High Martial Arts 2077: I Rely on Beast Taming to Cultivate While Lying Down

Chapter 95 Map Sixteen! Netherworld Tiger, Heart-Eating Heavenly Demon Ants!

The next morning.

7:30 in the morning.

Inside the school bus.

"Sigh~ I've hit a bottleneck!"

Su Chen leaned back in his chair, tilting his head back, his voice full of sorrow.

In reality, he couldn't suppress the corners of his mouth from smiling.

After yesterday's strength assessment, the experience points for the Overlord Body Technique and Mountain-Splitting Fist continued to jump, gaining several dozen more points before I lay down in the training room.

He claims there's a bottleneck in this situation; even he himself wouldn't believe it.

Zhang Yan was stuffing a sesame cake into her mouth when she heard this and almost choked.

She gulped down a mouthful of soy milk, swallowed the pancake, and turned to glare at him: "It's normal to hit a plateau, okay?! Your progress has been so exaggerated lately, you should have hit a plateau long ago!!! Otherwise, you would have soared to the heavens!"

She stuffed the remaining half of the pancake into the paper bag and started counting on her fingers: "When I hit a bottleneck, I might not even be able to open one acupoint a week. Do you know how I survived like that?!"

Su Chen's lips twitched.

He really wanted to say: But I've been using one acupoint a day lately!

Yesterday, he made absolutely no progress with the acupoints; not a single one opened! This made him quite uncomfortable.

Of course, what bothered him the most wasn't the acupoints, but the Shadowless Step!

The third level of the Shadowless Step is just one acupoint away from being broken through.

Without breaking through the third level, it's indeed quite difficult to significantly improve speed when only Zhang Yan is loaded.

But if it were Wang Yichuan loading, everything would be much easier.

The problem is that he is currently under contract with Zhang Yan, while Wang Yichuan is still in the cooling-off period!

Wang Yichuan was flipping through a booklet when he heard Zhang Yan's words and looked up.

He hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Brother Chen, what level have you reached in your Overlord Body Technique and Mountain-Splitting Fist?"

How did your punching power improve so quickly?

Su Chen snapped out of his thoughts and smiled, "We've almost reached the third stage—we've made some progress! Plus, we've cultivated some auxiliary power techniques."

His Overlord Body Technique is currently at level Iv3, and Mountain-Opening Fist at level Iv2. Strictly speaking, according to the eight-level system, he is still in the second level of "Entering the Hall".

But since there's a learning machine, no one else can see the problem.

"Amazing!!!" Wang Yichuan's praise was sincere.

He had never seen Su Chen practice these two skills to this extent before.

Wang Yichuan was well aware that something was amiss, but such matters couldn't be investigated too closely.

Everyone has their own secrets and opportunities, and it's not something a friend should do to pry into their secrets.

Hearing this sincere praise, Su Chen felt a warm glow inside.

His current punching power is 735kg, and that's not because the system directly added to his stats!

He didn't use Dark Blue with skill points!

Everything he has today is the result of 99% of his hard work!

After all, the system has always given him tools to accelerate his cultivation: learning machines, dungeon rewards, and contract sharing. None of them are simply data dumped onto him.

What truly enabled him to throw 735kg were three solid reasons.

First, the Overlord Body Technique and the Mountain-Opening Fist are enough to give him a punching power of around 550kg. If he performs exceptionally well, he can reach 600kg.

Secondly, there are the 107 acupoints that were dug out.

Before entering the Acupoint Opening Realm, the number and extent to which hidden acupoints are discovered are actually a yardstick for measuring genius.

The more hidden acupoints are discovered, the stronger the power will be when the same number of acupoints are activated. This is the key to overpowering martial artists of the same level!

Third, it must have been Zhang Yan's Iv4-level opening punch that was used when she threw the punch.

This alone gave him an extra 70 to 80 kilograms of punching power.

The Mountain-Opening Fist is an explosive power martial art. When combined with the power-generating techniques of Iv4, its power jumps to a whole new level.

These two factors combined resulted in the astonishing 735kg performance last night.

This didn't just fall from the sky; it's the result of both accumulated acupoints and skill loading!

Zhang Yan crumpled the empty paper bag in her hand into a ball and threw it into the trash can beside her. Suddenly, as if remembering something, she turned around, a smug look on her face: "So, are you stuck at a bottleneck in the Mountain Opening Fist, or the Overlord Body Technique? If it's the Overlord Body Technique, I can teach you! I can't speak for others, but I have a lot of experience with the Overlord Body Technique!"

As she spoke, she puffed out her chest and held her chin high.

Su Chen laughed at her smug expression: "It's the Shadowless Step. You haven't even learned it, what are you going to teach me?"

""

Zhang Yan was stunned for a moment.

Her expression shifted from smug to embarrassed; her lips moved, as if she wanted to say something but didn't know what to say.

Finally, she could only turn her face to the side and let out a very loud "Hmph!" through her nose.

After a moment, Zhang Yan looked down at the time on her phone: 7:38.

She looked up, glanced at the school road outside the car window, then looked down at her phone and tapped her fingers lightly on her knee.

She turned her head, her voice tinged with worry: "We're leaving in about fifty minutes. I wonder if Sister Xiyue will make it in time..."

Yesterday afternoon, Lin Xiyue entered the specially requested cultivation room to begin fusing with the Ji Meng Spirit Pearl, and more than ten hours have passed since then, with no news whatsoever.

Upon hearing this, Su Chen also stopped smiling.

He leaned back in his chair and sighed softly, "Sigh~ Xiyue is the backbone of our team. If she hadn't come, we would have suffered a great loss during this training."

"Besides, it would be too inconvenient for her to catch a bus to find us all by herself."

The fusion of the mythical spirit orb cannot tolerate any disturbance! Any external interference could ruin the fusion process or even trigger a backlash of spiritual energy.

If there is still no movement within three days, then you can go in and collect the body.

However... federal regulations are now strict, testing standards are very high, and there are very few examples of failed integrations.

Unlike in the early days of the apocalypse, when mortals who hadn't even reached the Body Tempering Realm dared to fuse with mythical spirit pearls! The mortality rate was as high as 99%!

Those who were able to obtain and fuse with the Mythical Spirit Orb were among the best in the early stages of the apocalypse!

Just then, a series of light footsteps came from the car door.

Jiang Yunxin got on the bus with a bulging backpack on her back and a bag of steamed buns in her hand.

Yang Xin and several other team members from Class 3 followed behind her. The group looked to be in good spirits, clearly having had a good night's rest.

Jiang Yunxin glanced inside the car and saw that Su Chen and Zhou Chengjie's group had all arrived. She couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "Everyone's here so early! The bus doesn't leave until 8:30, so there are still 40 or 50 minutes to go."

Zhou Chengjie was sitting by the window looking at his phone when he heard this. He looked up and smiled slightly: "Getting on the bus early will put our minds at ease. We can also chat and get ready."

"I happen to have obtained a map of Buffer City No. 16. Everyone can take some time to take a look together."

He paused, stood up, pulled a stack of A3-sized photocopying paper from his backpack, and patted it in his hand: "I just got this recently, it's still quite new. Let's all take a look at it before we leave."

Jiang Yunxin's eyes lit up when she heard this.

She placed the steamed bun in her hand on the seat, clapped her hands, and spoke with a touch of emotion.

"I used to be the team leader, and I always had a headache when it came to assigning tasks."

"I'm good at fighting, but I'm really bad at things like gathering intelligence and organizing maps beforehand! I always have to cram at the last minute and then see how things go when I get there."

She turned to look at Zhou Chengjie, a genuine smile appearing on her face: "It's so great that someone is preparing in advance! Haha~ Anyway, we're on the same team, so I don't have to worry about it."

As they spoke, Zhou Chengjie had already distributed the copied maps to everyone.

Su Chen took the card and unfolded it on her lap.

The map was printed in color, and the paper still carried the warmth of the printer.

The map, marked in bold at the top right corner, reads "Jiangling Base City - Buffer City No. 16," with a scale of 1:50,000 and contour lines densely covering the entire sheet.

Su Chen's finger paused at the edge of the map.

Buffer City No. 16 was originally the ruins of Shouguang County before the apocalypse. The original built-up area of ​​the county was only about 500 square kilometers, which was considered a relatively large county-level city before the apocalypse.

However, the area designated as the sixteenth buffer zone covers more than 8,000 square kilometers! That's equivalent to 1.3 times the size of Shanghai before the apocalypse.

To put it simply, it is a square area with sides of about 90 kilometers.

The entire 16th buffer zone is located about 150 kilometers northwest of Gangneung Base City, with some areas overlapping with the North Plain Mountains, making the terrain extremely complex.

Their mission area this time is in the eastern part of the map, which only occupies about one-tenth of the entire buffer zone.

But even this one-tenth is enough to keep them busy for several days!

Zhou Chengjie stood in the middle of the aisle, unfolding an original map in his hand. Pointing to the areas marked with different colors, he began to explain: "There are many kinds of demons in Buffer City No. 16. As you can see from these markings on the map, the vast majority of demons come from the Northern Plains Mountains."

Su Chen's gaze swept over the dense red markings on the map.

These markers are almost everywhere on the map, from ridgelines to valleys, from abandoned cities to wastelands.

"Why are the demons crowding into this buffer city instead of somewhere else? Aren't they just waiting to be hunted by us humans?" Zhang Yan asked, tilting her head. "Or are they deliberately being driven into the buffer city?"

"Because the demons are multiplying too fast!" Zhou Chengjie pointed to the location of the Beiyuan Mountains on the map: "The Beiyuan Mountains cover an area of ​​500,000 square kilometers, which sounds huge, but the number of demons inside is growing even faster. The internal competition and killing are extremely fierce, with demons fighting for territory, vying for spiritual veins, and preying on and being preyed upon. Every day, a large number of demons die in the infighting."

"Some of the weaker demon groups, or those that are injured and temporarily unable to establish themselves deep in the mountains, will migrate outwards."

He paused, then drew a line from the Beiyuan Mountains to the southeast: "And Buffer City No. 16 is located right in the transition zone between the Beiyuan Mountains and Jiangling Base City."

"The Federation conducts regular clean-up operations here. Demons of the general level and above are targeted for elimination, making it a haven for lower-level demons."

"Therefore, many demon clans choose to settle here temporarily, and then return to fight after they have recovered their strength."

Su Chen stared at the dense markings on the map, lost in thought.

From this perspective, Buffer City No. 16 is indeed a rather special place.

It is neither pure wilderness nor a safe urban area, but a transitional zone in between.

Like a "refuge" in the demon realm, it is a place that shelters the weak who have temporarily lost in the struggle for survival in nature.

However, these so-called "weaklings" are already formidable enemies for Su Chen and other senior high school students!

Zhou Chengjie continued, "These demon clans have been entrenched in the buffer city for several years and have grown to a considerable size. This place is particularly crucial."

His finger landed on the top of the map, in the northern part of the city, where three large circles were drawn in bright red, with small text next to them.

Su Chen looked in the direction he was pointing.

On the map, three prominent red areas are marked in the north of the city, with ethnic information written in black pen next to them.

The first red circle reads: Northern Plains Netherworld Tiger Pack.

The label indicates that this is a Nether Tiger with dozens of warrior-level creatures, and a population of nearly five hundred! The lowest rank is elite-level mid-tier.

The activity area covers the abandoned industrial zone in the northwest of the city.

The Nether Tiger is a dark-attribute demonic beast that is active at night and is adept at launching surprise attacks at night. It is one of the most dangerous native races in the buffer city.

Because of the existence of the Nether Tiger clan, the number of other demons in this area has been severely suppressed, so the authorities have deliberately preserved this warrior-level clan.

The second red circle marks: Heart-Eating Demon Ant.

These ant species are only about the size of a medium-sized dog, but they are social creatures, with a colony ranging from several thousand to tens of thousands of members.

The name "Heart-Eating Demon Ants" comes from their special venom: creatures bitten by them will experience intense hallucinations, their spiritual energy will become disordered for a short period of time, and in severe cases, they may even temporarily lose control of their martial arts skills.

A single Heart-Eating Demon Ant is not scary, but if you are surrounded by thousands of them at the same time, even a Spirit Martial Realm expert will have a lot of trouble!

The third one: the alien demon...

This is a rather unique group of monsters, belonging to a derivative species, and is extremely similar to the Alien in the movie. The leader of the tribe has extremely high intelligence.

They don't usually appear in groups, but rather hunt in groups of three to five. They are extremely valuable, and their green blood is comparable to gold! Every part of their body can fetch a price.

This is definitely the most sought-after prey for adventurers and city hunters.

But if you want to hunt the alien monster, you must be prepared to be hunted!

Su Chen frowned slightly after reading it.

None of these three groups are pushovers!

The Nether Tiger swarm is strong in individual combat, while the Heart-Eating Demon Ants are a typical example of ants multiplying and killing an elephant; they are completely opposite.

The most terrifying thing about the alien monster is its intelligence!

Fortunately, the group's main objective was to target the Red-Scaled Rats, which were distributed in the east of the city, some distance from the activity areas of the two large groups.

As long as we don't actively venture into the northern part of the city, we shouldn't run into them head-on.

Zhou Chengjie noticed Su Chen's expression and smiled: "Don't worry, these three groups are in the north of the city, and we operate in the east."

As long as we don't provoke them, they generally won't travel that far to cause us trouble.

Zhang Yan breathed a sigh of relief and patted her chest: "That's good, that's good! A pack of tigers at the warrior level, a nest of tens of thousands of ants, and a terrifying alien demon—I don't want to encounter any of them!"

However, besides marking the demon hordes, Su Chen also noticed many small blue square markers scattered across the map.

These markers are scattered throughout the eastern region, one every five kilometers. Some are built in abandoned urban areas, some are located on mountain ridges, and some are hidden beside river valleys, covering almost all major activity routes.

"What are these blue dots?" Su Chen pointed to a blue square on the map that was close to the mission area.

"Rest area!" Zhou Chengjie's tone relaxed a bit. "The special buildings that the Federation built later are very strong, specifically for adventurers, city hunters, and students like us who come to train to rest at night."

"It has a simple psionic protective array that can withstand attacks from demons below the elite level, as well as instruments and alarms that can detect the activity of nearby demons."

"There are basic supplies inside, including drinking water, dry rations, basic medicines, and emergency communication equipment. In case of an emergency, you can directly contact the Imperial Spirit Army's patrol team."

He chuckled. "Many adventurers and city hunters travel in groups of three to five, and a single outing can last for at least two weeks. Without these rest areas, it would be difficult for them to stay safely at night!"

Su Chen's gaze swept back and forth between the blue dots on the map several times.

These rest areas are distributed in a very regular manner, which basically ensures that a martial artist can move from one rest area to the next within an hour.

It seems that the federal government has indeed put a lot of thought into planning these facilities.

The core area of ​​their training this time is on the east side of the map, within a "Red-scaled Rat Abnormal Proliferation Zone" marked with a bold red circle.

Based on this range, they would be covering a search and clearing area of ​​approximately several hundred square kilometers.

Within this area, the blue markers are noticeably denser, with one at regular intervals.

With these rest areas as support, there's no need to worry about running out of ammunition halfway through a battle or not having enough time to return to camp for the night.

Su Chen folded the map and put it into the side pocket of his backpack, now having a general idea of ​​the environment for this mission.

Just then, Jiang Yunxin suddenly spoke up.

She had been listening quietly the whole time until the map explanation ended, at which point she turned around and looked at Zhang Yan.

She casually rested one hand on the back of the seat in front of her, her red hair gleaming softly in the morning light, a curious smile playing on her lips: "Xiaoyan, how many points did you get on your strength test yesterday? It must have been a lot!"

Zhang Yan was putting the map away when she heard this, and she immediately perked up.

She put her hands on her hips, held her head high, and said with barely suppressed pride, "Of course! I gained a whopping 248kg! Even without considering the ranking improvement, that number alone deserves a substantial reward!"

Jiang Yunxin was amused by her proud and almost smug appearance, and followed up by asking, "So how much exactly?"

I'm curious how many Beast Taming Points you got.

Zhang Yan held up one finger, drew a circle in the air, then spread her fingers and shook them twice: "1150 ordinary points. And then... I got 300 beast-taming points."

"That's great!" Jiang Yunxin raised an eyebrow, her tone filled with genuine admiration. "This reward is even more outrageous than the weekly test. Three hundred Beast Taming Points from one quiz—that's as efficient as what I earn in a whole week!"

After she finished speaking, she turned her head, and her bright eyes fell on Su Chen.

That look in her eyes—you don't even need to ask to know—she wanted to know how much Su Chen had gotten!

After all, Su Chen's weight gain this time was too outrageous, jumping from 367kg to 735kg, more than doubling.

This kind of growth is rare, even in the entire history of the school.

How much do you have?

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