This is true martial arts!

Chapter 349 Hidden Dragon [5k words, first update]

On the northwestern edge of the Kunlun Mountains lies the Great Xia frontline base, "Hidden Dragon."

This is a military base that is partially hidden inside the mountain.

The exterior walls are reinforced with a special alloy, blending almost seamlessly with the surrounding gray-brown mountain rocks.

From a high altitude, only a few entrances and exits disguised as natural caves can be seen.

The transport plane carrying Huang Sen slowly landed on the platform outside the base's entrance number three.

As the hatch opened, a biting mountain wind, carrying the scent of ice and snow, rushed in.

Huang Sen tightened his combat uniform—although with his physique as a beginner-level War God, he was already immune to heat and cold.

But the bitter cold deep in the Kunlun Mountains still made people instinctively shrink their necks.

"Mr. Huang, this way please."

A female officer in camouflage combat uniform, with shoulder insignia indicating the rank of colonel, stepped forward, saluted, and led the way.

"They won't even give their names? Is the level of secrecy that high?"

Huang Sen was taken aback.

Huang Sen politely returned the greeting, looked around curiously, and followed her into the cave entrance.

The passageway was spacious and bright, with LED lights embedded in the walls on both sides. Every ten meters, fully armed soldiers stood guard, creating a solemn atmosphere.

"The Shadow Blade Squad is currently resting at the base and is expected to have a new reconnaissance mission in three days."

The female officer explained as she walked.

"As per command's orders, you will be joining the squad as a logistics nutrition consultant, assisting Captain Shadow in managing daily supplies and combat readiness materials."

Huang Sen nodded, but his eyes were discreetly observing everything along the way.

These people were unaware of the Shadow Blade Squad's true mission, assuming it was just a normal reconnaissance team.

The base has a complex internal structure with crisscrossing passages, clearly designed with both defensive and mobility in mind.

There weren't many people coming and going, but each one exuded a powerful aura; the lowest level was War General, and War God level experts were everywhere.

This demonstrates the level of danger in the Kunlun Mountains.

Huang Sen unconsciously rubbed his face to ease his nervousness.

"arrive."

Soon, the female officer stopped in front of a heavy alloy door, entered the password, and verified her iris.

The door slid open slowly, revealing a space of about 200 square meters.

This place is like a combination of a dormitory and a conference room, with six beds neatly arranged on one side and a tactical sand table, holographic projection equipment and a conference table on the other side.

At that moment, six people, some sitting and some standing, were discussing something in hushed tones.

Hearing the door open, all six people turned to look at the door.

Huang Sen quickly scanned their faces.

Four men and two women, aged between thirty and fifty.

They were all dressed in uniform dark gray combat uniforms, with an insignia of a dagger piercing a shadow embroidered on their chests.

Shadow Blade Squad.

"Report to Captain Huang, the newly assigned logistics advisor Huang Sen has arrived."

The female officer stood at attention and reported.

Among the six, a man in his forties with a stern face and a faint scar on his left cheek stood up.

He is the leader of the Shadow Blade squad, codenamed "Shadow"—his real name is top secret even in military records.

"Thank you for your hard work, Colonel Li."

Ying nodded to the female officer, then her gaze fell on Huang Sen, scrutinizing him for a moment.

"Welcome, Mr. Huang. I am the captain of the Shadow Blade Squad. You can call me Shadow."

Huang Sen grinned, revealing his signature simple and honest expression: "Hello, Captain Ying, hello everyone. I, Lao Huang, am just a cook, so please don't stand on ceremony."

From now on, I'll take care of everyone's meals, guaranteeing a balanced diet and great taste!

This down-to-earth self-introduction eased the somewhat stiff atmosphere.

A female team member, around thirty-five or thirty-six years old with short, neat hair, chuckled: "That's great, I'm tired of the food in the base canteen."

"Consultant Huang, I heard you're a famous chef at Base Nine?"

"Hehe, I know a little bit," Huang Sen rubbed his hands together. "How should I address you all?"

Ying glanced at the team members and chuckled, "Introduce yourselves."

The short-haired female team member spoke first: "My codename is 'Feather,' I'm skilled in archery and reconnaissance, and I'm a mid-level War God."

The tall, thin male team member standing next to him, codenamed "Ink," was an intelligence analyst and electronics expert, and a mid-level War God.

Another burly, taciturn male team member, codenamed "Rock," is a close-combat assault specialist and a high-ranking war god.

There was also a lean man named "Falcon," who carried a sword on his back and looked like a Taoist priest. He was also a high-level war god.

The last one is the youngest-looking woman, around thirty years old, with a quiet demeanor, codenamed "Wenxin".

Medical and psychotherapy, intermediate-level warrior.

Upon hearing this, Huang Sen made a careful note of it, his smile remaining unchanged, but he had already begun to analyze it rapidly in his mind.

The six-person team is led by Shadow, whose strength is unknown but is at least a high-level war god.

Iwa and Hayabusa are the strongest fighters on the surface, while Ryou and Mo each have their own strengths, and Shin and Ji are responsible for providing support.

On the surface, this team has a reasonable lineup and is very experienced.

But medical and psychological treatment? Which warrior who has reached this level of strength needs psychological treatment?

Huang Sen smiled as he looked at "Wenxin".

This woman deserves close attention; she is probably more than just a doctor.

Just like Lao Xu, he appears to be a top-notch maintenance engineer, but who the hell would have thought that this guy is an incredibly strong freak?

"Consultant Huang, your accommodation has been arranged in the single room next door. Here is your access card."

Ying handed over a black card.

"Settle in today and familiarize yourself with the base environment. There will be a squad meeting at 8:00 AM tomorrow, at which time your work will be arranged in detail."

"Okay!"

Huang Sen took the card and picked up his simple luggage.

"The base canteen is on the third floor of Zone B, and the food warehouse is on the second basement floor of Zone C. Here is a map."

A tablet computer displaying an electronic map and a communicator were passed over.

"If you need anything, you can call me via internal communications."

"Thank you." Huang Sen then turned and left the house.

Upon entering his residence, Huang Sen closed the door, and the憨笑 on his face instantly vanished.

He opened his backpack and took out a miniature testing device—this was secretly given to him by Gu Cheng.

It can detect whether surveillance or eavesdropping devices have been installed in the room.

After carefully scanning the area and confirming it was safe, he breathed a sigh of relief, sat on the bed, and pulled up the detailed files of the Shadow Blade Squad members.

He had read these files at Base Nine several times and could practically recite them from memory.

But information on paper is ultimately static; we still need to observe the real person to know for sure.

"Shadow, 42 years old, formerly served in the Dark Guard," was transferred to the Kunlun War Zone three years ago to form the Shadow Blade Squad.

Participated in seventeen high-risk missions with a 100% success rate —

"Yan, 38 years old, comes from a family of martial arts practitioners. He is introverted but exceptionally brave in battle. He once single-handedly held off an alien Limit Lord for ten minutes, buying time for the team to retreat."

"Ling, 35 years old, formerly a special forces sniper in the Changbai Mountains region of Great Xia, volunteered to be transferred to the Kunlun war zone three years ago, citing 'the greater challenge here' ————"

"Mo, 33 years old, PhD in Information Engineering, obsessed with technology, somewhat bookish, but a genius in the field of electronic warfare —"

"Wenxin, 31 years old, a top student in medical school, with a master's degree in psychology, volunteered for frontline medical support, and joined Shadow Blade two years ago —"

"Hawk, 29 years old, a Taoist priest, skilled in stealth and tracking, is the youngest member of the team —"

The files all looked clean, and everyone's background, experience, and motivations seemed reasonable.

But the traitor is often hidden in the most plausible place.

Huang Sen turned off the tablet and rubbed his temples.

"No rush—if it's a fox, it will eventually show its tail."

After pausing for a moment, he didn't pack his things. He simply threw his bag on the bunk bed, then dragged the bed with one hand and went straight back to the next room.

crunch—

As the grating sound of the iron bed entered the room, the members of the Shadow Squad frowned and looked towards the door.

Huang Sen dragged the bed in, laughing as he said, "Since we're all family from today onwards, how can we sleep separately? That would make me, Old Huang, seem so unsociable."

"Come on, come on, everyone doesn't mind if I sleep here, right?"

After saying that, he didn't care whether others minded or not, and dragged the bed into the room and placed it in the empty space by the door.

Ying glanced at him but didn't say anything more, which Huang Sen took as tacit approval.

As he spoke, he took out six packets of braised beef from his bag and handed one to each person: "Try them. I braised them at home myself, and I brought them especially for you."

At the same time.

Xiaoqingqiong Mountain, Jinpeng Peak Quiet Room.

Xu Feng sat cross-legged, his body surrounded by pale golden qi and blood that undulated like the tide.

Three jade bottles were placed in front of him.

One bottle of "Tianpeng True Spirit Blood", one bottle of "Hundred Refinement Golden Body Pill", and one bottle of "Star Marrow Tempering Liquid".

Xu Feng opened the jade bottle containing the "Heavenly Roc True Spirit Blood," and a rich aura of blood mixed with an ancient and domineering will rushed towards him.

It is said to be blood, but it is actually a mixture of rare and precious medicines, specially prepared for cultivating the Heavenly Roc Soaring Dragon Technique.

This medicine is not commonly used, so it is impossible to add Gu worms like Star God Dew and Star God Pill.

However, Xu Feng still carefully examined the area using the equipment that Shadow Blade had sent some time ago, and only stayed after finding no danger.

The Hundred-Refined Golden Body Pill comes from the ancient ruins of the Ling Shu civilization, and the seal on the pill has not been broken, so there is naturally no problem.

As for the Star Marrow Tempering Liquid, Xu Feng also studied it carefully and found no problems. However, this substance is a commonly used body-refining liquid in Little Azure Sky Mountain.

Therefore, he doesn't plan to use it himself.

Instead, he traded with another peak master for a Hundred-Refined Golden Body Pill!

Then, he carefully took out a drop of the true spirit blood of the Peng and put it in his mouth.

boom-!

The violent energy exploded within his body, instantly rushing into his limbs and bones. Then, under the influence of Xu Feng's blood and qi, it surged into his spine, as if he had swallowed a ball of raging fire, and began to burn Xu Feng's body.

Xu Feng groaned, and fine golden lines appeared on the surface of his skin.

He focused all his energy on circulating his inner power, guiding it to temper his spine.

The first stage of this technique is to temper the limbs and build the "foundation for fighting dragons".

The second stage begins with tempering the spine, which is the "dragon pillar" that supports the torso.

Once mastered, the golden skin and jade bones will spread from the limbs to the torso, resulting in a qualitative leap in physical strength.

However, the pain of tempering the spine far exceeds that of the limbs.

Each vertebra felt as if it were being struck by a heavy hammer, burned by raging fire, and frozen by ice, in a continuous cycle.

Xu Feng gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead, sweat pouring down his face, but he didn't stop.

One month.

Red Pheasant gave him a month to prepare, during which he must improve his strength as much as possible.

With three drops of "Tianpeng True Spirit Blood" and three "Hundred Refinement Golden Body Pills," he should be able to complete the body tempering within a month.

Unfortunately, the Heavenly Roc Dragon-Slaying Technique is profound and complex, encompassing many systems such as body refinement, movement techniques, and combat, so the progress of cultivation is not fast.

While body tempering is aided by precious medicines, one can only gradually increase their cultivation level through sheer hard work.

However, with his current level of "mastery," he could easily overwhelm ordinary Limit Lords who had only tempered their limbs when activating this technique.

With the added power of the Divine Elephant Suppressing Prison Technique, he easily defeated the Ultimate Lord after reaching the Five Peaks.

It's a pity there was no strong wind to help him, otherwise his cultivation speed could have increased several times over.

Time passed day by day.

Xu Feng lived a secluded life, except for occasionally going to Hongyun Peak to "discuss" attack details with Hongzhi. He spent most of his time in seclusion, practicing asceticism.

Everyone on Jinpeng Peak knew that the peak master was in seclusion preparing for battle, and no one dared to disturb him.

Xiaofeng, Chixu, and others intensified their training of the disciples within the peak in preparation for the great battle.

Meanwhile, the Red Pheasant, after initially proposing the plan, fell into a period of silence.

She did not immediately mobilize troops or convene frequent meetings, but only occasionally sent people to deliver some intelligence information so that Xu Feng could "familiarize himself with the human base's defenses."

This unusual calm made Xu Feng even more wary.

Red Pheasant is not an indecisive person; she must be secretly planning something.

But Xu Feng didn't delve into the most important thing right now: improving his strength.

Twenty days later.

In the quiet room, Xu Feng slowly opened his eyes.

Golden light shimmered in his eyes, and the pale golden luster on his skin was deeper than before, with a subtle metallic sheen.

The spine, shaped like a dragon, glows with a pale golden light as it is cleansed by the flow of qi and blood, as if a golden dragon is awakening within it.

The internal organs are wrapped in a network of golden threads, and each beat contains immense power.

He clenched his fist, feeling the surging power within him.

The twenty-four vertebrae have been mostly tempered and refined!

"We're running out of time, but we're moving quite fast."

Xu Feng let out a long breath, a smile appearing on his lips.

"That's about it—"

He slowly got up, stretched his muscles and bones, and his joints made a crisp sound.

A month of intensive training yielded results far exceeding expectations.

【The Three Pure Ones' Boundless Dharma (Advanced Version) - Master (390/1600)】

Ling Shu Basic Rune Array - Proficient (115/40)

Ling Shu Creation and Repair - Proficient (120/400)

Tianpeng Dragon-Slaying Technique - Mastery (367/800)

Flying Star Moon-Slaying Blade - Grandmaster (1800/3200)

.

Seven Tribulations of Shattered Soul - Grandmaster (1402/3200)

Unnamed Grandmaster (687/3200)

Almost all the secret techniques have seen a steady improvement.

At the same time, although the cultivation of the Heavenly Roc Dragon-Slaying Technique did not change his basic strength due to the limitations of the Star God Realm.

However, his physical endurance, ability to fight for a long time, and recovery ability have all been greatly improved.

Meanwhile, things should start to move from the Red Pheasant's side as well.

It seemed to confirm his guess.

Outside the quiet room, Xiaofeng's voice came: "Brother, Peak Master Hongzhi has ordered you to go to Hongyun Peak immediately, as there is important business to discuss."

A cold glint flashed in Xu Feng's eyes.

Finally—it's about to begin.

He straightened his robes and pushed open the stone door.

Outside the door, Xiaofeng looked grave: "Brother, it seems that Red Cloud Peak is mobilizing manpower."

Xu Feng nodded: "I understand. Inside the messenger peak, all retainers should assemble and await orders."

"yes!"

at the same time.

Somewhere in the Kunlun Mountains.

Huang Sen carried the freshly stewed "Qi and Blood Nourishing Soup" into the Shadow Blade Squad's "meeting room".

Although it was called a meeting room, it was actually a large cave in the mountain cave, which they dug out as a gathering place to hide.

In the past month, he has fully integrated into the team.

She cooks different dishes for everyone every day and helps organize supplies and maintain equipment in her spare time.

Honest, warm-hearted, and a great cook—that's the common impression the Shadow Blade team members have of him.

The team returns to base for rest every seven days, and spends most of their time idly wandering around in the mountains.

-

The mission may seem extremely simple, but in reality, you'll encounter enemy lord squads at any time.

Everyone was on edge.

Nobody took this "chef" consultant seriously, which was exactly what Huang Sen wanted.

After a month of observation, he had several suspects in mind.

"Come on, come on, this soup is freshly made, drink it while it's hot!" Huang Sen said with a smile, serving each person a bowl.

"Thanks, Lao Huang, this soup is amazing! Since you came, I haven't complained about missions at all; it tastes so good."

Ling took the bowl, blew on it to cool it down, and smiled.

Huang Sen chuckled: "Hehe, it's an ancestral recipe that replenishes qi and blood, strengthens muscles and bones, and is good for recovery from injuries."

Just then, a lithe, sharp-looking young man carrying a sword walked in.

It was a "gathering" that had just returned from a mission to guard the area.

"Captain, I'm back," Hayabusa saluted Shadow, then looked at the others and smiled, "Oh, smells so good? Old Huang made something delicious again?"

"We've been waiting for you!" Huang Sen ladled out a full bowl and handed it over. "Did the mission go well?"

"It went smoothly, but the wind was a bit strong, and it was freezing cold."

Falcon took the bowl, gulped down a few mouthfuls, and sighed contentedly.

"Old Huang's soup is still the most comforting."

Amidst the laughter and chatter, Huang Sen simply smiled, then pulled Ling aside and asked, "By the way, you didn't finish telling me what you were saying last time. What's the geology to the northwest of our area?"

"Latin red soil is very special and rarely seen in the Kunlun Mountains."

It usually only occurs in tropical rainforest climate zones, such as the Amazon basin.

That's the territory of the Earth Dragon Clan, said to be the clan from which the peak master of the sixth peak, Earth Treasure Peak, of Little Azure Sky Mountain originated.

Huang Sen nodded and gave Ling a thumbs up: "You know so much!"

Ling smiled smugly: "I just overheard it from someone, it's nothing."

Huang Sen then stood up and said, "Alright, you guys have your soup first, and there's another dish coming soon."

He then walked outside. After taking a couple of steps, he suddenly said, "Oh right, it's time to change the insoles today. Insoles that have been worn for a long time will have too much residual odor, which will be easily detected by the alien races."

After you finish eating, please leave your shoes by the door. I'll take care of them and polish them while you rest.

"Okay! Thanks for your hard work."

Mo said with a smile.

Huang Sen smiled and turned to walk towards the cave outside.

"Hey, after Lao Huang came, I suddenly felt that the days of carrying out missions were not so hard."

Mo sighed.

Wen Xin, standing nearby, asked with a smile, "By the way, I haven't heard why they suddenly brought Lao Huang in?"

Ying glanced at her and said casually, "We don't need to know the purpose of those above. Just focus on the mission."

Wenxin stuck out her tongue: "Yes, the captain is right."

Everyone chuckled and said nothing more.

night.

Huang Sen took the shoes of the few people who were not on duty and cleaned them, removed the odor, and changed the insoles.

When Huang Sen picked up Falcon's shoes, he paused for a moment: "Wow, they're pretty clean."

Then his eyes narrowed, and he dealt with it as usual before putting it down.

The earth dragon tribe lives in a lateritic soil, which is not easy to stick to shoes when dry.

However, it becomes very sticky when wet, easily sticking to shoes and difficult to clean.

The nearest alien territory to their mission location was the territory of the Earth Dragon Clan.

If the traitor wanted to pass on a message, he would inevitably go to that area.

The weather in the Kunlun Mountains is unpredictable; it had just rained the day before, and anyone who had been there would have left marks on their shoes.

If you don't want to be suspected, you will definitely wash yourself carefully before returning.

Compared to other people's shoes, the soles of the Falcon shoes are a bit too clean.

After observing the falcon for several days, he found no evidence that it had any obsessive-compulsive disorder or a penchant for cleanliness.

Therefore, this is highly questionable.

"Phew—is it him?"

Huang Sen felt his heart beating faster and faster.