Qin Feng looked across at Xiong Yanfu, Lei Meng, and Tie Mu.
Sure enough.
After a moment’s thought, the three of them—all equally proud and ambitious "General Star" geniuses—broke into identical smiles, their faces filled with a look of challenge and soaring fighting spirit.
"Heh heh."
Xiong Yanfu scratched his head, looking a little sheepish. "Um... I also applied to the Fearless Warband."
"Same here!"
Lei Meng followed right after, slapping his sturdy chest. "If I’m going to join one, it’s got to be the strongest!" he boomed. "It doesn’t cost anything to try, anyway. What if we actually get in?"
Finally, Tie Mu, though he said nothing, silently showed everyone the cold, automated reply email on his personal terminal. It was also from the "Fearless Warband Application Office."
The answer was self-evident.
Four people, four applications—their goal was shockingly unanimous.
—The number one ranked Warband at Cannan Star Martial Arts University: the Fearless Warband!
"Hahahahaha—!"
Seeing each other’s choices, the four of them exchanged a glance and a smile, then simultaneously burst into hearty laughter, full of youthful bravado.
Perhaps this was the unspoken understanding between geniuses—and the pride that came with it.
Even though they had just gotten a harsh reality check, sweeping streets and doing manual labor for a few paltry dozen Contribution Points;
Even though they knew full well the huge gap that still existed between them and the true upperclassmen;
But the pride of a "General Star" was etched into their very bones—that unwillingness to be outdone—and it was far from being worn down by harsh reality.
If they were going to choose, then of course, they had to choose the strongest!
"Alright! Since we all have the same goal, there’s no time like the present. Let’s head over there as a group and see what this number one Warband is all about!"
Xiong Yanfu proposed enthusiastically.
"Let’s go!"
Lei Meng and Tie Mu immediately agreed.
Wasting no time, the four of them paid their bill and left.
They opened the navigation systems on their personal terminals and entered the coordinates for the "Fearless" zone.
But as it turned out, the location was extremely far from their current position in the "Food God" zone.
Even taking the fastest public campus flyer would take several hours.
"That’s too far,"
Lei Meng said.
"What’s there to worry about?"
Xiong Yanfu just chuckled and pointed to a public teleportation point nearby. "Don’t forget, we’re inside the Cannan Star Martial Arts University campus. As long as we don’t leave the base area, Subspace Teleportation is free to use!"
As he spoke, he skillfully operated his personal terminal.
"And we’re off!"
As he hit the confirmation button, a silvery-white teleportation halo, pulsing with spatial Energy Fluctuations, instantly lit up beneath their feet.
In the next instant, the surrounding scenery shattered and reassembled like broken glass.
When their vision cleared, they found themselves in a vast, brand-new area filled with massive structures built in an Iron Blood style.
This was the "Fearless" zone.
Unlike the lively, bustling atmosphere of the "Food God" zone, everything here seemed to have been born for War.
The architectural style of the entire zone was that of a rugged, imposing military fortress.
Massive armories billowed thick smoke; from the boundless training grounds, the deafening sounds of explosions and shouts echoed intermittently.
Speeding across the sky were no longer the small, quaint public flyers, but armed shuttles painted with the Fearless Warband’s insignia, their designs possessing a sleek, deadly aesthetic.
The Martial Artists coming and going put even greater pressure on Qin Feng and his friends.
Every single person here, man or woman, radiated an almost tangible Evil Qi, cold and sharp.
Their gazes were as sharp as blades, their steps as steady as mountains, as if they were ready to charge onto a battlefield of blood and fire at a moment’s notice.
What was even more terrifying was that their auras were all exceedingly powerful.
Qin Feng could even sense that several of the figures who flashed past him had life force indexes far exceeding his own.
"Jeez... is everyone here this intense?"
Lei Meng couldn’t help but mutter, his voice filled with awe.
Not daring to linger, the four of them followed their navigation and found a magnificent building at the center of the zone—a structure that looked like a giant black sword piercing the clouds.
—Fearless Warband, Assessment Headquarters.
They walked through the main doors and into a spacious, brightly-lit reception hall.
A rather young-looking senior on duty was sitting behind the counter, scrolling idly through a light screen out of boredom. He lazily lifted his gaze.
"You need something?"
"Hello, senior."
Xiong Yanfu immediately put on a smile and stepped forward. "We’re freshmen who just received our notice for the Warband assessment. We were hoping to ask about the specific procedure."
"Oh? Freshmen?"
A flicker of interest appeared on the senior’s face.
He sized the four of them up and then asked, "What level Martial Artists are you? Have you submitted your applications on your personal terminals?"
"Yes, senior. We’ve all submitted them,"
Xiong Yanfu quickly replied. "We’re all freshmen who’ve been here for less than a year. Currently, we’re all Level 4 Martial Artists."
Hearing the four words "Level 4 Martial Artist," the senior’s brow twitched involuntarily.