Missionary

Li He exited the Scripture Pavilion and turned back toward the open space.

He flipped open the secret manual.

On the front page, an ancient Demon Ape was twisting its body in mid-air, a fierce wind howling around it. Turning to the second page, he found detailed illustrations and text explaining the core essentials of the Ape Demon Steps.

Simply put, it was fast, fierce, and ruthless!

Unlike the Ape Trace Steps which pursued agility, or the Wild Goose Eight Steps which pursued pure speed, once activated, the muscles and bones would hum, and power would surge from the spine to the soles of the feet. A single step forward would be like a cannonball tearing through the air, a straight-line charge with a terrifying momentum!

Just like the Ape Demon Three Styles, there were only three moves: Earth-Shaking Stomp, Sky-Splitting Thrust, and Mountain-Crushing Turn. The names were all quite similar.

Li He felt his heart surge with excitement and immediately began to practice according to the manual.

Before long.

"Earth-Shaking Stomp!"

Thud!

A dull, thunderous boom erupted as a violent burst of energy penetrated the ground, tearing spiderweb-like cracks across the surface. Gravel was kicked up and sent flying in all directions.

This was hardly a standard movement technique for evasion.

It was clearly a way to shake the earth with peerless force, forcibly altering the battlefield layout to leave the enemy unsteady and their movements sluggish.

Regarding this move that didn't seem like a movement technique, the book explained it as follows: if one's own speed remains constant while the enemy's speed decreases, it is equivalent to one's own speed increasing, which fits the definition and requirements of a movement technique.

Although Li He felt something was off, it didn't affect his training.

Ape Demon Steps: Novice (0%)

"Too noisy! Stop practicing here!" Uncle Yuan Hong's voice came from inside the window.

Li He paused, realizing his movements were indeed a bit too loud. He climbed over the wall; beyond it lay the jungle, where there was plenty of open space.

Time flew by as the sun began to set.

Li He was drenched in sweat, his clothes soaked through.

Proficiency +1

Ape Demon Steps: Novice (99%) → Proficient (0%)

Vitality: 16 → 16.5

For every martial art, the progression from Novice to Proficient was the fastest, but the further one went, the slower the progress would become. At his current rate, it would take about five days to bring a martial art to the Minor Achievement stage.

The martial arts academy's minor examination was the day after tomorrow.

Regarding his training plan for tomorrow.

Li He decided to focus primarily on the Ape Trace Steps, aiming to bring it to the Proficient stage and raise his vitality to 17. As a late-stage Tier 1 martial artist, securing first place in the minor examination would be a sure thing.

He calculated these thoughts in his mind while walking quickly toward home.

Along the several streets undergoing demolition that he passed.

The number of religious figures holding strange flyers had clearly increased.

They moved in groups of three or five, clutching scriptures, either standing at street corners whispering chants or blocking passersby to preach and exhort them.

The atmosphere was oppressive and eerie. Many pedestrians looked impatient but dared not act out, only lowering their heads to hurry around them.

"Why are there more and more of these people?" Alarm bells rang in Li He's mind, and a sense of foreboding arose. He exerted force into his feet, quietly activating the Wild Goose Eight Steps to increase his speed.

Scenes of the street blurred past him.

Just as he turned into a familiar alley, he heard a commotion.

"Move aside! I have no interest in listening to your twisted fallacies!"

"Old man, that is where you are wrong. Faith is the light of the soul, a guide for the lost. How can you call it a twisted fallacy?"

At the entrance of the alley, several missionaries had gathered.

These missionaries were covered in tattoos and clearly looked like thugs, yet they wore expressions of compassion that looked incredibly jarring.

At this moment, they were holding flyers and blocking an old man dressed in a white martial arts uniform.

"Grandpa Zhang?" Li He recognized at a glance that the old man being blocked was the same Grandpa Zhang who had taught him the Old Ape Stretches Arms.

Grandpa Zhang's face was livid, his graying beard twitching with anger.

"Grandpa, you've misunderstood. Look, I used to be a good-for-nothing hoodlum, fighting, brawling, and stealing every day. My parents scolded me constantly for not doing honest work; I was the shame of the family. But ever since I brought my parents to join the Holy Sect, they tell everyone they meet that I've changed for the better. This is all a blessing from the Holy Lord!"

"That's right! I used to be a quiet loner, timid and afraid of trouble, with hardly any friends. And now? My heart is filled with light and energy, and I am surrounded by like-minded brothers and sisters!"

"Exactly! This is the Holy Lord guiding us toward the light!"

They spoke over one another, their spit nearly landing on Grandpa Zhang's face.

"Look at us; we are living examples. It is the Holy Lord who changed us and saved us. Don't you want your family to receive this salvation as well? Don't you..."

Although Grandpa Zhang had practiced martial arts, he was old, his vitality was declining, and he didn't want to cause trouble by fighting on the street, so he found himself unable to break free from their harassment.

"Shut up!"

A cold shout exploded, instantly drowning out the incessant preaching!

The tall figure of Li He blocked the setting sun, casting a shadow over the few missionaries.

"What... what are you doing? We are preach..."

"Hmph!" Li He's eyes sharpened. He stepped forward with his left foot, and in an instant, his Iron Bone hummed, power surging through the soles of his feet.

BOOM!

A loud noise erupted beneath his feet, shattering the hard stone pavement into cracks as a fierce, overbearing shockwave rippled outward.

The missionaries surrounding Grandpa Zhang bore the brunt of it; they felt the ground beneath them tremble violently, and the color drained from their faces in sheer terror.

Two of them were even knocked onto their backsides, looking utterly disheveled as their flyers scattered everywhere. Not daring to stay a moment longer, they cut their chanting short and scrambled away in a panic.

Li He controlled his strength perfectly, leaving Grandpa Zhang completely unaffected.

"Grandpa, are you alright?"

"Hahahaha, thanks to you, I'm fine! Thank you!" Grandpa Zhang looked Li He over, his expression filled with wonder. "But you, Xiao He, what kind of martial art was that? Such a massive commotion!"

"Just a bit of crude footwork, don't let it make you laugh, Grandpa." Li He smiled.

"You call that crude? You kid, I haven't seen you in a month and your skills have improved so much. Good, good! You truly are the promising talent that Old Wang and I picked out together!" Grandpa Zhang laughed heartily, feeling incredibly satisfied as he watched the missionaries flee in disgrace.

"It was just a small favor. Grandpa, you should head home quickly."

Grandpa Zhang nodded. Before leaving, he warned, "Right, Xiao He, you've seen it too—the world is getting more chaotic lately. These types are appearing more often and becoming more rampant. I've heard there's been trouble in some places. I'm planning to move, and you should talk to your parents and consider moving too."

"Thanks for your concern, Grandpa. I'll think about it." Li He nodded in response.

Grandpa Zhang's words hit home.

Moving!

This thought became increasingly clear and urgent in Li He's mind.

These missionaries specifically targeted the outskirts of the city, the slums and alleys where management was weak.

His mother, Zhang Xiujuan, had been stopped by them once before. Although he had rescued her in time, Li He had seen the fear in her eyes and felt the pain in his heart.

As it happened.

The residential area where the Yellow Mountain Martial Arts Hall was located had many vacant rooms managed by the hall. Although they were a bit old, they were within a scenic area with pleasant views, and there was a maglev bus station, so transportation wasn't an issue.

Hall disciples could apply to rent them, and the rent was far below market price—a benefit provided by the hall. Ordinary monsters and demons would never dare to run wild there.

"With the strength and potential I've shown, applying for a welfare apartment shouldn't be a problem!" Li He calculated. "I'll submit the application to the master immediately after the minor exam!"

As for the rent, taking first place in the minor exam would grant him access to the hall's resources, and combined with the Federation credits earned from taking on missions, it would be more than enough to cover it.

It was settled.

Li He made up his mind to go home and tell his mother, Zhang Xiujuan, about this.