True Strength

Amid the ruins of a city abandoned by humanity, once-prosperous streets had become nature's domain. Trees stubbornly pushed through the gaps between towering buildings, their branches and leaves spreading until they gradually swallowed the steel forest. Vines coiled around the broken walls like chains of time, binding the memories of the past. Monsters roared in an endless chorus, roaming freely through this ownerless land as its new masters. The air was filled with a strange stench, a mixture of rusting metal and the scent of unknown creatures, sending a chill down one's spine.

In this wasteland, Liu Yun stood before a crumbling skyscraper, his figure especially resolute. He wore a skintight combat suit and had a nimble build, showing no fear at the monsters' roars.

The War Blade gripped in his hand glinted with a cold light in the setting sun. A gleaming Crystal hung over his chest: his Machine Race Clone. It was doing everything it could to suppress the power within Liu Yun, severely restricting his combat strength in the process.

Just then, a monster resembling a white fox darted out of the ruins. It was nimble, with fur as white as snow, but its eyes gleamed with a bloodthirsty red light. The moment it moved, gusts of wind whipped up around it, sending dust and shattered stones flying as it charged fiercely at Liu Yun.

Facing this beautiful yet vicious monster, Liu Yun felt no fear. Instead, his fighting spirit burned brighter, and his cultivation through comprehending the Dao began. He flashed aside, nimbly dodging its pounce, while swinging his War Blade and sending a dazzling blade arc straight toward its vitals.

However, as the ruler of these ruins, the white fox was far faster and craftier than ordinary monsters. It seemed to see through the flashy but hollow nature of Liu Yun's move. Just as his War Blade was about to strike, it spun nimbly aside, effortlessly dodging the fierce attack. Then, taking advantage of the opening, it used the obstacles among the ruins to circle silently behind Liu Yun, preparing to deliver a fatal blow.

A true Martial Artist was defined not only by strength, but by keen awareness of the ever-changing battlefield and the ability to respond accordingly. Faced with the white fox's ambush, Liu Yun didn't meet it head-on. Instead, he went with its momentum, flashing aside once more and deftly slipping past its attack. At the same time, he stirred the Psychic Power within him, which was also being severely suppressed.

"Go!" Liu Yun barked. Seven Reverse Scale Flying Knives seemed to answer his call, shooting out of a special device at his waist in an instant. They became seven silver bolts of lightning, streaking through the air toward the white fox. Guided by his Psychic Power, the knives seemed almost alive, shifting their trajectories nimbly before piercing the fox's body simultaneously from different angles.

The white fox let out a shrill cry. The bloodthirsty red light in its eyes instantly dimmed, and the force of the knives sent its massive body crashing to the ground. It could no longer move. The air filled with a faint smell of blood, mingling with the rusting metal and the scent of unknown creatures in the ruins to create a peculiar atmosphere.

Liu Yun stood where he was, his gaze cool and deep. He calmly put away his War Blade and flying knives, still clearly analyzing what had gone right and wrong.

"Too bad that slash missed. My martial skills are still too sloppy! But if my Machine Race Clone weren't suppressing my strength, I wouldn't have needed to go to all this trouble..."

He couldn't stop thinking about the slash he'd been so sure would land. It had missed, giving the beast-level monster an opening. The thought filled him with disgust.

He knew that in this perilous world of ruins, even a moment's carelessness could prove fatal. So he resolved to train even harder, honing every move until it was second nature and leaving his enemies no openings.

Liu Yun didn't want to rely entirely on his Machine Race Clone's computing power. He had the heart of a Martial Artist, too, and he could accept small failures.

Liu Yun had always believed that true strength wasn't about overwhelming force, but about a heart that never yielded. With such a heart, anyone could improve their strength through sheer, unyielding determination! Everything would work out.

"I'll make every swing of my blade an unavoidable sentence of death." Liu Yun murmured to himself. This was his first battle without computer assistance, and the result hadn't been bad. After all, he hadn't even used his full strength.

Just then, the sky suddenly changed. A dazzling streak of fire tore through the darkened horizon as a Firebird, its body engulfed in blazing flames, descended from above. Its wings spread like two masses of burning fire, bathing the entire ruin in red light.

As Liu Yun watched in astonishment, the Firebird swooped down, seized the white fox's corpse in its sharp claws, then beat its wings and vanished into the sky.

"Damn it! Little Red, get back here! I still need that fox's corpse!"

Furious, Liu Yun called the Firebird Little Red. It was the bird that had hatched from the Undying Bird's egg.

The white fox had been a beast-level monster, so its corpse was naturally valuable. Liu Yun had planned to sell it for money. The holes in its pelt were a bit of a problem, but such a powerful fox would still fetch a good price.

And now the Firebird had stolen it. Liu Yun had named the bird Little Red and tamed it with his Psychic Power. It had become his battle companion, helping him fight here all along.

As he grumbled, the familiar sound of beating wings drew closer. Little Red had flown back, the white fox clamped in its sharp beak.

It seemed to be showing off its "trophy." Seeing this, Liu Yun couldn't help laughing, and most of his anger faded at once.

"You little rascal. You really are impossible not to love—and impossible not to be mad at." Liu Yun scolded it softly, but his eyes were full of affection.

He held out his arm, and Little Red landed lightly on it, gently rubbing its warm beak against the back of his hand as if apologizing—or asking for forgiveness.

An idea struck Liu Yun: they could both enjoy the meal. It was only fair to share.

"Little Red, in this world, you and I only have each other. You're the only one I can trust! If you like this fox so much, then let's enjoy this meal together."

Among the ruins, Liu Yun poured out his feelings to the Firebird. He didn't have many people he trusted. Other than his younger sister, who was still in school, there was only this newly hatched bird.

Monsters were often more reliable than people. Liu Yun no longer cared about grand ambitions; in the end, they were only empty reputations and couldn't carry a person very far. It was the small joys, one at a time, that could help him regain the strength to cultivate and comprehend the Dao.

Little Red seemed to understand Liu Yun's words. It chirped excitedly, then took off and led him to a relatively safe corner of the ruins. There, a pile of dry wood and discarded metal panels formed a natural grill.

Liu Yun sprang into action, using materials from the ruins to build a simple fire pit and carefully lighting it. Little Red busied itself nearby, adding fuel to the fire with its scorching flames. The flames danced, illuminating the busy figures of a man and a bird.

Before long, they had set the white fox's corpse over the fire. Little Red's flames wrapped around it just right, turning its skin golden and crisp as the aroma spread. Meanwhile, Liu Yun prepared the meat, cutting it into bite-sized pieces and sprinkling it with old spices he'd found in the ruins of a supermarket. It was a simple meal, but it had its own flavor. Spices generally kept well—mummies were made with them and could last thousands of years—so they were still fine to eat.

Just then, a garbled signal came through Liu Yun's Communication Watch. He frowned. It was Glinda calling.

"Great War God Liu Yun? Finally got time for me, huh? You took a mission without even telling me! I'm calling to let you know that we've collected all the materials you wanted, and we've even got twice as much as you asked for."

This was Glinda's distinctive Huaxia speech: crisp, with a foreign lilt. Liu Yun usually didn't pay much attention to her attempts to recruit him, but this time her words delighted him.

"Really? That's great! Dear little Glinda, just put everything in the basement of my villa!"

Liu Yun spoke excitedly into the audio-only watch. One more upgrade, and he could become an Invincible War God. He might even become a Councilor.

Now that was useful. In these chaotic times, those supplies were worth a fortune. Liu Yun felt a little grateful toward Glinda—but his feelings were too obvious in his voice, and she immediately seized the chance to take advantage of him.

"...(signal garbled)..."

"...Right, right, in your... basement... we... mid-level War Generals..."

The signal was poor, and Glinda's words came through in fragments. Because of the double supply, Liu Yun had no choice but to patiently listen. He also felt a little more favorably toward the HR Alliance, since he'd managed to get something out of the deal.

"We've picked out four teammates for you. They're all mid-level War Generals from prominent families, so make sure you look after them!"

Glinda got the message out before the connection cut off completely, then hung up without giving Liu Yun a chance to respond.

"What? Mid-level War Generals? What use are they? They're only a little stronger than I am right now!"

Liu Yun frowned as he listened. They were way too weak. But becoming a War God was no easy feat; War Gods all had powerful connections behind them. Considering Glinda's supply of materials, he couldn't reject her outright. He could only hope the poor kids would realize they were out of their depth and back out later.