With Han Jue having fulfilled the contract conditions, the Dragon Blood and Thousand-Year Wild Ginseng Spirit were quickly delivered to his villa.
The two wooden boxes were small. Han Jue opened the first one carefully.
Inside rested a test tube filled with golden liquid, roughly one-third of the tube's volume, gleaming like captured sunlight.
Following the detailed instructions provided with the resources, Han Jue smeared the Dragon Blood all over his body, then swallowed the Wild Ginseng Spirit whole, holding it in his mouth.
Hiss!
The pain far surpassed anything he'd experienced with the chalcedony!
Waves of searing heat flowed from every point where the Dragon Blood touched his skin, rapidly absorbing into his body and spreading to every extremity, legs, hands, back, chest, even his head. The sensation was completely different from the cool penetration of chalcedony.
The temperature continued rising exponentially. Han Jue had known intellectually that using Dragon Blood would cause excruciating pain, but theory and experience proved vastly different.
It felt as if millions of ants were biting him simultaneously from the inside out. Han Jue's face turned deathly pale, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white, and sweat poured from every pore, quickly soaking the floor beneath him and forming an expanding puddle.
Under the Dragon Blood's relentless energy, the genetic material within his cells underwent rapid transformation, stripping away useless genes and unlocking his body's hidden potential at a frightening pace. Discarded cellular material and accumulated impurities were expelled through his skin, forming a disgusting layer of dark scum across his body.
Han Jue endured the excruciating agony and forced himself to maintain mental clarity. This ordeal would greatly benefit his mental cultivation, strengthening his willpower, tempering his resolve.
I must not faint so easily!
At that moment, the Wild Ginseng Spirit in his mouth finally activated, its medicinal properties seeping gradually into his bloodstream. The spirit's energy repaired the body that had been violently strengthened by the Dragon Blood, increasing the toughness of his tendons and blood vessels while reinforcing his cellular structure at the most fundamental level.
Although the pain didn't diminish, the transformation of his body accelerated dramatically, and the results became exponentially more effective with each passing moment.
It was impossible to tell how much time had elapsed.
Eventually, Han Jue shook his head groggily and climbed off the ground, every muscle protesting the movement.
Looking down at the disgusting layer of scum coating his skin, he quickly made his way to the shower and scrubbed himself clean under scalding water.
The Dragon Blood hadn't transformed his body into the bronze tan typical of most users. Instead, his skin remained its distinctive cool white, whether from the Wild Ginseng Spirit's influence or the powerful genes inherited from the Han family bloodline, he couldn't be certain.
"I wonder how much my strength has increased?" Han Jue muttered to himself, anticipation building despite his exhaustion.
He approached the punch force tester and, without employing any force-generation techniques, unleashed a straightforward punch with all his raw power.
BANG!
"72,990 kg!"
Dragon Blood combined with the Thousand-Year Wild Ginseng Spirit had nearly tripled his physical strength in a single session!
Han Jue's eyes blazed with excitement. This measurement surpassed the minimum requirement for a junior War God by a comfortable margin. Combined with his agility and swordsmanship, his actual combat effectiveness now matched that of an average mid-level War God!
This also meant Han Jue could confidently take on the lord-level monsters inhabiting City 0999.
The path forward was becoming clearer with each passing day.
"Brother Hong said he wanted to see you," Thunder God announced, appearing suddenly in Han Jue's villa. His eyes narrowed slightly as he studied the young warrior with obvious interest.
"What's wrong?" Han Jue asked, puzzled by Thunder God's expression.
Thunder God hesitated, an unusual occurrence for someone of his stature. Finally, he spoke. "He said you could join the Extreme Martial Arts School's elite training camp as an exchange student and enjoy all corresponding treatment and privileges."
"Isn't that basically asking them to bully me?" Han Jue couldn't help but exclaim, though his tone held more curiosity than concern.
"Yes, the top-ranked students there have all been War Gods for years," Thunder God replied, his expression turning somewhat odd. "How did you... Wait, you've already broken through to War God level?"
Since the contract rewards had been handled through automated channels, Thunder God hadn't known Han Jue had received the Dragon Blood and Wild Ginseng Spirit just yesterday.
"Founder, why do you assume they're the ones who'll be bullying me?" Han Jue asked with genuine curiosity, a slight smile playing at his lips.
Thunder God fell silent for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh. "This... you should come with me to see Brother Hong first."
Now that Han Jue had become a War God, a junior War God at merely sixteen years old, Thunder God had nothing more to say. As the young warrior himself had pointed out, perhaps it was the veteran students who should be worried instead.
There weren't many people who could match Han Jue's skill level even at the Extreme Martial Arts School. Except for those who had comprehended Artistic Conception, virtually no one should be Han Jue's opponent in direct combat.
After boarding Thunder God's fighter craft, Han Jue departed from the training camp once again, leaving before he'd had any chance for a proper friendly exchange with the other Thunder Dojo students. The aircraft cut through the sky with remarkable speed, heading toward the Extreme Martial Arts School's global headquarters.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the world, another significant event was unfolding.
"Luo Feng, you're already at high-level warrior strength?" Zhao Ruo said in astonishment, watching her junior disciple with undisguised amazement.
Today was September 1st, and as usual, she and Luo Feng were both entering the designated hunting grounds together. As a senior disciple, she naturally felt responsible for looking after her younger colleague.
Luo Feng merely smiled but said nothing, allowing his actions to speak for themselves.
Several flying knives materialized in the air around him, controlled by invisible psychic force. In perfect coordination with Zhao Ruo's physical attacks, the blades helped slay a high-level Beast General-level Silver Moon Wolf. They dismembered the creature efficiently and divided the valuable spoils according to their contribution.
After revealing his psychic abilities, Luo Feng had become one of the few Spirit Reader masters in the entire training camp. He received intensive specialized training from the Extreme Martial Arts School, and his strength improved even faster than what would have occurred in the original timeline!
In just one month, Luo Feng's physical fitness had improved from intermediate warrior level to junior War God level, while his psychic power had reached the standard of a high-level War God. He earned points in the hunting grounds at a rate no slower than veteran students who'd been training for years!
His demonstrated talent brought recruitment offers flooding in from various factions across the globe.
The Chinese military, the other five major powers, the HR Alliance, and even several foreign mercenary groups had all extended generous invitations to Luo Feng, offering enormous compensation packages just for the opportunity to recruit him.
The reason was simple and undeniable: with Luo Feng's demonstrated talent, coupled with the training available at the elite camp, he was virtually certain to become a high-level War God in the future.
And a high-level War God-level Spirit Reader was functionally equivalent to an invincible War God in terms of actual combat power!
After entering the training camp, Luo Feng had, by fortunate chance, reconnected with Xu Xin, and their relationship slowly blossomed into something deeper. Upon hearing about their developing romance, the Xu family of the HR Alliance offered their full support, even suggesting they would provide the legendary Water of Life as part of a betrothal gift if the two eventually married, a treasure that could help Luo Hua regain the use of his legs. The generous offer had embarrassed Xu Xin considerably.
Everything was falling into place for Luo Feng. His family's financial situation would improve dramatically. His younger brother would have a genuine chance to get back on his feet. No one would dare bully his family ever again.
Luo Feng's natural talents were being fully utilized, earning him respect and recognition from the top leadership at the Extreme Martial Arts School. He even had the genuine possibility of meeting the legendary Hong himself someday!
Luo Feng hadn't yet accepted any of the various recruitment offers from the competing factions, believing it would be best to wait until he truly achieved War God level before seriously considering such momentous decisions.
Furthermore, he had one specific person to thank as the source of all these positive changes:
Han Jue!
Luo Feng genuinely hoped to meet him again and express his gratitude properly.
The person Luo Feng wanted to thank had already arrived at the Extreme Martial Arts School's global headquarters.
Within the vast remains of an ancient civilization spaceship that served as the organization's headquarters, Thunder God arrived with Han Jue in tow.
"Brother Hong," Thunder God greeted the figure before them with obvious familiarity, casually finding himself a seat as if he visited regularly.
Hong, dressed entirely in black that seemed to absorb the surrounding light, nodded in acknowledgment. His gaze shifted to Han Jue, who returned the look with equal directness and composure.
"Is this a Domain?"
Han Jue wondered silently, his analytical mind working rapidly.
Just one glance at Hong felt as though he'd been swallowed by a black hole. The light around him seemed to vanish completely, leaving only endless, oppressive darkness. Within that black void, only the striking black-haired man stood at the center like a dark star, absolute and commanding!
This was the world's number one warrior: Hong!
Han Jue faced the edge of that Domain pressure unflinchingly, locking eyes with the legendary warrior without flinching or looking away.
"Not bad!" a cold voice resonated through the space, carrying genuine approval.
Seeing Han Jue resist even a trace of the Domain's power, something that would have crushed most warriors instantly, Hong couldn't help but feel astonished. The young warrior's willpower was exceptional.
"Of course! Just look whose student he is," Thunder God said proudly, winking at Han Jue with obvious satisfaction, clearly pleased with the young warrior's performance.
"I've heard plenty about the Han family too," Hong replied smoothly, his tone cooling slightly. "How exactly did they end up choosing you as their instructor?"
However, Hong ruthlessly exposed Thunder God's attempted claim, his words carrying an edge of dry amusement that made Thunder God's proud expression falter slightly.
Thunder God's eye twitched, but he wisely chose not to argue the point further. After all, everyone present knew the truth, Han Jue's real martial arts instruction came primarily from his uncle Han Hechang, not from Thunder God himself.