Father

Kyoto Base City, Changshan City, Limit Dojo, Panshan Residential District.

Ji Shan waited at home for news of Ji Yun's success. He already knew it shouldn't be difficult, and he had spoken with Luo Hong. But this was still Ji Yun's first time killing—his first time drawing blood. That was completely different from fighting other people!

The Warrior Practical Examination generally had a death rate of 3%–5% and a disability rate of around 5%–8%. In other words, an ordinary examination would leave more than a hundred Quasi-Warriors permanently injured.

He knew Ji Yun's strength, barely at the Low-Level War General level, should make dealing with a few H-Level monsters a piece of cake. But he was a father, and he had lost his wife. Ji Yun was all he had left to hold on to.

"Ring, ring, ring..."

The phone rang.

Ji Shan took a deep breath. When he saw Luo Hong's name, his heart couldn't help but tremble.

"Brother Shan," Luo Hong's gruff voice came through, laced with excitement. "Ji Yun gave us a huge surprise."

"What huge surprise?" Hearing that, Ji Shan relaxed.

"Take a look at this video and you'll see."

Luo Hong sent Ji Shan a video on his phone. In it, two Martial Artists fought amid a ring of monster corpses. It was Ji Yun's Return Horse Spear.

"What!" Ji Shan cried out.

Ji Yun took the train back to the station, then drove home.

As he walked through the residential district, some powerful, well-informed Martial Artists looked at him differently than before. They had once thought of him as a "young genius" who might reach the War General Level in a few years. Now, Ji Yun was already a formidable young expert at the War General Level.

As soon as he entered the house, Ji Yun saw Ji Shan sitting in the entryway.

"A-Yun, you made quite a splash today." Ji Shan motioned for Ji Yun to sit down.

"Made a splash? My results weren't that great. Xia Jiang had more than forty monster ears." Ji Yun was confused. He really had no idea what he'd done to stand out.

"Take a look at this video." Ji Shan placed his phone in front of Ji Yun and played the video.

"This... This is the fight between Xia Jiang and me. They recorded it?" Ji Yun was dumbfounded.

"Yeah. Being a young High-Level Warrior isn't all that special. What got them excited was that you're so young, yet you've already touched the Unity of Heaven and Man realm with your Spear Path." Ji Shan paused, then asked, "Has any organization tried to recruit you?"

"Yes. The Military came to see me."

"Oh? The Military? I thought it would be the Thunderbolt Dojo or the Underground Alliance. The Military's all right. I'm practically one of them myself. I even hold the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, though I don't have an actual post."

"Inspector Liu approved a contract earlier. Do you want to look it over before you decide?"

"No need, Dad," Ji Yun replied.

"No matter what, I'm joining the Limit Dojo. You and Mom, as well as Uncle Luo, are all with the Limit Dojo. I wouldn't feel comfortable joining another organization. I've already made arrangements with General Lu Xiangsheng. He'll help if I ever run into trouble."

"That works, too. Take a look at the contract. If you agree, just sign it."

Late that night, Ji Yun sat cross-legged in the Audio-Visual Hall.

"They say that once you officially become a Martial Artist, you can access the Limit Dojo's internal Martial Artist network!" Ji Yun had logged in using his father's account before, but he was still excited. Some special internal networks required a specific identity to access. Only Martial Artists from the Limit Dojo were eligible to enter its internal network—Home of Limits!

"Home of Limits." Ji Yun entered the website address on the keyboard.

A huge screen, fully two hundred inches across, appeared on one wall of the Audio-Visual Hall. The Home of Limits website opened on it.

"Beep." His fingerprint was verified.

Beautiful music flowed through the Audio-Visual Hall like a babbling stream. A personal page appeared on the giant screen, displaying a photo of Ji Yun and a series of information fields below it—

Name: Ji Yun

Gender: Male

Address: Kyoto Base City, Huaxia Nation

Martial Artist Certificate Number: ***********

Level: Warrior Level (Beginner)

Currency Balance: 25,000,000 Huaxia Currency

Contribution Points: Zero

In the quiet Audio-Visual Hall, Ji Yun held a glass of warm water, his gaze fixed on the giant screen on the wall. "Twenty-five million Huaxia Currency? The Limit Dojo's promised startup funds are surprisingly generous. I thought ordinary Martial Artists only got one million."

A row of buttons ran along the top of the webpage. One was flashing, with the words "You have two new emails" on it.

Ji Yun opened the first email, and a video popped up.

"Hello, Mr. Ji Yun." A young woman in a black-and-gray work uniform appeared on the giant screen, smiling. "I'm a staff member responsible for the Inspector's day-to-day affairs. You should have seen the 25 million in startup funds included in the contract approved by Inspector Liu. As for purchasing movement techniques, spear techniques, and Guide Technique manuals, you can buy them directly through the internal network. As long as the price doesn't exceed 200 million, the cost will be reimbursed through the internal network, and you won't have to pay a cent. If the price exceeds 200 million, you'll have to pay the difference yourself. On behalf of the Inspector, I'd also like to congratulate you on passing the Warrior Practical Examination."

The video ended.

"The Limit Dojo is treating me pretty well."

Ji Yun opened the second email. It was another video.

"Hello, esteemed new Martial Artist Ji Yun. On behalf of the Limit Dojo, I welcome you to our big family." A sweet-looking young woman smiled. "This is your first time logging on to the Limit Dojo's internal network—Home of Limits! I'll introduce you to its features."

"First of all, on Home of Limits, you can buy weapons of all levels, Guide Technique and movement technique manuals, and all kinds of attack manuals, such as saber, spear, and sword techniques. There are also firearms, vehicles, protective gear, communication systems, special explosives, special medical drugs, gene medicines... and even rare materials and treasures. As long as you have enough money, you can buy them."

"Through Home of Limits, you can even hire War General-level Martial Artists or even War God-level Martial Artists to give you one-on-one instruction over the network. You'll need to pay enough money for that, of course."

"War General-level Martial Artists." Ji Yun shook his head with a smile. His father was already a Peak War General who had touched the threshold of the War God level. Ji Shan wasn't very old, either—only forty—and was still on the rise. He had every chance of taking another step and becoming a War God.

The young woman in the video smiled. "If you have enough Contribution Points, all the items mentioned above will be half price!"

"Contribution Points," Ji Yun murmured to himself.

"Contribution Points have many uses. They don't just offer discounts on purchases. For example, once your Contribution Points reach a certain level, you can call upon special squads from the Limit Dojo," the young woman in the video explained with a smile. "The more Contribution Points you have, the higher your standing in the Limit Dojo, the greater your authority, and the better your benefits." The video then explained the two ways to earn Contribution Points: hunting monsters and turning in their materials, or contributing money.

"Mr. Ji Yun, let me remind you that hunting monsters is the best way to earn Contribution Points. You can earn both Contribution Points and money," the young woman in the video said with a smile. "You have startup funds now, so please don't make any purchases right away. You can visit the Warrior Forum's resource section and carefully read up on basic knowledge about Martial Artists. It'll be very useful when choosing manuals and weapons."

"Finally, I hope you'll reach the pinnacle of the Martial Artist path as part of our big family at the Limit Dojo." When she finished, the young woman in the video bowed, and the video ended.

Ji Yun didn't look through the manuals and weapons first. Instead, he logged on to the forum to gather information. After all, he had already decided to practice Fierce Wind.

Ji Yun browsed through many posts on the Warrior Forum: "Fifty Questions About Hunting Monsters," "Wilderness Survival Tips," "How to Avoid Provoking Beast General- and Lord-level Monsters," "An Introduction to Psychic Masters"... The variety of posts taught him a great deal, including many principles for surviving in the Wilderness Zone.

"Online Mall."

Ji Yun entered the mall and searched for Fierce Wind.

Fierce Wind, Category: Spear Technique. Rating: SS-class. Price: 10 billion Huaxia Currency (full price), 5 billion Huaxia Currency (half price, requires Three-Star Contribution Points).

"Ten billion at full price, five billion at half price?" Ji Yun frowned. Without his father's help, he couldn't afford it.

The webpage for the Fierce Wind manual listed several prices.

Fierce Wind, all seven levels—Price: 10 billion Huaxia Currency (full price), 5 billion Huaxia Currency (half price, requires Three-Star Contribution Points).

Fierce Wind, first six levels—Price: 4 billion Huaxia Currency (full price), 2 billion Huaxia Currency (half price, requires Three-Star Contribution Points).

Fierce Wind, first five levels—Price: 2 billion Huaxia Currency (full price), 1 billion Huaxia Currency (half price, requires Two-Star Contribution Points).

Fierce Wind, first and second levels—Price: 200 million Huaxia Currency (full price), 100 million Huaxia Currency (half price, requires One-Star Contribution Points).

"Good thing I can buy it in installments. Otherwise, I really wouldn't be able to afford it."

Ji Yun carefully read the introduction to Fierce Wind.

The description said that this set of Fierce Wind techniques had been created by Chen Qingzhi, the Invincible War God, and that its wielder could rout armies wherever it went. The manual also included a corresponding movement technique and a unique Guide Technique!

A conspicuous warning in red at the bottom of the webpage read: "Fierce Wind is an SS-class manual. It is extremely difficult to master, and even more difficult to cultivate to completion."

"That shouldn't be a problem. I'm confident I can master World Destroyer, let alone Fierce Wind."

"That's it, then. Fierce Wind." Ji Yun made up his mind and was about to buy the first three levels.

"Beep." His phone chimed with a text message. It was from his father.

"A-Yun, I can't guide you in practicing Fierce Wind. I can only help you with these one billion Huaxia Currency. Don't worry about it. I'm sorry I couldn't give you a complete family all these years. I was wrong to let your mother go into the Wilderness Zone back then. Keep the money safe."

Ji Yun's eyes suddenly grew damp. He looked up at the ceiling. Though his mother had been gone all these years, he had always seen how good his father had been to him. His father had spent only two or three months a year in the Wilderness Zone so he could take care of Ji Yun and keep him from worrying. Even so, Ji Shan had risen to the High-Level War General level. If he hadn't been held back by Ji Yun, perhaps his father would already be a War God.

"I won't let you down, Dad!" Ji Yun steadied himself and clicked to buy the first five levels of Fierce Wind.

"Please confirm: purchase the first five levels of Fierce Wind for 1 billion Huaxia Currency!" A prompt appeared on the giant screen. It was Ji Yun's first purchase, and under his contract with the Limit Dojo, his first purchase of an attack technique, movement technique, or saber technique manual was exempt from the Contribution Points requirement, allowing him to enjoy the lowest price directly.

"Yes." Ji Yun clicked to confirm.

He then completed the fingerprint verification.

"The first five levels of the Fierce Wind manual will be delivered to your home within 24 hours, Mr. Ji Yun." A series of prompts appeared on the screen.

After the purchase, the 1 billion Huaxia Currency from Ji Shan had 200 million left.

Along with the 25 million in startup funds, it would be enough to buy the rest of his equipment.