Ultragenic Warlord

Chapter 318: Return to the Zenith Dojo

After greeting Zhang Lie, the other team leaders left. Soon, Xia Na, Zhuo Yihong, and Qin Tian were the only three hunters remaining.

"Alright, while they're all gone, let me go over my expectations briefly. There are only two important commandments in my team: first, don't provoke others, but don't back down if provoked; second, honor our ideals and fulfill our objectives with overwhelming strength. Do you understand?"

The three new team members couldn't help but think back to how Zhang Lie had utterly destroyed Phoenix in the Void Cup, as well as how Zhang Lie had sallied alone into the throngs of the Kez to defeat a three-star black-tipped scarab in the fight that had catapulted him to fame.

These were good ideals to live by.

"Yes, Captain!" the three hunters replied as one, their tone resolute.

Their past backgrounds didn't matter; from today onwards, Xia Na, Zhuo Yihong, and Qin Tian would be nothing more—and nothing less—than Zhang Lie's team members.

"Alright, that's it. Since your lodgings have already been prepared for you, feel free to get settled in. For the moment, continue your personal training. I'll discuss how we'll split our resources once the rest of Team Zenith enters the second realm. If there's anything urgent, I'll contact you. Before the rest of Team Zenith joins us, I expect we won't get any missions. Cherish this period of peace and quiet—it won't last long!"

To be honest, Zhang Lie wasn't sure what plans Governor Xiao had for his team. Zhang Lie certainly wouldn't have organized a team on his own given that he already had Team Zenith, and he didn't know how to incorporate the three new members with the rest of Team Zenith.

Fortunately, Fang Yi and Sun Mengmeng would quickly ascend to the second realm, and he would be able to delegate this responsibility to them.

As for him, he had his own goals in mind. There were two pressing objectives for him at the moment. He had to quickly understand and master the use of the dragonturtle's four tablets, then start preparing to amass superior gene fragments for himself. The four tablets could be easily mastered with time and effort, he was certain; the superior gene fragments would be harder.

Compared to the lifeforms of the first realm, those of the second were far more intelligent, even more so than ordinary adults. Their intelligence meant that they would gather and roam in herds and packs, and even in alliances.

In the second realm, it was relatively easy to obtain basic and mutated gene fragments, but the difficulty of amassing superior gene fragments increased at least a hundredfold. After all, it was rare for superior-grade lifeforms to wander alone; all were members of some pack or alliance. As a result, every superior gene fragment a hunter could acquire was a precious commodity indeed.

Trying to hunt down a superior-grade lifeform meant dealing with the retribution from the pack it was in, so mankind had had no choice to work solely in teams and groups as well. It was simply too unrealistic to expect one person to handle a whole horde of lifeforms.

There could well be a rare few peak-grade lifeforms leading such a horde, and these corresponded to lord-class hunters in terms of strength.

Zhang Lie was a lord-class hunter himself, but facing two or more peak-grade lifeforms simultaneously would still be too much of a challenge for him to take on. Thus, Zhang Lie would have to make significant preparations before he could feel comfortable about wandering out of the city on his own.

Fortunately, in his past life, Zhang Lie had become an excellent pillmaster, and dealing with a horde of superior-grade lifeforms was much easier with potions that perfectly countered their strengths and exposed their weaknesses.

As a result, Zhang Lie quickly traveled back to Earth, to the Zenith Dojo. In the dojo's basement was a top-secret laboratory expressly for his use. Much of the spiritual herbs that he had gathered within the first realm were stored here. His potbellied-toad pouch had been full to bursting, and he was anticipating the arrival of research groups from the alien races, so he had paid an exorbitant cost to transfer the herbs out of the dimensional world and into the real one.

Now that he wanted to brew a few potions, it would be most convenient to do so there.

Of course, he was also curious about how his sister was doing in the first realm. He was very protective of her, but he also knew that, if he were to indulge and coddle her too much, it would only stunt her future development.

When Zhang Lie appeared in the teleportation array situated in the center of the Zenith Dojo, it glowed with a pale golden light.

Zhang Hong, who had been in a meeting; Lin Xiu, who was lecturing a group of recruits; Zhang Hanxiang, who was currently taking a hot bath; and the members of Team Zenith, who had prepared everything and were waiting for Zhang Lie's command to ascend to the second realm, received news of Zhang Lie's return.

Almost as soon as Zhang Lie stepped off the teleportation array, a vivacious girl skipped forward to greet him.

"D-Dojo Leader, welcome back!" The girl's face was somewhat unfamiliar. She blushed red upon seeing Zhang Lie, clearly nervous but excited.

After all, at least within the Zenith Dojo, Zhang Lie was treated as an idol. Those disciples who entered the Zenith Dojo had done so both because they wanted to enjoy the best benefits of the Void Throne and, more importantly, because they venerated Zhang Lie.

They were all young hunters, hoping that one day, they too could become like Zhang Lie, a pillar of China, a beacon for humanity on Earth, in the dimensional world. This was the first time the girl was meeting her idol in person, and she was evidently and reasonably nervous. In fact, she felt as though her heart was about to jump out of her chest.