Mingyue Residential Area was where the warriors who had joined Yangzhou City's Limitless Martial Arts School lived.
The soldiers standing guard at the entrance all carried the latest-model rifles, said to be capable of harming even Advanced Warrior-level monsters.
The landscaping inside was excellent. Standalone villas of varying designs were spread across nearly a thousand mu of land, along with an artificial lake that allowed the residents to live comfortably and leisurely.
The truck drove into the residential area. Even after the soldiers at the gate saw that it belonged to the martial arts school's logistics department, they still conducted a routine inspection before letting it pass.
Only after they stopped before the gates of their new villa did Xia Dahai gradually come back to his senses.
The school director, Xiang Zhonghua, had already been waiting there. When he saw Xia Zhi and his grandfather get out of the vehicle, he smiled and stepped forward to greet them.
"This Villa No. 188 is one of the best in our residential area in terms of size and facilities."
"Each floor is nearly three hundred square meters. The three floors total over nine hundred square meters, and if you include the basement and the enormous terrace, the total area exceeds twelve hundred square meters."
"The front lawn and backyard swimming pool will be maintained weekly by the logistics department. The appliances and facilities inside are all ready. Knowing you were moving in today, I specifically had dinner prepared."
"From now on, a meal delivery team will come serve you at scheduled times every day. If you have any special dietary preferences, just tell them directly."
The martial arts school's care for its warriors could truly be described as meticulous. Every matter that might distract a warrior had already been properly arranged in advance.
Whether in his previous life or this one, this was Xia Zhi's first time receiving such treatment. Though he knew full well it was the martial arts school's way of winning their loyalty, his heart still warmed.
Xia Dahai merely kept nodding, unable to say a word.
"Come, I'll take you inside to familiarize yourselves with the place. Get everything settled today and rest early. Tomorrow, the warriors from the school in this residential area will be gathering. Xia Zhi can get to know the other warriors then."
Upon entering the villa, they saw a red-and-white standalone building, a neatly trimmed lawn in the front yard, lavish and grand interior decorations, the most advanced appliances, and the finest furniture. Everything exuded luxury.
Xia Zhi supported his grandfather as they stood in the nearly one-hundred-square-meter living room. His grandfather's hand gripped Xia Zhi's arm tightly.
The faint trembling of that arm revealed just how excited he was.
This would be their new home from now on.
The night of July 31, Villa No. 188 in Mingyue Residential Area.
Apart from a lounge, the third floor of the villa contained only an enormous training hall.
Its equipment and facilities were even more comprehensive than the training hall for Advanced Students at the Limitless Martial Arts School.
Late at night, there was not a soul in sight outside. The lights from the training hall cast an unusually bright glow around the villa.
Crack, crack, crack...
A series of sounds like colliding bones echoed through the training hall.
Dressed in white training clothes, Xia Zhi lay on his side in the center of the spacious hall, like a tiger sleeping on the ground.
His eyes were half-closed, his body rising and falling with each breath, while cracking sounds occasionally came from all over his body.
After a long while, he finally opened his eyes, stretched out his body, and rolled over to sit up.
After exhaling a heavy breath from his dantian, not a single sound remained in the hall.
"The Bone Refining Chapter of the Supreme Body Refining Art has reached the beginner stage. My physical fitness has improved considerably again."
Xia Zhi looked toward the wooden post standing against the wall beside him.
Six black throwing knives were embedded side by side in it.
Their streamlined bodies and sharpened edges glinted coldly beneath the lights.
The six throwing knives trembled slightly before suddenly shooting out of the wooden post on their own.
Their terrifying speed turned the six knives into six streaks of cold light in midair.
As they flew toward Xia Zhi,
two curved toward the sandbag to the left of the flying knives,
two circled around and returned to the wooden post,
while the remaining two flew straight before him and rapidly danced around his body.
Swish, swish, swish. Whether it was the sandbag or the wooden post, both were sliced apart at high speed by the dancing sharp blades.
After completely destroying them, the four streaks of flowing light shot before him and, together with the previous two throwing knives, rapidly circled Xia Zhi's body.
At times, they soared together; at others, they dove together, incomparably agile.
After a moment, the six streaks of flowing light slowed to a stop and hovered before Xia Zhi.
"Entering the Bone Refining Chapter has made my body even stronger. I should now be at the peak of the Intermediate Warrior level and will soon enter the Advanced Warrior level."
"My ability to manipulate objects from a distance can now split into six tasks at once, controlling six throwing knives simultaneously."
"Below the War God level, even General-level warriors would be easy to slaughter."
Over this month of cultivation, aside from training the Muscle Refining Chapter of the Supreme Body Refining Art to its peak and beginning the Bone Refining Chapter, Xia Zhi had focused most of his energy on cultivating his Mental Power.
To approach the Nine-story Pagoda within his sea of consciousness, the strength of his Mental Power was the key.
Xia Zhi was now getting closer and closer to the pagoda within his sea of consciousness. He believed the day he uncovered the mystery in his heart was not far away.
"Tomorrow is the warrior Combat Assessment. Li Wei and the others will also be participating. Should I find a chance to..." Xia Zhi pondered.
"I'll wait and see whether there's an opportunity to strike. But if there is, I'll teach them a lesson first."
Xia Zhi rose to his feet. The destroyed sandbag and fragments of the wooden post floated into the air and drifted alongside him as he walked out of the training hall.
In the western part of Yangzhou City, within the HR Alliance Warrior Residential Area.
Inside the reception room of a four-story villa, the door opened. A pretty girl walked in and said to Li Wei, who was seated on the sofa, "Young Master, Young Master Li Qiang has arrived."
"Bring him in." Li Wei held a glass of red wine, his gaze fixed on the blood-like liquid in his hand.
The girl glanced at Li Wei's gloomy expression, shivered, and answered softly, "Yes, Young Master."
Not long after, Li Qiang, with a pair of triangular eyes and dressed in black fitted clothes, walked in. He glanced at the grim-faced Li Wei in the reception room and said, "Young Master Wei, you summoned me?"
"Tomorrow is the warrior Combat Assessment. Have you successfully cultivated the Guidance arts I gave you?" Li Wei asked, still staring at the red wine in his hand.
"I've already reached the beginner stage." A trace of excitement flashed across Li Qiang's face when he heard Li Wei's question. "Thank you, Young Master Wei. My father said it was even better than the Guidance arts manual he cultivates. It's enough for me to cultivate all the way to the peak of the General level. My strength has nearly tripled, and I've already entered the Intermediate Warrior level."
Ordinary people could only obtain Guidance arts manuals from the faction they joined after becoming warriors.
Such manuals required huge sums of money to purchase and absolutely could not be passed on privately.
However, for the children of warriors, manuals independently created by their elders or relatives were exempt from those restrictions once permission had been obtained.
Still, only warriors could learn them, and private transmission was forbidden. This had always been a rule observed by everyone.
A flash of contempt crossed Li Wei's face. He raised his head and stared at Li Qiang. "That's nothing. The faster your strength rises, the easier it will be for my plan to succeed."
"Young Master Wei, your plan is?" Li Qiang asked.
"Tomorrow's warrior Combat Assessment will gather all this year's participating Quasi-Warriors in Monster Town, where the military has prepared monsters."
Li Wei said, "In previous years, they prepared H-class monsters, but this year, I had someone release an F-class monster inside."
"Ah, wouldn't that have the strength of an Advanced Warrior? Young Master Wei, you intend to..." Li Qiang said in shock.
"I will make that trash Xia Zhi die."
"A dead genius is no genius."
"Yiyi is mine. That trash kid, hmph!" As Li Wei said this, his gloomy face seemed ready to drip water.
"He only exchanged a few words with Xia Zhi. When the school arranged aid for struggling families, they were placed in the same mutual aid group, yet he bears such a grudge over that."
"Once my strength improves and I use his resources to become a General-level, or even War God-level, expert, Yiyi might not belong to him after all!" Li Qiang secretly thought.
But aloud, he said, "But even with my increased strength, I'm only at the Intermediate Warrior level."
"Young Master Wei, you know that we haven't cultivated any combat manuals yet. In terms of combat power, I'm no match for an F-class monster. It could easily tear me apart."
Anger flashed across Li Wei's face as he shouted at Li Qiang, "You're also a collateral descendant of my Li Family. How can someone so timid become a powerhouse?!"
After saying that, his tone eased somewhat as he continued, "Don't worry. I've prepared a D-class combat suit for you."
"It can withstand the tearing of Intermediate Wargod-level monsters several times."
"And that monster has been hypnotized. I had someone place scraps of Xia Zhi's bloodstained clothing beside it."
"When the time comes, lure Xia Zhi to the monster and wake it. It will pursue Xia Zhi first. All you need to do is run for your life."
"There are surveillance cameras everywhere in the town. As soon as the monster awakens, an expert will immediately go kill it. You'll be safe by then."
"Young Master Wei, what if they discover that I was the one who led him there?" Li Qiang heard Li Wei's plan.
He was astonished that Li Wei had the ability to make so many secret arrangements during a warrior Combat Assessment watched closely by so many factions.
But in the end, he was more concerned about his own safety.
Li Wei became impatient.
"You only need to get close to Xia Zhi, wake the monster, and then flee. Why would anyone suspect you?"
"Even if they investigate you, just say you didn't know. Could it be that my Li Family can't protect you?"
"Alright, I understand, Young Master Wei." Li Qiang nodded. With a face full of malice, he said, "This time, that trash kid must die."
Seeing him agree, Li Wei's expression softened. He said, "Sit."
"If you do this well, I won't treat you poorly. After you pass the assessment, I'll give you another ten million. It'll be enough for you to cultivate to the General level."
"Thank you, Young Master Wei. I definitely won't let that trash Xia Zhi leave Monster Town alive."
Hearing that there would be another ten million after the deed was done, Li Qiang's face flushed red with excitement, and he hurriedly promised.
"Hahaha, anyone I, Li Wei, want dead will definitely die."
He drained the red wine in one gulp, while the wineglass in his hand was crushed into powder.
Some readers have said the power level is a bit low.
The opening takes place on Earth, where the foundation is laid. At the beginning, they are still at the Apprentice level. As the story unfolds,
after entering the universe, the scale and plot will begin moving into higher-level martial arts.
This is my first attempt at writing a book. Please bear with any shortcomings.
Thank you all for your recommendation votes. If you like this book, please add it to your collection.
If you have votes, please send more my way. I need everyone's support! My sincere thanks!
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