Chapter 123: The Fall of Jinjin

"Not bad."

Aojinniezi nodded, his gaze cast upon the small leather case in the other's hand:

"We need to deal with a very thorny enemy, whose cultivation level is basically on par with a Title War God. I heard you have developed a breakthrough result; I wonder if it can be effective against a powerhouse of this level?"

In the current world's cultivation system, once one steps into the Seventh Stage and cultivates true Inner Qi, the physique and vitality of such powerhouses will undergo a massive transformation from the inside out, with leap-style improvements in every aspect, including physical defense, breathing, digestion, and poison resistance.

In terms of poison resistance, top-tier powerhouses with Inner Qi protection can be called immune to all poisons. This does not mean no poison can kill them, but rather that the moment they are poisoned, they will notice and control their blood flow, heartbeat, and even the circulation of their Inner Qi, thereby significantly delaying and reducing the damage of the toxin to save themselves.

Therefore, wanting to poison a top-tier powerhouse of the Seventh Realm is the greatest challenge, and also the goal that various powerful nations are constantly researching.

And upon hearing this.

Wei Qi Ke Fu's eyes lit up, and he revealed a mouthful of yellow teeth, full of excitement:

"A Title War God level powerhouse? Your Excellency General has found the right person; I am just in need of such an experimental target!"

As he spoke, he placed the leather case in his hand onto the conference table and opened it, revealing a small, sealed glass bottle inside.

The glass bottle contained several milliliters of a transparent liquid. Takov and the other soldiers at the conference table knew of Wei Qi Ke Fu's track record and subconsciously moved their chairs back quite a bit.

Aojinniezi narrowed his eyes, staring at the object in the leather case:

"What is this?"

Wei Qi Ke Fu proudly introduced:

"This is a toxin I have newly developed at the cost of hundreds of Jinjin beggars, the Blood Mass. Unlike conventional blood-soluble toxins, Blood Mass is a new type of potent poison that acts directly on the nervous system. Once it enters the human body, it will rapidly destroy a person's central nervous system within ten seconds. It takes at most twenty seconds to make a strong martial artist drop dead, and the process is irreversible; no rescue measures can be in time."

"Inside this bottle now is the concentrated essence of Blood Mass that I have extracted and refined. Just this little bit is a hundred times more precious than gold of the same weight. Just one or two milligrams dissolved in well water is enough to poison thousands of people to death."

One or two milligrams can poison thousands of people to death?

Hearing this terrifying number, most of the people present had their facial muscles twitch, their eyes showing a hint of shock and fear.

And Aojinniezi's eyes grew even brighter:

"If it is used on a powerhouse of the Title War God level, what is the effect?"

Wei Qi Ke Fu smiled:

"Your Excellency General, what kind of figures are Title War Gods? I have no chance to experiment on them. However, based on the data and experiments left by the research institute, I evaluate that the toxicity of Blood Mass is violent and acts directly on the nerves; even a War God level powerhouse cannot effectively resist it. I estimate that it only takes three to five milligrams of Blood Mass to poison a Title War God to death within three minutes."

"Of course, this is just an estimate, and I dare not make a complete guarantee. But what is certain is that even if Blood Mass cannot poison a War God level powerhouse to death, it will cause extremely severe and irreversible damage to their nerves, with a very high probability of causing blindness and paralysis, turning them into a complete cripple."

"Very good, very good."

The smile on Aojinniezi's face grew wider as he listened, and he even personally took the bottle of Blood Mass in his hand to examine it carefully:

"Wei Qi Ke Fu, you are indeed a genius. One last question: does it have any special odor, and is it convenient to use?"

Wei Qi Ke Fu chuckled:

"Your Excellency General, rest assured, how could I not consider such a simple question? Blood Mass is colorless and odorless; it can be dissolved into wine or tea at will without being discovered."

"That is wonderful!"

Takov finally found an opportunity to interject, saying excitedly:

"Your Excellency Aojinniezi, that Lu Yuan's Guangwu Hall has recently recruited many gatekeepers. We can fully observe them, then bribe two as inside agents, and wait for the opportunity to act!"

A cold and expectant smile appeared on Aojinniezi's face:

"Very well, leave this matter to you to handle. I hope this Blood Mass does not disappoint me."

Unaware of the conspiracy brewing on Aojinniezi's side.

The next day at dusk, at Guangwu Hall.

The first batch of over a hundred applicants on the list gathered on the training ground, standing solemnly.

Among these people, most were teenagers in their early twenties; half did not wear the queue hairstyle, looking neat and full of youthful spirit.

Besides them, there were also a small number of people over thirty, looking strong in muscle and bone and quite steady, clearly having come to apprentice with prior training.

Still the same point: what Lu Yuan wanted to recruit were not thugs, but talents who could do things and handle affairs, so the age limit was set at no more than thirty-five. This led to many rootless wanderers from the Jianghu running to Jinjin from other places, wanting to fight for a future.

At this moment, in the spacious hall, Lu Yuan had not yet arrived, and the applicants were whispering excitedly, wondering who would be left behind today to become the first batch of gatekeepers.

At the very back of the crowd, a steady man with a handlebar mustache stood quietly, while next to him, a youth in patched clothes, who looked like he was from a poor background, was excitedly examining everything around him.

Beside these two, there were two other youths wearing brocade clothes, who looked like sons of wealthy families accustomed to a life of luxury, scanning the crowd in front and saying proudly:

"Brother Guangyuan, how do you think that Hall Master Lu will test us?"

"I don't know... But since it is a dojo for teaching Martial Arts, I suppose it will still focus on physique and bone structure?"

"Taking only one hundred out of over three hundred people, the competition is quite high. Fortunately, Hall Master Lu added a requirement for literacy, otherwise, I don't know how many bumpkins would be breaking their heads to get in..."

"What is there to fear? I see that most of the people here are down-and-out folks from ordinary backgrounds. We two have had constant supplements since childhood and now have the strength of the Bone Forging Realm; we will surely catch Hall Master Lu's eye."

"That is true. Hall Master Lu is a god-like and extraordinary person of this age. If you and I can apprentice under him and become the first batch of gatekeepers, and perform well to obtain the true teachings, our future will surely be limitless."

The two's conversation drifted vaguely into his ears, and the youth with patches on his clothes immediately showed a look of inferiority. The steady man with the handlebar mustache glanced over and smiled:

"Kid, no need to belittle yourself. The first batch of gatekeepers Hall Master Lu is recruiting must be diligent, loyal, and capable of handling affairs; everyone has a chance."

"Is this big brother talking about me?"

The poor youth pointed at himself blankly, then hurriedly said:

"Thank you for the reminder, big brother. My name is Zhou Li, from Zhou Village in the suburbs of Jinjin. May I ask for your Great Name, big brother?"

The man with the handlebar mustache was clearly a worldly and slick person, and he smiled indifferently:

"I am Peng Yidao. I have been a Martial Master guarding courtyards and also a bodyguard; I make my home wherever I go."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Li said with both awe and envy:

"Brother Peng has traveled far and wide, so you must be knowledgeable and have excellent Martial Arts. You will surely be on the list for Hall Master Lu's recruitment this time."

Peng Yidao laughed:

"I'll take your kind words!"

The two were strangers who had just met, and their conversation ended there, so they waited with different thoughts.

And in just a short while.

As the sun was about to set behind the mountain, the heavy gates of the hall suddenly opened, and a figure, ethereal and otherworldly, as if a celestial being, appeared before the crowd.

It was none other than Lu Yuan.

Seeing Lu Yuan appear, the hundred-odd applicants, who had been slightly noisy, fell silent in unison, and then those in the front row hurriedly and respectfully bowed: "This junior pays respects to Hall Master Lu!"

The clamor of greetings was incessant; everyone was extremely excited, wishing they could prostrate themselves on the ground.

Lu Yuan smiled faintly and raised his hand to signal:

"Spare the formalities, follow me inside."

Lu Yuan turned and walked in; the hundred-odd applicants on the training ground, excited and anxious, surged forward and filed in one after another.

The main hall had been converted from a factory, so it was extremely spacious; even with over a hundred people pouring in, there was not the slightest crowding, but when they, and even Peng Yidao and Zhou Li who were trailing behind, entered the hall, they were all stunned at the sight of hundreds of straw mats laid out everywhere.

However, with a legendary figure present, no one dared to ask more questions, and they all stood there honestly, waiting for Lu Yuan to speak.

Lu Yuan arrived in the center of the hall and stood still, his gaze sweeping over the crowd as he smiled:

"You are all applicants who have passed the initial screening; gathering you here tonight is for the final assessment. Anyone who passes the assessment may stay and become the first batch of Gatekeepers of Guangwu Hall.

As for the method of assessment... as you can see, there are many straw mats laid on the ground. I want all of you to sleep on these mats until dawn; tomorrow morning, it will be clear who is qualified and who is not."

???

The assessment is... sleeping?

The hundred-odd applicants present all looked at each other, completely bewildered.

In the front row, a young man hesitated and raised his hand, and only after Lu Yuan nodded did he cautiously say:

"Hall Master Lu, this junior dares to ask, are there any restrictions or requirements for sleeping on these straw mats?"

"Requirements?"

Lu Yuan smiled:

"No restrictions, no requirements. You need not overthink it; just sleep soundly on these mats for the night, and I will naturally observe and judge you. Of course, those who are restless and have not fallen asleep by the third watch will be considered to have failed the assessment."

This...

Never having heard of such a bizarre assessment, the group of young people present were all confused and completely at a loss.

"Alright, you may move freely now and find your own spots; if anyone wishes to give up, you may leave now."

Lu Yuan naturally would not explain too much, and after leaving these words, he drifted away.

Such a huge opportunity was naturally something no one wanted to give up, but after he left, the applicants present immediately fell into a state of suspicious uproar and discussion:

"Strange, strange, using sleep as an assessment—I've never heard of such a thing. What exactly does Hall Master Lu mean?"

"Let me think, Hall Master Lu cannot be making fun of us; such an arrangement must have a deep meaning... I understand, this must be testing our temperament! Only those who can calm their minds, remain unmoved, and sleep soundly according to his requirements are the qualified ones!"

"Hiss... thinking about it that way, it really is possible!"

"Quick, quick, quick, let's find a good spot first!"

Amidst various speculations, most of the applicants scrambled to find suitable straw mats in the hall, immediately throwing the scene into chaos.

Zhou Li watched this scene with a confused expression and couldn't help but scratch his head as he asked Peng Yidao beside him:

"Brother Peng, why is this assessment not quite what I imagined?"

Peng Yidao also gave a wry smile:

"Don't talk about you; it's completely different from what I thought, too..."

Although he was only in his early thirties, he had been wandering the pugilistic world for many years and could be considered experienced and knowledgeable.

After signing up for Guangwu Hall and passing the initial selection, he had considered many things and made many preparations to pass the final assessment, but the assessment arranged by Lu Yuan truly caught him off guard; he hadn't anticipated it at all.

Moreover, he completely failed to understand what could be seen by sleeping here; could it really be observing temperament as others guessed?

But what kind of temperament could this observe?

While he was frowning in distress, Zhou Li seemed quite happy:

"Brother Zhou, don't overthink it. This assessment looks very simple; let's hurry and find a spot to sleep!"

Nearby, the two young men with prominent family backgrounds from earlier looked over with disdainful eyes and sneered:

"Kid, how could Hall Master Lu's assessment be so simple? If you really think that just sleeping is enough, I'm afraid you'll already be eliminated when you wake up."

"Forget it, Brother Ge, why say so much to such bumpkins? Once I enter the hall, I don't want to be associated with them; it would be best if this assessment eliminates them all."

Hearing their mockery, Zhou Li's expression turned from blue to white; he silently lowered his head, walked to the side, found a straw mat, and lay down facing the wall.

Peng Yidao shook his head and didn't say much; he also found a spot next to him and sat down, then pondered the true purpose of this assessment.

Soon, only a quarter or half an hour after Lu Yuan left, all hundred-odd applicants were lying on the ground, and the scene looked quite comical.

At first, everyone was still discussing it excitedly, but as the sun outside completely set, the entire hall became pitch black, and the whispering voices grew fewer and fewer.

Many people here were not used to sleeping early or in such poor conditions, but for the sake of this baffling assessment, they gritted their teeth and closed their eyes; even so, it took a long time before they felt a hint of sleepiness and gradually drifted off.

Just like that, carrying different thoughts and expectations, time passed.

By the first watch, the hall was filled with snoring, and it seemed all the applicants had fallen asleep.

Including Peng Yidao; after thinking it over and failing to understand what that god-like Hall Master Lu wanted to assess, he could only helplessly force his mind to empty and fell into a dream early on.

I don't know how much time passed.

Amidst a chaotic consciousness, a faint, mysterious, and untraceable voice suddenly echoed in his mind:

"Do you want to know the true meaning of life? Do you want to truly live?"

Who!?

This voice came suddenly, as if someone were speaking directly into his heart; Peng Yidao, in his dream, was shocked beyond measure and, like a startled bird, suddenly wanted to open his eyes.

However, almost at the same time, his consciousness suddenly spun, as if his soul were leaving his body, falling and falling, and then he plummeted into a bizarre and surreal world...

(End of chapter)