Chapter 2

The next day, when Wang Xu woke up, he looked at the white ceiling and let out a long sigh.

Finally, he hadn't lost his life to those damned dual-sickle insect beasts.

"Xu'er, you're awake?" A familiar voice came, the tone filled with joy and relief.

"Mom." Wang Xu's eyes instantly turned red.

The woman in front of him, with half-gray hair and a face full of wrinkles despite being only in her forties, was his mother, Lin Hui.

His mother reached out to stroke Wang Xu's face, tears streaming down uncontrollably. Feeling the care in her eyes and the calluses on her palm, Wang Xu felt a lump in his throat, his eyes welling up with tears.

"Alright, it's fine that Xu'er is okay. Don't cry, it's annoying." His father, Wang Zhengguo, said sternly from the side.

Though his father's words were harsh, his heart was soft. Seeing that Wang Xu was fine, he flicked the long ash from his cigarette.

"Wang Xu, you scared me to death. Don't do such risky things again next time." Li Lian, who was also there, let out a long sigh of relief when he saw Wang Xu awake, his concern evident.

Wang Xu smiled slightly, "It's fine, I have a strong constitution. I won't die easily."

The few of them chatted and laughed for a while until the nurse came to ask the patient to rest, and Wang Xu's parents and Li Lian left.

"Phew~" Wang Xu let out a long breath, touching his abdomen. The wound that had been split open by the dual-sickle insect beast had already healed and scabbed over. Medical technology was very advanced now; even if one had just a breath of life left, they could be saved, though the cost was much higher.

Then, Wang Xu took out a history book from the ones his parents had brought and started reading...

In 2050, during the Harmonious Period, the world was peaceful until December 31st, when the sudden invasion of the insect army shattered the tranquility!

The insect army slaughtered humans, feeding on them. They had powerful shells and strength, and even bullets couldn't harm them. Humans were pushed back step by step in the insect army's killing spree, and they eventually had to use nuclear weapons... but it was in vain. There were too many insects, and they couldn't be killed off!

In just a few years, the human population had decreased by 80%!

This was an apocalypse, an unprecedented disaster. The extinction of humanity was imminent, and everyone was in grave danger!

However, a meteorite from outer space completely changed the fate of humanity!

This meteorite contained mysterious cosmic energy, which could easily penetrate the insects. Barriers built using this cosmic energy were unshakable even by the insect army!

Finally, humanity won their first victory in the struggle.

With a breather, humans began to develop the technology in the meteorite, hoping for a new miracle. At this time, the great Dr. Luo Jun developed a groundbreaking drug—gene water!

Gene water could completely change the limits of human cells. Humans who could only lift a hundred pounds before could now easily lift three hundred, four hundred, or even a thousand pounds after injecting gene water!

The transformation in strength gave humans the means to fight the insect army, and a new group emerged—gene warriors!

Moreover, the potential of gene warriors seemed limitless. Humans with great talent, through practicing ancient martial arts, successfully broke through to a legendary realm, capable of annihilating thousands of insect armies with a single move, and some could even fly, like gods.

Thus, humans began to slowly reclaim lost territories and take back what was originally theirs. The fragmented human race reorganized, no longer divided by countries.

As their strength transformed, the status of humans was also redefined.

The more powerful one was, the greater their contribution to humanity, and such people could receive special privileges from the human government, thus the "Core Zone" was born.

To the ordinary zones, the Core Zone represented the "royal nobility," and it was easy to imagine the noble life they enjoyed!

Moreover, if someone from the Core Zone killed someone from the ordinary zone, they only needed to pay a symbolic amount of money. But if someone from the ordinary zone killed someone from the Core Zone, they would be isolated and eventually mysteriously disappear!

For this "unfair" phenomenon, the current humans had long become accustomed. Only those with god-like strength had the right to speak of "fairness." As for ordinary people with no combat ability, they could only struggle to survive under this fairness.

"July 4, 2058, the Blood Battle. At the time, energy barrier technology had not been applied, and the third safe zone was breached by the insect army. In a blink, a million people were killed. At the critical moment, 'Blood Supreme' Lin Yi stepped out, killed the insect leader, and slaughtered a million insect beasts, fighting for three days and three nights. In the end, he burned his life force and died of exhaustion, successfully saving millions of lives."

"March 18, 2061, the Death Battle. The insect army attacked the energy barrier, and a congenital insect beast appeared. The second safe zone was in grave danger. In that battle, dozens of congenital martial artists were mobilized, exhausting their lives to finally kill the congenital insect beast, saving millions of humans in the safe zone. Dozens of congenital martial artists also sacrificed their precious lives, and the strength of human experts was weakened by nearly half. All humans mourned the fallen heroes."

"May 4, 2067, the Annihilation Battle..."

As Wang Xu read, he couldn't help but read aloud. He quietly closed the book, imagining the scenes of that era, where human experts fought to protect humanity, never giving up even in their last drop of blood.

It was because of the sacrifices of that generation that today's brief peace was achieved.

...

Three days later, Wang Xu, with his discharge certificate, left the hospital and headed to the Ancient Martial Arts Hall.

The Ancient Martial Arts Hall was a place for the exchange of "ancient martial arts."

Ancient martial arts, as the name suggests, were martial arts passed down from ancient times.

After gene water developed human potential, gene warriors burst with powerful strength, able to fight the insects head-on. However, some people discovered that ancient martial arts could make their strength more effective, and they found it effortless to face the insects.

This discovery shook the entire human world. All gene warriors began to practice ancient martial arts, sparking a craze for ancient martial arts, and the Ancient Martial Arts Hall was born in this wave.

From a distance, the Ancient Martial Arts Hall looked like a huge spaceship on the ground, gleaming silver. A faint green barrier, the energy barrier, enveloped it.

"Coach Wang!"

"Brother Wang!"

"Madman!"

As soon as he entered the hall, people greeted Wang Xu warmly. If one paid attention, they would notice that these people wore badges with a star, shining brightly.

The number of stars on the badge represented their status—one-star coach.

Coaches were there to guide gene warriors who had questions in their practice, like ancient masters, passing on their experience so that future generations could learn more efficiently.

To prevent unqualified people from mixing in, the Ancient Martial Arts Hall had a special examination. Only those with relatively strong power could pass and be granted the title of coach.

Wang Xu was one of them.

The minimum requirement for a one-star coach was a fourth-stage gene warrior. Wang Xu was only a third-stage gene warrior, but because he had reached the third layer of "Basic Body," the Ancient Martial Arts Hall still granted him the title of one-star coach.

With this title, Wang Xu could earn money to buy training resources and support his family.

Wang Xu knew that this time he was severely injured, almost losing his life to the dual-sickle insect beast. The cost of treatment in the hospital would be high, and it might have drained the family's savings.

His parents didn't say anything, but Wang Xu knew. Not being a talkative person, he knew he had to work hard to earn money since the family's finances were tight.

The pay for a one-star coach was high, one thousand Earth coins per hour. For Wang Xu, working three hours a day was enough to support the family, and the extra money could buy some training resources.

"Coach, I always feel that I can't control my strength. I can't fully unleash the ultimate power of the 'Black Tiger Fist.' What should I do?"

Wang Xu was teaching a young man named Han Xin. His father was a company president, and the family was wealthy. Han Xin had no talent for martial arts but had a passionate love for it, wanting to pursue the path of martial arts. His father, unable to persuade him, hired Wang Xu to teach him.

When they first met, they saw that Wang Xu was only a third-stage gene warrior and frowned. Han Xin even wanted to apply to the Ancient Martial Arts Hall for a different coach. However, under Wang Xu's guidance, Han Xin crossed the threshold of "Basic Body" and reached the first layer in just one day, shocking them.

When they learned that Wang Xu had reached the third layer of "Basic Body," they were even more amazed, thinking, "Genius!"

Becoming a third-stage gene warrior at eighteen wasn't a big deal, but reaching the third layer of "Basic Body" was not something ordinary people could do. Even fourth- and fifth-stage gene warriors rarely reached the third layer.

At the third layer of "Basic Body," the body could reach the hardness of steel, and ordinary bullets couldn't penetrate it. One could shatter rocks with bare hands!

If Wang Xu hadn't reached the third layer of "Basic Body," he would have been split in half by the dual-sickle insect beast's single slash.

"To understand the 'Black Tiger Fist,' you need to understand ancient martial arts. Tell me, what do you know about ancient martial arts?" Wang Xu said, hands behind his back.

"I've studied this online. Ancient martial arts, in simple terms, are martial arts from ancient times. However, due to necessity, ancient martial arts are divided into levels: low, medium, high, and supreme. The higher the level, the more powerful the martial art, and the higher the requirements for practice."

"Ancient martial arts come in many forms, such as fist techniques, palm techniques, leg techniques, finger techniques, sword techniques, and more. The 'Black Tiger Fist' I practice is a low-level fist technique, focusing on the explosive and controlled use of strength, delivering a fatal blow to the enemy like a black tiger."

Han Xin repeated everything he had learned about ancient martial arts from the internet, analyzing the characteristics of the martial art he was practicing.

"You're only talking about the surface of ancient martial arts. The true power of ancient martial arts lies not in strength but in the mind."

Wang Xu pointed to his heart, "Your 'Black Tiger Fist' isn't failing to unleash its maximum power because of your strength, but because your mind hasn't fully opened. Once your mind is fully open, you will naturally be able to unleash the ultimate power of the 'Black Tiger Fist.'"

"Open the mind?" Han Xin had never heard such a concept.

"Thinking and pondering won't help. Go hunt some insects. Soon, you'll understand what it means to open your mind." Wang Xu said.

Han Xin didn't understand how to open his mind, but he didn't dare to be negligent after hearing Wang Xu's instructions. He quickly replied, "Yes, Coach."

...

Three hours later, Wang Xu watched Han Xin walk away in the distance and muttered, "I hope you can really open your mind."

Opening the mind sounds simple, but it requires experiencing life and death, being on the brink of death, for the mind to truly open. Wang Xu had experienced it and understood, but Han Xin had no combat experience. The insects might bring him not release but a lifelong psychological shadow.

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