Realm-Hopping Martial Master

"How... how many?"

"12!"

Even Wang Jing, whose mind was incredibly strong, suddenly became momentarily dazed.

He felt sure he must still be in the Heaven and Earth Secret Realm, dreaming. For a young man who looked no more than twenty, becoming a Grandmaster was shocking enough. Slaying 12 tier-three Mutant Beasts in the Heaven and Earth Secret Realm? Doesn't everyone have the same equipment—a C-grade hand grenade, and a C-grade handgun with 10 specially made bullets? If this boy was a Hua Jing Master, what did that make him? A worthless Grandmaster?

"Grandmaster Jiang has come out."

The Camp Commander's pupils trembled slightly. After Jiang Shu entered the Heaven and Earth Secret Realm, he saw that light-hearted betting post in the Martial Artists' Alliance. As an officer of this military region, he was naturally aware of some accomplishments of Hua Jing Masters. Typically, they only managed to kill 3 to 5 tier-three Mutant Beasts.

After all, the Heaven and Earth Secret Realm in Hei Ning Province was being opened for the first time. It attracted primarily those Hua Jing Masters who ranked after the top hundred. The truly powerful Grandmasters had long been practicing Martial Arts and battling Mutant Beasts in those already open realms, their schedules fully packed. Someone like Wang Jing, ranked around the 110th position, was already among the strong. Therefore, it was an extraordinary achievement for him to have slain 6 tier-three Mutant Beasts.

Although Jiang Shu had achieved rapid fame at a young age, he had not been a Hua Jing Master for long. Therefore, in his bet, he had safely chosen the third option: Slay 3 tier-three Mutant Beasts! After all, he had a C-grade hand grenade and handgun. As long as Grandmaster Jiang used them correctly, he should have been able to hunt 3 or 4 tier-three Mutant Beasts. He felt his estimation was hardly likely to be wrong.

However, the first sentence Jiang Shu said upon exiting stunned him.

12 tier-three Mutant Beasts!

Even Hua Jing Masters ranked in the top hundred couldn't necessarily achieve such a record! To think, Jiang Shu had been in this Heaven and Earth Secret Realm for only 20 days. This meant, on average, he had to slay one tier-three Mutant Beast in less than two days. Such a record... Such terrifying combat ability... Unthinkable!

Although he had undergone various trainings, the Camp Commander couldn't help but become momentarily dazed. Soon, however, he recovered and bent down to start checking.

There are strong and weak among tier-three Mutant Beasts. Perhaps Grandmaster Jiang was extremely lucky and encountered only the weaker ones, he thought to himself.

Yet, when he took out the first item from the backpack, he knew he was wrong.

"This is the heart and gall of a Mountain Splitting Bear. I've also kept some intact Scale Armor at the bottom of the backpack; remember to check it later."

Jiang Shu's voice was very faint, yet it thundered in his ears.

A Mountain Splitting Bear. Even the weakest among them was probably not something a novice Hua Jing Master could handle.

Jiang Shu described, one after another, the materials from the tier-three Mutant Beasts. Standing there, he looked like a wild man. But no one dared to laugh. Everyone knew that the more he appeared so, the more it signified that Jiang Shu's battles had been extremely fierce. These vital materials were the proof!

"Good. Grandmaster Jiang, all these materials have been recorded. It will take some time for verification, worth approximately 30,000 points. The value of the Blue Water Herb is immeasurable and requires further assessment by the research institute. After all, I also cannot tell how much longer it needs to mature."

He carefully placed the Blue Water Herb into a jade box, having a soldier beside him swiftly send it away. The Camp Commander's voice was full of respect.

"Hmm, the grenades and bullets have all been used up. Here, this is the pistol," Jiang Shu said, handing the pistol to the Camp Commander. Without any intention of lingering, he turned and briskly walked toward the Hongqi car, riding off into the distance.

"Who is he?"

As the Hongqi car drove out of the military zone, Wang Jing couldn't help but ask. Among those 12 tier-three Mutant Beasts, there were a few he would have wanted to avoid. The strength of this Hua Jing Master was definitely greater than his own! Who exactly was this person? How had he never heard of him? He'd seen photos of everyone in the top hundred of the Grandmaster rankings.

The Camp Commander, too, watched as Jiang Shu departed. Hearing Wang Jing's question, he first looked at Wang Jing in surprise, then, as if he had realized something, explained, "I forgot that Grandmaster Wang entered the Heaven and Earth Secret Realm over a month ago. You must be unaware of the recent major events. The person who just left is Jiang Shu, Grandmaster Jiang. At a mere eighteen years old, he advanced to the Hua Jing realm and has been acclaimed as a young Grandmaster."

Eighteen years old. A Hua Jing Master.

Two utterly mismatched concepts circled in Wang Jing's mind. Had he really only been in the Heaven and Earth Secret Realm for just over a month? How could the world have changed so drastically in that time?

「At this time.」

At the Martial Artists' Alliance, the Grandmaster rankings had been updated somewhat frequently these days. Dark Force Martial Artists with spare time constantly left comments under the post.

"Another one added, Wang Jing, Grandmaster Wang. Entered the top hundred! He just came out from the Grade C Heaven and Earth Secret Realm of Hei Ning Province, and he killed 6 tier-three Mutant Beasts. Truly, terrifyingly powerful."

"Shot right up to rank 98! Last time I heard someone guess that those who reach the top hundred are mostly Hua Jing Masters who have fortified at least two vital organs; just in terms of strength, they possess over 20,000 catties. Each person is like a humanoid war machine. When could I also reach such a realm?"

"Jiang Shu hasn't come out yet, right? It's been so long; the passages in the Heaven and Earth Secret Realm might start becoming unstable."

"No matter how many tier-three Mutant Beasts he has slain upon coming out, in my eyes, Jiang Shu is really impressive. Didn't you see the news? Someone saw Shang Jibei come out of the Heaven and Earth Secret Realm. But after such a long time, the Grandmaster rankings still haven't been updated. He probably hasn't stepped into the Hua Jing realm."

"Hey, now that you mention it, that seems true. Back then, Shang Jibei advanced to the Dark Force realm before Jiang Shu, but this time, he failed at the Hua Jing realm."

"That's quite normal. Among us, how many entered the Dark Force realm without any hitches? The path of Martial Arts inherently relies on talent. Being fast in one realm doesn't mean speed in the next. Some people progress rapidly in the early stages, while others are late-bloomers, accumulating strength over time before a sudden breakthrough."

"I just came over from a neighboring casual betting thread. The thread starter said he hired someone to keep an eye on the military zone and saw Jiang Shu's car come out. Waiting for the update, waiting for the update!"

Many Dark Force Martial Artists were waiting.

But this time, the Grandmaster rankings update was clearly much slower.

A full hour later, the Grandmaster rankings were updated again.

Red font pinned at the top:

"Grandmaster Rankings Sixty-Eighth Place: Jiang Shu, Martial Arts Professor from Jiangnan Academy. Only eighteen, advanced to the Hua Jing realm. Originating from Ji City, he is acknowledged as a young Grandmaster. Began practicing Martial Arts at seventeen: six months to the Manifest Phase realm, six months to the Dark Force realm, six months to the Hua Jing realm. Entered the Grade C Heaven and Earth Secret Realm of Hei Ning Province for 20 days, killed 12 tier-three Mutant Beasts. Possesses unmatched Martial Arts talent and combat talent, seemingly heaven-gifted, inexplicable. A young Grandmaster, truly worthy of the name."