War God Ji Shan?

On the fourth floor of the HR Alliance Mall, a private dining room in a restaurant was filled with dishes. The members of the Eagle Strike Squad had gathered around a laptop by the edge of the room. After quickly passing the fingerprint scan and entering three layers of dynamic passwords, Captain Zhang Taofang logged into the Eagle Strike Squad's shared account.

"1.002 billion Huaxia Currency. We'll split it according to what we agreed on earlier. Any objections?" Zhang Taofang asked the others.

Everyone nodded, and Ji Yun smiled too.

The various ways a Martial Artist squad divided its earnings had to encourage competition among the members while also promoting unity.

"Transfer successful."

The notification sounded again and again. Ji Yun checked his Communication Watch. His account, which had held only five million, now had an extra 219 million.

"Beast General Rank monsters really are profitable," Ji Yun remarked. "I wonder what those Lord level monsters would sell for."

"Dinner's on me tonight. Let's celebrate making it back safely—and welcome A-Yun back," Zhang Taofang said with a smile.

"Captain, you've made so much that treating us is nothing," the others said with smiles.

"A-Yun's strength is improving so quickly. It won't be long before he becomes a High-Level War General. He could even become a War God someday. Maybe in a few years, we'll be a War God Squad!" Everyone ate, drank, and chatted to their hearts' content, relaxing at last.

Every time they returned from the Wilderness Zone, it felt like they had just walked back from the brink of death! In the Wilderness Zone, especially when they entered the ruins of a major city, they were always on edge. Nobody dared let their guard down in those cities... There were simply too many monster hordes, Beast General Rank monsters, and even Lord level monsters.

Just as the Eagle Strike Squad was enjoying their meal, Zhang Taofang's Communication Watch beeped.

"Beep..."

"Hm?" Zhang Taofang glanced at his Communication Watch, and his expression immediately turned serious.

"Everyone, hold on a moment. I have something important to tell you."

Seeing how solemn their captain looked, the members stopped joking around and turned to Zhang Taofang.

Zhang Taofang gave a complicated smile. "Instructor Ji Shan just sent me a message, telling me to have A-Yun leave our squad."

"What?"

"How could this happen?" Everyone was astonished.

"How can Instructor Ji Shan tell A-Yun to leave without even asking what he thinks? An instructor at the Martial Arts Association shouldn't have that kind of authority, should he?" Li Ke couldn't help asking.

"I've received reliable news. Instructor Ji Shan's physical fitness has already broken through to War God Level! Before long, we might be calling him War God Ji Shan."

"A War God!"

Everyone was stunned. This was a War God! There were only a few thousand War Gods in the entire world. A single Base City district had a population of over a hundred million, and a full Base City easily included more than a billion people. Yet across all twenty-three Base Cities worldwide, there were only a few thousand War Gods!

Becoming a War God meant entering the highest circles in the world! They possessed the power to move mountains and fill seas.

"With a War God behind him, he really can make A-Yun leave," Li Ke said bitterly. "Looks like this meal is A-Yun's farewell banquet after all."

"Come on, let's drink."

"Cheers!"

"Now that's satisfying! Brother Zhang, we've been brothers for seven or eight years. I've lost count of how many times you've saved me on the battlefield. No need for more words—let's have a drink."

Even Naili, who usually didn't drink much, got thoroughly drunk. She leaned against Zhang Yan, out cold. Everyone could tell that Zhang Yan and Naili had feelings for each other.

They were happy about the huge fortune they'd earned, but A-Yun's departure also left them deeply saddened. Their feelings were complicated. Though they had made a great deal of money, they all liked this younger brother, who had only just joined them but was both highly capable and a good person.

It was eight in the evening by the time dinner finally ended. Ji Yun waved goodbye to the members of the Eagle Strike Squad. The cool breeze cleared his head considerably.

Ji Yun took out the car key he'd left in his bag and headed straight to the Underground Alliance's garage to drive his car out.

It was already late at night. A silver sports car pulled up to the residential compound's gate and entered without being stopped.

When he got home, Ji Yun took off his Combat Suit, showered, and went downstairs to the living room. Ji Shan was sitting there, waiting for him.

"A-Yun, I'm sure you've just heard," Ji Shan said with a smile. "My physical fitness broke through to War God Level over the past twenty days."

"Once I've stabilized my strength, I'll hunt a Lord level monster and earn the title of War God."

"Then why are you making me leave the Eagle Strike Squad?" Ji Yun asked, puzzled.

"The Eagle Strike Squad is still a little weak. I plan to go hunting in a month or two. With your force output, you're already capable of unleashing the strength of a High-Level War General. If you train hard for the next few months, your physical fitness should at least approach Mid-Level War General, if not reach it. I'm planning to take you to see the world—to City 003 in Former Shanghai City," Ji Shan explained.

"That's a huge leap," Ji Yun said in surprise.

Ji Shan explained, "City 003 is home to many Lord level monsters, even solitary Lord Monsters. If we went to another city, we might get surrounded by a horde. By comparison, City 003 is relatively safe."

"Once I've stabilized my strength over the next month or two, I'll take you to City 003."

"I understand, Dad," Ji Yun said with a smile.

He was genuinely happy that his father, Ji Shan, had broken through. Ji Shan had always been exceptionally talented, but he had put his own cultivation on hold to take care of Ji Yun. Now that he had made a breakthrough, it was a time for celebration.

"I need to train hard over the next few months and make sure my physical fitness reaches Mid-Level War General!" Ji Yun resolved.

Cultivation required a balance between work and rest. That was the way to train more efficiently.

So—

After returning home, Ji Yun could completely relax. On his first day back, he didn't train at all; he simply took it easy. Wearing a loose Training Suit, he strolled leisurely around the residential compound by himself. His steps drifted naturally and freely, as if he had become one with the gentle breeze, his mind and body utterly relaxed.

After a good night's rest, Ji Yun began this stage of his training.

The Martial Arts Hall was on the third floor. A window in the center of its ceiling could be opened to let in the gentle night breeze. Moonlight, like water, streamed through the open frame. Sitting in the hall, Ji Yun could even feel the wind moving through the window.

"Whoosh, whoosh."

Ji Yun swung his spear. Each strike followed a set form, yet flowed freely. His spear technique was somewhat similar to the one taught by Fierce Wind, but also different. Still, every strike of his was smooth and rounded.

"My physical fitness is already quite good for a Low-Level War General. And I feel that there's still more to be gained from mastering the Second Layer of Fierce Wind. I haven't exhausted the progress I can make at this stage! But I'm not improving quickly enough. Otherwise, I won't be able to reach the next level in time. Unless... unless I can break through to the Third Layer of Fierce Wind, or even the Fourth Layer." Ji Yun thought slowly. "For now, I need to improve my physical strength as quickly as possible!"

Late at night, Ji Yun repeatedly tried to grasp that single spear thrust from the moment between life and death in the Martial Arts Hall. Sometimes he stood motionless; sometimes he thrust his spear rapidly. Each time he recalled it, he searched for that sensation of gathering the wind.

But Conception was extremely difficult to grasp. Without some kind of inspiration, it was hard to make a breakthrough. Ji Yun had gained only a faint insight in that moment between life and death, but such moments were incredibly dangerous and could easily end in death. If only he could experience Conception of Wind up close.

Yet how rare was Conception of Wind? There was only one person in the entire world who had mastered it. As for the natural world, places with Conception of Wind were all forbidden zones for humanity. Even War Gods didn't dare enter them lightly, let alone a minor War General like Ji Yun.

After practicing his spear for an hour and a half, Ji Yun was still trying to grasp the insight behind every thrust. Soon, he sat cross-legged on the floor, too exhausted to move. Fierce Wind's force output placed a tremendous strain on even the smallest parts of his body! After practicing, he rested for five minutes. Once he could move again, he practiced the Guide Technique, Mystic Wind Guidance Technique. His exhausted body felt as if it had soaked in a hot spring, and his limbs went pleasantly limp.

Finally, after finishing the Guide Technique and spear practice, Ji Yun began cultivating Genetic Origin Energy, allowing his body to absorb Cosmic Energy.

The moment he began, it felt as if every cell in his body had been starving. As soon as Genetic Origin Energy formed, it was devoured voraciously, and his cultivation speed increased with every passing moment. One minute, two minutes... Time passed, and at last every cell in his body was saturated. It was as if they had eaten their fill and could no longer take in anything more.

"The Genetic Origin Energy I absorbed today is worth several days of cultivation before," Ji Yun said, slightly astonished. The manual had said it could increase his cultivation speed. So this was how.

No matter how hard ordinary people trained, eventually they became too exhausted to move.

That was because too much lactic acid had built up in their muscles, since only their muscle cells had participated in the exertion! Many cells in the body had barely been involved. But the force-output method Ji Yun practiced released Hidden Force in an instant. It was a way of exerting force deep within the body, involving all its cells.

As a result, all the body's cells participated in the exertion, while the muscle cells weren't overworked and didn't produce harmful substances. Instead, energy was consumed in a measured way throughout the body, stimulating its metabolism.

The greater the energy consumption in the body's cells, the bigger their "appetite" became, allowing them to absorb more Genetic Origin Energy!

From that day on, Ji Yun began pushing himself to his limits in training every day. He also discovered the best way to train: practice his Spear Path while training his Wind Motion footwork, and contemplate his spear technique at the same time! He didn't need to thrust his spear a certain number of times or focus on the strength of each blow. He simply had to give his all each time, seeking to grasp and feel that subtle meaning.

Once his footwork and Spear Path practice had exhausted him, he would then practice the Guide Technique.

After practicing the Guide Technique, he would recover much of his strength.

Then he would return to training his movement techniques and Spear Path! After that, he would practice the Guide Technique again!

Only at the very end would he cultivate Genetic Origin Energy. This method was the most efficient! Each complete cycle took around six hours. Ji Yun had come up with it by asking his father for advice and adapting it to his own needs. It was the fastest way for him to improve his physical fitness!

Each training session brought him close to his limit, or even pushed him past it. That made it easier to break through and reach a higher level. This approach was easier and more reliable than trying to break through his limit all at once, but it was also more exhausting and tested his willpower more severely. After all, most people couldn't keep going when they were pushed to the absolute limit every day.