Chapter 4

Even on the way to school, Fang Xing was still pondering the issue of powerful weapons.

His martial path had only just begun; he hadn’t even completed the first realm—“Skin and Muscle”—and was nothing but a tiny shrimp.

Rashly crossing into another world would invite danger.

But humans are best at using tools and harnessing external forces!

“A laser gun—if I had a military-grade one, that’d be awesome…”

A military laser gun would have no “no targeting humans” programming—it’d be a small killer device.

“No point dreaming about the regular mall… but the black market…”

Fang Xing kicked a pebble.

Splash!

The pebble flew gracefully and landed in the small river, skipping ten times across the water.

Within the Blue Star Federation, humans were far from harmonious—they had been riddled with conflict since ancient times.

Worse still, those terrifying outer-domain demons had seized authority over “imaginary space,” allowing them to deploy their followers—and even more dangerous demonic offspring—into human territories!

The destruction they caused was minor; the real threat was the spread of faith, and the rise of hidden cultists.

“Cultists, rebels… these are the internal cancers of humanity…”

“They say there’s a black market outside Maple City—everything’s for sale there, and maybe even cultists lurk within…”

“This water’s too deep—I’m a good student, after all.”

“Besides, I don’t have enough money…”

Thinking of his wallet balance, Fang Xing instantly lost all desire: “Next, focus on studying, work hard, save up—can’t afford a laser gun, but an electric baton’s still possible…”

…

Three days later.

【Name: Fang Xing】

【Age: 16】

【Occupation: Martial Artist】

【First Realm: Skin and Muscle (Skin Refinement: 22/100)】

【Twelve Forms of Military Boxing: 57/100 (Beginner)】

【Great Dragon Stake: 68/100 (Beginner)】

【Gate of All Heavens: 5/100 (Calibrating)】

…

At school, after finishing Great Dragon Stake, Fang Xing stared at his status panel in silence.

“Three days of hard training—and the only thing that improved fastest was the Gate of All Heavens… unbelievable…”

“The most crucial martial realm—Skin Refinement—only gained one point in proficiency. At this rate, I’d need 231 more days to fully refine my skin, then move on to Muscle… only after both are perfected can I attempt breaking into the Second Realm—Tendons and Bones!”

“Skin refinement already took nearly a year; Muscle will be harder still. And this one-point gain per three days? That’s just the early stage—later, it might take four days for one point, even five…”

“If I calculate like this, breaking into the Third Realm before graduation? Pure fantasy…”

Fang Xing pressed his lips together.

Of course, the math wasn’t that simple—special nutritional serums and training aids could drastically accelerate progress.

But none of those were within his reach.

“The only option is the Great Dragon Stake!”

“My Great Dragon Stake is still at Beginner level—its efficiency in refining skin and muscle is naturally low… but once I reach a higher tier, the efficiency will be incomparable.”

“Too bad the Great Dragon Stake improves slowly too—this martial path is truly arduous…”

Fang Xing sighed inwardly.

“Xing… time to head to work—this time we’re going to the wealthy district… Huīhuáng Jiāngfǔ. Heard of it?”

Liu Wei sauntered over, grinning mischievously, eyes darting around.

“Oh? That famous rich neighborhood—everyone there’s a millionaire…”

Fang Xing seemed to recall something, a faint smile tugging at his lips: “Isn’t that one guy from school… his family lives in Huīhuáng Jiāngfǔ?”

Hearing this, Liu Wei’s face flushed red; he glanced around: “Stop talking nonsense—coming or not?”

“Definitely coming!”

Fang Xing agreed instantly: “I’m broke… but I’m not taking any Second Realm jobs…”

“Of course not—Second Realm martial artists wouldn’t even look at us…” Liu Wei replied as if it were obvious.

With Blue Star Federation’s technology, pure physical labor jobs were nearly impossible to find.

The jobs the original owner and Liu Wei had taken weren’t ordinary—they were Human Stakes!

For martial artists, striking dummies was nowhere near as effective as striking living people!

Some natural-born students hired Human Stakes to train.

“The human body is the most complex and precise structure. Specialized training robots exist, but equipping them for First Realm martial artists is extravagance—far cheaper to hire a person… it’s a cost-efficiency issue.”

On the way to Huīhuáng Jiāngfǔ, Fang Xing mused silently.

After stepping off the levitating train, his eyes brightened.

Before him stretched a landscape of green hills and clear waters, dotted occasionally by a few villas—serene, harmonious, and steeped in ancient charm.

The streets were spotless, the pedestrians few, yet every one was impeccably dressed.

The environment near Yucai High School was decent enough—but compared to this, it was like a chicken next to a phoenix.

At the entrance of Huīhuáng Jiāngfǔ stood two uniformed guards, standing rigid as pines, radiating an unmistakable aura.

Fang Xing glanced and knew instantly: these two possessed at least Beginner-level Great Dragon Stake, their energy sharp and intimidating.

“So this is the wealthy district? Even the guards are at least Third Realm martial artists…”

He mentally grumbled, but beside him, Liu Wei was already grinning and stepping forward: “Hey, seniors! Brother Wang… care for a smoke?”

They’d worked here before, so they were familiar faces—knew these two guards were both alumni of Yucai High, hardened veterans who’d survived battlefields.

Only the ruthless could land this job.

Brother Wang had a simple, honest face; he waved his hand, sternly: “Little Liu, even if we know each other, we still follow procedure—register first, then wait for the employer to call. Only then can we let you in!”

“Of course, of course…”

Liu Wei nodded eagerly, gesturing for Fang Xing to step forward and register, giving him a knowing look.

Fang Xing stepped forward, turning his body slightly to block the surveillance camera.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Liu Wei casually slip a pack of cigarettes into Brother Wang’s pocket—he nodded inwardly: “This move’s so practiced… it’s taken more effort than the Twelve Forms of Military Boxing…”

But Fang Xing understood the principle: the tyrant is easy to appease, the underling is hard to satisfy. He could only curse silently: “Star River brand? Over a thousand per pack? That’s ruthless…”

Brother Wang took the cigarettes, smiling warmly: “Got the call—we’ll take you in… that’s the rule.”

As he spoke, he walked toward a magnetic levitation vehicle beside the guard booth: “Get in!”

Clearly, this was to prevent visitors from wandering and disturbing other residents.

Fang Xing and Liu Wei climbed in; the vehicle immediately lifted off, soaring toward a villa.

Along the way, the leather seats were luxuriously comfortable, with not a single jolt.

Liu Wei gazed left and right as if seeing it all for the first time—Fang Xing smiled inwardly, knowing he was searching for his white moonlight—Ouyang Qianqian.

Ouyang Qianqian was Liu Wei’s classmate, with a well-developed figure, fair skin, and large eyes.

More importantly—she was a natural-born!

Though no legal barrier existed between natural-borns and bio-engineered humans, the gaps in ethnicity, resources, and social status alone were enough to crush a teenage boy’s hopes.

That’s why Liu Wei had buried his affection deep inside—no one in class knew he adored Ouyang Qianqian except Fang Xing.

Just then, another levitating vehicle flew past, crossing theirs.

Inside, only a young girl sat alone.

“Huh!”

Liu Wei spun his head sharply, eyes wide—but quickly fell silent.

“Alright, we’re here…”

Brother Wang dropped Fang Xing and Liu Wei off at the villa’s gate, then drove off with a casual wave.

Only then did Liu Wei speak: “Xing, that girl just now… was that Bai Lianyi?”

“Don’t know. Didn’t see clearly.”

It had been a fleeting glance, but Fang Xing felt 70–80% certain.

“Bai Lianyi’s bio-engineered like us—how could she afford a place like this? She’s top of our class too… always kept to herself. Could the rumors be true?”

Liu Wei’s eyes darted around.

Fang Xing couldn’t help but sigh—Bai Lianyi was beautiful, with a delicate, modest aura; her looks surpassed Ouyang Qianqian’s. Many admired her at school, but since she rarely socialized and had no close female friends, whispers had begun to spread.

“They say four hundred per session…”

Liu Wei muttered to himself.

“Cough, cough—don’t believe rumors, don’t spread them… besides…”

Fang Xing tilted his chin slightly, signaling that the employer was about to appear—and the gate had surveillance. Liu Wei shouldn’t be so reckless.

“Sigh…”

Liu Wei sighed: “Too bad… I don’t have the money.”

Fang Xing glanced sideways—he knew Liu Wei had more savings than him, and was even more stingy.

‘Your white moonlight, Ouyang Qianqian… isn’t she worth more than a crimson mole?’

He was about to speak when the villa gate opened automatically, and a girl’s voice called out: “You’re here? Go to the training ground yourself!”

Fang Xing walked through the garden and arrived at a flat clearing.

Around him stood wooden posts and racks loaded with various weapons.

He sniffed the air and caught a strong medicinal scent—he knew these were specially treated posts, soaked in herbal solution to effectively repair bodily damage and stimulate blood circulation.

Beside the wooden posts stood a girl.

She had her hair tied in buns, looked no more than thirteen or fourteen, still bearing childish features, with delicate, adorable facial traits, dressed in a training uniform and holding a wooden sword in her hand.

The wooden sword was dark red, its grain clearly visible, coated with a glossy, oily sheen—evidently polished by countless hands over years.

“I’m Gu Yun. I hired you.”

Gu Yun flicked her wooden sword, pointing at a weapon rack: “Know what to do? Grab two wooden staves—we’ll spar…”

“Uh… little sister, this isn’t really right—we might accidentally hurt you…” Liu Wei swiftly picked up a staff, swung it once, and the air emitted a dull thud; he spoke with some embarrassment.

Gu Yun raised an eyebrow: “If you can hurt me, I’ll double your pay!”

“Alright!”

Liu Wei roared, gripped the staff with both hands, and brought down a strike—“Forcefully Splitting Mount Hua”—the shadow of the staff crashing down.

Crack!

The staff struck the ground with a sharp crack.

“So fast!”

Fang Xing’s face twitched—he recalled the girl’s earlier movements and felt her steps were like a lynx’s, swift as a gale.

“Kill!”

While he was still pondering, a dark shadow flashed beside him; with a shrill cry, a blade shadow slashed across Liu Wei’s shoulder.

“Ahh!”

Liu Wei screamed and was flung backward, his shoulder seemingly dislocated.

Had it been a real blade, his shoulder and half his body would have been severed.

Liu Wei lay on the ground, staring at Gu Yun, wailing: “Muscle Refinement fully complete? And you’ve got a B-rank martial art—‘Demon Blade’? Even second-rank martial artists might not beat you! This job’s wrong!”

“But I’m still a first-rank martial artist—I haven’t broken through yet…”

Gu Yun smiled sweetly, turning to Fang Xing: “Your turn… but I really am too strong—this won’t train you properly…”

She pressed a ring watch on her wrist, and her clothing suddenly glowed: “Wait till I activate my gravity suit before I fight you!”