Chapter 44: The Two Hall Masters
In this era, advancements in materials science meant that even hollow metal rods had excellent strength and toughness. Most importantly, this Fish Spirit Clan member's physical fitness was only at level 10.2, just entering the first tier. Its bones and muscles were tough, but not to the point of ignoring ordinary weapons.
"Whoosh!" "Thud~" "Thud~" Li Yuan's first two strikes with the metal rod were delivered with single-handed precision, each blow causing the Fish Spirit Clan member's head to cave in, blood splattering. It lay completely still on the ground, its long body still twitching.
Li Yuan didn't stop; he knew the importance of finishing off an enemy. His third strike involved gripping the rod with both hands, the most effective stance for exerting force with a heavy weapon. The techniques for using a spear and a rod shared many similarities.
"Whoosh!" Li Yuan's entire body unleashed its strength in an instant, performing the move 'Rock Steadies the World,' where the rod's head struck down with the force of a spear.
"Splut~ Thud!!!" The terrifying force of over a thousand kilograms exploded precisely at the previous impact spot, causing the Fish Spirit Clan member's head to burst open like a watermelon. Blood and scales scattered, with some blood even splashing onto Li Yuan.
The Fish Spirit Clan member's body no longer moved.
"Whoosh!" "Whoosh!" Li Yuan gripped the long rod tightly, still wary, and stared at the Fish Spirit Clan member's body. "This time, it should be dead."
This was Li Yuan's first life-and-death battle. But thanks to thousands of virtual death matches and multiple real combat practices with Fang Longhu, especially the daily torment of the 'Observing the Great Sun Starry Sky Sutra,' Li Yuan's heart was already incredibly resilient. His spear and movement techniques, along with his combat instincts, had long been ingrained in him.
"I, Li Yuan, can kill a Astral Realm creature one-on-one?" Li Yuan took a deep breath, gripping the metal rod tighter. He felt a sense of accomplishment, as if he had experienced a major life event, with his soul undergoing a baptism. Some transformations in life often come suddenly and unexpectedly, and all one can do is be prepared in advance.
Clearly, through years of martial arts training, Li Yuan had prepared both mentally and physically for life-and-death combat. He had delivered a satisfactory answer to himself: no fear, no hesitation, only courage, decisiveness, and caution.
Stepping back five paces, Li Yuan still faced the Fish Spirit Clan member's body while scanning the surroundings with his peripheral vision, wary of any sudden Astral Realm creatures.
"Young man, are you a warrior?" The noodle shop owner, holding a kitchen knife, looked at Li Yuan in shock. He never expected that the young man he often saw jogging in the morning could be so formidable. Within two moves, the powerful Astral Realm creature had been taken down and appeared to be dead. Instinctively, the noodle shop owner assumed the young man was a warrior. In his understanding, only a warrior could defeat a Astral Realm creature in melee combat.
"No," Li Yuan replied.
"Then you?" The noodle shop owner gulped, about to say something when suddenly...
"Rustle~" Two small figures darted out of the alley. Li Yuan's pupils shrank, then he relaxed slightly. They were two small combat robots, less than half a meter tall and resembling large spiders, equipped with gun barrels. Whoosh! Whoosh! The combat robots scanned the area, then converged on the Fish Spirit Clan member's body, emitting red beams as if scanning.
Li Yuan stepped back further and relaxed completely. He realized that the gunshot wounds on the Fish Spirit Clan member were likely caused by these combat robots during a chase. There were tens of thousands of such combat robots in Jiangcheng, and except for some extremely powerful Star Realm creatures, most could be eliminated by combat robots in conjunction with combat drones.
"Should I leave now?" As Li Yuan thought this, a loud noise erupted from above. He looked up to see two aircraft resembling speedboats flying at high speed at an altitude of several dozen meters, a safe height in modern cities where buildings were no taller than twelve stories.
"Single-person aircraft?" Li Yuan held his breath. Before the aircraft landed, two figures dressed in black battle suits jumped out, moving like phantoms with incredible speed, yet landing lightly without damaging the ground. They then walked towards Li Yuan.
"Jumping down from at least thirty meters?" Li Yuan watched in awe. With his current strength, he could jump from a height of five meters and roll to disperse the impact without injury. The two warriors revealed only their eyes, with the rest of their bodies covered in black battle suits. Their invisible aura made Li Yuan uneasy, and he instinctively activated the Divine Palace to probe.
Target individuals, life levels exceed detection limits (current detection limit is level 17.8)
Both individuals exceeded Li Yuan's detection limit, further exhausting his mental energy.
"We were chasing that second-tier leader and missed this little guy. It's dead now?" One figure's battle suit retracted, revealing a bald head with features like chiseled stone. The other figure, relatively slender, had a battle suit that retracted to reveal a woman with brown curly hair, around thirty years old, with an exotic look.
"A foreign warrior?" Li Yuan wondered.
"Young man, I'm a real citizen of China," the brown-haired woman said in fluent Mandarin, smiling. "My family has been citizens since my great-grandfather's generation."
Li Yuan was speechless; high-level warriors had impressive hearing.
"Kid, did the combat robots tell me you killed this Astral Realm creature? Are you a martial arts university student?" The bald man walked up to Li Yuan, opening his smart ring to check the surrounding surveillance.
"Yes, I killed it. I'm in the third year at Guanshan No. 1 High School," Li Yuan said directly.
The bald man didn't respond, looking at the surveillance footage displayed on the smart ring's hologram. The brown-haired woman also looked over.
In less than ten seconds.
"Hmm?" "What? That rod technique? No, it's spear technique!" "Yes, it's spear technique." The two powerful warriors looked at Li Yuan in surprise. They initially thought the Fish Spirit Clan member was heavily injured and that Li Yuan had just finished it off. But the surveillance footage revealed that although the Fish Spirit Clan member was injured, it retained most of its strength. Yet Li Yuan had pierced its eyes with a metal rod in one move and then smashed its head with brutal force. This level of skill and ferocity amazed both the bald man and the brown-haired woman. A high school student? Since when were high school students this formidable?
"What's your name?" The bald man asked Li Yuan.
"Li Yuan," Li Yuan replied.
"Li Yuan? Would you like to sign a contract with Starry Sky Martial Hall?" The bald man offered a seemingly friendly smile. "I'm Lu Huai, the Hall Master of Starry Sky Martial Hall's Guanshan sub-hall."
Li Yuan was stunned. This bald man was a Hall Master, equivalent in rank to Hall Master Wan? He must be a source warrior.
"Greetings, Hall Master Lu," Li Yuan shook his head. "I've already signed an early contract with Starlight Martial Hall."
After a moment's thought, Li Yuan added, "A B-level contract."
"Starlighht Martial Hall? A B-level contract?" The bald man was taken aback. "I've never heard of that."
"A B-level contract? Li Yuan, from No. 1 High School?" The brown-haired woman's eyes lit up. She nudged the bald man playfully. "Old Lu, I remember now."
"Last month, Xing Zixuan mentioned that Hall Master Wan signed a B-level contract with a high school student."
"He said it was poached from your Starry Sky Martial Hall, so it must be him."
"I was going to ask Hall Master Wan at the year-end meeting," the brown-haired woman smiled at Li Yuan, her eyes filled with approval. "Now there's no need. With his courage to save people, fearlessness in the face of danger, and nearly fourth-stage spear technique, a B-level contract is well deserved."
Li Yuan was even more puzzled but inferred that the brown-haired woman seemed familiar with Hall Master Wan.
"Poached from my Starry Sky Martial Hall? Why wasn't I informed?" Lu Huai frowned, looking at Li Yuan.
"Don't look at Li Yuan, you'll scare our Martial Hall's young warrior," the brown-haired woman glared at the bald man. "If you want to know, ask your Martial Hall members yourself."
"Fine, I won't ask him," the bald man reluctantly agreed.
"Li Yuan." "Let's take a photo and sign." The brown-haired woman smiled at Li Yuan, opening her smart ring. "Don't worry, I'll report your killing of the Astral Realm creature, and then notify your school to get you an honorary title and rewards."
"Thank you, senior," Li Yuan, still dazed, followed her instructions.
Quickly, they took a photo with the Astral Realm creature's corpse and signed on the brown-haired woman's hologram.
"Don't call me senior, my surname is Zuo," the brown-haired woman said. "I'm the Deputy Hall Master of Starlight Martial Hall's Guanshan sub-hall, in charge of combat patrols and Astral Realm creature apprehensions."
"Deputy Hall Master Zuo?" Li Yuan was slightly surprised. He had heard other warriors at Starlight Martial Hall mention her but hadn't paid much attention and hadn't looked up her details.
"You know me?" Deputy Hall Master Zuo smiled at Li Yuan. "Was this your first time killing a Astral Realm creature? Do you need to go home and rest for a day?"
The first time killing a Astral Realm creature, especially a humanoid one, could make many people very tense, even causing psychological issues.
"No need for leave." "Deputy Hall Master Zuo, I should go to school," Li Yuan said seriously. "I still have classes today."
"School?" Deputy Hall Master Zuo was taken aback, then laughed. "I'll take you."