Returning Home

The three Indians and the three members of Ji Yun's group quickly sorted through the large pile of monster materials.

"Pleasure doing business with you!" The bald, burly Indian Leader greeted Ji Yun and Luo Feng in heavily accented Mandarin. He only glanced at Gao Feng, who had been assisting from the side.

Ji Yun had Luo Feng put all the materials into his backpack first. "Luo Feng, I'll go with you to your temporary base. I need to sort through the things in my backpack."

"Captain?" Luo Feng looked to Gao Feng. After all, Gao Feng was technically the captain, and he had more experience in the Wilderness Zone.

"Sure." Gao Feng agreed readily. Regardless of Ji Yun's character, someone with his strength wouldn't have been interested in their earlier haul anyway.

The three of them quickly reached the twelfth floor of the residential building. The moment they stepped inside, they were greeted by a burst of cheers.

"A warm welcome! A warm welcome!" Wei Tie called out deliberately.

These were the remaining three members of the Fire Hammer Squad they had met earlier: the Scimitar Brothers and the firearms specialist.

Gao Feng didn't look particularly pleased. "You saw the Tiger Tooth Squad, right?"

"Well..." The firearms specialist glanced discreetly at Ji Yun and drew out the word, seeming to hint that there was an outsider present.

"No need to hold back," Gao Feng said. "You can consider him one of us. If he were an enemy, we'd have been taken out before we even entered Vanke Dream City."

"We saw them." The three nodded, their expressions turning cold. The firearms specialist gritted his teeth. "I really wanted to shoot them and avenge Brother Zhang!"

"Can you tell us what happened between you?" Ji Yun suddenly asked.

"Sure," Luo Feng said.

"The Tiger Tooth Squad has always been at odds with our Fire Hammer Squad, but there's never been any major conflict. Then, when I became a Quasi-Warrior, one of their members' nephews tried to attack me at the detention center. You know that it's a serious crime for an ordinary person to try to kill a Martial Artist."

"So the Tiger Tooth Squad wanted to settle it privately, but their compensation offer was too low. That led to a clash between Zhang Zehu of their squad and me. In the end, nothing came of it. His nephew was sent to the Security Bureau, and Zhang Zehu had to pay a hundred million so the nephew wouldn't suffer in there."

"Later, we ran into them in the Wilderness Zone. They ambushed us and lured a horde of monsters over, trying to kill us. I relied on my Psychic Master abilities to get my teammates out. But one of our veteran members was still hit by a sniper round and lost an arm."

"That's more or less what happened." Luo Feng gave a brief explanation of the whole affair. "We never wanted a conflict with the Tiger Tooth Squad, but they're ruthless."

"Attacking a Martial Artist without cause is enough to get someone sent to the Security Bureau," Ji Yun said. "But you don't have enough evidence, do you? That's why you wanted to settle things in the Wilderness Zone?"

"Yes," Luo Feng and the others replied.

"Now that I know what happened, I won't tell anyone," Ji Yun said.

"I hate people like that, too. What's the difference between Martial Artists who kill each other and beasts?"

The firearms specialist gritted his teeth. "I really wanted to shoot them and avenge my brother. But I didn't dare, because things could've gone badly for you guys down there."

He knew he couldn't have fired just then. First, one shot could only kill one person. Second, the moment he fired, the Thunder Squad would have attacked immediately... and the situation would have spiraled out of control.

"You were right not to shoot," Ji Yun said.

"That mixed-race kid comes from an important family. If you'd hurt him—or even killed him—you'd be in serious trouble."

"Brother Ji Yun, I just heard you mention Vulture Li Yao. Who is Li Yao? Is he a War God?" Gao Feng asked, puzzled. The world of War Gods was beyond the reach of a Mid-Level War General like him.

"Vulture Li Yao is a High-Level War God, and his wife is one, too. That mixed-race kid is their son," Ji Yun explained. "Their family is one of the major families in the HR Alliance. They have considerable influence. You're in a tough spot after crossing them."

"But—"

Luo Feng clenched his fists and gritted out, "I've never forgotten what happened to Brother Zhang. I have to avenge him. I swore a long time ago... if I ever ran into those bastards from the Tiger Tooth Squad in the Wilderness Zone, I'd wipe them out!"

"Now we've run into them at just the right time, in the chaotic City 003. It's a perfect opportunity."

"Luo Feng, what do you mean?" Gao Feng asked in alarm.

"I'm going to follow them in secret and wait for a chance to kill everyone in the Tiger Tooth Squad! Since they wanted to wipe us out, we have to strike first!" Luo Feng would never forget those two sniper bullets from back then. He had only narrowly dodged one of them thanks to his Psychic Energy.

"I have to go," Luo Feng said in a low voice. "I have Psychic Energy. Even if I run into a War God, I can escape by flying!"

"Don't worry. I won't go after Li Yao's son. I'll wait until they split up before I make my move."

"Besides, if we want to wipe out the Tiger Tooth Squad, why wouldn't they want to wipe us out? They know we found out they set us up last time, so of course they don't want us to grow stronger. They just haven't run into us in the Wilderness Zone until now... They'll surely make a move, too."

Ji Yun took the less valuable materials out of his backpack and set them on the ground. "Listen to Luo Feng. He should have a plan by now." As he spoke, he took out the materials from a Mid-Level Unicorn Wild Boar and put some of the Double-Headed Black-Line Snake's materials inside.

"You can have the Unicorn Wild Boar. My backpack's full anyway," Ji Yun said. "Also, I suggest you apply for the Limit Dojo's Basic Training Camp as soon as you get back—or even the Elite Training Camp. That way, no matter what kind of trouble you get into, you'll have their protection. You won't be left vulnerable to attacks in the Wilderness Zone."

"The Elite Training Camp?" Luo Feng asked, startled. "Is that the Special Training Contract?"

"No," Ji Yun explained. "The Elite Training Camp is a higher-level training program. You'll understand once you apply. There's no point in me saying more right now."

"Okay."

"We've hunted plenty of monsters this time, anyway. Our backpacks are almost full. The rest of the squad should head back to the Supply Base first." Gao Feng spoke, then turned to Luo Feng. "You're a Psychic Master, so your ability to escape in this city is far greater than ours. Still, be careful. Don't get careless."

Luo Feng nodded.

"No time to waste. Let's leave now." Gao Feng was decisive.

"I'll go back to the Supply Base with you."

Ji Yun got to his feet and set out with the four members of the Fire Hammer Squad, heading back to the Supply Base.

Since they were on their way back, they didn't have to proceed as cautiously. Ji Yun and the Fire Hammer Squad made it all the way back to the Supply Base in a single day.

It was rather amusing: Ji Yun's official record still listed him as a Beginner-Level Warrior. The monsters he had hunted with the Eagle Strike Squad earlier had all been sold under the team's name. He hadn't had his individual achievements assessed at all.

Ji Yun used a High-Level Beast General, the Bloodthirsty Tank, and a Four-Tailed Cat he had hunted over the previous five days to have his achievements assessed. He was immediately promoted to High-Level War General.

Panshan Residential District, Changshan City, Kyoto Base City.

It was the middle of winter in the north. Heavy snow drifted down, blanketing the ground in layer after layer and giving everything around it a silvery sheen.

The news of Ji Yun's promotion to High-Level War General was no secret. A Martial Artist from the Limit Dojo in Jiangnan Base City promptly relayed it to headquarters.

An eighteen-year-old High-Level War General was astonishing, even if he had only reached that level in physical ability.

The Limit Dojo headquarters soon dispatched a special envoy to verify the situation in Kyoto Base City and planned to take Ji Yun straight to headquarters.

In the Martial Arts Hall at his home, Ji Yun adjusted his breathing slightly.

"Let's see what my physical abilities have reached." Ji Yun's entire body moved as one, like a perfectly unified whole. He summoned every bit of strength he could and threw a punch, unleashing a sonic boom.

A deep impact reverberated through the room, like a massive iron hammer slamming into the ground.

"Boom!" The punching target shook, then bounced back slightly.

Ji Yun loosened up and looked at the screen.

The display flickered for a moment before showing a number: 21138 kg.

"Oh, that's quite an increase." Seeing the number, Ji Yun couldn't help smiling. "Before I left, it was only 18921 kg. I've been gone for about a month, and it's gone up by 2,000 kg." The figure actually exceeded his expectations. Under normal circumstances, training after life-and-death battles helped people improve more quickly. But over the past month, he had only fully mastered this artistic conception; neither his physical abilities nor his force exertion had broken through. This much growth was surprising.

By physical ability, 16,000 to 32,000 kilograms fell within the Mid-Level War General range. But even among Mid-Level War Generals, there was a huge difference between someone barely at the 16,000-kilogram cutoff and a seasoned one. Based on physical ability alone, Ji Yun was already quite capable among Mid-Level War Generals.

Ji Yun smiled and gathered his strength again.

The punching target lurched backward, then stopped for two seconds before suddenly bouncing back.

Ji Yun immediately looked at the display. A number had appeared on the screen: 67584 KG.

"That much?"

"Tsk, tsk. At 21,000 kilograms, multiplied by 3.2, the result should be..." Ji Yun did the calculation in his head. "About 67,200 kilograms. I just hit with 67 tons of force. That's incredible." He had expected a good result, but he was still shocked.

A force of 67 tons had already crossed the threshold of a War God. Most War Gods could punch with far greater force because they had also mastered special ways of exerting strength, but even some of the weaker War Gods had physical abilities around this level.

"Let's test my speed." Ji Yun switched on the Speed Tester.

He stepped onto the machine and instantly burst into motion, speeding past like an arrow loosed from a bow before coming to a stop.

The Speed Tester displayed a number: 309 m/s.

That was more than twice the speed he'd had when he first became a Warrior.

Martial Artists generally had to reach War God Level to break the sound barrier, but Ji Yun's speed was already close to it. This wasn't simply the speed his physical abilities would normally allow. Years of training in the Spear Path had taught the muscles in his legs a little about exerting force, letting him reach incredible speeds.

His neural response test showed that he met the High-Level War General standard. Smiling slightly, Ji Yun began practicing with his spear.

A few days later,

Ji Yun wore a white robe. A cup of green tea sat steeping before him, and the sixth volume of Fierce Wind lay open in front of him.

The first five volumes only taught Martial Artists how to exert force and sense the artistic conception of the wind. Starting with the sixth volume, the focus shifted to cultivating domains of artistic conception.

"Artistic conception is mysterious beyond measure. My experience can only serve as a reference!"

These words were inscribed on the first page of the sixth volume. Clearly, they were extremely important.

After a while, Ji Yun closed the manual.

"As expected, artistic conception can't be learned. You can only comprehend it for yourself. No wonder so many War Gods, despite their tremendous physical abilities, are still stuck at the stage of trying to master it."

Comprehending and cultivating artistic conception depended entirely on one's own insight and understanding. No external aid could solve that problem.