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A shabby thirty-plus-story building stood on one side of the southern district of Yangzhou, Jiangnan Base City.

In the narrow stairwell, residents' belongings were piled to one side, taking up what little space there was. Anyone going up or down had to weave around them.

Xia Zhi hurried up the stairs, occasionally dodging the clutter in his way.

Expensive amenities like elevators would never appear in low-rent housing like this. They were facilities found only in residential compounds for middle-class families and above.

In this world plagued by monsters, every Base city was packed with people. Land was worth its weight in gold—that was the current reality.

People received different treatment based on their contributions to the nation and the city.

Workers at the bottom could only live in low-rent housing like this, while families with middle-class incomes or higher could live in better residential compounds and enjoy better environments and benefits.

The finest villas were privileges only warriors could enjoy.

It was because warriors fought monsters and defended the cities that safe Base cities still existed.

Warriors possessed tremendous combat power. They left the cities to fight monsters, obtained materials from monster corpses, and could sell them to the state or various organizations for generous rewards.

An ordinary family could live quite well on an annual income of one or two hundred thousand, but the reward a warrior received for killing a single monster could be several million, tens of millions, or even more.

Thus, in this world, warriors held extremely high status. They enjoyed countless privileges and were respected by ordinary people.

As long as one became a warrior, one would be given a villa to live in. That was merely one of their countless privileges.

Villas were beyond the dreams of ordinary people. They could only crowd into government-provided low-rent housing and struggle for survival every day.

Xia Zhi moved with swift, powerful strides, easily threading through the clutter on the stairs.

"Xia Zhi, you're back." Neighbors greeted him from time to time. "How did your clothes get so dirty?"

"It's nothing, Aunt Liu. We had sparring practice at the martial arts hall today."

"Get home quickly. Your grandfather came back ages ago and has been waiting for you to eat."

On the twenty-seventh floor, Xia Zhi opened the door and stepped into his home, taking in everything inside.

The room was just over thirty square meters. The living room held only a table and several chairs, while some small appliances were stacked against the wall. His grandfather had collected them and could not bear to sell them; after repairing them, they could still be used.

Several dishes had already been placed on the table, covered with food covers.

Hearing the door open, an elderly man with graying hair emerged from the inner room. His shirt, though punctured by several holes, had been washed clean. The left sleeve hung empty—he was a one-armed old man.

"You're back. Why so late today?" the old man asked Xia Zhi.

"The Quasi-Warrior Assessment is next week. I went to spar with a few Senior Brothers today."

"Go wash up and change your clothes first. Then we'll eat," the old man said.

After a simple yet plentiful dinner, Xia Zhi said to his grandfather, who was sitting there drinking tea, "Grandpa, my physical fitness is close to the Quasi-Warrior standard. I'll be training intensively these next few days. Don't wait for me at dinner. I'll eat at the martial arts hall."

"You're confident this time?" The old man's eyes lit up at Xia Zhi's words.

"Our instructor said I'm almost there. If I work a little harder these next few days, there won't be a problem. Once I become a warrior, we can move out of here. You won't have to work so hard anymore, Grandpa. From then on, you can just stay home, grow flowers, and play chess."

"Good, good. Grandpa has been waiting for this. You'll definitely pass the assessment." The old man smiled. "Don't worry about Grandpa either. I'm not old yet. I still want to see you become a powerhouse and wipe out all the monsters!"

"Don't worry, Grandpa. I'm going to train now. Get some rest early." With that, Xia Zhi left and headed upstairs.

On the rooftop, a nearly hundred-square-meter area had been cleared from the flat concrete ground. This was where Xia Zhi usually practiced martial arts.

Xia Zhi stood at the edge of the rooftop. Several flashes of cold light flickered before him from time to time, their rapid movements producing sharp whooshes through the air.

After a while, the cold lights stopped in midair before him. They were actually two throwing knives, their metal blades gleaming with a chill under the moonlight.

"So this is the power of a Mind Controller? So strong. Controlling two throwing knives at once is my current limit. How could a warrior of the same level defend against throwing knives that aren't restricted by physical limits and can freely change their angles and direction?" Xia Zhi stared at the knives before him, as if he could already see what might happen in battle.

"I can't let anyone know that I'm a Mind Controller yet. Not until I have the ability to protect myself. When Luo Feng awakened in the original story, he only had one Dark gold sphere. I have one more than him, which means I have greater potential. Combined with the Supreme Body Refining Art I obtained from that Nine-story Pagoda, I will stand at the pinnacle of the universe someday and break the cycle of reincarnation."

After Xia Zhi inherited the original owner's memories, he discovered that the world he had been reborn into was actually the setting of a famous webnovel he had read in his previous life.

Having read the original story and knowing that this was a world with an incomparably grand backdrop and a boundless cosmic starry sky, he was filled with anticipation for the future.

"The Supreme Body Refining Art focuses on cultivating the body. It is a supreme foundational cultivation method. It has three levels in total: the first refines the tendons, the second refines the bones, and the third refines the blood. It cultivates the body from the inside out. Once fully mastered, it establishes the foundation and breaks through into another realm."

"There's one week left until the Quasi-Warrior Assessment. I will master the first level, Tendon Refinement. Li Wei, you don't want me to take the assessment? Not only will I take it, I'll make a name for myself in one stroke!"

"Only geniuses can obtain more resources and rise quickly. You'll learn who the real trash is."

Xia Zhi assumed a stance. Following the instructions for the first level of the Supreme Body Refining Art, he moved through one posture after another and used a unique breathing technique. The formerly mild and tranquil cosmic energy suddenly surged, rushing toward his body.

Every pore on his body seemed to open. Cells that had already reached saturation and could no longer absorb energy began another feast of growth under the powerful effects of the Supreme Body Refining Art. His cells evolved at an accelerated pace, while sounds like bowstrings snapping occasionally came from within his body.

It was the sound of the major tendons in his body being nourished by energy, trembling and strengthening under the stimulation of the body-refining art.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

With each sound, Xia Zhi's body continued to grow stronger.

A week passed in the blink of an eye!

Early that morning, Xia Zhi's Grandfather left home. Holding a stack of burlap sacks in one hand, he walked down the stairs.

"Morning, Old Xia. Heading out so early?"

"Is Xia Zhi taking the assessment today?"

"I heard that if Xia Zhi passes today's assessment, he'll become a warrior. Old Xia, you'll get to enjoy life from now on."

Neighbors who had risen early for work greeted Xia Zhi's Grandfather from time to time in the corridor.

When Xia Zhi was very young, his grandfather had already been one-armed when he brought him here. Over time, the neighbors all came to call him Old Xia. Eventually, whenever people mentioned Xia Zhi's Grandfather, they only knew him as Old Xia. No one knew that his original name was Xia Dahai.

"Yes, I'm just going out for a bit. Xia Zhi is taking the assessment today." Xia Dahai returned the neighbors' greetings.

"Old Xia, at your age, you've worked hard your entire life. It's time you enjoyed some peace," a neighbor said with a sigh as she looked at his graying hair.

"I'm not so old that I can't move. I can't become a burden to the child." Xia Dahai shook his head. After exchanging greetings with the neighbors, he went downstairs, pushed out his tricycle, tossed the sacks into the back, and pedaled out of the residential compound. From afar came the amplified call: "Buying recyclables! Buying recyclables!"

In the bedroom, Xia Zhi, who had been sitting cross-legged on the bed, heard his grandfather leave and go downstairs. He opened his eyes.

"Today is the Quasi-Warrior Assessment. Ever since I cultivated the first level of the Supreme Body Refining Art, I can feel my strength improving almost every moment. A newly awakened Mind Controller is precisely in the stage of rapid explosive growth. This assessment poses no difficulty for me at all."

He could sense the growth of his strength at any moment. Such a rate of improvement was simply unparalleled.

Remembering the scene from the original owner's final memories, he clenched both hands tightly into fists.

"Let the path to becoming a peak powerhouse begin today."

Thank you, fellow readers! This is a new author's new book, so please be a little patient! From writing in confusion to gradually improving, it gets better after chapter forty.

Thank you to every reader who has supported me!