Half an hour later, they drove into the military district, where all the surrounding vehicles belonged to the military.

Soon, the car came to a stop.

"Isn't the Dragon's Dive Pavilion supposed to be in the mountains?" Chen Zheng asked curiously after getting out of the car.

"Due to limited funding, the Yun City branch of the Dragon's Dive Pavilion is located underground at the military base," Gongsun Ranyan explained as she led Chen Zheng into a bungalow.

The entrance was guarded by two armed soldiers who snapped to attention and saluted upon their arrival. Gongsun Ranyan elegantly returned the salute, while Chen Zheng awkwardly scratched his head.

They stepped into an elevator and descended, feeling as if they were entering another world. When the elevator stopped, Chen Zheng silently estimated they were about 200 meters underground.

Gongsun Ranyan led him forward, ready to unveil the secrets of the Yun City Dragon's Dive Pavilion. Just as Chen Zheng had suspected, the facility was hidden 200 meters underground, constructed entirely from a hardened alloy. The base had specialized training areas, storage for various firearms and medicinal pills, and equipment for monitoring special entities throughout Yun City. It was like a miniature world, containing almost everything they could possibly need.

"HA! HA! HEY!"

A chorus of powerful shouts reached their ears. Chen Zheng looked over curiously. In a vast, boundless hall, more than twenty warriors were training furiously, drenched in sweat. Their movements were like a violent storm sweeping across the floor.

"This is the ancient martial arts training hall. They are all heroes, returned victorious from the battlefield," Gongsun Ranyan said softly, a flicker of sorrow in her eyes.

Chen Zheng keenly perceived the shift in her mood. A hint of doubt surfaced in his mind, but he refrained from asking about it.

"Let's go in," Gongsun Ranyan suggested, stepping lightly into the hall.

Chen Zheng followed close behind. His gaze swept over the warriors, whose training was filled with a fiery passion, as if only by pushing their bodies to the absolute limit could they satisfy their inner desires.

"Pavilion Master!"

Their arrival was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples throughout. Everyone stopped their training and turned toward them, saluting in unison.

"Hold on for a moment. I'd like to introduce you to a new friend," she announced. "This is Major General Chen Zheng. From now on, he will be in charge of the Yun City branch of the Dragon's Dive Pavilion!"

"Welcome, Major General Chen!"

"We greet Major General Chen!" The veterans stood at attention and saluted crisply.

Feeling slightly awkward, Chen Zheng smiled. "Thank you all for the warm welcome."

Gongsun Ranyan, aware of Chen Zheng's discomfort, said simply, "Carry on!"

Without another word, the warriors returned to their training.

Gongsun Ranyan turned to face Chen Zheng, her eyes sparkling. "You may not realize it, Chen Zheng, but these men are the brightest jewels of our country."

Chen Zheng looked at her with confusion, waiting for her next words.

"As you know, although our country isn't engaged in a large-scale war, the battles on more subtle fronts have never ceased."

Chen Zheng understood her meaning; this was the very reason the Dragon's Dive Pavilion existed.

"They should have had limitless futures, but they over-exhausted their potential on the front lines defending the nation from foreign aggression. Now, they can no longer achieve any breakthroughs."

Chen Zheng furrowed his brow and released his perception. His senses laid bare the cultivation level of every person present. To his surprise, they were all at the peak of the Qi Condensation Realm, and some had even reached the level of a half-step Grandmaster. However, as his perception deepened, Chen Zheng discovered that their lifeblood was depleted, and their cellular vitality was astonishingly low.

Is this what she meant by overdrawing their potential? Chen Zheng thought to himself.

"Haha… It's ready! It's ready! Wu, come over here! Try this new Yuan Pei Pill I've refined. This time, I'm certain it will be beneficial!"

Just as Chen Zheng was lost in thought, an exuberant voice reached his ears. Stunned, he turned to see a white-haired old man approaching, holding a pill as black as ink in his palm.

This is supposed to be a Yuan Pei Pill? Chen Zheng's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Oh? Pavilion Master, I didn't realize you were here!" the old man exclaimed. "Forgive my impertinence, Pavilion Master. This is the newly developed Yuan Pei Pill. I'm confident it can awaken the dormant potential in these warriors."

The old man stepped forward and presented the night-black pill to Gongsun Ranyan. She took the pill and gave it a cursory glance. "Master Li, I'm a complete novice when it comes to alchemy."

"No matter! This pill will surely be of great help!" Master Li said, then turned and shouted, "Wu, get over here!"

A burly man who looked to be in his thirties strode forward.

"Master Li, please, don't make me test it again," Wu pleaded, his face a mask of bitterness. "After the last time, I had diarrhea for a solid week! It nearly wrecked me!"

Gongsun Ranyan gracefully made the introductions. "Chen Zheng, this is Master Li, the resident alchemist for our Yun City branch of the Dragon's Dive Pavilion." She then gestured to the other man. "And this is Wu. He retired from the front lines a year ago."

Chen Zheng nodded slightly in acknowledgement. He knew that in the world of the Dragon's Dive Pavilion, using codenames was part of their unique culture.

"Hey! Haven't you always dreamed of unlocking your potential, breaking through to the Grandmaster realm, and returning to the front?" Master Li said to Wu. "I guarantee this pill will help you achieve that goal. Quick, take it!"

He shoved the Yuan Pei Pill into Wu's hand. Wu accepted it with a hesitant expression. However, when he thought of his comrades still on the front lines, his eyes hardened with resolve.

Just as he raised his hand to swallow the pill, a voice stopped him.

"If you take that pill, you'll collapse from exhaustion."

Wu froze, his hand stopping mid-air. The memory of that week of agonizing diarrhea flashed through his mind.

Master Li's eyes widened as he glared at Chen Zheng. "And who are you? I've never seen you before. What gives you the right to criticize a pill I've painstakingly refined?"

Gongsun Ranyan quickly interjected, "Master Li, this is Major General Chen, a Rongtian Realm expert!"

She knew Master Li was incredibly proud of his alchemical creations and tolerated no criticism. If she didn't defuse the situation, an argument was sure to break out. Although she could use her authority as Pavilion Master to suppress him, alchemists needed to be handled with care. They were an eccentric and unpredictable lot. If Master Li got angry and halted his research, it would be a huge blow to the Dragon's Dive Pavilion.

"Major General Chen? A Rongtian Realm expert?" A flicker of surprise crossed Master Li's eyes as he sized up the young man. But his temper flared again. "So what if he's a Rongtian Realm expert? That doesn't give him the right to pass judgment on my alchemy!" he scoffed.

Chen Zheng frowned slightly. "I'm not passing judgment," he said calmly. "I'm stating a fact."

"A fact?" Master Li fumed. "Hah! And what do you know of the Dao of Alchemy?"

Chen Zheng replied bluntly, "You call this a pill? Its medicinal energies are a chaotic mess. If an ordinary person were to consume it, they would already be dead!"

"You… you dare question my alchemy? I have dedicated my entire life to exploring its mysteries, and you claim my pills are lethal?" Master Li's face was contorted with rage. To him, Chen Zheng's words were not just an insult—they were a complete negation of his life's work. He could not tolerate it.

"Chen Zheng, you…" Gongsun Ranyan's expression shifted, but before she could speak, Chen Zheng cut her off.

"This is the culmination of your life's pursuit? Then you should stop pursuing it. You have no talent for it."

Chen Zheng's words left everyone present utterly stunned.

Master Li was the top alchemist in the Yun City Dragon's Dive Pavilion. And now, some newcomer was telling him he had no talent?

What in the world was happening?

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