Ultragene Warlord

Chapter 147: Dojo Expansion

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“I apologize, Clan Head Li, but we need these white-grub cores for ourselves! And I'm afraid I won't be able to purchase any on your behalf.
If Zhang Lie were to find out, his anger would surely shift to us, so please find some other method!”

“Clan Head Chu, please, I'm happy to negotiate regarding the price—”

“Clan Head Li, do you think the problems you have with the Zenith Dojo can be fixed by money alone? Does Zhang Lie lack for your wealth?”

Li Mo's face grew progressively uglier over the course of his conversation with Chu Lin.
In the end, he had no choice but to drop the call in despondence.
The Chu clan head was right: the enmity that lay between the Li clan and Zhang Lie wasn't something that money could resolve.

“Well, Clan Head? Have you managed to secure the cores?” mocked several of the elders who were against him. 

Li Mo's face twisted.
No one knew just how intense his hatred against Zhang Lie was.

“We have to hurry—the Void Cup's just about to begin!” another subset of the elders called out.
If the Li hunters of the younger generation weren't able to perform the foundational breakthrough before then, they would be overcome by hunters from the other clans who had.

Li Mo made call after call, but after countless failed attempts, he crushed his transceiver to powder in his hand.
“I don't believe Zhang Lie holds a complete monopoly over these white grub cores!”

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He sent his subordinates out to find any other source of the prized ingredient as the Void Cup drew closer and closer.

The Zenith Dojo was welcoming a surprising influx of applicants.
As expected, there were quite a few interested students from Ning, but also even from the rest of China, the world federation, and even a rare few from the solar system.

Outside the dojo, there were a few citizens discussing the Zenith Dojo's potential recruits.

“Have you looked at the applicant requirements for the dojo?”

“Of course! Apparently, they're quite lax—they only value loyalty and growth potential.”

“Really? Not the applicants' talent?”

“At the very least, there aren't any formal requirements on that front.”

“”Wonderful! Apparently, the Zenith Dojo's facilities are comparable to the top-ranking dojos in the country, and their fees aren't even expensive!”

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“Isn't that so? Only someone like the Dragonwolf Zhang Lie would be able to start such a dojo!”

“That's not the best part—every month, the dojo will host a competition among its disciples, and those who perform best can get pointers from Zhang Lie himself! In fact, he'll even award them an opportunity for a foundational breakthrough!”

Indeed, Zhang Lie didn't place much emphasis on talent in the selection criteria for the dojo's disciples.
The Zenith Dojo, which emphasized breaking through one's limits, naturally focused more on hard work and effort.
From Zhang Lie's perspective, even the rarest talent could lose out to unceasing effort.

“Captain, we have a whole bunch of new applicants daily! We've already sifted out the most promising among them.”

In the Zenith Dojo's conference room, Sun Mengmeng, Fang Yi, and Zhang Hong were seated in front of Zhang Lie and reporting on their efforts to date.
Zhang Hong handed him a microchip with the shortlisted applicants, which Zhang Lie perused.
These trainees would have to pass a series of examinations to become full disciples; the examinations were meant to separate the wheat from the chaff.

Since the opening of the Zenith Dojo, they had received nearly a hundred thousand applications, and although many of these applicants could be eliminated directly, the dojo staff would have to continue sifting through these applications for quite some time.

Zhang Lie glanced over the list.
“Thank you for your hard work, Zhang Hong.
Please add one additional line to the recruitment notice: if there are applicants who score equally well on the placement test, we'll prioritize those from less prestigious backgrounds.
Furthermore, let's start preparing to construct branch dojos in other locations nationwide,” he instructed. 

Zhang Hong's face turned weary.
“We can do it, Dojo Leader, but it'll be a lot of work.
We'll need at least ten times the manpower if we want to get this done within a reasonable timeframe!”

“I'll grant you the authority to do so.
I can handle matters in Ning myself, so I'll leave you with the other locations.”

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“What, you aren't afraid I'll run off with the funds?” Zhang Hong joked.

“I wouldn't employ people I don't trust.
I've worked with you, Lawyer Zhang, and I don't believe you're that type of person.
Furthermore, even if you were to run off with my money, what could you do? You'd have to live the rest of your life hiding from the public eye, scampering from place to place.”

“Ha! Well, I'll have to get back to work now, if I want to get any of these tasks done on time.” Zhang Lie's approval made Zhang Hong smile as she walked out of the conference room.

“This placement test of yours is quite interesting.
Can you give me a copy? I'd like to test out something similar on the Blackwind Fort's recruits,” Lin Xiu suddenly asked.

“Of course! I'll bring it to the Blackwind Fort personally in two days and give a live demonstration there.” Naturally, Zhang Lie would do his best to satisfy Li Xiu's every request.

With the money pouring in from the sales of the white-grub cores, the Zenith Dojo and its subsidiary branches would surely develop rapidly, and those disciples that passed through the rigorous screening process would all undergo a foundational breakthrough.
The Zenith Dojo would surely be teeming with strong hunters after just a short period of growth.

Zhang Lie's lips curled up.
A strong hunter on his own wouldn't be able to do all that much, but what about a horde of them? This was the primary reason he had founded the Zenith Dojo: to form a coalition of strong hunters that would be able to advance fearlessly through this cruel universe.

“Alright, everyone, I know you're all busy with dojo-related affairs, but make sure you're focusing on preparations for the Void Cup.
There isn't much time left, so we'll need to find a way to get you all more soulshards,” Zhang Lie continued.

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Right, the Void Cup was almost here! The city-wide selection stage wasn't supposed to be too hard, but the members of Team Zenith were still quite worried.
After all, Zhang Lie was expecting them to place within the top ten overall, which meant that they would have to fight and overcome the strongest hunters in each region.

Lin Xiu narrowed his eyes as he glanced at Zhang Lie.
“I won't be able to interfere in the events of the Void Cup, so you'd better not attract too much attention to yourself,” he warned.

“Yes, I know.” Zhang Lie smiled, his eyes gleaming.

“Given the enmity between you and the Li clan, they'll surely try to kill you during the Void Cup.
While you remain in Ning, my presence and the Blackwind Fort will stop them from trying anything unwise, but once you leave, that protection no longer applies,” Lin Xiu emphasized, thinking that Zhang Lie wasn't treating this matter seriously enough.

“Thank you for the reminder.
I have a plan, so if they do attack, they'll end up with a nasty surprise,” Zhang Lie replied, a sharp edge to his aura suddenly overwhelming the room.

Even Lin Xiu was taken aback.
Indeed, with Zhang Lie's current strength, he wouldn't have to worry about anyone in the Void Cup at all, but if the Li, Qin, and Wang clans were to attack him indiscriminately without sparing any expense, they could still pose a significant threat.

The fact that Zhang Lie was still so cavalier had to mean that he had an ace up his sleeve. 

Zhang Lie was, as yet, the only hunter of the younger generation that Lin Xiu thought had the potential to surpass the older.

“Fang Yi, Sun Mengmeng, you'll lead everyone into the dimensional world tonight.
Before the Void Cup begins, we'll have to shore up your weaknesses,” Zhang Lie instructed.

“Yes, Captain!” everyone shouted, then went to finish up their respective tasks for the dojo before their return.