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

After the battle, the fortress, like an engine that had burned out its fuel, slowly cooled down with its final roar.

The smoke from the gunpowder on the wall had not yet dissipated, the barrels of the psionic heavy cannons were still emitting white smoke, and the air was filled with a mixture of acrid and bloody smells.

The soldiers slumped behind the battlements, some bandaging their wounds, some drinking water, and some just staring blankly at the receding dark red glow on the opposite bank of the river, their eyes vacant.

Song Chen is still standing on the mountain of corpses.

It wasn't that he didn't want to get down; it was that his legs wouldn't obey him anymore.

After two days of continuous fighting, his muscles had exceeded their limits of fatigue and entered a state of numbness.

When the instructions from the brain reach the leg muscles, it feels like walking in mud—slow and difficult.

The Thunderclap Blade was stuck in the pile of corpses in front of him. The electric arcs on the blade had completely disappeared, leaving only a layer of dull silver-gray.

The blade was covered with fine cracks, as if it would shatter at any moment. This A-grade battle blade had been overdrawn after killing hundreds of third-tier alien beasts in two days.

His hands were folded on the hilt of the knife, supporting his body weight.

The muscles in his arm were trembling slightly, and his knuckles were stiff from holding the knife for a long time. When he released the handle, his fingers could not even straighten naturally.

After resting for a while, he finally regained some feeling in his legs and was able to move, but he was still extremely tired.

"it's over……"

Song Chen said silently to himself.

Then he heard footsteps behind him.

It wasn't the sound of soldiers' leather boots; that sound was heavier and more steady, with each step carrying an indescribable sense of rhythm.

Footsteps came from the other side of the wall, passing through the soldiers slumped on the ground, and walked straight toward him.

The soldiers made way, not intentionally, but instinctively.

Song Chen could feel the fluctuations of the person behind him, like a bottomless ocean.

The footsteps stopped three meters behind him.

"Song Chen".

His voice was deep and hoarse, carrying a profound weight that came from having experienced countless battles.

Song Chen slowly turned around, and standing in front of him was a man in his fifties.

He wasn't tall, even half a head shorter than Song Chen, but his aura was like a mountain.

He was wearing a faded military uniform without rank insignia, except for a small badge on his left breast pocket, the insignia of the Tianhai City Defense Command.

Qin Wu, commander of the Tianhe South Fortress Defense Command, is a fifth-tier martial artist.

Song Chen looked at him without saying a word.

Qin Wu looked at him as well, and the two stared at each other for about three seconds.

Then Qin Wu did something that no one present had expected.

He bent down slightly and bowed his head to Song Chen.

It wasn't a bow, it wasn't a salute, it was a nod.

It's like the recognition between two martial artists, a strong person acknowledging another strong person.

The soldiers on the wall were all petrified.

Song Chen nodded slightly in return.

Qin Wu straightened up and opened the wooden box in his hand.

Inside the box lay a badge.

It is made entirely of a dark gold metal, with fine psionic patterns on its surface.

The emblem is shaped like a shield, with a sword engraved in the center and a five-pointed star above the sword.

The edge of the shield is engraved with a line of small characters: Tianhai City First-Class Combat Hero.

This badge represents the military honor of Tianhai City.

Since the city was founded fifty years ago, fewer than a thousand people have received this badge.

Everyone who obtains it is either a general who has made outstanding contributions in the defense of the city, or a martyr who sacrificed his life on the battlefield.

Now, Qin Wu is going to give this badge to an eighteen-year-old student.

Qin Wu's voice was calm: "Song Chen, in the past two days, you have killed hundreds of third-tier alien beasts, not to mention countless first-tier and second-tier alien beasts."

"Three of the firing points of Tianhe South Fortress have been destroyed. If it weren't for you holding the middle, that number would have been at least double."

"No one in this fortress has a higher battle record than you."

He stepped forward and handed the wooden box to Song Chen.

"Song Chen, on behalf of the Tianhe South Defense Command, I hereby confer upon you..."

"Commander, don't send it yet."

Suddenly, a voice came from Qin Wu's earpiece, interrupting him.

He frowned, raised his left hand, and pressed it against the earpiece: "Speak."

The voice in the earphones sounded urgent, as if there was something urgent to report.

Qin Wu listened without changing his expression, but his eyes flickered slightly for a moment.

"understood."

He took off his headphones, looked at Song Chen, and remained silent for two seconds.

Then he closed the wooden box and put it back in his hand.

"I'll hold off on sending it for now."

The soldiers on the wall were petrified; it was the first time they had ever encountered a medal award ceremony that was abruptly stopped halfway through.

Qin Wu looked at Song Chen, his eyes filled not with apology, but with regret.

He stepped forward, patted Song Chen on the shoulder, and said meaningfully, "Don't worry, this medal is still yours, but a more suitable person, in a more suitable place, will award it to you."

He did not explain who the "more suitable person" was, nor did he explain where the "more suitable place" was.

"Get some rest, you still have a long way to go."

After saying that, he turned and left, leaving behind a group of confused soldiers.

Song Chen stood there, looking in the direction Qin Wu had disappeared, and remained silent for a few seconds.

"What do you mean?"

He was too tired to think about it anymore, so he turned and walked towards the barracks.

My legs still felt heavy, and every step felt like wading through mud.

Song Chen just wants to do one thing right now: lie down, close her eyes, and take a nap.

Not long after, Song Chen threw herself onto the bed.

The metal bunk bed let out a painful groan, as if protesting that the blood-covered man had used it as a mattress.

But he didn't care; the moment his body touched the bed, all his fatigue surged up like a flood.

His eyelids felt as heavy as if they were filled with lead.

Consciousness oscillates between wakefulness and sleep, like an oil lamp that is about to burn out, flickering in the wind.

But he had one more thing to do: close his eyes and open the system panel.

[Host: Song Chen]

[Rank: Second Rank]

[Qi and Blood Value: 88.3]

【Mental Power: 78.6】

[Combat Skills: Bloodbath Blade Technique (Grandmaster Level), Whirlwind Wings (Master Level)]

[Special Abilities: Thunderous Roar of the Nine Heavens (Rank A), Eye of True Sight (Rank B)]

[Kill Value: 421870 points]

[System Level: 2 (System can be upgraded with 50,000 kill points)]

420,000 kill points.

Song Chen's heart skipped a beat when she saw the number.

This is the first time he has had so many kill points.

Two days and two nights of fighting, every drop of blood turned into kill points.

He took a deep breath and opened the system store with his mind.

Song Chen's gaze swept over the products, but he quickly looked away.

He needs to upgrade the system itself first.

For a long time, he had been trying to upgrade the system, but he could never accumulate enough kill points to reach 50,000.

It's not that I can't save that much, it's just that I can't help but spend it every time I save up halfway.

"Upgrade the system."

[Should I consume 50,000 kill points to upgrade the system to level three?]

"confirm."

[System upgrade in progress... Please wait.]

Three seconds later, the system interface lit up again.

System upgrade complete. Current level: Level 3.

Purchase privileges for Grade A items have been unlocked.

System storage space is now available.

"Is storage space available?"

Song Chen was overjoyed and then began to look at the list of Grade A products.

[Rank A Combat Skill: Thunderous Annihilation Blade, a top-tier martial skill that deeply integrates the power of lightning with swordsmanship. Price: 30000 Kill Points.]

[Grade A Elixir: Nine-Turn Qi and Blood Essence, Price: 10000 Kill Points.]

[Rank A Ability: Abyss Curse, Price: 40000 Kill Points.]

……