Wind-Treading Step: Beginner

Ten days later.

In the ruins of the city, the air was thick with the pungent stench of blood and rotting mold. Broken rebar jutted diagonally from cracked concrete, while the wind passed through shattered windows with a mournful wail like ghosts crying.

Lin Yun stepped lightly over the rubble, his gaze vigilantly sweeping the dark corners around him.

Suddenly, an unusual sound came from a collapsed residential building to his left, and a gray-black shadow shot out like an arrow loosed from its bow.

It was a giant rat nearly a meter tall, its body covered in hard fur like steel needles. Its scarlet eyes fixed on Lin Yun, and two rows of yellowed fangs protruded from its mouth. Drool dripped from the corners of its mouth onto the ground, corroding tiny white pits into the surface.

Most terrifying of all were its foreclaws, each nearly half a foot long and gleaming with cold light, like two poisoned steel blades.

Claw Rat!

Lin Yun's eyes narrowed.

This mutated beast was small compared to many others, but it was fast, aggressive, and numerous. It was one of the mutated beasts responsible for the greatest number of human casualties.

Screech!

The Claw Rat let out a piercing howl and kicked off the ground with all four limbs. Its huge body erupted with astonishing speed as it lunged at Lin Yun.

Wherever it passed, broken bricks were crushed to powder. It rammed through a fallen wall as thick as a bowl with its head, while the tangled rebar was sliced apart as easily as tofu beneath its claws.

In the blink of an eye, the Claw Rat had pounced before Lin Yun, its claws carrying a foul wind as they slashed straight at his face.

Yet Lin Yun did not panic in the slightest. He lightly tapped the ground with his feet, and his body suddenly slid half a meter to the left, neatly evading the fatal strike.

Faint crimson vitality circulated through his legs, making his body as light as willow fluff in the wind. He weaved and shifted through the Claw Rat's storm-like barrage of claws, every dodge perfectly timed, without even the corner of his clothes being touched.

The instant the Claw Rat's old momentum had faded and its new force had yet to rise, Lin Yun seized the opening at its flank.

He suddenly lowered his waist into a horse stance. The vitality throughout his body boiled at once, all of it gathering in his right fist.

The stance of the Vajra Fist unfolded in an instant. His fist shot out with a muffled crack through the air and smashed viciously into the Claw Rat's most vulnerable spot beneath its eye socket.

His vitality had now steadily risen to 77 points, firmly placing him at the seventh level of the Martial Apprentice realm.

An ordinary punch already carried 7,700 kilograms of force. Combined with the Vajra Fist at the minor mastery stage, its power nearly reached 10,000 kilograms!

Boom!

The dull impact sounded like a war drum.

The Claw Rat's enormous body was sent flying backward, crashing heavily into a ruined wall and leaving a huge crater in the concrete.

It twitched a few times, its limbs kicking weakly before it went still. One side of its head had caved in, and red and white matter splattered across the ground.

The moment the battle ended, the ruins around him began to blur, transforming into blue particles that filled the air before finally vanishing without a trace, revealing the pristine white interior walls of the combat pod.

Lin Yun let out a long breath and flexed his slightly sore wrist, a satisfied smile curling across his lips.

Wind-Treading Step had reached the beginner stage, and Vajra Fist had reached minor mastery. I can even one-shot a common first-rank mutated beast like a Claw Rat. It's time to head to District 33.

He pushed open the pod door and walked out, just in time to see Su Nianhe practicing her punches before a force-testing machine nearby.

Her white training uniform was soaked with sweat and clung tightly to her back, outlining her slender yet powerful figure.

Every time she threw a punch, an astonishing number flashed across the force-testing machine.

"Nianhe."

Lin Yun called out.

Su Nianhe immediately withdrew her fist and turned around, a bright smile appearing on her face as she casually picked up a towel to wipe away her sweat.

"How was today's training? Did everything go smoothly?"

"It went smoothly." Lin Yun walked up to her, his eyes incomparably resolute. "Wind-Treading Step has fully reached the beginner stage, and Vajra Fist has reached minor mastery too. I won't have any trouble against ordinary first-rank mutated beasts. Now you can rest assured and let me go to District 33, right?"

The smile on Su Nianhe's face faded somewhat. She looked Lin Yun over from head to toe, then suddenly shook her head. "No. You're still missing the most important thing."

"What?"

Lin Yun froze for a moment.

"A combat weapon." Su Nianhe spoke seriously. "You'll be at too much of a disadvantage fighting barehanded. Ordinary mutated beasts are one thing, but if you run into something with thick hide and tough flesh like an Ironclad Turtle, your fists won't be able to break through its defense."

Hearing that, Lin Yun sighed helplessly. "My scholarship and the money I'd saved before were all used to pay off the debts from my brother's past medical treatment. I don't have much money on me right now, so I can't afford a combat weapon for the time being."

The system was his greatest secret. No matter how trustworthy Su Nianhe was, he still had to keep it from her.

It was better for both of them.

Su Nianhe immediately said, "I have several spare combat weapons. They're all—"

"No." Lin Yun interrupted her without hesitation. "Nianhe, you've already provided me with such a good cultivation environment and even gave me a movement technique martial skill worth a million. I already owe you too much. I'll find a way to handle the combat weapon myself."

His expression was completely serious.

Su Nianhe pursed her lips, somewhat unwilling, but she also knew Lin Yun's stubborn temperament.

Her eyes spun, and she immediately thought of an idea. "Then how about this? I'll lend you my scholarship. Five hundred thousand should barely be enough to put together a decent set of combat weapons! Once you earn money hunting mutated beasts in District 33, just pay me back an extra twenty thousand. Don't tell me you plan to slowly earn money through part-time work to buy a combat weapon? How much time would that waste?"

Lin Yun hesitated.

He knew very well that having a suitable combat weapon would not only greatly increase his efficiency in hunting mutated beasts, but would also significantly improve his chances of survival.

And if he had extra money on hand, he could immediately exchange it for vitality in an emergency if he ran into danger.

Just as he was about to nod in agreement, the system's cold prompt suddenly sounded in his mind:

[ Ding! System notice: Valid currency used to exchange for vitality points and items in the shop must be earned by the host through their own abilities. Currency obtained through gifts, loans, lottery winnings, or other means cannot be used for system exchanges. ]

Lin Yun was stunned.

He had never considered borrowing money to improve his strength before, so the system had never reminded him of this rule.

It seemed that even if he wanted to live off a woman in the future, the system would not give him the chance.

Still, that was fine. It only strengthened his resolve to rely on himself.

"Alright, I accept." Lin Yun raised his head and smiled at Su Nianhe. "I'll definitely pay back the five hundred thousand before school starts."

Lin Yun had already been full of confidence. With combat weapons added to the mix, he was certain he could earn at least a million in District 33.

"Now that's more like it!" Su Nianhe immediately smiled, her eyes curving into crescents. "Come on, let's go to the martial arts market right now. I'll help you haggle!"

As she spoke, she grabbed Lin Yun's arm and ran outside. Her ponytail swayed behind her, brimming with youthful energy.