Chapter 362

Lu En nodded.

That way, we can prevent Smoker and the others from coasting to victory.

"Good."

Lu En agreed.

He hadn't left Marineford in a full year; he truly missed the look of the open sea.

Right now.

Since he could go to sea once, he might as well treat it as a trip.

Just to relax his mind a little.

A year of relentless cultivation had kept him tense every single day, unable to unwind for a full year.

Finally—

Through unyielding effort, his strength had reached Vice Admiral-level power!

It also granted him a brief respite.

"Let's go."

"From now on, you probably won't need to train here anymore."

Zefa turned back, gazing at the massive chamber, and spoke thoughtfully.

After a year of training, the electric stimulation method here must have become nearly useless to Lu En.

From now on,

Lu En no longer needed to train here.

"This place has almost no effect on me anymore."

"From now on, I've finally escaped this sea of suffering and can leave this training chamber."

Lu En smiled.

Next,

Zefa led Lu En out of the Science and Technology Research Institute.

Before leaving,

Lu En solemnly thanked the group of scientists in white lab coats.

Without these kind and approachable scientists, Lu En's strength could never have risen so terrifyingly in just one year.

It was precisely their efforts that allowed Lu En to benefit from the electric stimulation training method, enabling his power to surge forward dramatically.

Otherwise,

in one year, he could never have grown to this level.

Moments later.

Lu En followed Zefa's footsteps and departed.

The group of scientists standing where he had been watched his retreating figure for a long time before finally looking away.

They turned their heads.

They gazed at the massive chamber beside them, speaking in low, reflective tones.

"A genius like Mr. Lu En is exceedingly rare!"

"If anyone else had trained here for a year, I'm certain they could never have achieved what Mr. Lu En did—pushing their strength forward again and again!"

"Only Mr. Lu En could achieve such a powerful leap into Vice Admiral-level strength in just one year!"

"A Vice Admiral-level power at only five years old…"

"Truly unprecedented!"

……

As soon as Lu En stepped out of the institute with Zefa,

he felt warm sunlight spill down from the horizon, bathing his body.

The warmth flowed slowly.

He gently closed his eyes, savoring the warmth, and felt a profound sense of having emerged from another lifetime.

"What? Staying too long in the institute? You're not used to the world on the surface anymore?"

Seeing Lu En's expression, Zefa couldn't help but chuckle, teasing him.

"I really do feel that way."

"If not for the lovely scientists inside the institute, I might have truly been cut off from the world."

Lu En smiled.

After a year's absence,

stepping out of the institute again made the sunlight feel especially warm and familiar.

Then,

he followed Zefa as they walked toward the bustling streets of Marineford.

Along the way…

The towering buildings, as always, gave Lu En a sense of both familiarity and strangeness.

He occasionally spotted Navy soldiers and officers in uniform.

At this moment,

Lu En finally felt like he had returned to human society.

As they walked, Zefa asked curiously, "By the way, just now I sensed an incredibly terrifying aura of pressure coming from you."

"Tell me honestly."

"In this past year, how much has your strength grown?"

Upon hearing this,

Lu En's eyes flickered, and a cryptic smile appeared on his face.

He countered: "Then, Master Zefa, what level do you think my strength has reached?"

"Hard to say."

Master Zefa fell into thought, shaking his head.

He truly could not judge.

The moment he first met Lu En,

he had felt an overwhelming pressure emanating from the boy!

Faintly,

Comparable to a Vice Admiral of the Yuhai Army!

But he naturally dared not equate the five-year-old Lu En with a Vice Admiral of the Yuhai Army.

"A conservative preliminary estimate..."

"My current strength is probably no weaker than a regular Vice Admiral of the Yuhai Army."

"Of course, the Vice Admirals I mean here do not include the Three Cold Ones, nor include Old Man and the others."

"The Vice Admirals I refer to here are the ordinary ones."

Lu En replied.

"W-what?"

"What did you just say?!"

Master Zefa was utterly stunned.

He widened his eyes, nearly stumbling backward.

His steps came to an abrupt halt,

and he stood frozen, staring in shock at the five-year-old Lu En before him.

In his ears, Lu En's words still echoed.

At this moment,

Master Zefa was dumbfounded.

Vice Admiral-level power?!

Are you sure?

This kid Lu En...

Could he possibly be exaggerating?