Chapter 20: Savage Beast Siege (Part 1)
Time flew by, and half a month had passed. Yang Tong spent every day feeling quite relaxed because he could feel himself growing stronger each day.
Over these days, he discovered that Tai Chi Fist actually had the magical effect of balancing his own body.
For example, his soul was slowly condensing, and his sea of consciousness had suddenly expanded tenfold, which meant his mental energy and neural reflexes had increased tenfold. This data far exceeded the limits of an Apprentice Level Nine Martial Master.
Under the effects of Tai Chi Fist, his other physical functions were also steadily improving. Now, he had reached the level of an Apprentice Level Five Warrior.
A thirteen-year-old Apprentice Level Five Martial Master could definitely be considered a genius among geniuses. The Yang Tong of today was completely different from the one half a month ago.
If he were to compete in the general tournament again, he would definitely win the championship without any effort; it would simply be bullying others.
He did not know how strong Zheng Meimei was after her awakening, but he was equally confident that he was not inferior to her. She had only awakened a step earlier. He had absolute confidence that it wouldn't be long before he could also awaken.
In another two years, after his soul had completely condensed and his sea of consciousness had completely stabilized, as long as he comprehended the power of will, he would be able to naturally achieve transcending mortality and awakening.
He also felt his monstrous rate of improvement. With the help of Tai Chi Fist, he only needed to slowly balance the gaps in his mental energy, physical body strength, speed, and explosive power to soar to the height of Apprentice Level Nine within a few short years.
However, he had been thinking about how to keep a low profile. Before his awakening, he had to be low-key for these few years and not attract too much attention.
Just at this moment, a rumbling vibration came from the ground.
"Could it be an earthquake?!"
He felt the vibrations getting stronger. Suddenly, a sharp alarm sounded from all directions of the county, echoing across the sky.
Hearing this alarm, his expression changed drastically. This was a savage beast siege alarm. Upon hearing this alarm, the entire city had to support the outer city walls.
At the same time, bolts of lightning appeared out of thin air, forming an enormous electric net that covered the entire sky.
"Yang Tong, hurry up and pack your things, and grab your defensive weapons." His mother's voice came from the room.
He rushed into the house and came to the family armory. At this moment, his mother was already wearing a tight-fitting female martial robe. On her back was a battle saber, at her waist were two spirit tool pistols, and in her hand, she held an A-type spirit energy rapid-fire machine gun, all loaded with beast crystals.
There was also a military dagger tucked into her boot.
The walls were covered with all kinds of weapons, both cold weapons and hot weapons. Spirit tools are divided into nine grades; the higher the grade, the stronger the power.
The initial spirit tools were weapons invented by humans to assist in spirit energy combat, and they were all cold weapons.
Do not underestimate cold weapons; these spirit tool weapons were like legendary sharp weapons, capable of pushing a person's combat power to the limit and possessing the power to destroy the heavens and extinguish the earth.
With the development of spirit tool technology, more convenient and easy-to-use hot weapons were developed and quickly became popular and widespread.
If this were a low-martial world with pure mechanical technology like Earth, hot weapons would inevitably replace cold weapons.
But in reality, in this world, hot weapons were only welcomed by the vast number of low-level martial artists and Divine Sense Masters. In front of those top-tier experts, cold weapons still occupied the primary position, irreplaceable and impossible to replace.
Because those experts relied on their own strength, and no matter how powerful a hot weapon was, it was only an external force. On the contrary, cold weapons, especially those specifically developed to cooperate with experts in combat, could unleash an expert's power to the limit. When combined with some secret techniques, they were definitely more powerful than hot weapons.
To distinguish between cold and hot weapons, hot weapons were classified by "A, H, J". The A-model was actually a first-grade spirit tool, and the J-model was a ninth-grade spirit tool.
He took off his casual clothes and took his combat martial robe from the wall. He wore a set of leather armor inside and a tight-fitting martial robe outside. He quickly changed, took a first-grade thick-backed battle saber and carried it on his back. He also tucked two first-grade spirit tool A-type spirit energy rapid-fire pistols at his waist, and a spirit energy rapid-fire machine gun of the same model as his mother's.
"Tong'er, take this ring. It contains plenty of food, beast crystals, and wilderness survival gear. If any accident happens, you will have a reserve."
His mother took a storage ring from her bosom and handed it to him. Immediately after, she took out a map, spread it on the table, and said: "The power of a savage beast siege must not be underestimated. In the past few hundred years, three county cities in the surrounding area have been destroyed by savage beasts. So, we must take precautions. Here is Dingguang County, here is Luozhen County, and here is Luoxing City. The two counties in front should also encounter the savage beasts. If the city is breached and we get separated, you can retreat to Luoxing City. We will look for you at the government square in Luoxing City. You must keep the map safe, and it is best to memorize it firmly."
"Mom, are the savage beasts really that powerful? Besides attacking our county, are they also attacking these counties at the same time?" he asked heavily.
"It is not just the three surrounding county cities; even Luoxing City is likely in the ranks of the savage beast impact. It is just that Luoxing City is one of the 1,600 third-tier cities in the country. For thousands of years, no formal city has ever been breached by savage beasts, not even a third-tier city. So, that is the safest place," his mother replied.
"Then why don't we move to Luoxing City?" he asked in confusion.
"Sigh, Tong'er, you are too naive. Our family can live very prosperously in Luoyu County, but as for Luoxing City... although it is safe there, there are too many powerful and influential people, and the pressure of life is too great. Only those who have undergone awakening can be valued there," his mother sighed and replied.
He understood the logic as soon as he heard it. It was like someone who lived very well in the countryside; if they moved to the city to live, they would only end up poor.
"If there is a danger of the county being breached, you students will be the first batch to retreat under the protection of the government and school experts. You must remember to follow the main force closely. If you get separated, you must firmly remember these few routes. Here..." His mother earnestly explained the precautions for the few routes on the map, how to avoid the savage beasts on the way, how to survive in the wilderness, how to save your life, and so on.
"Mom, but what about you and Dad?" he asked with concern.
"Silly child, once you are safe, your father and I will have no worries. With our abilities and experience, plus the power of your father's old comrades is not weak, there are still ways for small teams to break out. After all, we are just civilians, not the city defense army. If the situation is impossible to resist, we can retreat a step ahead of the city defense army," his mother explained with a smile.