I started by slashing through the enemy's territory, and I drew so many affixes that my hands w

Upon entering the Wanbao Building, one is not greeted by the expected abundance of rare and precious materials on display for all to admire.

There are only individual private rooms, luxuriously decorated.

After entering a private room and sitting down, Manager Luo learned about Su Lingwei's needs and smiled:

"If you only need materials from fifth-tier ferocious beasts, we happen to have some in stock. Let me recommend three types and explain them to you."

"First is the Demon Scale Ape. Its combat strength is among the best of the beasts in the same realm. Its scales are the hardest part of its body. It does not need to be fused with other materials. It can be used after a little polishing."

"The second one is the skeleton of the White Bone Nether Dragon, the king of fifth-tier ferocious beasts..."

"The last item is the shell of the Thunder Armor Rhinoceros. Due to years of being polished by lightning, it is exceptionally hard and has a remarkable effect on martial artists who use lightning-based martial arts techniques."

Upon hearing about the last item, Su Lingwei's eyes lit up, and she made her choice without hesitation.

"I want the shell of the Thunder Armored Rhino."

She then took something out and placed it on the table, seemingly a little embarrassed, and said, "Grandpa said this should be enough to exchange for the materials I want. Please see if it's enough; if not, I'll go and get more."

It was an eyeball the size of a palm, resembling the eye of some ferocious beast.

Upon seeing the pale purple eyeball, Manager Luo picked it up and examined it carefully. After several minutes, he spoke with a slightly surprised tone:

"This is... the eyeball of a Demon-Eyed Longhorn Beetle! A very rare sixth-tier ferocious beast material."

Jiang Qin was secretly surprised. Sixth rank? That's equivalent to a ferocious beast in the Heavenly Martial Realm!

He knew that old man was no ordinary person!

The shell of a mere fifth-tier Thunder Armor Rhinoceros is clearly insufficient.

This was a big deal, so Luo Dahai brought out a list for Su Lingwei to choose from. Each sixth-tier rare beast material could be exchanged for at least ten fifth-tier spiritual artifacts or various materials.

Su Lingwei then selected some rare ores and metals, as well as an A-grade spirit garment, before leaving Wanbaolou with satisfaction.

Jiang Qin drove her back to Zhenling Academy, and before leaving, he gave her some instructions:

"The last B-level mission is tomorrow morning. I'll come pick you up then."

"Um!"

After Jiang Qin left.

Su Lingwei walked back to the guardhouse and placed a pot of spirit wine she had bought on the way in front of Old Man Lin, who was basking in the sun.

Old Lin raised an eyebrow. "Oh, did the sun rise in the west today? Weren't you telling me not to drink?"

"I'm in a good mood today, so I'll allow you to have one more pot of wine."

Su Lingwei gave a haughty snort and walked into the guardhouse, eager to find someone to start forging throwing knives.

Old Lin shook his head, his eyes filled with affection.

Although she wasn't his biological granddaughter, over the years, the two of them had become closer than blood relatives; both were unfortunate people without a home...

Time flew by and it was already afternoon.

Zhenling Academy, student dormitory.

Since that competition, Chen Xiaohu has never stepped into his room, because he doesn't want to see the mocking looks in those people's eyes. So he chooses to stay in his dormitory alone, lost in thought and internal turmoil.

Gradually, he seemed to have figured it out.

Ultimately, what's so great about being a martial artist? Always being on the front lines, facing danger head-on.

With his current abilities, he could easily go back to his hometown, find a decent job, buy a house within a year, and let his parents enjoy their retirement while he lives off his salary.

As for those dangers... well, there's someone as capable as Jiang Qin around anyway.

With Jiang Qin's strength, I believe no danger can defeat him! There's no need for a supporting character like myself to appear.

Chen Xiaohu held this thought in mind...

Until there was a knock on his door.

"Knock knock—"

When the door opened, a university support staff member stood in the doorway.

His lips moved, and he reluctantly spoke:

"Chen Xiaohu, I just received a message from Hanyue City. Yesterday afternoon, Hanyue City was attacked by a beast tide. A large number of ferocious beasts broke through the city gates, and half of Hanyue City was destroyed. Your parents and sister were attacked by the beasts while fleeing and unfortunately died..."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xiaohu, who had been keeping his head down, felt as if he had been struck by lightning.

He looked up, his eyes filled with disbelief, his eyes red-rimmed, his voice hoarse: "How...how is this possible! Cold Moon City is in the central part of China, how could a ferocious beast suddenly attack the city! You're lying to me, you must be lying to me, right?"

The logistics personnel shook their heads: "The intelligence has been confirmed; it's true!"

"It wasn't just Cold Moon City; a third-tier rift appeared in the wilderness, and a large number of third-tier ferocious beasts ran out of the rift. More than a dozen surrounding cities were all attacked by the beast tide, with Cold Moon City, which was closest to the rift, suffering the most severe losses."

"Please accept my condolences."

The logistics personnel delivered the message and then left.

Chen Xiaohu was left sitting limply on the ground, his mind filled with scenes of his family, flashing through his mind like a slideshow, his younger sister's innocent voice seemingly echoing in his ears:

"Yay! My brother is an SSS-level genius! He'll definitely become a powerful martial artist in the future!"

"My son is a genius! Ancestor, can you see this? The Chen family's revival is finally in sight!"

"Tiger, I've heard that Shanghai is a big city with many expenses. This money is what your father and I have saved over the years. Keep it safe. Just do your best in everything, don't push yourself too hard. If you really can't manage, come back home. Your father and I are waiting for you..."

"Mom and Dad, don't worry, I, Chen Xiaohu, will definitely make a name for myself in Shanghai!"

"I'll treat you all to the best of everything then!!!"

Chen Xiaohu clenched his fists tightly, even when they bled, he didn't loosen them. His eyes were wide open and bloodshot.

A tear of blood rolled down his cheek.

At this moment, he was like a flower that had grown up in a greenhouse, finally witnessing the cruelty of reality.

If he previously treated slaying ferocious beasts as a task in a game.

At that moment, his hatred for the ferocious beast reached its peak, along with his own powerlessness and cowardice.

"Dad...Mom...Sister."

The expectations his family once had for him now seem like mountains pressing down on his back and heart, causing him unbearable pain.

I hate myself for being so cowardly.

I hate myself for being so cowardly!

I hate myself for carrying such important expectations, yet I still want to slink home like a coward.

After an unknown amount of time, Chen Xiaohu slowly stood up from the ground, his gaze falling on the scissors on the table. He hated his cowardly self and wanted to kill himself with his own hands.

The sound of a sharp weapon piercing flesh echoed in the living room.

Blood gushed wildly from the wound, filling the air with a foul stench.

Chen Xiaohu didn't use his spiritual power to defend himself. He frantically stabbed the scissors into his stomach. The intense pain kept him incredibly conscious... He didn't know how much time had passed before he gradually became numb.

That really hurts.

But... compared to the pain of losing family members, it's nothing.

But at this moment, only pain could give him a moment of relief and alleviate his guilt.

Chen Xiaohu wiped the blood off his face with a towel and walked out of the dormitory expressionlessly. New granulation tissue quickly grew from the dozens of wounds on his abdomen.

In the blink of an eye, the gruesome wound had healed completely...