After the darkness!

Wei Hong smiled.

"You mean that because of environmental changes, the limitations of human beings were broken, and with the development of technology, the power of gunpowder weapons gradually recovered, and people were able to slowly gain a foothold and build cities of hope and base cities?"

These are all clichés from history textbooks, meant for clueless students, just a way of covering things up.

As he spoke, his expression gradually turned serious.

"After darkness, humanity has no shortage of weapons: tanks, missiles, automated troops—you name it. Even if the power of gunpowder has decreased significantly, it hasn't all become useless firewood."

But what was the result? We, inside those high walls, were initially driven back by the monsters, losing an entire generation.

Lin Yijue didn't speak, but recalled the vague records in the textbook: the city was torn apart, the defense line collapsed, and with the torrential rain, scorching heat, cold winter, and insect plague, countless people died.

But he never investigated the reasons, only attributing them to the physical strength of the monsters or the endless natural disasters.

Thinking about it now, it does seem a bit off.

These natural disasters and animal attacks are so terrifying that even if martial arts rise and people gain an extra hundred kilograms of strength, can they really change anything?

Just as he was pondering this, Wei Hong turned around and looked directly into Lin Yijue's eyes. "Kid, what truly drove us to our doom wasn't the strength or size of those strange beasts!"

"They are their source, the Gate of the Underworld! They are the origin of all bizarre events! They are the monstrous manifestations of the Black Tide!"

"In the wild, I once saw a monster codenamed 'Ice Wolf.' It could breathe out icy air, and with a single opening of its mouth, an entire mountain could be frozen," Wei Hong said, slowing her pace.

"I've also seen the Cyclops codenamed 'Rock,' hundreds of meters tall, immune to gunpowder attacks; missiles hitting him only produce sparks."

Not to mention the crawling, corrosive swamps and the moving, man-eating hills...

His voice deepened, each word carrying a heavy weight.

"These alien monsters are not just a physical threat. They possess their own domain, like an invisible poisonous fog, which corrodes a person's spirit as soon as they get close."

Fear, hallucinations, madness... No one knew this in the beginning. The warriors fell into chaos without knowing why, killing each other or losing their fighting ability. Such information gaps... Wei Hong didn't say anything more.

Lin Yijue listened as if he were listening to a fantasy novel, but he knew clearly that Wei Hong would not lie to him.

"So the textbooks use 'the rise of martial arts' as the turning point in the situation because..." He suddenly felt a chill.

Wei Hong seemed to sense his sudden realization and nodded.

"That's right. After the rise of martial arts, the core of those 'manifest strength' and 'whole strength' is not that 100 kilograms of punching power."

It is the power condensed from qi and blood; it is like a layer of armor, not only making power flow smoothly and uniformly, but also resisting the erosion of the mental realm through focused will.

He walked to the sandbag in the office and tapped the leather surface lightly with his fingers.

"When your Qi and blood are strong, your will becomes as tough as steel. When you are near monsters, you will not be corrupted by their fear or hallucinations, but will instead remain clear-headed. This is the key to humanity turning the tide of battle."

In other words, only martial artists can freely walk and fight outside the high walls.

He paused, a hint of relief in his voice.

"Why do you think the martial arts assessment requires mastering the basics of whole-body strength? It's not to see how fierce you can fight, but to test whether your qi and blood are sufficient to resist the black tide and whether you can face those terrifying alien monsters."

Otherwise, what's the use of brute force if you're blinded by your five senses once you step outside?

"Master Wei, doesn't that mean we ordinary people have absolutely no way to survive?" Lin Yijue frowned, a little worried.

"You're not an ordinary person anymore. Besides, what are you afraid of? Not all monsters can be called aliens, and not all of them possess their own domains."

Besides, technology is developing rapidly now, and those scientists have indeed researched a lot of good things. As long as they are inside the high walls, the Black Tide cannot get in.

Wei Hong said leisurely.

"So, as long as we don't leave the high walls, we're still quite safe in the base city."

Lin Yijue thought for a moment, then asked, "Master Wei, if someone's mind is corrupted, will they also turn into a monster?"

"Turn into an alien? What the hell? Aliens come out of the underground gate. You can think of them as monster bosses in a game. How could a person turn into that thing?"

"But turning into a monster is possible, because alien monsters have all sorts of strange abilities, and nobody knows what other bizarre abilities they might have. Anyway, just be careful," Wei Hong said nonchalantly.

Lin Yijue wanted to say something, but Wei Hong stopped him by picking up her teacup.

"A newbie like you, even if you have to serve in the military later, you won't be sent to the core danger zone."

They usually go to guard rear security zones and resource points, or work as guards for large construction teams. Those places have been searched countless times and are known to the world. As long as you're not extremely unlucky, they're very safe.

"Military service, conscription?" Lin Yijue was taken aback.

"It means exactly what it says. Otherwise, why do you think martial artists have such high social welfare? Just like the conscription system before nightfall, we also have to serve in the military. It's just that the committee doesn't force us. They still consider our attitude. Generally speaking, as long as we pay enough points each month, we're fine."

He explained in detail, "As for how to obtain points, there are many ways. Martial artists of different levels can obtain points by taking up positions in government departments, or by completing tasks for the military or armed forces. There are many different ways to do so."

"As for which method to choose, different backgrounds and different circumstances lead to different choices. For example, you don't have any worries about this for the time being. Just focus on practicing your skills. This is also one of the advantages of Yun Sheng Sect."

When Wei Hong finished speaking, she no longer tried to hide anything.

"Now that you've mastered the eighteen forms, you're exposed to many of the valuable aspects of the school, including the path you've been asking about. By the way, you won't need to attend boxing classes anymore; you should start teaching. Choose your own time slot later."

Lin Yijue nodded when he was pointed out.

Previously, he was merely enjoying the privileges of an elite disciple without fulfilling any obligations.

Simply put, there's nothing much going on, unlike Lu Qiang and Li Yan who still need substitute teachers.

"There are many elite disciples in the club, but not everyone can master the skills because of the secret techniques."

If you can't master the sect's secret techniques, no matter how strong you are, you won't even be considered a disciple. So you must take what I'm telling you to heart and not slack off.

Lin Yijue nodded emphatically.

He could tell that Wei Hong valued him highly and that her words were heartfelt.

Aside from his parents, he had only experienced this feeling in his previous life when he was in elementary school, where he could get 100 points in both Chinese and math, making him the teacher's darling.

Soon, Wei Hong made a phone call.

Not long after, there was a knock on the door.