First-Year Internship—And You Went to Site 749 to Contain Monsters?!

“Ha ha ha ha ha ha……”

Laughter echoed from inside the room.

A whistle sounded outside.

The quiet of the night was broken. Everyone had been waiting for this moment.

The first step of advanced training.

Foundation building in the Blood Pool.

“All personnel, gather at the Blood Pool!!!”

An instructor shouted loudly.

“Let’s go, time to head to the Blood Pool.” Lu Ding stood up in the room and said.He was filled with anticipation.

He wondered if the Blood Pool would be as magical as the rumors said.

If possible, Lu Ding hoped he could ride the wave and step into the Divine Palace Realm through the Blood Pool.

That would save him a ton of resources and effort—and be more enjoyable, too.

He could then reserve his energy and time for other things.

As he stepped out of the room, someone happened to fly right over their heads.

Lu Ding looked up—Huangpu Lingyun turned his head back and glanced at him, wearing a provocative smile that made Lu Ding feel slightly uncomfortable.

His lips moved.

‘I’ ‘will’ ‘see’ ‘you’ ‘at’ ‘the’ ‘Blood’ ‘Pool’

Such stiff posturing was almost funny to Lu Ding.

It felt like watching a rookie soldier trying too hard.

“He’s so bad at acting cool—not even close to you,” Bai Hemen commented from the side.

Lu Ding: ……

Even though he knew Bai Hemen meant it as a compliment,

he couldn’t help but feel a bit weird about it.

Xue Ning craned his neck to look over that way too.

“Ha ha ha ha ha ha I gotta see who’s trying to act tough in front of Brother Lu, who is it, let me see, let me see.”

But the moment he saw who it was, Xue Ning stopped laughing immediately. The sudden emotional spike caused his wound to burst open and spray blood again:

“Hiss~ Brother Lu, I know that guy! That’s Huangpu Lingyun from the Eastern Region. Man, he’s so abstract. Total dumb luck, found the Imperial Jade Seal of the Jing Dynasty out of nowhere. That guy—let me tell you!!”

“What fking era do we live in, and he still thinks he can be emperor or something.”

Lu Ding said nothing.

Bai Hemen glanced at him. Yep—Huangpu Lingyun was gonna get his a kicked.

That’s what Yan Feifan told him.

‘Brother Lu hates it the most when people threaten him, second when someone tries to outshine him, and worst—when someone puts on a show right in front of him.’

As they walked forward, Xue Ning kept muttering beside them.

One moment talking to Bai Hemen, the next to Wen Ruchu.

“I’m a second-gen Cultivator of Qi, right? My second uncle’s family too—same lineage. His eldest son, my cousin, he’s also an investigator at 749.”

“That guy acts like a total big shot, walks into the house with his nose in the clouds.”

“It’s because of him that I came to Yunhai to be an investigator.”

“My parents said it’s a stable government job—old school style. Like the swallows that once fluttered in noble halls now fly into regular folks’ homes.”

“And then, during a previous assignment, I saw this punk—an intern investigator. My cousin is a formal investigator, and this guy was tailing Huangpu Lingyun like a little puppy. It pissed me off.”

“Tyrant Spear, Tyrant Spear, and this is how you use it!?”

His voice rose several notches at that.

“He turned the Tyrant Spear into a lapdog spear, and he even told me it was a strategic investment—said Huangpu Lingyun was some kind of Chosen One, born of destiny.”

“Like someone meant to be emperor in the olden days.”

“He’s full of sh*t!”

“Later I looked into it. Huangpu Lingyun? F**k no. His real name was Zhang Wei. He only changed it to Huangpu Lingyun after picking up the Jade Seal. Total poser……”

At that, everyone instinctively bared their teeth.

And laughed.

Zhang Wei.

Not that it’s a bad name.

It’s a perfectly normal name.

Just like Lu Ding—a common name, just a regular guy.

If he didn’t change it, nobody would say a word. But changing it? That’s like trying to cover your ears while stealing a bell.

All it did was hand people a talking point.

Before long, the group arrived at the entrance to the cave where the Blood Pool was located.

After verifying their identities, they queued up and entered—it looked like a massive swimming pool.

There were many water inlets below.

And along the edge of the Blood Pool were big pipes with control valves.

It didn’t look great, honestly.

But the moment they arrived, the scent in the air hit them, and just one sniff sent the spiritual energy in their bodies flowing on its own through their meridians.

No need to test it—top-quality stuff, absolutely killer!

Noticing Lu Ding’s figure appearing at the entrance, looking in their direction,

Nuomin, standing beside Huangpu Lingyun, asked, “Were you provoking him just now?”

“Provoking him? No no no, I was just saying hi.”

Provoking?

How could that be.

In his mind, he was the one chosen by fate.

He awakened his Aperture when he found the Jade Seal—who wouldn’t think they’re chosen after that?

Before he picked it up, it was just a rock. After?

‘I am destiny. I am the will of Heaven incarnate.’

And not everyone can awaken their Aperture with a Jade Seal—not every Jade Seal can even do that.

Right time, right place, right person. Miss even one, and it doesn’t work.

So if he’s not the Chosen One, who is?

Now, Huangpu Lingyun even had the Sword of Emperor Jing.

To him, Lu Ding now looked like Heaven’s gift—a general candidate to charge into battle for him.

Just like Xue Ning’s cousin Xue Yong.

As long as Huangpu Lingyun showcased his so-called charisma, Lu Ding would fall under his sway, just like Xue Yong had.

There were plenty of smart people in this world.

Plenty who understood how to assess the situation.

That’s how this mindset of his formed.

And besides, he had some fantasies too. He’s a guy, after all—what guy doesn’t dream of expanding territory, becoming an immortal, ascending to godhood?

However.

Most people can tell the difference between reality and fantasy—they daydream, fantasize a little, find some joy. It’s the simplest form of happiness, everyone has it. A man is a boy till the day he dies.

Just like reading a novel—get that rush and you’re done. No one takes it into real life.

But not Huangpu Lingyun. He’d been so blessed with smooth sailing that it had gone straight to his head.

Especially after someone like Nuomin, a heaven-blessed daughter of the Eternal Heavens, had fallen for his charm.

That made his ego swell even more.

Maybe she had fallen for him—at least, that’s what he thought.

“The way you greeted him… wasn’t very appropriate.”

Nuomin said, then took a step back, because she saw Lu Ding and Bai Hemen already striding over.

Huangpu Lingyun didn’t react to her retreat.

He calmly looked at Lu Ding approaching and responded to her words.

“Inappropriate? So what if it was? At most it leads to conflict, a fight?”

“This is the only path for a king to tame his steed. Only a wild horse can stir my desire to conquer!!”

He normally wouldn’t do something like this.

But!!!

When he saw Xu Yixuan—who had been defeated by Lu Ding—chasing after him just to deliver a sword,

he got a little uncomfortable.

Before that, he could still keep up the act. But after that scene? He just couldn’t anymore.

That kind of treatment—used to be his.

And today, something like that happened to someone else.

Huangpu Lingyun couldn’t take it.

And this guy was a well-known genius from the Southeast Region’s current generation.

Totally different level from the ones who used to flock around him.

And Lu Ding had Bai Hemen with him.

In contrast, Huangpu Lingyun could barely feel his own presence.

That’s why he flew over Lu Ding’s head.

Why he left behind that line: I’ll be waiting for you at the Blood Pool.

He just wanted to feel seen again.

Now that Lu Ding was approaching, Huangpu Lingyun kept his expression unchanged—still calm and collected.

Until Lu Ding shouted those two words from several meters away.

“Zhang Wei!!”

Huangpu Lingyun’s face instantly turned dark.

“You’re looking to die!!!!”

All that so-called poise instantly crumbled. Huangpu Lingyun erupted, eyes blazing, golden talismans swirling and dancing around his fists.

Lu Ding reached into the void and pulled out an ancient, man-sized stone stele.

Carved on it, in bold, flowing calligraphy, were three words: Shi Gandang!!