Chapter 114: Grandmaster Hong Turns the Tide

That made sense. To prevent the remaining half-orcs and members of the Red Lake Group from escaping, checkpoints at every intersection naturally wouldn’t be left unguarded. The Admiral’s Office, the Security Bureau, the Martial Association, and the Military Headquarters—all four forces had joined hands. Without turning Red Leaf City upside down, none of the obstacles at the checkpoints would be removed.

If it were just Tang Mubai alone, there’d be no worry. But with a researcher from the Red Lake Group in the car, crossing the checkpoints smoothly was out of the question. A single misstep could even implicate Tang Mubai.

Enough! He decided it was better to wait until the heat died down before sending the delicate young woman to Muyang City.

With that in mind, Tang Mubai turned the car around and headed back to the base. The mercenary camp had just been inspected last night; it was unlikely anyone would come again anytime soon. Hiding a confused young woman there would pose little problem.

After a night of busy work, dawn was nearly breaking.

Back at the base, after the young woman awoke, Tang Mubai informed her that Luo Lianxin had already left. He had paid ten million Federation credits to have her sent to Muyang City. However, with the city’s exits sealed off, they couldn’t leave for now—they would have to wait at the base for a few days.

Hearing this, the young woman was stunned into silence, then sat frozen for a long moment before breaking down into tears.

Tang Mubai didn’t try to comfort her but instead asked Fang Shuixian to look after the distraught woman while he drove around the city.

The commotion from last night left the East District with the fewest casualties, but many buildings were heavily damaged. When a grandmaster-level expert strikes, even the aftershocks can shatter the glass of towering buildings and crumble corners of pavilions.

Streets were littered with chunks of concrete, thick soil, and broken glass. Pedestrians on both sides busied themselves with cleanup, their faces still marked by fear and lingering dread.

For several blocks in a row, the atmosphere was heavy and oppressive.

Faced with this, Tang Mubai grew tired of wandering and turned toward the Miracle Tavern to see whether it would remain open at noon. As for the Miracle Slaughterhouse outside the city, it would likely have to shut down for the day.

Arriving at the tavern, he found that half of the kitchen and service staff were absent. Those present apologized to Tang Mubai on behalf of those missing, and he naturally excused them, telling everyone not to bother preparing unless the situation called for it.

Next, he went upstairs to the office to review the gains of recent days.

First, the 1.3 million-plus life energy recovered last night had been converted into longevity, which in turn had been exchanged for vitality. This upgrade rocketed Tang Mubai from a second-grade professional rank straight to a sixth-grade master level.

Such an explosive level-up, frankly, was not ideal. The foundation was unstable due to the rapid advance. Tang Mubai resolved not to increase his vitality any further for a while but to patiently consolidate before progressing again.

Second, aside from the bulk of 1.3 million life energy, additional life force recovered in the East District had translated into over four thousand extra years of lifespan. Together with his remaining reserves, his total longevity had surpassed six thousand years.

With so many years ahead, Tang Mubai could finally call himself an “old longevity master.”

Lastly, the spoils, including the Flame Bone Blade, delighted him greatly. Reduced to its smallest form, the Flame Bone Blade was even smaller than an ordinary throwing knife. Tang Mubai found a specially made sheath with excellent heat insulation to store it, sparing himself the constant mental strain of activating the “Temperature Control” divine skill.

Besides the weapon, he had also acquired the “Flying Dance in the Air” technique—a lightness skill of unknown rank that was both elegant and cool. When performed, it made him appear like an immortal gracefully floating through the sky.

Of course, gains came with costs.

His trump card, the five-strike “Two-Aspect Sword Qi,” had been entirely depleted.

Tang Mubai would need to refine it anew. While he still had plenty of the Fire Sha energy left, the Yin Sha was gone. Returning to the Seventy-Five Domain was no longer suitable, as he had absorbed all the Yin Sha within Kaitan City.

Backup reserves he had previously stored were in the Forbidden Zone.

The Forbidden Zone contained Yin Sha and Ice Sha, especially around the Thirty-Eight Domain.

So, Tang Mubai decided to forgo the Seventy-Five Domain and instead explore somewhere in the Forbidden Zone just outside the Thirty-Eight Domain.

He opened his system panel—

[Name]: Tang Mubai
[Physique]: 20
[Strength]: 20
[Agility]: 20
[Perception]: 20
[Willpower]: 10 (+)
[Vitality]: 6,827,000 (+)
[Martial Arts]: “Golden Glow Skill” (Perfect), “Tiger Roar Fist” (Perfect), “Wave-Cutting Blade Technique” (Perfect), “Mountain-Crossing Nine Arrows” (Perfect), “Exploding Arrow Technique” (Perfect), “Tai Chi Fist” (Perfect), “Rolling Cloud Hand” (Perfect), “Tai Chi Heart Sutra” (First Level), “Flying Dance in the Air” (First Level)
[Special Techniques]: Two-Aspect Sword Qi (0)
[Divine Skills]: Pressure Control (Intermediate), Poison Control (Beginner), Temperature Control (Beginner)
[Lifespan]: 6,963.6 years
[Followers]: 3
...

Aside from the remaining “Willpower” at 10, all his physical attributes were maxed at 20.

Looking at his nearly seven thousand years of accumulated lifespan, Tang Mubai decided not to hoard it. He chose to consume a thousand years to raise his Willpower to the maximum of 20.

A hum—

The instantaneous boost in Willpower sent an electric shock through his brain; his body involuntarily trembled as if his soul was about to detach from his flesh and escape into the void.

Fortunately, the terrifying sensation lasted less than half a second before quickly fading away.

Tang Mubai regained full consciousness, exhaling deeply as he leaned back in his chair, savoring the change brought by the Willpower limit.

It seemed he could now directly resist the pressure exerted by master-level martial artists.

This sensation was intense, and with a maximum Perception of 20, Tang Mubai was extremely aware of it.

Of course, the true extent of this would only be known after further testing.

All his physical attributes had reached their limits—no further increases possible.

Several martial arts were perfected. “Flying Dance in the Air” and “Tai Chi Heart Sutra” remained at their first level without a “+” symbol.

Despite nearly six thousand years of remaining lifespan, he could only watch it grow but not use it to improve anything except vitality.

Moreover, his vitality had just jumped too much at once, necessitating a period of digestion.

The nearly six thousand leftover years would have to be saved.

Hm, perhaps he could find some new low-level martial arts, use his lifespan to bring them to perfection, then attempt to fuse them to develop higher-level techniques?

For example, “Grass Flying,” “Wind-Chasing Leg,” and “Sky-Stepping” were none beyond fourth-tier.

In the end, fusing and deriving “Flying Dance in the Air” had allowed Tang Mubai, under the guise of Grandmaster Hong, to move with unparalleled ease and authenticity.

Currently, his “Mountain-Crossing Nine Arrows” and “Exploding Arrow Technique” were both perfected arrow arts. If he could find one or two more with special abilities, perhaps he could attempt fusion and derivation again?

With this in mind, Tang Mubai logged onto the Martial Arts Network and searched the marketplace for related arrow techniques.

It wasn’t until noon that he descended to check on the situation.

To his surprise, the tavern had as many diners as in previous days.

Moreover, all of them gathered in the main hall on the first floor, eating while animatedly discussing, creating an exceptionally lively atmosphere.

“Click, it’s said that Grandmaster Hong killed a half-step Lion King with just one sword strike!”

“Not only that—before other masters arrived as reinforcements, Grandmaster Hong alone held off the siege of the four major half-orc lords!”

“Without Grandmaster Hong, the death toll last night would have exceeded a hundred thousand!”

“Exactly. Forget about other places; if not for Grandmaster Hong in Huimin Square, everyone there would have died on the spot!”

“A true master who turned the tide—that’s the real pillar of Red Leaf City!”

“...”