Chapter 3

"Hey? Why does my strength seem to have increased?"

After seeing Han Xin off, Wang Xu returned to the training room to continue his practice. Soon, he noticed changes in his body; his strength had increased significantly without him realizing it.

Gene Warriors were well aware of their strength. After so much time in training, Wang Xu knew his body’s condition very well. It had only been a few days since he was injured, and he expected his body to be weaker, with less strength than before. However, the opposite was true—his strength had increased!

"Let’s try the ‘Wind-breaking Strike’!"

Wang Xu suppressed his joy. The increase in strength was only beneficial to him. He immediately took a two-meter-long sword from the weapon rack in the training room to test it out.

The ancient martial art Wang Xu practiced was a sword technique called the *Nine-Row Thunder Sword*, which belonged to the lower tier of ancient martial arts.

He had found this *Nine-Row Thunder Sword* in a dusty corner of the academy’s martial arts hall. At the time, the hall elder had advised him not to choose this lower-tier martial art, as several people had tried to practice it before but failed, wasting their time.

Wang Xu merely smiled and firmly chose the *Nine-Row Thunder Sword*.

The *Nine-Row Thunder Sword* consisted of nine rows of sword techniques. The first row was the “Wind-breaking Strike,” the second row was the “Blood-Drop Strike,” and as for the remaining seven rows, Wang Xu had never even looked at them. Even now, he had only barely grasped the first row, reaching its peak, while the second row remained a complete mystery to him.

"Whoosh~" A single slash, and Wang Xu could clearly feel the air trembling, with a faint sound of breaking wind echoing.

Wang Xu couldn’t contain his joy. A fifty-pound sword felt as light as a toy in his hands, as if it weighed nothing at all. Moreover, this was just an ordinary weapon. The fact that he could produce a sound of breaking air with a casual slash indicated that his strength had increased significantly.

"Let’s try the ‘Blood-Drop Strike’!" Wang Xu couldn’t wait. For months, he had been practicing the second row but had made no progress, leaving him puzzled. However, today, he felt a sudden clarity, as if all obstacles had been resolved.

Wang Xu held the long sword, closed his eyes slightly, and took a step forward. His aura gradually intensified, becoming more substantial. After a moment, his body suddenly lunged forward, twisting 180 degrees like a pretzel, and the long sword cut through the air!

"Swish!" A light sound, and the long sword pierced the wall of the training room, which was made of mud, penetrating it completely.

The *Blood-Drop Strike* was like a drop of blood, moving forward relentlessly, piercing through everything.

At this moment, Wang Xu had a sudden realization, understanding everything.

"Of course, how could I have been so foolish before? Such a simple principle, and I couldn’t figure it out?" Wang Xu was delighted and repeatedly tried the *Blood-Drop Strike*.

"Wang Xu?" Suddenly, a clear voice came from behind, and Wang Xu’s body trembled as he turned to look.

Tang Yan?!

Wang Xu’s eyes darted around nervously. Even though he had reached the third level of *Basic Physical Body*, he still couldn’t remain calm in front of the girl he liked the most.

"Wang Xu, thank you for what happened last time." Tang Yan smiled, and Wang Xu was momentarily stunned before feeling relieved.

"It’s nothing, are you also practicing in the ancient martial arts hall? I’ve never seen you here before." Wang Xu quickly regained his composure and asked with a smile.

"I usually practice within my family, and I only come to the ancient martial arts hall occasionally." Tang Yan said, noticing the badge on Wang Xu’s chest. Her eyes lit up. "You’re a one-star coach here?"

Tang Yan’s family had several one-star coaches, and even some two-star and three-star coaches, all of whom were private tutors and much more skilled than Wang Xu.

However, what surprised Tang Yan was that Wang Xu, who was the same age as her and also a third-stage Gene Warrior, had managed to pass the ancient martial arts hall’s assessment to become a one-star coach. This was a rare occurrence.

"Just luck..." Hearing Tang Yan’s surprise, Wang Xu involuntarily touched his nose. The fact that he could make the girl he secretly liked surprised made him feel elated.

"Hmph! Just a one-star coach? There are plenty of them on the street!" An unpleasant voice came from behind Tang Yan, and Wang Xu’s eyes narrowed.

Xu Yuan, the third-ranked student on the Gene Academy’s leaderboard, was a well-known rich kid. His third-stage Gene Warrior status was achieved through family resources, and his积分 (积分 means points, but in this context, it refers to the points earned from hunting bugs, which are often inflated) from hunting bugs were also inflated. However, because his family was the famous Xu family in the center of the safe zone, no students dared to provoke him.

Xu Yuan liked Tang Yan and pursued her relentlessly, always following her around. This was a well-known fact in the Gene Academy, and his intentions were clear—to climb up the Tang family’s ladder.

Today, seeing Tang Yan leave the house, Xu Yuan immediately followed her. When he arrived at the door, he saw Tang Yan talking to Wang Xu, looking quite intimate, which made him furious with jealousy.

Wang Xu was an outstanding student at the Gene Academy, always outperforming Xu Yuan in both strength and ranking, which had already made Xu Yuan harbor resentment.

Later, during a competition at the academy, Xu Yuan was defeated by Wang Xu, losing face in front of the entire school. This resentment made Xu Yuan hate Wang Xu even more.

Now, seeing Wang Xu talking to the girl he liked, Xu Yuan’s eyes flashed with a cruel look.

"One-star coach? You only earn a thousand Earth coins per hour, and you call yourself a coach!" Xu Yuan’s words were sharp and unapologetic.

The one-star coaches around him frowned but, recognizing Xu Yuan as a member of a powerful family, could only shake their heads and leave it at that.

"Xu Yuan! Shut up!" Tang Yan, seeing Xu Yuan’s increasingly offensive remarks, frowned and said.

Hearing this, Xu Yuan’s resentment towards Wang Xu grew even stronger.

"Wang Xu, ignore him. I’m just at a bottleneck in my ancient martial arts practice. Since you’re a coach, could you guide me a bit...?" Tang Yan tried to change the subject, but Wang Xu waved his hand, signaling her to stop.

"I have something to do today. Let’s talk another time." Wang Xu said expressionlessly and left the ancient martial arts hall.

Tang Yan watched Wang Xu’s departing back, sighing in her heart.

"Hmph! Just a commoner!" Xu Yuan sneered at Wang Xu’s back, his eyes full of disdain.

...

"Strength!"

"Strength!"

"In the end, it’s all about strength!"

At this moment, Wang Xu’s heart was boiling with anger, his fists clenched so tightly that his nails pierced his flesh, drawing blood, but he didn’t even notice.

In the face of Xu Yuan’s provocation, Wang Xu could have used his strength to beat him up, but he knew that doing so would only endanger his family!

Xu Yuan’s power was immense, and a single word from him could plunge Wang Xu’s family into an irredeemable situation. Wang Xu would never risk such a disaster for a moment’s satisfaction.

"As long as I can advance to the ‘Fourth-Stage Elite Student’ and pass the assessment to earn the ‘Elite’ title, I won’t be afraid of that damn guy anymore!" Wang Xu said with hatred.

The nationwide armed craze had made first to third-stage Gene Warriors very common, the most ordinary category. To truly gain privileges, one had to advance to the fourth stage and earn the ‘Elite’ title.

Once he earned the Elite title, Wang Xu would be heavily favored by the safe zone government, becoming an elite human. His family would also gain the right to enter the ‘Protected Area.’

The Protected Area was provided free of charge by the government to fourth-stage Elite Gene Warriors, where their families lived.

Here, the use of force was absolutely prohibited. Even if a powerful Gene Warrior entered and killed someone, they would still face the death penalty!

There had been a case of a sixth-stage Gene Warrior, the “Blood-Handed Madman,” who broke into the Protected Area and massacred a Gene Warrior’s family, causing a stir throughout the safe zone. Immediately, a “Supreme” from the safe zone intervened and killed him!

In other words, no one who killed someone in the Protected Area had ever survived.

But earning the ‘Elite’ title was no easy feat. The gap between third and fourth-stage Gene Warriors was enormous, a significant hurdle for Wang Xu to overcome.

The distance between third and fourth stage seemed small, but the difference in strength and status was vast, a true dividing line.

For Wang Xu, crossing this gap was difficult, very difficult!

...

"Dad! Mom!"

Back home, Wang Xu put on his usual face, showing no signs of what had happened.

"Xu, you’re back! Ha, let’s have some meat today to celebrate!" Wang Zhen, who usually didn’t smile much, was unusually happy today.

"Dad, is something good happening today?" Wang Xu’s eyes lit up. His father rarely laughed so heartily; the last time was when he became a one-star coach and could earn money like an adult, making his father drink to the point of intoxication and feeling very happy.

"Your father got a promotion. He’s now the supervisor at the factory. Look how happy he is, he can’t stop smiling." Mother Lin Hui, busy preparing the meal, said with a smile.

The factory was no longer like it used to be; private ownership was not allowed, and each factory was supported by the government, with very few in number. The position of supervisor, though not very prominent, had real power, overseeing thousands of people.

With Wang Zhen as the supervisor, his salary and status naturally increased, making him very happy.

The family of three enjoyed their dinner together, the atmosphere warm and harmonious, a wave of happiness flowing through Wang Xu’s heart. He cherished his family even more and was more determined to become stronger.

Only by becoming stronger could he protect his family!

Only by becoming stronger would his parents not be bullied and not have to look at others’ faces!

Dinner was over quickly, and after saying a few words to his parents, Wang Xu returned to his room.

Closing the door and turning on the light, Wang Xu pulled out a chair and sat down, picking up a book to review before bed. Suddenly, his gaze froze, turning to a photo frame in the distance.

The photo frame contained an old photograph, the edges yellowed, showing its age. It featured Wang Xu and his parents, along with a younger boy.