They Crossed Paths

Two days later, at Ji Yun's home.

The last time Luo Hong had come here, he'd been taking Ji Yun to the Wilderness Zone. This time, he was seeing off Ji Shan and his son.

"Old friend, you're going to hunt a Lord-level monster this time. Can you really manage on your own?" Luo Hong asked worriedly.

"I wasn't sure I could before, but now I am," Ji Shan said with a sigh.

"Lu Gang's death gave me a lot to think about. I've actually managed to break through."

After the usual farewells, Ji Yun comforted little Luo Yue. With the college entrance exam drawing near, she was gradually getting busier too.

After leaving home, Ji Shan and Ji Yun slung their weapons and backpacks over their shoulders, took a train to the airport, then flew to Jiangnan Base City. Jiangnan Base City was closer to City 003, after all, making it more convenient to travel and resupply.

At the airport, Ji Shan explained to Ji Yun, "A-Yun, this is your first time flying, right? Huaxia Nation has several large passenger planes that fly between the Six Great Base Cities. The tickets usually cost half as much as flights to the Limit Dojo headquarters. A flight from one of the Six Great Base Cities to headquarters costs ten million Huaxia Currency for a standard seat and twenty million for first class!"

"That expensive?" Ji Yun exclaimed.

"Come on, I'll explain on the way," Ji Shan said, beckoning him over. There was only one enormous, saucer-shaped passenger plane at the airport. Ji Yun and his father followed the passageway straight inside.

"Look, our seats are in first class. We brought weapons and backpacks, so we need more space."

A beautiful, poised flight attendant led Ji Yun and Ji Shan to the innermost seats on the top level.

It was Ji Yun's first time on a plane, so he looked around with curiosity. The interior seemed almost dreamlike. Since the plane was saucer-shaped, the cabin was divided into three levels: top, middle, and bottom.

The top level was first class.

The middle and bottom levels were standard class.

"Found them. E01 and E02—these are our seats." Ji Shan put his and Ji Yun's weapons in a compartment specially designed for storing weapons, then found their seats and sat down.

Rumble...

With a low roar, the passenger plane finally took off. The round cabin was completely enclosed, with no windows, so Ji Yun couldn't see outside at all. In the spacious central area of the cabin, a recently released, highly acclaimed movie began playing.

"We'll be there in less than half an hour." Ji Shan switched on the electronic device in front of him and looked up information about Jiangnan Base City.

The plane landed at Jiangnan Base City's airport in just under twenty minutes. It was scheduled to fly to the Limit Dojo headquarters next, so it remained at the airport.

Ji Yun and his father kept a low profile. They called for a car from the Underground Alliance and rode into the city.

However, even though Ji Shan was discreet, he couldn't fool anyone who was paying attention.

"Zhuge, why do you think Mountain Ji Shan from Kyoto Base City suddenly came to Jiangnan Base City?" a burly man at the Limit Hall asked in puzzlement.

"Who knows? Though I've heard some rumors. Mountain Ji Shan may have broken through to War God," the middle-aged man in a Tang suit replied quietly. "Whatever the reason, he's at least a Peak War General. Don't provoke him."

"Of course. I'm not about to pick a fight with someone from my own Limit Dojo."

After entering the city, Ji Yun and Ji Shan found an inn and settled in, planning to rest for the night before heading to the Southeast Military Region's Supply Base the next day.

Early the next morning, they took a train to the Southeast Base.

"This Supply Base is a little bigger than the one in the Jinnan Military Region." After collecting their keys, Ji Yun and Ji Shan walked through the base, taking in their surroundings. The Supply Base covered a vast area and had a great many buildings. Martial Artists were everywhere they looked.

"Hm? Mountain Ji Shan?" A sharp-eyed expert recognized him.

"Isn't he from Kyoto Base City? What's he doing in City 003?" the man wondered.

"Maybe he broke through. He came to hunt monsters, since there are so many around here," another man replied casually. He didn't recognize Ji Shan.

"Doesn't seem likely," the first man answered. "I heard he was already a High-Level War General, and quite famous too. He once withstood an attack from a Low-Level Lord-level sea beast through sheer strength. If he broke through again, he'd probably be a War God."

"So what? There are plenty of War Gods at our Southeast Military Region base. City 003 is one of the biggest monster strongholds on the entire Eurasian Continent. Experts from other Base Cities come here too, not just those from Jiangnan Base City. It's no surprise there are so many powerful people around."

"True. Looks like humanity's about to gain another War God," the men said with a sigh. The Supply Base was indeed very safe, and the Martial Artists there were all at ease.

After collecting their keys, Ji Shan and Ji Yun entered a room.

"We'll set out tonight and head for the outskirts of City 003, where the suburbs meet the city proper," Ji Shan said. "There are quite a few Lord-level monsters there, most of them Low-Level Lords. The strongest creatures guarding them are only a pack of Beast Generals, so you can handle them now, A-Yun."

"I've already checked the map. If we follow this road, we'll get there faster."

"Dad, can you manage on your own? It's difficult for Martial Artists to fight monsters alone." Ji Yun was concerned too. Most Martial Artist squads hunted monsters of the same level together. Going alone was difficult unless you were exceptionally strong.

"Low-Level Lords won't be a problem." Ji Shan smiled and patted Ji Yun's shoulder. "Didn't I tell you yesterday? I've made a breakthrough in my understanding. I've reached the Intent level now. With the intent of Thousand Heavy Mountains, even a Mid-Level Lord would have a hard time hurting me, let alone a Low-Level Lord."

They rested, then set out that night.

Following the highway, Ji Yun and his father walked for about a day before finally entering the area around City 003.

"Caw! Caw!"

Ji Yun's senses were quite sharp. He hurriedly tugged at Ji Shan and ducked with him into a nearby building.

A flock of monster crows was passing overhead. Flying monsters were difficult to deal with, mainly because they could fly. Only a handful of powerful people and Psychic Masters could fly; ordinary humans couldn't.

"No wonder they call this a monster stronghold. It's the largest one on the Eurasian Continent. There aren't just land beasts here, but all sorts of flying monsters too. There are more of them than the coastal monsters near our Kyoto Base City."

"How have your senses gotten so sharp, A-Yun?" Ji Shan asked, puzzled.

Ji Yun nodded smugly. "I've grasped an intent too. Mine is related to Fierce Wind. Within a certain range, I can sense even the air currents."

"What? You've grasped an intent too, A-Yun?" Ji Shan was delighted. Intent was something mysterious and profound. Back then, he'd been able to withstand a Low-Level Lord with only a partial understanding of Thousand Heavy Mountains. With a complete intent, anyone with the strength of a High-Level War General could potentially fight a Lord.

"Then I'm even more confident."

Ji Shan opened the electronic map in the building and pointed to a spot. "Our destination is an area on the outskirts of the city, ten miles from here. It's called Jiabei Country Park," he said. "The park covers a huge area. It used to be a scenic wetland park, but now there are quite a few Lord-level monsters there. And since it's on the outskirts of one of City 003's districts, rather than in the city center, we're unlikely to run into an Advanced Lord."

As they went farther in, Ji Yun and Ji Shan stopped taking chances. They drew their spears and cautiously picked their way forward, nothing like the swagger they'd shown before reaching the city.

Ji Shan glanced at the map and lowered his voice a little. "There's a residential complex ahead called Vanke Dream City. It covers a pretty large area, and there's an Iron Armored Dragon there at High-Level Lord rank. We'll go around it."

Before Ji Shan could finish—

"Who's there?" Ji Yun suddenly called out sharply.

Hearing Ji Yun's shout, Ji Shan sensed a group of people nearby too. They seemed focused on getting somewhere and had approached without realizing it.

The group appeared to hear Ji Yun's warning and came over from the other side of the street. There were five of them. The leader carried a Blood Shadow Battle Blade. Two middle-aged men wielding curved blades were protecting a Martial Artist with a heavy machine gun. Behind them was a Martial Artist carrying two wind-and-thunder hammers.

They were clearly a War General-level Martial Artist squad.

The five were on guard. The Wilderness Zone was beyond anyone's control, and Martial Artists often killed one another to steal their prey. The two strangers before them were hard to read, but they'd spotted the group with ease—a clear sign of their strength.

Ji Yun tensed, unwilling to let his guard down around strangers.

Ji Shan, however, wasn't particularly wary. A War General squad was no threat at all to a War God. He studied their faces, then checked his electronic watch. "A-Yun, this is a squad from Jiangnan Base City called Fire Hammer Squad." He took another look. "The captain is—let me see—Gao Feng. The deputy captain is Chen Gu."

The members of Fire Hammer Squad were startled when they heard Ji Shan. To find their squad's information online, he had to be with the Limit Dojo, and of high rank. In other words, the man before them might well be a War God.

The Martial Artist with the double hammers moved up from the back and said respectfully, "Senior, we're Fire Hammer Squad. I'm the captain, Gao Feng. May I ask who you are?"

Ji Shan didn't answer. He pointed at Ji Yun.

"Ji Yun," Ji Yun replied briefly.

Ji Shan didn't bother with small talk with Gao Feng. Instead, he watched the young man who had been carrying the battle blade with interest.

"Kid, you're pretty young. And you don't seem very nervous. Can you tell me why?"

"You've spoken with us this long and haven't attacked us just because we're weaker than you. You must be a decent person, senior." Though the young man was wary too, his voice didn't sound particularly tense. There was even a hint of ease in it.

"Dad," Ji Yun suddenly said, "I sense a special ability in him, something that seems to be inside his body. If his mental energy hadn't fluctuated and disturbed the air around him, I wouldn't have noticed it."

"It feels a little like a Psychic Master!"

The five people facing them immediately raised their weapons.

The young man in front gripped his battle blade even tighter.

"Oh?"

Ji Shan was a little surprised, but not overly so. Psychic Masters were all quite powerful, but their growth depended too much on their innate Psychic Energy.

"Blood Shadow Battle Blade... let me see. Young man, your name is Luo Feng, right?"

Ji Shan chuckled. "An eighteen-year-old Low-Level War General. Not bad, not bad."

"May I ask who you are, senior? Why are you looking into us?" Luo Feng gripped his blade tightly, as if he might swing it at any moment.

"Don't be nervous. I'm an instructor at the Limit Dojo in Changshan City, Kyoto Base City. You can call me Instructor Ji Shan."

"Are you Mountain Ji Shan?" Gao Feng, who had more experience, asked suddenly.

"That's me."