Strongest Soldier King

In the kitchen, Elder Chang, who had already prepared a wooden barrel, peered through the rising steam at the unconscious Luo Zheng and said with a sigh, "I never expected this guy to last an hour. Unheard of. The longest record I remember was half an hour and that guy later became a legendary figure in our Army. I'm really looking forward to it."

"Yes, don't worry, I didn't go easy on him. In fact, I increased the strength by twenty percent more than the standard training. I suspect this guy knows some recovery skills. He must possess extraordinary recovery abilities to have held on this long. But then, who doesn't have a secret? For him to have come this far, he must be extraordinary regardless. Just keep an eye on him. I need to wash up; I'm covered in sweat," said Elder Liu with a sigh, setting Luo Zheng on a stool.

"Oh?" Elder Chang curiously looked at the unconscious Luo Zheng and smiled knowingly, steadying Luo Zheng's body. He quickly stripped Luo Zheng of his clothes, not leaving even a pair of underwear, and then tossed him into the medicinal barrel urgently, switching the water once it cooled slightly with hot one.

After soaking for about an hour, Elder Chang saw that the bruises on Luo Zheng had completely disappeared and the purple marks were gone as well. He was tremendously surprised. The efficacy of the medicine was incredible! It defied common sense. Suddenly remembering what Elder Liu said, he too believed there was something peculiar about Luo Zheng, that his recovery ability was beyond ordinary. Overjoyed, he knew such strong recovery capabilities were a rare blessing for a soldier.

In a daze, Luo Zheng dreamt that he had become an extremely powerful warrior through the familial "Breathing Skill." He woke up overjoyed to find himself lying in his bed, the sky already bright. Startled, he looked around and saw he was in his own bedroom, which calmed him. Feeling completely naked, he was shocked, then suddenly remembered last night's events, which warmed his heart and made him smile.

He got up, dressed, and walked out of the bedroom. Dawn was breaking, and the harsh bugle for wakeup sounded. Members of the Special Warfare Team rushed out of their dorms and onto the training field. Soon, the training horns were blasting loud. Luo Zheng moved a bit and felt refreshed and strong, without a hint of discomfort—instead, filled with strength. Delighted, he began to warm up on the track. Five laps, five kilometers, and he didn't feel out of breath. A realization that thrilled him, as normally he would be somewhat winded after running at that pace.

Luo Zheng knew his strength had improved somewhat. Seeing that it was much brighter outside, he went to the yard to continue chopping wood. After breakfast, Shan Hu and the others came over. Seeing Luo Zheng splitting wood, their expressions darkened. Shan Hu quickly approached and said, "Brother, it really is tough on you. At least the rest of us still have prospects. I didn't expect you..."

"I'm fine," Luo Zheng said guiltily, looking at everyone with a gloomy expression and speaking softly, "Have you already made a decision? Can you tell me?"

"We've talked it over. We're almost hitting thirty, and our physical functions are no longer at their peak. It's not a bad time to step down and having a position locally is considered having prospects. Don't worry about us. Just take care of yourself," Shan Hu said earnestly.

"Position? You mean not joining the Army or the Training Team?" Luo Zheng said in surprise.

"Yes, that's how the organization arranged it. The team leader spoke to us this morning. He used his connections to possibly position us locally. Lei Gong and I are going to the Armed Police, and Golden Eagle and Mountain Leopard are going into the Public Security. We're looking at an official rank. It's a decent prospect for life, and we owe it to the team leader for such an outcome. We're quite satisfied. But for you, well..." Shan Hu sighed helplessly.

"If it really doesn't work out, don't push yourself too hard. If it comes to that, just come and find us. If the few of us brothers join forces, even locally, we can make a significant impact," Golden Eagle said earnestly.

Luo Zheng felt somewhat consoled and exclaimed, "I'm fine, don't worry about me; I owe a lot to the team leader this time."

"Exactly, our team leader is truly a brother, no doubt about it. I think the team leader will have arrangements for your situation too, so don't worry too much. Just endure it a bit longer, and it will soon pass," Mountain Leopard said.

"Indeed, our team leader is honorable. If all else fails, come to us. Golden Eagle is right—we're brothers no matter where we are. With our strength, are we afraid of not having a future?" Duke of Thunder also reassured.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. Congratulations to you all. Although we've left the military camp, we'll still fight for our country wherever we go. I'll come to visit you," Luo Zheng said with joyful laughter, genuinely happy for his brothers' good prospects.

After chatting for a bit, Shan Hu and the others left while Luo Zheng continued to chop wood. Two days later, Shan Hu and his team secretly left the unit without anyone seeing them off. Luo Zheng only found out about their departure three days later from the team leader. Knowing that his brothers left without saying goodbye to keep him from feeling sad, he treasured this camaraderie deep in his heart.

Time passed with Luo Zheng chopping wood during the day and enduring beatings at night. A month later, the large pile of firewood was reduced to less than a quarter of its original size. A task that was supposed to take two months was almost completed in one, and it would be entirely finished in just over a week. After being beaten for a month, Luo Zheng managed to withstand half an hour of continuous beating without falling, a feat that secretly astonished and delighted Elder Liu.

No one in the Special Warfare Team, not even the team leader, could endure Elder Liu's beating for fifteen minutes without falling, but Luo Zheng managed thirty minutes. Seeing this, Elder Liu knew Luo Zheng had made small achievements in hard energy and switched from a rolling pin to an iron rod, also increasing the intensity of the beatings. Luo Zheng trained for an hour each day, and he spent the rest of his time studying academic subjects.

Two weeks later, Luo Zheng had chopped all the firewood. Elder Chang personally inspected it and found that Luo Zheng could skillfully use the Army dagger to chop dry wood into sticks the size of matchboxes, with neat cuts and each side done in a single strike. Elder Chang was delighted and pulled Luo Zheng to the kitchen to treat him to a large pot of lamb hotpot, proudly announcing in front of Elder Liu that Luo Zheng had passed the assessment and would officially start learning the blade technique with him from that day on.

After eating their fill, Elder Chang took Luo Zheng to his room, magically produced a military dagger, and with a stern look and focused eyes, seriously said, "Normally, the knife techniques passed down in the military are divided into the Right-hand Blade and the backhand blade, the same for all countries. You haven't learned any yet, but no matter, I will teach you carefully. There's also another type you must remember—the Finger Knife. Few know this technique."

"Yes," Luo Zheng replied earnestly, without further questions, for he knew that Elder Chang would tell him all he needed to know without asking.

"The Right-hand Blade emphasizes boldness and overwhelming power—stabbing, lifting, chopping, slashing, straightforward and powerful, but easy to defend against. The backhand blade emphasizes ruthless cunning—puncturing, slicing, cutting, fierce and unmatched, hard to guard against; the Finger Knife emphasizes stealthy agility," explained Elder Chang as he spun the military dagger into a beautiful spin on his fingers, then asked, "What did you see?"

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