The Sky Shuttle was meant for Luo Feng.
Of course, Han Jue wouldn't simply hand it over, that would defeat the purpose entirely. The protagonist needed challenges to grow, trials that would forge him into the warrior he was destined to become. A few carefully designed tests would ensure Luo Feng earned his reward properly.
As for the ancient civilization gravity chamber Hong had provided, arrangements were already underway to have it delivered to the designated location. Rimuru had examined the specifications and confirmed he could modify the equipment to enhance its effectiveness significantly.
Hong and Thunder God departed for the War God Palace to handle administrative matters and coordinate preparations for the upcoming assault on the Monster Kings, an operation that would require meticulous planning and precise timing.
After concluding his discussion with Hong, Han Jue made his way to the elite training camp.
September 23rd had arrived.
Luo Feng was deep in the wilderness hunting area when Han Jue materialized directly in front of him, his sudden appearance cutting through the air like a blade.
"Han Jue?"
Luo Feng, who'd been systematically eliminating monsters with practiced efficiency, nearly stumbled in surprise at the unexpected interruption.
"Why aren't you a War God yet?" Han Jue asked, his brow furrowing with genuine confusion and perhaps a hint of disappointment.
"Wait, what?" Luo Feng blinked, momentarily thrown by the question. "I've only been in the training camp for a little over a month. Should I already be at War God level by now?"
"You need more intense experiences," Han Jue said matter-of-factly, as if the answer should be obvious. "Real pressure. Genuine life-or-death situations."
Luo Feng possessed a unique quality, he was like a sponge thrown into deep water. The more pressure applied, the more potential surfaced, the more capabilities emerged from reserves he didn't know he possessed. It was a trait Han Jue recognized and respected, having seen hints of it even in their brief encounters.
The training camp environment, while valuable, simply couldn't provide sufficient stimulus for someone of Luo Feng's caliber. With his strength as a high-level War God-equivalent Spirit Reader, as long as he avoided provoking lord-level monsters, he faced virtually no genuine threats in the designated hunting grounds. The challenges were too manageable, too predictable, too safe.
Safety bred complacency. Complacency was the enemy of growth.
"Do you want to accelerate your development?" Han Jue asked, studying Luo Feng's expression carefully.
"Can you do that?" Luo Feng's eyes lit up immediately, interest and eagerness warring with natural caution.
"Of course." Han Jue's smile widened slightly. "I'll grant you exclusive access to an ancient civilization gravity chamber, far superior to what's available in the training camp. Additionally, I'll provide Spirits of Plants and Trees to enhance your physical foundation."
He paused, letting that generous offer sink in before revealing the catch.
"Your task is simple in concept, difficult in execution. You have two options. First: kill a lord-level monster in single combat while still at high-level warrior physical level. Second: master the third stage of the Nine-Layer Thunder Blade before October 1st." Han Jue's tone turned more serious. "Succeed at either challenge, and I'll reward you with Dragon Blood and a third-rank Spirit Reader weapon."
"Well?" He tilted his head slightly, his gaze sharp and assessing. "Are you confident you can accomplish this?"
Silence stretched between them as Luo Feng considered the proposition, his analytical mind clearly weighing risks against potential benefits, calculating probabilities and examining his own capabilities with the brutal honesty of a true warrior.
Han Jue didn't push, didn't interrupt the contemplation. He simply watched quietly, allowing Luo Feng the space to make his own choice without external pressure. This decision had to be genuine, had to come from within, or it would be worthless.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity compressed into mere minutes, Luo Feng looked up with determination burning in his eyes.
"I accept," he said firmly, his voice steady and resolute.
Han Jue nodded with obvious satisfaction, then turned and departed without further ceremony, leaving Luo Feng with nothing but his retreating figure silhouetted against the sky.
"Han Jue, why are you helping him?" Rimuru's voice echoed in his mind, carrying genuine curiosity rather than judgment.
"Consider it an investment in humanity's future," Han Jue replied, his consciousness focused on the horizon as he rose higher above the clouds. From this vantage point, he could see Luo Feng below, still standing motionless, likely processing everything that had just transpired.
"Humanity?" Rimuru repeated, his tone suggesting this answer had surprised him somehow.
"It's nothing," Han Jue said dismissively, already shifting his attention to other matters. "Let's go. I know the location of a well-preserved spaceship that might prove useful."
His figure blurred with explosive speed, disappearing into the distance and leaving only disturbed air currents in his wake.
Deep beneath the Three Gorges, in the Bronze City's labyrinthine depths, Han Hechang was in dire straits.
Blood trickled from the corners of his mouth in thin rivulets, staining his combat uniform. His breathing came in harsh, labored gasps. He could barely maintain an upright stance, using the Everlasting Sword as an improvised crutch to keep himself from collapsing entirely onto the ancient bronze floor.
This isn't a pharmaceutical facility at all, it's a damn weapons depot!
Han Hechang wanted to curse the heavens for his monumentally bad luck.
Only his considerable strength had allowed him to survive the relentless traps thus far. A lesser warrior would have perished dozens of times over by now, their broken body just another addition to the Bronze City's collection of failed explorers.
The Bronze City had revealed itself to be far more complex and dangerous than initial intelligence suggested. Rather than a simple pharmaceutical factory or even a weapons arsenal, it resembled a massive secured warehouse, something designed to store incredibly valuable materials while deterring unauthorized access with lethal prejudice.
The facility could be roughly divided into three distinct zones: the medicinal materials area, the weapons storage area, and the archives section.
Each zone featured different trap configurations, arranged in escalating sequences of lethality that seemed specifically calibrated to test intruders of varying strength levels.
The medicinal materials area posed the lowest threat level. In the outer sections, even a Beast General-level warrior could navigate safely if they remained cautious. The inner areas presented greater challenges, but as long as one avoided the deepest chambers, even War Gods could explore with acceptable risk.
The weapons area was an entirely different matter.
The outer sections contained traps that posed genuine threats to War God-level warriors, requiring constant vigilance and quick reflexes. In the inner areas, even high-level War Gods needed to concentrate absolutely, a single moment of distraction could prove instantly fatal.
The two mid-level War Gods from the Xu and Wang families had learned this lesson the hard way. Their deaths had been quick, brutal, and ultimately meaningless, killed by ancient mechanisms before they could even scream warnings to their companions.
Han Hechang hadn't yet ventured into the archives area. He didn't dare. If the pattern held true, whatever security measures protected those ancient texts would make the weapons area look like a children's playground by comparison.
The three mercenaries from the Glory Legion had gotten separated almost immediately upon entering the Bronze City, scattered by what appeared to be a deliberate maze design that forced groups to split apart. Whether they were dead or still alive remained unknown, though Han Hechang suspected the former was far more likely.
It was only after Han Hechang penetrated deeper into the weapons area that he'd encountered the two unfortunate War Gods from the Xu and Wang families. He'd also witnessed their final moments, watching helplessly as automated defenses tore them apart with clinical efficiency.
The deaths of those two warriors had triggered something far worse than simple traps.
A mechanical guardian now prowled the area, a robot whose combat capabilities exceeded even high-level War Gods. The machine moved with fluid precision, its sensors sweeping the corridors methodically as it searched for additional intruders to eliminate.
Han Hechang had managed to wedge himself into a narrow corner, his body pressed against cold bronze walls, his breathing shallow and controlled. He prayed silently that the guardian would move on, that its patrol pattern would take it elsewhere, that he might find an opportunity to escape this death trap.
"Uncle? Do you need help?"
Han Hechang froze completely, his heart nearly stopping.
That voice,
October 1st arrived with the pale light of dawn.
Inside the War God Palace, an emergency assembly had been called.
Hong and Thunder God appeared simultaneously at the front of the great hall, flanked by the other Speakers and all active Warlord-level warriors. The atmosphere crackled with tension and barely suppressed anticipation.
Furthermore, nearly every War God on Earth who could physically attend had received the summons and made the journey to the Palace. The hall hadn't been this crowded in decades, perhaps not since the darkest days immediately following the Great Nirvana.
"What's happening? Why has everyone been called here?"
"I don't know. An announcement of some kind? New council members, perhaps?"
"Something big is about to happen. I can feel it."
"Quiet, Hong is about to speak."
The murmured speculation died instantly as Hong stepped forward to address the assembled warriors.
"I've called you all here today because I have two critical announcements to make," Hong said, his voice carrying effortlessly across the vast chamber despite its conversational volume. The audience fell into absolute silence, every eye fixed on Earth's strongest warrior.
"First, we are welcoming a new member to the War God Palace leadership, the newly appointed Third Speaker, Han Jue!"
The chamber erupted into chaos.
"What?"
"Han Jue? Which Han Jue?"
"Wait, isn't Mo Henderson the Third Speaker?"
"The Han family's prodigy?"
The American War Gods looked particularly confused, their gazes shifting to Mo Henderson, known as the 'Ice Emperor' among his peers. But seeing Henderson's stiff expression and notably absent protest, they wisely chose to remain silent, though their bewilderment was written plainly across their features.
Han Jue materialized before the assembled crowd with a casual smile, offering a polite greeting to the sea of stunned faces.
"It really is him. Han Jue of the Han family. Isn't he only sixteen years old?"
"A sixteen-year-old Third Speaker of Earth? Unprecedented!"
"Thank God I never antagonized his family!"
"My daughter isn't married yet, perhaps I should encourage her to build a relationship with him."
"Your daughter is already in her forties! My granddaughter is only fourteen, which is far more age-appropriate, "
"Silence!" Hong's voice cut through the speculation like a blade. "Han Jue's appointment as Third Speaker was a unanimous decision made jointly by the five Speakers and all councilors. This decision is final and irrefutable."
Any thought of protest died before it could form into words.
Over the past several days, Thunder God had systematically invited every potential objector for what he'd called "friendly sparring sessions." Han Jue had defeated each challenger individually with embarrassing ease. When several had attempted to fight him simultaneously in desperation, they still couldn't so much as touch the hem of his clothing.
After experiencing that level of overwhelming superiority firsthand, who would dare voice objections now?
"The second announcement," Hong continued, his expression growing graver, "concerns the safety and future of every human being on Earth."
The casual atmosphere evaporated instantly. Every warrior in the chamber straightened, their full attention locked on Hong with laser focus.
"Could it be, ?" Jia Yi's eyes widened with sudden hope, though he kept his speculation to himself, afraid to voice it prematurely.
"After extensive deliberation and strategic planning," Hong announced, his voice resonating with controlled power, "we have decided to officially launch a general offensive against the global monster population in seven days, on October 8th. Thunder God, Han Jue, and I will engage and neutralize the Monster Kings. The remaining Speakers and all councilors will coordinate the assault on the monster hordes. Once we've dealt with the Beast Kings, we will join the main battle."
He paused, letting the magnitude of that statement sink in before delivering his final declaration.
"In this battle, we will reclaim Earth for humanity! A new era begins now!"
"YES!" Jia Yi roared his approval, his voice cracking with emotion.
As the highest-ranking military commander in the Chinese armed forces, he had witnessed the separation and death of countless soldiers over the decades. Since the Great Nirvana, uncountable numbers of people had perished at the claws and fangs of monsters. Humanity had been forced to retreat into fortified base cities, living in constant fear of monster hordes overwhelming their defenses.
The monsters had taken too much. Killed too many. Destroyed too thoroughly.
Now, finally, there was genuine hope of ending this nightmarish era. How could Jia Yi not respond with every fiber of his being?
Others quickly joined the ovation, their voices rising in a thunderous chorus of approval and determination. Since the Great Nirvana had shattered civilization, the people of Earth had suffered under the constant threat of monster attacks. Now they finally saw hope, not just for survival, but for victory, for reclamation, for a future where humanity controlled its own destiny once more.
"Excellent!" Hong smiled with grim satisfaction. "Return to your posts and begin preparations. Coordinate defensive measures for the base cities and ready your forces for combat. This will be humanity's defining moment!"
Everyone nodded with fierce determination before logging off the virtual assembly, each warrior racing to spread this momentous news and begin the complex preparations for the operation that would determine humanity's fate.
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