High Martial Arts: Slay enemies to become stronger, forge invincibility from billions of corpses.

Song Chen slept more soundly than ever before; he hadn't slept this deeply in a long time.

Over the years, he has almost never stopped worrying about the future. When he was a child, he worried about whether he would have enough to eat. When he got older, he worried about whether his qi and blood value would increase. When he got even older, he worried about the martial arts college entrance examination, the system, and the strange beasts outside the city that could take his life at any time.

But last night, he slept soundly. Perhaps it was because he was finally home, or perhaps handing the box of medicine to his parents relieved him of something, or perhaps he was just too tired. In any case, he slept until the sun was high in the sky.

Sunlight streamed in through the gaps in the curtains, casting golden dappled patterns on the floor.

I could faintly hear the noise from the street outside the window: people shouting, vehicles driving by, and the buzzing of drones hovering overhead.

Song Chen sat up, stretched, and felt a surge of energy within him. The feeling of being full of vitality made him feel refreshed.

He picked up his phone from the bedside table, opened the news, and the headline was prominently displayed in large red letters:

[Level 1 alert remains in effect. The Anning City Garrison Command has issued a notice: all citizens are advised to stay home unless absolutely necessary, and all martial artists are on standby.]

Signs of large-scale monster activity have been detected in the vicinity of Changqing City; the military has dispatched a reconnaissance team.

[The psionic cannon array is fully charged; the city wall defense formation is now fully activated.]

[Governor Shen Qingshan delivered a televised address: Anning City will never repeat the mistakes of Changqing City; citizens can rest assured.]

……

Song Chen scrolled down the comments one by one, and the comment section had already exploded.

"My cousin is in the city defense force, and he said that Anning City is at risk of being captured."

"Don't scare people, okay? That would mean at least a third-tier beast tide!"

"You guys don't know, do you? I heard something happened in Changqing City. A top researcher escaped with serious injuries..."

"Please explain in detail upstairs."

"What's there to say? If we keep talking, the person will be gone."

"Regardless of the circumstances, trust the garrison commander, Anning City has never been breached!"

Song Chen put down her phone and walked to the window, from where she could see a corner of the city wall in the distance.

Under the sunlight, the massive psionic cannons gleamed with a cold, eerie light, and squads of warriors patrolled back and forth on the city walls.

Further away, faint black smoke rose, it was unclear whether it came from outside the city or from a drill somewhere inside the city.

Level 1 alert; the entire city is shrouded in a tense atmosphere.

Song Chen frowned. He wasn't afraid of the beast tide, but he was afraid that when the beast tide came, he would be stuck in the city and watch others kill the beasts.

The system needs kill points, and kill points require killing alien beasts. Currently, the alien beasts are gathering outside, but he cannot get out.

During the highest level of alert, all non-combat personnel are prohibited from leaving the city. As a student, it would be impossible for him to be approved to leave the city. The last time he left the city was for live-fire training.

"We need to find a way out of the city..."

Just then, a commotion came from outside the door; more than one person had arrived.

Song Chen pushed open the door and walked out; the living room was as lively as a vegetable market.

His mother, Li Xiuying, was standing in the center of the room, her face flushed, gesturing excitedly. Four or five people were sitting around her, including middle-aged women, elderly men and women, and two young people he didn't recognize.

As Li Xiuying spoke, she gestured, "You didn't see it, but the day Xiao Chen came back, she was carrying such a huge suitcase. When she opened it, it was full of Qi and Blood Potions—ten bottles, a full ten bottles!"

A plump middle-aged woman slapped her thigh: "Oh my goodness! Ten bottles of Qi and Blood Potion? How much would that cost?"

Another thin middle-aged woman chimed in, "That's hundreds of thousands. My husband, Mr. Li, couldn't earn that much even if he worked for ten years."

Li Xiuying waved her hand gracefully: "Money isn't important, what's important is that the child has this heart."

"Xiao Chen said that these medicines are for us, so that we can get better."

The plump woman's eyes widened: "Xiuying, you're really living the good life! I've watched Xiaochen grow up since he was a child, and I knew he'd amount to something!"

The thin middle-aged woman chimed in, "That's right! I told you long ago, Old Song's son is definitely going to be something special in the future."

Song Chen stood at the bedroom door, unsure whether to go in or back out. When did his mother become so talkative?

In his memory, Li Xiuying was always that quiet, ordinary woman who only knew how to bury herself in her work.

She gets up before dawn every day to cook for him, and after he falls asleep at night, she still sews clothes under the lamp. She doesn't talk much, but every word she says is full of care.

Is the woman standing in the middle of the living room, beaming and gesturing excitedly, really my mom?

Did you open it incorrectly?

Song Chen rubbed his eyes and looked again. Yes, it was his mother.

"Xiao Chen!"

Li Xiuying, caught up in the conversation, finally noticed him. Her eyes lit up, and she waved to him, "Come here quickly, let your Aunt Wang and the others see you!"

Song Chen braced himself and walked over. Several middle-aged women's eyes all fell on him, their gazes as fiery as searchlights, looking him up and down, inside and out, as if they wanted to see right through him.

"Wow, Xiao Chen has grown so tall!"

"That physique is solid; he's definitely got the makings of a martial artist!"

"His face has grown up, he's much prettier than when he was a child!"

Song Chen felt uncomfortable being praised. His gaze swept across the living room and he noticed that the two young men were sitting in the corner. One of them was his cousin, Li Hao, a relative from his mother's side. He was seventeen years old, had a blood energy value of 0.7, and was a high school sophomore.

The other one was a girl, about seventeen or eighteen years old, quite pretty, who was looking down at her phone.

Li Xiuying pulled him to sit down: "Xiao Chen, come here, chat with your Aunt Wang and the others. Your Aunt Wang's son, Xiao Gang, also practices martial arts. You two can exchange ideas more often later."

The plump woman nodded quickly: "Yes, yes, that kid Xiaogang's Qi and Blood value is 0.8, and he's been wanting to find a senior to give him some pointers..."

Song Chen nodded politely, but his gaze fell on his parents. His father, Song Zhengye, was sitting on the sofa, drinking tea. He looked much better than yesterday, with color in his face and brighter eyes. The old scar on his arm was still there, but he looked much more energetic.

His mother, Li Xiuying, has changed even more. Yesterday she looked haggard with gray hair at her temples, but today her face has a rosy glow.

The wrinkles around her eyes had faded, her voice was stronger, and her movements were much more agile; she was nothing like the frail middle-aged woman she had been yesterday.

The medicine worked, and even better than expected.

A complex mix of emotions welled up in Song Chen's heart.

The plump woman leaned closer: "Xiao Chen, what's your Qi and Blood level now?"

The living room fell silent for a moment as everyone looked at Song Chen.

Li Xiuying's eyes sparkled with anticipation; she was so excited yesterday that she forgot to ask about it.

Song Chen paused for a second, then immediately understood why his mother was so excited.

Having lived in the slums for decades, their family had always been the most inconspicuous household on the street. While other children were admitted to martial arts high schools, Song Chen from their family barely managed to get in.

Other people's children have blood energy levels exceeding 1.0, while their Song Chen is still hovering around 0.6. Other people can afford gene therapy drugs, but their family can barely afford meat.

For decades, their family had always been the object of pity and sympathy. Now, it was finally their turn to hold their heads high.

Since that's the case, then let's not hide it anymore.

"2.2," Song Chen slowly uttered a number.