Chapter 20: Beast Tide Siege (Part 1)

In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed. Yang Tong lived quite comfortably every day because he could feel himself growing stronger daily. Over these days, Yang Tong discovered that Taiji Fist had the miraculous effect of balancing his body. For instance, Yang Tong’s soul was now slowly condensing, and his consciousness sea had suddenly expanded tenfold. This meant his mental power and neural reactions had increased ten times, a figure that far exceeded the limits of an Apprentice Ninth-Level Warrior.

Under the effect of Taiji Fist, Yang Tong’s other physical functions were also steadily improving. Yang Tong had now reached the level of an Apprentice Fifth Level warrior.

A thirteen-year-old Apprentice Fifth Level Warrior could absolutely be considered a genius among geniuses. Compared to half a month ago, the current Yang Tong was like a completely different person. If he were to enter the Grand Final Tournament again, he would win the championship effortlessly; it would purely be bullying others.

Yang Tong did not know how strong Zheng Meimei was after her awakening, but he was equally confident that he was not inferior to her. She had simply awakened one step earlier. Yang Tong had absolute confidence that he, too, would awaken before long.

In another two years, once his soul was fully condensed and his consciousness sea completely stabilized, as long as he comprehended the power of will, he would achieve Transcending Mortality and awaken naturally.

Yang Tong also noticed his abnormally rapid improvement rate. With the help of Taiji Fist, he only needed to slowly balance the gaps between his mental power and his physical strength, speed, explosive power, etc., and he could rise to the height of an Apprentice Ninth Level in just a few short years.

However, Yang Tong had been thinking about how to keep a low profile. Before awakening, he had to keep a lower profile during these few years and not draw too much attention.

Just at that moment, a rumbling tremor came from the ground.

“Could it be an earthquake?!”

Yang Tong felt the tremors growing stronger. Suddenly, a sharp alarm sounded from all directions of the county town, echoing through the sky.

Hearing this alarm, Yang Tong’s face changed dramatically. This… this was the beast tide siege alarm. Upon hearing this alarm, the entire city was to support the Outer District walls.

At the same time, bolts of lightning appeared out of thin air, forming an enormous electrical net that covered the entire sky.

“Yang Tong, quickly pack your things and take your protective weapons,” his mother’s voice came from inside the house.

Yang Tong hurried into the house and went to the family’s armory. His mother was already there, dressed in a woman’s close-fitting martial robe. She had a combat sword strapped to her back, two Spirit Tool pistols holstered at her waist, and was holding a Type A Spirit Energy rapid-fire machine gun, all loaded with Beast Crystals. A military dagger was also tucked into her boot.

The walls were covered with all kinds of weapons, both melee and ranged. Spirit Tools were divided into nine grades; the higher the grade, the greater the power. The earliest Spirit Tools were weapons invented by humans to assist in combat using spiritual energy, and they were all melee weapons. One should not underestimate melee weapons. These Spirit Tool weapons were like legendary divine weapons, capable of boosting a person’s combat power to the limit and possessing earth-shattering power. With the development of Artifact Technology, more convenient and handy ranged weapons were developed and quickly gained popularity and widespread use.

If this were a low-martial world like Earth, which relied on pure mechanical technology, ranged weapons would inevitably replace melee ones. But in fact, in this world, ranged weapons were only popular among the vast numbers of low-level warriors and Mind Masters. In the eyes of those top-tier powerhouses, melee weapons still held the dominant position, irreplaceable and unable to be replaced. This was because those powerhouses relied on their own strength. No matter how powerful ranged weapons were, they were merely external aids. In contrast, melee weapons, especially those specifically developed to match the fighting styles of powerhouses, could bring a powerhouse’s strength to its limit. Paired with some secret techniques, they were absolutely more powerful than ranged weapons.

To distinguish them, for melee and ranged weapons, ranged weapons were graded with “A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, J.” Type A was essentially a first-grade Spirit Tool, and Type J was a Ninth-grade Spiritual Artifact.

Yang Tong took off his casual clothes and took his own combat martial robe from the wall. He wore a set of leather armor underneath and a close-fitting martial robe on the outside, changing quickly. He took down a first-grade thick-backed combat sword and strapped it to his back. He also holstered two first-grade Spirit Tool Type A Spirit Energy rapid-fire pistols, and a Spirit Energy rapid-fire machine gun of the same model as the one in his mother’s hand.

“Tong’er, take this ring. It contains a lot of food, Beast Crystals, and wilderness survival gear. If anything unexpected happens, you’ll have some supplies.” Luo Xiaojuan took out a Storage Ring from her bosom and handed it to Yang Tong. Then she immediately took out a map, spread it on the table, and said to Yang Tong, “We must not underestimate the power of a beast tide siege. Over the past few hundred years, three surrounding counties alone have been destroyed by beast tides. So we must be prepared for the worst. This is Dingguang County, this is Luozhen County, and this here is Falling Star City. The first two counties will likely also face beast tides. If the city walls are breached and we get separated, you can retreat to Falling Star City. We will look for you at the government square in Falling Star City. Keep the map safe, and it’s best to memorize it.”

“Mom, are the beast tides so powerful? Are they attacking our county and these other counties at the same time?” Yang Tong asked gravely.

“Not just the surrounding three counties; I’m afraid even Falling Star City is in line for a beast tide assault. However, Falling Star City is one of the sixteen hundred tier-three cities in the country. For tens of thousands of years, not a single proper city has ever fallen to a beast tide, not even a tier-three city. So that place is the safest,” Luo Xiaojuan replied.

“Then why don’t we move to Falling Star City?” Yang Tong asked, puzzled.

“Ah, Tong’er, you’re too naive. Our family can live very comfortably in Luoyu County, but as for Falling Star City… although it’s safe, there are too many powerful and influential people there. The pressure of living is too great; only those who have awakened are valued there.” Luo Xiaojuan answered with a long sigh.

Upon hearing this, Yang Tong understood the reasoning. It was like someone who lived very well in the countryside; if they moved to the city, they would only end up poor.

“If there’s danger of the county town being breached, you students will be the first to evacuate under the protection of government and school experts. You must remember, stay with the main force. If you get separated, you must memorize these routes. Here…” Luo Xiaojuan earnestly explained to Yang Tong the precautions for several routes on the map, how to avoid Savage Beasts along the way, how to survive in the wilderness, how to stay alive, and so on.

“Mom, but what about you and Dad?” Yang Tong asked with concern.

“Silly child, if you are safe, your dad and I won’t have any worries. With our abilities and experience, plus the fact that your dad’s old comrades are not weak, a small team breaking through is still possible. After all, we are just civilians, not city defense troops. If things become hopeless, we can retreat even before the city defense troops.” Luo Xiaojuan explained with a smile.