Chapter 131 - 124: The Secret Realm of Heining Province! Third-Order Mutant Beast, Mountain Splitting Bear!

The Class B Heaven and Earth Secret Realm in Hei Ning Province. It was tucked away in a remote county town. Fortunately, there weren’t many people living in this area to begin with. The government had urgently evacuated the population, providing enough resettlement compensation and transforming it into a military zone. In just one week, they had managed to pile up ten-meter-high walls, and tens of thousands of soldiers were stationed within. Thermal weapons lay crouched like massive beasts, aiming straight at the crack in the realm. The level of security here completely surpassed that of the Heaven and Earth Secret Realm in Yun Dian Province. Jiang Shu, having reported in advance, drove in without any hindrance and parked in the designated lot. An officer was already waiting nearby, together with two soldiers, handing him a letter and waiting as Jiang Shu finished writing his last testament, saluting him with a military gesture. "This is our military’s latest C-class pistol, loaded with ten rounds. Each one is specially made, able to penetrate the hide, flesh, and tendons of a Tier-3 Mutant Beast, causing explosive damage. Master Jiang, feel free to use the pistol to deal specifically with the predatory birds in the sky." "This is a C-class grenade. Don’t be fooled by its size—just as big as your fist—but its power is incredible. Tests have shown that if it detonates within a hundred meters, even a Tier-3 Mutant Beast wouldn’t leave a single bone behind." "This pistol and grenade are only temporarily loaned by our military. They can be used only inside the Heaven and Earth Secret Realm. Once you return, you must give them back. I hope you understand, Master Jiang." "Oxygen in this Secret Realm in Hei Ning Province is extremely scarce, almost like being at 7,000 meters above sea level. So once you enter, Master Jiang, take some time to acclimate first. Avoid intense fights at the beginning or you’ll quickly run out of breath." As an officer, his own strength was just at Dark Force. But the information he had accessed was definitely far more than that of the average Dark Force Martial Artist. In just a few words, he had made the situation in the Hei Ning Heaven and Earth Secret Realm clear. *Whether Jiang Shu learned about it in advance, that was his own business.* *Whether they, the military, explained it or not, it was their business.* They all watched as Jiang Shu stepped into the crack in the realm. Of the two soldiers, one couldn’t help but speak up, "Captain, is he really a Hua Jing Master? He looks so young." "Haven’t I already shared the latest master ranking with you guys? That was him just now—the young Grandmaster Jiang Shu who’s been shocking our entire martial arts community lately!" The captain kept watching, eyes full of admiration. *In the army, strength was everything!* *When the world shifted, soldiers were the first to hear of it and the first to start practicing martial arts.* *With enough resources and an early start,* *he himself had only reached Dark Force.* *That said it all.* *With zero resources in the beginning,* *for someone from a small city to climb step by step, to get into an academy and become a young Grandmaster like Jiang Shu,* *just how high must his martial arts talent be!* C-class pistols and grenades looked impressive, but were only useful in the hands of a Hua Jing Master. If given to him—even though he was a Dark Force Martial Artist—once he entered the Secret Realm, he’d get altitude sickness instantly. Besides, Tier-3 Mutant Beasts, those things were fast as hell—covering a hundred meters in a blink! With his skills, even throwing a grenade, there was a hundred percent chance the Tier-3 Mutant Beast would dodge. As for bullets, don’t even mention them. They could hurt a Tier-3 Mutant Beast, sure. But if a Tier-3 Mutant Beast got injured and locked onto him, the only thing waiting would be certain death! Martial Artists at their level had only one play left—fight to the death. If a Tier-3 Mutant Beast pounced, all they could do was detonate a grenade as it lunged. That way maybe they’d take it out with them. But Xia Country definitely wouldn’t let it come to that. After all, they were still in control of the situation; it hadn’t reached the point where lives needed to be exchanged. Besides, the materials from these high-level Mutant Beasts were becoming more and more precious. Each one was more valuable than the last. Rumor had it that a research institute had discovered that the flesh of a certain Tier-3 Mutant Beast could even extend life. Although you had to take it long-term to see any effects, it was enough to excite the higher-ups! Exploring the Secret Realm, that was all for these rare materials. If they were all blown up, what good would that opportunity be! "Reached Hua Jing at eighteen—what kind of training is that? I do my horse stance every day, and the food in the army’s great. I still haven’t got to Bright Force yet. Captain, later, can you run us through how to reach Bright Force again?" "You little brat, always slippery. Haven’t I said it a hundred times already? Practice your Guiding Skill properly. Look, martial arts in Xia favor talent above all. If you really can’t reach Bright Force, don’t get too down. Martial arts are only a road for the gifted. But with the world changing, this is the greatest opportunity for us. Even if you never officially step into martial arts, just circulating your qi and blood now puts your combat power above a special ops soldier from two years ago." "And besides, genetic potion research at the institute is making breakthroughs every once in a while. The thing is, there are still some side effects, so it’s not on the market yet. And, even then, genetic potions can’t compare with the wonders of martial arts." "Just keep training, don’t get impatient." He led the two soldiers back to the unit. The captain filed a report on Jiang Shu’s situation. Meanwhile, Martial Artist Alliance. An anonymous Dark Force Martial Artist started a thread. [Reporting from Hei Ning, Small Bets for Fun—Grandmaster Jiang Shu’s First Time Entering the Secret Realm After Reaching Hua Jing; Place Your Bets on His Battle Record] The post was super short. Just one line, four options. Each option needed one point to vote. "Saw a Hongqi car drive into the Hei Ning military zone for the Secret Realm, license plate Jiang D. Pretty sure it’s Grandmaster Jiang Shu. Take your guess on his result when he comes out." 1, Returns empty-handed. 2, Kills one Tier-3 Mutant Beast. 3, Kills more than three Tier-3 Mutant Beasts. 4, Kills more than five Tier-3 Mutant Beasts. "Placed my bet—straight to more than five kills. Years of betting on soccer, always bet the opposite and you’ll end up with a mansion by the sea!" "Be a little more conservative, maybe just one. Tier-3 Mutant Beasts are actually above even Hua Jing Masters. Jiang Shu might be a young Grandmaster, but he’s still a kid, and he can’t have gone into many Secret Realms yet. He just doesn’t have the experience fighting Mutant Beasts. Even if he’s got experience, Tier-3 Mutant Beasts are totally different from Tier-2." "Reporting from Ji City. Just a few days ago there was a bank robbery here. I thought it would get huge, but the whole thing was done in an hour. Heard from a police buddy: Jiang Shu took the case! Flashed his badge, walked into the bank. All three armed robbers died horribly. One had all his organs shattered. One’s head and body twisted ninety degrees. The last one, a thin leaf stabbed through his throat. Hua Jing Master, kills with leaves!" "I think I saw that in the group too—a bunch of blurry videos made the rounds. First robber was Yang Biao, even among Bright Force Martial Artists he was a tough one. Came from underground boxing, but one punch, dropped like a painting! But the scariest thing, another robber even fired a shot, but apparently missed Jiang Shu!" "Hua Jing Master, dodged a gun!" "No, dodging wasn’t scary, what’s scary was that he dodged at point-blank range! If I’m a few hundred meters away, maybe with my max speed, I could dodge, but this was just a few steps and still a sneak attack—he dodged. Jiang Shu really deserves that young Grandmaster title. That’s why I went with option three—you have to bet on him." "You guys just talk crap, none of you have been in the Hei Ning Secret Realm. I went right when it opened. Altitude sickness knocked me out cold. Not to mention, those Tier-3 sky beasts always circling above. I got so scared I turned right back around. Even among Hua Jing Martial Artists, there’s a gap—just like there’s a difference between entry-level and Peak Dark Force! The range among Hua Jing Masters is even wider!" "Even if Jiang Shu’s a young Grandmaster with crazy talent, he only just achieved Hua Jing. His vital organs aren’t tempered yet. The Heaven and Earth Secret Realm is super harsh. That’s why most masters temper their lungs first. That boosts your senses! Personally, I think since Jiang Shu’s got so much talent, he ought to wait a bit, let his organs strengthen before entering. That way he’d slaughter everything inside, no need to be so reckless now." "You ever think that maybe, with your logic, Jiang Shu would never have become a young Grandmaster? Practicing martial arts takes guts. Jiang Shu’s right to go into the Secret Realm! When you’re young, it’s all about chasing opportunity. The resources at the academies just can’t keep up with him now. You want him to temper his organs—how? The Mutant Beast meat he eats is mostly farmed. But if he kills a Tier-3 Mutant Beast in the Secret Realm, even one will fuel his progress! The right choice is obvious!" "Martial arts are rowing against the current—if you don’t move forward, you fall behind. Jiang Shu becoming a young Grandmaster and making it this far, no way he’s a reckless guy." "Talk all you want—let’s just wait a month. The Hei Ning Secret Realm should only have a month left until it stabilizes. When that’s done, we’ll see the updated master rankings. Hua Jing Masters aren’t regular Dark Force Martial Artists. Everyone’s watching. Results are everything!" "Alright, alright, we’ll see in a month!" Inside the Secret Realm. Jiang Shu had no idea that, because of him, the posts on the Martial Artist Alliance had all the Dark Force Martial Artists at each other’s throats. Right now he was crouched in the densest thicket. This entire area was overgrown with weeds. Every blade of grass reached waist height. A hundred meters ahead, there was a shallow stream. The water flowed past broken stones. On the far side was a valley, and from time to time, the roar of a bear echoed out. That sound unmistakably belonged to a Tier-3 Mutant Beast. The Mountain Splitting Bear.