Advanced War General

Early January, 2057.

A light snow had fallen the night before.

The morning was cold, but with a warrior's physique, he barely felt it.

Dressed in loose training clothes, Yun He strolled through the residential compound.

Almost two months had passed since he returned from City 003, and he had already mastered the third and fourth layers of the Nine-Layered Thunder Blade. With his comprehension enhanced by the system, even this ultimate manual, reputed to be the hardest in the world, did not seem all that difficult to him.

So when he got up that morning, Yun He decided to visit the Limit Hall and test his physical fitness to see how much he had improved.

My last test was in October. Three whole months have passed since then. With my physical aptitude and the boost from training in the ultimate manual, the Nine-Layered Thunder Blade, I wonder how far my physical fitness has progressed. Yun He was filled with anticipation.

"Yun He." Luo Hongguo and his wife, Gong Xinlan, approached from the opposite direction, carrying bags of fruit, meat, and vegetables. They had clearly just returned from grocery shopping.

"Uncle Luo, Aunt Lan, out shopping so early?" Yun He greeted them with a smile.

"I can never sleep soundly at night, so I figured I might as well get up early and buy groceries," Gong Xinlan said.

Both of them looked worried, especially Gong Xinlan. "Yun He, Xiao Feng has been in the Wilderness Zone for over a month now. All his teammates have come back, but he's still out there alone."

"Uncle Luo, Aunt Lan, don't worry. I spoke to Luo Feng on the phone last night. He said he'd be back in a few days," Yun He reassured them.

"I know. He called home last night and told us, too. But with him out there all alone, I just can't stop worrying." Gong Xinlan treated Yun He like family and freely shared her concerns.

Yun He could only keep reassuring her.

After they chatted a little longer, Luo Hongguo tugged at Gong Xinlan. "All right, all right. Yun He has things to do. Stop holding him up. Let's go home."

Gong Xinlan immediately protested, "I think of Yun He as my own nephew. What's wrong with talking to him for a while?"

Yun He hurriedly smiled and smoothed things over. "It's fine, it's fine. I don't really have anything pressing to do anyway. It's nice to chat with you both."

As he spoke, he reached for the bags in Gong Xinlan's hands. "Let me carry those, Aunt Lan."

Because of Luo Feng, Yun He had grown close to the whole family and occasionally dropped by for a meal.

Yun He accompanied the couple all the way home and chatted for a while longer before leaving. As he was about to go, Luo Hongguo said, "Yun He, if you're free at noon, come over for lunch."

Gong Xinlan chimed in, "Yes, come for lunch, Yun He. I'll make you something delicious."

"Sure, Uncle Luo, Aunt Lan," Yun He agreed with a smile.

After leaving Luo Feng's home, Yun He smiled wryly to himself.

Yun He knew what had happened to Luo Feng. He simply did not dare tell Luo Hongguo and Gong Xinlan the truth.

That kid Luo Feng had really landed himself in a huge mess this time.

What could Yun He say? Was this what it meant to be fate's chosen one?

Every time he went out, he managed to stir up trouble.

On his first trip to the Wilderness Zone, his grudge with the Tiger Tooth Squad had cost his teammate Zhang Ke an arm and left his entire team surrounded by monsters. At the critical moment, Luo Feng had revealed his identity as a Spiritualist and helped his teammates escape with their lives.

Of course, the rewards had been plentiful, too. In that life-or-death moment, he had grasped the power release of the First Form of the Ninefold Thunder Blade and cleaved a sniper rifle's armor-piercing bullet with his saber. Was that even humanly possible?

With only the physique of an Advanced Warrior, he had relied on his Spiritualist talent to single-handedly take down an injured Advanced Beast General-the hunter, Silver Moon Fierce Wolf-and earned eight hundred million!

It was worth more than even an Elementary Lord.

Yep. Of course.

On his second trip, he had gone into the Wilderness Zone alone and spent nearly two months slaughtering Beast Soldiers, earning himself the nickname "Madman." Then he had run into a rat swarm outbreak. A War God had died.

Yep. Business as usual.

On his third trip, he had gone to City 003, plotted the deaths of several Tiger Tooth Squad members, then sneaked into a High-level Lord's lair to steal a Dragon Egg. Along the way, he had picked up an S-Class Combat Suit and an SS-class longsword.

Yep. All part of the plan.

And that was not even the end of it. Finally, he had killed Li Wei, the only son of the High-level War God couple, Vulture and Venomous Scorpion.

Yun He recalled the hundred-billion bounty that had shaken the entire world over the past few days.

One hundred billion!

Yun He almost wanted to bundle Luo Feng up, deliver him to Vulture and Venomous Scorpion, and sell him by the pound.

Of course, that was only a joke.

Luo Feng's experiences could be summed up in one word.

Thrilling!

That was why Yun He would never team up with Luo Feng, not even if his life depended on it, and would certainly never go out with him. That kid was a walking disaster. Trouble followed him wherever he went.

It was far too thrilling. Anyone with a weak heart would never survive it.

With Yun He's cautious nature, he was better off cheering from the sidelines. That was more trouble than he could handle-far more!

Isn't it better to be cautious? Just keep your head down and grow stronger. Why go looking for trouble?

Yun He shook his head. Luo Feng's way of life did not suit him. He did not believe he possessed Luo Feng's luck-the kind that let him court death as recklessly as he pleased and somehow never die.

Thinking back to their call the night before, Yun He figured Luo Feng had been under too much pressure and had called his big brother for reassurance.

Luo Feng had not told Yun He about the major trouble he had caused this time. The kid was deeply guarded now and trusted no one.

Yun He had also pretended not to know anything, simply chatting with him as usual about lighthearted topics.

The poor kid deserved a little help relaxing.

Although Luo Feng had acted calm, Yun He had still keenly noticed the gloom and wariness lurking deep in his eyes.

Finally, as though asking casually, Luo Feng had inquired in a level voice whether Yun He knew about the hundred-billion bounty.

After all, Yun He knew he was a Spiritualist.

Yun He had laughed then. Kid, who do you think you're fooling?

How could I not know about something this huge? I haven't called you these past few days precisely because I didn't want you overthinking things. You were the one who finally lost your nerve and called me, and now you're asking me that?

Who do you think you're testing?

Yun He had nearly burst with irritation. Kid, do you really think I'm so petty that I'd sell you out for that little bit of money?

Too small-minded. Think bigger!

In my eyes, you're worth at least a full set of supreme supreme treasures. Yep, Void True God Level at the very least.

Yun He had snapped, "Get lost!" and hung up.

Boom!

The Punching Target rocked violently, tipping backward before springing back.

That felt great!

Yun He looked up at the display.

The number on it read: 33069 kg!

This...

Despite having prepared himself, Yun He still could not suppress his delight.

Advanced War General!

He had only just crossed the threshold, but he was still an Advanced War General!

A punching force of thirty-two thousand to sixty-four thousand kilograms placed someone at the Advanced War General level.

In just three months, Yun He had advanced from Intermediate War General to Advanced War General.

That rate of progress was terrifying!

"Next up, the Nine-Layered Thunder Blade-the fourth layer's 3.5-times power release!"

Yun He took a deep breath, first relaxing his entire body, then exploding into motion!

Boom!

His fist slammed into the Punching Target with a sonic boom.

A deep, thunderous rumble reverberated throughout the sixth-floor training hall.

Fortunately, the sixth-floor training hall was empty at the time, with only Yun He inside.

The display paused briefly before showing the number: 115802 kg!

War God!