Chapter 134 New Day

The main world, early morning.

Zhou Jing opened his eyes in his dormitory bed. He stared blankly at the gradually brightening sky outside the window for a while before sitting up and looking at the time.

"Another new day…"

Zhou Jing rubbed his temples, withdrew from Bill's identity, and exhaled.

The main world and the Star Realm have different flow rates. Every time he spends a long time in the Star Realm, only one night passes in the main world.

Fortunately, each return recalibrates his identity recognition, and with the constant improvement of his mental strength, he can quickly adjust without confusing his identities. Moreover, each return leaves him refreshed, as if he had a good night's sleep.

Zhou Jing got up and brushed his teeth while pondering to himself:

"Bill is waiting in Ning Tian Prefecture, waiting for his reputation to spread. There's no need to worry about him for the time being…"

He had formulated a strategy for Bill, who would remain in Ning Tian Prefecture, living in seclusion and using his alchemy skills to socialize with the powerful. With the reputation established during his personal descent, there should be no major problems.

Currently, all three Apostle slots are occupied. Jason is still AFK in the Alien Beast World, doing who knows what. The other two slots are being used in "d19 world," so he can't deploy new Apostles for the time being.

"With Bill's transition, Chen Feng has been on Red Cloud Mountain for several months. Given his training efficiency, he should have mastered most of his martial arts. It's time for him to come out of the mountains again. I'll sleep as him tonight."

Zhou Jing nodded to himself. After grooming himself, he took his textbooks and left for class.

Having lived in a feudal era for a while, he was somewhat unaccustomed to many things. Now that he was back in the main world, everything felt so convenient.

Students walked in twos and threes on the road, chatting about food and TV shows, in a scene of peace and harmony.

Looking at this scene, Zhou Jing couldn't help but feel a little emotional.

He could stir up storms in the Star Realm under different faces, but for the main world, it was just another ordinary day.

"Given the difference in time flow in the d19 world, by the time the main world's explorers officially travel there, I'll probably have spent several years in that Star Realm…"

Zhou Jing shook his head, feeling a mix of emotions, including a subtle sense of excitement and a sense of alienation.

The life of an explorer must be like this. Those who frequently serve probably feel even more like they're in another world after returning…

Zhou Jing suppressed his thoughts.

He attended his classes as usual, without any disturbances.

In the evening, Zhou Jing finally had dinner with his close friends, including Li Xiaoyin. After eating, they chatted for more than half an hour before he leisurely returned to his dormitory.

He took a nice shower, then lay down on his bed fully clothed, closed his eyes, and entered the Transmigration Preparation Space, descending onto Chen Feng.

…

The eleventh year of Xinghe, midsummer.

A clear sky stretched for ten thousand miles, and the sun sprinkled over the layered forests.

Red Cloud Mountain, the mountain stronghold's training ground.

Thirty-two stronghold lackeys, stripped to the waist, stood in four groups in four directions, each pulling on an iron chain. The ends of the chains were wrapped around the limbs of a burly man with lion-like hair in the middle. It was dozens of people competing in strength against one man.

A large crowd gathered around the training ground, shouting and cheering, excitedly watching the spectacle.

"Everyone, use your strength! Did you save all your energy for tossing your wives at home?!"

"Second Master Chen has never been defeated. Today, he's challenging four more people than last time. I don't think it's certain who will win."

"Heh, I'm still betting on Second Master Chen!"

The burly man in the middle was Chen Feng. Although he was being pulled by more than thirty people, his body remained unmoving. The muscles in his arms and thighs bulged, and his masculine aura was unleashed without restraint.

In contrast, the thirty-two lackeys were desperately gripping the iron chains, their faces flushed red, having used all their strength.

"Ha… Open!"

At this moment, Chen Feng suddenly roared, his inner force surging, and he pulled with all his might.

Clang! The iron chains rang out.

In the next moment, the more than thirty lackeys were pulled forward by a huge force, tripping over each other, losing their balance, and falling to the ground in a series of thuds, covered in dust.

"Good!"

The onlookers immediately cheered loudly, and applause thundered.

"Hahaha, don't mention thirty people, even forty or fifty people together can't do anything to Grandpa."

Chen Feng laughed and casually threw the iron chains aside, as if he hadn't exerted much effort at all.

In these months, he often competed with the lackeys. Life on the mountain wasn't very interesting, so this had become a rare event. Each time, a large group of people would excitedly come to set up betting pools.

Standing around the training ground were not only the lackeys, but also the Red Cloud Mountain leaders, such as Yu Feng, Li Chun, and Lu Yunzhao, as well as his sworn brothers, Guo Hai Shen and Fang Zhen, all of whom had expressions of admiration on their faces.

Fang Zhen watched, his blood boiling, and said excitedly, "Second Brother's divine strength is unparalleled in the world. Every time I see it, I admire him greatly."

"What people often say about dragging a running horse backward is nothing to Brother Chen. To resist dozens of people is simply a divine general descending to the mortal world. How can there be such a person in the secular world!" Li Chun shook his head and sighed, spouting a cheesy poem.

The chief leader, Yu Feng, exclaimed in amazement, "Even if the ancient fierce general Zhang Yi and the founding general Ma Cheng were resurrected, they would probably be no match for Brother Chen. No wonder he was able to make a name for himself in the greenwoods with the title 'Ghostly Courage, Life-Reaping Yama'. In my opinion, no one in this world is Brother Chen's opponent!"

"That's natural. My second brother is invincible!"

Guo Hai Shen put his hands on his hips and said loudly, his face full of pride.

Just as everyone was happily discussing, Chen Feng's body paused, and his eyes suddenly became bright. Zhou Jing took over the descent, and no one noticed that the person in front of them had changed cores.

Zhou Jing was already familiar with this kind of sudden descent.

Before transmigrating, he had checked Chen Feng's activities over the past few months and was aware of his current situation.

At this time, Zhou Jing looked around calmly and roughly understood the situation.

"Chen Feng's personality is bold and fierce, which is reflected even when he's being managed. It's very suitable for mixing in the greenwoods. In the past few months, he's already become one with the Red Cloud Mountain… I should first check his training progress."

Zhou Jing steadied his mind and opened the panel to check the current attributes of Apostle No. 4, Chen Feng.

[Extraordinary System 1: [Martial Artist]]

[Realm: First Realm - Foundation]

[Aura Trait: Swift]

[Core Technique: Basic Tempering Method lv5]

[Martial Arts School: Swift Wind Style lv6]

[Total Bonus: Physique +12, Resistance +8, Energy +22]

--

[Extraordinary System 2: [Martial Arts Inner Force]]

[Realm: Strength Circulation, As Easy As Using Limbs]

[Inner Force Cultivation Method: None]

[Martial Arts Moves: Zhongping Spear Technique lv7, Twelve Spear Postures lv6]

[Total Bonus: Physique +6, Resistance +2, Energy +12]

--

[Current Total Attributes: Physique 40 (+4) (First Order ax), Resistance 34, Perception 16, Spirit 14, Energy 34]

"Good progress."

Zhou Jing's eyes lit up slightly.

After only one transmigration, all four skills that Chen Feng was training simultaneously had risen by three or four levels, his attribute bonuses had greatly increased, and his strength had significantly improved since the last time he returned.

The purple-grade martial arts aptitude was indeed extraordinary. Even though the higher the skill, the more difficult it was to train, the efficiency was still very high, and he hadn't encountered any bottlenecks yet.

The faster he leveled up, the more Star Realm Points he spent, but the Apostle's activities provided income, plus his original savings, so it was more than enough.

"Physique can break through to the second order, and he has even more abundant energy. Even if he's caught in the midst of thousands of troops, he can probably last for a long time…"

Zhou Jing was secretly pleased and let the physique attribute break through, gaining a first-order trait.

The three physique traits that Apostle No. 4 randomly received were [Agile Figure], [Lasting Endurance], and [Flexible Physique]. This time, he chose [Lasting Endurance].

Chen Feng's strength was already very high, and he rarely encountered opponents in this world. In the future, he would probably experience frequent large and small battles and need to keep charging. Strengthening his endurance to improve his sustained combat ability was more suitable.

Finally, after checking and confirming that there were no other changes, Zhou Jing closed the panel.

The lackeys dispersed from the training ground. Zhou Jing greeted the leaders who were watching, chatted with them for a few words, and then returned to the house with his two sworn brothers.

Along the way, he could see the mountain stronghold's houses scattered in a mess, and rural women raising chickens and feeding pigs.

Although this group of people were greenwood bandits, and their representative business was robbery, the money and food they obtained from robbing were only a part of their income. They couldn't open shop every day.

Red Cloud Mountain had two or three thousand people. Excluding the old, weak, sick, disabled, and some family members, there were fewer than a thousand lackeys who could actually wield knives and fight. To maintain the livelihoods of so many people on the mountain, they naturally had to rely on stable methods.

Most of the time, the stronghold lackeys' main task wasn't fighting. They were actually growing vegetables, raising poultry, hunting, and finding places on the mountain to cultivate land.

This kind of greenwood stronghold was not only a den of bandits, but also a special residential village that was free from the rule and exploitation of the government, and didn't have to pay taxes or rent to the government.

In addition to greenwood heroes, there would occasionally be commoners who had committed crimes or farmers who couldn't stand the government's exploitation who would come to seek refuge. It was the last resort when they were at the end of their rope. If they could steel themselves to give up their peaceful lives, this place would always be an option.

Zhou Jing and the other two returned to the house, set out some snacks and wine, and ate and drank casually.

They had been together for several months, and all three of them were familiar with each other. Although Zhou Jing hadn't personally experienced it, he had received Chen Feng's experience recordings and knew everything.

Fang Zhen took a bite of a chicken's butt, then took a swig of wine, saying unclearly:

"Second Brother, we've been on Red Cloud Mountain for three or four months. It seems like the government hasn't made any moves. How long are we going to hide?"

Guo Hai Shen picked up a chopstick of pickled vegetables, crunching as he chewed, and couldn't help but ask, "These Red Cloud Mountain leaders have treated us to good wine and good meat for months, and have invited us to join them more than once. We've refused them every time, and I feel a little bad about it. Second Brother, what are your plans?"

Zhou Jing stroked his chin and pondered:

"We've committed a major crime, and we'll inevitably have to become bandits in the future. Red Cloud Mountain has treated us well, but I still want to travel around and meet all the heroes in the world for the time being, and I don't want to stay on any mountain."

Several months had passed since the incident in Anlin Prefecture. The government was unwilling to let it go and had issued wanted posters to the surrounding states, but they didn't know Zhou Jing's whereabouts and could only sigh helplessly.

He was hiding on Red Cloud Mountain, and only a limited number of people knew about it. The stronghold lackeys wouldn't spread rumors. Although Xiang Tianjie and the others from Heavenly King Stronghold had made a name for him, they wouldn't reveal his whereabouts either.

This led to a situation where his deeds as "Life-Reaping Yama" had spread throughout the country in a few months, his ghostly courage had shocked the world, and he had become a well-known "Greenwood Hero" respected by countless greenwood heroes… However, almost no outsiders knew his whereabouts.

Now that the limelight had mostly passed, as long as he disguised himself slightly, he could continue to wander around.

Zhou Jing didn't plan to start an uprising now. After analyzing the situation, he felt that there were two main goals at this stage.

One, of course, was to continue making a name for himself, so that his reputation would be more solid, his footprints would cover more areas, he would expand his network, and he would meet more greenwood heroes, so that when he raised the banner of rebellion in the future, he could attract heroes from all over the world to join him, and they would respond in droves.

The other was to visit heroes from all walks of life and complete the [Number One in the World] milestone achievement… Now that he was still a small group, he was flexible and best suited to do this kind of thing. If he waited until he started a rebellion in the future, he probably wouldn't have this kind of freedom, so it was best to do it as soon as possible.

The rewards for this milestone were quite generous, so Zhou Jing was very envious.

Guo Hai Shen's interest was piqued when he heard this, and he slammed the table, saying, "That's interesting. I used to look for people to spar with everywhere. Since Second Brother has such ambition, I'll naturally accompany you."

Fang Zhen also nodded in agreement, "Wherever you two brothers go, I'll go."

Both of them were martial arts enthusiasts, and they were eager to try when they heard Zhou Jing's plan.

They had been staying in the stronghold for several months, and everyone often sparred with each other. Zhou Jing had read Chen Feng's experience logs and had a general understanding of everyone's martial strength.

If calculated on a 100-point scale, Lu Yunzhao had the highest martial arts among the Red Cloud Mountain leaders, with about 90 points. Lu Xinniang's martial strength hovered between 80 and 82.

Among his two sworn brothers, Fang Zhen was skilled in using the iron-headed staff and whip-rope, and his martial arts were not much different from Lu Yunzhao's, with about 88 points.

Guo Hai Shen's martial arts were extremely high, clearly much stronger than everyone else. His pair of iron fists were indestructible, and he was also skilled in using the large spear. Other than Zhou Jing, no one on Red Cloud Mountain was his opponent, and his martial strength was around 96.

He was an exception, with a top-tier martial strength of 100 points… Not that he only had this level, but that was the maximum score.

Seeing that the two had no objections, Zhou Jing didn't drink any more wine and immediately got up:

"Since you two brothers agree, then let's not delay. Let's go find Leader Yu to say goodbye."

Chen Feng's martial arts had already reached a considerable level and was no longer a beginner.

After secluding himself for so long, it was time for him to let the fierce tiger descend the mountain!