Heavenly Ranking

Chapter 33 Surrender
The trip to Central China proceeded smoothly without any major incidents.

With the required mental fitness level, obtaining the intermediate professional title is a certainty.

A mid-level mental ability user with 15 points of mental scale is much more valuable than a mid-level mental ability user with 10 points of mental scale who has completed mental energy atomization.

Unfortunately, despite its high value, it wasn't enough for Tiandu City to offer B-level talent compensation to retain him.

Ji Fuyou changed his certificate and went to the side to submit the application for the Hunter Team.

The application process was completed faster than he had anticipated.

Aside from confirming that he was an intermediate-level mental ability user, there was absolutely no verification!
This proves that those above desperately want anyone capable to venture deep into the fog and defeat the strange beasts within.

Purpose……

It could be to obtain the source crystal, or to stop the fog from spreading.

"It seems that those at the very top have a much better understanding of the Fog than those at the middle and upper levels. They... may have foreseen the most pessimistic outcome from certain data, so they began to take precautions, even if it meant granting certain privileges to those with mental abilities and martial artists, thus achieving a certain degree of indulgence."

Ji Fuyou had an epiphany.

A knight-errant uses his martial arts to break the law!
Such uncontrollable forces should be strictly regulated by national governments.

This strategy was employed by some countries surrounding the Shang Dynasty.

With the control that large merchants have over society, they can easily do this.

But they didn't.

In the past six months, there has been a trend of fueling the fire.

Clearly, the outcome they foresaw was worse than the deterioration of public order caused by martial arts breaking the law.

So bad...

Social disintegration!

Even worse, it could lead to the destruction of the nation and the extinction of the race!
……

After obtaining the intermediate-level mental ability certificate, Ji Fuyou returned to Starlight City.

After making a phone call to check on Ji Qingqing's condition, he went to Huanglong Cave to confirm that it was indeed the place where the giant scorpion appeared in his dream.

He then turned his attention to the practice of the Great Dream Scripture, and painstakingly constructed a realistic illusion.

For several days in a row, there was no progress.

However, in martial arts, thanks to the advantage brought by his 16-point spirit value, he was able to make rapid progress in mastering the power of force.

At this rate, we won't even need to wait one or two years, or three to five years!

I'm afraid I'll be able to successfully unleash my hidden power within six months.

This pace made Lu Xingchen vaguely realize something.

For a time, he began to inquire in detail about the various supernatural abilities of people with mental powers.

……

Densen Martial Arts Hall.

Looking at Lu Xingchen, who was exhausted from repeatedly unleashing his hidden strength and was already on the verge of collapse, Ji Fuyou said, "Let's stop here for today."

"it is good!"

Lu Xingchen let out a breath and went to the side to get a towel to wipe the sweat off his face.

"Then I'll take my leave now."

Ji Fuyou Road.

At this moment, he had begun to understand why Lu Xingchen, who had mastered the internal energy, was not a top-tier martial artist.

The battery life is terrible.

"Wait a minute."

Lu Xingchen called out to him.

He then said, "You live in Harmony Garden? It's on my way, let's go together."

Ji Fuyou seemed a little strange.

However, his enhanced mental strength made him more sensitive to the emotions of others, and he vaguely realized that Lu Xingchen had something to say to him.

After thinking it over, he did not refuse.

Not long after, Lu Xingchen, who had changed his clothes, came out and left the Dengfeng Martial Arts Hall with Ji Fuyou.

It was only 5 p.m., still early, perfect for a stroll.

Unfortunately, the person next to her was a man.

Fortunately, although Lu Xingchen was preoccupied, he finally spoke after walking a few dozen meters: "Soon I won't be able to teach you anything anymore. In fact, even the top martial arts masters won't be able to teach you. I know their level; if it really came down to a fight, none of them would be your match."

He paused for a moment, then added, "After all, your major is spiritual."

"Master Lu, you flatter me."

Ji Fuyou replied modestly.

However, he did not deny the claim that several top martial arts masters could not defeat him.

After all, with his current mental strength, once he casts a Soul-Suppressing Spell, no one with a mental strength below 10 can withstand it.

Let alone a top-tier martial arts master, even the gym owner with a physique of 18.3 might be controlled and killed by him with a Soul-Suppressing Curse if his mental strength wasn't high enough.

Of course, his spirit had not yet liquefied, and casting the Soul-Suppressing Spell would require a considerable amount of preparation time. Unless it was a sneak attack, the opponent would not give him that much preparation time.

Furthermore, if the opponent's mental strength is above 10 and can withstand his Soul-Suppressing Curse, his physical strength of 11 would also be easily killed by a mere wave of his hand in front of such a high-level martial artist.

"I'm just stating the facts."

Lu Xingchen smiled as he spoke, "Actually, I've fought against several gold-medal martial artists, and my best record is only a draw."

Ji Fuyou glanced at him.

This result is not surprising.

"Unless I unleash my hidden power to strike their vital points, I can't hurt them at all. They can take ten or eight punches from me and still be as lively and energetic as if nothing happened, while I... only need to take one punch from them..."

Lu Xingchen didn't continue. But the outcome was obvious.

"Over the years, I have been living in the shadow of failure, stagnating and unwilling to face the dramatic changes happening in the world. I have locked myself in my comfort zone of sticking to the old ways and dared not step out..."

Lu Xingchen sneered as he spoke: "I thought I was playing some kind of psychological game about being a victim of trauma, but the real result is that I'm scared."

He looked at Ji Fuyou: "Being hit and defeated time and time again has made him afraid! To the point that he's afraid to face it!"

"Fear……"

Ji Fuyou remained silent.

"Failure is not terrible; what is terrible is not having the courage to admit failure and face it head-on!"

Lu Xing said in a deep voice, "And he also lacks the perseverance to get back up after failing somewhere!"

"What do you want to say?"

Ji Fuyou Road.

"Mist!"

Lu Xingchen looked at Ji Fuyou: "I hope to enter the mist with you!"

"You want to enter the mist, hunt strange beasts, obtain source crystals, and then use the source crystals to strengthen yourself?"

Ji Fuyou understood what he meant.

"Yes."

Lu Xing said heavily.

Ji Fuyou smiled: "Do you know what the criteria are for entering the mist?"

"what?"

"At least an intermediate professional title!"

"Intermediate professional title!?"

"Yes, intermediate-level professional title is just the basics! Often, a hunter team needs at least one or two associate senior-level professionals to truly have the ability to deal with danger. Otherwise, a team of hunters with intermediate-level professional titles entering the fog is gambling with their lives!"

Ji Fuyou said, "I'm betting on my luck, on finding the strange beast in the chaotic, indistinguishable fog, and on being able to defeat the beast I encounter!"

He paused slightly as he spoke, "We're betting that you'll be blessed by the heavens. The source crystal that might only be produced once in ten or eight beasts happens to be conceived in the beast that you can defeat."

Lu Xingchen's face turned pale.

"Let's divide the monsters in the mist that a mid-level team can defeat into half and the monsters that they can't. In other words, every time you encounter a monster, there's a 50% chance of dying. You'll need to encounter monsters 10 times to get one source crystal, and your team needs at least 3 people."

Ji Fuyou paused for a moment.

This probability...

Lu Xingchen had calculated it clearly.

Finally, he said, "So, you, who haven't even been promoted to intermediate level, still want to come with me into the mist, hunt down alien beasts, and get a share of source crystals worth millions to strengthen yourself?"

"I……"

Lu Xingchen stopped, opened his mouth, as if to say something.

But he knew that what Ji Fuyou said was true.

Faced with such facts, any words seem so weak and powerless.

After a long pause, he said bitterly, "I was presumptuous."

After saying that, he turned to leave.

Looking at Lu Wushi, whom he had known for a month and had a basic understanding of, Ji Fuyou couldn't help but think of himself.

He was constantly plagued by nightmares for four years; wasn't he also living with fear?
While he was thinking, he suddenly asked, "How much do you earn annually now?"

Lu Xingchen paused for a moment: "I've developed internal strength, and my classes sell well. My resume is also much better than other martial artists, earning me around 150 million a year. However, as the number of martial artists increases, my income is declining."

150?
Ji Fuyou's thoughts froze.

I almost didn't want to talk about my plans.

However, he managed to adjust his mindset.

Have you considered changing jobs?

"Ok?"

Lu Xingchen turned around, his gaze immediately falling on him.

"Help me with something."

Ji Fuyou Road.

He eventually needs someone to handle some of the mundane tasks.

Although he hadn't known Lu Xingchen for long, it was enough for him to see that Lu Xingchen had dedicated his life to martial arts and had no ulterior motives.

He taught him both obvious and hidden strength, doing his best to teach him.

There wasn't a single secret he kept about teaching his apprentice to the point of starving his master.

therefore……

"Help me with some auxiliary work in exploring the fog, and I'll give you a Source Crystal in a year."

Ji Fuyou paused as he spoke, then said, "Of course, I don't have any Source Crystals right now. So, it's up to you whether you plan to find a team to enter the Mist and gamble on your own abilities, or choose to believe my promise."

"Don't think about it."

Lu Xingchen replied without hesitation, "I know that obtaining Source Crystals is not easy, otherwise they wouldn't sell for tens of millions of dollars. One a year is enough for me."

"Sure?"

"Sure!"

"So……"

Ji Fuyou extended his hand: "Welcome to the team."

(End of this chapter)