Boom!!!
His fist struck the target of the Punch Strength Tester like a cannon shell, trailing a sonic boom.
The target shook violently, and a number appeared on the screen: 12204 kg.
Yun He raised an eyebrow.
On August 3, his test result had been 8825 kg.
Today, August 30, his punch strength was 12204 kg.
In just under a month, his punch strength had increased by over 3300 kg!
That rate of improvement was a little terrifying!
"Let's try the second layer of the Nine-Layered Thunder Blade."
Yun He relaxed his entire body and stood before the target, steadying his breathing.
Then his eyes snapped open. He drove through his feet, making the entire training hall floor shudder as tremendous force surged from his feet into his waist and hips.
Crack, crack, crack~~
The vertebrae along Yun He's back rose one after another, channeling powerful force into his right arm.
At the same time, his entire body rippled like the surface of water, releasing two waves of hidden force.
Nine-Layered Thunder Blade, second layer-2.1 times the force, unleash!
As Yun He threw his punch, his fist accelerated twice in succession before slamming into the target with a thunderous sonic boom.
Boom~~
The entire target tipped backward before slowly springing back, trembling violently.
The screen paused for a moment before displaying a number: 25634 kg!
Yun He let out a soft breath and smiled. "Well, damn. That would be a pretty good result even among Intermediate War Generals."
Calculating it as 12204 × 2.1, the result was about right.
Punch strength naturally fluctuated; it could never be completely precise.
Yun He's raw strength was only at the Junior War General level, but his force application put him among the stronger Intermediate War Generals, already approaching Advanced War General.
Intermediate War Generals ranged from 16000 kg to 32000 kg.
Advanced War Generals ranged from 32000 kg to 64000 kg.
At full power, Yun He could deliver over 25000 kg, which was no longer all that far from the Advanced War General threshold of 32000 kg.
This was where the terrifying power of the Force Application Technique truly showed.
It certainly lived up to its reputation as the world's most difficult ultimate manual to master.
His speed test came next: 116.3 m/s.
Neural reaction speed: excellent for a Junior War General.
Yun He was extremely satisfied with these results.
Before he knew it, even War God Level no longer seemed so far away.
Then I'll set out for the Wilderness Zone tomorrow.
Yun He clenched both fists. "This time, I absolutely won't throw up again!"
The next morning.
Inside the training hall, Yun He put on his combat trousers and Alloy Combat Boots.
He wore a combat vest on his upper body and wrist guards on both arms.
He slung on his backpack, hung his shield on his back, wore his Communication Watch on his right wrist, and held his longsword in his left hand.
He had packed drinking water and high-energy food in his backpack.
September 1.
Today was a good day.
Everything was ready.
Time to go!
The Wilderness Zone!
The Wilderness Zone was the collective term for all land outside humanity's base cities, including abandoned, ruined cities, suburbs, mountains, forests, lakes, and more.
In short, every stretch of land on Earth outside the base cities belonged to the wilderness.
To ordinary people living inside the base cities, the Wilderness Zone was a forbidden land of death.
It teemed with all kinds of monsters, a place off-limits to humans.
Yet several hundred li north of Jiangnan Base City stood a large military encampment.
Hiss, hiss, hiss~~
The train slowly stopped, and its doors opened.
Fully armed martial artists stepped off the train, some in groups and others alone.
When martial artists hunting monsters in the Wilderness Zone needed to rest or resupply, they would enter the military encampment.
A designated area within the encampment served as a supply base for martial artists.
In the dangerous Wilderness Zone, the military's supply base was the only safe haven where martial artists could rest without worry.
After entering the encampment and registering his identity, Yun He was assigned a private dormitory with a bedroom and a living room.
For the duration of his stay in the Wilderness Zone, this dormitory would be his private quarters.
"I'll get some proper rest and head out to hunt monsters first thing tomorrow morning."
"I'll hunt near the encampment-go out during the day and return in the afternoon."
Early the next morning, Yun He took his equipment and set out.
It was summer, but the morning air was pleasantly cool.
Facing the rising sun, Yun He left the supply base with his backpack and shield on his back and his longsword in hand.
He strode through the wilderness. These lands might once have been farmland, but after decades, they were overgrown with weeds. Following a path trodden by other martial artists, Yun He picked a direction and pressed onward.
After crossing the wild fields, he reached an abandoned highway. Walking along it for roughly half an hour would bring him to 0210 County Town.
Shhk~
Yun He pulled out his longsword and pushed off hard, retreating several meters.
Thud~
A tank-sized G-class One-Horned Wild Boar collapsed beside the road. After struggling for a while, it went still.
Foul-smelling brown blood slid down the thick hide of the One-Horned Wild Boar's neck, pooling into a small, dark-red stream on the ground.
Expressionless, Yun He stepped forward, thrust his longsword into the One-Horned Wild Boar's head, and cut around the base of its horn to remove it.
That single horn was the most valuable part of the One-Horned Wild Boar's body.
This G-class One-Horned Wild Boar was an Intermediate Beast Soldier, equivalent to a human Intermediate Warrior. With Yun He's Junior War General physique, fighting it was an utterly one-sided affair.
"This horn should fetch around 3500 if I sell it to the Limit Martial Hall, plus a few contribution points. The HR Underground Alliance would probably pay five or six thousand." Yun He stowed the horn in his backpack.
Faced with such a bloody scene again, Yun He could now remain relatively composed. After the night of the Martial Artist Combat Assessment and these past few months, he had gradually begun to fit into this world and adjust to life as a martial artist.
The homebody whose hands had trembled even when killing a chicken was gone for good.
His main purpose in coming out this time was to get used to fighting and killing, honing his combat techniques and footwork. He would also collect some materials to sell to the Limit Martial Hall for contribution points along the way.
"Keep going!"
Shhk~
Yun He sliced open a Lion-Tiger Hound's tail, extracted a tendon, and tucked it into his backpack.
"F-class Advanced Beast Soldier material-eight thousand in the bag!"
By the time he reached 0210 County Town, Yun He had killed over a dozen monsters along the highway, all within a journey of less than a hundred li.
Most had been Intermediate Beast Soldiers, with a few Advanced Beast Soldiers.
"I get to hone my combat skills and make money. Can't beat that." Yun He chuckled and stepped into the abandoned 0210 County Town before him.
As he walked through its ruined streets, desolation stretched as far as he could see.
Apartment buildings, shops, supermarkets, convenience stores, barbershops...
The bustle and prosperity of the past were long gone. This place had become a paradise for monsters. Though the surroundings looked quiet, countless monsters lurked within.
Yun He scanned the area and soon spotted monsters inside a four-story apartment building ahead.
At least four or five had gathered there, clearly making it their den.
Taking the Hexagonal Shield from his back and slipping it onto his left arm, Yun He drew a light breath.
"Time to train!"
Yun He pushed off hard. With a boom, the concrete beneath his feet cracked, and he shot upward like a cannon shell, crashing straight through a second-floor window.
He darted swiftly among the monsters, his longsword thrusting again and again.
The slaughter had begun!
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