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

Song Chen had met Liu Si a few times, but they had never spoken.

"Liu Si, right?"

Liu Si's face turned even paler: "You...you know me?"

Song Chen didn't answer. He took a step forward, and Liu Si subconsciously stepped back, but there was a wall behind him, and he had nowhere to retreat.

"What are you doing downstairs at my house?"

"I...I was just passing by..."

Snapped!

Song Chen slapped him across the face. He used 30% of his strength in the slap, but for Liu Si, an ordinary person who wasn't even a martial artist, it was enough to hurt.

He was slammed against the wall by the blows, his face swelled up instantly, and blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

"I……"

Snapped!

Another slap, this time from a different direction, and Liu Si's other cheek swelled up as well.

Liu Si covered his cheek, his voice trembling with tears: "I'll talk, I'll talk, Zhao Wei sent me."

Song Chen stopped, just as he had guessed.

"Zhao Wei?"

Liu Si nodded frantically: "Yes, it's him. He told me to keep an eye on your house, to see if you're back, and to see what your parents are doing..."

Song Chen's eyes turned cold: "How long have you been staring?"

Liu Si's voice trailed off: "It's...it just started today...I'd only been here a short while when you came out..."

Song Chen stared at him, and Liu Si trembled all over, shrinking into the corner like a frightened mouse.

"What else did he ask you to do?"

"No...that's all, really nothing. It's just keeping an eye on things and then reporting back."

Liu Si raised his hand: "I swear, I'm just a errand boy, I don't know anything!"

Song Chen was silent for a few seconds, then he moved.

He grabbed Liu Si by the collar, pulled him out from the corner, and then punched him in the stomach.

"puff……"

Liu Si curled up like a shrimp, his stomach acid churning, and he almost vomited.

"This punch was because you were lurking around downstairs."

The second punch.

"This punch is because you were running errands for someone like Zhao Wei."

The third punch.

"I punched you because you fucking scared me."

Liu Si was beaten to the ground, curled up in a ball, and made muffled pleas for mercy.

"Stop...stop hitting me...please stop hitting me...I really didn't do anything..."

Song Chen looked down at him; his gaze was calm, as if he were looking at something: "It's under martial law now. Zhao Wei sent you to keep an eye on my house, and you came?"

"I...I..."

Liu Si stammered and couldn't speak.

Snapped!

Song Chen kicked him in the leg.

"say."

Liu Si was in so much pain that tears streamed down his face. He cried out, "Brother, I have no choice! Zhao Wei's grandfather is a third-level martial artist and a captain in the city's defense force. I dare not disobey him. If I don't listen to him, he can kill me in the city as easily as killing an ant!"

Song Chen frowned slightly. Zhao Wei's grandfather? A third-tier martial artist? The city defense army captain?

He remembered Zhao Wei's expensive equipment and the things he had flaunted: health potions, energy shields, and battle swords inlaid with crystals. So that's why Zhao Wei was so arrogant in class, and why he dared to bully others without anyone intervening.

Having a grandfather who is a third-level martial artist certainly allows one to act with impunity in Anning City.

Song Chen pressed further, "What else did he ask you to do?"

Liu Si collapsed to the ground, his face covered in tears and snot: "It's really gone. He just told me to keep an eye on things, to tell him when you come back, and to tell him when your parents go out. I really don't know anything else."

Song Chen looked at him; Liu Si's eyes were full of fear, and it didn't seem like he was faking it.

Where is Zhao Wei now?

Liu Si stammered as he answered, "I...I don't know...After he came back from his last practical training, his grandfather gave him a severe scolding, and it seems he was taken away for special training..."

Song Chen was silent for a few seconds, then he let go of his hand and stood up.

Liu Si collapsed to the ground, panting heavily, his whole body trembling.

Song Chen looked down at him: "If you were to tell anyone about what happened today..."

Liu Si shook his head frantically: "I won't say, I absolutely won't say! I didn't see anything! Nothing happened!"

Song Chen didn't say anything more. Of course, he didn't believe Liu Si's words, but during the martial law period, killing was absolutely forbidden, so he could only forcibly suppress the murderous intent in his heart.

He turned and walked out of the alley.

Behind him, Liu Si was still lying on the ground, too weak to even get up.

After a long while, he finally recovered and slowly stood up, leaning against the wall. His face was swollen like a pig's head, his body was covered in bruises, and he was in pain all over.

But he dared not utter a sound, nor even think too much. He simply leaned against the wall and limped away, with only one thought in his mind: to get as far away from that man surnamed Song as possible.

……

Song Chen walked down the street, squinting as he looked into the distance, Liu Si's words echoing in his mind.

"Grandpa Zhao Wei is a third-tier martial artist and serves as a captain in the city's defense force..."

A third-tier martial artist and the captain of the city's defense forces.

Song Chen clenched his fist, then slowly relaxed it. He could put up a fight against a second-tier opponent, but what about a third-tier one?

That's someone with over 100 points of Qi and Blood. He'd seen videos of third-tier martial artists in action; with a single palm strike, flames would surge to the heavens, and with a single slash, ice would freeze ten meters away.

Going up there now would be suicide, but he can't wait.

The fact that Zhao Wei sent people to keep an eye on his house shows that that bastard was already plotting something.

Although the entire city is currently under martial law, and Zhao Wei doesn't dare to act openly, the martial law will eventually be lifted. At that time, his grandfather, a third-level martial artist, can easily find a pretext to make their family suffer.

He needs to become strong enough, at least strong enough to protect himself, before that happens.

Song Chen took a deep breath, turned around and walked towards the street. He needed to find out where he could kill strange beasts and how to get out of the city.

Although Anning City is under martial law, martial artists should be able to leave the city. The problem is, he has nothing now. He has no martial artist status, no squad membership, and no qualification to leave the city. Sneaking out used to be possible, but now it is absolutely impossible.

Song Chen looked around and saw a small martial arts school not far away. It was the only martial arts school in the slums. The storefront was dilapidated, and inside there were several old testing instruments. Various recruitment posters were pasted on the walls, and an old man was sitting behind the counter dozing off.

Perhaps we can find out how to get out of the city here.

Thinking about it, he went inside.

"Boss, I have a question for you."

The old man opened his eyes, glanced at him, and asked, "What is it?"

"How can we leave the city now?"

The old man paused for a moment, then looked him up and down: "Young man, how old are you?"

"eighteen."

"Warrior?"

Not yet.

The old man scoffed and waved his hand, "Why are you asking if you're not a martial artist? There's martial law outside the city right now. You need a martial artist's certification to leave. You're not even a martial artist, so what are you doing leaving the city? Are you looking for death?"

Song Chen ignored him and asked instead, "Then how do I get certified as a martial artist?"

The old man replied lazily, "Go to the Martial Arts Association, the headquarters of the Martial Arts Association in the city center. There is an official certification office there. If your Qi and Blood value reaches 1.0 or above and you pass the practical assessment, you can receive a martial artist badge."

What does the practical assessment test?

"Kill a strange beast. You will be randomly given a live strange beast. Kill it in front of the examiner. If you kill it, you pass."

Song Chen was silent for a second. He had been too far removed from martial artists before and had never really cared about how to obtain the identity of a martial artist.

"Killing a level one beast, is it really that easy?"

The old man laughed: "Simple?"

"Kid, what do you think a Tier 1 beast is? Your pet dog? Every year, at least 80 to 100 certified martial artists die. With your build, you'd be easy prey."

Song Chen didn't ask any more questions and turned to leave.

Behind him, the old man was still muttering, "These young people nowadays, each one more arrogant than the last..."