Dawn of a New Era

Three nights later, Chen Xingyue, dressed in pajamas, knocked on Chen Shouyi's bedroom door and handed him a letter delivered by a government employee.

He accepted it and tore it open, finding inside a notice regarding his evasion of military training.

"A warning and a deduction of this month's salary?" He thought to himself.

This punishment isn't too severe; a warning is the lightest level of administrative penalty. After that, there are records, major records, demotion, dismissal, and expulsion. Also, the deduction is only from his salary, not from various Martial Artist allowances.

Clearly, Hedong City doesn't want to punish too harshly, forcing him, a prominent Martial Artist, to leave.

"Brother, what's the letter about, what's written in it?" Chen Xingyue asked curiously, trying to peek.

Chen Shouyi quickly scanned through the letter, glanced at his overly curious sister, and asked, "Do you want to see it?"

Chen Xingyue nodded her head vigorously, her face full of anticipation.

"This is classified; we can talk about it once you're a Martial Artist!" Chen Shouyi sniffed, holding the letter in his hand. He then rubbed his hands together vigorously, turning the entire letter into tiny fragments that scattered to the ground.

He then calmly patted his hands clean.

Seeing her brother's rude attitude, Chen Xingyue puffed her cheeks in anger and gritted her teeth, saying, "Just because you're a great Martial Artist, what's so great about that? Just you wait, give me another month, and I refuse to believe I can't dodge one of your moves!"

"Don't talk big, or you'll find the disappointment greater than the hope," Chen Shouyi raised his eyebrows and said.

Within ten days, the third optimization of Body Refinement 36 will be complete. Based on previous optimizations, his power should increase substantially in a month.

Besides, even if he makes no progress, a Martial Artist dodging a Martial Master's move is practically impossible.

"Just you wait; I refuse to believe it!" Chen Xingyue ground her teeth and said resentfully, then turned and stomped away.

Bulling his sister made Chen Shouyi's previously gloomy mood from the punishment feel much better.

The sibling rivalry between Chen Shouyi and his sister had long become commonplace; this minor squabble was just part of their daily routine. Of course, they say thirty years east, thirty years west; now the tables have turned, and he's on top again, which could last for a very long time, until life's end.

He looked at the paper fragments at the door, suddenly slapped his forehead, and reluctantly took out a broom and dustpan to clean them up.

...

At dawn, while still misty, Chen Shouyi walked along the street, wearing a mask and carrying a bow and sword.

It was April, and the climate was gradually warming. The Safe Zone was no longer unfinished like when he first arrived; the unpaved roads had been transformed into cement surfaces, and willows were transplanted along the roadside.

The willow branches, with newly grown leaves, slightly swayed in the gentle morning breeze, giving a sense of spring's vitality.

At the corner of a breakfast shop, a tall stout woman and a thin middle-aged man were busy sweating, even though it was only 5:30 in the morning, the breakfast shop was already bustling with customers.

Upon seeing Chen Shouyi with a mask, the woman brightened and eagerly wiped her hands with a towel and greeted him, "What would you like today?"

"The usual, fifty meat buns and fifty vegetable buns, to take away!"

This was not just breakfast; it included lunch as well.

"We don't have enough now; you'll have to wait a bit."

"That's fine, no worries!" Chen Shouyi said indifferently and then entered the breakfast shop, sitting at an empty seat.

The woman handed a bowl of noodles to a customer and politely said to Chen Shouyi, "Would you like to eat something now to tide over?"

She knew that people carrying swords were either Martial Artists or Martial Artist Apprentices, and they had enormous appetites and got hungry easily.

"No need, no need!" Chen Shouyi quickly refused.

His teeth grew very slowly, even the fastest-growing front teeth were only the size of a green bean, he feared that if he took off his mask, he'd become the center of attention.

He preferred not to garner such attention.

Soon, the buns he ordered were ready.

The hundred buns were swiftly packed into five bags by the woman; Chen Shouyi paid and stuffed them into his backpack one by one and got up to leave.

Passing by City Hall Square, he saw a group of students in Martial Arts Academy uniforms being led by several teachers on a tour early in the morning at the site of the Divine Corpse's fall, with some daring students even crossing the warning line, walking around inside.

The nearby soldiers on duty showed no intention to stop them.

Chen Shouyi frowned slightly, as the place had become eerie and sinister full of resentment since the fall of the Barbarian God, even he wouldn't dare approach, yet these bold students seemed wanton in risking their lives without fear of mishap.

Hesitating for a moment, Chen Shouyi quickly walked over and advised, "It's very dangerous inside; you'd better not approach."

Several Martial Artist Academy teachers were quietly chatting, glanced at him due to his words, likely thinking him young and not taking him seriously, soon resumed their conversation.

A female student, reasonably attractive among the crowd, expressed discontent, saying, "Don't talk nonsense, what's dangerous?"

Chen Shouyi shook his head and said nothing more, turning around and leaving; wise is as wise does, since he had already warned them, he fulfilled his responsibility.

"Really absurd." said the pretty female student, watching Chen Shouyi's back.

"Class President, don't mind him; many people have visited here already, without danger?" said an average-looking teenage boy loudly.

"Yeah, it's really meddlesome, even us Martial Artist Apprentices aren't afraid!" said a boy with a face full of acne.

"Class President, thirsty? I brought a bottle of mineral water for you." said a tall boy, ingratiatingly.

"Mineral water, from half a year ago, almost expired, huh?"

The nearby boys immediately flocked to please, the Martial Arts Academy had more boys than girls, and female Martial Artist Apprentices were rare, most of them stout, while those reasonably attractive were cherished as endangered species.

"Aren't you annoying!" The female student said irritably, turned her head away, ignoring these sycophants, watching the boys within the warning line for a while. Perhaps influenced by that mysterious gentleman earlier, an unease crept into her mind.

...

"Bang! Bang! Bang..."

Dense and continuous shadows of fists rained like string plucking on a vast pine tree. Bark and wood chips scattered, occasionally splattering blood, the entire tree shook, quivering, a few minutes later, a 20 cm deep hollow appeared on the trunk.

During the memory space fights with two newly promoted Martial Masters, Chen Shouyi realized his body seemed vulnerable. Or rather, compared to his formidable offensive power, his body seemed fragile.

In that battle, after kicking Lei Ruiyang, he subsequently killed him, Xiao Changming's jaw was broken by a kick, neck bone directly fractured, and while he appeared victorious, apparently unharmed, in reality, particularly the last hit, his toes and even the back of his foot suffered various degrees of fractures.

The offensive power in Martial Arts is so strong that it far exceeds his defensive capabilities.

Even a Martial Artist's fists and feet striking his body could possibly cause injury.

Perhaps due to this reason, very few Martial Artists specifically trained in endurance or bone strength, nor have they developed methods like Body Refinement 36 or quiet meditation that enhances physical toughness.

It's akin to modern fighter jet duels, getting hit means defeat, whether your defense is strong or not, it can't stop a missile strike; focusing energy instead on improving maneuverability, enhancing stealth capabilities, and boosting the fighter's firepower...

To some extent, the development of human Martial Artists embodies this mindset.

Moreover, Chen Shouyi speculates that the higher-ups may also consider preventing Martial Artists from losing balance; when Martial Artists can ignore bullets, their level of danger multiplies exceptionally.

Previously, he never focused on this weakness, but today, perhaps due to the processing notice's influence, an idea suddenly struck him: why shouldn't he develop a skill to boost physical strength?

Others might not achieve this, but for someone with the Book of Knowledge, like him, it's certainly possible.