Dawn of a New Era

Inside a training room in a villa.

Lei Ruiyang's expression was gloomy, his body like a blur of shadows, frantically swinging his sword. In the nearly 120-square-meter enclosed training room, the air howled, and sonic booms echoed. An ordinary person opening the door would likely be blown back by the air currents if they opened the door.

As one of the only two Martial Artists in Hedong City, the upper echelon naturally pays high attention to Lei Ruiyang. Not only is a large villa directly provided in the Safe Zone, but the entire basement is specially remodeled into a high-intensity training room, including the walls, all covered with a thick layer of steel plates to meet his training needs.

Even so, countless footprints of various depths have already been left on the steel plates.

Lei Ruiyang vented for a few minutes before stopping with a blank expression, grabbed a towel, wiped his sweat, and left the training room.

As he walked to the living room on the first floor, ready to take a sip of water, a knock on the door came from outside.

He frowned slightly, went over to open the door, and found that it was Xiao Changming. His expression was slightly surprised: "Lao Xiao, why are you here?"

His relationship with Xiao Changming wasn't close enough for one to visit the other on their own initiative.

Although both are Military Martial Artists, they don't see each other often.

The military district's Martial Artist troops are divided into two large teams: one is the Special Forces team, which he used to be in charge of; the other is the Interworld Reconnaissance team, led by Xiao Changming. The two are responsible for different affairs and often tested each other, so naturally, their relationship isn't great.

"Come in and have a seat!" Xiao Changming said, surveying the room's furnishings as he sat on the sofa, "The house provided by the city is good, why not hire a nanny?"

Lei Ruiyang poured him a cup of boiled water, saying indifferently, "I'm looking!"

After some simple chatting, Xiao Changming got to the point: "I'm here about the matter at today's meeting."

"I figured it out already, you're here to lobby, aren't you?" Lei Ruiyang said with a blank expression. He wasn't foolish; seeing Xiao Changming smooth things over in the meeting room earlier, he guessed Xiao Changming knew that civilian Martial Artist.

"Lobbyist?" Xiao Changming's eyebrows furrowed slightly in confusion.

"You wouldn't say you don't know that Martial Artist named Chen Shouyi, would you? Don't worry, I'm not the kind of person to hold a grudge. As long as he doesn't provoke trouble, I will leave him be!" Lei Ruiyang coldly said. Mentioning Chen Shouyi's name, his barely contained anger surged back up.

Such arrogance, such arrogance.

What confidence makes him dare to challenge a Martial Artist face to face, with his pitiful self-esteem?

"I do know him, but that's not the point." Xiao Changming, also somewhat annoyed by Lei Ruiyang's cold attitude, retaliated: "I'm just here to tell you! Chen Shouyi isn't just any regular Martial Artist. Before consuming Divine Blood, he was already the number one in Jiangnan Province, and now he might already be a Martial Artist. Most importantly, he's only eighteen years old, think carefully about it."

Having said his piece, Xiao Changming didn't stay much longer and quickly left.

Lei Ruiyang sat motionless on the sofa, his face somber!

The next moment, he fiercely kicked the coffee table, and with a loud bang, the glass coffee table instantly shattered, scattering glass shards across the entire living room.

...

Early the next morning, Chen Shouyi cautiously sat up from his bed, and just as he moved, the Shell Lady suddenly opened her eyes, rolling around like she was sleepwalking, then sat up from beside the pillow, rubbing her sleepy eyes with a big yawn.

"Are you leaving again?" she asked weakly.

"It's still early, go back to sleep. Don't worry! I'll call you when I go!" Chen Shouyi replied speechlessly.

"Oh!" The Shell Lady lay down again, closed her eyes, and within seconds, her gentle snoring softly started again.

She's been sleeping too little these days. Previously, she would sleep for ten to twenty hours straight, now she barely sleeps five to six hours, clearly sleep-deprived.

Chen Shouyi got dressed, went to the bathroom, squeezed some toothpaste, and began brushing his teeth.

After brushing for a while, he suddenly felt something was wrong. He immediately spat out the white foam and found streaks of blood mixed in it.

He stared in surprise; this was simply incredible. Given his gums' resilience, they might bleed if brushed with a wire brush, but even if he brushed as hard as possible with soft nylon bristles, it'll never cause bleeding.

He quickly rinsed his mouth with clean water and looked in the mirror. His neat white teeth reflected a glossy, porcelain-like sheen, yet blood streaks had seeped between his front teeth.

He licked his front teeth with his tongue and found they were slightly loose.

"I haven't bumped my front teeth these days. Also, even if they did get loose, my Natural Healing ability should have repaired them quickly." Chen Shouyi wondered, baffled.

He stared at the mirror for a long time, finally unable to resist gently pinching his front tooth and tugging it lightly. He swore he didn't use much force, yet it easily came out.

He looked at the bloody tooth, dumbfounded and incredulous.

This was the front tooth that had accompanied him for over a decade, which he thought would age with him and live together into old age. Yet unexpectedly, it had left him ruthlessly ahead of him.

Chen Shouyi immediately rinsed his mouth again, spitting out a mouthful of blood foam, looking at his teeth with a missing front tooth in the mirror, he found it hard to accept.

Holding the uprooted front tooth in his hand, he thought absentmindedly: "This should be able to be reattached, right?"

...

"Brother!" Chen Xingyue greeted Chen Shouyi as he walked into the dining room.

Chen Shouyi nodded. He didn't speak, imagining that if he opened his mouth and his sister saw the missing front tooth, his dignity as a brother would be gone.

He sat down at the table and silently started eating breakfast.

"Brother, what's wrong with you today? You seem so strange!" Chen Xingyue asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Strange in what way?" Chen Shouyi mumbled under his breath while eating breakfast.

"Just everywhere!" Chen Xingyue said casually, not delving further into it, and then changed the topic excitedly: "Brother, I read in the newspaper that in five days, the Martial Arts Notarization Office will organize a martial artist examination. Do you think I should go?"

Since Chen Shouyi left the remaining Divine Blood for his parents and Chen Xingyue, she had been progressing rapidly in her strength, already possessing martial artist abilities, especially in physical fitness, which had long surpassed ordinary martial artists.

"You want to register?" Chen Shouyi asked, looking up.

"Yes!" Chen Xingyue replied, still unclear.

"No way!" Chen Shouyi firmly rejected.

Nowadays, it was not the peaceful time like before. Becoming a martial artist was far from glamorous; instead, it entailed great risks. Furthermore, the city government and the military were strong now, and once the summons order was issued, there was no room for retreat. One adventurer in the family was enough; his sister, a girl, should stay at home to care for their parents.

Moreover, he had just clashed with the director of the Martial Arts Notarization and Inspection Office. If they found out she was his sister, who knows what they might do?

The human heart is malicious, especially concerning his sister; he dared to speculate with the greatest malice.

"Why? Are you saying it's dangerous? I'm not afraid!" Chen Xingyue said angrily; becoming a martial artist had always been her dream, but now her brother brutally denied it.

Chen Shouyi realized his attitude might be wrong, so he softened his tone: "It's not that I'm preventing you from going, but your strength is still far from that of a martial artist. Let me ask you, have you completed the stage of staying still and refining your flesh?"

"No...no!" Chen Xingyue blushed and then explained, unconvinced: "But I've made great progress lately, and even if I haven't reached it, I already have the strength of a martial artist."

"Let me ask you another question: How much practical combat experience do you have? Don't tell me you train every day, because training and combat experience are two different things?" Chen Shouyi continued to question.

Chen Xingyue's momentum weakened further, murmuring: "Is this part of the examination too?"

Her combat experience was almost non-existent, having only unintentionally killed a petty thief.

"Sigh, you are still too young and know little about the martial artist examination. As a martial artist, physical fitness isn't everything; combat power is fundamental. The examination tests not only physical fitness but also actual combat!

When you can withstand one move from me, you can participate in the martial artist examination."

"Hmph, I can't believe I can't withstand one move from you. You're just a senior martial artist after all." Chen Xingyue still said somewhat unconvinced.

"Why not give it a try?" Chen Shouyi raised an eyebrow.

Oh, my foolish sister, you're out of touch. Brother is not merely a senior martial artist now, but a martial artist. Even senior martial artists can't withstand one move from me, let alone you, a novice martial artist.

"Let's try then!" Chen Xingyue gritted her teeth.

"Alright, no need to go outside, let's keep it simple - sitting here, using chopsticks as swords." Chen Shouyi picked up a chopstick and glanced sideways at his sister: "Are you ready? I'm about to start."

"Re...ready," Chen Xingyue couldn't help swallowing, gripping the chopstick tightly, feeling a bit nervous.

Just as she finished speaking, she saw her brother's hand blur, and the next instant a gust of wind blew strongly against her face, sending her hair flying back, pulling painfully at her roots.

When she came to her senses, she saw a chopstick, still, ten centimeters from her throat.

It could have been even closer. With Chen Shouyi's skill at controlling strength to perfection, he could stab wherever he wanted, as deep as he desired, with an error margin of no more than a millimeter.

However, he couldn't ensure the chopstick didn't carry Sword Aura; if, by chance, he pierced his sister's throat just for showing off, no amount of regret would suffice.

Chen Shouyi withdrew the chopstick, smiling smugly, revealing teeth with a missing front one, his speech affected: "See, you still have a long way to go before becoming a martial artist!"

Chen Xingyue had initially been crestfallen due to her brother's blow, but seeing his teeth, she couldn't help but burst into laughter, both amused and concerned: "Brother, where's your front tooth gone?"