The June sun was at its hottest, and for all the students in Xuan Country, it was also the most critical time, as the college entrance examination was approaching.
For Tang Zhong too, it was a crucial moment; he was set to join Long Wu, the so-called high-level military unit of Xuan Country, the Dragon Group’s reserve force. It was said that more than half of the members of the Dragon Group hailed from the three major units: Long Wu, Dragon Shadow, and Dragon Hidden.
Ever since Tang Zhong became the Chief Instructor of Long Wu, he had never visited the place. Li Linglong had told him before that if he didn’t go soon, it would be hard to explain himself.
After bidding farewell to Jiang Weiwei, he was ready to depart.
Li Linglong picked up Tang Zhong in his car to take him to the main base of Long Wu.
Along the way, Li Linglong began to tell Tang Zhong about the rules of Long Wu.
"Tang Zhong, let me tell you, this time going to Long Wu, you have to push yourself. You took the position of Chief Instructor from my senior brother’s hands, so you must succeed. Failure is not an option!" Li Linglong said.
"Why?" Tang Zhong asked, bewildered.
"You don’t know? Actually, according to the organization’s plan, the Chief Instructor of Long Wu should have been my senior brother Meng Wuxiang. But because of your exceptional performance in Luo Country, the organization decided to give you the position!" Li Linglong said.
Hearing this, Tang Zhong nodded; no wonder he always felt that Meng Wuxiang had some hostility toward him. So there was such a story behind it.
In fact, for him, being the Chief Instructor of Long Wu was not that important.
"But what does that matter?" Tang Zhong asked, perplexed.
"It matters a lot. You should know who my senior brother Meng Wuxiang is, right? You’ve heard of the Master List, haven’t you? My senior brother is first on the Master List, known as the Taiji Grandmaster!" Li Linglong said.
"I know that!" Tang Zhong said.
"Originally, my senior brother was about to become the Chief Instructor of Long Wu, and all the elite soldiers in Long Wu knew about it. Especially when they learned that my brother would be the one teaching them, everyone was thrilled and thoroughly prepared to welcome him. But suddenly, the organization replaced their instructor, and honestly, they were resistant!" Li Linglong said.
"So what you’re saying is they have a problem with me, right?" Tang Zhong said.
"Yes, from what I’ve heard, they do have a significant problem with you. Moreover, since you were appointed a while ago but never showed up, their grievance has only grown. Many of the elite soldiers are clamoring to teach you a lesson!" Li Linglong said.
"But I am the Chief Instructor!" Tang Zhong said.
"You’re mistaken. In these units of Long Wu, being the Chief Instructor is just a nominal role. For them, it hardly counts for anything; only true strength can conquer them. Do you understand?" Li Linglong said.
"I understand!" Tang Zhong said.
"So you cannot afford to fail. If they sense that you are inferior to my senior brother, it will be tough to handle!" Li Linglong said.
"I won’t be worse than him!" Tang Zhong said.
"No, you definitely will be. He is the number one on the Master List, and he has taught many people. You should have met him; despite his young appearance, he is a once-in-a-century talent who has instructed many martial artists!" Li Linglong said.
"So what you’re saying is, I fall short of Meng Wuxiang, right?" Tang Zhong said.
"When I speak, you mustn’t get angry!" Li Linglong said.
"Don’t worry, I won’t!" Tang Zhong nodded.
"Right, actually, everyone thinks you’re not up to par, not just me. The elite soldiers of Long Wu are also skeptical of you. Even though you’re a genius, you’re simply no match for my brother in teaching. Anyone who has been under his tutelage, even the most ordinary person, has become a martial artist. Previously, one even became a Martial Arts Master!" Li Linglong said, looking quite astonished.
"Is that so impressive?" Tang Zhong asked.
"Of course it’s impressive! Do you know how hard it is to become a Martial Arts Master? Without talent, martial cultivation is really difficult!" Li Linglong said.
"Oh!" Tang Zhong just responded and then fell silent.
Wu Jiaxiang, Su Ao, and others, whom had he not taught, and each one was no weaker than a martial artist; all four were Martial Arts Masters. Thinking about it, it seemed better not to speak out.
Seeing Tang Zhong silent, Li Linglong thought he was contemplating and immediately said, "So you have to work hard. Those elite soldiers are ordinary people who haven’t come close to being martial artists. It’s said that there are just over forty people in Long Wu, but if you can train just one martial artist, you will have been very successful, so don’t be discouraged!"
Then he took out a document and passed it to Tang Zhong, "This is information on the three units of Long Wu, take a look first!"
Tang Zhong nodded, took the document, and began to carefully read through it.
At this moment, the car was traveling on a mountain road.
Their destination was the Long Wu base.
The information in the document showed the details of the three units.
Dragon Hidden, Long Wu, and Dragon Shadow, three forces that are above the regular army but below the Dragon Group.
Among them, Dragon Hidden was the largest, with a total of two thousand people, and the Chief Instructor’s surname was Ye, his name Wentian.
Next came Dragon Shadow, with the Chief Instructor named Hua Bing. Dragon Shadow’s number was much less than Dragon Hidden’s, with only one thousand people.
As for Long Wu, it had the fewest people among the three groups, with just over forty, and was also the weakest.
In the monthly competitions among the three groups, Long Wu was always the weakest.
Moreover, Long Wu had seen many Chief Instructors come and go, yet the situation remained unchanged. Long Wu gradually became a byword for weakness, slowly adopting the motto, "Only the weak belong in Long Wu."
After going through all the materials,
Tang Zhong’s gaze turned towards the distance.
At this point, the car was traveling through the mountains.
Inside the mountains, the road was not as dirty and messy as one might imagine but instead was a flat highway.
Eventually, the car stopped beside a compound enclosed with barbed wire.
Li Linglong brought Tang Zhong to the entrance where a security guard approached their vehicle.
Li Linglong handed over an ID to the guard, who glanced at it and immediately allowed them through.
Before them lay an endless base.
"This is the base for Dragon Hidden, Long Wu, and Dragon Shadow. I’ll take you to Long Wu now," Li Linglong said.
"Alright," Tang Zhong led the way.
At that time, through the car window, one could see many soldiers in military attire undergoing physical training, each one full of vigor.
"That’s Dragon Hidden!" introduced Li Linglong.
"And over there practicing shooting is Dragon Shadow!"
Tang Zhong looked over to see many people kneeling on the ground, shooting at targets, and noticed that a shot fired directly hit the bullseye, showing an extraordinary level of spear technique accuracy.
Dragon Hidden, Dragon Shadow, and one wondered what Long Wu was like?
The car kept driving until a base appeared ahead.
"That’s the base of Long Wu ahead!" Li Linglong pointed out.
Tang Zhong focused his eyes and saw the base ahead, deserted and empty. Huh, what’s going on?