Abundant Martial Arts Virtue
Chapter 42 - 33 New Commission

Chapter 42: Chapter 33 New Commission

Downtown.

A hotel.

When Wu Xiaode opened his eyes, it was already 9 a.m.

He felt full of energy.

After a night’s rest, his physical strength had completely recovered.

He stretched, sat up from the bed, and casually picked up his phone.

Who would have known that as soon as the phone was turned on, a dense array of news pages immediately appeared:

"Monster spotted at the night market, devouring people on the spot!"

"Demons from the Otherworld appear!"

"Everyone, come look, monsters are eating people in the streets!"

"This is not a mirage! Repeat, this is not a mirage! The devil has come ashore!"

"Whispers suggest that humans with Awakening Power already exist..."

"..."

Wu Xiaode swiped away all the news and only then saw a few useful voice messages.

First was from Xia Huilan:

"Little Wu, the company has offered me a new position and salary, I’m heading to work right now."

Wu Xiaode sighed silently.

Anyone could guess with their toes that Xia Huilan must be planning to create another more powerful Mobile Battle Armor.

But Zhao Junyu had made a promise, saying that experts were secretly protecting her.

Xia Huilan herself was very alert and always carried Xia Ni with her.

——There should be no problems for now.

Then there was a voice message from Zhao Junyu:

"Last night’s incident was huge and has already caused a stir among countries around the world."

"Just letting you know in advance, the country is about to announce that all high school graduates will start school early for military training, which will be real battlefield training without any discounts."

"Mecha might be exposed."

Wu Xiaode put down his phone and went to freshen up.

This five-star hotel was arranged by Zhao Junyu, quite luxurious and convenient. Wu Xiaode, following the principle of not letting any freebies go to waste, chose a suite with Xia Huilan and settled in.

Twenty minutes later.

Dining room.

Wu Xiaode ate his meal while looking at the Book of the Dead floating in front of him.

Ice crystal letters exuding a ghastly chill emerged on the pages:

"A new day has begun."

"Settlement as follows:"

"Current soul strength: 7/7, Merit 1."

"You may now use today’s rights to take on a new commission from the Wall of Wishes."

Is that even a question?

He must become stronger as soon as possible!

"Use today’s rights," Wu Xiaode silently said to himself.

Mist suddenly rose.

The whole world vanished before his eyes, leaving only an endless expanse of fog.

Within the rising mist, a broken wall stood quietly.

The Wall of Wishes!

A piece of paper fluttered in the wind, finally falling off the wall, drifting into Wu Xiaode’s hands.

The paper bore a few lines of script:

"Darkness is coming, yet my inheritor is still indulging in the trivial matters of life, without even an Awakening of Soul Power."

"How shameful!"

"Who can lend a hand to him?"

"Please wake him from his mundane life, let him become a true Martial Artist, ready for the chaos to come."

"I am willing to offer a generous reward!"

Wu Xiaode read through it quickly and without hesitation said, "I accept this commission."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the paper turned into two clusters of fine light particles.

One cluster of light morphed into a Mystic Iron Spearhead engraved with cloud patterns and landed in Wu Xiaode’s hands.

This was the token.

The other cluster of light circled around Wu Xiaode before entering his brows.

Scene after scene flashed in Wu Xiaode’s mind.

Wu Xiaode put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth, and sent a voice message to Xiao Baihong:

"Elder Xiao, I want to help a friend awaken his Soul Power. I’ve never done it before. Do you know any way to do it?"

Soon, Xiao Baihong replied.

"Little Wu, helping someone with the Awakening of Soul Power, if that were possible, then what ordinary people would there be in the world? Everyone would be a professional."

"There’s really no way at all?" Wu Xiaode asked again.

"This matter depends on one’s own qualifications and willpower, and of course, a bit of luck is involved too—others can’t help," replied Xiao Baihong.

Wu Xiaode let out a sigh and said, "Alright, I got it."

By that logic, this commission is rather difficult.

Fifty minutes later.

The outskirts of the city.

A dilapidated martial arts gym.

To say it was rundown was an understatement; even messages like "Pay your debts!" "Trash gym," and "Wimps" on the wall remained uncleaned.

But the gym itself was quite large, with a lake several hundred meters in front of the door, mountains behind it, flowers and fish nurturing a beautiful scenery and fresh air around it.

"What a nice place," Wu Xiaode remarked, then knocked on the door.

"Knock knock knock!"

"Who is it?" an impatient voice called out.

Wu Xiaode listened for sounds from inside.

Sounds from electronic games leaked through the door gap, some melodies still very familiar.

"A martial artist," Wu Xiaode said.

"A martial artist? Go on, girl, open the door for him," that voice commanded.

The door cracked open.

A girl of about eleven or twelve peered out timidly at him and asked, "What do you want? To visit? To apprentice? Or to challenge us?"

Wu Xiaode smiled and said, "This martial arts hall has some old ties with me, I’ve come to pay a visit."

"Dad, it’s a visitor," the little girl called back.

"Let him in," the voice rose.

The door swung wide open.

In the spacious training ground, a flock of hens pecked at the ground while a proud rooster strutted along the side.

As Wu Xiaode passed by, it scurried frantically to one side.

When it realized Wu Xiaode wasn’t out to catch it, it immediately regained its dignified demeanor.

In the corner was a vegetable patch.

The little girl ran back to guard it, keeping the flock of chickens at bay.

She sat on a small stool, doing her homework on a low table.

Outside the house, a long row of cool sheds was set up.

Under the sheds, there was nothing else but a long line of large arcade game machines.

These things were very old, having been phased out already. Nowadays, everyone played games on computers, and not many people played these kinds of machines found in arcades.

The training ground was quite spacious.

Behind the training ground lay a courtyard with three sections in and three sections out, quite sophisticated.

A plump middle-aged man in a practice uniform stood under the shed, playing an arcade game.

Without turning his head, he asked:

"May I know who this is—"

"My surname is Wu, everyone calls me Little Wu, a descendant of the Iron Wire Fist school," Wu Xiaode said.

"Pleasure to meet you, I’m Qian Mingkui, descendant of the Snow Stepping and Seeking Plum school. What brings you here this time?" the chubby man said.

Wu Xiaode glanced at his screen.

He saw that the opponent on this level was quite formidable, having reduced the character he controlled to a critical health status.

"Brother, you can’t hold on, be careful," Wu Xiaode warned.

"I know, but this guy is really tough, he has a move, Sky Flying Slash, it drains health even if blocked—"

The chubby man suddenly let out a wailing cry.

As expected, the computer used a Sky Flying Slash and killed off his character.

The chubby man sighed and turned around saying, "Alright, buddy, what brings you here?"

"My ancestral master had connections with your school, so I’ve come to visit and reminisce," Wu Xiaode said.

"Haha, so you are a descendant of old friends. We martial artists, rather than verbal exchange, why not spar a bit to warm up?" Qian Mingkui said.

Wu Xiaode looked at his protruding belly, then his sloppy bearded face, and the pronounced dark circles under his eyes, thinking to himself that appearances can be deceiving. This seemingly frail man was surprisingly eager for a fight.

A fighting spirit is a good thing—

If his talent and temperament are right, he might just be able to awaken his Soul Power.

Let’s do this then.

Wu Xiaode positioned himself in a fighting stance and smiled, "Please."

Qian Mingkui also took up a stance, his breath and voice strong, "Please."

Neither of them moved.

One minute.

Two minutes.

Three minutes.

"Brother, why aren’t you moving?" Wu Xiaode couldn’t help asking.

"Sorry, our school’s martial arts emphasize striking after the opponent, please enlighten me with a move," Qian Mingkui said.

Wu Xiaode suddenly understood and, with a sheepish expression, said, "Then I will make the first move."

"Come on!" Qian Mingkui shouted.

Wu Xiaode advanced, without using any Soul Power, and gently delivered a strike with Destroying Power.

Qian Mingkui’s eyes shone fiercely, not retreating but instead advancing a few steps, his hands meeting Wu Xiaode’s fist—

Thump!

Qian Mingkui let out a scream like a banshee wailing and tumbled to the ground, rolling back and forth.

The little girl hurried over, crying loudly:

"Dad, what’s wrong with you, Dad!"

Qian Mingkui held his head, crying out in agony: "My head! My head’s been injured, got a concussion, it hurts so much!"

Wu Xiaode was silent for a moment, then squatted down and whispered, "Brother, you’re laying it on a bit thick, that’s not gonna get you any money."

Qian Mingkui, clutching his head, said, "It really hurts—"

Wu Xiaode cut him off, speaking directly, "You won’t get past the coroner with that, they see people like you all the time."

Qian Mingkui grumbled, "I’ll outlast you—"

Wu Xiaode interrupted him again, "Brother, I’m the only one in my family, and I’m still a student—do I look like someone who can fork over a few hundred bucks?"

Qian Mingkui gave him another look, sat up from the ground, and sighed, "Even though you’re young, you’re an old hand at this, have you done this kind of thing before?"

"No, I really couldn’t keep lying there," Wu Xiaode replied honestly.

"Are you really tied to our Snow Stepping and Seeking Plum school?" Qian Mingkui asked.

"Indeed, that’s why I came to visit," Wu Xiaode replied.

He took out the Mystic Iron Spearhead engraved with cloud patterns from his sling bag, and placed two bottles of alcohol and a bag of snacks in front of Qian Mingkui.

"Forget it, forget it, we’re all fallen folks of the same river and lake, stay for lunch and then go," Qian Mingkui waved his hand.