The hotel.

　　Although people called it a big hotel, it was nothing compared to those of the outside world.

　　Nevertheless, compared to the location of the meeting earlier, the hotel was a nice change of scenery.

　　At least they had tables and chairs, which were even contemporary ones.

　　Renovations were carried out on the interior of the hotel. It was clearly no 5-star hotel, but it was still much better than typical roadside stalls.

　　There was no majestic grandeur lighting equipment inside. They did have a few mellow and round artificial crystals that were inlaid around the place. They gave a bright and luminous impression instead of feeling cramped.

　　When Fang Ping and the others entered the building, someone came up to them and addressed them enthusiastically, “Gentlemen, ladies, please follow me to the private room upstairs!”

　　…

　　In a state of confusion, Fang Ping and the rest followed the woman upstairs.

　　In the private room on the second floor, Fang Ping saw a glass window. It was then that he felt a sense of familiarity.

　　However, when he picked up the menu casually, Fang Ping gave it a quick scan before tossing the menu to Chen Yunxi suddenly and said, “You pick. You’re treating anyway.”

　　Chen Yunxi took the menu and gave it a look. Her face was flushed red in no time.

　　“I…”

　　Fang Ping saw what happened. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly. ‘Oh? An affluent lady like you was surprised too?’

　　Without wasting any more time, Fang Ping stood up and said, “Let’s go. Let’s head back and eat!”

　　The female martial artist who escorted them upstairs earlier frowned slightly. Then, she grinned and said, “This must be your first time here, so you must not know about the situation. In the Catacombs, meals are luxury goods.

　　“Over here, fire and electricity are not available to prepare cooked food. Everything requires energy ores to obtain energy for cooking.

　　“Even energy ores of the lowest quality are not cheap. I’m sure all of you are well aware of this.

　　“In addition, it is really difficult to go through the Military Department’s inspection when huge amounts of goods and materials are brought in here. The Military Department does not encourage anyone to live too comfortably in the Catacombs.

　　“When you came in, other than a few military biscuits and pills… I’m sure everything else has been confiscated?

　　“Therefore, if you wish to eat something better here, you need to look for most of them in the wilderness yourself.

　　“Moreover, because the flora and fauna in the Catacombs were exposed under the rays of the enormous energy ore sun all year round, they possess a certain amount of energy inside their bodies…”

　　Fang Ping waited for her to speak for a moment before butting in, “So the price for all the food is extremely high?”

　　Fang Ping was speechless. Extremely high was an understatement: the prices have gone straight through the roof.

　　Cards were not accepted when dining here… they could not be swiped.

　　However, they accepted cash, pills, and energy ores.

　　Fang Ping gave it a quick scan. The calculations were made based on pills, mainly Vitality pills. A typical dish required three to five Normal Vitality Pills.

　　If Fang Ping and the rest had eaten without restraint, they would spend at least thirty to fifty Normal Vitality Pills per meal.

　　Even a wealthy and influential person like Chen Yunxi was unable to bring that many pills into the Catacombs. Moreover, those pills were needed to save lives.

　　Without hesitation, Fang Ping stood up and walked out straight away. Everyone else was slightly embarrassed. The worst was Chen Yunxi; her face was blazing red.

　　How embarrassing!

　　She had agreed to treat them to a meal, but the price had frightened them off after everyone sat down on the table.

　　Even if it was outside, eating a meal that cost millions was something that she would never be able to afford.

　　Even so, who would bring cash in here?

　　The pills that she had were limited. It was ridiculous for her to spend all the pills provision that she had just to eat a meal.

　　…

　　Fang Ping walked out casually. The rest of them were practically taking flight.

　　The female martial artist who was serving them looked at their backs regretfully. She did not say anything either. Of course, she did not dare to.

　　The martial artists who entered the Catacombs came in groups. They were so young, nearly all of them were martial arts university students.

　　Martial arts universities, whether in the Catacombs or the outside world, were all tycoon-level forces.

　　After including the graduate students, the number of martial artists in martial arts universities would be much greater than the Military Department. Many tycoons graduated from martial arts universities. Causing trouble for martial arts university students over trivial matters would bring unpredictable consequences.

　　…

　　After leaving the hotel, Chen Yunxi looked awkward and stuttered. “Actually… actually we can still eat a meal…”

　　Fang Ping curled his lips and said, “Forget about it. Spending before making any money isn’t our intention. Once we’ve earned a lot of money, we can eat a hearty meal. Let’s behave ourselves, go back and munch on some dry food.”

　　As they were walking back, Fang Ping looked around him. From time to time, small military units were seen patrolling on the streets.

　　It was at this time that the northern gate not far from them suddenly opened.

　　Very soon, Fang Ping and the rest heard someone discussing, “Is that Yao Chengjun?”

　　“That’s him. That’s a huge battle array for his return.”

　　The few people who were hanging out beside the road were very young too. They had probably come from a martial arts university too. Fang Ping and the rest could not tell whether they were from MCMAU or other martial arts universities.

　　Fang Ping’s group did not pay them much attention and was about to leave when a loud cry was heard from the northern gate.

　　“Great work!”

　　“Great work!”

　　“…”

　　The synchronized and forceful cheer came from the soldiers and martial artists who were stationed to defend on top of the city wall.

　　Very soon, the news at the northern gate came like the whirlwind.

　　“Commander Yao’s trip this time saw him killing plenty of enemies. He killed a Rank-5 powerhouse and five Rank-4 powerhouses!”

　　“He has killed a Sky Gate City small patrol unit!”

　　“Commander Yao has done several missions recently and has succeeded in all of them. The first representative of the young generation. He definitely lives up to his reputation!”

　　Someone was unconvinced and said, “That’s because a few Rank-5 powerhouses from my university have graduated and left for places.”

　　“You said it yourself. They have graduated, so they’re not members of the martial arts university anymore. What’s more, Yao Chengjun has achieved Peak Rank-4 a while ago. I’m sure that a Rank-4 is invincible among those in martial arts universities, right?”

　　“Humph! CCMAU Li Hansong; NMAU Wang Jinyang; MCMAU Chen Wenlong; SNMAU Liu Shijie… none of them are weaker than him!”

　　“…”

　　Fang Ping who was standing beside them seemed to have recalled something. He turned his head to look at the rest and asked, “Yao Chengjun. When we first joined the special training classes, he was the first in the three lower ranks ranking list, wasn’t he?”

　　At that time, they joined a special training class to prepare for the championship. The university had distributed a ranking list to them.

　　Fang Ping recalled that Wang Jinyang was on the 27th place then.

　　Whereas Yao Chengjun seemed to be the first amongst the three lower ranks. That was the ranking for the three lower ranks in the entire Sino Nation.

　　As for the other names mentioned, he had also heard a thing or two.

　　MCMAU Chen Wenlong was ranked 16th then, slightly higher than Wang Jinyang; CCMAU Li Hansong seemed to be above even Chen Wenlong.

　　The semester had just begun when they saw that ranking list. About a year had passed now.

　　At that time, they were all Peak Rank-3 martial artists. In fact, they were even the most powerful group amongst other Peak Rank-3.

　　Wang Jinyang’s fought with his saber over the northern region and was only ranked 27th. It was clear that there were plenty of talents on the ranking list.

　　From what everyone was saying, Yao Chengjun had already achieved Peak Rank-4 right now?

　　This was a shocking speed!

　　Wang Jinyang, whose bone marrow had turned jade-like, seemed to have just achieved Upper-stage Rank-4, perhaps not even in that. As for that Li Hansong guy, President Zong of the New Martial Fund had mentioned him before. An Upper-stage Rank-4 martial artist.

　　Zhao Lei nodded slightly and said, “It’s him. I can’t believe that he has become the Military Department’s commander-in-chief. I know him.”

　　“You know him?”

　　“I’ve had dealings with him. He’s my high school senior. Two grades before me. I was in Year 1, while he was in Year 3. He was our school’s influential figure then.

　　“When I enrolled, he had already become a martial artist. During Gaokao, he had probably achieved Middle-stage or even Upper-stage Rank-1.

　　“However, I heard that he didn’t attend martial arts university. Instead, he went to the Military School.”

　　“Military School?”

　　Fang Ping was shocked. He had a rough idea about this, but he did not know much about it. He thought for a while before saying, “I heard that the Military Department is selecting young people internally to nurture them in the Military School along with the young soldiers from the military. Is this true?”

　　Zhao Lei asked, surprised, “Shouldn’t that be the case? Out of so many martial artists in the Military Department, surely there are those who stand out from the crowd. Nurture them like nurturing generals. It was only right for them to enter the Military School.

　　“There are only a few Military Department Military Schools. They don’t open enrollment to the public as well. I think there are only three Military Schools.

　　“Yao Chengjun’s father is a general in the Military Department, also a Rank-6 martial artist. Therefore, his entering into the Military School came as no surprise…”

　　“Why didn’t Gu Xiong enroll in the Military School then?”

　　Zhao Lei spoke flatly, “Each individual has his or her own choices, so it is not a must to enter the Military School, right? Besides, enrolling in the Military School means that you have to serve the Military Department after graduating. Some people don’t like to be tied down.”

　　“If that’s the case, right now, Yao Chengjun is the first of the three Military Schools?”

　　“I don’t know. Recently, the Rank-4 ranking list has not been released yet. We didn’t see anything as well.”

　　Zhao Lei shook his head. Until now, these ranking lists had not been officially released. The ones released today were only the Grandmaster ranking of some Grandmasters and three lower ranks ranking list of martial arts university students.

　　At this moment, at the northern gate, a military officer was seen wearing a camouflage uniform, holding a long spear, and striding forward. There were a few other militants behind him. They were all carrying parcels in their hands, and their bodies covered in patches of blood that were so obvious even from afar.

　　“Military School’s troops?”

　　Fang Ping wondered. Then he muttered, “They’re all commanders-in-chief now?”

　　A commander-in-chief in the Military Department was equal to a commander on the ground surface.

　　Last time, Zhang Dingnan had given his consent and promised that he would let Fang Ping take on the commander-in-chief position after he had graduated and returned to Nanjiang.

　　From what Zhao Lei was saying, Yao Chengjun was only two grades higher than them. He was unsure as to how many study years there were in the Military School, though it was most probably not the time for him to graduate yet.

　　If he was already a commander-in-chief now, what about after he graduated?

　　“Peak Rank-4…”

　　Fang Ping mumbled. That was a speedy improvement. It had not been very long, right?

　　This was the first time he discovered someone who progressed faster than Old Wang. Last time, they were all listed in the Rank-3 ranking list. Their abilities were perhaps at Peak Rank-3.

　　Despite that, Old Wang was a grade lower compared to Yao Chengjun. It was still acceptable for him to be slightly weaker.

　　…

　　Fang Ping did not continue to think too much about Yao Chengjun, nor did he join the onlookers.

　　In the Catacombs, Rank-4 and 5 powerhouses were not too valuable. Many powerhouses here were at Rank-6.

　　Someone said that there were plenty of Grandmasters around too. It was just that they did not show themselves usually.

　　After returning to the small area, the rest of them had also started coming back one after another.

　　Even though it was called a small area, in Fang Ping’s opinion, it could not even compare to the dorms in some companies. It was a co-sleeping area that could fit 10 people in a room.

　　Upon returning, Fang Ping and the rest learned that there was a canteen at the area that provided food for free.

　　They were just about to go there when Yu Xianghua looked up from reading a map and said, “Don’t go. Just eat some biscuits to fill your stomachs. The food in the canteen is half-cooked. It’s disgusting.”

　　“That stingy?”

　　“Be grateful that we have something to eat.” Yu Xianghua shook his head and continued, “The Military Department has it worse. It’s not that they don’t want to provide good food for them. It’s just that it’s really difficult to cook in the Catacombs.”

　　“Why not cook it on the ground surface and bring it in?” Fang Ping was slightly surprised.

　　“Nonsense. There are too many people. There are altogether sixty to seventy thousand people in the city. All of them can’t be counting on the ground surface to send food here, can they? Besides, the Catacombs passageway is not wide open. The Military Department typically does not use the passageway. If more people are allowed to come and go as they please, lots of problems will arise.”

　　The Military Department had had considerations of its own. Although the passageway could be opened up, with too many people coming and going, who knew if problems would arise.

　　Preparing food for tens of thousands of people was not a small task. Constantly sending food from the surface required plenty of trips to be taken daily. The manpower needed is pretty hefty too.

　　Although Fang Ping did not fully understand, he had lost the mood to eat at the canteen anyway.

　　…

　　At night, the Catacombs’ sky turned dark!

　　The enormous sun present in the sky during the day seemed to have disappeared all of a sudden.

　　The night in the Catacombs was truly pitch black!

　　No light, no fires, and no candles.

　　Hope City was not entirely engulfed in darkness, though. There was still light at the northern gate.

　　The Military Department had utilized energy ores paired with mirror surfaces, using a low energy consumption to maintain the brightness.

　　In the city, some shops had also implemented the same strategy.

　　Last time, someone had tried utilizing phosphor or similar substances, hoping to replace energy ores as the source of brightness. Instead, those things lost their source of light and radiation as soon as they entered the Catacombs. They lost their effectiveness very quickly. Energy ores performed far better, though it came with a high cost.

　　…

　　In the room.

　　In pitch darkness.

　　Fang Ping shared a room with a few other guys.

　　In the dark, Fang Ping could just barely make out certain things. He sighed helplessly. “If we’re outside this late at night, how do we even differentiate north from south?”

　　“It’ll be fine once you get used to it.”

　　“Guys, in this pitch darkness, if we touch the girls, do you think they can identify who did it?”

　　“You can give it a try. Nearly all Rank-4 martial artists have night vision. If you’re not afraid to die, then be my guest. A kick to your crotch. If you can’t use it anymore, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

　　“I can’t get used to it!”

　　Fang Ping lamented. There was nothing at all in the Catacombs. On the ground surface, he could still use the Internet, scroll through his phone, and sometimes watch television when he had free time.

　　Right here, late at night, there was really nothing to do at all.

　　“I can only cultivate.”

　　It was not really fitting to cultivate Combat Techniques. Fang Ping started adopting a stance and honed his body.

　　It was actually the process of honing the flesh going from Upper-stage to Peak Rank-3.

　　Fang Ping had thought it through. He would hone his body first, and at Peak Rank-3, if his Vitality had still not broken through 1000cal, he would push it up by force.

　　If his body was strong enough, there should not be too great of a problem even if he forced it up.

　　When everyone had just started cultivating, all of a sudden, a thunderous sound was heard from the north!

　　“Enemy attack! Middle-ranked martial artists gather at the northern gate to face the enemy! Everyone under Rank-4 stay indoors. You are forbidden to go out without permission!”

　　A roar reverberated throughout the small city. Fang Ping and the others were shocked and quickly ended their cultivation.

　　Someone wanted to go out when Yu Xianghua bellowed loudly to stop him. “Don’t go out. We can’t differentiate the enemy from our own in a night attack. We will only cause more trouble and get killed by accident!”

　　Even powerhouses had already forbidden the three lower ranks martial artists from going out at this time. There would be no excuses if one of them was killed by accident.

　　Boom!

　　In the north, the loud explosions continued unceasingly.

　　Fang Ping and the rest were burning with anxiety. No one dared to leave. They did not know what the situation was. They could only contain their nervousness, unable to do anything but wait in the house. All of them would rather join the battle and kill the enemy than to be subjected to this torment.

　　“Is the attacking enemy a strong one? Are there high-ranked powerhouses fighting?”

　　“Can General Xu and the others handle it?”

　　“Instructor Tang and the rest may have gone to provide assistance, right?”

　　“…”

　　Everyone could only talk constantly to divert their attention.

　　Only about half an hour later did the thundering noise start to go down.

　　“Stand down. The enemy has retreated!”

　　“Do not go out at night without permission!”

　　“…”

　　A powerhouse roared once again. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The enemy had finally left.