Procedure and Honor

"Thump!"

The flying head slammed into the lid of the trash can where the black cat had just passed, the sound echoing clearly throughout the quiet alley.

The Blood-Patterned Flying Sword, now the size of a short sword, surveyed the area.

After confirming that no one else was lying in ambush nearby and that the cameras had already been destroyed, the item was returned to Li Xijun's hands.

The boy stared calmly at the corpse before him, yet couldn't help but murmur a sigh:

"The ferocity and speed of the life-or-death battles between the martial artists before the location shooting really exceeded my expectations."

"Initially, I had the idea of ​​using my copper skin and iron bones from the Bone and Tendon Realm to withstand a few attacks,"

"I never expected that this Blood God Cult member's vitality would far surpass that of an apprentice with a vitality level of 9.0."

"Including vigorous vitality, the defensive power of flesh and blood, and the immense power when blood and qi surge,"

"In that life-or-death struggle just now, even a martial artist with a Qi and Blood level of 9.0 would have had their head blown off if they didn't have a weapon."

"Thank goodness, thank goodness..."

Li Xijun was extremely fortunate. If it weren't for her cultivation at the Concentration Realm and her flying sword, she would probably be in serious trouble tonight.

Your mental level has increased from 17.3 to 17.4.

[Your Spirit Refinement System: Concentration Realm, increased from 83% to 84%.]

Your mastery of the "Thirty-Six Forms of True Martial Arts" has increased from 97% proficiency to 5% master level.

The messages popping up from the horizon made Li Xijun let out a long sigh of relief.

"The trials of life and death seem to be of great benefit to one's spiritual cultivation."

"Moreover, my True Martial Killing Move, the Cloud-Dropping Hand, was already perfect."

"It looks like I can start practicing the third killing move, Void Tremor, and then aim for 360 points in weapon upgrade training."

The Blood God Cult member just now relied on his excessive blood and vitality to withstand his Cloud Hanging Hand, which caused that life-or-death crisis.

If he could master the True Martial Killing Move - Void Shock, no matter how thick the opponent's health was, their life force would be shattered by a single palm strike, and there would be no subsequent desperate palm strike.

"However, when it comes to weapon selection later, I estimate that I will have to add sword training to my curriculum."

Li Xijun looked at the Blood-Patterned Flying Sword in his hand, which had shrunk to the size of a short sword, and then at the decapitation mark on the corpse in front of him. He said with righteous indignation:

"Who told me that I'm actually a hidden sword genius? I practice swordsmanship on my own in my spare time at home. As a result, I suddenly unleashed my full power in the face of life and death today and killed a Blood God Cult member."

Even if I am exposed, it doesn't matter. At worst, I can just say that my mental strength was stimulated by a life-or-death crisis, which caused me to unleash my power and use my short sword to fight back.

Anyway, Blood Pattern Gear isn't some kind of heaven-defying metal. There are plenty of mithril, black iron essence, and other metal materials produced in the mythical world. Unless someone understands the Refining God system and the Condensation Realm methods and can refine it with their divine soul power, they won't be able to tell anything about it.

Even if you figured it out, you picked it up on your way home during the Mythical Rift riot.

I am a genius student from No. 7 Middle School, a top prodigy who is about to awaken his spiritual power. What's wrong with me suddenly killing a cultist?

If you push me too far, I might go and complain to my outdoor photography expert, Teacher Su, a graduate of Qingquan Chunhui Hall!

Of course, it's highly unlikely that any of the above will happen.

Before reporting the incident to the Prevention and Control Bureau, Li Xijun had already called Ye Liuyun and Zhang Haifeng to explain the situation.

Especially after confirming with Ye Liuyun that his father would be leading the team, and that Zhang Haifeng had already arrived, he was basically relieved.

.....................

A moment later

A whooshing sound could already be heard from the sky.

First, a flock of drones flew in from the sky, spreading out and blocking the entire area's aerial view.

Immediately following were twelve figures dressed in black and blue standard nano-protective suits, descending from a height of over ten meters on flying boat-shaped aircraft.

The leader, a man wearing a black protective mask, leaped from the air and landed smoothly without making a sound on the ground.

The middle-aged man was already in front of Li Xijun the moment he saw him.

"Li Xijun, please cooperate with us in conducting the necessary search."

The words were spoken in a very serious and official manner, but when the other person said them, they had already removed their protective mask, revealing their face.

It was Ye Jianhua, Ye Liuyun's father.

Li Xijun understood perfectly well that this was the other party going through the necessary procedures, so she simply raised her hands and let the other party conduct the inspection.

The remaining eleven personnel from the prevention and control bureau have already taken photos and videos at the scene, examined the bodies to confirm their identities, and so on.

After Li Xijun underwent a procedural test by Ye Jianhua, Zhang Haifeng arrived at the scene.

Ye Jianhua then handed the Blood Pattern Flying Sword and other items to Li Xijun. After reporting the test results to the camera on his body, he went directly to Zhang Haifeng, a teacher at the school, to discuss the situation.

"I don't think it's necessary to go to the disease control bureau for testing and to give a statement."

As a martial arts teacher at a key high school in Bocheng, Zhang Haifeng naturally knew Ye Jianhua. However, with so many people, cameras, and drones around, they tacitly agreed to hold their conversation.

"Li Xijun is a student at our No. 7 Middle School and a key candidate for the 'Ten Years to Cultivate People' program during the 'Two Days in the Capital' training period. He just met with Teacher Su and received guidance before school ended today. What's there to test?"

"On the contrary, Director Ye, since you've confirmed that the deceased was a member of the Blood God Cult and that his strength exceeded level 9.0, then he should be the Blood God Cult member you've been focusing on in the recent missing persons cases, right?"

"Putting everything else aside, the Bureau of Disease Control and Prevention has offered a reward, and they've also applied for an honor for Li Xijun, who eliminated a major scourge. Surely that's possible?"

Zhang Haifeng, a seasoned veteran, shouted loudly, making his words heard by many citizens who had noticed the commotion and come to watch, as well as martial artists who had come to see what was going on.

The murmurs suddenly became quite noticeable in the quiet alley.

"Judging from this... that student actually killed a member of the Blood God Cult? It seems he has advanced to the third stage of weapon cultivation in martial arts."

"The murderers in the missing persons cases have all been killed... Are students these days really that fierce?"

"He's a genius from a top-tier high school who's aiming for the 'Two Days in the Capital,' and a rare talent in real combat as well."

"I've only ever read about it in novels before; this is the first time I've ever seen someone in real life actually defeat a martial artist with a higher level of Qi and Blood."

As more and more citizens gathered to watch, the staff from the prevention and control bureau all looked at Ye Jianhua.

And Director Ye naturally nodded in agreement, saying:

"The matter is quite obvious. Li, go home and get some rest, don't let it affect your martial arts training tomorrow. Xiao Zhao, go write a report, I'll submit it."

"Everyone, you can leave now. Also, have the logistics department come and clean up."

With the cooperation of Ye Jianhua and Zhang Haifeng, all procedures were completed quickly and legally.

All the explanations Li Xijun had prepared about swordsmanship, blood pattern, and mental power were useless from beginning to end. Without even taking a note, they were sent directly back to the safest private martial arts classroom in the school.

.........................

Late that night

Zhou Xinmin's home

After finishing their training, the two brothers took showers and then came to the living room.

A nutritious late-night snack and an iced energy drink were already laid out on the table.

Zhou Xinmin, who was originally watching the game while eating braised food, received a phone call and switched the channel that was broadcasting the TV station to the official channel of Bocheng, and opened a bottle of beer.

Zhou Yibai, who was starving after finishing his cultivation, didn't care about any of that and kept eating.

Zhou Shenghao, however, remained somewhat absent-minded, glancing at his cousin from time to time.

until..........

"Attention citizens! We are about to broadcast an emergency news report."

The female host who hosted the Mythical Rift Riot suddenly reappeared on television.

Both Zhou Yibai and Zhou Shenghao, already traumatized, shuddered and nervously turned to look.

However, this time the female host on the TV station displayed a remarkably poised and radiant smile as she began to speak:

"This evening, a major incident occurred in our city. Members of the 'Blood God Cult,' who had been lying in wait for several days, were fatally shot by a senior martial arts student from Yan'an No. 7 Middle School while attempting a murder! It is understood that this cult member is the mastermind behind several recent disappearances, possessing a blood energy level exceeding 9.0, making him extremely dangerous!"

Zhou Shenghao suddenly turned his head and stared at the television screen in disbelief.

Zhou Yibai's eyes widened as he stared at the scrolling text on the screen, and he couldn't help but glance at his cousin across from him.

"No wonder Lao Zhou told me to watch tonight's news. In a life-or-death battle, he managed to turn the tables and kill a Blood God Cult member whose Qi and Blood level exceeded 9.0. Yan'an No. 7 Middle School has produced another genius!"

Upon seeing this, Zhou Xinmin couldn't help but sigh, and then took another big gulp of his drink.

The television screen switched to a live video feed, showing police officers, cleaning crews, and bloodstains in the alley, all of which attracted a lot of attention.

"It is understood that the student, remaining calm and composed under pressure, successfully killed the assailant, protecting the safety of innocent civilians. The Prevention and Control Bureau has confirmed the student's heroic act and has decided to award him the title of 'City Guardian' and a reward of one million yuan as encouragement!"

Zhou Shenghao already had a vague guess in his mind, and he couldn't help but clench the spoon in his hand, twisting and deforming it.

But what's meant to come will arrive at the latest.

As the camera panned, the scene of Li Xijun completing the process and being escorted away by Ye Jianhua and Zhang Haifeng appeared on the television.

The female host's tone became increasingly loud, and she said...

"Li Xijun's performance not only demonstrated extraordinary martial arts talent, but also highlighted the responsibility and commitment of our city's younger generation! A spokesperson for the Prevention and Control Bureau stated that they hope the general public, especially young people, will take him as a role model, diligently practice, and bravely defend justice!"

"Pfft...cough cough cough!"

Zhou Xinmin sprayed out all the beer he was drinking and coughed uncontrollably, making a mess of all the braised food on the coffee table.

But at this moment, he couldn't care less about any of that. Instead, he stared wide-eyed at the boy's face on the TV screen, repeatedly confirming the boy's appearance.

Zhou Shenghao forced himself to suppress his emotions, turned around and quickly went back to his room, locking the door behind him.

He stared intently at the messages he had sent to Chang Ge on his phone screen, his heart filled with fear, dread, anger, and jealousy, which eventually transformed into a state of complete calm.

"Snapped!"

He crushed the spare phone he had bought on the black market, threw it into the trash can, and covered it with some crumpled tissues.

"What does the Blood God Cult have to do with me, Zhou Shenghao?"

"I'm a genius aiming for the C9 League!"

"As long as I don't actively devour the life essence of living beings, no one will randomly ask me to undergo testing. Even if the Blood God Cult slanders me, they won't be able to detect me successfully!"

Zhou Shenghao has severed ties with the company and intends to clean up his act and go ashore.

but,

Aside from Chang Ge, who was in direct contact with him, there was another person who already knew his identity and even used him as a pawn.

.......................

"Uncle, I'd like to go for a walk too..."

After Zhou Shenghao returned to his room, Zhou Yibai forced a smile and spoke.

Zhou Xinmin nodded in understanding.

After all, it would be upsetting for anyone to see a friend who had broken off ties acting this way, so going for a walk is perfectly normal.

After changing his clothes in his room, Zhou Yibai walked around the mansion area until he reached a secluded spot. He looked around and then whistled.

"Splash..."

A leopard-sized Abyssal Blood Predator crawled out of the nearby sewer.

He took out two bottles of Qi and Blood potion from his pocket, opened them, and poured them into the other party's split mouth.

"Sigh, it's one thing that my cousin is useless, but why is his online presence so useless too?"

"Now that's good, you've got no one to blame in the open anymore. You'd better behave yourself for a while."

Zhou Yibai reached out and touched the other person's body, sucking away their life force like a leech.

Looking at the Bloodthirsty Predator in front of him, which was lying on its back like a puppy, he couldn't help but marvel at the surreal nature of life.

Previously, he and his brother had fled separately. When he saw the Blood God Cult members chasing his cousin, he worried that the other party wouldn't last long. So, he cleverly turned around and planned to run back the way he came to escape.

Unexpectedly... when I turned back and passed through that sewer, I had this kind of encounter. I don't know if it's good or bad.

........................

Li Xijun originally intended to return to the Dasheng world to find items related to dragons.

Tonight, I'll just stay quietly in my private martial arts studio and rest.

Knowing he couldn't possibly travel through here, he saw messages constantly tagging him in the class group chat during his break.

"Brother Li is awesome!"

"As expected of our Class Six's legendary tough guy, he's incredibly strong!"

"If it weren't for the news report, I would have thought I was reading a novel. A level 7.3 Qi and Blood level cultivator defeats a cultist with a level 9.0 Qi and Blood level—that's so cool!"

"I only knew that Brother Li was a martial arts genius before, but I didn't expect him to be so fierce in actual combat. It's like watching the legendary story of those seven martial saints who made a comeback and killed their enemies all the way back then."

"Martial arts are about the underdog overthrowing the strong and the weak killing the strong, huh!"

"Brother Li was the man who, back when his Qi and Blood were only at level 6, could use the 'Dropping Cloud Hand' to attack Teacher Su, who was at level 9! A combat genius!"

Li Xijun was enjoying reading it when the last line almost made him lose his composure.

Just as he was about to say a few words and, incidentally, defend his skewed reputation...

[Su Nianyi has requested to add you as a friend. Have you accepted?]

After Li Xijun clicked "accept," a message was sent to her before she could even speak.

Su Nianyi: "My sister said you did a great job this time. Remember to meet at the entrance of Bocheng Zoo tomorrow."