Chapter 213: Skirmish Outside The City
City of Light Chasing, Light Chasing Building.
On the upper floors of the skyscraper towering in the clouds, a flying transport vehicle made of B6-grade alloy slowly came to a stop on the heliport extending from the building, and one after another high-level martial artist wearing B5-grade and above battle armor stepped out.
At the front was a tall, slender woman in light blue B6-grade battle armor, with a full-body battle axe on her back.
She walked into a room in the building and came before a man nearly three meters tall, whose arms were thicker than an ordinary person’s waist. Just by standing there, he was like a small mountain.
“Zhuoqun, Sharp Tooth and Steel Bone’s two teams have both set out. It looks like they have their eyes on a team from Obsidian Martial Arts Hall that went out.” The woman looked at Wu Zhuoqun, who stood quietly with his eyes closed, resting, and said with a smile, “This time their two teams are quite serious. They sent out nearly half their people.”
“The Winged Tribe and the Ape Clan are going to make a move?” Wu Zhuoqun could not help opening his eyes, his gaze turning sharp.
The two teams of Sharp Tooth and Steel Bone were formed in the City Guard by a group of Winged Tribe members and a group of Ape Clan members. They were like the gangs of various tribes in the suburbs, banded together, usually helping each other during tasks, and also secretly accepting some tribal tasks to do the dirty and tiring work in exchange for cultivation resources and other rewards.
They were like the team he had formed in the Guard, gathering a number of human race captains and vice captains of the Guard.
The woman before him, Lin Yan, had strength in the team second only to him, just one last step away from becoming a Bone Forging Realm expert.
“Among the captains of the City Guard, Sharp Tooth and Steel Bone can rank in the top twenty in strength. Let alone joining forces, even one alone would have no problem killing high-level martial artists from the Genius Training Camp. Fortunately Obsidian Martial Arts Hall is lucky this time. The people above sent you to support Obsidian Martial Arts Hall.” Lin Yan looked at Wu Zhuoqun and said with a light laugh, “Shall we go over now?”
“During the City Guard’s annual tournament before, I did not get the chance to fight them. Today I can have a good match with the two of them.” Wu Zhuoqun nodded. “Let’s chase after them too. If we are late, Obsidian Martial Arts Hall will not be able to hold out.”
“Don’t worry, I already have people watching Sharp Tooth and Steel Bone. If we go now, we will definitely catch up.” Lin Yan licked her lips unconsciously. “But let’s make it clear first. When the time comes, you have to leave one of them for me. Last time in the tournament I stopped outside the top twenty. I want to see how strong Sharp Tooth and Steel Bone, who made it into the top twenty, really are.”
“Fine, you get to choose first then.” Wu Zhuoqun nodded.
On the martial path, every step was a new heaven. To progress quickly, one had to be forged through countless trials. Especially at their stage, their qi and blood were still at their peak, and their internal organs had been strengthened to the extreme, like little superhumans.
To break through and become Bone Forging Realm, they were just short of the final impact, and that required extremely precise control over their own qi and blood and energy. Daily training could hardly lead to any further breakthroughs. Only by tempering themselves between life and death could they stimulate themselves to break through that limit. This was also why they had joined the Guard.
Wu Zhuoqun then led nearly twenty people, piloting a flying transport vehicle to rush toward the place where the two teams of Sharp Tooth and Steel Bone planned to ambush Obsidian Martial Arts Hall.
City of Light Chasing, Obsidian Martial Arts Hall.
Lin Qi, who had just finished a day of instructional training for Meng Wei and the others, glanced at the body strengthening secret technique experience he had extracted from Luo Wu Shang and the others today, and for a moment did not know whether to laugh or cry.
“Now there are unknowingly three people who have reached first level perfection in the body strengthening secret technique, and Luo Wu Shang has even cultivated to the second level. These players really do not plan on being human. With that time, would it not be better spent on cultivating the exercise method and martial skills?”
Lin Qi looked at his own body strengthening secret technique, already at first level perfection, and the second level at 6% entry-level. Now he had no choice but to practice it.
Among the top-tier players now, once they reached proficient in the exercise method, their progress had slowed unusually, and the supporting martial skills were the same. As a result, on his side he could only extract other things.
He had not extracted much before and did not realize it. Now that he specifically extracted the body strengthening secret technique, it was truly shocking.
By now, one after another had cultivated the first level of the body strengthening secret technique to 100% proficient, and there was no lack of people trying to reach perfection.
In recent days this had forced him to spend time cultivating the body strengthening secret technique, bit by bit remodeling the structure of all his cells. He had even specially built a primary gravity room just for himself, to raise the strength of his cells like the players did. Otherwise, he would not even be able to enter a primary gravity room.
Just as Lin Qi was about to enter the primary gravity room to start today’s cultivation of the body strengthening secret technique, Qin Mu suddenly rushed into the martial arts hall, his face full of anxiety.
“Hurry! Come with me!” Qin Mu, upon seeing Lin Qi, said urgently, “That martial artist team from your hall that went out of the city today has been targeted by the Winged Tribe and the Ape Clan. Right now, two teams from the City Guard have already gone to set up an ambush.”
“The two teams from the Guard are going to make a move?” Lin Qi was quite surprised. He had not expected the major powers in the city to lose patience so quickly.
“That’s right. It’s the teams of Sharp Tooth and Steel Bone from the Guard. You must come with me immediately.” Qin Mu nodded, speaking very seriously. “Sharp Tooth and Steel Bone are both top-twenty experts among the many captains in the Guard. For either of them, killing a high-level martial artist is as easy as killing a chicken. And this time, to ensure they wipe out everyone from your hall, their two teams have sent more than forty people, all of them high-level martial artists at captain and vice captain level. Right now, only you can stop them.”
“Only high-level martial artists, no Bone Forging Realm experts?” Lin Qi asked.
“All high-level martial artists, no such experts as Bone Forging Realm.” Qin Mu looked at Lin Qi in puzzlement, not understanding why Lin Qi would ask that.
The number of Bone Forging Realm experts in the city was extremely small. They were also senior officials in the city, beings who could guard major strongholds. Using them against a group of beginner and intermediate martial artists would be like killing a chicken with a butcher’s knife.
Even the fact that this time more than forty high-level martial artists from the two teams of Sharp Tooth and Steel Bone were going to raid was already quite unbelievable.
These people were all captains and vice captains in the City Guard. Placed in various major factions in the city proper, they would also be senior figures, second only to those Bone Forging Realm martial artists.
A team formed by such people was more than enough to hunt high-level monsters, let alone deal with a team whose strongest members were merely intermediate martial artists.
“In that case, there is no need for me to go.” Lin Qi looked at the anxious Qin Mu and said with a smile.
At present, among the players who had taken the core disciple assessment, aside from Lu Fanchen and the other two, all had trained the first level of the body strengthening secret technique to 100% proficient. Luo Wu Shang had even mastered the second level of the body strengthening secret technique.
He did not know exactly how strong the second level of the body strengthening secret technique was, but he did know how strong 100% proficiency in the first level was, because he himself had cultivated the first level to 100% proficient during this period.
The strength of his body now could be said to rival mid-level monsters. It was not easy for weapons below B3-grade to pierce his skin. B3-grade and B4-grade weapons could only injure the muscles but could not damage the bones. His physical toughness was simply incredible, many times stronger than what was described in the body strengthening secret technique.
But the truly terrifying part was his recovery power. While he could not regenerate severed limbs, external wounds took only dozens of seconds to heal, even more frightening than monsters’ recovery power.
It was precisely because of this recovery power that he had saved some type II healing potions in cultivation.
Not to mention that ever since the players had learned to make the hand-crafted super electromagnetic cannon, they had become exceptionally devoted to cultivating Lightning Palm. Any player who had become a martial artist had at least trained the first level of Lightning Palm to the realm of perfection. So players whose strength had reached intermediate martial artist level were in fact in no way weaker in true power than high-level martial artists.
Previously, Fang Zhen and Xiao Yuan Ye Feng Kuang had sold a lot of B5-grade and above weapons in the hall, so now each of the major teams that went out had at least one B5-grade or above weapon per person.
One could say that in terms of combat power, they were not much weaker than high-level martial artists. Especially the leaders of teams such as Luo Wu Shang’s: their supporting seventh stage martial skills had already reached proficient level. The power they could unleash, even without the support of B6-grade battle armor, was no less than that of high-level martial artists with B6-grade battle armor.
The two teams of the Winged Tribe and the Ape Clan might not really be able to win.
Moreover, players could resurrect. One hour later, they would be back in action. He did not believe the Winged Tribe and the Ape Clan had so many teams they could use to grind against the players.
As long as the Winged Tribe and the Ape Clan did not send Bone Forging Realm experts, the players could completely exhaust the martial artists of the Winged Tribe and the Ape Clan. On the contrary, if he, someone identified as a Bone Forging Realm martial artist, made a move, even to protect his own faction, it would give the Winged Tribe and the Ape Clan an excuse to send Bone Forging Realm experts to attack. At that point, the situation would actually become unfavorable for him.
“Are you sure? These are captains and vice captains from the City Guard, and they are fully armed.” Qin Mu could not help saying, looking at the calm Lin Qi.
“I am very sure. Brother Qin, do not underestimate our Obsidian Martial Arts Hall. Our Obsidian Martial Arts Hall does have some strength.” Lin Qi nodded with a smile. “By the way, Brother Qin, would you like to join the Guard Corps formed by our Obsidian Martial Arts Hall? In terms of treatment and cultivation, it will definitely be better than the City Guard.”
Qin Mu’s martial artist talent was not low. Even before becoming a martial artist, he had already reached the Microscopic Realm, a level many martial artists could not reach. When strength and speed were similar, he could fight martial artists with exceptional reaction.
Now that he had become a beginner martial artist, with his Microscopic Realm level, his attack speed and reaction speed could keep up with ordinary high-level martial artists and suppress ordinary intermediate martial artists. This kind of skill realm that could greatly improve combat power was something even Lin Qi himself was still a bit short of.
Moreover, the improvement in skill realm was secondary in enhancing combat power. Its truly powerful aspect lay in learning profound martial skills. The more advanced the martial skill, the higher the demand for self-control in the later stages.
For example, with the supporting seventh stage martial skills, learning the first level was not too demanding, but to learn the second level, the basic requirement was to reach the Microscopic Realm. The difference in power between the first and second levels of the seventh stage martial skill was not small. For instance, the first level of Reverse Star Hand increased strength fourfold, which was already astonishing, but the second level could raise strength by 5 times.
With such power, it would not be impossible for him now to obliterate a junior lord in one move.
“This… I need to think about it carefully.”
Qin Mu looked at Lin Qi, who had extended the invitation. Although he felt some temptation in his heart, the City Guard was very strong in cultivating martial artists.
It was only because he was a beginner martial artist at Microscopic Realm that he could successfully enter the City Guard. Other beginner martial artists who wanted to enter the City Guard had to pass layers of trials.
In terms of cultivating martial artists, the City Guard could be said to be second only to the Genius Training Camp. Becoming an intermediate martial artist was the minimum, and as long as one stayed in the City Guard for a few years, becoming a high-level martial artist was not a problem.
Although many martial artists had emerged from Obsidian Martial Arts Hall, in the entire hall, apart from Lin Qi, there was no other powerful martial artist. Joining Obsidian Martial Arts Hall would simply mean benefiting from Lin Qi’s presence; in the end, one would still have to rely entirely on oneself for cultivation.
“If Brother Qin changes his mind, you can come over anytime. Our Obsidian Martial Arts Hall is in great need of experts like you.” Lin Qi saw Qin Mu’s hesitation and felt there was hope in this matter, so he did not press further.
The current Guard Corps of Obsidian Martial Arts Hall, even with Meng Wei, was still far from strong enough.
If an expert like Qin Mu at the Microscopic Realm joined and then became an intermediate martial artist, plus the 5-fold power burst of Reverse Star Hand second level and a set of B6-grade battle armor, he would absolutely be able to crush all kinds of high-level martial artists. By then, even if Lin Qi was absent, the martial arts hall’s Guard Corps could easily maintain order in many situations.
Instead of the current situation, where once he left the hall, there was effectively no anchor. Although there were players like Luo Wu Shang with strong combat power who could hold the line, there were many things that were not suitable for players to handle.
Outside the City of Chasing Light, Thorn Marsh.
A team of more than thirty martial artists, each wearing a black cloak, hid under the trees on a high slope, quietly watching the forest road in the distance.
“Mans, are you sure Sharp Tooth and Steel Bone from the Guard will set up their ambush here?” a cold, middle-aged man of the three-eyed tribe asked in a low voice, looking at Mans, who was observing the surroundings, rather displeased. “We have been waiting here for more than twenty minutes and have not seen a single figure. Your information is not wrong, is it?”
As a rogue who had lived for many years in the City of Light Chasing, with strength at high-level martial artist, he had just been suddenly summoned by a beginner martial artist and then left to wait idly for more than twenty minutes, which really made him unhappy.
“They are already here.” Mans did not mind. He only smiled.
“Here? Then where are they?” The cold, middle-aged three-eyed man looked at Mans’s unconcerned manner and grew even more displeased, his voice turning icy.
They, as rogues, were death gods in other people’s eyes, yet Mans seemed to not take them seriously at all.
The other rogues present also looked at Mans with great dissatisfaction, their gazes unfriendly.
They had given up quite a bit of work in the city to come here, only to be played by Mans. That was something they absolutely could not tolerate.
Just as the cold, middle-aged three-eyed man was about to teach Mans a minor lesson, a low voice suddenly echoed in everyone’s ears.
“Are you talking about us?”
As soon as this voice sounded, everyone, including the cold, middle-aged man, could not help looking around, searching for the person who had spoken.
A moment later, a member of the Ape Clan, nearly four meters tall and covered in jet-black fur, suddenly dropped down from a silent flying transport vehicle in midair and appeared before everyone.
The appearance of this Ape Clan man instantly made all the martial artists present, including the high-level martial artist of the three-eyed tribe, suck in a cold breath.
He was merely standing among the crowd, yet the qi and blood naturally radiating from him poured down like a waterfall, pressing on everyone. Even the high-level martial artists present felt it was hard to breathe, as if burdened with several hundred kilograms of weight.
“Bone Forging Realm?”
Some beginner and intermediate martial artists, looking at the nearly four-meter-tall black gorilla, could not help having this thought flash through their minds and instinctively wanted to turn and flee.
“Steel Bone, stop scaring these little ones.”
Just as the rogues could not help wanting to run, another Winged Youth man over three meters tall, with pale golden wings, jumped down from the silent flying transport vehicle.
The appearance of this Winged Youth made the rogues feel even more pressure.
Because the qi and blood of this Winged Youth were in no way inferior to that black gorilla. Under the pressure of the two, the beginner martial artists felt it was difficult even to move.
“Lord Steel Bone, Lord Sharp Tooth.” Mans walked forward respectfully and reported, “The rogues to deal with the martial artists of Obsidian Martial Arts Hall are all here. They will cooperate with you to keep everyone from Obsidian Martial Arts Hall here.”
“Those old codgers above, I do not know what they are thinking.” Steel Bone glanced at the rogues present, making all of them involuntarily lower their heads. “They actually think this trash is worthy to cooperate with us. It is just an Obsidian Martial Arts Hall. I alone could take care of them all.”
“Trash has the value of trash.” The Winged Youth, Sharp Tooth, smiled. “After all, this time we are taking out dozens of martial artists from Obsidian Martial Arts Hall. If we provoke that hall master Lin Qi Fa into going crazy against us, that would not be fun. These rogues are necessary. When the time comes, we just say it was done by these rogues. As long as Lin Qi has no evidence, it will not be easy for him to act against us.”
“He merely got lucky and stepped into the Bone Forging Realm.” Steel Bone said disdainfully. “If he really comes to cause me trouble, I would actually look forward to it, to see whether he is stronger, or I am stronger.”
Sharp Tooth did not refute Steel Bone’s words.
Because of his exercise method, martial skills, and the treasures used by his family to increase qi and blood and strength, Steel Bone’s raw physical strength had already reached nearly 5,000 kilograms, making him the number one high-level martial artist in the entire City of Light Chasing Defense Group. In addition, he had learned Sky Turning Three Strikes, the high-level martial skill of the Guard that provided the greatest power boost.
For a short time in direct confrontation, he did have some confidence against a newly advanced Bone Forging Realm martial artist.
“Lord Steel Bone, Lord Sharp Tooth, it looks like the people from Obsidian Martial Arts Hall have arrived!” Mans pointed to the car lights that had lit up on the road a kilometer away and reported with extreme respect.
