Chapter 014: Second Rank in the Profession

Gazing at the ashes in the trash bin, Xu Dalü was filled with worry and muttered to himself. Luo Mingchang and Huang Weidong were dead, but were there others behind them? How many more? No one knew.

“It’s actually better if word gets out,” Tang Mubai said with a smile. “Luo Mingchang and Huang Weidong came here for an assassination and then simply vanished. Anyone who knows about their mission tonight will only feel intimidated and fearful. They wouldn’t dare cause us trouble!”

“That… does make sense,” Xu Dalü suddenly realized.

Indeed, Luo Mingchang and Huang Weidong came to the Miracle Mercenary Corps’ base for an assassination, only to disappear themselves. From an outsider’s perspective, this could only make the Miracle Mercenary Corps appear mysterious and powerful! Until the truth is fully uncovered, no one would dare reach out with greedy hands again.

After all, Tang Mubai’s father had been widely connected in life—who could say if there weren’t one or two powerful friends secretly protecting the Miracle Mercenary Corps?

“No, wait!” Xu Dalü suddenly shuddered and shook his head. “This kind of mysteriousness derived from concealment can at best guarantee temporary safety. With time, everyone will see through our bluff!”

“Don’t worry, Grandpa Xu. We’re not bluffing,” Tang Mubai replied with confidence. “I’ll make the Miracle Mercenary Corps rise again!”

“Good!” Xu Dalü’s face flushed with excitement. “I believe the commander can do it. The Miracle Mercenary Corps will rise again!”

Whether Tang Mubai could achieve this goal or not, the fact that he had the ambition was enough to comfort him. As an elder of the Miracle Mercenary Corps, the last thing Xu Dalü wanted was for the group to fade into obscurity and eventually be disbanded.

Now, with Tang Mubai determined to rebuild the team, Xu Dalü was overjoyed. While he wore an expression of heartfelt relief, Tang Mubai was not joking. With the system on his side, expanding the Miracle Mercenary Corps was only a matter of time.

The attack by Luo Mingchang and Huang Weidong had served as a wake-up call for Tang Mubai—it made him realize with a jolt that the Miracle Mercenary Corps was now a coveted prize in the eyes of many!

A mercenary group with more than seventy members possessed vast resources. Take, for instance, the martial arts manuals—Golden Mist Art, Tiger Roar Fist, Wave-Cleaving Blade, Nine Arrows Over the Mountain, and Grass Steps—these were enough to make anyone salivate.

In the New World, everyone aspired to become a professional martial artist, and the governments of all countries promoted basic martial arts. Basic martial arts, yes! For example, the Gong and Drum Technique, which had no official ranking, was made public by the Grand Xia Federation—anyone could cultivate it.

The only function of this technique was to refine one’s vitality and blood! If one wished to train in truly powerful arts with offensive, defensive, or supportive properties, there were only two paths:

First, be admitted to a martial arts university! Every such university taught martial arts to its students. This was the best path for ordinary people to leap into the ranks of professional martial artists and rise above the masses. Every graduate, whether entering government service or starting a business, found opportunities easily.

Second, join an organization such as a martial arts school, a sect, or a mercenary corps. However, joining was not enough. Without talent or contributions, these groups would never impart their true martial skills!

Thus, for those who had no way to learn advanced martial arts, the news of the Miracle Mercenary Corps’ near destruction was bound to inspire dark thoughts. Even minor sects, small martial halls, and lesser mercenary groups would set their sights on the Miracle Mercenary Corps. Tang Mubai, the new commander, would be their first target!

Therefore, besides making himself stronger as quickly as possible, Tang Mubai had another mission: to recruit new members and rebuild the Miracle Mercenary Corps! Once it rose again, who would dare make a move against them?

After all, the Grand Xia Federation forbade violence and killings within cities. The Bureau of Martial Security might turn a blind eye to small-scale assassinations, sneak attacks, or private duels, but large-scale conflict would draw swift suppression from both the Bureau and the military.

Of course, if Tang Mubai could instantly become a Grandmaster, the effect would be the same. No one would be foolish enough to provoke a Grandmaster.

But to rebuild the mercenary corps, recruitment was key. Randomly pulling in anyone would only invite trouble. It was hard to determine who among the available martial artists in society was suitable.

The affinity rating in the system for followers could serve as a guide. But to even check that, someone had to become a follower first! So far, Tang Mubai had no idea how to make someone a follower.

By blood, his little cousin was close to him—there was a family connection. Yet the little girl was still not a follower!

Faced with this situation, Tang Mubai could only interact with people slowly.

The practical assessment in two days would be an opportunity! If Tang Mubai remembered correctly, professional martial artists’ practical assessments were generally conducted in teams—a group of people assigned together to complete a mission.

These assessments were dangerous. Every year, people lost their lives during them. Such perilous tasks were the best way to judge a person’s character.

All Tang Mubai needed to do was observe carefully and remember those who stood out. In the next two days, he could also keep an eye out for potential candidates.

Although the Miracle Mercenary Corps had been nearly wiped out, the resources left behind were more than enough to tempt people to join.

Having thought through all this, Tang Mubai spent the next two days deliberately slowing down his pace. In the afternoons, while at the Hongyun Slaughterhouse, he paid special attention to his coworkers, searching for anyone suitable.

As expected, he found no one.

Tang Mubai had only worked at the slaughterhouse for a few days, and aside from his first day, he had only worked half-days since. His relationships with others were average at best. Moreover, these workers were not professional martial artists. If any had potential, they would have been recruited by martial halls or sects already. Those working at a slaughterhouse were, for the most part, ordinary people.

Realizing this, Tang Mubai quickly gave up and focused solely on traveling around, reclaiming the life force lost from deceased humans and animals to exchange for longevity.

After two days, his accumulated lifespan once again surpassed two hundred years, reaching the threshold of three hundred at two hundred ninety-seven years!

Instead of improving other aspects, Tang Mubai used these two hundred ninety-seven years to enhance his vitality and blood. Spending two hundred years, he exchanged for ten points of blood energy, shooting his vitality up to twenty-two points!

According to the martial ranking system, twenty-two points of vitality already made him a professional second-grade martial artist. Achieving this level even before passing the practical assessment—Tang Mubai was a rarity in Redleaf City’s history!

On the third day, early in the morning, he reported to the Martial Artists’ Association building, brimming with confidence.

The monthly practical assessment drew over five hundred participants. Everyone boarded buses provided by the association and, in grand procession, left Redleaf City for the assessment site.

Once the buses exited the city’s outskirts, Tang Mubai saw, for the first time, the towering domain wall—hundreds of meters high!

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(P.S. For details regarding the “vitality and blood” system and the division of martial ranks, please refer to the related works!)