The Pauper King Wang Ji

"Mist Sword it is! It has six levels in total; mastering all six reaches the realm of Artistic Conception. The force output can reach 4.2 times! It's not high, but it's enough for now.

The first three levels cost 120 million, and for a first-time purchase, I can skip the contribution points and get a 50% discount, which makes it 60 million! I have a free quota of 50 million, so I just need to add 10 million of my own! Bought!" Wang Ji confirmed.

After spending over three hours reviewing the manual descriptions, Wang Ji was certain of his choice. Although it looked much "lower" than Nine-Layered Thunder Blade or World Destroyer, the most suitable choice is the best one.

Since he had the Heavy Mountain Sword, he naturally had to learn a sword-based manual. Looking at the description of the Heavy Mountain Sword, if Wang Ji nurtured it to its peak state, it would be at least Tier 5—and not Tier 5 in terms of the five elements, but Tier 5 in the universe! Anything less would be an insult to its description. Under these circumstances, learning sword techniques was the natural path.

The artistic conception of Mist Sword, which blends the illusory with the real, seemed perfect for Wang Ji. After all, with the aid of his spiritual force, his main style was all about playing with illusions and reality.

Wang Ji suddenly remembered something, and with a thought, he searched for "An Qin."

"An Qin, mid-level Warlord. Famous for his footwork, he once escaped the pursuit of a high-level Warlord using his movement techniques. Creator of the Phantom Void Steps, a half-step Artistic Conception-level footwork technique. Manual rating: A+."

"Phantom Void Steps, I have to buy this! Wang Ji already had An Qin's insights into footwork in his mind, including the insights behind creating the Phantom Void Steps. However, he lacked the systematic Phantom Void Steps manual. He could slowly develop his own version using just the insights, but with the manual as a reference, Wang Ji believed he could reach the perfection stage, or even the half-step Artistic Conception level, at least twice as fast!"

Buy! Phantom Void Steps was just a footwork manual and only rated A+, so the price was much cheaper. The total price was 60 million, and with the 50% discount, it was 30 million!

"Hiss... I'm still short 15 million! I'm so broke!"

"I'll return one of the Tier 9 throwing knives. That way, if I scrape all my cash together, it should be just about enough... and I'll have zero cents left! I'm too poor!" Wang Ji clutched his head.

"I can't live like this!"

"Whatever, add points! Add points! Let's just enjoy the boost first." Wang Ji glared at the screen. "100 Essence Source points, add to body!"

"Awesome! Hahaha..." "Strength: 16310kg, Speed: 142m/s." Mid-level Warlord! He had officially crossed the threshold of a mid-level Warlord. Awesome!

"Let's go again. 200 points into spiritual force!"

"Hiss..." "Spiritual force: 3550kg."

Hmm, better reserve 34 points as a backup.

Wang Ji
Age: 17
Strength: 16310kg
Speed: 142m/s
Spiritual force: 3550kg
Nerve reaction: Micro-level footwork
Essence Source: 34

Equipment: 1. Iron Will 2. Heavy Mountain Sword Skills: Omitted

Poverty stifles ambition, but Wang Ji had just spent all his money on manuals. Naturally, he had to train hard. Wang Ji simply did what he did during his last training session: he hid away in the Extreme Pavilion of Jiangnan Base City, returned to the same training room, and became completely immersed.

One month later.

"Basic sword techniques are proficient. I can barely execute the moves of Mist Sword, but this doesn't count as mastering the first level. Mastering the first level requires a 1.4x force output!" Wang Ji thought. "This can only be considered as Mist Sword being barely usable in actual combat."

"The real rapid progress is in my footwork! The four levels of footwork are Basic, Micro, Perfection, and Artistic Conception. I was previously at the entry level of Micro. Now, I've reached the mastery of Micro! With all of An Qin's footwork insights, plus the Phantom Void Steps manual, it's like someone is feeding me the knowledge directly. This progress is truly terrifying! An ordinary Warlord-level fighter would need three to five years of effort to reach this point."

"Ring-ring..." Wang Ji answered the phone.

"Wang Ji, how have you been lately?"

Wang Ji was curious. "Liu Hao! How do you have the free time to call me?"

"We're the best partners, aren't we?"

"Bullshit!"

This was Captain Liu Hao from Military Base No. 8, the sniper who had partnered with Wang Ji during the last beast tide. At the time, their partnership had indeed been very smooth.

"If you have something to say, just say it!" Wang Ji said. People in the military spoke directly, and Wang Ji was naturally straightforward with Liu Hao.

Liu Hao laughed heartily. "I've got a good thing for you! What's your spiritual force at now? What's your scanning range?"

This question was very private, but Wang Ji trusted Liu Hao—he trusted him instinctively. He replied casually, "My spiritual force is currently 5100kg, and the scanning radius is... well, 50 meters!"

Wang Ji's strength had already reached over 16,000kg, and his spiritual force had grown quite quickly; in one month, it had increased from 3550kg to 5100kg. However, it had already started to slow down. For other spiritual masters, spiritual force drove the improvement of physical fitness, but for Wang Ji, it was the other way around—his physical fitness was driving the growth of his spiritual force.

"50 meters? Strange! That's so far! But that's a good thing! The military region has a special mission and wants to recruit spiritual masters. Of course, it's voluntary! The compensation is extremely generous! How about it, interested?" Liu Hao asked.

A 50-meter radius? That was an understatement. Wang Ji's spiritual force was more condensed than others, and with the bonus from Iron Will, his scanning radius was far greater than other spiritual masters. In reality, Wang Ji's current scanning radius was a full 120 meters!

"A special mission? How dangerous is it?" Wang Ji asked.

"You guy! You're like a mouse, timid as a mouse! The danger... well, it's not too high! It's an exploratory mission, and there will be military bigwigs accompanying us. Just think about it, how dangerous could it really be, right?" Liu Hao said.

"Fine! I don't have any missions lately anyway, so sure! Where do I report?"

"Jiangnan Military Region!"

When Wang Ji arrived at the Jiangnan Military Region in Jiangnan Base City the next day, he reported his fighter ID. After the sentry verified it, a captain led Wang Ji into the interior of the military region.

This Jiangnan Military Region occupied a vast area, said to be dozens of square kilometers. Towering ancient trees stood everywhere, solemn and majestic. After the Great Cataclysm, the status of soldiers had soared. Moreover, in China, the place with the most fighters was actually not the martial arts gyms, but the military.

Although the military is slightly lacking in high-end combat power, they account for sixty percent of all Warrior-level martial artists.

For ordinary people, once they pass the high school and university stages, where would they find the energy to exercise every day? Everyone is forced to work overtime just to survive. But for soldiers, training is their primary duty, killing monsters is a daily routine, and life-and-death combat is the shortcut to improving their strength. Over the years, even if their talent isn't exceptional, they can eventually grind their way to becoming a Warrior-level martial artist. Of course, such martial artists who rely on slaughter and persistence may find their potential capped at the Warrior level for the rest of their lives. Therefore, unless they are geniuses, the treatment of martial artists in the military is significantly inferior to those in the martial arts halls.

Inside a grand briefing hall in the military district's complex, only seven or eight people were waiting.

Wang Ji waited quietly as well.

"Wang Ji!" a voice whispered.