Of the five Zhao Family branch youths, Gavin Zhao and Ray Zhao passed the War God Squad member assessment, but failed the squad leader test.
Although Ian didn't really like Gavin Zhao or Ray Zhao—mainly because both of them were too scheming—
when it came time to pick his squad members, Ian still chose both of them for his team. After all, they're Zhao Family people—sometimes you have to go with family, even if you don't like it.
Adding Elaine Zhao, he still needed to choose four more squad members.
The trouble was, aside from Ethan Ye and Tanya Tang, he didn't really know anyone else—which made things awkward.
Thinking fast, he quietly asked Elaine Zhao, "Sister Elaine, I don't know anyone else here—got any advice? Who should I pick for my squad?"
Elaine was genuinely happy that Ian had become one of the squad leaders, her face beaming with smiles.
Gavin Zhao and Ray Zhao, on the other hand, could barely manage a smile.
Sure, passing the assessment and becoming War God Squad members meant they'd completed Patriarch Edward Zhao's mission—but seeing Ian outshine them and become a squad leader made them feel extra jealous and bitter.
Elaine Zhao analyzed for Ian, "Ian, you know everyone here is from one of the Ten Great Families or the Six Major Sects. So, I suggest you pick allies from families or sects that are friendly with our Zhao Family."
Ian nodded. "That's exactly what I was thinking, but I don't actually know which families are close with ours. I'll need your help with that, Sister Elaine."
Hearing this, Elaine Zhao looked even happier. She glanced at a huge, bald guy who stood nearly 1.9 meters tall and said, "That's Tyler Ao, from the Ao Family's East Sea branch. The Ao Family gets along pretty well with our Zhao Family—you might want to consider him."
Then she looked at a cool, aloof young woman and said, "That's Monica Mu, from the Mu Family's Xining branch. She's worth considering too! And him—his dharma name is Vince Huixin, a lay disciple of the Golden Peak Zen Sect..."
Elaine Zhao rattled off nine recommendations in one breath, but which four to pick was up to Ian—and of course, whether the candidates wanted to join his squad was another question.
After listening to Elaine Zhao's rundown, Ian walked straight over to Tyler Ao. "Brother Tyler, I'm Ian Song. I'd like to officially invite you to join my squad—what do you think?"
After the first round of assessments, not many people knew Ian Song.
But after the second round, quite a few people recognized him.
By the third round, pretty much everyone knew Ian Song—his performance was just too eye-catching.
So, getting an invitation from Ian Song made Tyler Ao genuinely happy. After all, everyone could see the writing on the wall—following a powerhouse squad leader meant a brighter future.
Tyler Ao laughed loudly. "Haha! If Captain Song thinks I'm worth picking, of course I'm in!"
"Great, we're brothers from now on!" Ian said, grinning.
With Tyler Ao now on his team, Ian walked over to Monica Mu.
"Sister Monica, I'm Ian Song. I'd like to invite you to join my squad—would you be interested?"
Monica Mu gave Ian a cool glance. Just as Ian was bracing for rejection, she nodded. "Sure."
Two spots left.
Ian walked up to Vince Huixin of the Golden Peak Zen Sect and smiled. "Master Huixin, I'd like to invite you to join my squad. Would you accept?"
"Amitabha, it would be my honor!" Vince Huixin said, palms pressed together.
Just one spot left.
Ian approached a thin, black-robed man whose whole presence radiated cold, sinister energy. According to Elaine Zhao, he was from the Black Mountain Demon Sect and his name was Warren Wu.
"Brother Warren, I'm Ian Song. Would you like to join my squad?"
"I'm from the Demon Sect. Aren't you afraid?" Warren Wu asked stiffly, surprised.
The Demon Sect isn't called 'demon' because they're actual devils, but because their style is ruthlessly direct—if you have a grudge, you settle it, no beating around the bush. That's why they're known as the Demon Sect.
That was also why Elaine Zhao recommended Warren Wu last.
Still, Warren Wu's cultivation was impressive—mid Innate Sixth Layer, with unpredictable movement skills.
"If I'm inviting you, clearly I'm not afraid!" Ian said with a smile.
"Alright, I'm in!"
Warren Wu nodded.
With all seven squad members assembled, Ian had everyone gather for a round of introductions—just to break the ice.
While Ian was picking his team, Kyle "Madman" Lee kept shooting him venomous looks. He couldn't accept that Ian got to pick his own squad, while he had to wait for others to choose him—and the two fighters who teamed up to knock him out earned his deep hatred too.
If they hadn't teamed up against him, he'd definitely be a squad leader too.
Soon, all nine squad leaders had picked their teams—the War God Squad was officially formed.
Logan Long swept his gaze over the group and said in a deep voice, "Don't think you've already become true members of the War God Squad. For now, you're only trainees. Three days from now, I'll lead you into the secret realm. Only if you complete the mission will you become real War God Squad members."
"For now, go rest. Soon, you'll each receive two packets of information—memorize every single word!"
After the teams dispersed, all seventy-two trainee War God Squad members returned to their rooms.
Less than ten minutes after Ian got back, someone delivered two thick packets of information to him.
Martial artists have much stronger mental focus than ordinary people—especially those who've reached the Innate Realm. Most can memorize anything at a glance.
So, memorizing these two thick packets wasn't hard.
The first packet was called the 'Alien Beast Atlas.' Ian flipped to the first page: a color illustration of the Dreadspike Wolf, with a written description below.
The text mainly covered the Dreadspike Wolf's strengths and weaknesses.
Its strengths: defense and speed. Near death, it can launch the spikes on its body. Its weakness: low intelligence—and Dreadspike Wolves are pack animals, usually moving in groups of ten.
Threat level: C-class.
On the second page was the strange snake from the first trial, found at the bottom of the prairie. It's called a Sawtooth Serpent—expert at burrowing and ambush, with an extremely hard head but relatively fragile elsewhere.
Threat level: C-class.
Page three introduced a flying beast called the Iron Owl—fast, able to release a sound wave like ultrasonic, which can disrupt human minds. Highly aggressive, but poor defense.
Again, threat level: C-class.
Flipping further, the first ten pages all described C-class alien beasts. From page eleven onward, it was B-class beasts.