Provocation

"Hm? Why does my strength seem to have become stronger?"

After sending Han Xin off, Wang Xu returned to the cultivation room to cultivate. Soon, he discovered that his body had changed and his strength had increased a lot without him knowing.

Gene Warriors were very clear about their own strength. Wang Xu had been cultivating for a long time and knew his body's condition very well. It had only been a few days. He thought that his body would weaken after being injured and his strength wouldn't be as strong as before. However, his strength had actually increased!

"Try the 'Wind Breaking Strike!'"

Wang Xu suppressed the joy in his heart. Strength enhancement was only beneficial to him. There were no disadvantages. He immediately took a two-meter long sword from the weapons rack in the cultivation room and tested it.

The Ancient Martial Art that Wang Xu was practicing was a sword technique named "Nine Lightning Sword Techniques." It was a low-level Ancient Martial Art.

Wang Xu found the "Nine Lightning Sword Techniques" in a dusty corner of the academy's Martial Arts Pavilion. At that time, the old guardian even advised him not to choose this low-level martial art because there were several people who had practiced this Ancient Martial Art, but they were unable to master it and wasted their time in the end.

Wang Xu only smiled at it and chose the "Nine Lightning Sword Techniques" with determination.

The "Nine Lightning Sword Techniques," as its name suggested, consisted of nine sword techniques. The first was "Wind Breaking Strike" and the second was "Blood Dripping Strike." As for the other seven techniques, Wang Xu didn't even bother to look at them. Until now, he had only understood the first one and reached the peak of it. As for the second technique, he still had no clue at all.

"Whoosh!" Wang Xu could clearly feel the air trembling as the blade slashed. A little blast of wind could be heard.

Wang Xu couldn't contain his joy. The 50-kilogram long sword in his hand was as light as a feather, as if it was a two-meter toy sword that didn't have the slightest bit of weight at all. Besides, this was an ordinary weapon that couldn't be any more ordinary. If he could make the sound of an air blast by slashing casually, it clearly showed that his strength had increased quite a lot.

"Let's try the 'Blood Dripping Strike' again!" Wang Xu couldn't wait. For several months, he had been practicing the second technique, but he had never been able to make any progress. He didn't know what to do with it, but today, he suddenly felt enlightened when he cultivated, as if all the obstacles had been resolved.

Wang Xu held the long sword in his hand and closed his eyes. He stood firm and his aura around his body gradually rose. After a moment, he suddenly rushed forward and twisted 180 degrees like a fried twisted dough. The long sword tore the air!

"Swish!" With a soft sound, the long sword pierced into the wall of the cultivation room. The wall made of mud was directly penetrated by the long sword.

Blood Dripping Strike was like dripping blood, forging ahead and penetrating everything.

At this moment, Wang Xu was suddenly enlightened and he immediately understood.

"I see. How could I be so stupid before? I couldn't even figure out such a simple thing?" Wang Xu was overjoyed. He continued to try the "Blood Dripping Strike."

"Wang Xu?" Suddenly, a clear voice sounded. Wang Xu's body shook as he looked in the direction of the voice.

Tang Yan?!

Wang Xu's eyes began to drift unnaturally. Even though he had reached the third level of "Basic Body," he couldn't remain calm in front of his favorite girl.

"Wang Xu, thank you… for what you did last time." Tang Yan smiled. Wang Xu was stunned for a moment before he felt relieved.

"It's not a big deal. Are you also practicing in the Ancient Martial Arts Hall? Why haven't I seen you before?" Wang Xu quickly calmed down and asked with a smile.

"I usually practice at home and only come to the Ancient Martial Arts Hall occasionally." Tang Yan said. When she saw the medal on Wang Xu's chest, her eyes brightened. "Are you a one-star coach here?"

Tang Yan's family also had one-star coaches, quite a lot of them. There were even two-star or three-star coaches. All of them were private tutors and were much more powerful than Wang Xu.

However, Tang Yan was surprised that Wang Xu, who was at the same age as her and was also a level-three Gene Warrior, was able to pass the assessment of the Ancient Martial Arts Hall and become a one-star coach. This was really rare.

"I was just lucky…" Hearing Tang Yan's surprise, Wang Xu couldn't help but rub his nose. To be able to surprise the girl he had a crush on, Wang Xu was delighted in his heart.

"Hm! Isn't he just a one-star coach? There are so many of them on the streets!" An unfriendly voice came from behind Tang Yan. Wang Xu looked over and narrowed his eyes.

Xu Yuan was ranked third on the Genetic Academy's scoreboard and was a famous young master. His level-three Gene Warrior abilities were built on his family's resources, and his points in hunting insects weren't high. However, because his family was the famous Xu family in the center of the safe zone, the students didn't dare to provoke him.

Xu Yuan liked Tang Yan and he started chasing after her crazily. They were inseparable every day. This was a well-known fact in Genetic Academy. Everyone knew Xu Yuan's intentions, and it was all for the sake of riding the coattail of the Tang family.

Today, when Xu Yuan saw that Tang Yan went out, he followed her without hesitation. And yet, when he reached the door, he saw Tang Yan and Wang Xu talking intimately, which instantly made him extremely angry and jealous.

Wang Xu was an outstanding student of the Genetic Academy. His strength and ranking were always better than Xu Yuan's, which made Xu Yuan resentful.

Then, Xu Yuan lost to Wang Xu in an academy's battle and was stripped of his dignity in front of all the teachers and students. This resentment made Xu Yuan hate Wang Xu to the core.

Now that he saw Wang Xu talking to the girl he liked, the vengeful Xu Yuan immediately had viciousness in his eyes.

"One-star coach? They're only paid 1,000 Earth Coins per hour. How can you call yourself a coach?" Xu Yuan's words were sarcastic and he didn't hold back at all.

The one-star coaches who heard Xu Yuan's words couldn't help but frown. However, they knew that Xu Yuan was a young master from a big family at first glacen, so they could only shake their heads and let it pass.

"Xu Yuan! Shut up!" Tang Yan frowned and said when she heard that Xu Yuan was saying something more and more unpleasant.

Xu Yuan's resentment towards Wang Xu in his heart intensified after hearing that.

"Wang Xu, ignore him. I happen to have reached a bottleneck in Ancient Martial Arts. Since you're a coach, you can give me some guidance…" Tang Yan changed the subject, but Wang Xu waved his hand, indicating that she didn't need to say anything.

"I still have something on today, so I'll leave first. We'll talk another day." Wang Xu said expressionlessly and left the Ancient Martial Arts Hall directly.

Tang Yan stared blankly at Wang Xu's departing figure and sighed in her heart.

"Hm! Just a lowly commoner!" Xu Yuan snorted at Wang Xu's back with his eyes full of contempt.

…

"Strength!"

"Strength!"

"In the end, it's still about strength!"

At this moment, rage surged in Wang Xu's heart. He clenched his fists tightly and his nails penetrated his flesh, causing blood to ooze out. However, he didn't notice it at all.

Facing Xu Yuan's provocation, Wang Xu could totally use his strength to speak and beat Xu Yuan until he looked for his teeth all over the ground. However, he knew that doing so would only implicate his family!

Xu Yuan had great power. A few casual words from him could send Wang Xu and his family into a doomed situation. Wang Xu would never provoke such a disaster just for a moment of pleasure.

"As long as I can become a 'level-four elite student,' pass the exam, and get the title of 'elite,' I won't have to be afraid of this damn guy!" Wang Xu said hatefully.

The entire nation was in a military frenzy. Genetic warriors from level one to three were very common and belonged to the most ordinary category. To truly obtain special privileges, one had to advance to level four and get the title of "elite."

As soon as he got the title of Elite, Wang Xu would be put in an important position by the safe zone government and become an elite human. His family members would also have the right to enter the "protected area."

The protected area was given to level-four Elite Genetic Warriors for free by the government. The family members of the Genetic Warriors lived there.

In this place, violence was absolutely prohibited. Even if a powerful Gene Warrior rushed in and killed someone, he would have to pay with his life!

There was once a level-six Gene Warrior, "Bloody Demon," who barged into the protected area and eliminated the entire family of a Gene Warrior. This alarmed the entire safe zone, and a "Supreme Martial Artist" of the safe zone immediately took action and killed him!

It could be said that no one had managed to survive after killing people in the protected area.

But how could it be so easy to get the title of "Elite?" Just the gap to becoming a level-four Gene Warrior was already difficult for Wang Xu to cross.

There seemed to be only one level between level three and level four, but whether it was strength or status, there was a huge difference.

It was difficult for Wang Xu to cross this gap, so difficult!

…

"Dad! Mom!"

After returning home, Wang Xu put on his usual face and didn't show any expression.

"Xu, you're home. Haha, let's have some meat today to celebrate!" His father, Wang Zhenguo, who usually looked serious, was very happy today.

"Dad, what's the good news today?" Wang Xu's eyes brightened. His father rarely laughed so heartily. The last time he did was because Wang Xu became a one-star coach and could earn money like an adult. His father was drunk and was delighted in his heart.

"Your father has been promoted. He's now the supervisor of the factory. Look how happy he is. He can't even close his mouth." Lin Hui said with a smile as she prepared the food busily.

The factory was no longer the same as before now. Individuals weren't allowed to operate a factory. Every factory had the support of the government and there were very few of them. Although the position of a supervisor wasn't eye-catching, he would manage thousands of people and have real power.

Wang Zhenguo became a supervisor, so his salary and status would naturally rise. How could he not be happy?

The three of them sat around the table to enjoy their dinner. The atmosphere was harmonious and joyful. A blissful warmth flowed at the bottom of Wang Xu's heart. He cherished this family more and more, and he was also more determined to become stronger.

Only by becoming stronger could he protect his family!

Only by becoming stronger would his parents not be bullied by others and no longer have to endure people's attitude!

They finished dinner quickly. Wang Xu greeted his parents and returned to his room.

After closing the door and switching on the lights, Wang Xu pulled out the chair and sat down. He picked up a book and prepared to revise it before going to bed. Suddenly, his eyes froze as he turned his gaze on a picture frame in the distance.

There was an old photograph in the frame, yellowed at the edges. One could tell it was already a bit old. Wang Xu and his parents were in the photo. At the same time, there was a little boy younger than Wang Xu.