13: Chapter 13 The First Order of a Seventh-Rank Martial Artist

The student ID card lay on the ground. When Li Zhengyang walked out of the testing arena, hundreds of people behind him were silent.

Upon reaching the school gate, a layer of students stood on both sides, blocking the way, but not one dared to step forward. Some were holding up their phones to film.

Li Zhengyang didn't have time to pay them any mind. He took out his phone, opened the agency app, and scrolled through the task list as he walked.

He had only needed a second to decide on dropping out; there was nothing to miss. A diploma from a Martial Arts Technical College was, frankly, just a piece of paper.

Besides, why go to school when he had a system? That would be a waste. Making money was the real priority.

He scrolled through a screen full of D-rank tasks, looking through them one by one and picking the ones with high rewards.

He didn't touch the C-rank ones; C-rank corresponded to Third-Rank demonic beasts, which were at the Great Martial Master level. A Seventh-Rank Martial Master fighting a Third-Rank demonic beast wasn't very stable, and there was no need to take risks. He decided to play it safe and clear out the D-rank ones first.

After flipping through a few, one task caught his eye.

[Task Number: D041]

[Target: Exterminate a nest of Second-Rank demonic beasts, Red-Armored Spider, quantity unknown]

[Location: Abandoned tunnel complex in the northern suburbs]

[Reward: 150,000]

[Risk Level: D]

[Note: Two teams have been lost in the last three months; it is recommended that teams of Fifth-Rank Martial Masters or higher take this on.]

150,000. That was 1,500 points of blood energy.

Two teams lost meant the number of Red-Armored Spiders might be higher than estimated, or there was an issue with the terrain. But 150,000 was too tempting.

He continued scrolling down and found a special task.

[Bounty Task (Long-term valid)]

[Target: Hunt Third-Rank demonic beasts, Rock-Spine Beast, unlimited quantity, 30,000 reward per beast]

[Location: North Mountain mineral vein zone]

A Third-Rank demonic beast, 30,000 per kill, no limit. Killing ten meant 300,000; killing one hundred meant 3,000,000. This was good stuff.

Li Zhengyang noted the task but didn't rush to accept it. He would wait until he had charged a few more waves of money to stabilize himself before considering it.

He picked two more D-rank tasks from the list. Both were in the northern suburbs, close to the Red-Armored Spider job, so he could do all three in one trip.

He opened the agency app and tapped "Accept."

A pop-up appeared: [Your current certified rank is Second-Rank Martial Master; you cannot accept multiple tasks at once. To upgrade your certification, please head to the nearest branch testing center.]

Li Zhengyang stared at the text for two seconds. He had to make another trip.

East City Agency.

Liu Ting was at the front desk organizing files. When she saw Li Zhengyang walk in, her hand paused.

"You're back?"

"Changing my certification."

"Changing what?"

"My rank went up."

Liu Ting pulled up his file. The screen displayed the information entered just yesterday: Li Zhengyang, Second-Rank Martial Master, certification date: yesterday.

"You just tested for Second-Rank yesterday."

"Right, it went up today."

"Up to what rank?"

"Seventh-Rank."

Liu Ting's fingers hovered over the keyboard, pausing for three seconds without typing. She looked up at Li Zhengyang, then back at the "Second-Rank Martial Master" on the screen.

Second-Rank yesterday, Seventh-Rank today. Jumping five ranks in a single day.

"Go to the second floor." Liu Ting swallowed her words; she knew what was appropriate to ask and what wasn't.

Upstairs, the examiner Zhou Cheng was brewing fresh tea. Seeing Li Zhengyang, his hand stopped.

"It's you again."

"It's me again."

"Upgrading?"

"Upgrading."

Zhou Cheng closed the tea canister. This time, he didn't pick up the teacup—he'd spilled it all over his pants last time and had learned his lesson.

"Come test."

Li Zhengyang pressed his palm onto the blood energy meter. The numbers on the screen jumped. 7328.

Zhou Cheng stared at the screen for a long time. He opened his mouth twice and closed it twice; only on the third time did he manage to speak.

"What did you eat growing up?"

"I grew up eating money."

Zhou Cheng didn't laugh, because he felt the kid might be telling the truth. Rising five ranks in two days—this couldn't be an ordinary person.

He was likely some rich kid who had been force-fed countless medicinal pills; this wasn't the type of person he could afford to offend.

Zhou Cheng didn't even make him fight the mechanical puppet. Last time, an 180,000-credit puppet had been scrapped in three punches. There were only two spare puppets at the Martial Master level; if another one broke, he'd have to write a report.

"Seventh-Rank Martial Master, certification passed."

Zhou Cheng handed over the new certification card, hesitated for a moment, and added, "Young man, have you ever considered joining the military?"

Li Zhengyang took the card and glanced at him.

"At your age and with your strength, the military's special recruitment camp for martial artists would fight over you. You'd get full training resources upon entry."

"Is there money?"

"There is… but not much."

"Then forget it."

Zhou Cheng didn't try to persuade him further.

He went downstairs and re-accepted the three D-rank tasks.

He exited the agency, turned right, and went to the commercial street to restock some gear. A large tactical backpack, two boxes of compressed rations, and a military canteen—it cost him two hundred in total.

When passing by Old Zhou's Breakfast Stall, he ducked inside. Old Zhou was wiping a table; seeing him arrive, he furrowed his brows.

"Young man, don't…"

"Boss, just eating normally. I'll pay."

Old Zhou was stunned.

Li Zhengyang sat down and ordered six baskets of steamed buns, two bowls of wontons, and a bowl of porridge.

After finishing, he scanned the code and paid fifty-two yuan. Old Zhou stood by with a rag, watching him pay with a suspicious look on his face.

"Young man, you scared me with how much you ate last time."

"Last time is last time, this time is this time." Li Zhengyang stood up and patted his stomach. "Boss, wishing you prosperous business."

He hailed a taxi to the northern suburbs.

The abandoned tunnel complex was at the foot of the North Mountain, ten times more desolate than the wetlands he went to last time. The mountain was covered in gravel and bare rock, with vegetation withered down to the roots. The tunnel entrances were carved into the mountainside.

The driver dropped him off at the intersection and immediately made a U-turn to flee. Before leaving, he rolled down the window and shouted, "Brother, are you really okay by yourself? Demonic beasts come down from the mountain at night in this place!"

"It's fine, they're afraid of me."

The driver thought he was bragging and sped off.

Li Zhengyang walked toward the tunnel complex with his spear on his back.

Red-Armored Spider.

The agency's data stated: Second-Rank demonic beast, small size, adept at weaving webs for ambushes. The silk is extremely tough, with hardness approaching steel wire. They live in groups. A single one isn't strong in combat, but once the numbers increase, combined with the terrain advantage of their webs, even a Martial Master can be trapped.

Two teams were lost here; in all likelihood, they were entangled by webs and then swarmed to death. But that would only happen to a Martial Master below the Fourth-Rank.

A Seventh-Rank Martial Master's aura can form a complete layer of armor on the body surface; spider silk that sticks will be repelled by the aura. If they can't hit him, they can't trap him, and if they can't trap him, it's just a one-sided slaughter.

The tunnel entrance was three meters wide and two meters high, pitch black. Li Zhengyang turned on his phone's flashlight and shone it inside.

Spider webs. Dense spider webs hung starting from three meters deep into the tunnel, getting thicker the further in you went. In the densest areas, dozens of layers overlapped, sealing off the entire cross-section of the tunnel.

He took the mountain-piercing spear from his back and infused it with blood energy. He thrust the spear in and stirred.

The spider webs were shredded by the aura like cotton wool, falling off in pieces.

There was movement inside now. A rustling sound—the sound of something crawling on the rock wall.

The first Red-Armored Spider darted out of the darkness. It had a palm-sized head, eight legs, and its back was covered in a layer of crimson carapace, with slime dripping from its mouth. It was a size larger than an Earth-Tooth Rat.

Li Zhengyang thrust his spear, piercing it through.

The second and third followed, crawling down from the side walls. Two more thrusts.

Then, it wasn't just a matter of one or two. A tide of red surged from the depths of the tunnel; over a dozen Red-Armored Spiders charged over in a crushing wave, covering the walls, the ceiling, and the ground.

Li Zhengyang didn't retreat; instead, he charged two steps inward. He swept his spear horizontally, spreading his aura, clearing a patch with every sweep. Wherever the spear passed, spider limbs flew, and bodily fluids sprayed all over the walls.

He fought for over ten minutes. The tunnel went quiet.

Li Zhengyang stood in the midst of the scattered limbs and counted. Thirty-seven. Twice as many as estimated.

He shook the spider leg fragments hanging off his spear and began collecting the proof of kill. The recognized part for the Red-Armored Spider was the head shell; he had to pry them off one by one.

When he reached the twentieth one, he noticed a cocoon in the corner that was thicker than the other webs. He pried it open with the tip of his spear.

Inside was the corpse of a Red-Armored Spider, larger than the others, with a belly that was swollen high.

Li Zhengyang squatted down and used a short knife to slice open its belly.

It wasn't food scraps. It was a stone. Fist-sized, dark red, with fine patterns on the surface, hot to the touch. He didn't recognize this thing.

Just as he was pondering it, the system automatically popped up a notification.

[Special item detected: Third-Rank Beast Core]

[Beast Core can be sold, market reference price: 40,000 - 60,000]

Li Zhengyang flipped the stone over. How could a Third-Rank Beast Core appear in the belly of a Second-Rank demonic beast?