Gao Wu: From a poor man in the outer city to a martial saint of the ten directions

Yan Run is gone.

The sound of high heels gradually receding into the distance came from the stairwell, quickly drowned out by the faint echoes of air raid sirens outside.

Wei Xiu stood in the living room, while the television news channel was still broadcasting reports on the Xishan disaster.

"Attention all citizens, the Yuanli fluctuation rating in the Xishan area is currently blue. It has been confirmed that three human-level alien beasts have broken through the restricted area blockade. Schools in the city have been suspended. Whether the market will be closed still needs further evaluation."

"We urge residents to avoid leaving the city unless absolutely necessary and to wait for federal security forces to quell the disaster..."

Three humanoid beasts appeared in the early stages of the disaster!

Upon seeing this news, Wei Xiu's heart sank even further.

Each disaster lasts for several days, ranging from a month to as short as three days.

Based on the patterns that humanity has discovered through repeated painful experiences over the past century, human-made disasters will inevitably involve at least three waves of impact, each stronger than the last!

Moreover, these three strange beasts have broken out of the restricted area, and they will definitely follow the scent of humans to the vicinity of the outer city of Linghai City!

"No, I have to make money and become stronger as soon as possible! I can't let Mom and me live in this unsafe place anymore, and there's also Mom's illness..."

Wei Xiu clenched his fists, his gaze falling on the table beside him.

The deep blue capsule lay quietly in the transparent box, gleaming faintly under the light.

He picked up the box and turned it over to look at the label.

The label is small, beautifully printed, and features delicate font.

Yuan Neng Type I Capsules, produced by Anlei Pharmaceutical Group.

An Lei.

Its full name is Anlei Biotechnology Pharmaceutical Group, a giant enterprise ranked among the top five on Earth, with business operations spanning the globe.

From Yuanli potions to warrior equipment, from the processing of alien beast materials to crack detection technology, it covers almost all the core areas of this era.

Yuan Neng Type I Capsules are one of the top-tier martial arts elixirs under the Anlei Group.

It can enhance and improve bodily functions, clear the meridians, and improve the body's ability to bear and sense vital energy.

For martial artists stuck at a bottleneck, this thing is the hammer that breaks through the barrier.

For cultivators with mediocre talent, this is also a stepping stone to defy fate.

No wonder the panel gave me a notification; this is a real improvement!

Does this mean that the panel will give a notification when you encounter such good items in the future?

"Sister Run, don't worry, your little brother will definitely not let you down."

Without the slightest hesitation, Wei Xiu opened the box and swallowed the capsule.

An extremely cold aura began to spread from my abdomen, but it was immediately absorbed by something.

[Yellow-grade Yellow-level item absorbed, gaining 100 experience points, which have been automatically converted into 10 Yuan Power points.]

[Host's current Yuan Power value: 393]

393!

He's just over a hundred points away from being a quasi-martial artist!

Upon seeing this number, Wei Xiu's spirits were lifted once again.

In the past, I wanted to become stronger in order to earn money, for scholarships, to pay for my mother's medical treatment, and to make life a little better.

That's not enough now.

Making money, of course I want to make money.

This is something we have to face right now.

To prepare for the worst, I need to save for next month's rent, my mother's medical treatment, and my own school fees.

Not a penny less.

If I had the money, and if I could get ten Yuan Energy Type 1 capsules, becoming a quasi-martial artist on the spot shouldn't be a problem!

This is my first step.

But making money alone is not enough.

To stand out from the crowd, one must reach a certain level.

So high up that no one can look down on their mother, threatening to take back the house or abandoning her child!

This is my second step.

As for the third step...

Wei Xiu walked towards his room, passing an old photograph hanging on the wall in the corridor.

In the photo, a young man is holding a three- or four-year-old boy in one arm and is smiling broadly.

The man's features resembled Wei Xiu's by about 70%, and his eyes and brows carried a relaxed yet warm aura that Wei Xiu lacked.

The photo has yellowed.

It's been ten years.

My father, Wei Yuan, went out one ordinary morning when I was seven years old, saying he was going to buy breakfast, and never came back.

There was no suicide note. There were no signs. There was no body.

They were nowhere to be found, neither alive nor dead.

The mother reported it to the police, contacted relevant people, and even suspected that the Yan family was behind it.

But there was no evidence. There were absolutely no clues.

Just like that, it disappeared.

It felt like I had been swallowed up by the world.

Wei Xiu stood in front of the photo for two seconds.

"dad."

He uttered a single word softly.

Then he pushed open the door to his room.

Life goes on, I'll look for a part-time job tomorrow!

The bigger the waves, the more expensive the fish. When disaster strikes, there are always ways to make money!

……

The next morning, before dawn.

A hazy fog enveloped the Xiahe District, and the air carried the damp chill characteristic of early winter.

Wei Xiu got up very early and went to his mother's bedroom door. Hearing her steady breathing coming from inside, he tore off a piece of paper, quickly wrote a line, and put it under the water glass.

"Mom, although school is on holiday, I've made plans to go to my classmate's house for tutoring, so don't worry about lunch."

After writing the note and reheating the breakfast, Wei Xiu took out his old cell phone, called Lin Qi, and then went downstairs.

After a night of fermentation, the shadow of the blue disaster warning has completely enveloped the Xiahe District.

At this time of day, none of the breakfast stalls that should have been set up were in sight, and most of the shops on both sides of the street had their shutters tightly shut.

Occasionally, a few pedestrians wrapped in thick coats would hurry by, their eyes darting around warily.

Just as I reached the street corner, a deep engine sound came from afar.

An armored off-road vehicle was parked on the side of the road with its doors open.

That was the local security patrol team.

Wei Xiu pulled his jacket collar up, lowered his head, and walked past the car, glancing at it quickly out of the corner of his eye.

Six men in standard stab-proof vests, who looked to be in their thirties or forties, were standing outside the car.

Although they were carrying electromagnetic rifles, they were quite nonchalant. Some were smoking, and some were even making lewd jokes to each other.

Wei Xiu knew them.

These are all aspiring martial artists whose Yuan Power is stuck between 500 and 900, and who have no hope of ever breaking through the 1,000 mark in their entire lives.

Twenty years old is a watershed moment.

No one knows why; in the end, it can only be attributed to innate talent and potential.

Those who don't become quasi-martial artists before the age of twenty will never become true martial artists, no matter how hard they train for the rest of their lives.

At this age, with his potential exhausted and assigned to patrolling the outer city, he was basically just waiting to die.

But the man standing next to the passenger door of the SUV was completely different.

The man was in his early thirties, dressed in a black special operations uniform, with a sheathed sword hanging at his waist.

He wasn't smoking; he leaned against the car door with his arms crossed, his sharp eyes scanning the surrounding streets.

Just by standing there, the solemnity of a formal martial artist was enough to keep the old thugs next to him from getting too close.

"Beep beep..."

Suddenly, the communicator on the captain's wrist began flashing red rapidly.

He glanced down, his already serious expression instantly darkening. He yanked open the car door and shouted sharply:

"Put out your cigarettes! Everyone get in the car! There's an emergency at Sanli Street, quick!"

The few quasi-martial artists who were laughing and joking just a second ago immediately changed their expressions, hurriedly stubbed out their cigarettes, and crawled into the carriage.

With a screeching sound of tires screeching, the SUV sped off into the distance, its headlights flashing.

"Sanli Street..."

Wei Xiu watched the taillights of the departing car and let out a barely perceptible sigh of relief.

Sanli Street is located at the other end of Xiahe District, almost half a city away from my apartment complex.

This means that the house is safe for the time being, and I shouldn't have to worry about my mother for the next few days.