"Zhu, come over and sit." The man's tone was calm as he looked at the empty sofa beside him.

Yuan Zhu thought for a moment and then walked over to sit down.

The two sat side by side, facing the sunset glow outside the floor-to-ceiling window.

Yuan's mother saw that there was nothing more for her to do here. She looked at Yuan Zhu's broad back. Even sitting next to that burly man, Yuan Zhu still appeared extremely strong.

However, in her eyes, no matter how tall and strong Yuan Zhu grew, he would always be that child who screamed in fright at the sight of a caterpillar.

After hesitating for a moment, Yuan's mother weakly asked, "Zhu, when you have time, bring Xiao Kai home for a meal. It's been a long time since you both came back..."

Yuan Zhu turned his head and gently said to his mother, "Mom, Jiang Kai probably doesn't have time to come back recently. I, I should still have to go to the base."

A trace of disappointment flashed in Yuan's mother's eyes but quickly disappeared. She nodded to Yuan Zhu with a smile and said, "Alright, then, you two talk. I need to go tidy up the guest room." With that, she left the room, closing the door behind her.

A moment later, the middle-aged man looked at Yuan Zhu and smiled slightly, "Your mother misses you very much."

Yuan Zhu lowered his head and nodded lightly, "I know, but..." He sighed deeply, then raised his head with a determined look in his eyes, "I want her to live better, so I must work hard. I want to enter the War God Temple training camp!"

The man did not comment, instead turning to look out the window.

The wide floor-to-ceiling window, with the curtains fully open, offered a view of numerous buildings, and even the distant walls of River City could be seen.

Above the city was a reddish sky, with a long arc faintly outlining part of a massive celestial body behind the clouds.

"That's the Ghost Star, both illusory and real," the man said softly.

Yuan Zhu always found this man very mysterious. Meeting him again, he couldn't help but be more curious. Since the man mentioned the Ghost Star, he asked, "Uncle, what do you think the Ghost Star really is?"

The man looked straight ahead and said lightly, "I don't know what the Ghost Star is, but its arrival is a war."

"A war?"

"Yes, a war between an unknown planet and Earth, devouring each other!" With that, the man looked at Yuan Zhu and sighed, "Unfortunately, as it stands, the total area of the Ghost Star territory occupied by humans is less than one ten-thousandth of the Ghost Star's area, while Earth is already in ruins."

"When the Beast Gods occupy more cities, human survival will become increasingly difficult. Once a certain critical point is reached, those of us left will find it hard to survive, let alone conquer the Ghost Star."

"That will be the time when humanity, or rather Earth, is defeated!"

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

Yuan Zhu frowned, "Why do you think that?"

The man smiled slightly, "Naturally, we have some evidence..."

"'We'... Uncle, who exactly are you?"

The man's tone remained calm as he said, "The military, the guilds, do you think in this chaotic world, or at this critical moment of human survival, those are the only forces? Then you're too naive."

"Who I am is not something you need to worry about right now." After revealing just a little, the man changed the subject and looked at Yuan Zhu, "Zhu, after you log in this time, someone will give you a skill book. The skill is very powerful and can further enhance your strength."

Yuan Zhu frowned, but this wasn't the first time the mysterious man had given him something, so he just continued listening.

"It's not free, though. I have a requirement."

"What requirement?"

"I want you to enter the War God Temple."

Yuan Zhu took a deep breath. First, he only had the qualification to take the training camp's assessment. Even if he passed, the training camp was full of hidden talents, the elite among elites nationwide. Only the best among them could directly enter the War God Temple of China.

"What? No confidence?"

Yuan Zhu nodded, "I, I don't know if I can do it. Also, Uncle, last time you gave me Martial Apprentice materials, and now a skill book. What exactly do you want from me?"

The man smiled slightly, "Your drunk self is quite amusing... I, Yuan Zhu, am the number one War God in the world, hahaha..."

Yuan Zhu felt a bit embarrassed and was about to say something when the man suddenly stopped laughing. His gaze became incredibly sharp, and he looked at Yuan Zhu with an unusually serious expression, "That's right, I want you to become the number one War God in the world!"

Yuan Zhu's eyes widened in shock as he looked at the man.

The man's solemn expression softened after saying that, "By the way, your childhood friend Jiang Kai, can you tell me his class?"

"This..." Yuan Zhu hesitated for a long time, then shook his head, "Many people want to target him. The more information he reveals, the worse it is for him, so... Uncle, I can't tell you."

The man wasn't angry. Instead, he seemed to have expected this and nodded, "Just as I thought, you're not as timid as you seem. You would do anything to protect the people you care about."

"But even if you don't tell me, I know that Jiang Kai should be a new class. Based on the classes that have appeared so far, he doesn't fit any of them."

"Considering I met you two in the Dark Alley before, he might have used incomplete materials to obtain some powerful class."

Yuan Zhu thought to himself, actually, it's not really a "powerful" class... just a Gambler.

Even though Jiang Kai seems strong now, it's like a rich man at the gambling table. Today, you're rolling in wealth, but tomorrow you might be sleeping on the street. That's a Gambler!

Only he and Weiwei knew the pressure Jiang Kai had been under all along.

The man looked into the distance and said softly, "A new class obtained from incomplete materials, the chance of getting class change materials is even slimmer. That kid, although he's reached heights that ordinary people find hard to reach, he might also be stuck there forever!"

"Besides, he doesn't seem to be someone with great ambition."

"What a pity..."

...

The Fire God Squad was on their way to the secret realm in King's Valley.

Jiang Kai sneezed out of nowhere.

"Could it be that Weiwei is thinking about me again?" Jiang Kai frowned and said.

Hu Yan snorted, "Kai, I've long noticed you're interested in Weiwei, but to be honest, you and Weiwei don't stand a chance."

Jiang Kai immediately frowned, "Old Hu, don't talk nonsense, I don't! But... do you really think Weiwei isn't interested in me?"

Hu Yan shook his head, "Maybe she's a little interested now, but you have to know, she and Zhu are going to train together, maybe even go to the training camp, the prep class, and even enter the War God Temple together. Ever heard of 'a long time together breeds affection'? You won't have a chance."

"I'm not as good as Zhu?" Jiang Kai retorted, "Don't women dislike such big guys?"

Hu Yan said calmly, "You're childhood friends with Zhu. Has he ever had a girlfriend?"

"Well... maybe one or two."

"And you?"

"I... I've had three or four."

"Don't brag, I can read faces!" Hu Yan scrutinized Jiang Kai.

Jiang Kai immediately lost his confidence and sighed, "Yuan Zhu has had three girlfriends. I, well, I just have high standards and haven't found the right one."

Hu Yan shrugged, "Whether your standards are high or not is hard to say, but the result is clear."

Ruan Yu, who had been holding back for a while, suddenly chimed in, "Kai, if your standards are too high, that's easy to fix. Want to have a drink? I guarantee after you drink, you'll open the door to a new world!"

Thinking of Ruan Yu's behavior when drunk, Jiang Kai's face turned dark, and he quickly declined Ruan Yu's offer.

Strolling through King's Valley, ordinary beasts were no longer a threat to them. By the afternoon of the second day, the Fire God Squad reached the area where the secret realm was located.

At the coordinates marked on the Information Card, they found a wooden cabin hidden in the corner of the Valley.

The Fire God Squad hid behind a rock, observing the cabin from a distance.

The area was surrounded by barren mountains with sparse vegetation, providing a clear view. However, the cabin was built against the mountain and was dirt-gray, blending almost seamlessly with its surroundings. If not observed closely, it would indeed be hard to notice.

"Is this the secret realm?" Even with accurate information, Jiang Kai and the others were still surprised.

Normally, even if they saw this cabin, they would probably choose to ignore it.

After observing for a long time without seeing any movement inside the cabin, Jiang Kai thought for a moment, then stepped out from behind the rock and said, "Whatever, let's go in and take a look."

Hi everyone, if you like this novel and want to read more in advance, please support me on PawRead.

Discord:https://discord.com/invite/ua2A852bws