Martial Artists

The inside of the vehicle fell quiet again.

Only the engine rumbled, and Zhang Zhenyun occasionally exhaled a plume of smoke.

Song Chen kept his eyes closed and continued browsing the System Shop.

By the time the armored vehicle entered the Defense Zone, it was already eight in the evening.

The camp was brightly lit. Several large searchlight towers illuminated the surroundings as if it were broad daylight.

Soldiers patrolled back and forth, and the sounds of drills could be faintly heard in the distance.

The air was thick with a mixture of smells: diesel, disinfectant, and an indescribable scent of rust.

Zhang Zhenyun parked the vehicle in front of a row of prefabricated cabins deep inside the camp.

"We're here. Get out."

The six of them climbed out one after another.

Zhao Wei was last. Half his face was still swollen, and he kept his head down without saying a word.

The camp was quiet, with only the occasional command drifting over from the distance.

Rows of prefabricated cabins stood neatly arranged. Each was about a dozen square meters, with sheet-metal walls and alloy doors and windows. They looked crude but sturdy.

Zhang Zhenyun pointed to the row of cabins. "This is what the trainees get: one room per person. Don't wander around at night. The toilets are at the east end, the cafeteria at the west end. Muster at six in the morning."

He glanced at Song Chen, his gaze pausing on his left hand.

"Will your hand be healed by tomorrow?"

"Yes," Song Chen replied confidently.

Zhang Zhenyun nodded and didn't ask anything else. Then he turned and left.

Song Chen entered the room assigned to him.

It wasn't large: a bed, a table, a chair, and a simple wardrobe.

A small heating unit in the corner hummed softly.

Protective mesh had been welded over the window. Through the glass, he could see the light from the searchlights outside.

He closed the door and locked it.

Then he sat on the bed and took a deep breath.

He was safe. At least for tonight, he was safe.

Late that night, after making sure no one was watching him,

Song Chen closed his eyes and summoned the system interface.

A translucent screen appeared before him, its numbers still crystal clear.

[Current Killing Value: 21]

His gaze moved slowly down the list, finally stopping at the potions section.

[Spirit Blood Serum - 20 points]

[Description: Special blood containing pure spirit energy. Consuming it will comprehensively enhance physical attributes.]

Song Chen frowned.

He was certain the human shop didn't sell this kind of serum. Still, it was obvious that this potion could increase Blood Qi.

What he lacked most right now was Blood Qi.

After thinking it over, he tapped the air with his finger.

[Spend 20 Killing Value to confirm purchase of Spirit Blood Serum?]

He tapped again.

[Confirm]

A flash of light.

A transparent bottle about the size of his thumb appeared in his hand.

The bottle was light. Its material looked like glass, but it was clearer than glass.

It contained about ten milliliters of liquid, a pale gold color like watered-down honey. The liquid swirled slowly inside, occasionally giving off a faint glimmer.

Song Chen held the bottle up to his eyes.

Something seemed to be moving in the liquid, fine as silk and barely visible.

He stared at it for a few seconds, and an odd feeling came over him—as if something were watching him.

This thing...

He shook his head and stopped thinking about it.

If it was a blessing, he'd accept it; if it was a calamity, there was no escaping it.

He unscrewed the cap, tipped his head back, and poured the liquid into his mouth.

It tasted mild, a little sweet, with a hint of... blood?

The instant the liquid went down his throat, Song Chen's body froze.

A wave of heat exploded in his stomach, as if flames were burning through his veins. The fire coursed through his blood and spread to every corner of his body in an instant.

Pain.

Excruciating pain.

Even worse than when the wild boar's tusk had pierced his left hand.

Song Chen clenched his teeth and gripped the bedsheet tightly, refusing to let himself cry out.

His body began to tremble. Sweat poured from his pores like rain, soaking through his clothes in an instant.

But he didn't stop, and he didn't dare to.

He could feel that something was changing wherever the flames passed.

His muscles contracted, then relaxed, growing firmer.

His bones itched as if countless ants were gnawing at them—that was his bone structure being strengthened.

Blood surged through his veins at an astonishing speed. He could hear his heart pounding like a drum.

"Thump!"

"Thump!"

"Thump!"

Faster and faster.

Louder and louder.

As if someone were hammering against his chest.

He had no idea how long it lasted. Maybe a few minutes, maybe half an hour. At last, the pain faded, replaced by a feeling of pure, overwhelming relief.

It felt incredible—far better than any ordinary pleasure. This was a leap in the level of his life.

Song Chen gasped, drenched from head to toe, as if he'd just been pulled out of the water.

He raised his hand and clenched his fist.

Something had changed.

He could feel that he was stronger—not just a little, but twice as strong.

He stood up and walked over to the simple mirror in the corner.

The person in the mirror made him pause.

It was still the same face, the same build, but his eyes had changed. They were brighter, more alert.

A faint sheen had appeared on his skin, a sign that his Blood Qi had reached a certain level of fullness.

He raised his left hand. It had completely recovered.

"So this is what it means to be a Martial Artist..."

He murmured to himself.

As soon as the words left his mouth, his body suddenly shuddered.

A surge of even stronger heat rose from his Dantian.

This time, it wasn't fire, but a gentler, more immense kind of power.

Blood Qi.

The Blood Qi newly formed inside him was surging wildly.

It seemed almost alive, automatically circulating through his body along a set route.

Starting from his Dantian, it passed through his spine and flowed into his limbs and bones, before finally surging into his heart.

Song Chen's expression changed.

He looked down at his chest.

It was glowing.

A faint light shone through his skin and muscles, barely visible.

The light was a pale red, like dawn, or a flame.

He could feel countless streams of Blood Qi converging from every part of his body, like rivers flowing into the sea, pouring into his heart.

His heart swelled with pain, as if it were about to burst.

But there was nothing he could do. He could only watch and endure.

The light grew brighter, and the pressure grew stronger.

Just as he thought he couldn't take it anymore, everything suddenly stopped.

The light faded, and the pressure vanished.

His heart returned to its steady rhythm.

But Song Chen knew something had changed.

He lowered his head and placed a hand over his chest.

Through his skin and muscles, he could feel that something had appeared inside his heart.

It wasn't an illusion. It was real.

Something tangible and hard, like a seed.

He closed his eyes and let his awareness sink into his body.

He "saw" a Crystal Core, no bigger than a soybean, floating quietly in the center of his heart.

The Crystal Core was pale red, its surface smooth as a mirror, with a faint halo of light swirling over it.

It trembled slightly with each beat of his heart, and with every tremor, a thread of Blood Qi flowed out of it and spread through his body.

This was the Life Core, the mark of a lifeform that had reached a rank.

Mutant beasts had them, and so did human Martial Artists.

Once a person's Blood Qi reached above 1.0, they could condense one inside their body.

It was the source of a Martial Artist's power, and proof of their status.

Starting today, he was a true Martial Artist.

Song Chen opened his eyes and looked at the person in the mirror.

The youth in the mirror was drenched, his hair a mess, but his eyes were astonishingly bright.

His chest was no longer glowing, but he knew that a pale red seed had appeared inside it.

He raised his hand and clenched his fist.

Power gathered in his fist, making him more than twice as strong as before.

"1.0?"

No.

More than 1.0.

He closed his eyes and carefully sensed the Blood Qi inside him.

The power flowed endlessly, far richer than before. The difference wasn't like going from 0.6 to 1.0. It was like going from a stream to a river.

1.1?

He didn't know, but he could feel that his Blood Qi was definitely above 1.0.

That Spirit Blood Serum was far more effective than an ordinary First Rank Blood Qi Potion. It was worthy of being a product of the system.

He stood up and walked to the window.

Outside, the searchlights continued to sweep across the camp, illuminating it as if it were broad daylight.

In the distance, the outline of the city wall was faintly visible, like a massive scar stretching across the horizon.

Farther away lay endless darkness—the world of the mutant beasts.