they passed the training field, the trainees training there whispered and discussed them.
"Is this person the new recruit from the Administrative Department?"
"I've heard about him too. He dares to be late for such an important examination. They say he slapped the person from the Commoners' Association. Isn't that too arrogant?"
"Hmph, he's just someone riding on coattails. Do you really think the General Bureau would make such a big fuss for an unknown person?"
"This batch of new recruits also includes people from the Wu family, the Commoners' Association, and the Warring States faction. The higher-ups are calling them the strongest generation, and they've been dissatisfied with this for a long time."
"I would be too. The learning progress should accommodate everyone. Because of his lateness, everyone else is still stuck in the first stage."
All these words reached Li Chonglou's ears. Due to his latent pulse, his hearing was already much better than that of experts at the same level. Even from a distance, Li Chonglou heard them clearly.
Was this increasing the difficulty before it even began?
And the mysteriously appearing head of the Executive Department; it all seemed to silently suggest that his trip to the General Bureau would not be smooth.
Upon reaching the entrance, the two guards glanced at them and understood. They did not stop them, merely stating casually, "Hurry inside. Today is the final deadline. If you miss today, all of you will have to wait another week."
Although Li Chonglou didn't understand the meaning, after entering, he couldn't help but ask, "Brother Ma, it seems like they all know me?"
Ma Kaiji cleared his throat. "Brother Li, it's estimated that very few people in Shangjing don't know you now. You almost turned Shangjing upside down, and your information has been spread everywhere."
Alright, so it was true!
Li Chonglou shook his head. He had a premonition when he went to the Academy, and it turned out to be true. However, the good news for now was that it seemed very few people knew his true strength.
Otherwise, the head of the Executive Department wouldn't have personally come to test his abilities.
After entering, Ma Kaiji led him to a classroom similar to those in school and then turned to leave. Before leaving, he gave Li Chonglou an encouraging look. It was not difficult to see that since arriving here, Ma Kaiji was the first person he had met who was upright and kind-hearted, at least without so many hidden motives.
Inside the classroom, seventeen people were seated.
There were both men and women, all aged between seventeen and thirty, mostly young people, but their gazes towards him seemed unfriendly.
Standing at the front of the classroom was a man in his fifties with a buzz cut and dressed in blue. He had a relatively peaceful appearance, but his brows always carried an air of authority.
"You are Li Chonglou?"
His appearance had been spread everywhere, so it wasn't surprising that they knew his name, especially since he was the only one who was late for the entire class.
Thinking of this, Li Chonglou bowed slightly and said, "It is I. My apologies, I was delayed by some personal matters, causing everyone's time to be wasted."
The man on the podium's gaze softened slightly. He waved his hand and said, "Find an empty seat first. I'll catch you up on the past few days later."
Li Chonglou nodded and surveyed the classroom, finally settling his gaze on an empty seat in the back row.
However, as he walked down the aisle between the rows of seats, he noticed a young man in his early twenties with dyed yellow hair extending his leg into the aisle.
Could he be this childish?
This was a trick only children played, tripping someone by extending their leg. Li Chonglou's first thought was to give that leg a good kick.
Even if it was childish, it was still a stance from the other person. He could be low-key, but being too docile would invite bullying.
However, after a moment of thought, Li Chonglou abandoned the idea.
The man was engrossed in writing something, it was unclear if he was genuinely busy or pretending to be. Li Chonglou stopped in front of him and said softly, "Excuse me, friend, could you move your leg?"
The latter looked up with a confused expression. Upon seeing his own leg, he suddenly stood up abruptly.
"Ah, I'm so sorry. I've injured myself, and I can't bend it properly."
In Li Chonglou's stunned gaze, the man apologized profusely and retracted his leg inward. Li Chonglou's face flushed, and he quickly waved his hand, "It's alright, it's alright."
At this moment, all eyes in the classroom were on him. Fortunately, Li Chonglou was thick-skinned. He walked as if nothing had happened and took his seat.
The man on the podium coughed lightly, drawing everyone's attention back.