Chapter 172 - 132 Titanium Cobalt Dragon Blood

Chapter 172: Chapter 132 Titanium Cobalt Dragon BloodZhou Yishang’s gaze shifted from the letter to Ji Xinghuo’s face, then back to the letter in his hand, as though confirming he hadn’t read it wrong. He repeated this action several times, unable to suppress the disbelief in his eyes. There was also shock, mingled with bewilderment. The swordsmen had never seen such an expression on Director Zhou’s face; his hand holding the letter even trembled slightly, changing from one hand to both hands. After a moment of silence. Zhou Yishang took a deep breath, carefully folded the letter, and treasured it away. "Xinghuo." "Come to my office for a talk." He called out affectionately, a smile spreading across his usually stern face, astonishing the swordsmen present. They were incredibly curious about what the letter contained to make Zhou, known as "Iron Face," soften his usual demeanor toward Ji Xinghuo. Ji Xinghuo was also surprised; was Sister Ren’s letter this powerful? When Sister Ren had given him the letter, she hinted that Zhou Yishang would definitely comply, but he hadn’t expected the reaction to be more dramatic than anticipated. He was somewhat puzzled. Zhou Yishang, a national public servant with a high rank and great power, a legendary figure, with possibly no more than ten people in the entire Asia-Pacific Community who could make him bow down with just a letter. Even someone outside the system like a Heavenly King didn’t have such prestige. Unless, the person who wrote the letter held greater power and higher status than Zhou Yishang! Ji Xinghuo had never considered Sister Ren to be an official person; she didn’t seem like one at all. But had she ever said the letter was written by herself? "Yes, Director Zhou." He nodded in agreement. "You may all disperse." Zhou Yishang waved his hand, directing the surrounding swordsmen back to their posts. Seeing Yan Xiao still being carried by the swordsmen, he said, "Quickly take him to the medical room. Yan Xiao, consider this a work-related injury. I’ll have the finance department reimburse you for the injury compensation and grant you three months of paid leave. Recover well, and then come back to work." Yan Xiao opened his mouth but eventually accepted it silently. The expression on the swordsmen’s faces was complicated. Yan Xiao’s injury was not serious and would heal in a few days, yet Zhou gave him three months of leave, obviously wanting to appease the situation by indirectly "exiling" him. And Ji Xinghuo, the one who had injured Yan Xiao, faced no punishment and instead was invited to the office. The outcome of the conflict between the two men was clear. Yan Xiao, the captain of the Sword Bureau’s Sword Team and someone who had contributed to the Sword Bureau and the nation, who was also loyally devoted to Zhou, was seeing Zhou favoring a newbie, allowing the newcomer to ride on the veteran’s head, which immediately chilled many swordsmen’s hearts. Even Min Chongwu, who didn’t get along with Yan Xiao, was displeased with a serious expression. Zhou Yishang, perceiving his subordinates’ dissatisfaction, acted as though he was unaware, personally escorting Ji Xinghuo into his own office. "Please, have a seat." Zhou Yishang was like a warm and hospitable host, pouring tea for Ji Xinghuo himself and even asking his tea preference. Ji Xinghuo was flattered, "Lemon-flavored black tea would be nice, thank you, Director Zhou." Zhou Yishang quickly placed a cup of lemon tea in front of Ji Xinghuo, sat down with a smile, and looked at Ji Xinghuo intently, as if seeing him for the first time. Ji Xinghuo felt somewhat apprehensive under his gaze and couldn’t help saying, "Director Zhou, if you have something to say, please just say it." "It’s nothing, nothing at all." Zhou Yishang shook his head with a smile, then realized his change in attitude might have scared Ji Xinghuo, so he put away his smile and asked seriously, "Xinghuo, you’ll stay at the Sword Bureau, won’t you?" "Of course." Ji Xinghuo remembered Sister Ren’s words, so he didn’t hesitate. "That’s good." Zhou Yishang nodded, appearing pleased, and said, "The Sword Bureau really needs talents like you. Xinghuo, you must tell me your needs. As long as it’s within my authority, I will definitely try my best to meet them, and if it’s something beyond my control, I will apply to the higher-ups." Hearing this, Ji Xinghuo was truly startled. Zhou Yishang, the deputy director of the Sword Bureau, was treating him, a younger junior, with such reverence as if he was his own subordinate. He couldn’t help but ask, "Director Zhou, what was written in that letter?" "You don’t know?" Zhou Yishang looked surprised, then came to a realization, smiling, "I understand. Xinghuo, this must be for your own good. Knowing too soon wouldn’t benefit you. But you can rest assured that the Sword Bureau would never harm you, and I have no ulterior motives. You can trust me completely." Ji Xinghuo was bewildered; why had Zhou Yishang turned into a man of riddles? Could there be some misunderstanding? But for the moment, there seemed to be no harm. After thinking it over, Ji Xinghuo asked, "Director Zhou, can we obtain Transcendent Species through official channels in the Sword Bureau?" He was ready to advance to an Advanced Mutant and could fuse with another species, but he had not done so in hopes of finding a better species upon returning to Earth. Block and Counterattack had a high fusion degree, but it was, after all, a Basic Ability. If there were no other options, he would then consider Block and Counterattack. "Of course, you can." Zhou Yishang replied, "The Sword Bureau is an official department. We generally try to meet the needs of our swordsmen. However, for particularly precious species, swordsmen must make sufficient contributions and go through a qualification review; such species cannot be distributed at will." He looked at Ji Xinghuo, "What Alien Species do you want?" "Titanium Cobalt Dragon Blood, Spiritual Energy, Superconducting Permanent Magnet, Overload," Ji Xinghuo casually listed several Alien Species. "If there are other species of the same Level, I’m willing to give them a try." Zhou Yishang’s smile vanished. "The ones you mentioned are all Transcendent Abilities, extremely rare and difficult to come by..." he said with some difficulty, "Especially Spiritual Energy, the military, Security Department, and the Daxia Legion, many people from various departments are waiting in line for it, and it’s hard for the Sword Bureau to get a turn." Ji Xinghuo wasn’t too disappointed; it was just an offhand question. If Spiritual Energy were so easy to obtain, Sister Ren wouldn’t need to take him and his teammates on a risky adventure to the Beiluo Shimen Clan’s territory. She could have settled it with just one letter, so why go personally? S~eaʀᴄh the NôvelFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "However..." Zhou Yishang pondered for a moment, "I can’t guarantee Spiritual Energy, but there’s a fair chance of getting the Titanium Cobalt Dragon Blood. If you can accumulate enough Contribution Points and pass the political review of the Star Realm Department, there should be no problems." Ji Xinghuo’s eyes lit up. Titanium Cobalt Dragon Blood is a Transcendent Ability, extremely comprehensive. It originates from a very powerful Dragon Species in the Star Realm, its name being the Titanium Cobalt Dragon; it’s their Dragon Blood that condenses into the Alien Species. Merging with this Alien Species allows one to possess a part of the Titanium Cobalt Dragon’s might. The Dragon Blood bestows upon Mutants a strengthening effect comparable to that of a True Dragon, multiplying one’s strength several times over, skin as hard as Titanium Alloy, indefatigable stamina, Recovery Power on par with Extreme Healing, a significant increase in Explosive Power, and extremely high resistance to energy damage. This is a very comprehensive Ability, equivalent to three or four Superior Abilities combined, and its potential is boundless. "Titanium Cobalt Dragon Man," unique to the Asia-Pacific Community, is a foundational Professional Template rooted in Titanium Cobalt Dragon Blood! Ji Xinghuo had spent many years training with the goal of becoming a Titanium Cobalt Dragon Man. However, on Earth, there was only one channel to obtain Titanium Cobalt Dragon Blood—through the Asia-Pacific Community’s official channels. To date, all Titanium Cobalt Dragon Men have been soldiers of the Daxia Legion, the most powerful Mutant army of the Asia-Pacific Community. The Daxia Legion is widely recognized as Earth’s number one Legion! This legion was established by the founder of the Asia-Pacific Community, the leader Ji Daosheng, in the year 2122, exactly a century ago. The Professional Template for Titanium Cobalt Dragon Men was also proposed and perfected by the leader, centered around the Titanium Cobalt Dragon Blood and the Thunder Giant. These two Alien Species together create an extremely comprehensive and formidable combat force. With the addition of Power Armor, one Titanium Cobalt Dragon Man could crush ten Super Mutants or even more in direct combat! Titanium Cobalt Dragon Men are adaptable to any combat environment, from the ground to space, winning wherever they go. This legion, since its creation, has grown and strengthened through blood and fire. They participated in the Fourth and Fifth "East Asian Wars" and the Fourth World War, as well as all subsequent large-scale wars. With their own blood and lives, the Titanium Cobalt Dragon Men made an indelible contribution to the founding of the Asia-Pacific Community. Currently, the Daxia Legion has publicly disclosed that they have three thousand Titanium Cobalt Dragon Men. This is the strongest military force of the Asia-Pacific Community. As the core Ability of a Titanium Cobalt Dragon Man, Titanium Cobalt Dragon Blood is not completely monopolized by the Daxia Legion; a very small portion has been made available elsewhere. Of course, the Mutants who obtained Titanium Cobalt Dragon Blood are all citizens of the Asia-Pacific Community. Almost all are official Mutants. Even if they are not officially so on the surface, behind the scenes, they are intricately connected with official departments of the Asia-Pacific Community, and they have definitely made contributions to the nation. Ji Xinghuo wanted Titanium Cobalt Dragon Blood partly to make up for previous regrets. But the more important reason was that the superconductive alloy properties of Titanium Cobalt are superior, which is why Titanium Cobalt Dragon Blood can merge with another core Ability of a Titanium Cobalt Dragon Man, Thunder Giant, producing might stronger than the two Transcendent Abilities separately, and it is considered a miracle. He guessed that his compatibility with Titanium Cobalt Dragon Blood was also very high. At the least, he wanted to obtain and examine the information. "Director Zhou, how exactly can I get my hands on Titanium Cobalt Dragon Blood?" Ji Xinghuo asked with great interest. "It depends on the opportunity," Zhou Yishang replied. "The Star Realm Department can get about fifty portions of Titanium Cobalt Dragon Blood each year, most of which are handed over to the Daxia Legion for the cultivation of Titanium Cobalt Dragon Men. Of those, no more than three portions of Dragon Blood are reserved for other departments to apply for." "The Sword Bureau hasn’t applied for Titanium Cobalt Dragon Blood for many years." "If we submit an application, it should definitely rank higher in priority than other departments. Of course, that’s assuming you, Xinghuo, have already met the application criteria." Zhou Yishang, seeing Ji Xinghuo’s substantial interest in Titanium Cobalt Dragon Blood, explained in detail once more. "Please arrange missions for me, Director Zhou," Ji Xinghuo understood his meaning. "Okay." Zhou Yishang said, "Getting the Contribution Points needed for Titanium Cobalt Dragon Blood will take time and can’t be rushed. If there is a suitable mission, I will notify you in time." Ji Xinghuo nodded, then suddenly remembered something. He took out the Second-Level combat Heroic Medal he had earned from hunting the Beiluo Shimen Clan. "Is this medal of any help?" Zhou Yishang glanced at it; he knew already that Ji Xinghuo had accumulated many Hero Points in the Star Realm. "A Heroic Medal can offset some of the needed Contribution Points. I will help you with the application." "Then I’ll have to trouble you, Director Zhou." Zhou Yishang smiled and shook his head, then called Min Chongwu over and instructed, "Chongwu, take Xinghuo to the Comprehensive Management Department to handle his promotion to Chi Xiao Knight, and then schedule his special agent training. When there’s a mission later on, bring Xinghuo along to help him get familiar with the operational procedures of the Sword Bureau." Min Chongwu stood dumbfounded for a few seconds, surprised, "Chi Xiao Knight? Director Zhou, are you serious?"