1st of July, the hour of darkness. Nobody knew what time it was right now. Only the damp summer wind blew past the faces of everyone present, spreading a hint of coolness into the air.
In front of them was a vast land.
Surrounding everyone was an endless and desolate forest zone.
Ahead of them was a massive campsite, exuding a faintly discernible pressure that intimidated everyone's hearts.
Silence!
A good ten, odd medium-sized buses transported a total of 300 people there.
They were gathered before the gates of the campsite.
"It's so quiet."
Tang Hong's pupils contracted.
He didn't know whether the others had realized it. This area seemed to have lost its vitality amidst the summer. The chirping of the cicadas and croaks of the frogs could not be heard.
Nothing could be heard.
The huge campsite that towered ahead looked to be extremely dim with only specks of light occasionally blinking.
Nobody left, nobody entered. Everyone could not help but stare at one another.
Perhaps because there were 300 people gathered together that somehow made them feel relaxed with their numbers as the others chatted with one another in low voices.
"Before we came here, they confiscated our phones, watches, and all electronic devices. Could it be that this is a confidential strategic point? Are they taking strict precautions against the leaking of the campsite's location?"
"Even the Buddha pendant that I've worn for ten odd years wasn't permitted to be worn."
"Sigh. It's already this late. Are they going to let us sleep?"
"Don't make a sound. Look… the number one seeded trainee, Xiao Ziyun is at that side. He's standing with his eyes closed. He must have some inside information."
The number one seeded trainee came from the Guangnan Province.
He was a youthful, handsome man with delicate features.
The fringe before his forehead fluttered with the wind.
Along with the whispers, a lot of people quietly recalled Xiao Ziyun's name.
Even Guo Bojun turned his head to look in his direction. After checking into the hotel, he got acquainted with two to three people from the North Lake Province. From them, he gained some understanding of Transcendent beings.
"The limit of Willpower is the greatest obstacle in one's advancement to transcendence. Once it is broken, it is essentially certain that a person will become a Transcendent being."
Guo Bojun thought that becoming a Transcendent depended on progress.
That the path to Transcendent was similar to fantasy cultivation from those books.
This also caused Guo Bojun to be even more envious of this number one seeded trainee, Xiao Ziyun.
"It is said that Xiao Ziyun is only a thin line away from his limit of Willpower. When he crosses over, it would be a boundless ocean for him to explore."
Right ahead—within the campsite—a tall and big figure slowly appeared.
Everybody hurriedly stopped talking.
Then, they saw a brawny buff man about 1.9 meters tall dressed in dark-colored clothes arriving indifferently in front of them. He swept a glance at everyone. There was a hideous scar extending from his left eyelid to his left cheek.
He looked intimidating.
The masses stood obediently.
The brawny buff man instructed in a deep voice.
"Males, five columns to my right. Females, three columns to my left."
That was it.
Jiang Lulu could not help but laugh out loud.
"What if there is someone who proceeds to in the middle?"
"…"
Tang Hong's expression froze.
She truly was lacking in the intelligence section.
One had to check the occasion when cracking a joke.
'She won't get into trouble, would she?'
Tang Hong darted a glance through the corner of his eye.
Jiang Lulu stood with a group of female trainees.
They were about seven to eight meters away from him.
"Eh?"
The brawny buff man lifted his eyes and walked step by step towards Jiang Lulu with his hands behind his back. Wherever he passed by, people could not help but retreat to the sides to make way for him.
The scene was extremely solemn. Only the wind blew past and howled.
"Why did you laugh?"
The brawny buff man seemed like a massive pillar nailed to the ground. He looked down at Jiang Lulu from a height. There was about a meter's gap between the two of them.
Jiang Lulu was a little flustered now. The people around her all subconsciously distanced themselves, forming a great ring of emptiness. Beneath the night, only she was left facing this brawny buff man. Even if her intelligence was lacking, she too knew what fear was.
She pursed her lips in grave silence.
The brawny buff man nodded. "You stopped laughing. Why aren't you laughing anymore?"
Jiang Lulu was even more afraid.
"Laugh."
The burly buff man said calmly. "Laugh right now or else all of you will stand outside until daybreak."
Jiang Lulu's eyes went wide.
Tears formed around her eyes. How could she bring herself to laugh?
"Very well, everyone is going to stand until daybreak."
The brawny buff man returned to his earlier spot and waved his hand.
He indicated for everyone to line up.
Jiang Lulu did not budge. She sniffled and asked softly. "I'll stand alone. Will that do?"
"Louder."
"I will stand alone until daybreak."
"Louder."
"Punish me if you have to!"
Jiang Lulu shouted on impulse.
Right after that, someone grew annoyed and also shouted out loud from amongst the crowd.
"One should answer for what she does. Punishing her is enough. Don't implicate us!"
Swoosh!
There seemed to be a chilly gleam in the brawny buff man's gaze as he abruptly turned his head to look for the source of that voice. Making his way in a couple of steps, he shoved seven to eight people. His right hand with knotted muscles directly grabbed that person's collar.
It was someone who was with Guo Bojun.
Tang Hong wasn't too familiar with him. He only remembered that his surname was Qian.
"Come out!"
The brawny buff man threw him out of the crowd.
His calm expression turned into a ferocious one.
"Coward!"
This roar was like thunder. It exploded by his ears.
This caused his body to tremble all over.
His mind went blank and his eardrums were hurt.
"I'm not!"
He subconsciously protested.
The brawny buff man lifted the collar of his clothes.
His voice looked like it wanted to shake the heavens.
"Coward! Coward! Good-for-nothing that wastes rice! What do you want to say? That things change and the world can be changed in prosperity and decline?"
"I can declare that right now!"
"A rubbish like you will have to scram from the special training camp in less than a month!"
Seemingly triggered, that person's face turned red as he retorted while gnashing his teeth.
"So what if I leave here? It's the era of the Internet right now. Aren't you afraid that I will publish all of these on the internet? You're aware of the damage that can be done by bad exposure, and public account hotspots, right?!"
The brawny buff man faltered slightly upon hearing that.
He casually tossed that person aside.
"I welcome everyone to create trouble after you leave in the premise that you would still remember all of this."
"What I am about to say next…"
"I will only say once!"
"Other than trainees who have come here through the talent nomination channel, the majority, including the elders, relatives, and sponsors who sent you here, only understands that we are a Training Organization for Transcendents. As for what Transcendents are and what you will be facing in the future, they're completely unaware of it…"
"Transcendents aren't immortals. They are just normal humans with powerful Willpower."
"Transcendents are what makes up Transcendent World…"
"The Transcendent World is mainly divided into the government, military, and non-government organizations. The military is in charge of regional tasks in the international aspect. While non-government organizations are in charge of local tasks."
"Amongst the Transcendent Organizations in Hua Country, the Yellow River Organization is the undisputable chief!"
"As for the other organizations, I cannot be bothered to share."
"You will naturally get to know them when the opportunity arises in the future."
"This is because once you become a Transcendent, you cannot avoid coordinating and participating in the war. Yes, you did not hear it wrong. Coordinating and participating in the war against the gods and stopping their invasion."
"The relevant information will be told to you by the special professors once you have entered the camp."
After his words fell, the whole audience was dead silent.
It was as if they had been struck dumb by the earth-shattering news.
No one talked.
No one moved.
Because they were full of questions.
They absolutely did not know which one to ask.
Regardless of which question they wanted to ask first, it would be one-sided and their confusion wouldn't be resolved.
The brawny buff man nodded in satisfaction.
'This new batch's determination and resolve is pretty good. The previous batches were in a mess. Whispering into each other's ears before I was even done with my speech.'
"I'll say a few words."
"There are gods invading our world from other dimensions."
"As Transcendents, breaking through the limits of Willpower and the human body is our main priority. We have to gradually become the main force in resisting the gods' invasion in recent years."
"Wealth, power, status, and glory are at the fingertips of Transcendents!"
"All except reputation, don't even think about it. Transcendents are prohibited from participating in activities of any form that would allow them to gain fame!"
"This campsite, the cradle of Transcendents, focuses on Willpower training. Whoever can break through the limits of their Willpower will receive large amounts of resources. We will go all out to help you break through the limits of the human body and become a true Transcendent!"
"Mm…"
"I'll stop here for now…"
The brawny buff man tugged at his collar.
"Summing things up. Us—the Yellow River Organization is in charge of local resistance and attack tasks. We essentially do not go overseas. Once you've graduated from here, you'll become an official member and your very first job is to do some logistical work."
"Tempering yourselves little by little, until you become a Transcendent."
"This is the standard procedure. An extreme minority might be able to become a Transcendent within the training duration and pass everything in advance…"
"Now, anyone who has questions may raise their—Very good, no questions, I see…"
With that, the brawny buff man roared again.
"Everyone!"
"Stand until daybreak!"
The masses were divided into two sides. They formed a total of eight columns. The brawny buff man did not speak like he was nailed to the ground. His pair of stern eyes were intimidating as he examined every person in the crowd.
Time passed bit by bit.
Dawn finally arrived.
In face of the first rays of the morning sun, a crescent moon was still faintly visible.
It mounted in the faraway skies.
Tang Hong's heart stirred.
Dawn during early of July in the capital came at three to four am.
"Very good."
"Now all of you will begin to enter the camp."
The brawny buff man shrugged his shoulders then led the masses—all with fluctuating expressions and emotions—into the campsite.
…
Inside the campsite, a few people watched the situation outside.
"The chief instructor loves to scare little girls."
"Yeah, the chief instructor still has to show his authority. He has to find something wrong no matter how well-behaved they are… but getting these people to adjust their work and rest hours on the first day of entering the campsite is a little too hasty."
"It's good to do that now in case they cannot adapt in the future."
"I'll go take a look. It's best if Xiao Ziyun can train with me. Given his Willpower, he'd definitely become a Transcendent in less than three months."
"There's no need to look at the rest. There are no other good talents."