Xu Tian walked forward.
The investigators' gazes followed his movement.
He was a young man, seemingly not of great age. Was he a First-Tier Awakener or a Second-Tier?
Most investigators were unfamiliar with "Xin Huo" (Salary Fire/Flame of Hope, a literal translation that sounds a bit odd in English, but adhering to the rule of not explaining), but judging by his appearance, this young man, apart from being composed, didn't quite project the aura of a great master.
Fan Anyuan, on the other hand, appeared stronger, like a warrior of iron will, but still not a commanding general with an unparalleled presence.
What did true top-tier powerhouses look like?
Many Special-Tier investigators thought of Director Huang and Director Tang, especially Director Huang. Nearly all the Special-Tiers present had seen Director Huang, had close contact with him, and felt an overwhelming pressure emanating from him, as if facing a colossal beast, making them feel incredibly pressured in his presence.
Director Tang was similar.
He possessed an invincible aura of forging ahead, of being the only one who dared.
This was confidence, a confidence built over years and accumulated into an overwhelming dominance.
Yang Chang and Master Ma also carried the demeanor of masters.
But this young man did not.
Upon closer inspection, they could see his face was still youthful, and he couldn't have been awakened for long.
They were unaware, but Yang Chang was very clear.
He knew that Fan Anyuan and Xu Tian were not core members of "Xin Huo," and they had come from this training base. Their awakening times might even be... no, they were definitely not as long as his own.
Much, much shorter than his.
Then, his strength...
Yang Chang didn't believe he would be weak. The people of "Xin Huo" couldn't be judged by normal standards. Even with a short awakening period, Xu Tian and Fan Anyuan before him were likely Second-Tier Awakeners.
So,
How much numerical value could he achieve?
Could it be lower than mine, or... could it be higher than mine?
But my numerical value is directly related to my powerful abilities, he thought.
On the testing platform, Xu Tian's arm ignited with flames, the roaring flames transforming into a giant hand.
This was his ability – Flame Fist!
It was decent, not weak, but compared to the few abilities that could be manipulated creatively, Flame Fist had less developmental potential.
There was someone among the Special-Tiers who possessed this ability.
And he was present.
He had just achieved a score of 2.4, which wasn't low, but it was certainly not a high score.
The giant Flame Fist attached to Xu Tian's right hand didn't continuously flicker with flames. Instead, in the blink of an eye, it retracted and compressed, the entire giant hand resembling flowing lava.
The lava giant hand's five fingers curled inward towards the palm, clenching into a fist.
Flame Fist – Maintained – Solidified – Condensed State!
And...
Basic Fist Technique – Expert Level!
Cannon Fist – Expert Level!
On the lava-like giant fist, a crimson fist shadow appeared, and before the investigators could clearly see, it slammed out with a boom, striking the crystal block not far away.
A wave of heat erupted.
A red storm swirled, but it was quickly absorbed by the devices around the testing platform.
Even so, the wind blew up many people's hair. They stared at the front of the crystal block, which rippled violently, then their eyes moved up to see a conspicuous, dazzling number that forced them to rub their eyes before looking again.
— 36.6!
More than double the value of the Sword Wielder Yang Chang!
Was this possible? But after recalling the explosive power unleashed in that instant, the investigators couldn't help but feel that this numerical value was reasonable.
However,
"Is this a 'Flame Fist' ability? Why can it unleash such immense power? This is unreasonable!"
The speaker was an Awakener who possessed this ability.
Codename 'Fire Fist'.
He had initially thought he was quite capable, his Flame Fist was imposing, but upon seeing Xu Tian's Flame Fist, he was utterly stunned and felt he could no longer claim to have the Flame Fist ability.
He was disgracing his awakened ability!
Perhaps he should change his codename upon returning.
Wait, speaking of which, does the Flame Fist awakened ability have unparalleled potential? Will I also rise to prominence?
The Special-Tier 'Fire Fist' was questioning his life, yet also felt a surge of excitement.
At this moment,
Looking at the numbers appearing on the detection platform, Xu Tian frowned, somewhat disappointed.
"Less?"
"What was your previous test score?" Fan Anyuan asked.
"35.1, that was two days ago. I didn't expect such a small increase."
Xu Tian was indeed not satisfied.
A question mark slowly formed on the foreheads of the surrounding investigators.
Such a significant increase, achieved in just two days, and you're still not satisfied?
If only you could give us your dissatisfaction!
People shouldn't be so feigning humility!
However, Fan Anyuan also nodded, "The improvement is indeed a bit slow. The affairs of the base are important, but your own cultivation cannot be neglected."
Investigators: "??? "
...
Lu Renyi was an ordinary Special-Tier investigator.
His qualifications were neither very deep nor very shallow. His abilities were not particularly outstanding, but not weak either. Yesterday, his ability test yielded an average score of 2.1.
He had always been an ordinary member among the Special-Tiers, his dream being to live a life of retirement.
If the job of an investigator could truly last until retirement age.
Likely not.
Carrying the weighted vest, Lu Renyi began his training for the day.
Some of these training methods were familiar to him, others were not. He didn't care, nor did he have the energy to care. He could only lament that it was no wonder "Xin Huo" had to test their physique, spirit, and awakened abilities in advance... this was pushing their energy and physical strength to their limits.
It wasn't until eleven o'clock at night, after a day of high-intensity training, that Lu Renyi returned to his dormitory and had leisure time to think about other things.
He still had tasks.
They, the investigators, had to summarize their day's training schedule.
Lu Renyi began to recall. As his stamina gradually recovered, he suddenly realized, "My strength seems to have increased?"
"Mine too?"
"It seems to have improved. This is too miraculous!"
Several investigators felt their strength had increased, but also thought it might be an illusion caused by the high training intensity. How could there be a noticeable improvement in just one day?
Normally, with no options, they would just go to sleep.
Even at their Investigation Bureau's headquarters, they had equipment like punch machines, but at this moment, they lacked the strength to unleash their full power.
But today, they were at "Xin Huo's" base, where there were methods to precisely measure physique and spirit.
And they were very simple.
Thinking of this, they could no longer hold back.
"Let's go."
"Me too."
Lu Renyi had already drunk a recovery potion. Although his legs felt as if they were filled with lead, and his body yearned for the neatly made bed,
He still dragged his somewhat heavy body and hurried towards the testing grounds.
Upon arriving, he saw that the lights were bright, and there was a clamor coming from within, with more moving figures than he had imagined.
"My... my physique has improved by 0.2 units!"
"Mine increased by 0.3. No wonder I feel full of strength, as if I could punch a bull to death."
The investigators were extremely surprised.
Besides going on missions, the most they did was train, training day and night.
Only with a strong enough body would they have more opportunities when facing strange evils. If they were to awaken one day, a strong physique would also be the greatest guarantee.
The stronger the body, the easier it was to survive the dangers of awakening.
This was one of the few conclusions related to awakening that could be verified.
The investigators lifted weights every day.
However, the human body had limits. After months of training, their strength might not improve much. Perhaps... not even as much as they had improved today.
Was this reasonable?
This might not be reasonable, but they were ecstatic about it!
The investigators' gazes gradually grew fervent.
Lu Renyi, who had overheard their conversation, also felt his heart gradually heat up. He walked onto the testing platform.
"Beep~"
A pleasant sound echoed, and so did his mood.
Looking at the emerging numerical value, he couldn't help but smile, "In one day, my physique improved by 0.5 units. Hiss—"
Even a laid-back investigator like Lu Renyi was going mad.
The ordinary investigators and trainees were even more so. Now they finally understood why this was said to be a once-in-a-millennium opportunity.
No, this was a truly rare opportunity!
They had to seize it firmly.
...
"The relationship with 'Xin Huo' must be firmly grasped."
"I had previously thought that 'Xin Huo's' training methods were very magical and yielded great improvements, but I still didn't expect it to be this exaggerated."
When the information from various teams was compiled and presented to him, Yang Chang was greatly shocked.
Even though the people from "Xin Huo" had explicitly stated that this was the first day and they still had a lot of potential to tap, which accounted for such speed, and that it wouldn't be this rapid in the future.
At most, it would be moderately rapid.
This efficiency could be said to be tens of times that of their Investigation Bureau's training, and that wouldn't be an exaggeration.
However, Yang Chang still couldn't understand.
"While 'Xin Huo' does have many novel training apparatuses and the accompanying nutritional meals are also very special, can these alone achieve tens of times the efficiency?"
He was not clear.
He himself had also made significant improvements today without realizing it.
Moreover, what was conducted today seemed to be only 'basic training.' From the introduction in the 'Student Handbook,' Yang Chang learned that this training base also had several treasure spots.
One of them was extremely beneficial for improving mental strength.
He followed the navigation and found this treasure spot, located on the outskirts of the base, or rather, in the deep mountains.
The dense forest suddenly opened up before his eyes, and a lake appeared. The sound of gurgling water reached his ears. Yang Chang quickened his pace and soon saw—
Above the lake was a giant lotus flower in full bloom. Each petal of the lotus was a massive platform, and on each platform were placed meditation cushions, spaced tens of meters apart.
At this moment,
Bathed in the warm, soft light from the lotus, Yang Chang could see figures sitting on some of the cushions.
They sat with their eyes closed, as quiet as statues. A few of them even seemed to blend into their surroundings, making it difficult to notice a person was there without close inspection.
In the inner circle of the lotus base, pavilions had been built.
Having read the instructions, Yang Chang knew that the pavilions were 'private training spaces,' and the cushions outside were 'hall training spaces.' What amazed him was that despite being shaped like pavilions, and with three of them already in use, when he looked, it was as if he were peering through layers of gauze, unable to see anything.
There were simply too many astonishing things at "Xin Huo."
He didn't exclaim in admiration, but quietly softened his footsteps.
Because this was the Lotus Pond, maintaining silence was the primary rule. Anyone who caused a disturbance here would be warned, deducted points, and in severe cases, even expelled.
Yang Chang naturally would not. He was here to cultivate.
He walked to the lakeside and stepped onto the stone slabs suspended over the water. As he set foot on the lotus platform, the world around him seemed to quiet down.
His heart also calmed, with only the sound of the surrounding stream gurgling.
With a mysterious rhythm.