Chapter 118: Stirring Up Trouble

Struck by blade after blade, the pitiful beetle of the sands finally died with a wail. Its eight legs trembled, then stilled. As a gust of wind blew by, yellow sand covered up its body.

[You participated in the successful kill of a superior-grade beetle of the sands. By consuming the flesh of the superior-grade beetle of the sands, you may receive one to ten superior gene fragments.]

Unfortunately, this particular beetle didn't drop a soulshard. Fang Yi shook his head in exasperation. Despite all their hard work, they had only managed to obtain a few superior gene fragments, but even the fragments alone were a big prize.

Zhang Lie tutted at their disappointment. "Don't forget what the purpose of all this training is. You all still need to fill up your superior gene capacity, and you can acquire soulshards at any time afterwards!"

The others nodded, stored the beetle's body, and headed deeper into the desert. The further in they went, the stronger the lifeforms they encountered became. Some were even stronger than the beetle of the sands, but Zhang Lie didn't have to step in even once.

Although it looked as though the battles were getting more trying, the other members of Team Zenith succeeded at every challenge thrown at them and won victory after victory.

As they passed by a small oasis, Zhang Lie called for a halt.

"What's the matter, Captain?" Sun Mengmeng asked. Her white armor had turned black with stains and soot, and she looked a little worse for wear.

The other hunters of Team Zenith were in similar straits.

"This is as far as I'm going to go. It's time to head back," Zhang Lie informed them, stretching.

"We're stopping here? Aren't we only past the outer perimeter?" Sun Xiaowu asked. He didn't want to leave just yet—he'd acquired quite a lot of superior gene fragments in just a short while!

"I'm going to head back on my own. Once you guys don't feel like you can go any further, I'll come back and bring you back out. Don't get too close to the center," Zhang Lie cautioned.

Sun Mengmeng was about to say something when Zhang Lie's body suddenly flared with genetic energy, and he vanished into thin air.

Had he left just like that? Sun Mengmeng's face spasmed.

"Are we... alone now?" Yang Ze wondered.

"Don't you know what our captain's intentions are?" Sun Mengmeng sucked in a deep breath.

"Even in our previous encounters with superior-grade lifeforms, the fact that he was at our backs gave us significant confidence, and if nothing else, we could rely on him to clean up our mess. But now that he's gone, we have to be able to rely on ourselves," Fang Yi explained. He walked past the others and continued steadfastly onward.

The other hunters all calmed down, then followed suit. It was time for them to fight on their own.

Zhang Lie walked out of the desert humming to himself. After examining his teammates' skills for himself, he was confident that they wouldn't be in danger unless they were to wander into the heart of the desert. Furthermore, what would be the point of the training if he were present for all of it?

"I hate sand," he groused to himself. There were countless grains on his clothes and rubbing against his skin, and quite a few had fallen into the sole of his shoes.

A hot bath sounded particularly refreshing at the moment. He shook his head, frowning at the grains of sand the motion dislodged, and hurried back to the Blacksteel settlement, making a beeline for the Blacksteel Inn.

After a long, steaming bath, Zhang Lie sat cross-legged on his mattress as he began reflecting on [Eclipse].

Zhang Lie: a mortal lifeform

Framework: Foundation, Lv. MAX, Ninecarp Transformation, Second Form: Serpent Techniques: Rippling Walk (advanced), Three-Wave Crescendo (advanced), Calm Waters (advanced), Fists of the Silent Sea (advanced), The Boundless Blade (advanced), Eclipse (novice)

Genes: Basic, 160; Mutated, 150; Superior, 100

Soulshards: White Grub (superior), Galewolf (mutated), Blood Ant (superior), Potbellied Toad (mutated), Venombane Scorpion (superior), Eternalspring Cocoon (superior), Forest Wolfman (superior)

Zhang Lie's current stats were unrivaled by any hunter, past or present, in the first realm of the dimensional world.

His study of [Eclipse] proceeded surprisingly fruitfully, because he had unwittingly activated [Eclipse] during the Kez invasion. The life-or-death struggle had markedly enhanced his understanding of both [Eclipse] and the serpent form of [Ninecarp Transformation], and it might even be possible for him to break through with both techniques before the Void Cup.

Suddenly, Zhang Lie's transceiver beeped. The call was from Lawyer Zhang Hong. If she were calling, then there had to be an issue with the dojo. Zhang Lie accepted the call with a frown.

Zhang Hong's face stared at him. "Mr. Zhang, there have been some problems with the acquisition of land for the dojo. I'm afraid I'll have to speak with you in person about these issues," Zhang Hong reported seriously, her face grim.

Zhang Lie nodded, then arranged to meet with her immediately. Once the call ended, he rushed back to the real world, and then headed to Zhang Hong's office.

"What's the problem?" Zhang Lie asked.

"Everything had been going smoothly until we were told that the dojo leader's qualifications could not be ascertained."

Zhang Lie frowned. There had been a surprising amount of red tape associated with constructing a dojo, but Zhang Hong had dealt with all of it admirably.

The fact that there was only a problem with the dojo leader was quite curious. This particular piece of paperwork required demonstrable skill or experience from the intended dojo leader, so as to prevent charlatans from starting up their own dojo.

Given Zhang Lie's performance during the Kez invasion, this paperwork should have been trivial, and he had anticipated acquiring the land rights to be more problematic. How had the opposite happened?

"How could this be? Don't they know I'm the intended dojo leader?"

"The process had been going well, but after the government official in charge of the paperwork left to take a call, his attitude underwent a significant reversal, and he refused to grant the required certification," Zhang Hong reported.

It was obvious that someone was intending on preventing Zhang Lie from constructing his dojo.