"Everyone, put aside your work for a moment." Upon arriving in the monitoring room, the Director spoke with a steady voice, "To support everyone's breakthroughs in the Tower of Truth, I'm granting a half-day paid leave today."
"Ah?" Some were slow to react, wondering how such good fortune could suddenly befall them. Those who were quick-witted and experienced exchanged knowing glances and smiles, guessing the reason behind this sudden generosity. "Probably another genius has emerged, and the test monitoring must be kept strictly confidential!" "That's right, he used the same excuse last time, didn't even bother to change it, even the pauses in his speech were exactly the same!"
Exchanging thoughts through glances, everyone bowed their heads and happily exited the monitoring room with small, quick steps. Who could refuse a paid leave?
After clearing the room, only three people remained in the monitoring room: the Director, Sam, and the Director's guest, a formidable Battle Chief.
"Blaze, haven't introduced you yet, this is Sam, who has been with me since our corps days, and has been under me since I stepped back from the front lines." The formidable Battle Chief was none other than Blaze Morrow. He was idle and decided to visit the Core City of Truth to catch up over coffee with an old friend and chat. Of course, the most important thing—today, it was highly likely that Jessica would come to take the Battle Soldiers test! Blaze Morrow watched closely, also to cover up the secret of his granddaughter's second awakening of talent. As a veteran Battle Chief, he especially understood the value of keeping a low profile!
But he never expected to coincidentally witness Mike coming for the Combat Power Test! "How mysterious is this genius you're talking about?" Blaze Morrow asked confidently, without a hint of boasting, "I've seen the world, you know. Maxen Stoneheart was in my class. During the entrance test, I even gave him a punch!"
The Director snorted, "Enough, I've heard that story so many times I'm getting calluses on my ears!" Blaze Morrow's proudest moment in life wasn't becoming a Battle Chief, but the time he punched Maxen Stoneheart! Maxen Stoneheart, a tier nine Battle Lord, the king among Battle Lords! Even a supreme being had taken him as a godson, which speaks volumes about his potential and strength!
"Alright, no more jokes. Maxen Stoneheart only took three days to pass the tier three Battle Soldiers test!" Blaze Morrow's gaze moved through the monitor screen to Mike, "This kid is also on his third day, right? Does he stand a chance in the tier two Battle Soldiers test?"
Hearing Blaze Morrow's words, Sam and the Director exchanged a look, their expressions turning peculiar. The Director, trying to hold back a laugh, said, "Sam, enlighten our Blaze Battle Chief, tell him what this genius did yesterday!"
Sam honestly replied, "Yesterday, he passed the neural response stage of the tier three Battle Soldiers test."
"What?!" Blaze Morrow stood up abruptly, his face a picture of disbelief, blurting out, "Bob, you better not be pulling my leg!"
"Why would I lie? I submitted the report first thing this morning." Bob spoke very seriously, "Maxen Stoneheart is indeed fierce, but this young man is even fiercer! I just bet with you, this person's upgrade speed is definitely above Maxen Stoneheart!"
"Enough talk, his test is starting!" Blaze Morrow watched the screen intently, casually asking, "Which tier Battle Soldiers test did he choose?" As a golden Lone Wolf, Mike could opt for a cross-tier test, which, if passed, would allow him to jump several tiers at once.
"Let me check..." Bob expertly pressed a few buttons, and a number appeared on the screen. When the number appeared, the entire monitoring room fell into a deathly silence, except for the sound of machinery operating. Everyone's face was filled with disbelief, as if a cold wind had swept through their hearts, chilling to the bone.
Five! This genius had chosen the tier five Battle Soldiers test! As they were stunned, the test began...
"Tier five Battle Soldiers test, why does it feel so easy?" Mike dodged attack after attack with ease, even without the help of [Eye of Truth], he could achieve this level. After choosing [Wind Element], Mike's mobility was maxed out! Wind element skills, known for their agility and speed, coupled with a 100% effect boost, were like giving a turbo boost to a sports car!
Even ordinary low-tier skills, in Mike's hands, could perform like high-tier skills.
"Windstride Slash!" Mike even had the leisure to try new techniques. He targeted a flying knife with Windstride Slash, attempting to move at high speed. His figure passed through multiple afterimages, appearing next to the flying knife. It worked! Mike was enlightened; Windstride Slash could be usedthis way? In future battles, he could completely throw his own flying items or even flying skills, using this method for high-speed movement!
The Neural Response Test, which troubled countless people, turned into a playground for testing skill effects in Mike's hands. What's more terrifying is that even though Mike was just experimenting, he was able to stroll through the test with ease, performing very comfortably throughout. The tier five Battle Soldiers test posed no challenge to him at all!
The three spectators watching Mike's test were increasingly shocked. Sam, with a slight tremble in his voice, asked, "Old, old boss... are we supposed to be seeing this?" Even a fool would now have some guesses about the identity of the Lone Wolf on the screen!
Just three days! In just three days, he had grown to surpass tier five Battle Soldiers, even more formidable than Maxen Stoneheart in his day! Remember, Maxen Stoneheart was an SS-tier talent, already among the top echelons!
Then, the real identity of this Lone Wolf, almost throwing the answer in the faces of the three onlookers: Thor!!! It was Thor!!!
Tap tap tap— Footsteps approached from behind, startling them as they quickly turned around. "Lord Shadow Nine?!" Blaze Morrow quickly bowed, saying, "We haven't seen each other for over thirty years, Lord, and yet I recognize your figure as if it were only yesterday!"
The newcomer was indeed Shadow Nine! He was a true powerhouse within the [Guardian Shadow] organization, ranked ninth, hence the name Shadow Nine! Seeing Blaze Morrow there too, Shadow Nine couldn't help but shake his head and sigh.
"Lord Shadow Nine, why do you sigh?" Blaze Morrow asked, puzzled. He hadn't yet reported their discovery of a suspected Thor—almost the most crucial finding!
Shadow Nine stretched out his thin hand, patted Blaze Morrow on the head with a caring look, like a kind elder, and said, "I sigh for you." Blaze Morrow was even more puzzled. Sigh for him? Had he done something wrong?
Shadow Nine continued, "Kid Blaze, do you know? Using memory-sealing curses repeatedly on the same target significantly affects the target's Intelligence level." "This is the first I've heard of it, but what does it have to do with me?" Before Blaze Morrow could finish, his vision suddenly darkened, a cloud of black mist silently enveloping him. Even as a peak Battle Chief, he had no chance to resist.
"What a good kid." Shadow Nine sighed, "If sealed a few more times, I'm afraid he might indeed become a fool. Always getting tangled up with this Thor, I don't know whether your luck is good or bad, but anyway, let's keep you in the dark a bit longer."
With that, the black mist rolled back into the sleeves of Shadow Nine. Blaze Morrow, Bob, and Sam all lay unconscious on the ground. Only Shadow Nine stood still, staring intently at the monitor. When he was alone, a rare fervor appeared on his gaunt old face, his eyes seemingly sparking with fire, his thin body containing terrifying energy, as if his life was burning!
"Come on, let me see." "The future supreme being of my human race, just what can you achieve!" With that, Shadow Nine's feet burst into a cloud of black mist that shot into the console.
Inside the testing room, Mike saw the entire room suddenly flash red, and all tests halted. He looked around warily. A series of notes popped up before his eyes: [Some 'despicable' old guy has initiated a tier nine Battle Soldiers test—Thor Custom Edition] [Next up is a projection left by a supreme being, possessing one-tenth the strength of the supreme being in his prime] [You'd better pray you get the projection of supreme being Morpheus]
Seeing this note, Mike asked in slight surprise, "Why Morpheus? Because the supreme being [Morpheus] is the weakest?"
Of the three supreme beings, Mike had heard the most about [Morpheus], who seemed to oversee the rear base on Earth.
Eye of Truth quickly provided an answer. [Fighting against Morpheus, death is the least painful way, even sweet-smelling] Before the battle even started, Eye of Truth had already sentenced Mike to death. The notes before Mike's eyes suddenly twisted, the text becoming exceptionally blurry. This was the first time Mike had encountered such a situation! Although Eye of Truth was sometimes playful, its SSS-tier talent had never been lost!
Finally, the letters coalesced into a few barely discernible words: [He, has arrived!]