Chapter 316: Investigating the Runic Tablets

Would Zhang Lie's special forces team really become the weakest team in the history of the Qi special forces, as one hunter had claimed? Of course not!

𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

The strength of the members of Team Zenith, soon to ascend to the second realm, was comparable to that of the team leaders of the special forces. They all possessed basic and mutated limit fragments, peak gene fragments, and were in the process of accumulating resources for superior limit fragments. The combination of all these limit fragments would undoubtedly produce incredible strength in the second realm.

Of course, the recruits participating in the selection process wouldn't be aware of this at all. In fact, they wouldn't realize the extent to which they were mistaken until they stepped into the examination hall and found all nine team leaders of the special forces, including Troop Leader Zhou Liao and the once-doubtful Zhuo Yihong, gathered there.

.

The troop leader was presiding over the selection process; the other eight team leaders were... taking the place of recruits. Were they all trying to be selected as regular members in Zhang Lie's team? Why? Were they crazy?

With the eight team leaders of the special forces gathered here, how would they be able to succeed? Didn't those hunters outside say that Zhang Lie's team would be the weakest of all?

The surprise appearance of the eight team leaders caused at least half of the recruits to retreat: those without the courage and strength to stand up to the current team leaders of the special forces, and those who understood that they were unlikely to succeed and didn't want to waste their time.

Their departure wasn't particularly problematic or troubling; at least it would save Zhou Liao some time. The remaining recruits surely had some measure of confidence in their strength.

A week passed in the blink of an eye.

Zhang Lie sat cross-legged in the training chamber built into his cottage, genetic energy flaring around him. So immense was the aura that all the hunters in the barracks could feel it as clear as day, as though they had awoken some primordial beast.

Zhou Liao and the other team leaders hastily assembled.

"Troop Leader Zhou, is Deputy Leader Zhang about to leave secluded cultivation?" Zhuo Yihong asked, his face bright and radiant. With a combination of skill and good fortune, he had managed to seize one of the three open slots in Zhang Lie's team for himself during the selection process.

Zhuo Yihong was an interesting fellow indeed. It had taken him a mere hour to transform his disdain for Zhang Lie into rabid worship: half an hour to listen to what he had done since entering the second realm, and half an hour to confirm the stories he had heard.

Ever since then, he had become Zhang Lie's #2 fan within the barracks.

Zhang Lie's #1 fan was Xia Na, who, unlike Zhuo Yihong, also entertained the notion of becoming Zhang Lie's partner. After all, she was in the prime of adulthood, and Zhang Lie seemed like a perfect choice. She believed that she was keeping these thoughts very well hidden, but the sparkle in her eyes whenever Zhang Lie was brought up betrayed her.

Upon hearing Zhuo Yihong's question, she too turned to Zhou Liao.

"How would I know? With fluctuations of this magnitude, however, I think I'd agree with you. Zhuo Yihong, go call that lucky lad Qin Tian over! Once Deputy Leader Zhang makes an appearance, I'll be able to hand all three of you to him. You and Xia Na have both handled matters in your respective teams already, haven't you?"

"I'll go immediately! We took care of our teams the day we heard the news." Zhuo Yihong beamed, then ran off into the distance. His impatience was obvious; the jealousy of the arrayed team leaders around, even more so.

They regretted that they hadn't prepared sufficiently for the selection process, but it was all too late. The three hunters who would join Zhang Lie's team had been chosen, and the rest of them had squandered their opportunity.

Within his training chamber, Zhang Lie inspected his body. The genetic energy within frothed—a clear sign that Zhang Lie was finally able to control his newfound strength. He clenched his fist, quelling the fluctuations instantly. Zhang Lie smiled. As he repeatedly unclenched and clenched his fist, his genetic energy stormed and raged, then fell as quiet as the surface of a placid lake.

This was the objective of his seclusion, which he had achieved perfectly. Even so, Zhang Lie didn't intend to leave the training chamber just yet. Instead, he wanted to familiarize himself with the four tablets of [Ninecarp Transformation]'s fourth form, the dragonturtle.

Ever since he summoned all four tablets to the ground at the same time, Zhang Lie had had the sensation that he was missing something, that each tablet surely possessed a unique function beyond being able to augment the others.

For instance, the first tablet yielded the strength of gravity. In combination with the augmentation from the other three tablets, along with the power of [Eclipse], he had been able to subjugate Wang Yanyi without any direct attacks whatsoever.

As a result, he was even more curious as to just what mysteries lay hidden in the depths of the other three tablets.