122 The Great Desert

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The Great Desert.

There is nothing but endless sand here. As far as the eye can see, there is not a trace of human habitation. The scorching sun bakes the earth, and even a single drop of water would evaporate in an instant; not even a camel could survive in such a place.

Yet, in this very wilderness, there stands a massive fortress.

The outer walls of the fortress are made of granite, absolutely solid and durable. Inside, there are many courtyards, all equipped with running water and electricity.

This is the Tianji Training Center.

New recruits selected from all over the country are sent here to learn.

Lin Qi is here.

He does not know how he arrived. He simply woke up inside. However, he later deduced that he must have been transported by plane, as he had heard the roar of propellers several times.

He is currently in the outermost layer of the fortress, looking through a window at the boundless yellow sand outside.

The fortress is located in some great desert, but he has no idea of its specific location.

To be able to build such a fortress in the middle of a desert, the power of Tianji is truly not to be underestimated.

In this place, mobile phones are strictly forbidden. His phone was confiscated upon arrival, with the promise that it would be returned after the training concluded.

On the morning of his arrival, he was taken to an empty room to be evaluated on his business acumen and martial arts skills.

The person in charge of his assessment was an old man dressed in a neat Zhongshan suit, wearing sunglasses, with a goatee on his chin.

The old man gave him a test paper filled with business-related problems, covering deals ranging from hundreds of thousands to hundreds of millions.

Lin Qi had never done business before, but he had seen enough to know the ropes. Born into a wealthy family and having been around prominent figures his whole life, he had heard plenty of stories about corporate warfare. He found the questions manageable and finished the paper quickly.

Next, he was asked to demonstrate his martial arts skills.

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After performing a few sets of punches, the old man with the goatee signaled for him to stop.

Looking at him with satisfaction, the old man said, "Your combat skills are impressive enough for the third level of the fortress, but your business acumen is lacking; you can only stay on the first level. However, you are much better than the pure novices, so you may join the fourth-year class of the first level."

Later, Lin Qi learned that the fortress is divided into four levels, corresponding to Tianji’s junior members, Black Iron members, Silver members, and Gold members.

Junior members are essentially interns and are not yet considered official members of Tianji. They are selected from various regions and generally require five years of training in business and martial arts.

After five years, they must pass a final assessment: within three months, they must take over a ten-billion-yuan conglomerate in a prefecture-level city to be promoted to Black Iron status, the rank of an official Tianji member.

Failure means death, for Tianji has no use for the incompetent.

The Fat Envoy and the Thin Envoy are the ones who handle such matters.

This hurdle alone has a failure rate as high as ninety percent.

Take Song Qingzhu, for example; she is already a Black Iron member and is qualified to wear the "Black Iron Medal."

For Black Iron members to advance further, there are other, different types of assessments and methods.

Because Lin Qi’s initial performance was outstanding, he did not need the full five years of training and was placed directly into a fourth-year class.

There are nine people in this class, all of whom have already been here for four years.

Seven men and two women.

They were seventeen or eighteen when they arrived, and now they are in their early twenties.

A business teacher brought him to the class and announced to the group, "This is Lin Qi. Because of his exceptional initial test results, he has been parachuted directly into our fourth-year class."

Everyone looked at Lin Qi with curiosity. It was not unheard of for people to be "parachuted" into classes, but previously, recruits were at most placed into the second or third-year classes. He was the first to be placed directly into the fourth-year class.

Lin Qi knew he would be undergoing one year of training here. Having no interest in socializing, he simply found a seat and sat down.

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The business teacher, whose surname was Wang, gave Lin Qi a set of textbooks—over a dozen books, all focused on business.

The lesson began.

Lin Qi’s business knowledge had been picked up through hearsay and observation, so this was his first time learning the theory systematically. He was very serious and diligent.

He would not let any opportunity to improve himself slip by.

Teacher Wang spent the entire morning teaching business theory, interspersed with many stories of corporate warfare, which made the lecture fascinating.

After the class ended, Teacher Wang said, "This afternoon is the martial arts class. You will have a new teacher."

In a place like this, frequent changes in instructors were normal, so no one thought much of it.

But in the afternoon, when the teacher walked into the classroom, the male students started whistling and cheering.

The teacher was a beautiful woman in her early twenties, with a figure and face that were absolutely stunning.

In a godforsaken place like this, seeing a beauty was a rarity, so it was no wonder the male students were so excited.

Lin Qi was also astonished.

The teacher was none other than Song Qingzhu!

Had she not already become a Black Iron member in Haitong City? Why had she returned to be their instructor?