Chapter 408 - 7: Observations and Children

He passed through the wind and sand.

A city wall, roughly a hundred meters tall and framed with an unknown alloy, came into view.

The imposing wall towered over the wasteland, its surface glinting with a faint metallic luster. It stretched farther than the eye could see to the north and south, completely enclosing a massive city of nearly ten million people.

It was covered in claw marks and corrosion scars, testaments to the many hardships it had endured over the years.

Rows of cannons, fleets of flying artifacts, and the silhouettes of people armed it to the teeth.

In ’Wuh Tian’s’ memory.

Every so often, hordes of Exotic Beasts would assault the city, only to be slain by the defending army. This had led to hills of white bones and skies of yellow sand outside the city, rendering the land barren for hundreds of miles.

To hunt Exotic Beasts, one had to venture much farther out.

Zhu Ju averted his gaze and, after passing through several light scans, walked through the massive city gate and into a plaza.

Here.

One could choose to take a trackless train, a taxi, or a private flying artifact into the city proper.

HISS...

As the cabin doors opened, Zhu Ju stepped onto the train.

The trackless trains of Funeng City were similar to the subways in his memory, but much more dilapidated.

The seats, greasy and shiny with grime, looked as if they hadn’t been cleaned in years.

Demon Hunters dressed similarly to him were scattered about, each toying with their own firearms and weapons.

On the televisions hanging on both sides, the latest news was being broadcast.

"After two months of voting, Mr. Cao Youche, who comes from a commoner family, has successfully been elected as the new council member for Licheng District..."

"The college entrance exams are imminent, and hundreds of thousands of students are about to compete for two thousand spots in Advanced Academies. The proposal to increase the number of admissions has once again been raised..."

"Lin’s Gene Potion, a 99.9% chance to enhance Physical Body strength, safeguarding your Cultivation..."

"The United Nations reports that new genetic debugging is complete. The Treasure Manual program will soon be updated..."

Zhu Ju stood in the middle of the car, watching the glitch-filled, retro television screen and listening to the various reports. Even though he had seen all this in ’Wuh Tian’s’ memories, witnessing it with his own eyes still filled him with astonishment.

HISS...

When the hour arrived, the trackless train shuddered lightly and slowly pulled away from the station, heading toward the city.

Through the dust-covered windows, the scene outside was visible.

On one side were skyscrapers piercing the clouds, with all sorts of three-dimensional advertisements flickering one after another, full of futuristic flair.

On the other side.

Dark alleyways, haphazardly stacked buildings, and exposed rebar and concrete created a post-apocalyptic scene.

The gap between rich and poor in Funeng City was extreme.

According to surveys.

Last year, the average monthly salary in Funeng City was less than two thousand Credit Points, which was just enough for a rich person’s single meal.

Two thousand Credit Points was barely enough to cover a month’s expenses for a family of three, leaving almost nothing to save.

Investing and financial management were out of reach for the poor.

This was to say nothing of expensive consumptions like Genetic Potions or technological modifications.

In this world, if you couldn’t modify yourself, you were doomed to be a beast of burden at the bottom of society for your entire life.

The only path to upward mobility was to get into an Advanced Academy.

Now, even the spots in Advanced Academies were dwindling, and the few that remained were mostly occupied by the children of the wealthy.

With no way up, the wealth gap widened, leading to social unrest. All sorts of bizarre news stories frequently made headlines.

’What a strange world!’

’What a chaotic world!’

...

As his thoughts churned, Zhu Ju took a tablet out of his Storage Ring.

The Celestial Wealth Commerce Association, which Wuh Tian belonged to, was a high-tech company specializing in communications and technological modification projects.

The StarSource 17 tablet was a product from a few years ago, but it still wasn’t considered outdated.

He tapped it casually, and some content slowly loaded.

"High-tech..."

’The internet speed is so slow!’

Of course.

If you wanted to increase your internet speed, you could sign up for an expensive plan from the Celestial Wealth Commerce Association. With enough Credit Points, you could even use the Commerce Association’s intranet. But Wuh Tian, who didn’t have much need for the internet, naturally wouldn’t waste money on it.

The information Zhu Ju wanted to look up was common knowledge, and he quickly found a relevant website with detailed explanations.

Martial Artist Assessment!

Martial Artist!

Grand Martial Master!

Martial Arts Grandmaster!

Although this world had genetics and technological modifications, the divisions of personal strength still followed the ranks passed down from ancient times.

Except for Grand Martial Master, every Realm was divided into three tiers.

Junior, Intermediate, and High-Level.

Wuh Tian was a High-Level Martial Artist. Combined with firearms, he was capable of killing some powerful Exotic Beasts.

Zhu Ju tapped the screen, and a video appeared.

"Next up, please enjoy this cage match between Martial Artists!"

Inside a giant iron cage, a man and a woman stood opposite each other. The video had been edited, so they skipped the chatter and started fighting directly.

PENG!

Fists collided, and Powerful Qi surged.

The hard alloy floor was like soft mud under their feet; a forceful stomp left a clear footprint.

The man’s Fist Force was fierce and powerful, while the woman’s Body Technique was agile and graceful. The two were locked in a stalemate, and it was hard to tell who had the upper hand.

Seeing this, Zhu Ju shook his head slightly and switched to the next video.

’A fake fight!’

A real life-or-death battle would never be so aesthetically pleasing.

However, from their exchange, one could see that the strength of a Martial Artist was terrifying. Their Skin and Flesh were comparable to refined iron, and the speed of their punches was much faster than sound. They already possessed the strength to threaten a Dao Foundation Cultivator.

There were very few videos of anyone above the Martial Artist level.

However, there was a clear distinction between a Grand Martial Master and a Martial Artist: a Grand Martial Master could fly without the aid of external objects.

As for a Martial Arts Grandmaster...

"Chixiao Fairy, Liann Nishang, a world-renowned Martial Arts Grandmaster and a movie superstar. What we are watching now is this Martial Arts Grandmaster’s battle against the Legendary Beast, the Cloud-Treading Ghoul."

In the video.

A woman in fiery red robes, with delicate features, stood suspended in mid-air.

The woman held a longsword. As she gently raised it, her demeanor, once like that of a girl-next-door, suddenly became sharp and murderous. Even through the screen, one could feel a terrifying power welling up.

SHWISH!

A blinding red light appeared.

The video cut out for a moment. When the picture returned, a gigantic corpse now hung in the empty space.

"Fusion Sun Sword!"

The commentary began:

"This Sword Technique is Chixiao Fairy’s unique Sword Skill. When the sword is drawn, it is like the birth of a hydrogen star. The light radiation first blinds the six senses, then the shockwave shatters gold and stone. Wherever the Sword Light passes, all things turn to glass."

"Even diamond would disintegrate and restructure at the atomic level. It is a legendary Sword Skill in the truest sense!"

Zhu Ju’s eyes narrowed, his expression grave.

Although he hadn’t personally experienced the power of a Martial Arts Grandmaster, he could tell from this video alone that they were strong enough to threaten a Golden Core cultivator. In close combat, they might even be stronger.

Of course.

A Golden Core Grandmaster had numerous methods at their disposal, so it was still unknown who was stronger or weaker.

HISS...

"Arriving at Wenyuan Station in the Lower City District. Passengers for this station, please disembark. The next stop is Wuyuan Station in the Lower City District."

Zhu Ju put away the tablet and stepped off the train.

*

*

*

As a mercenary for the Celestial Wealth Commerce Association, Wuh Tian lived in a company-provided apartment.

Provided for free.

Given his Cultivation and strength, the environment was naturally not good.

It was a twelve-story building, in disrepair from age, with a mottled and crumbling facade. Even the elevator was out of order.

He lived on the ninth floor.

The hallway was filled with trash from various households, and a swarm of pungent odors rushed into his nostrils.

Zhu Ju rubbed his nose, took out a key, and opened the door.

"Dad!"

"Dad, you’re back."

Hearing the noise, a boy and a girl walked out of a room. They were wearing high school uniforms, thin and gaunt, with obvious fear on their faces.

"Yeah."

Zhu Ju, following the attitude of ’Wuh Tian’ from memory, gave a stony-faced nod and tossed the bundle he was carrying onto the table.

"Where’s the food?"

The family’s relationship was highly abnormal. As a father, Wuh Tian had never fulfilled his paternal responsibilities.

Zhu Ju, in the guise of Wuh Tian, had to act according to the established pattern to avoid suspicion.

"I’ll make it for you!" Wuh Qing hurried towards the kitchen. In her haste, she tripped and nearly fell.

"Useless thing!" Zhu Ju’s face darkened, and he growled in a low voice:

"I risk my life out there, and I come home to not even a hot meal? What’s the point of raising you two?"

"Dad," Wuh Ping said in a low voice:

"We didn’t know you were coming back today."

PENG!

Zhu Ju slammed the table and shot to his feet, his eyes wide with fury.

"You little brat, do I have to report to you when I’m coming home now?"

"No," Wuh Ping’s face turned pale. "That’s not it."

"Hand over this month’s allowance!" Zhu Ju held out his hand. "I’ll keep it safe for you."

Funeng City provides every student with a monthly subsidy of Credit Points to purchase martial arts training supplies.

But the subsidies for Wuh Ping and Wuh Qing had never once actually ended up in their own hands.

"Dad."

Wuh Qing, who was cooking, turned around, her voice pleading.

"The college entrance exams are coming up. Brother needs Credit Points to buy some Nutritional Potions to build up his body."

"Hmph?" Zhu Ju’s face fell as he shot a cold glance at Wuh Ping. "This skinny monkey? He can barely carry a bucket of water upstairs. And he thinks he can get into an Advanced Academy?"

"Dream on!"

"Hand over the Credit Points. Don’t make me get physical!"

The siblings’ faces were deathly pale. Under Zhu Ju’s menacing glare, they lowered their heads and, suppressing their resentment, handed over the allowance.