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nTime passed. The team had been in there for more than an hour, but they had yet to return. Everyone’s hearts were clouded over.

nWang Ronghui, the city guardian, had an ugly expression on his face as he paced back and forth with his hands behind his back. The soldiers stationed there stared at the spatial rift and prayed that nothing would happen to the team.

n“Chief, I’m willing to lead the soldiers in to investigate.”

nAt some point, a middle-aged officer walked up to Wang Ronghui and knelt on one knee.

n“Nonsense! Go back.”

nWang Ronghui reprimanded him and waved his hand to reject the officer’s request.

nIt was still drizzling. None of the soldiers present, including Wang Ronghui, used their protective internal force to block out the rain. Their clothes were quickly drenched.

nAll kinds of signs indicated that the exploration team might never return.

nChen Yiming recalled the confident words of the three people from the Kunshan Sect. He had no idea what was above the master realm.

nHe could not tell if those words were true or not, but the credibility of their words had increased from 30% to 70%.

nIn the blink of an eye, another hour had passed. During this time, the officer begged a second time to be allowed to lead a team into the otherworld. Wang Ronghui still objected to it.

nChen Yiming was also anxious. If Wang Ronghui agreed to it, he would appear and persuade the officer not to do it.

nJust as everyone was tacitly agreeing that the entire reconnaissance team had been wiped out, the spatial rift shook slightly, and figures walked out one after another.

nIt was the reconnaissance team from before. Not only were they not injured at all, but their oxygen tanks, gas masks, ropes, and other tools were also intact.

n“What’s going on? Why didn’t you follow the plan?” Wang Ronghui asked solemnly as the captain walked over.

n“Chief, a war has broken out over there. The reconnaissance team had no choice but to lie low patiently and find a suitable opportunity to return,” the captain explained.

nWar?

nAs soon as he finished speaking, Wang Ronghui’s expression changed drastically.

nChen Yiming, who had hidden himself and was eavesdropping, felt the same way. He was glad that he hadn’t entered the otherworld rashly. He was different from the reconnaissance team and wasn’t a small fry that could be ignored.

nIf there was really a battle between existences beyond the master realm on the other side, his spiritual power could not hide his aura and he could not guarantee that he would not be discovered.

n“Sir, a war between the black river and the treants has broken out in the otherworld. The reconnaissance team was hiding behind a rock to observe the situation… There were treants as far as we could see, so we can’t determine the scale of the war.”

nThe captain’s voice was trembling.

nWhen Wang Ronghui heard this, he stood rooted to the ground and did not reply for a long time.

nBased on what they had seen, the scale of the war had reached the highest level of danger. It was fine if there was no intention of invading the blue planet, in which case they only needed to remain vigilant.

nOn the other hand, if they invaded Jiangnan province one day, there would be a terrifying and unimaginable scene.

nChen Yiming frowned. The small pool filled with black water must be related to the black river.

nHe had destroyed all the black water in the pool with a single punch. Since they were separated by the space-travel passage, it was impossible to determine if the black river had sensed it or not. It was also impossible to determine the outcome of the war between the black river and the treants.

nHe could not decide if he should send out the spiritual figure.

nIf he could not win, and the other party took the chance to invade the blue planet through the space-travel passage, that would cause a huge problem.

nSoon, Wang Ronghui instructed the troops stationed there to retreat 10 kilometers and monitor the situation before leaving in a hurry. Chen Yiming glanced at the village and cursed under his breath before turning to leave as well.

n…

nAt the shooting range of the military camp at the stronghold in the otherworld, the archery teacher, Wu Youjia, was giving Chen Yingying some pointers on archery.

nChen Yiming walked over and expressed his intentions. “Teacher Wu, you’ve worked hard. Something happened at home and we need to bring Chen Yingying back.”

n“It’s nothing much. Yingying has always been very smart. She has always learned quickly,” Wu Youjia said with a smile.

nChen Yiming glanced at his sister strangely.

nWas that true? Could it be that there was a mistake in the direction he had been nurturing her? Was his sister more suitable for long-range attacks like archery?

n“Brother, I’ve made a lot of progress in drawing the concept diagram recently. My archery skills can also be used in actual combat. Can’t I stay for a few more days? I still want to rely on myself to kill the creatures from the otherworld!”

nChen Yingying pouted and tried to refuse.

nChen Yiming rolled his eyes at his sister and continued, “Mom gave me an order to bring you home. Why don’t you return to the base city and give Mom a call?”

nHe snorted in his heart. By mentioning Mother Chen, his sister would definitely give in.

nAs expected, Chen Yingying did not say anything else and agreed tacitly.

nChen Yiming instructed, “Go tell your teachers and classmates. See if they want to return to East Lake City together. We’ll set off in an hour.”

nChen Yingying nodded and quickly left.

nAt this moment, only Chen Yiming and Wu Youjia were left at the shooting range.

nWu Youjia wanted to say something but hesitated. Not only was she in charge of teaching Chen Yingying archery, but she was also assigned an important mission by the chief to report Chen Yiming’s movements.

nChen Yiming could roughly guess what the other party was thinking. He said, “There might be some changes in Jiangnan province in the future. We should be more conservative about the development of the otherworld.”

nThe spiritual figure had switched from attacking to guarding the stronghold. He also hoped that he could spread the message through the military and calm down those who were rash and impulsive, reducing the unnecessary casualties.

n…

nIn the wilderness, on the way back to East Lake City from the base city, troops could be seen rushing in a certain direction from time to time. Tanks, armored vehicles, and missile trucks drove on the gravel and grass, leaving behind long tracks in their wake.

nA fighter jet flew past in the sky, startling the mutant beasts hiding in the forest. They looked up and watched it fly past.

n“Brother, did something happen?” Chen Yingying realized that something was amiss and asked.

n“I’ll tell you when you break through to the warrior realm. Until then, just stay at home,” Chen Yiming explained.

nChen Yingying nodded, knowing that he was indirectly saying that she was too weak.

nThe teachers and students of the martial arts academy also noticed the movements of the military.

nThey sighed in their hearts. Fortunately, they were returning to East Lake City. If the situation became chaotic, who knew what would happen to the stronghold in the otherworld?

nAt this time, nothing could give one a greater sense of security than their own home.

nThe group rushed back to East Lake City before the sky turned dark.

nThe walls of East Lake City were filled with patrolling soldiers. Machine guns, cannons, and other weapons were already in position and could be fired at any time to deal with potential enemy attacks coming from outside the city.

nAfter entering the city, Chen Yiming and his sister separated from the teachers and students of the martial arts academy. However, there were still two more people.

nOne was Shen Mengwei, who had planned to return to the Myriad Phenomena Sect, and the other was Song Shanshan, who had shamelessly followed him.

n“When are we going to the Myriad Phenomena Sect?” Song Shanshan asked curiously as she watched the pedestrians walking around.

nIt was the time when people got off work, and the streets were bustling with people.

nEven though East Lake City was affected by the opening of the stronghold in the otherworld, many small and medium-sized factions still chose to stay there and transferred their headquarters from other cities to this place.

nTherefore, the speed at which the population increased did not slow down.

nChen Yiming’s mind was filled with questions. When did I agree to bring you to the Myriad Phenomena Sect?

nHe was the sect master. How could he bring such a weak student back to the sect? If she wanted to continue playing dumb and sneak into the outer sect, he would not let her succeed.

n“I’ll arrange for you to cultivate in the Mantis Snake Sword School for the time being. When Shen Mengwei is free to leave the mountain, it’ll be convenient for the two of you to meet. Or I can arrange for someone to send you back to Jiangdu City.”

nSong Shanshan was clearly stunned when she heard this. Shen Mengwei tugged at her sleeve and gave her a look.

nIn the end, Song Shanshan didn’t choose to return to Jiangdu City. Chen Yiming also arranged for Shen Mengwei to stay in the Mantis Snake Sword School temporarily and decided to bring her along whenever he returned to the Myriad Phenomena Sect.

n…

nBack at the Chen residence, “Mom, I brought my sister back,” Chen Yiming shouted before he even entered the room. It was obvious that he was trying to claim credit.

nWhen Father Chen and Mother Chen heard his voice, they hurriedly ran over.

n“You’ve gotten thinner. Sit down and eat some fruits first. I’ll start cooking a feast immediately.”

nMother Chen grabbed Chen Yingying’s hand and muttered non-stop.

nFather Chen stood at the side happily and observed his daughter.

nCompared to when she was at home, her skin had turned a little darker. She was clearly much more energetic and no longer looked weak.

n“That’s right. Go out more in the future. You can’t stay at home all the time.”

nWhen Mother Chen heard this, she glared at Father Chen. “It’s so chaotic outside. Aren’t you afraid that something will happen to your daughter? Damn old man.”

nFather Chen retorted, “With our son around, why are you worried?”

nHe glanced at Chen Yiming.

nMother Chen was furious and said angrily, “Are you trying to anger me to death? In any case, I firmly object.”

nSeeing that the two of them were about to start arguing, Chen Yingying promised not to run around too much in the future. Only then did Mother Chen calm down.

n…

nAs Chen Yiming was bringing Chen Yingying back to East Lake City from the stronghold in the otherworld, a document was being sent out from the Jiangnan city government overnight.

nIn front of the train station in Jiangdu City, a notice was posted at the entrance of the train station in black and red.

nAnnouncement: From today onwards, the time between the purchase of tickets to and from the base city will be changed from one week to one month. The processing fee for exchanging cash for contribution points will be increased to 20%. You can only buy tickets after completing the martial arts level certification.

nThe crowd surrounded the ticketing counter and chattered about the announcement.

n“F*ck! Isn’t this too bad for us? Aren’t they afraid of incurring the public’s wrath by sucking us dry so ruthlessly?”

n“I was told that the tickets I just bought don’t meet the conditions. The money was refunded to me in full, but am I someone who lacks that money?”

n“Previously, there was a rumor that we would soon start a few more railways to the base city. Now, it seems that there’s no need to worry. We just set up three shops in Jiangdu City, so it’s all good.”

n“What the hell is this martial arts level certification? There’s actually no center set up in Jiangdu City. Are they deliberately trying to restrict people from entering the otherworld?”

n“Could it be that this restriction is only targeted at the independent martial arts practitioners?”

n“I don’t think so. I saw that the general manager of Shunda Logistics was also refunded his ticket.”

n“Then why the restrictions?”

n“Who knows? I heard that the military is making a big move.”

nThe war on the other side of the space-travel passage in the strange mountain village had put a huge amount of pressure on the Jiangnan provincial government. The plan was originally in a draft state, but it was announced after a meeting.

nMany people could tell what they were trying to do. They wanted to temporarily slow down the development of the otherworld and leave most of the martial art power in Jiangnan province.

nCoupled with the scattered news that a large number of troops had been mobilized in the wilderness, they all realized that this was the prelude to a storm.

n…

nAt night, in the Mantis Snake Sword School in East Lake City, after a new round of renovations, the venue was nearly four times larger than before.

nChen Yiming and Wan Rong sat in the tea room on the third floor drinking tea. From the window of the tea room, one could see the entire training hall on the first floor. Whether the disciples were slacking off and whether they were improving could not escape the eyes of the head.

nEven when the head was not around, it was as if they were being watched by a pair of eyes, indirectly giving the disciples some pressure.

n“It hasn’t been long since then. I don’t think I’m qualified to teach disciples anymore.” Wan Rong looked at the situation in the training hall and sighed.

n“I met Shen Mengwei by chance in Jiangdu City. She was originally guaranteed admission to the Shanghai Martial Arts Academy. I didn’t want a talented young person to be buried,” Chen Yiming explained.

nWan Rong took a sip of tea and commented, “Even in the high school world of Jiangdu City, the martial arts environment is not much better. For this girl to be able to stand out, her talent is indeed astonishing.”

n“Actually, I don’t understand either. It’s said that Shen Mengwei has defeated almost all her peers in the high school world of Jiangdu City. However, not a single martial arts school tried to snatch her away. Even her admission to the Shanghai Martial Arts Academy was not guaranteed. Instead, she was given a chance to take the assessment,” Chen Yiming said, finding it strange.

n“Maybe it’s because of her age. At the age of 15 or 16, she didn’t spend much effort on martial arts. Those who are older often think that their potential is exhausted, so they miss out on the opportunity.”

nWan Rong had many years of experience nurturing disciples and guessed at the only possibility.

nThe reason was that he had also encountered an extremely old disciple.

nChen Yiming had only entered the Mantis Snake Sword School at the age of 18. In the world of martial arts, he was a few years too late. Under normal circumstances, there wasn’t much value in nurturing him.

nThis was the truth. Without the martial arts talent system, Chen Yiming might not even have been comparable to his body’s owner.

n…

nAs the two of them drank tea and chatted, the disciples below formed a large circle. In the center was the new eldest senior brother, Xu Zilong, and Shen Mengwei, who had just arrived. The two of them were sparring with their swords.

nXu Zilong was a warrior candidate at the age of 18. He was almost guaranteed to join the Myriad Phenomena Sect. He would at least become an outer sect disciple.

nChen Yiming’s batch of core disciples from the Mantis Snake Sword School had all joined the Chen corporation. Most of the core disciples had just joined after Chen Yiming’s rise.

nXu Zilong used the Mantis Snake Sword Technique beautifully, but it was easily countered by Shen Mengwei, and he did not even get the upper hand.

nThe surrounding disciples exclaimed from time to time.

n“Eldest Senior Brother, you can do it!”

n“Is the newcomer that powerful? Eldest Senior Brother actually couldn’t defeat her!”

n“Eldest Senior Brother, don’t go easy on her just because she’s a girl!”

nSong Shanshan’s eyes revealed that her plan had been a success. In order to protect her from being bullied in the future, she had told her friend in advance to make a move to shock the eldest senior brother of the Mantis Snake Sword School.

nXu Zilong’s ears were filled with the cheers from his junior brothers and sisters. Compounded with the fact that he had been attacking for a long time and still could not defeat the newcomer,

nhe became impatient, and his footwork suddenly became messy. When the sword in his hand was blocked by the other party, he tripped and fell to the ground in a sorry state.

n“This…”

n“No way…”

nThe entire martial arts hall fell silent. No one had expected this outcome. Their eldest senior brother Xu Zilong had actually fallen and lost so badly.

nShen Mengwei sheathed her sword and stood up. She hesitated for a moment before asking, “Senior Brother, are you alright?”

nXu Zilong lay on the ground for a long time without moving. In fact, he had tripped because of his panic. However, he had lost too much face and had not thought of how he should deal with it.

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