Chapter 19: Gunshots

Walking out of the gymnasium.

Xu Jie and the other two were exceptionally excited, their mouths never stopping throughout the journey.

"Strong! Truly too strong!"

"Brother Wang Teng, are all high-level martial apprentices this strong?"

"To an ordinary person, a high-level martial apprentice is quite strong," Wang Teng said calmly, lighting a cigarette, taking a deep drag, and slowly exhaling.

"Haha, great! With you protecting us in the future, no one will dare to bully us anymore," Xu Jie laughed loudly.

"Brother Wang Teng, do you think I can become as strong as you one day?" Yu Hao asked with envy, his fists clenched secretly.

"Train hard. Becoming a high-level martial apprentice is not difficult," Wang Teng said.

Bai Wei remained silent by his side, but her gaze would occasionally drift toward Wang Teng, a sweet smile appearing at the corners of her mouth.

The four of them parted ways at the school gate, each heading home to find their mothers.

On the way home, Wang Teng kept wondering: why was Li Rongcheng so weak?

This wasn't posturing; he truly felt Li Rongcheng was too weak!

As he drove along the road, watching the vehicles speeding past him, he suddenly had an epiphany.

Speed!

That was it—speed!

In the world of martial arts, speed is the ultimate breaker!

His speed far exceeded Li Rongcheng's, which made Li Rongcheng's attacks seem incredibly slow to him.

So slow that he had only needed two moves to knock Li Rongcheng unconscious on the ground.

The speed attribute on his status panel wasn't very intuitive; Wang Teng had been picking up attributes to improve himself, but he had never actually tested just how fast he was.

Today's sudden burst of power had left Li Rongcheng with no way to fight back!

That evening, after finishing dinner at home, Wang Teng headed to the Polestar Martial Arts Hall to train and pick up attributes to improve himself.

Over the next few days, his life remained relatively uneventful.

He attended classes during the day, picked up attributes to improve his academic knowledge, and occasionally teased his cold, beautiful deskmate, living a pleasant life.

Furthermore, after a few days, his academic skills improved rapidly; he was now confident he could score at least ninety on an exam.

This level was more than enough; he had no intention of becoming a top scholar in the liberal arts!

Besides, compared to before, he was doing much better.

At night, he went to the Polestar Martial Arts Hall like clockwork to sign in, train, and pick up attributes to increase his martial cultivation.

By now, his various martial attributes had long since surpassed the limits of a high-level martial apprentice.

【Comprehension】: 51

【Constitution】: 121

【Strength】: 1356kg

【Speed】: 632 (meters per second/relative scale)

【Combat Skills】: Basic Fist Technique (Microscopic), Basic Movement Technique (Microscopic), Basic Sword Technique (Microscopic), Basic Saber Technique (Microscopic)

【Knowledge】: Basic Subjects (Perfect Score)

The limit for a high-level martial apprentice was a constitution of 100, strength of 1000kg, and a 100-meter sprint in four seconds.

Currently, all his attributes had exceeded these.

He had specifically tested his speed earlier; he had reached a level of 2 seconds for the 100-meter dash, which was much faster than the limit for a high-level martial apprentice.

Though it seemed like only a two-second difference, many people might spend three to five years and still fail to achieve such a leap.

One only had to think about how difficult it was to break world records in the 100-meter dash to understand the difficulty.

Combined with his Microscopic-level basic movement technique, facing an opponent who was also a high-level martial apprentice was almost a complete stomp.

It must be mentioned that all of Wang Teng's basic combat skills had reached the Microscopic level.

What is "Microscopic"?

As the name implies, it means being extremely meticulous—a level beyond "Perfection."

Just how much power did a Microscopic-level combat skill possess?

To use a simple example

When facing the same attack, if one used a Perfection-level basic movement technique, they would need to dodge at least half a meter away.

However, with a Microscopic-level basic movement technique, one could stay extremely close to the point of attack and remain completely unharmed, with the distance being no more than a few centimeters.

This gap could only be truly demonstrated in actual combat.

It could be said that Wang Teng's current strength was only one step away from becoming a formal martial artist.

Once he cultivated Origin Force, he would become a formal martial artist.

...

On Friday, after class, Wang Teng headed home as usual.

As he drove along the road, watching the scenery outside the window, he was thinking about how to obtain an Origin Force cultivation manual.

At his current stage, he was known as a quasi-martial artist; once he cultivated Origin Force, he would undergo a qualitative change.

However, Origin Force manuals were not like basic martial apprentice combat skills—they weren't common commodities that anyone could learn.

The teaching of Origin Force manuals had always been under strict control.

One could either enter a university through martial arts examinations, which offered the highest degree of freedom.

Or, one could apply for a quasi-martial artist assessment at a martial arts hall; if they passed and their identity was verified, the hall would teach them the Origin Force manual.

In this case, they would become a martial artist registered under the hall, essentially tying their fate to the institution.

Alternatively, one could become a subordinate to certain families; if they gained the family's trust, they might be taught the manual, though this was equivalent to signing a contract of indentured servitude.

Martial arts examinations wouldn't happen until after the college entrance exams, and one would have to enter university to study, which took too long; he wasn't considering that for now.

Apply for a quasi-martial artist assessment at a martial arts hall?

No, no!

Wang Teng knew his own situation; he had only been practicing martial arts for a short time, and he was already becoming a martial artist! If he were targeted by someone with ill intentions, it would bring nothing but trouble.

Then... becoming a subordinate to a martial artist family?

Forget it. He was, after all, a "rich second generation"; acting as a lackey for others would be a massive loss of dignity.

*Boom!*

As he was thinking, an explosion suddenly erupted ahead.

Billowing thick smoke rose into the air.

The intersection ahead was blocked for some unknown reason. The car in front of Wang Teng came to a sudden halt, appearing to have been rear-ended.

Although Wang Teng reacted extremely quickly and slammed on his brakes, he was too close. The car's inertia surged forward, and with a *bang*, he slammed into the rear of the car in front.

*Beep! Beep! Beep!*

*Honk! Honk! Honk!*

In an instant, car horns and alarms erupted in a chaotic chorus.

The scene was a mess.

This stretch of road was completely paralyzed.

Wang Teng frowned and had to get out of the car to see what was happening.

He still had to get home for dinner.

"What happened?"

"Damn it! What the hell is going on? My car is wrecked!"

Drivers were leaning out of their vehicles, their curses echoing incessantly.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

A few sharp sounds rang out, and the scene suddenly fell silent.

"Gunshots!"

Wang Teng was startled. "I definitely didn't hear wrong. Those were definitely gunshots!"

A street robbery?

Or a kidnapping?

Various thoughts flashed through his mind as he suddenly saw several people rushing toward him at high speed.

"That speed... they're martial apprentices!"

Wang Teng made his judgment and quickly ducked to the side. He had no idea what was going on, so it was best to mind his own business.

Unfortunately, just because he didn't want to meddle didn't mean trouble wouldn't find him.

As the group was about to pass him, a man with a scar on his face suddenly shouted.

"Wait!"

"What is it?" his companion asked.

"The police are coming soon. Running like this puts us at a disadvantage. Grab a hostage to negotiate with them."

As the scarred man spoke, he lunged toward Wang Teng.

Wang Teng was about to resist when the scarred man's other hand raised a gun and pressed it against his head. "Stay still, or I'll blow your brains out!"

It felt like needles pricking his back!

A powerful sense of mortal danger made Wang Teng's scalp tingle. The blood in his body surged, his heart skipped a beat, and then began to pound frantically.

(End of Chapter)