Human Genius? Sorry, I’m a Deviant

Chapter 432: Brother Su’s Prestige.

What drew even more attention was the identity of several officers who had come to receive the new recruits.

Among them, one officer, after confirming Su Zhan's identity, his eyes filled with respect. He straightened his military cap and collar, and actually took the initiative to stride over.

"Mr. Su Zhan!"

The officer came to a halt before Su Zhan and saluted with a standard military salute. "I never expected to see you here! I am the receiving instructor for Iron Wall Fortress, Zhao Gang. We have studied your deeds at Panshi Fortress. They are truly admirable!"

Su Zhan gave a slight nod. "Instructor Zhao, pleased to meet you."

With Instructor Zhao Gang taking the lead, the other officers and some of the bolder new recruits couldn't hold back any longer. They all crowded around, their faces a mix of excitement and nervousness.

"Senior Su Zhan! C-can... can I take a photo with you?"

A young recruit, having mustered his courage, asked with a flushed face.

"Mr. Su! I'm your admirer! You are my goal!"

Another recruit shouted excitedly."Advisor Su Zhan, thank you for everything you've done for the border!"

An officer said solemnly.

For a moment, quite a crowd gathered around Su Zhan, requesting photos, autographs, or simply to speak a few words up close.

Su Zhan looked at these enthusiastic and sincere faces. Many of them were young people with clear eyes, filled with admiration for the strong.

He did not adopt a superior, aloof posture.

For reasonable photo requests, he basically accepted all comers.

For autographs, he politely declined on the grounds that he was not a public figure.

But he would offer brief words of encouragement, urging them to serve well and protect Daxia, and the like.

Liu Ziming watched from the side with admiration, nudging Xu Hao with his elbow and whispering, "See that? This is our Brother Su's prestige! Even the instructors receiving recruits are this respectful!"

Xu Hao shook his head with a smile.

This scene undoubtedly also elevated the status and attention of Feng Jue, Liu Ziming, and Xu Hao, who were about to head to Iron Wall Fortress, in the eyes of the many fellow new recruits and officers present.

Everyone clearly saw the deep relationship they shared with Su Zhan.

It wasn't until the final boarding order sounded again that the crowd reluctantly dispersed, returning to their respective units, though their gazes still frequently drifted towards Su Zhan.

Su Zhan gave a final nod to his three friends, watching them merge with the flow of people.

The four exchanged a smile.

"Take care!"

"You too!"

The three picked up their luggage, turned, and strode towards the transport ship, their backs resolute as they blended into the torrent of camouflage uniforms.

Su Zhan stood in place, watching them leave.

Until the ship's hatch closed and the roar of its engines tore through the sky.

This was the path of growth they had to walk.

And all he could do was stand behind them, become their most solid support, and continue forward on his own path, growing stronger.

Su Zhan watched as the transport ship disappeared above the clouds.

The gentle smile on his face gradually faded.

He stood alone on the spot.

The emptiness after the crowd dispersed mirrored his current state of mind.

Once, they had also promised to graduate together, enlist together, fight side by side on the same battlefield, watch each other's backs, and advance together...

Images flashed through his mind: their younger selves on the training grounds of Vermilion Bird Academy, sweating profusely, competing yet supporting each other.

Back then, although there were gaps in their strength, they were still running towards similar goals under the same sky.

However, now...

Su Zhan slightly clenched his fist, feeling the vast, ocean-like power within his body.

This power had brought status, resources, and supreme authority.

But it had also drawn a seemingly insurmountable chasm between him and his past.

His current strength meant he could no longer walk the same path as them.

This wasn't arrogance, but a sober awareness.

With his current Ocean Realm and Calamity-level strength, if he entered the military system, there was absolutely no way he would start as an ordinary soldier or a junior officer.

His starting position would be, at the very least, a general overseeing a region or a strategic-level advisor with extremely high autonomy.

What he would face were Calamity-level Mist Creatures, the schemes of the Transcendence Society, and decisions concerning the survival of multiple fortresses or even an entire war zone.

As for Feng Jue and the others, they needed to start from the most basic battlefield missions, gradually accumulate military merits, familiarize themselves with military operations, and temper themselves in blood and fire.

Their paths were already different.

He could no longer stand side by side with them on the same starting line, weathering the same storms as before.

A subtle sense of distance quietly spread within his heart.

He had smoothed the road ahead for them, deterred potential trouble, but he could no longer personally participate in their growth over the next three years, or even longer.

He stood at a higher level, possessed greater power, but had also lost the possibility of experiencing that important stage of life alongside his closest friends.

The higher one stands, the colder it gets.

This loneliness stemmed from a kind of spiritual disconnect.

Former companions with whom he could roughhouse, confide, and fight side by side without reservation...

Now required him to look after them in the capacity of a "protector" and a "backing."

The friendship remained sincere, but the way they interacted had inevitably changed.

Su Zhan let out a soft breath, suppressing the faint sense of loss in his heart.

The path, in the end, was one he had chosen himself.

Since he chose to embark on this path of strength, possessing this power, he had to bear everything that came with it, including... this inevitable loneliness.

...

Su Zhan returned to the cultivation chamber in Black City, protected by layers of formations.

He immediately discarded all distracting thoughts, completely immersing his mind in cultivation.

The first thing he did was to fully refine and absorb the residual medicinal energy stored within his body, tempering his flesh and soul over and over again.

The Spiritual Core belonging to the Awakened individual system seemed to cheer and leap with joy, greedily absorbing this nourishment. Its glow grew increasingly brilliant, and the total amount of Spiritual Energy contained within steadily advanced towards a certain critical point.

At the same time, he consumed the mountain of top-tier cultivation resources without the slightest hesitation.

Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Milk was drunk like sweet spring water, transforming into pure Spiritual Energy.

The smoke of Pure Glass Incense swirled around, protecting his mind and spirit, purging any potential impurities from the energy.

Hundred Refinements Blood Marrow tempered his physique, making the black scales deeper and more solid, making the spark of the Flame of Destruction more condensed and active.

The barrier of Ocean Realm First Stage had long been loosened.

The gains from Panshi Fortress had already placed him on the verge of a breakthrough.

Now, propelled by an unimaginably massive infusion of resources and the simultaneous operation of his dual systems, that seemingly solid barrier finally emitted a groan of being overwhelmed.

An unknown amount of time passed.

Perhaps only an instant, or perhaps it felt like a long, long age.

Su Zhan, seated in the center of the chamber, suddenly shuddered.

"BOOM——!!!"

A terrifying aura erupted violently.

Within the chamber.

Spiritual Energy seethed.

Madly surging into his body.

Su Zhan's Spiritual Core underwent a qualitative transformation at this moment. Its volume did not increase, but its internal structure became more complex and profound. The total amount of Spiritual Energy it could contain and generate leaped up a massive step.

Ocean Realm Second Stage!