Chapter 96: Setting Up a Friend

In the Tianjing Team combat room—now that Li Hao and the others are using the official team's training ground, which is five times the size of the original and equipped with the best facilities, including a gravity room that reaches 20 times gravity—Tianjing Martial Arts is absolutely A-Grade in terms of hardware.

According to Zhou Naiyi's idea, perhaps they could keep some of the original team members; relying on just five people is truly not enough.

Current team roster, main members: Li Hao, Zhou Naiyi, Wuzang, Zuo Xiaotang, Huo Ying.

Staff: Ma Long, Sheng Man, Tan Ziyuan, Lu Ying, Lu Lingxiao.

This cheerleading squad looks even more luxurious than the main members, and their looks are definitely top-tier. Of course, this is once again thanks to Ma Laoshi's charm. At this time, Sheng Man and the other three haven't arrived, but Ma Long has; the moment Li Hao and the others became the Tianjing Team, Ma Laoshi also found a sense of belonging.

"Hao Ge, just these few people won't work. Recruit a few more. Although the previous team wasn't great, we can pick the best among the mediocre. Isn't Huo Ying quite capable?" Ma Long said.

"I'm different. I'm very strong. It's just that they were jealous of me and didn't give me a chance to perform. The Team Leader has a good eye, so it's true: a thousand-mile horse is common, but a talent scout is not," Huo Ying said, shaking his head.

Ma Long curled his lip, finally having found someone even more thick-skinned than himself.

Li Hao smiled. "Look, the Principal has spoken. All team expenses can be reimbursed. As for the members, the few of us are definitely not enough; we need at least one substitute."

As he spoke, he looked at Ma Long. Ma Long smiled and nodded... "Why are you looking at me? No way, right?"

"Exactly, Lao San, your level is also very good, no need to waste it. Besides, we still need your emotional guidance," Li Hao said. Someone who could casually score over a thousand points while acting like a slacker—if that isn't strength, what is? It was purely for the sake of saving face.

Initially, Ma Long wanted to join the school team, but after the conflict with Gao Yunfeng, that idea quickly vanished.

"Don't, don't. I'm in the Starship Department. I'm going to be a Captain in the future; I don't need to be on the front lines," Ma Long said haughtily.

"Ma Long, are you looking down on our Mecha Department?" Zhou Naiyi frowned. "I don't know what kind of temper boys have, but as a girl, I can't stand it."

Li Hao waved his hand, and Zuo Xiaotang and the others rushed up. Especially Huo Ying, who had just been mocked, used his massive muscles to pin Ma Long down, and then the others gave him a fierce tickling. Soon, Ma Laoshi surrendered.

"It's not that, Li Hao, what are you thinking? There are so many ready-made people, why not use them? I'm just a half-baked amateur, and I can't be as diligent as you guys. I yearn for the starry sky, the sea, and a life of freedom."

"Showing your face at the S Tournament will definitely make your starry sky and sea happen sooner. You don't need to worry about the team's opponents; it's not about the quantity of people, but the quality."

"Li Hao, what is our current training plan? Should we ask a professor to come back and design our tactics?" Zhou Naiyi said.

"There's no need to consider team tactics before the Mid-Season Tournament. We have to see what the official tournament format is like this year. Right now, we mainly need to improve our individual strength. If you're free, you can play more EMP."

Wuzang and the others looked at each other. Ma Long couldn't help it. "No, Hao Ge, the team already lacks synergy. Shouldn't we practice coordination more?"

"The current combat mode isn't actually that complicated. The arenas provided by the S Tournament are also primarily based on individual strength. For now, we still need to find our respective limits," Li Hao said with a smile. "The Principal's requirement is for us to improve our results; anyway, we have plenty of room."

"Principal Long is indeed a decent person. Then I'm relieved," Ma Long breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhou Naiyi glanced at Li Hao. She didn't believe that, given Principal Long's personality, she would be so easy to talk to. Improvement is certain, but to what extent?

Suddenly, Wuzang spoke up. "Hao Ge, is it because we are too weak?"

"Weak? We're certainly not weak, but on the scale of the Federation, our competitiveness is definitely not strong. That's why I've designed a Superhuman Awakening Plan for everyone. Start with physical fitness; gravity tolerance must be stabilized at over 10 times, develop individual specialized trump cards, and at least two people must realize the Golden ZONE," Li Hao said. As Team Leader, he clearly intended to prepare seriously; this standard should be competitive.

The room fell silent. Huo Ying suddenly let out a roar, "Good! The Team Leader said it well! We must become that strong! I have confidence!"

Ma Long stared blankly at Li Hao, completely ignoring the fool Huo Ying. "Hao Ge, this is a bit whimsical, how is this possible..."

"I don't know if it's possible, but Principal Long made me sign a guarantee. She called it a military order; if we don't achieve it, she'll expel us all."

Everyone looked at each other. Did they really have to play for such high stakes?

"You signed it?" Ma Long asked.

"I signed it. She made me sign it, could I not?"

Ma Long gave a thumbs up, stood up, and patted his pants. "Haha, good luck, brothers. Blessings to you. Goodbye, I'm leaving first."

"Ma Long, your name is also on the list. I've already added you," Li Hao said helplessly. Ma Laoshi's footsteps suddenly became unsteady.

"What? How did you add me???"

"The Principal asked me if I needed a substitute, and I said yes. She told me to choose someone, so I chose you. I think rather than benefiting someone else, I'd rather benefit my own brother, right? I know you've always wanted to be a Captain. The performance bonus from the S Tournament will definitely help your starry sky and sea happen a step sooner," Li Hao said with a sincere face.

Ma Long's face turned green. "What, what need? Li Hao, this is naked jealousy! Why did I choose the Starship Department? It's for a comfortable, cool, life-winning existence! I don't want to lift weights with you bunch of stinky men! My goal is to be a starship photographer!"

Li Hao shrugged helplessly. "You should have said so earlier. I really didn't do it on purpose."

Ma Long stared fixedly at Li Hao's face, trying to find some trace of a clue. He had indeed said that the S Tournament record was quite important for the Starship Department; in fact, many team members from top military academies were also from the Starship Department.

"Are you sure you didn't set me up on purpose?" Ma Long hesitated.

"How about I go talk to the Principal again?"

"Li Hao, given Principal Long's personality, if you sign a military order and then go back on it, Ma Long's future will be gone. Forget about being a Captain; even being a warship service soldier will be out of the question," Zhou Naiyi said suddenly. A fatal blow, hitting the nail on the head. This was also what Ma Long was worried about. He was a star in the starship major, and he had the best EMP scores there, which was why he could gain Sheng Man's favor and challenge Gao Yunfeng.

Ma Long closed his eyes. Wasn't he just looking for trouble? Wasn't he happy chatting about art with the junior girls from the Photography Club?

Why did he have to sweat with a bunch of stinky men?... Ah, the beautiful Naiyi is here. It seems it's not all hopeless.

"Hehe, I was just joking. Since everyone needs me so much, I'll reluctantly agree. Sigh, I knew it. A genius like me is a pillar of support wherever I go. It's settled: I'm the substitute. Don't have too high expectations of me," Ma Long said.

Li Hao clapped his hands. "Good. Since we'll be fighting together for a year, we need a basic understanding and testing. Let's start with some relevant data collection. Haven't Sheng Man and the others arrived yet? We need someone to keep records."

Ma Long rolled his eyes. "Manman has an event. Today it's Tan Ziyuan and Lu Ying. Why do I feel like I'm losing out? Why are my girlfriend and her best friend serving you guys?"

"Of course, it's because we're too handsome!" Huo Ying touched his handsome black face.

Not long after everyone changed into their training uniforms, Tan Ziyuan and Lu Ying arrived. Tan Ziyuan had her hair in a clean, crisp high ponytail, while Lu Ying was wearing tight-fitting clothes and pants; her curvaceous figure was quite lethal, and her voluptuous charm was quite impactful. Seeing Zuo Xiaotang staring intently, Lu Ying glanced at him, scaring Zuo Xiaotang into lowering his head immediately, looking a bit flustered.

Li Hao clapped his hands. "Senior Sister Tan Ziyuan, Senior Sister Lu Ying, we need to conduct some data tests. We'll be troubling you later."

"Team Leader, no need to be so polite in the future. Just call us Ziyuan and Lu Ying," Lu Ying smiled. Her voice was slightly low and full of magnetism, making Zuo Xiaotang unable to resist taking another look.

The first step for everyone was to conduct detailed physical tests, mainly to estimate their Golden Gene. This was the place for the Tianjing Martial Arts main team; the hardware conditions were impeccable, a gift from the glory peak when Wu Fa led the Solar System Federation's best team.

It's just that at the time, all the people of Tianjing thought this was the start of the peak, but they didn't expect...

"I'll go first!" Huo Ying was very eager to show off his talent.

Team members tested their development values every so often, especially after awakening the Golden ZONE, which meant the power of the Gene Lock had been unlocked, possessing greater possibilities. Ever since the Moon Person discovered this way of using power, every Federation's focus had been here, and Tianjing Martial Arts was no exception.

Soon, the genetic potential, development value, and primary genetic dominance for all six were given.

Huo Ying: 858% Strength Enhancement, Muscle Enhancement, Bone Enhancement

Zuo Xiaotang: 865% Nervous System Enhancement, Visual Enhancement

Zhou Naiyi: 959% High-Quality Gene

Wuzang: 969% High-Quality Gene

Ma Long: 987% High-Quality Gene

Tan Ziyuan read them out one by one; genetic potential is a comprehensive assessment with a certain degree of reference value, while the development value that follows is the current level of genetic awakening, the higher the better, and exceeding 10% means there is a high probability that the Golden Zone has already been comprehended, which shows that Zhou Naiyi and Wuzang have already reached the critical point and possess the possibility of awakening, though of course this is also within everyone's expectations, as most of the starting players in the major top military academies are actually at this critical point, but not everyone can awaken.