The director stared at Su Xiaobai with a look of disbelief, as if questioning his own sanity, thinking he had misheard.

Three thousand five hundred people applying to enter Base No. 1… what kind of concept was that?

Back in the day, a powerful figure from another base, at the Sub-King level, possessing strength comparable to the One-Origin Martial King, had sought to join Base No. 1.

After thorough deliberation by the Elders' Council, they finally agreed—allowing him to bring only three hundred people with him.

Yet Su Xiaobai just opened his mouth and asked for 3,500—ten times that amount… How could this not make the director question reality?

It had to be known that this Sub-King-level powerhouse held the record for bringing the highest number of people into Base No. 1. The only reason he was an exception was because his evaluated worth was high enough!

The higher your value, the greater the possibility of Base No. 1 making an exception for you!

Su Xiaobai's value was not bad either.

At the Ultimate Martial Commander level, he was capable of slaying an ordinary Martial God… and ranked 83rd among ordinary Martial Gods on the Silver Martial God Ranking.

With that alone, if Su Xiaobai had requested to bring seven or eight people, or even around ten, the director would have approved without hesitation.

But 3,500 people…

Absolutely impossible!

"Are you sure you're not joking with me?"

"3,500 people? Base No. 1 has never allowed so many people in at once!"

The director put down his pen, his gaze sharp. "You must have gathered some information about Base No. 1 on your way here… The entire base houses 172 billion people; it's already overcrowded!"

"Given your circumstances, I can make an exception for up to 20 people—that's the limit. But 3,500… Young man, I understand your reluctance to abandon your family and kin, but Base No. 1 has ironclad rules, and those rules cannot be broken!"

Even though Su Xiaobai's final strength test had not yet been conducted, the director could already sense his immense potential…

Based on the aura he emitted, he estimated that Su Xiaobai was at least on par with an Elite Martial God.

A talent like this was naturally worth investing in, and the director was even willing to do him a small favor and allow him to bring in a few extra people.

But 20 was his limit.

If 3,500 people were allowed entry, it would be out of his hands… and he might even face the Supreme Tribunal!

"Don't you have a strength evaluation system for newcomers?"

"Without testing, how can you be sure whether the rules can be broken?"

Su Xiaobai smirked with confidence.

"Today is a special case!"

"Because the Martial Commander Gold Ranking Tournament is currently underway, the venue and personnel have all been temporarily mobilized… Oh! Right, you happen to be at the Ultimate Martial Commander level, so maybe you could participate and try to compete for the top rank on the Gold Ranking!"

The director's expression shifted. "If you can claim first place on the Martial Commander Gold Ranking, there might be a chance that the Elders' Council will make an exception for you!"

"Is winning first place on the Martial Commander Gold Ranking that difficult?"

Su Xiaobai's eyes flickered as he probed.

"Difficult?"

"This isn't a question of difficulty!"

"You're an outsider, so it's normal that you don't understand!"

The director chuckled. "In other bases, if you, as an Ultimate Martial Commander, can kill an ordinary Martial God, you'd be highly revered, overflowing with confidence, and believe you've surpassed 99.99999% of people, possessing the world's most elite talent and potential!"

"But let me tell you a harsh truth: Every single person on the Martial Commander Gold Ranking can do what you've done!"

"And what's even more shocking—among the top ten on the Ranking, not only can they slay ordinary Martial Gods as Martial Commanders, they can even defeat Elite Martial Gods, Ultimate Martial Gods, and even Sub-King Martial Gods!"

"So? Now do you see whether winning first place on the Martial Commander Gold Ranking is just 'difficult' or something else entirely?"

Hearing this, Su Xiaobai raised an eyebrow.

The sheer strength of Base No. 1 truly exceeded his expectations…

He had thought that defeating enemies across an entire major realm was something only seen in the Otherworld realms, where countless billions of beings existed and geniuses and Holy Sons emerged endlessly.

Yet, he hadn't expected people on Earth to have already accomplished such feats.

And not just one person!

But… this only made things more interesting!

"Is the Martial Commander Gold Ranking Tournament still open for registration? I'd like to give it a try."

Su Xiaobai's eyes gleamed, a silent battle intent rising in his heart.

He also wanted to know—after his recent transformation over the past few days, what level had he truly reached?

Before reaching the Ultimate Martial Commander level, he already had the strength to defeat Sub-King-level opponents.

After breaking through to Ultimate Martial Commander, all his level attributes had risen to Sub-King Martial God. However, just how much he had improved remained unclear.

Perhaps this Martial Commander Gold Ranking Tournament would not only allow him to witness how strong Base No. 1's Martial Commander geniuses were, but also give him a clear idea of where he stood!

"It should have already started, but it's only just begun, so there's still time. If you want to sign up, I can arrange for your name to be added!"

…

"Soldier No. 6649, take this young man over there!"

The director ordered.

"Yes, sir!"

The bronze-armored soldier responded. "Sir, please follow me."

"Good luck, young man!"

The director chuckled, watching as Su Xiaobai left the office.

Then, he picked up his communicator and dialed a number.

"You want to add a competitor?"

"Is he that strong?"

A voice came from the other end.

"He can slay an ordinary Martial God, so he's a decent talent… But he's too confident, thinking that Base No. 1 is like other bases—where he should be treated as the top genius, having all his requests granted… This is a perfect opportunity to show him just how strong Base No. 1's geniuses are, and make him recognize reality!"

"3,500 people… I can't believe he even dared to ask for that!"

The director shook his head helplessly. "Once he realizes the truth, I bet he'll lower his request. Arrange it so he faces some ordinary Martial Gods in battle!"

"Got it."

After hanging up, the director glanced at the residency application form on his desk, changed the number of approved individuals to 20, and then put it away with satisfaction.

Now, all he had to do was wait for Su Xiaobai to return in frustration, so he could kindly advise him—

20 people was already an extraordinary privilege!

He shouldn't aim too high!