Forbidden Zone of the Human Race

Uncle Zhao was chewing on a pipe. It was considered an antique now; Xiang Ning had seen an introduction of it in his history textbook.

“Hehe, I’ll just play with it, I won’t smoke.” Uncle Zhao put away his bag of tobacco. “You’re leaving tomorrow, right? Xiaoyu—”

“I’ve spoken to her, but I’m afraid she’ll be sulking.” Xiang Ning smiled, rubbing his cheek. He needed to alert Uncle Zhao about it too.

“Heh, don’t worry about it. You’re all she has, and you’re leaving for half a month. A little worry is normal. Don’t worry about her, I’ll watch her for you,” said Uncle Zhao, pushing the door open.

“Thank you, Uncle Zhao.” Xiang Ning bowed in thanks, then sat on the sofa and looked around. On the desk was a family portrait of a young Uncle Zhao. He was handsome when he was younger, and the lady next to him was pretty as well. She had a warm smile and a child in her arms. She must have been a gentle mother. Xiang Ning didn’t know much about Uncle Zhao, only that his wife had passed early and his son had made a name for himself.

Uncle Zhao smiled and waved. “You don’t have to be so formal about it, kid. I have a question for you though, you’re a martial artist now and you’ll definitely grow much more. Do you have any plans?”

“Not much. Either I enter the military, a dojo, or become a private mercenary. But I’d like to become a technician,” Xiang Ning said after a pause. He liked scientific jobs, particularly those that dealt with scientific inventions. He looked forward to it and knew that becoming a martial artist would get him one.

“Oh? A technician?” Uncle Zhao squinted. He wasn’t surprised, because Xiang Ning used to be a regular person without much talent. If anything, he was the kind of guy who would never achieve tier four. However, Uncle Zhao had seen hope for him these few weeks. This kid was actually a prodigy and his cultivation had shown vast improvements. Although perhaps it was luck, didn’t they say that luck was also capability? This young man had already achieved the Awakened level in a skill at such a young age.

“Mm, it’s a good choice, or at least a safer one. I remember one of the Twelve Great Prodigies was sent to your school, right? Learn from him,” Uncle Zhao kindly advised.

Xiang Ning nodded and didn’t wonder how Uncle Zhao had known. The special training was no secret anyway, so it was natural that such news would travel.

“But—” Uncle Zhao’s tone changed abruptly, a certain sharpness surfacing in his eyes, “—in this world, the stronger you become, the more power you’ll hold. You may think people of the Federation are controlled by the law, but after you achieve a certain level of strength, the law is just a piece of paper. And in the face of a beast, the only thing you can trust is your own body.”

Xiang Ning nodded. It was true. No matter how powerful scientific inventions had become, it all came down to having the strength to protect himself. He would never be able to trust someone else with his own life. He began internally struggling. Uncle Zhao didn’t comment, silently watching him.

Suddenly, he looked up, which sent Uncle Zhao off balance.

Why struggle? Xiang Ning had personally experienced a vast improvement in his own capabilities. Becoming a technician wouldn’t affect his progress, either. He had one of the Twelve Great Prodigies training him, too, so perhaps that would smooth the road and quicken his progress.

In that instant, Xiang Ning made his decision. He wanted it all!

Uncle Zhao nodded; it looked like the kid had made up his mind. “Well, since you’ve made your decision, I hope you’ll work hard.”

After some more small talk, Xiang Ning left.

When he got home, Xiang Xiaoyu didn’t disturb him. He sat on his bed, checking his interface.

Cultivation: Tier one, nine-star Martial Artist (Awaiting Advancement)

Mental Power: Tier one, four-star Spiritual Cultivator

Martial Skills: Mountain-Splitting Slash (Peak Mastery), Triple Slash (Assimilation)

Skills: Advanced Breathing Techniques (No upgrades available), Keen Observation (No upgrades available), Telekinesis (Beginner)

Fury Points: 1562

Xiang Ning mulled over his skillset. He lacked a martial style and a breathing technique that could train his physical body. Unfortunately, those were incredibly expensive. Earth’s Home was an online platform for the world’s martial artists. He could buy anything he wanted on it, and read current news too. The amount of information available was immense.

He had once found a martial style on the platform that was priced over a million dollars, while a breathing technique that could train his physical body was one and a half million dollars. And those were the worst available ones, too.

He shook his head, then started calming his mind and focusing. There was much to prepare for tomorrow’s activity. The school would distribute weapons, but as for medical supplies… he immediately spent fifteen hundred Fury Points on the raffle. After receiving ‘thank you for your participation’ five consecutive times, he shot up and walked into the bathroom to wash his face. He stared at his own reflection, then slapped himself.

A ‘whoosh!’ scared him.

Congratulations! You won a skill: Taunt.

Xiang Ning stared in horror, for he had thought he would receive a skill as powerful as Keen Observation. He couldn’t even describe his disappointment as he read its summary.

Taunt could only be used on beasts, not humans, and it would force a beast to focus all of its attention on him. It was a skill that would be perfect for distraction purposes. While it did seem useful, didn’t beasts want to bite humans anyway? He didn’t need a special skill for it!

Exasperated, he sat on his bed and continued his raffle draws. At least his subsequent draws won him seven small pills. He now had about twenty of them, which gave him some reassurance.

Soon, he fell asleep.

The next morning, he got up early. He had wanted to bid Xiang Xiaoyu farewell, but after some thought, he merely left a plate of breakfast.