120: "God's Son" Ivan

The motorcade turned into an area surrounded by high walls in the western suburbs of Winter City.

The walls were high, at least fifteen meters, cast entirely from some sort of dark gray alloy; when the gates opened, the heavy grinding of metal sounded like the low growl of a giant beast.

Inside was neither a palace nor some luxurious club.

It was a training ground.

An exaggeratedly massive, semi-open-air training ground.

The ground was made of some deep black special material that felt slightly elastic when stepped on, yet was extremely hard.

In the center of the training ground stood a person.

He stood there casually, wearing a simple black training vest and trousers, barefoot.

But when he turned around and cast his gaze toward the entering Xia Nation Envoy Group, the air in the entire training ground seemed to freeze.

Ivanov.

North Bear Country's only Inheritor, an existence revered by the people as the "Son of God."

He was nearly 2.3 meters tall, and his muscular lines weren't of an exaggerated bodybuilding Physique but closer to the proportions of an ancient Greek sculpture—every muscle seemed to contain explosive power, yet they were as coordinated as precision machinery.

His face was very young, appearing no more than twenty-five years old, with sharp features and deep brown eyes like the water of a frozen lake—calm, deep, yet strangely clean.

There was no arrogance, no overbearingness, only a kind of... purity?

"Welcome," Ivan spoke. His voice wasn't loud, yet it reached everyone's ears clearly, even drowning out the howling wind outside the training ground.

His Xia Nation language was a bit stiff but very standard—clearly, he wasn't using a translator.

Ambassador Zheng took a step forward, and just as his standard official rhetoric was about to be uttered, Ivan had already waved his hand.

"No need for that," he said directly. "Kryukov said you encountered an attack on the way. Are you injured?"

This sudden concern left the members of the envoy group stunned for a moment.

Sister Lin subconsciously touched her arm—she had scraped it slightly when jumping off the White Tiger's back earlier, but the skin hadn't even broken.

"No, thank you for your concern," Ambassador Zheng replied politely.

"That's good." Ivan nodded, his expression very serious. "If you were injured, it would mean your physical training is still insufficient. Impact resistance is the foundation of foundations. You must strengthen your training when you return."

Xia Nation Envoy Group: "..."

Was this a condolence or training guidance?

Ambassador Zheng, being experienced after all, replied without changing his expression, "We appreciate Your Excellency Ivanov's concern. However, our envoy group also includes civilian and non-combat personnel; the bodies of ordinary people are ultimately fragile and cannot be compared to powerful Ability Users."

Hearing this, Ivan's frozen-lake-like eyes showed an "I understand" expression.

"You are right." He nodded solemnly.

The Xia Nation Envoy Group breathed a slight sigh of relief, feeling that the conversation had finally returned to a normal channel.

Then Ivan continued, "Ordinary people having fragile bodies is indeed a problem."

A second's pause.

"That's why Ability Users should all the more train to have powerful bodies!"

His tone was resonant and powerful, his gaze sincere, as if he were expounding a universal truth: "Only in this way can we better protect ordinary people and shoulder our responsibilities!"

All members of the Xia Nation Envoy Group, including Ambassador Zheng, fell into a collective brief silence.

Zhai Yingying ranted frantically in her heart: Big brother! Are we even talking about the same thing?! We're saying ordinary people are fragile and need protection! We're not giving you a reason to motivate Ability Users to work out!

Chen Long's mouth twitched imperceptibly. Qin Lie opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed it again. Sister Lin rolled her eyes. This was exactly the kind of appearance and personality she disliked in a potential partner.

Lu Guangming almost laughed out loud and quickly lowered his head to hide it.

This Ivan truly lived up to his reputation.

He wasn't being arrogant, nor was he intentionally being argumentative.

He truly just had... a unique way of thinking, with an uncanny ability to miss the point.

Ivan seemed completely unaware of the subtle atmosphere; instead, he felt his words just now were very reasonable and that he had successfully consoled the guests. He pointed to the rest area at the edge of the training ground—there were only a few simple metal benches there.

"Sit," he said.

Everyone took their seats. Ivan sat down as well; his sitting posture was casual, but that invisible sense of pressure still remained.

"Kryukov said your battle just now was very interesting." Ivan's gaze swept over Sister Lin and Qin Lie. "White Tiger, Vermilion Bird. Very ancient symbols."

Sister Lin was a bit nervous. "That... it's just a common summoning Superpower, nothing special."

"Not special," Ivan shook his head, "but very practical. Energy materialization, combining physical attack and spiritual pressure. Was your ability originally energy construction? And later you took the path of 'Spirit Manifestation'?"

Sister Lin was startled. "How do you know?"

"I can tell," Ivan said. "Your energy fluctuations are very 'active,' not 'static' like pure energy. However..."

He paused. "When you manifest, why do you tip your foot?"

Sister Lin: "Ah?"

"I watched the recording of the battle just now," Ivan analyzed seriously. "Before you summon the White Tiger, your right foot subconsciously tips up by 0.5 centimeters, and your center of gravity leans forward by three degrees. This redundant movement slows your manifestation speed by 0.2 seconds and increases energy consumption by five percent."

Sister Lin: "..."

"And you." Ivan looked at Qin Lie. "The flame temperature of the Vermilion Bird form is sufficient because you always undergo spiritual training. But the hardness is lacking; you should enhance your Physique training. Your body will give you the best feedback."

Qin Lie opened his mouth but couldn't find any words. He realized that since arriving here, he had been lectured twice without even saying a word.

"Of course, these are all minor issues," Ivan concluded. "Overall, you fought well. Especially..."

His gaze fell upon Lu Guangming.

"You."

Lu Guangming looked up.

"Kryukov said that throughout the entire battle, the pressure you released alone made the enemies hesitant and fearful."

Lu Guangming's heart stirred.

As expected, the Perception of an S-rank powerhouse was no joke.

"Your energy control precision is very high," Ivan continued. "But what interests me more is... your 'calmness'."

He leaned forward slightly, his frozen-lake-like eyes staring directly at Lu Guangming. "A young Ability User around A-rank, after encountering a surprise attack, witnessing an A-rank battle, and then being brought before an Inheritor like me... your heart rate hasn't changed from beginning to end."

The training ground became so quiet that only the sound of the wind remained.

Everyone's gaze was focused on Lu Guangming.

There was surprise in Chen Long's eyes. Zhai Yingying was somewhat worried. Sister Lin and Qin Lie were curious.

Lu Guangming was silent for two seconds, then spoke, "Maybe... I just have a good heart?"

Ivan stared at him for three seconds, then suddenly laughed.

"Interesting," he said. "Kryukov was right; you are inscrutable."

He leaned back against the bench again. "But it doesn't matter. There are many people I can't see through. I can't see through Major General Sokolov either—in your terms, he's of the Sensing system. Yet in terms of strength, he can still trade blows with me."

This statement carried a lot of information.

Major General Sokolov, that seemingly frail officer, was indeed S-rank. Moreover, he was originally from the Sensing system, yet within North Bear Country's 'physicality-first' system, he had actually trained to the point where he could trade blows with the Inheritor of the God of Strength?

"I didn't meet you today to talk about the international situation," Ivan changed the subject. "Those matters will be discussed by Kryukov and your ambassador. What I want to talk about is the 'path'."

He pointed to the training ground. "You've seen North Bear Country's path. Pushing everyone in one direction, training them to the brink of death—what comes out are the best warriors, but..."

He paused. "Perhaps not the best 'humans'."

Hearing these words from him felt strangely incongruous.

"I've heard about Xia Nation's path," Ivan continued. "Letting a hundred flowers bloom, everyone taking their own path. It sounds good, but..."

He paused again. "Perhaps it cannot produce the best warriors."

He looked at the envoy group. "So I was wondering, is there a third path?"

Chen Long couldn't help but ask, "What do you mean?"

"I don't know," Ivan answered honestly. "That's why I'm meeting you. I want to see how far those who take different paths can go, how strong they can be, and how... 'complete' they can be."

He stood up. "So, according to the rules, it's time to 'exchange notes'."

He looked at Chen Long. "Are you the captain?"

Chen Long looked at Qin Lie, then nodded.

"Then we'll also put forward a captain." Ivan looked toward the entrance of the training ground.

A figure stepped out from the shadows.

It was Major General Sokolov.

He had already changed out of his military uniform, wearing a set of black training clothes, and his glasses were gone. At this moment, he had no scholarly air, only a blade-like sharpness settled after experiencing countless life-and-death struggles.

"Andrei Sokolov," he nodded slightly. "Please guide me."

Chen Long stood up, his gaze solemn.

He could feel that the person before him was more dangerous than any opponent he had encountered before.

"S-rank? Am I going to fight an S-rank?" He felt no cowardice; instead, he was even more excited.

In the Xia Nation, when had there ever been an opportunity to battle an S-rank?

"Yes, it seems you don't understand your own strength yet; the Xia Nation has nurtured you too gently. With your talent, North Bear Country would place you in life-and-death combat at every moment."

The Xia Nation Ambassador frowned but said nothing.

Just as both sides were about to make their move.

"Wait," Ivan suddenly spoke.

Everyone looked at him.

This Son of God rubbed his chin, looked at Chen Long and Sokolov, thought seriously for a few seconds, and then said:

"When you fight, remember to control your force. Strength is not destruction; strength is conquest as well as protection! Don't damage the training ground; it's very expensive to repair."

Everyone: "..."

Major General Sokolov pushed his non-existent glasses and nodded expressionlessly, "Yes, Your Highness."

Chen Long took a deep breath. "Please guide me."

Ivan sat down again, looked at Lu Guangming, and suddenly asked, "Who do you think will win?"

Lu Guangming thought for a moment. "Major General Sokolov."

"Why?"

"Because he looks like... he's better at saving money?"

Ivan was stunned for a moment, then burst into loud laughter.

The laughter echoed in the training ground, diluting the previously heavy atmosphere.