After being sent back to the dormitory building by Huang Yuhua and Liu Xiaoxiao, Han Lang had no choice but to begin his uninteresting meditation.
Fortunately, a day was not long. After refining the spiritual energy of two Spirit Gathering Pills, time naturally arrived at the next day.
The first thing Han Lang did upon opening his eyes was to check the growth status of the new spiritual herbs he had planted yesterday.
"The first and second layers have not changed; they remain three and five years as before. Only the time flow of the third layer has changed, from the original one to eight to the current one to nine. It seems this small piece of the three-layered pagoda fragment does not greatly improve the overall pagoda!" 138 Reading Network
Han Lang was not surprised by this result but felt a little regretful.
After all, if the three-layered pagoda's effect had significantly increased, it would have been of great help to his future cultivation!
Just as he was sighing, Ma Long and the other two, who had entered deep cultivation, also finished their practice and came to his side.
"Hey, you're all out? How was it? Did you gain anything these past two days?"
Ma Long chuckled heartily.
"How could we not? The Heavenly Derivation Art is truly miraculous. With its assistance, I have now fully mastered the first level of the Overlord's Might Fist. With my current strength, I should be able to contend with cultivators in the middle stage of Foundation Establishment without any problem!"
Tang Qin also looked pleased.
"More than that! In my opinion, I might even have a chance against those in the late stage of Foundation Establishment!"
Hearing everyone's newfound confidence, Han Lang was genuinely happy for them.
"That's great! If you can take on cultivators in the middle and even late stages of Foundation Establishment, then reaching the top sixteen in the New Recruit Arena Competition should be no problem, right? Tang Geng, what about you? What level do you think you've reached now?"
Tang Geng felt a bit embarrassed when asked, as such rapid progress in his cultivation journey was truly astonishing to him.
"I think, if I were to face Zhao Wu now, I would have a 50% chance of winning!"
Everyone had a basic understanding of Zhao Wu's strength, which was almost two full stages higher than Tang Geng's.
If Tang Geng had successfully broken through to the late stage of the Martial Practitioner realm, his chances of defeating Zhao Wu would have greatly increased.
However, with the New Recruit Arena Competition about to begin, Tang Geng had not yet successfully broken through, so he naturally did not have such high confidence.
"It's okay! Being able to have this much confidence is already a great improvement. I believe that in the days to come, you will soon surpass Zhao Wu and reach higher levels!"
Hearing Han Lang's comfort, Tang Geng nodded heavily.
He now had a mid-grade spiritual artifact, a Heavenly-tier martial art, and the coveted Spirit Gathering Pills that everyone desired. Surpassing Zhao Wu was almost a certainty for him!
"Alright! Let's tidy ourselves up a bit and get ready to gather! The New Recruit Arena Competition is destined to be the stage where we brothers shine in the Special Special Forces!"
Listening to Tang Geng's bold declaration, Han Lang and Ma Long's blood instantly boiled. Only Tang Qin pouted playfully, replying with displeasure.
"Hey, can you guys show me a little respect? I'm a girl after all! You keep calling me brother, brother, don't I have any dignity?"
The three were stunned.
But Han Lang seemed unfazed by this.
"Hey, what's the big deal? Your dad even calls you a tomboy, so calling us brothers is perfectly fitting, isn't it? Unless you want to discuss seniority and have me call you Uncle?"
Tang Qin was even more infuriated by Han Lang's words and immediately raised her small fists, hitting Han Lang hard.
"You stinking Han Lang, do you believe I'll punch you to death!"
Han Lang dodged with a laugh, continuing to tease Tang Qin.
"Look, look! What kind of girl is as violent as you! If I didn't have the cultivation of the middle stage of Foundation Establishment, I'm afraid one of your punches would have sent me straight to the ICU!"
This caused Tang Qin to chase him and pound him again.
Ma Long and Tang Geng, watching from the side, burst into hearty laughter without any reservations.
Despite the playful banter, important matters could not be delayed.
After about ten minutes, the four of them finished their daily wash and quietly gathered at the dormitory building.
Platoon Leader Huang Yuhua and Deputy Platoon Leader Liu Xiaoxiao said nothing during this assembly, instead directly leading the team to the training ground of the Special Special Forces.
As the various new recruit platoons entered, the entire training ground quickly became crowded.
Han Lang roughly estimated that the number of participants in the New Recruit Arena Competition was indeed close to Tang Geng's earlier estimate, around 6,000 people.
The entire training ground was laid out with nearly 200 arenas in a well-arranged manner.
Just as Han Lang was pondering the rules of the New Recruit Arena Competition, Su Kunyu, the commander of the veteran camp, delivered a speech from a high platform in front.
"First, congratulations to everyone for passing the three-month closed-door training period for new recruits. As you all know, the Special Special Forces highly value your strength, so those who remain are at least cultivators in the early stage of Foundation Establishment. This means that, in the entire cultivation world, you are all considered outstanding individuals!"
"However, this is still far from enough. In the army, we also emphasize coordinated combat. Therefore, after the end of the closed-door training period, we are also ushering in the New Recruit Arena Challenge."
"This competition is not only to allow everyone to better judge the gap between themselves and their comrades but also to select leaders who possess both virtue and ability!"
"In other words, among you, there will be nearly 200 new recruit squad leaders. In your future military careers, each of your squads will become a sharp arrow for the Special Special Forces in maintaining national security!"
"Therefore, good leadership and tacit cooperation will greatly enhance your survival ability when fighting enemies!"
"Our ultimate goal is simple: to cultivate talents who can stabilize the country. At the same time, we cherish every life and sincerely hope that every comrade, in future combat missions, will go out whole and return safely!"
"Now, I announce that the 89th New Recruit Arena Competition officially begins! I wish every participating comrade the best of luck in achieving their desired results!"
Amidst the thunderous applause from the new recruits, the adjutant beside Commander Su Kunyu began to explain the rules of the New Recruit Arena Competition.
"New Recruit Arena Competition, competition second, friendship first! Each battle will stop when it's enough. Malicious injury is not allowed, personal grudges are not allowed to be carried into the competition, and we must also showcase high standards and skill! Next, I will announce the combat rules for the New Recruit Arena Competition to everyone!"
Upon hearing this, everyone immediately pricked up their ears and listened intently!