164: Zuo Hongyang's grandfather, the confidence from Jidao Martial Arts School
A village far from the center of the Demon Capital.
Li Ziyu, holding demon moon, slowly walked out from a pile of ruins.
Behind him were shattered stones, rubble, and collapsed houses.
The ground was riddled with craters, as if it had been bombed by a barrage of missiles.
In the very center of the ruins, a beast the size of a small mountain lay slumped on the ground like mud.
Clearly, this was the beast Li Ziyu had just killed.
"Thank you for your support, Commander!"
As soon as Li Ziyu walked out, a camouflaged military officer with several stars on his shoulders, who had been waiting in formation outside the ruins, came forward and saluted Li Ziyu respectfully.
Hundreds of fully armed Soldiers who had accompanied him also emerged from tanks and armed helicopters, saluting Li Ziyu with awe.
"It's nothing, just a small effort."
Li Ziyu waved his hand, not caring at all.
This was a B-rank mission he had taken.
Assisting the military in killing a peak-level five-star beast causing trouble outside the city.
For the rest of the people entering the Martial Saint Secret Realm, a peak-level five-star beast was an existence they could only confront by working together and relying on sheer numbers.
But for Li Ziyu, it was utterly insignificant; he didn't even need to use a second move.
Killed in one blow.
"Your small effort saved an entire division of our comrades, Commander!"
"If it weren't for your timely arrival, Commander, we would likely have had to sacrifice our lives."
Even though Li Ziyu acted nonchalantly, the camouflaged military officer stubbornly kept his hand raised, unwilling to lower it.
His expression was resolute and sincere.
Since the world underwent its great change, this was not the first time he had carried out a mission to encircle and kill beasts.
He understood the terror of beasts better than anyone.
It was something he had felt through the hundreds of new tombstones in the Martyrs' Cemetery!
Recalling how they had even used intercontinental missiles just now, yet couldn't harm the beast at all, the camouflaged military officer still felt a lingering fear.
He looked at Li Ziyu with even greater reverence.
Commander Li Ziyu's strength was truly immense!
A beast that left an entire division helpless was cut down by Commander Li Ziyu with a single strike!
"Commander, you will be Zuo Tianlang's benefactor for life!"
The camouflaged military officer declared firmly and powerfully.
Zuo Tianlang looked at Li Ziyu with reverence.
He felt that despite how young Li Ziyu appeared, with such strength, his true age must be greater than his own.
He must be one of those reclusive masters who had reverted to a youthful appearance.
After all, that's how it's always written in novels.
"You said your surname is Zuo?"
Li Ziyu, who was walking away, paused when he heard Zuo Tianlang's words and looked at him with surprise.
"Uh... yes, Commander."
Zuo Tianlang was momentarily stunned, then immediately reacted and answered loudly.
Why would the Commander ask that? Could he know him?
But he didn't seem to know such a powerful Ancient Martial Practitioner, did he?
Li Ziyu's expression became even stranger after hearing the answer, and he carefully scrutinized Zuo Tianlang from head to toe.
The first time he saw Zuo Tianlang, he felt a bit familiar, like he resembled someone he knew.
Now, hearing that his surname was Zuo, and considering that he was currently in a time period two hundred years ago, Li Ziyu felt a sudden realization.
Could this middle-aged man named Zuo Tianlang be Left Hongyang's grandfather??
The more Li Ziyu thought about it, the more he felt it was possible.
The timing matched up.
Thinking this, Li Ziyu walked back towards Zuo Tianlang and asked tentatively:
"Little Zuo, does your Zuo family name its children according to generational characters?"
"If I'm not mistaken, by the time your grandchildren's generation comes, their names should include 'Hong', right?"
"Uh... our family does indeed name our children according to generational characters. If it continues, by my grandchildren's generation, it will be the 'Hong' generation, and their names will include 'Hong'."
Zuo Tianlang's expression was clearly stunned, and he answered subconsciously, then looked at Li Ziyu with curiosity:
"Commander, do you know my father? Or do you have some connection with our family?"
This generational character system is something that only very close family members would know.
But now, this Commander Li Ziyu not only knew his family's surname but also the generational character of his grandchildren.
Could it be that this powerful Commander had some connection with his family?
At this thought, Zuo Tianlang's heart surged with excitement.
He never expected that his family could be connected to such a powerful Ancient Martial Practitioner; he would definitely have to ask the elders in his family about it later.
Li Ziyu was a little surprised by Zuo Tianlang's answer.
He didn't expect that his casual question would actually turn out to be true.
He didn't know if it was a coincidence or what.
This secret realm was too realistic; if he hadn't known it was a secret realm beforehand, Li Ziyu would have suspected he had traveled back in time.
Thinking this, a mischievous thought came to mind, and Li Ziyu patted Zuo Tianlang's shoulder with a sigh, saying:
"Indeed, Little Zuo, I do have a connection with your family, and it's quite a deep one."
"Someone in your family has a teacher-student relationship with me."
"Oh, by the way, I'll give you a suggestion: if you have a grandson, name him Left Hongyang."
"Uh... okay..."
Left Hongyang was stunned by Li Ziyu's words, but then he agreed without thinking.
It seemed he would have to go back and ask his father if he had ever apprenticed under someone named Li Ziyu.
... ...
Bidding farewell to Zuo Tianlang, Li Ziyu wasted no time and immediately moved on to his next mission.
... ...
On the other side.
A tall residential building, with constant rumbling sounds coming from inside, and occasional flashes of light.
Outside the door, Ji Wudi, Liu Donghan, and Chen Si, three disciples of Ji Dao Martial Hall, watched their wristband timers.
"It's been twenty minutes, it should be over soon."
Liu Donghan yawned boredly, raised his watch, and looked inside the building.
"Hmm, it's just a B-rank mission. The enemy's strength is at most peak-level five. With Senior Brother Li Yang's strength as a mid-level six-star martial artist, he can easily take it down."
Chen Si also laughed and echoed from the side, then glanced at Ji Wudi, who was standing silently, and teased him with a smile:
"Old Ji, are you still worried about Li Ziyu?"
"Heh heh, it's not that I'm saying anything, but Li Ziyu is at most a freshman. No matter how strong he is, can he compare to Senior Brother Li Yang, a second-generation disciple of our Martial Hall?
Senior Brother Li Yang is a genuine mid-level six-star martial artist!
Look at Senior Brother Li's strength; a B-rank mission, taken down in twenty minutes. I ask, among all those participating in the Martial Saint Secret Realm, who can complete a B-rank mission faster than Brother Li!"
Ji Wudi didn't say anything, looked up at him, and spoke indifferently:
"Li Ziyu is not as simple as you imagine."
"With his strength, the speed at which he completes missions will definitely not be slower than Senior Brother Li's."
... ...
"Alright, alright, I won't argue with you."
"Let's use the mission progress ranking to speak. Didn't you say Li Ziyu's mission completion speed isn't slower than Senior Brother Li's? Then let's look at the Battle Skill mission ranking, and see who ranks higher, alright?"