Although he had decided to make a move now, Yang Yu only planned to use the strength of a Martial Artist for the time being, tempering his Martial Way through real combat and striving to reach the Martial Way grandmaster realm as soon as possible!
After all, the Martial Way Realm from his previous life differed quite a bit from that in Swallowed Star. After comparing them over this period, Yang Yu discovered that the Martial Way Master Realm of his previous life was equivalent to the "Perfect Level."
A Martial Way grandmaster was a notch stronger than the "Perfect Level," but still inferior to the "Conception Level."
As for the Soaring Dragon Footwork, it was probably only at the Micro Level, since he had not tested it in actual combat. However, his Martial Way Foundation was high, and he had Spiritual Force to assist him, so future breakthroughs would come quickly. After all, it was a Movement Technique derived from the Martial Way Master Realm. Its lowest starting point already produced Micro Level effects, and with Spiritual Force supporting it in battle, it could become even stronger.
The only downside was that the Alloy Steel Blade Yang Yu had spent a great deal of money forging might not last long in high-intensity battles against Monsters.
But that was a small matter. If his War Blade became chipped from killing, he would use his fists!
As a Xingyiquan master, with his physical fitness now so powerful, his fists were also tremendously lethal!
Of course, if he encountered unknown dangers, Yang Yu would also use Mental Force to kill enemies.
He would not be so stubborn as to refuse to use Mental Force when he had it.
He was not using it now simply because the situation had not reached that point. The early stages of the Grand Nirvana were the best time to temper one's Martial Way Realm and improve one's Blade Technique and Fist Technique.
After all, one's later realm was the most important thing, and improving it required a great deal of actual combat!
If he revealed his Mental Force now, killing Monsters would certainly feel satisfying, but it would not help his Martial Way Realm in the slightest. It would only waste this opportunity for nothing.
Yang Yu naturally knew which mattered more.
And when the time truly came for him to use Mental Force, Yang Yu would not hold back.
Walking out of the Rich Villa District, Yang Yu carried his War Blade on his back and wore a shield on his left arm as he sprinted eastward.
But before he had gone far, a patrolling soldier shouted for him to stop.
"Hey, you up ahead, stop!" Seeing a boy racing through the locked-down city district, the patrol captain hurriedly took out a loudspeaker and shouted.
Yang Yu could only stop first. Looking at the fully armed soldier walking toward him, he said, "Big brother, I'm going to assist the military in killing Monsters, not cause trouble."
However, this middle-aged officer clearly did not believe him. Seeing the more than one-meter-long War Blade on Yang Yu's back and the Steel Shield strapped to his left arm, he thought Yang Yu was cosplaying an anime character.
But when he saw Yang Yu's utterly serious expression, his tone suddenly softened. "Good kid, don't act on impulse. Hurry home. It's dangerous outside right now! Besides, the situation has not become so dire that young people like you need to go to the battlefield and risk your lives against Monsters."
"Sir, I'm really not acting on impulse. Please believe me."
Seeing Yang Yu's resolute eyes and calm expression, the officer gradually sensed his determination. He had previously heard that some extraordinarily gifted humans were no weaker than those Monsters. Perhaps the boy before him was one of them?
"Then show me your strength. If there's no problem, I'll guarantee that you can join the military's defensive efforts. But first, you'll need to follow me and learn some experience." The middle-aged officer said.
"No problem. How should I show it?"
"Very simple. See that tree by the roadside? As long as you can break it with one punch, that will do."
"Easy." Yang Yu walked over to the tree beside the sidewalk, circulated a little strength, and casually smashed the thigh-thick tree apart with a single punch.
Watching the boy break the tree without the slightest effort, the middle-aged officer put away his contempt. Knowing that Yang Yu was indeed one of those extraordinarily gifted individuals, he solemnly gave him a military salute.
"Hello, warrior. My name is Cong Hujun, an Army Captain under the Third Special Warfare Brigade of the First Group Army, South China Military Region. I am specifically responsible for defending and patrolling this area, killing Monsters that have fled in and clearing out Mutated Creatures hiding in the city. On behalf of all the civilians of Jiangnan City, I thank you for stepping forward!"
"Hello, Officer Cong. My name is Yang Yu, a local of Jiangnan City." Yang Yu also saluted Cong Hujun. "I saw on television that the situation on the eastern battlefield is extremely dire, so I wanted to go there and assist the military in killing the Monsters that have slipped through."
"The situation on the eastern battlefield truly does not look optimistic. But you're still so young and lack experience fighting Monsters. I'll first take you to clear out the surrounding Mutated Creatures. Accumulate some combat experience before you go."
Cong Hujun looked at Yang Yu admiringly. Boys who could step forward at a critical moment, possessed outstanding strength, and did not fear life and death were exceedingly rare.
Moreover, Yang Yu was already so strong at such a young age. He was clearly a super expert hidden among ordinary people, with no need to reveal himself at all.
Yet Yang Yu had still done so.
Cong Hujun could not stand by and watch such an outstanding boy face such a dangerous situation from the very start.
Any experienced and conscientious officer would not allow such a thing to happen.
Seeing how sincere the other man was, Yang Yu could not refuse his goodwill. Besides, gaining some practical combat experience by following these seasoned officers first was not a bad idea. "All right, Officer Cong. I can take this opportunity to learn more about these Mutated Creatures."
"What a fine young man." Cong Hujun praised him. "But your equipment is too basic. Here, put on this Combat Vest."
Cong Hujun took out a black vest made of special material. "This is a Special Combat Vest developed by combining special materials taken from Monsters with the latest technology. Its defensive power completely surpasses previous bulletproof vests. Even the ordinary Monsters outside cannot tear it apart."
Yang Yu took the vest and decisively put it on. "It fits rather well."
After moving around a little, he found that although the vest looked as if it were made of hard material, it fit closely and felt soft, without affecting his movements.
"Other Combat Suits need to be custom-made, and they require more Monster materials, so I can't give you one for now. But I'll submit a report to my superiors, and once one becomes available, I'll replace yours immediately. Martial Artists who can now go one-on-one against Monsters are extremely valuable, and the higher-ups take them very seriously," Cong Hujun said.
"Martial Artists?" Yang Yu asked doubtfully.
"That's right! Martial Artists! That is the collective term we use for people like you who can absorb Cosmic Energy to strengthen their bodies."
"I see. Then, Officer Cong, are there many Martial Artists like me now?"
"To be honest, very few! Only those who have trained from childhood, possess exceptional talent for martial arts, and have raised their physical fitness to its limit have a chance of absorbing Cosmic Energy. Our entire South China Military Region currently has fewer than a hundred such people. Most of them came from Soldier Kings. Freelance Martial Artists like you are even rarer."
As he listened to Cong Hujun's explanation, the two patrolled around the city district.
So the title Martial Artist had already appeared at this point. That was somewhat unexpected.
Yang Yu guessed that geniuses capable of absorbing Cosmic Energy had already emerged in the military, while people like them had also appeared among civilians. That was why this term existed so early.
Of course, there were indeed very few people who could absorb Cosmic Energy now. The physical fitness of Soldier Kings had probably long reached the Human Body Limit. After being tempered by the Double R Virus and training further, they had a strong chance of reaching the qualifying standard for Quasi-Martial Artists.
Combined with the corresponding Martial Way training in the military, as well as Breathing Techniques and Breathing Methods, it was not surprising that they had figured out how to refine Cosmic Energy while meditating.
After all, the posture of the Five Hearts Toward Heaven Method was the same as the Daoist School meditation posture.
Meditating and visualizing in that posture made it easy to stumble into contact with Cosmic Energy by accident.
It was also easy to understand how a few extraordinarily gifted Soldier Kings, Martial Way Masters, or Grandmasters could have summarized it and promoted it on a small scale.
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