Chapter 181: The World Tree, Land of the Fallen Gods

Regarding the matter of awarding honors, the Shenxia Military has strict and clear regulations.

Generally speaking, military ranks of Field Officer and above must be conferred by the highest-ranking chief of the Military Department.

Although Long Aofei holds the highest military rank in the current army, there is still a Military Department Chief above him.

Therefore, the highest rank Long Aofei can confer upon his subordinates is Field Officer; he lacks the authority for anything higher.

Seeing Zhou Chu put away the Honor Medal, Long Aofei smiled and said, "Looking back, my invitation for you to study at the National Defense University seems to have been somewhat redundant."

"With your current strength, you would be more than qualified to serve as an instructor in the Exorcism Army."

"Furthermore, because the two of you have special identities, you do not need to attend this year's New Recruit Training Camp. In a few days, the Military Department's annual Grand Competition will take place, where the elite of the entire Shenxia military will participate. I want you two to form a separate 'challenger team' to properly test the strength of these elites for me."

"And there is also the most intense Officer Confrontation Match, which is the highlight of the Grand Competition. As a Field Officer, you must participate!"

Zhou Chu pondered for a moment, then shook his head: "I had better not participate. Otherwise, the results of this Grand Competition would have no suspense at all. If I were to cause a stir in military morale, my offense would be too great!"

"Yo! You have quite the nerve, kid." Long Aofei glared at Zhou Chu with annoyance, "Although your strength is great, the elites of the Military Department are not to be underestimated."

"As the saying goes, a hero is no match for four hands! Do you really think you can stand against an elite unit of Shenxia with your own strength alone?"

Before Zhou Chu could retort, Long Aofei waved his hand, stood up from his chair, and said, "That's it, it's settled. The Military Merit Value will be calculated by head count, and whatever is earned will be deposited directly into your Officer Card on the spot. Use this time to prepare well and try to participate in this Grand Competition in your best state."

Upon hearing that the Military Merit Value was calculated by head count, Zhou Chu immediately decided not to say anything more.

Faced with generous Military Merit Value, who would complain about having too little?

Since that was the case, Zhou Chu could only reluctantly participate.

As for concerns like shaking military morale, that was no longer something he needed to consider; he would leave that to the chiefs of the Military Department.

After giving his instructions, Long Aofei yawned, turned around, and left Zhou Chu's dormitory.

By now the sky was bright; Zhou Chu had not slept all night, but he did not feel sleepy at all.

Compared to ordinary people, Soul Professionals have an advantage in this regard, while also being immune to all diseases and even enjoying a certain degree of extended lifespan.

Of course, this only applies to a small portion of Soul Professionals.

In fact, a considerable number of Soul Professionals do not live as long as ordinary people.

Because most of them die on the battlefield.

Therefore, although becoming a Soul Professional is something people yearn for, it is accompanied by huge risks and sacrifices.

In the circles of ordinary people, Soul Professionals are called an absolutely high-risk group, and it is said that they are either dying or on the way to dying.

Zhou Chu had personally experienced the benefits of becoming a Soul Professional.

That is, he could go days without eating, drinking, or sleeping and still be full of energy.

But under normal circumstances, Soul Professionals are still human, so in most cases, they still need to eat, drink, and sleep as appropriate.

And the only one Zhou Chu envied was Li Er.

As a Mechanical Intelligent Being with super-high intelligence, although she was almost identical to a human in appearance and thinking, she could go forever without eating, drinking, or sleeping.

Because the Psionic Core within her could provide her with a continuous supply of energy, and it was almost inexhaustible.

However, what surprised Zhou Chu even more was that after the Psionic Core within Li Er evolved to the highest grade, she actually acquired the same living habits as humans.

Now, she could convert the food she ate and the sleep she took into corresponding energy through her Psionic Core; this was quite overbearing.

Just like now, after Li Er returned in triumph from the Eastern Front, she had specially brought back the local specialty snack, "pancake-wrapped egg," from Tianji City on the way.

Actually, this snack was similar to the pancake-wrapped dough sticks from Zhou Chu's past life, and the taste was quite good.

Li Er seemed to have an extreme preference for this delicacy, and the key was that her appetite was incredibly large, like a bottomless pit.

No matter how much she ate, it seemed like she was never full; in less than five minutes, she had finished a large bag of pancake-wrapped eggs.

Finally, seeing the half-eaten pancake-wrapped egg in Zhou Chu's hand, a trace of longing appeared in her eyes.

However, she ultimately wiped her mouth with a tissue in satisfaction, patted her abdomen, which had not changed in the slightest, and watched obediently as Zhou Chu swallowed the last bite of food.

With this, a day of university life began once again this morning.

However, starting today, there seemed to be two fewer students coming to class: Chen Bo and Meng Jie.

It is said that yesterday, under Meng Jie's instigation, Chen Bo really followed Shigu Sun back to Nihong Country.

Shigu Sun promised Chen Bo that after arriving in Nihong Country, he would let him pursue advanced studies at the best university in Nihong Country, and promised him priority access to the opportunity for Soul Profession Awakening.

Regardless of whether Shigu Sun was just making empty promises, it was undoubtedly a huge temptation for Chen Bo, who was currently eager to improve his strength.

Moreover, as a Soul Professional bound to an S-Grade, he should also receive attention and importance from Nihong Country.

Time passed like a white horse galloping past a crack; more than a month went by quickly, and the day of the full moon on the fifteenth of August arrived.

Tonight, one could use that key to open the gate to the God-Fallen Land and enter this mysterious place to explore.

Since one key only allowed one person to enter, Li Er could not be brought along on this trip to the God-Fallen Land.

So, after dinner that evening, Zhou Chu, led by Principal Yu Dafu, came to the mountain behind Shenxia University.

This place had always been a forbidden area of Shenxia University and was the most mysterious location in the eyes of all the students.

Yu Dafu brought Zhou Chu to a seemingly ordinary cliff face.

Beside the cliff was a towering tree, its dense branches and leaves blocking out the sky and sun, lush and green.

The bright moonlight spilled through the gaps in the leaves, forming patches of mottled light and shadow.

This tree was called the World Tree; it is said that there are five in the entire world, distributed respectively outside the different entrances to the five God-Fallen Lands.

And the Shenxia Empire possesses a unique geographical advantage, with the World Tree existing right on the mountain behind Shenxia University.

The key to entering the God-Fallen Land comes from this huge World Tree before them.

The World Tree blooms once every year, but only bears one fruit.

When this fruit matures, it becomes the key, white as jade, in Zhou Chu's hand.

Thinking about entering this mysterious land immediately, Zhou Chu's heart was filled with surprise and anticipation.