Night.
The moon was like water.
Stars twinkled brilliantly.
A touch of coolness fell on the rooftop of a twenty-story building in the county town.
Shen Ping leaned against the edge of the wall, opened his communication watch, and dialed his wife's number. He made a call every day during this time, which put his wife at ease.
"I sold some materials at the military base supply station the day before yesterday. I was lucky enough to get a Beast General-level monster, and made over ten million… What great luck! How could a mere War General like me have the ability to hunt a Beast General alone? When will I go back? I'll return after staying a while longer."
He hung up the phone.
He was just about to close his eyes for a rest when his communication watch vibrated.
It was from Captain Qin Shan.
He answered it.
The captain's steady voice came through, "Old Shen, I heard from Old Huang at the supply station that you went to the wilderness area alone and killed quite a few Beast Soldiers. What were you thinking? Your child was just born. If something happens to you, what about your family!"
Shen Ping had already prepared his explanation. "Captain, I just couldn't stay idle at home. I wanted to come to the wilderness area to hone my blade techniques and body techniques. I won't go deep into the wilderness area. You know I'm practicing the Ninefold Thunderblade. I've felt some recent progress, so I came out alone to see if I could break through."
The captain was silent for a moment, thinking that this really fit Shen Ping's personality. So, his tone softened a bit. "You... forget it. Just know your limits. You're not alone now, you have a family to take care of."
They chatted for a while longer.
Then, they ended the communication.
"The news of the mass slaughter of Beast Soldiers over the past two months has even reached the captain, so it seems the supply base's information travels fast."
This was originally part of Shen Ping's plan. A War General-level martial artist killing Beast Soldiers was practically a massacre, but no one would go crazy hunting them. After all, martial artists weren't like mentalists; they couldn't afford any mistakes when facing a horde of Beast Soldiers.
Therefore, once the quantity of Beast Soldier materials sold increased, it would definitely attract attention. After a while, he would start selling the materials from one or two Beast General-level monsters, and then he could claim that his blade technique and body technique had broken through.
As for the remaining materials from hunting Beast General-level monsters, he could take them all back to the base city when he returned.
"Next time I go to the supply base, I can reveal a bit more of my strength."
The martial artists he knew basically all knew he practiced the Ninefold Thunderblade, and he hadn't broken through for a long time. Now, a sudden breakthrough wouldn't raise any suspicion; they would only think he had accumulated enough.
"I'll earn some more money later, and after half a year or a year, I can continue to reveal my strength."
Thinking of this.
He closed his eyes to rest.
The number of Beast General-level monsters in the entire county wasn't high. He had killed almost all of them during this period, leaving only one Tiger Cat-type mid-level Beast General in the east district of the county. He wasn't in a hurry and planned to take care of it when he returned to the base.
\n\nHalf a month later.
Shen Ping went to the supply base again.
The officer, Old Huang, saw the Beast General-level monster materials and clicked his tongue, saying, "Shen Ping, you've really got good luck."
Shen Ping laughed, "It wasn't luck this time. I was fortunate enough to make some breakthroughs in my blade technique and body technique, barely managing to kill this Beast General."
Old Huang's eyes widened in surprise. "A breakthrough in your blade technique? Could it be that your Ninefold Thunderblade has advanced to the second level?"
Shen Ping grinned and didn't deny it, saying, "Alright, quickly settle the accounts for me. If it weren't for our past relationship, I wouldn't sell you these Beast General materials. I've opened a materials company myself in the base city."
Old Huang reacted, and his attitude immediately became even more enthusiastic. The Ninefold Thunderblade had a high threshold, and he didn't know how many martial artists it had stumped. He hadn't expected that this Shen Ping, after losing an arm, would actually make such progress with his blade techniques. With this skill, he was already at the level of a mid-level war general.
Don't underestimate this single realm; the gap between them was vast. Ordinary war generals could only be members of an elite martial artist squad, but mid-level war generals could serve as captains, and their earning potential was far greater.
Therefore, regardless of whether the other party was willing to sell him materials, this connection was worth maintaining.
When he returned to his room to rest.
The news of Shen Ping's breakthrough spread through the military district's supply base at an incredible speed.
Before leaving the base that night.
The captain of a nearby martial artist squad came personally to invite him, "Shen Ping, are you interested in joining our Thorn Squad? Compared to the Wild Wind Squad, we have two mid-level war generals, including myself. If you join, we can hunt high-level Beast Generals."
The materials of high-level Beast General monsters generally cost over a hundred million. If they encountered some lone hunters, the price would be even higher. Squads like the Thorn Squad were ones that many war general martial artists were willing to join because they could earn money quickly. Even if they didn't contribute much effort, just following along and getting a share would allow them to earn hundreds of millions each year.
"Thanks."
"I'm not considering joining other squads for now," Shen Ping politely declined.
The captain of the Thorn Squad didn't mind and said with a smile, "You're welcome to join anytime you change your mind."
He left the base and re-entered the wilderness.
He stayed in the county town for another six days.
Shen Ping's target was the mid-level Beast General in the eastern district. Killing it would be somewhat troublesome, mainly because of the large number of Beast Soldiers gathered around it.
Whoosh.
His feet repeatedly landed on the nearby buildings.
He didn't employ any hit-and-run tactics, instead charging directly towards the horde of Beast Soldiers.
Roar! Roar!
The Tiger Cat-type mid-level Beast General sensed the commotion and roared, urging the Beast Soldiers to surround him. Within half a minute, over a hundred Beast Soldiers had encircled him.
"Haha, just what I wanted!"
Shen Ping was not alarmed, but rather delighted. Gripping his war blade tightly, he executed the Flowing Light Body Technique, moving through the gaps between the Beast Soldiers like lightning.
If his body technique had been at the Perfect Level, he wouldn't have been so reckless, but the Conceptual Level had already touched the boundaries of the body technique realm. He could sense and judge the attack direction and distance of each Beast Soldier through the subtle flow of the surrounding air.
One could say that under the Conceptual Level body technique, he had everything around him under control and could even use the environment to dodge and counterattack.
Shen Ping wove in and out of the pursuit and interception of countless Beast Soldier-level monsters. In a short time, over fifty Beast Soldiers had fallen. Taking advantage of the opening, he quickly moved to attack the mid-level Beast General-level monster watching from a distance.
Tiger Cats were known for their speed, and this Three-Tailed Tiger Cat, a mid-level Beast General, was even faster.
Shen Ping's physical attributes were only at the level of a regular high-level War General. He couldn't keep up with it at all. However, with the explosive power of the Ninefold Thunderblade, his speed surged, allowing him to easily catch up to the Three-Tailed Tiger Cat. It took him a full half hour to finally kill it.
After collecting the materials,
he returned to the rooftop of a tall building where he often rested. This time in the wilderness, he had killed a total of seven Beast Generals, including this one. He could earn over a hundred million, nearly ten times more than he used to make on a single trip.
"It's been a while this time. I should head back."
Just as he was thinking this,
his communication watch vibrated.
It was Mu Yang.
He couldn't help but smile. Among the Wild Wind Squad, he had the best relationship with Mu Yang, aside from the captain.
After the call connected.
Mu Yang exclaimed, "Brother Shen, you're amazing! You broke through your saber technique without a peep. It's different when you're settled down. I'll have to learn from you, Brother Shen, and settle down myself."
Shen Ping immediately laughed and chided, "Are you looking for trouble again, you rascal? Why are you calling so late? Did you return to the base city?"
"Nope."
"Just got back to the rooftop with the captain. I heard the good news, so I immediately called Brother Shen."
Mu Yang chuckled, "We had a good haul today, two Beast Generals. We'll treat you to a drink when we get back to the base city, and you can give me some pointers on my saber technique."
"Alright, no problem."
After hanging up.
He habitually opened the virtual interface to take a look, and couldn't help but be stunned by what he saw.
(End of this chapter)