"Twenty years ago?! Wasn’t it... eighteen years ago?" Kong Kun’s face fell.

"Are you an idiot? How could someone from eighteen years ago be resurrected now? It has to be twenty years ago. It’s not like the Strongest only died in the final great war eighteen years ago. Plenty died before that, you know?" Fang Tangtang gave Kong Kun a look you’d give an idiot.

"Oh, so that’s how it is!" Kong Kun exclaimed in sudden realization.

Gao Neng, however, felt a violent tremor in his heart.

The resurrection of the Strongest!

The term wasn’t entirely foreign to him.

But back in the Forgotten Land, he had never truly encountered this kind of information. He only knew that after the Great Cataclysm, humanity had fought the aliens for nearly a hundred years, a period marked by several great wars.

The battle that led to the evacuation of the Forgotten Land was one of them.

Before that great war, the Forgotten Land had been humanity’s main capital. The City of Hope was merely their secondary city.

But after that war, the aliens breached the Forgotten Land. The once-thriving capital became a desolate wasteland, and the Human Alliance suffered the most crushing defeat in its history. In the end, they were forced to muster all their strength and relocate the entire race to the City of Hope.

As for how humanity ultimately won...

Gao Neng’s knowledge of the details was shallow. He only knew the basics: humanity had paid a terrible price in that war, but the aliens had lost most of their Strongest.

Ever since that battle, humanity and the aliens had been locked in a stalemate.

’The resurrection of the Strongest?!’

’Does this mean another great war is coming?’

’No, that’s not right!’

’The war between humans and aliens has never stopped in the last century.’

’The only difference has been its ferocity.’

"Tangtang, I want to try today’s battle by myself. You guys can provide backup from behind!" Gao Neng glanced at the time. It was almost four o’clock. Time to head out.

"By yourself?" Fang Tangtang asked, surprised.

It wasn’t just Fang Tangtang; Kong Kun and Feng Qingqing also stared at Gao Neng in astonishment.

"Yeah. Our last few fights have been too easy. I want to test my limits and see where I really stand. Besides, I’m about to break through to Tier Two!" Gao Neng nodded.

"Breaking through to Tier Two? Fine, we’ll back you up. But if you die, that’s on you. Also, when you win, the reward is still split fifty-fifty. Don’t even think about hogging it all for yourself!" Fang Tangtang didn’t try to stop him.

"Of course."

"Gao Neng, are you sure you can handle it alone? How about we go together?" Kong Kun asked, hesitating.

"If I can’t beat them, it won’t be too late for you to jump in," Gao Neng replied with a smile.

"Oh, I see. Alright then... As long as you can guarantee a win." Kong Kun said no more, but deep down, he felt a pang of bitterness.

When the semester started...

He was a Tier Two Mid Stage.

Gao Neng was a Tier One Early Stage.

Now, he was still a Tier Two Mid Stage.

But Gao Neng was already about to break through to Tier Two. ’Isn’t this progress way too fast? Even for someone who’s broken the Fourth Human Limit, this cultivation speed is just absurd.’

"Gao Neng, once you’ve beaten them down, leave one alive for me. I’ve been working on a new move and want to test it out," Feng Qingqing said, tapping one of her high heels.

"..." Gao Neng was speechless.

’She actually switched to high heels?’

’Truly... hell hath no fury like a woman scorned!’

...

At 4:30 in the afternoon.

The challenge match between the Invincible Team and the Flying Swan Team, ranked twelfth on the D-Rank list, officially began.

The viewing hall was packed, as usual.

Moreover, this time, all the students, both new and old, who had come to spectate saw not only the daily regular, Gui Zian, but also the long-absent Song Tianyun and Wang Qixing, as well as an unfamiliar man in a military uniform.

"A Human Alliance Major General?!"

"He’s so young for a Major General! He can’t be more than forty, right?"

"He’s so handsome!"

The students buzzed with discussion.

Song Tianyun glanced at Shen Fei, as if seeking his opinion.

"A new era is about to begin. There’s no harm in them knowing a little ahead of time." Shen Fei nodded, indicating that Song Tianyun could decide for himself.

Hearing this, Song Tianyun smiled and cleared his throat. "Allow me to introduce everyone. This is Division Commander Shen Fei, of the Fourth Division, Third Army of the Human Alliance!"

"Hello, students," Shen Fei said, standing to greet them.

"It’s Division Commander Shen Fei, commander of the Fourth Division! I know him... He’s Shen Ning’Er’s fourth uncle, Greedy Wolf Shen Fei!" someone exclaimed.

"Greedy Wolf Shen Fei?! Oh my god, the Greedy Wolf Shen Fei who’s ranked tenth on the Tier Eight leaderboard?"

"My idol... He’s my idol!"

The students cried out in amazement.

Song Tianyun gestured for quiet, then continued, "Division Commander Shen is here primarily to observe the overall strength of our military academy. Please try to keep the noise to a minimum during the match."

"Yes, sir!"

"Understood!"

"..."

These were military academy students, after all.

When it came to following orders, there was no hesitation. The viewing hall quickly fell silent.

Just then, an image appeared on the massive screen.

The Desert Battlefield!

The Invincible Team, as usual, had chosen Hunt Mode.

The students were no longer surprised. This had become their standard operating procedure: win every match, go for the kill in every match, and wipe out the entire enemy team, leaving no one alive.

Three of the four members of the Flying Swan Team were women.

Captain: Ling Feiyan, a Tier Two Late Stage. Vice-Captain: Hua Youque, the team’s only male member, a Tier Three Mid Stage.

They were the only team on the D-Rank list whose vice-captain was stronger than their captain.

As for the reason why...

It requires no explanation!

Upon entering the battlefield, Ling Feiyan immediately took her two female teammates and burrowed under the sand.

Hua Youque, however, stood his ground, positioning himself in front of the other three. His gaze was grim as he scanned his surroundings, a thin alloy sword held in a reverse grip.

Gao Neng watched from a short distance away, feeling utterly speechless.

Hua Youque was one of the few people on the D-Rank list to have reached the Tier Three Middle Stage. Logically, a vice-captain or even a regular member with his power could have made it onto the C-Rank list.

Of course, that wasn’t why he was speechless.

What left him speechless was the strategy of immediately revealing their strongest fighter and putting him right at the front. It could be described in two words: utterly idiotic.

Gao Neng didn’t bother with pleasantries. He leaped out from his hiding spot in the sand and beckoned to the not-so-distant Hua Youque with his finger.

At the same time, a pair of silvery-white gauntlets materialized over his hands and forearms.

’A silver-type Talent?! We didn’t see Gao Neng use this in his previous fights! So he really came prepared for the Flying Swan Team?’ Ling Feiyan thought, still hidden in the sand. A small sense of pride welled up inside her. ’We might lose, but at least he’s taking us seriously, right?’

And then...

A tremendous shout echoed across the field.

"Let’s not waste any time! Today, I, Gao Neng, will take on all four of you!"

"???" Ling Feiyan was momentarily baffled.

She wasn’t the only one.

Hua Youque didn’t quite get it either.

What did he mean, take on all four of them?

"I said, one-on-four. Tell your Captain Feiyan to get out here," Gao Neng said with a wave of his hand, pulling out a large, alloy machete.

"You’ve got to be kidding me," Hua Youque said, stunned.

’One-on-four?’

’Do you have to be so damn arrogant?!’

’You’re just a fucking Tier One!’

’Shouldn’t you at least show a little of the caution expected from a Tier One?’

"Enough chitchat. Tangtang, you guys play some Fight the Landlord over here. I’m going in!" Gao Neng tossed the words over his shoulder and charged at Hua Youque, machete in hand.

Meanwhile, Fang Tangtang, Feng Qingqing, and Kong Kun lazily got to their feet, took out a deck of playing cards, and slowly began a game of Fight the Landlord.

"..."

The Flying Swan Team was dumbfounded.

Their opponents were really this arrogant?

How were they...

...supposed to save face after this?

They were the twelfth-ranked team on the D-Rank list, for crying out loud! Even if they were mentally prepared for a loss, they had never imagined being humiliated like this.

"Gao Neng, you’ve gone too far!" Hua Youque roared, raising his sword to meet the charge. Simultaneously, a suit of full-body battle armor materialized around him.

A Tier One Late Stage versus a Tier Three Mid Stage.

Gao Neng might have been talking a big game, but he wasn’t about to get careless.

His Spiritual Power instantly fused with his aura.

"Half-Step Kill!"

As Gao Neng took a half-step forward, the aura around his body surged to its peak. The two silver gauntlets on his arms began to vent jets of scorching-hot gas.

The heat generated steam power.

Combined with the fighting technique of the Half-Step Kill itself...

...and Gao Neng’s own Life Form Transformation: Copper...

...this slash represented the absolute limit of the power he could currently unleash.

"BOOM!"

Machete and sword crashed together.

The piercing force of the impact created a terrifying pressure wave.

Hua Youque never expected Gao Neng could unleash such a terrifying strike in such a short amount of time. The moment the machete struck his sword, he was forced directly to his knees.

A Tier Three Mid Stage, forced to both knees by a single slash from a Tier One Late Stage.

One could only imagine the turmoil in Hua Youque’s heart.

"What kind of fighting skill is that? I’ve never seen it before!" Hua Youque roared. His specialty was actually agility, but the pride of a Tier Three warrior prevented him from getting into a drawn-out entanglement with Gao Neng right from the start. This was why he had suffered a disadvantage on the very first exchange.

"Half-Step Kill. Every half-step forward is a killing blow!" Gao Neng didn’t hold back. As he kicked Hua Youque in the chest, he took another half-step forward.

And slashed again!

"BAM!"

Hua Youque was sent tumbling to the ground by the slash.

A gash ran from his shoulder to his chest, so deep that bone was visible.

...

Back in the viewing hall.

"This Half-Step Kill that Vice Director Gui taught him is truly exquisite. There’s no wasted motion. It probably qualifies as a Mid-Tier Fighting Skill, rather than a low-tier one, wouldn’t you say?" The speaker was Shen Fei.

Gui Zian said nothing.

But his expression was as black as thunder.

’Half-Step Kill my ass.’

’I taught him Seven-Step Kill, didn’t I?’

’How did it turn into Half-Step Kill?’

’And more importantly, how is it even more powerful than my Seven-Step Kill?!’

’What the hell?’

’Could it be that Shen Ning’Er taught this to Gao Neng? Or maybe, during those three days, besides teaching him Energy Manifestation, she also helped him optimize his fighting skills?’

’This won’t do. I have to bring out my ace in the hole soon. Otherwise, I’ll never be able to show this old face of mine again!’ Gui Zian gritted his teeth. ’This kid is making it impossible for me to live in peace.’

’Are the new waves really going to wash the old ones away on the beach?’

Just as he was lost in thought, another voice full of admiration reached his ears.

"Yes, for Vice Director Gui to be able to research variations in fighting skills while also serving as Vice Director of the War Academy... that kind of spirit is truly something we at the Manufacturing Academy should learn from," Wang Qixing added, nodding with great earnestness.

"Old Gui, the power of this new fighting skill, Half-Step Kill, is much greater than your old Seven-Step Kill. You should popularize it when you have the time. Gao Neng is talented and a quick learner, but you can’t just play favorites with him!" The final speaker was Song Tianyun.

"Heh heh," was all Gui Zian could say.

’Popularize it?’

’I don’t even know it myself! How am I supposed to popularize it?’

’Am I, his instructor, supposed to run up to my student and say, "My dearest student Gao Neng, would you be so kind as to teach me your Half-Step Kill?"’