Chapter 1 The Martial World

The sky had already darkened.

Jiangcheng Hospital, in a ward.

Chen Xiao quietly waited by the hospital bed. Lying on the bed was his mother, Liu Zhen.

Chen Xiao had already examined her. Her body was fine; she was just frightened.

Chen Xiao had also secretly channeled some spiritual energy into her body to calm her nerves.

She was sleeping soundly at the moment, and when she woke up, she would be completely fine.

But even so, Chen Xiao still waited by her bed.

Just like when Chen Xiao was sick as a child, she would wait by Chen Xiao's side.

*Knock, knock, knock.*

A knock sounded on the door. It was Dajun.

"Master Chen, I brought abalone and sea cucumber porridge for Auntie. She can eat it when she wakes up."

Dajun seemed like such a rough man, but who would have thought he could be so thoughtful?

Chen Xiao thanked him, "You're very kind, Dajun."

Dajun repeatedly said, "Master Chen, you're too kind. If it weren't for you today, I would have lost my life."

Chen Xiao smiled, "We're all brothers. You don't need to be so polite with me. Just call me Chen Xiao from now on."

Dajun was horrified. "How dare Dajun call Master by his given name?"

Chen Xiao then said, "Then you can call me Chen Shi from now on."

"Yes, Chen Shi. It's getting late, so I won't disturb Chen Shi and Auntie's rest. Dajun takes his leave."

Seeing that Dajun was about to leave, Chen Xiao said, "Wait, Dajun, I have something to ask you."

Dajun immediately stopped. "Chen Shi, please speak."

Chen Xiao asked, "When you were fighting with Wu Dingbang earlier, you said he had stepped into the Qi realm. Is this Qi realm a martial arts realm?"

"Yes, Chen Shi."

Dajun was a little puzzled.

He thought to himself that Chen Shi's martial arts cultivation was so high, beating Wu Dingbang was like beating a son. He couldn't possibly not even know such basic common sense, right?

He even suspected that Chen Xiao was testing him.

However, Chen Xiao then asked, "Then can you tell me about the current division of martial arts realms?"

Only then did Dajun confirm that Chen Xiao really didn't know, and immediately began to explain.

"Chen Shi, today's martial arts are mainly divided into four realms, in order: Inner Strength, Qi Realm, Transformation Realm, and Divine Realm."

"Inner Strength is not difficult. Even ordinary people without talent can possess Inner Strength as long as they are willing to work hard, put in time and effort, and become an entry-level martial artist."

"Above Inner Strength is the Qi Realm. Qi Realm martial artists are already one in ten thousand talents and are also the minimum threshold for being selected for the Golden Ranking."

"Wu Dingbang is a Qi Realm martial artist, as is Tiger. Master Chen, since you can defeat Wu Dingbang, you must also be a Qi Realm martial artist, right?"

Chen Xiao pondered for a moment and said, "My cultivation system is different from yours, so I can't compare it accordingly."

Chen Xiao could also do what Wu Dingbang did with his materialized *jingqi*.

It's just that he cultivated immortal techniques, and Wu Dingbang, a Qi Realm martial artist, was obviously an insignificant figure in his eyes.

Dajun was a little dazed when he heard this. Not the same system? Are there other martial arts systems?

At this time, Chen Xiao asked again, "Then what about the Transformation Realm and the Divine Realm?"

Dajun said:

"Transformation Realm martial artists can release their *jingqi* and control it like an arm, and every Transformation Realm martial artist can be called a grandmaster."

"But becoming a Transformation Realm martial artist is very difficult. It requires not only extremely high talent but also opportunity."

"Transformation Realm martial artists have the qualifications to be on the Heaven Ranking!"

Chen Xiao nodded and continued to listen to Dajun.

"As for the Divine Realm, that's a legendary realm. Everyone has heard of it, but no one has ever seen it."

"The martial artist closest to the Divine Realm in this world is only one person."

Chen Xiao asked suspiciously, "Who is it?"

"The Northern Border Army God, Xiao Zhan!"

Even just saying this name, Dajun's eyes revealed admiration.

Xiao Zhan's influence in the eyes of martial artists can be imagined.

Chen Xiao silently recited, "Xiao Zhan, Xiao Tian Ce."

Dajun gave a surprised 'hmm' sound, "Chen Shi, you also know Xiao Tian Ce?"

Chen Xiao said, "I just heard Qi Qingfei mention it."

"Oh."

Dajun nodded, seeing that Chen Xiao was thoughtful, he didn't dare to disturb him.

Immediately, Chen Xiao came back to his senses and saw Dajun still standing respectfully beside him.

He then said, "Dajun, go ahead with your work."

Dajun was about to leave when he suddenly turned his head again, as if he had remembered something.

"Oh right, Chen Shi, please forgive me for saying too much."

"The people of the Wolf Gang are petty and vindictive. You killed the Devouring Wolf Wu Dingbang today, which may attract revenge from the Wolf Gang. I hope you will be more vigilant."

Chen Xiao pondered for a moment and asked, "Are there many experts in the Wolf Gang?"

Dajun said, "On the surface, Wu Dingbang is the number one expert in the Wolf Gang, but the truly most powerful person in the Wolf Gang is their leader, Wolf Lord Han Jiuqian!"

"This person acts mysteriously and is unpredictable. He has long been a Qi Realm master, but he has never participated in the Golden Ranking."

"So his true strength is still a mystery."

Chen Xiao touched his chin and smiled softly, "This person is a little interesting."

Dajun continued to say:

"In addition to Wolf Lord Han Jiuqian, there is one person in the Wolf Gang who must be guarded against, and that is the Thousand-Faced Smiling Jackal, Xu Qingxiang."

"His strength is average, but he is good at disguise, and he is very cunning and treacherous. He is the Wolf Gang's strategist."

At this moment, a light cough came from the hospital bed, and Liu Zhen showed signs of waking up.

Dajun was very tactful. "Chen Shi, Dajun takes his leave."

Chen Xiao nodded, and Dajun left the ward.

Liu Zhen slowly woke up. Looking at her eyes, she was obviously still a little dazed.

"Chen Xiao, where is this?"

"Mom, this is the hospital."

Only then did Liu Zhen remember what happened before she fainted and immediately sat up alertly.

"Chen Xiao, where are those bad guys? What did they do to you?"

Chen Xiao comforted her, "It's okay, Mom, the bad guys have been arrested. Don't worry."

"That's good, it's good that they've been arrested."

Liu Zhen patted her chest, looking like she was still frightened.

"Chen Xiao, I'm fine. Let's go home. We won't stay in the hospital. It costs tens of dollars a night! With that money, we could buy two pounds of meat."

Chen Xiao laughed, "It's okay, Mom. You don't have to pay to stay here. It's an employee benefit."

Chen Xiao told a lie, but it was a kind lie.

Liu Zhen was puzzled. "What kind of employee benefit is so unlucky, free hospitalization?"

Chen Xiao was amused by his mother's words.

"Mom, didn't I tell you before that I changed jobs? Now I'm officially informing you that I'm now a formal doctor at Jiangcheng Hospital!"

Liu Zhen looked at Chen Xiao in disbelief, "Son, are you telling the truth?"

"Of course. Don't you believe me? Look at my work permit."

Holding Chen Xiao's work permit, Liu Zhen's nose was slightly sore, and her voice began to choke.

"That's great, son. You did a great job. Even if Mom dies tomorrow, I can close my eyes in peace."

Chen Xiao rolled his eyes. "Listen to you. You don't sound like you think hospitalization is unlucky at all."

Liu Zhen burst into tears and laughed. "Mom is happy for you. I want to go home and make dumplings to celebrate for you now!"

"There's no rush to make dumplings. You should drink the porridge first. You haven't eaten for half a day. You must be starving!"

As he spoke, Chen Xiao brought out the abalone and sea cucumber porridge.

But at this moment, Liu Zhen suddenly changed the subject:

"Son, promise Mom one thing. In the future, if you encounter something like today again, don't take care of me anymore."