The man came quickly, and the helicopter continued flying towards the location of the distress signal.
"Hello, Uncle!" Xue Chengsong hurriedly greeted.
The man merely nodded, said nothing, and walked over to Feng Wenhao, giving him a pat.
Feng Wenhao's eyes widened as the frost on his wounds visibly dispersed at an incredible speed.
The man gave each person a pat, dispelling the cold within them, except for Zhou Leng.
He sized up Zhou Leng, nodded, and said, "A fine seedling."
After speaking, he ran towards the helicopter, his speed increasing, and the wind swirling around him dispersed the weeds beneath his feet.
He vanished into the night.
"That person, if not in the Body Refining Stage, then in the Vitality Stage, so fierce," Feng Wenhao said enviously.
"That pat cleared my whole body; it felt like being constipated for three days and suddenly relieved, so refreshing," Cui Mingcong said with a crude analogy.
"Retreat?" Zhou Leng looked at the team leader, Xue Chengsong.
Xue Chengsong asked, "You haven't used the War Merit Token yet, have you?"
Zhou Leng nodded.
Xue Chengsong said, "You do the positioning."
Zhou Leng walked over to the corpse of the Ice Crystal Demon Lion, used the War Merit Token to position it, and then took out his phone.
Zhou Leng looked at the phone.
The phone was cracked all over like a cookie dropped on the ground.
Zhou Leng put away the phone and said, "I won't be taking any pictures this time."
"No, this time we definitely need evidence." Xue Chengsong pulled out a portable computer and recorded a video.
Xue Chengsong said, "Let's go; we don't know if there will be any more danger."
The six of them shouldered their backpacks and quickly moved on, breathing a sigh of relief after entering the Red Spot Leaf Forest.
Shortly after the six left, a troop transport passed by, and soldiers got out to carry away the Ice Crystal Demon Lion's corpse, then left.
Half an hour later, an oval-shaped blue teleportation gate appeared at the Ice Crystal Demon Lion's resting place.
A blue-faced man emerged from the teleportation gate, with fleshy tendrils about ten centimeters long on either side of his forehead, wearing a white magic robe embroidered with snowflakes.
He scanned the surroundings, bent down, picked up a piece of ice crystal, and put it in his mouth.
"Pfft..." He spat it out.
"This kind of aura..."
He looked in the direction of the Pioneer Base, his brows furrowing, and turned back into the teleportation gate.
Zhou Leng and the others rushed back to the Pioneer Base overnight.
Upon entering the base gate, Xue Chengsong activated his demonized mini computer to contact Xue Tongming.
"Dad, we encountered a demon attack. Ding Yan fled like a coward, nearly getting us killed. Thankfully, Zhou Leng made a final stand, or I'd never see you again."
"Hmm, I'll handle it. Tell me the details."
Xue Chengsong recounted the experience, including the matters with Tong Tianxia and the Rusted Priest.
Finally, Xue Chengsong asked, "Dad, who is this Tong Tianxia? He seems like he's with the Demon Worship Sect."
"That name is almost nonexistent online. Just try not to mention it in front of outsiders."
"I understand."
The others also replied to messages on their phones.
Only Zhou Leng stood empty-handed, looking towards the mall in the base's service area.
Xue Chengsong looked at Zhou Leng, then at the service area mall, and after a moment's thought, dialed his mother's number.
"Mom, my friends and I worked together to kill a Demon Wolf, isn't that impressive?"
"Good boy, when you come back, Mom will arrange a celebration dinner for you."
"It's a shame my demonized computer broke in the battle, leaving only the chat function. Can you send some money so I can buy a new one at the Pioneer Base? This is crucial for my admission to Western Sea Martial Arts Academy."
"You brat, always thinking about money."
Beep...
Xue Chengsong looked at his account and saw a deposit of a hundred thousand.
"Mom, you're the best, mwah!" Xue Chengsong kissed the demonized computer.
"Wait for me here; I'll be back soon." Xue Chengsong said, then quickly headed to the service area.
The others stood where they were.
Feng Wenhao walked over, sighed, and said, "I knew Demon City was dangerous, but I didn't expect it to this extent; it's terrifying."
"Without demonized weapons, we'd be dead for sure. But it really is good training; I feel I have a deeper understanding of martial arts now," Zhou Leng said.
"Of course, fighting with your life on the line, how can you not gain deeper insights? I can totally overpower the me from a few days ago. Let's spar gently and discuss our insights from the past few days," Feng Wenhao suggested.
"Sure."
Feng Wenhao lowered his body slightly, slowly throwing a straight punch at Zhou Leng, explaining as he punched, "I've now developed the habit of slightly crouching when striking to stabilize my center of gravity; otherwise, my punches aren't steady. My teacher mentioned it before, but it wasn't until actual combat that I found it useful."
Zhou Leng used his left arm to block, stepped forward with his right foot, and aligned his right hand with his fingers close together like a knife, slowly chopping towards Feng Wenhao's carotid artery.
"Your punch has a strong force, but your style is too straightforward. I discovered in this battle that exchanging blows appropriately is better than dodging wildly. So I'm using my left arm to deflect your right punch, disrupting your balance, and then targeting with a longer reach knife-hand strike..."
The two continued to spar slowly while exchanging insights.
People walked back and forth in the base, not paying much attention to this common slow-paced sparring.
Before long, Xue Chengsong returned.
"Zhou Leng!" he shouted as he walked closer.
Zhou Leng ceased his attack and looked towards Xue Chengsong.
A black, sealed box flew over.
Zhou Leng caught it.
A demonized mini computer, in the form of a wristwatch.
Identical to Xue Chengsong's.
"You..." Zhou Leng looked at Xue Chengsong in confusion.
"We're all students and can't afford anything too impressive as thanks. On behalf of all the team members, I'm giving you this gift to thank you for that series of Heaven Island Falling into the Sea. To be honest, it was particularly stunning at the time," Xue Chengsong said with a smile.
The other five people looked over.
"At least a hundred thousand, right? I just did what I was supposed to do," Zhou Leng tossed it back.
Xue Chengsong caught it and said, "At that time, the Ice Crystal Demon Lion was injured and couldn't catch up with you at all. You could've run like Ding Yan did, but you chose to take a deadly risk to fight. Just for that courage, and since your phone is broken, if I don't show some gratitude, people would talk behind my back."
"That's right, Zhou Leng, just accept it. His New Year's money is more than this," Cao Jiajia said.
"Young Master Xue also said it's not just from him but from all of us. Without you, we'd really be stuck there," Cui Mingcong added.
"Zhou Leng, just take it," Feng Wenhao also urged.
Zhou Leng said, "To compromise, if you really want to thank me, just help me buy a new phone."
"This is it!" Xue Chengsong tossed it over again. Zhou Leng had to catch it and was about to return it when Xue Chengsong reached out to stop him.
"The contract clearly states that if someone saves me, our Xue family would provide additional compensation, isn't that right?"
"Yes."
"This is the additional compensation. You dealt with the Demon Wolf and Demon Lion cleanly, why be so hesitant about this? I'm not a fool either. I know your worth, and the other team members do too. If you keep refusing, it might sour our friendship."
"Yeah, take it. With the demonized computer, you'll be even more useful in the team in the future."
"Just take it," Feng Wenhao held Zhou Leng's wrist, giving him a look.
Feng Wenhao understood Zhou Leng's reluctance to take advantage, but this was no longer just about a demonized computer.
Zhou Leng paused for a moment, slowly raising his head to look at Xue Chengsong, and said, "Alright, thank you."
Xue Chengsong laughed happily and said, "Let's get our War Merit Tokens uploaded first, then wait here for a few days. If the battle ends, we can visit other Wolf Valleys, but if it drags on, we'll return to Rucheng. Let's go."
Under Xue Chengsong's lead, the team walked toward the Hall of Military Merits.
Xue Chengsong said, "Activate the demonized computer first. When you activate your merits, you'll need to download the 'Martial Arts City' app. Everything about martial artists will be centralized in there and bound for life."
Walking, Zhou Leng activated the demonized computer.
Xue Chengsong handed over another box, saying, "This is a 'Demonization Connector.' Attach it near your temple so you can control the demonized computer with your mind. It has a slight delay and isn't very precise; I prefer using voice and fingers for control."
Zhou Leng knew this connector cost at least five thousand.
Xue Chengsong continued, "Oh, if someone investigates, just tell the truth. It was really Zhou Leng who acted against the Ice Crystal Demon Lion. You don't need to give me credit. I'm not a good person, but I do have a conscience."
"Are you sure?" Feng Wenhao asked in surprise.
"Funny, ask our classmates from Third Middle School. When did I, Xue Chengsong, ever cheat a brother? Instead, I often get tricked by brothers."
"Sometimes he's a fool," Cao Jiajia said, dropping a profanity-free curse word.
Xue Chengsong looked awkward, "Jiajia just likes to bully me because she's strong."
The six walked into the Hall of Military Merits, downloaded the "Martial Arts City" app, did facial recognition and real name binding, submitted their War Merit Tokens for review, and once the device read them, walked out with the tokens.
Zhou Leng didn't use the Demonization Connector, just activated the "virtual phone screen function."
The demonized computer watch projected a light screen that simulated a phone's interface.
While cloud-syncing the old phone, Zhou Leng opened Martial Arts City.
The Martial Arts City interface was very simple; the current active options were only "Merits," "Martial Arts Diary," "Friends," "Settings," etc.
Inactive and unclickable categories included "Martial Arts Mall," "Martial Arts Forum," "Local Qi Blood Chart," "Local Newcomer Chart," and many other options.
Zhou Leng clicked on "Merits," which showed that the stats were still being calculated.
Feng Wenhao asked, "After we enroll, those locked categories will be accessible, right?"
"Besides entering the Martial Arts Academy or an Affiliated Martial Arts Hall, rising to the Blood Transporting Period, clearing the first layer of the Copper Man Array, or earning enough merits can unlock some," Zhou Leng nodded.
"I can't wait," Feng Wenhao chuckled.
"Now we have time to add to the Martial Arts Diary. From now on, writing things down on paper won't be necessary. Once you improve, you can record it there. If you don't want to share, no one else can see it. Martial Arts City's privacy protection is extremely high, and only the nine highest elders of the Martial Mansion have the authority to check," Xue Chengsong explained.
Zhou Leng first manipulated his Qi, performed a simple set of external techniques, and noted down the details.
One, Realm.
Qi Blood Realm.
Qi Nourishing Period.
Two, Divine Techniques.
1. Clan Divine Power: Seed of True Qi.
2. National Divine Techniques: Inheritance Continuation. Martial Arts Perception. United Strength. Medicinal Supplement.
Three, Martial Arts:
1. Inner Skills: Mystic Tide Technique - Great Success Third Layer Heaven.
2. Fist Technique: Mountain Charging Fist - Mastery of the Sixth Heaven.
3. Palm Technique: Overlapping Waves Palm - Great Success Fourth Layer Heaven.
4. Leg Technique: Flying Cloud Leg - Mastery of the Eighth Heaven.
5. Stepping Technique: Eight Trigrams Step - Great Success Second Layer Heaven.
6. Body Technique: Cloud Wandering Body Technique - Mastery of the Ninth Heaven.
Four, Four Wonders Body.
Qi: Mortal Qi.
Blood: Mortal Blood.
Body: Mortal Body.
Power: Mortal Power.
Five, Martial Arts Will.
No Perception.
Six, Combat Awareness.
No Perception.
Having taken the Replenishing Essence Pills and gone through several days of training, both inner and outer skills increased by one heaven.
Finally, Zhou Leng stared at Martial Arts Will.