The Murderer

Wang Ji felt a stir in his heart, and he could once again perceive those thoughts and insights. When he stopped thinking about them, these insights would no longer affect him. This was quite good!

Wang Ji combed through this "An Qin's Footwork Insights." It was a complete record of An Qin's journey, from his initial learning of footwork to his gradual deepening, his rise to the pinnacle, and finally, the creation of his own secret manual until he reached mastery.

From the basics to the micro-level, then to perfection, and finally, it even faintly contained the shadow of an artistic conception! Could this be considered an A-grade secret manual? Or an S-grade? Even if it wasn't S-grade, it was certainly among the top tier of A-grade manuals!

As long as he practiced according to these insights, he would soon reach the perfection of footwork!

These insights were far more precious than any secret manual! They were realizations that could be directly integrated into his consciousness! They were far more effective than even the best teacher providing one-on-one instruction day and night. In terms of value, they were likely worth more than billions!

With these insights, combined with the top-tier basic footwork Wang Ji already possessed, entering the micro-level would be very easy. Perhaps it would only take a few more days.

Just as Wang Ji was enjoying a rare moment of peace at home, he suddenly received a call from Jiang Nian.

"Little Ji, the culprits who attacked you on the eve of your martial artist assessment have been found!" Jiang Nian said.

When Wang Ji arrived at the Limit Martial Hall, Jiang Nian poured him a cup of tea and said, "Actually, the culprits were found a long time ago!"

"Oh?" Wang Ji asked, puzzled.

Jiang Nian laughed, "The influence of the Limit Martial Hall is beyond your imagination! It was simple to catch a few mere thugs. The driver who hit you and the two culprits who attacked you with crossbows were caught on the third day. However, our Limit Martial Hall wanted to uncover the people behind them, so we dragged it out for a long time. Do you know who is behind this?"

Wang Ji frowned, "It should be Liu Biao or someone from his family! I don't think anyone else would do this to me besides them."

Jiang Nian nodded, "Indeed! However, Liu Biao's father, Liu Zhendong, is a veteran martial artist who has been famous for many years. He is an Initial General-level martial artist! He still has some tricks up his sleeve. Although we could all guess it was him, we haven't had any substantial evidence for so long. You know, whether it's the government or the martial hall, we have to rely on evidence."

Wang Ji nodded.

Jiang Nian continued, "Furthermore, Liu Zhendong is a martial artist affiliated with the HR Alliance. Although our Limit Martial Hall is stronger than the HR Alliance, the HR Alliance is no pushover. Without substantial evidence, and with the HR Alliance shielding him, it seems very difficult to take this any further."

"So, this case is considered closed for now. This afternoon is when the Tribunal will sentence the three visible culprits. Do you want to go and see?"

Wang Ji shook his head, "Three small fries on the surface—what's there to see?"

Jiang Nian nodded, "That makes sense. However, their final sentencing has already been determined! No matter how good the lawyers they hire are, or how much they argue, the result is set; the Limit Martial Hall has already confirmed it with the Tribunal! Life imprisonment! No sentence reduction allowed!"

Wang Ji finally revealed a slight smile, "Our Martial Hall still has some dominance!"

Jiang Nian laughed heartily, "You think that's all? Not at all! Even without substantial evidence, did you think the HR Alliance would get off that easily? Not a chance! The HR Alliance is providing you with a full set of Series 5 Equipment for free! It's worth 30 million!"

Wang Ji was surprised, "There's such a good thing?"

Jiang Nian said, "That's only because you hadn't passed the prospective martial artist assessment at the time. Otherwise, how could it be so little? They got off cheap this time."

"Thank you, Uncle Jiang. This is already very good."

Wang Ji thought for a moment and asked, "Uncle Jiang, can our prospective martial artist combat assessment only be taken on August 1st?"

Jiang Nian replied, "There are two combat assessments a year. That's usually how it is. It's not just people from our Limit Martial Hall taking the assessment then. The military, the two major martial halls, other organizations, and people from society... they all participate in this one assessment. Why do you ask? Can't wait?"

Wang Ji smiled, "Yeah, it's four months from passing the prospective martial artist assessment to the combat assessment!"

Jiang Nian laughed and scolded, "You should be counting your blessings. The ones with short intervals are the ones who get a headache! Do you know that the annual pass rate is only two-thirds? And the casualty rate is not small either? Practicing your blade techniques and footwork for a few more months will significantly increase your pass rate."

"Then is there any other way to leave the city early for some practice?" Wang Ji asked.

Jiang Nian said nervously, "Don't you dare have such thoughts! Leaving the city and entering the Wilderness Zone is no child's play. Even after you pass the combat assessment, I still have to find a mature team to take you under their wing. The danger in the Wilderness Zone is more than ten times higher than the combat assessment!"

Wang Ji had no choice but to drop the subject.

He would have to find another opportunity to ask later. Without new instances, Wang Ji's progress had clearly slowed down. Waiting for two months was doable, but learning more wouldn't hurt.

The training ground instance had disappeared after he cleared it. Wang Ji felt a sense of emptiness and unease.

Back home, sure enough, not long after, a formal verdict was delivered to Wang Ji's house. Along with the verdict came a large alloy case.

Inside the case was a complete set of Series 5 Equipment. The HR Alliance was wealthy and generous; when they said a full set, they meant it. It didn't just include the Series 5 Blood Shadow Battle Blade, shield, and combat suit; even the backpack and outdoor watch were included, all Series 5.

Wang Ji couldn't help but put it all on in his basement training room. A heroic and spirited youth appeared in the mirror. Dressed in a jungle camouflage combat suit with a matching backpack, he looked truly sharp!

Wang Ji swung the Series 5 Blood Shadow Battle Blade. It felt quite comfortable. He practiced while wearing the gear, and after a while, he finally adapted to it.

Thinking about leaving the city, Wang Ji couldn't help but search: How to leave the city.

A massive amount of information appeared below.

In fact, leaving the city wasn't particularly difficult. Yangzhou City had a population of 20 million; it wasn't a prison that forbade everyone from leaving. It wasn't just martial artists who could leave the city.

Jiangnan Base City had eight satellite cities, and Yangzhou City was one of them. In reality, Yangzhou City wasn't just a satellite city; it was a guardian and a defense. It was the outer perimeter of Jiangnan Base City.

Further out, there were thousands of forward military forts and military bases located in the wilderness.

The most famous of these military bases was the Modu Military Base, which guarded the river estuary.

These forward forts and satellite cities formed a ring of defense for the tens of thousands of square kilometers of territory between them and Jiangnan Base City. This was the food production area for the base city's 200 million people.

Therefore, it was certainly not the case that everyone was forbidden from leaving the base city. Otherwise, how many martial artists were there? Who would grow the food outside the city walls? Who would mine the ore in the outer mines? You couldn't expect the martial artists to do everything, could you?

Ordinary people could also leave the city. It was just that they needed to register and apply, and they had to sign contracts acknowledging the dangers and accepting that they were responsible for their own lives.

Saturday morning. Wang Ji boarded the train to Military Base No. 8. Military Base No. 8 not only housed a division defending the base city, but many martial artists also used it for supplies and rest. It was a small fortress city.