A Jaw-Dropping Shock

11 a.m.

Shi Fen said goodbye to Elder Qian, carrying bags and bundles of luggage as he boarded the fighter jet chartered to take him home.

The bags held Shi Fen's "personal gains" from the past three months, along with some delicious food he'd packed up to bring home for his family to try.

An SS-Class Combat Suit, an SS-Class Blood Shadow War Blade, an SS-Class shield, thirty SS-Class throwing knives, a new Youquan Blade, and two throwing knives. These were the weapons Shi Fen had forged with materials he'd bought using his own money. Besides the weapons, he also had a backpack, a communications device, and other gear for outdoor combat.

In truth, Shi Fen could freely use the SS-Class weapons he trained with, and Elder Qian wouldn't have said a thing. But Shi Fen hadn't done that. He felt unworthy of taking Elder Qian's things.

It felt best to use things that belonged to him.

This time, Shi Fen had returned as a Martial Artist. He was now a registered Martial Artist with the Extreme Martial Arts Hall. Since he hadn't submitted any records of monster materials, he was currently only the most ordinary kind of Martial Artist—not even a Beginner Warrior.

If Shi Fen wanted to raise his Martial Artist rank, with his strength as a Spiritual Master, it would be easy for him to slaughter many high-level Lord-level Monsters and earn the title of Invincible War God.

With Shi Fen's current Spiritual Force, as long as he didn't run into a whole pack of King-level Monsters, he could roam the Wilderness Area alone without a care.

But Shi Fen had no plans to do that.

First, he didn't want to affect Luo Feng.

Second, he planned to spend his seven days off in the Wilderness Area, using ordinary monsters and the most basic strength to hone his blade skills and footwork. After years of training behind closed doors, his martial arts had advanced at a snail's pace. It was time for some real combat practice.

That was right.

After three months of trying, Shi Fen had finally chosen to train in the Nine-Layered Thunder Blade. He'd already mastered the basics and now knew the first level.

Actually, Shi Fen was best at using a hammer. But there was no top-tier manual for hammer techniques, and if he insisted on using one, he'd have to create his own. That clearly wasn't worth the effort, so Shi Fen had settled for blade techniques instead.

At first, Shi Fen had narrowed his choices down to two: the sword and the blade.

Using swords and blades was somewhat similar to the hammer techniques Shi Fen knew so well. Swordsmanship leaned more toward agility and technique, while blade techniques focused more on strength and dominance.

After a little thought, Shi Fen chose the blade.

Blade technique was divided into four levels: Basic Level, Proficient Level, Perfect Level, and Artistic Conception Level.

Footwork had four major levels: Basic Level, Subtle Level, Perfect Level, and Artistic Conception Level.

After three months of figuring it out on his own, Shi Fen had reached the Subtle Level in footwork, while his blade technique had reached the threshold of Perfect Level.

Shi Fen had reached that threshold thanks entirely to his eighteen years of experience with the hammer. "Once you understand one, you understand them all." By applying his hammer techniques to the blade, he'd forced his way to the threshold of Perfect Level.

When it came to using a blade, Shi Fen was a complete oddball.

The fighter jet landed steadily on the helipad in the residential complex.

Carrying bags and bundles in both hands, Shi Fen trotted all the way home.

"Dad, Mom, Brother, I'm back!" Shi Fen called out before he even reached the door.

The three people waiting for him inside were delighted to hear his voice and got up to welcome him.

As soon as Li Ziyi opened the door and saw Shi Fen, she hurried over happily, fussing over him and inspecting every little change, asking him this and that, afraid he'd suffered any hardship.

Shi Tie noticed that Shi Fen seemed completely different—far more capable and composed than before. His eyes lit up, and he and Shi Tian rushed over to ask anxiously, "Son, little brother, how much has your forging improved?"

Seeing how her husband and eldest son had reacted, Li Ziyi scolded them irritably. "We're finally together as a family, and all you can think about is forging. You don't even care about anything else."

Shi Tie and Shi Tian could only chuckle sheepishly and stay quiet.

"Haha."

Seeing his mother scold his father and brother, Shi Fen secretly laughed to himself. His mother was at the very top of the family "food chain," and he'd seen scenes like this plenty of times growing up.

"Mom, I brought back lots of delicious food. It's almost time to eat, so let's have lunch first." Still laughing inwardly, Shi Fen hurried to smooth things over.

Li Ziyi's expression softened, and she began getting everyone ready to eat.

Shi Fen set the largest bag on the dining table. "Mom, I packed the food in insulated containers. You can just take it out and eat. I'll go upstairs and put some things away first."

The three people downstairs immediately got busy, taking the beautifully packaged dishes out of the large insulated container and arranging them on the table as they carefully prepared lunch.

Shi Fen dashed back to his bedroom and released his Spiritual Force, sweeping it over the whole room to make sure nothing was amiss. He immediately drew the curtains, then swept his hand over the bag. All his weapons and equipment were stored in the World Ring, leaving only the Youquan Blade and two throwing knives in the bag.

There were too many people around, so to be cautious, Shi Fen had waited until now to put everything in the World Ring.

Shi Fen nodded in satisfaction, picked up the Spirit of Vegetation medicinal wine, and went downstairs to eat.

When Shi Fen came downstairs, his family was sitting quietly at the dining table, waiting for him to join them.

"Everything's ready. Come eat," Shi Tie said with a smile.

Everyone enjoyed the meal. More precisely, it was the first time Shi Fen had sat down for a proper family meal in this villa.

After the meal.

Shi Fen smiled mysteriously, took three small teacups from the coffee table, unscrewed the bottle of medicinal wine, and carefully poured three cups. He measured each serving with extreme precision, since his family members happened to be at the beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels of Martial Arts Hall trainees.

If he wasn't precise and they drank too much, taking in more than their bodies could handle, it would be bad.

"Heh."

Smiling, Shi Fen respectfully handed them the three cups. He'd poured more into Shi Tian's cup, a medium amount into Shi Tie's, and the least into Li Ziyi's.

"Drink up. This is the best thing I got from my master."

Shi Tie noticed that Shi Tian had gotten more wine than he had. Frowning, he said irritably, "Do you think I can't hold my liquor? You gave me so little. Are you feeding a cat?"

Shi Fen quickly smiled apologetically and explained, "Hehe, Dad, this wine is a treasure that improves your physical fitness. That little bit in your cup should increase your strength by at least 150 kilograms. With your current physical fitness, that's all you can handle."

At his words, the three of them were so stunned their jaws nearly hit the floor.

Shi Tie shot to his feet, unable to believe it. "After I drink this, I'll be about ready to become a Quasi-Fighter?"

Shi Tian was slower to react. Hearing his father, he exclaimed in shock, "Then doesn't that mean I'll be above the Quasi-Fighter level after I drink mine?"

"That's right." Shi Fen nodded lightly.

The three of them stared at Shi Fen, wide-eyed and incredulous.

"Drink it, or the medicinal effects will evaporate and go to waste," Shi Fen said when the three of them didn't react.

As soon as they heard the medicine would go to waste, they hurriedly picked up their cups and downed the contents.

"Good wine."

Shi Tie was an experienced drinker. As soon as the wine hit his throat, he recognized the taste of aged liquor and couldn't help praising it. Shi Tian rarely drank liquor, and the strong alcohol burned his throat. Li Ziyi often drank with Shi Tie, so she had no special reaction. But she was the weakest of the three, with only the strength of a beginner Martial Arts Hall trainee, and after drinking the wine, her complexion quickly became rosy.

Li Ziyi was a thrifty person. She immediately poured some boiled water into her teacup, swished it around, and drank it. Shi Tie and Shi Tian weren't fools either, and they quickly followed her example.

Shi Tian and Shi Tie closed their eyes, feeling the warm current inside them as it strengthened their bodies. The warmth flowed over the hidden injuries caused by forging, and they rapidly began to heal.

Li Ziyi felt the warm current spreading throughout her body, washing over every part of her. She glanced at the wine bottle beside Shi Fen. Since she'd only drunk a little from her cup, she quickly asked, "Could this wine make a lot of Martial Artists? Why aren't you drinking any?"

"Of course. Mom, I'm strong enough already. You can all drink the rest of this bottle over the next few days. Once it's opened, it's troublesome to store," Shi Fen replied respectfully.

"How strong?" Li Ziyi pressed.

"High-level War God. I could stroll through the Wilderness Area like it was a shopping street," Shi Fen answered honestly.

The three of them stared with eyes as wide as saucers, their mouths nearly dropping to the floor.

"I'm serious. Otherwise, why would I bring back such incredible wine? Oh, and keep this confidential for now. I don't want to scare my friends." Seeing their expressions, Shi Fen sighed slightly. Just as he'd expected, there was no avoiding this shock.

"High-level War God?" the three of them stammered.

Shi Fen let out a deep sigh and told them what had happened, recounting his experiences over the past three months.

"Brother Hong?!!!"

The three of them exploded!

"You're not lying to us, are you?" they hurriedly asked.

Shi Fen rolled his eyes and said crossly, "If I weren't a High-level War God, would I have brought back wine that improves strength? If I weren't a High-level War God, would I have left this wine sitting around without drinking it?"

This time, the three of them truly believed him.

"Enough. Stop letting your imaginations run wild. Calm down and let the medicinal effects take hold. Later, I'll teach you Taiji Fist. You can drink a little more tonight to increase your strength faster." Shi Fen's expression suddenly changed, and he spoke sternly.

The three of them were so happy that Shi Fen's sternness had no effect on them at all.

"Sigh." Shi Fen felt he was really asking for trouble.

Shi Fen cleared his throat and spoke sternly again. "All right, all right. There'll be plenty of things like this from now on. Look at how excited you are."

Shi Tie's eyes widened. He couldn't believe it. "There'll be more in the future?"

"This is a benefit for a Special Grade Forging Master at the Extreme Martial Arts Hall. I'm going to be a Special Grade Forging Master, so getting this medicinal wine will be a piece of cake. Oh, and keep my strength a secret for now."

At that, the three of them immediately calmed down and nodded seriously. They exchanged glances, then obediently sat cross-legged on the sofa and absorbed the medicinal effects.

In the afternoon, Shi Fen taught them Soft Fist, a style of Taiji Fist, to help them adapt to their improved physical fitness. In his spare time, he shared his new forging experience and techniques.

That night, Shi Fen poured more medicinal wine for his family. This time, Li Ziyi, Shi Tie, and Shi Tian all rushed into the bathrooms to wash off the grime that had been forced out through their pores.

Fortunately, the villa had plenty of bathrooms. Otherwise, just imagine the scene...

The next morning, Shi Fen visited Luo Feng's home and improved the physical fitness of his godfather, godmother, and Luo Hua. All three gained two or three hundred kilograms of strength, and their overall condition improved considerably.

"Hehe, Luo Feng will definitely be shocked when he finds out."

Shi Fen kept a lot of information to himself. He only told Luo Feng's family that he'd attended an elite forging training program and that this was a benefit for his family. Because he had such great talent, he'd received a little extra.

Luo Feng's family didn't ask many questions. The incredible effects of the wine had already left them speechless. Besides, why would they pry when their godson had given them something so valuable?

Shi Fen hadn't given Luo Feng's family much medicinal wine. Luo Feng would be able to earn more in the future anyway, so there was no need to rush. For now, it was enough to improve their physical fitness a little and make their lives more comfortable. Shi Fen had a great use for the medicinal wine, and no matter how much he wanted to help Luo Feng's family, he couldn't disrupt his plans.

That afternoon, Shi Fen helped his family improve their strength again.

This time, there was one more person: Wei Wen.

"What's the point of going to college? I'll raise you above the Quasi-Fighter threshold myself. Learning forging and becoming a Martial Artist is the way to go. You can take the Martial Artist exam next year." Shi Fen was extremely overbearing with Wei Wen.

Shi Fen's generous offer left Wei Wen so shocked his jaw dropped.

After experiencing the wine's miraculous effects, Wei Wen didn't ask a thing about where it came from. He followed Shi Fen's instructions wholeheartedly. Shi Fen's words became the direction in which he'd move forward in life. He clung to this powerful backer with perfect precision.

To make things easier, Wei Wen stayed there temporarily.

During those few days back home, Shi Fen supervised everyone, making sure they drank the medicinal wine on schedule and teaching them Taiji Fist so they could control their strength. The physical fitness of all four men shot up like rockets, taking off right before their eyes!

With Wei Wen joining them, the four men had even more enthusiasm for discussing forging!