The chapter on the death of the heart has been deleted. I also felt that chapter was awkward. Everyone, forget it, forget it, forget it~~~~ This chapter will be rewritten, starting from 3:30 AM now. I've made up my mind to write until I collapse, let's see how late I can go…

… Outside the base city, at the western gate.

A figure was streaking toward them from the distance, carrying a large beast hide bundle on its back, filled with materials sliced from monsters. The person looked somewhat disheveled; the hide armor was torn, revealing lean, hard muscle, and the black hair was laced with various debris.

Swish!

He reached the city gate and charged straight in without the slightest pause.

The guards at the gate blinked upon seeing the man, then exchanged bewildered glances, exclaiming in astonishment, "Isn't that Commander Yun?"

…

With the return of Young Commander Yun, the base city instantly erupted in excitement. Many military camps, even the generals’ barracks, turned their attention to this man. News of Yun Shaojing’s return spread rapidly throughout the base.

In a villa somewhere.

Yun Shaojing, now dressed in casual clothes, lay comfortably beside a pool, casually asking a middle-aged man beside him, "Have there been any changes in the base city while I was gone?"

The middle-aged man shook his head and smiled, "No major changes. Hua Bu Luo and those few others have been quite obedient. However, that man who has been getting very close to Miss Murong recently has issued you a challenge, causing quite a stir across the city."

"A challenge?" Yun Shaojing raised an eyebrow, a murderous glint in his eyes. "How dare someone challenge my authority? They must be tired of living." He paused, then frowned, "Was Hua Bu Luo behind this?"

The middle-aged man shook his head. "Hua Bu Luo has already expelled him. This fellow has no idea of the immensity of heaven and earth; wanting to steal Miss Murong from you is utter fantasy."

Yun Shaojing sneered, "No matter. A small ant. I had planned to let him hop around for a while longer, but now he’s courting death. I shall grant his wish. Besides, I’ve gained considerable strength in the wilderness recently; I can use him to warm up. Notify everyone that starting tomorrow morning at 10 o'clock, all personnel ranked Battalion Commander level and above in the base city are to attend. It would be best to have that old man Murong De here too."

Murong De was the overall commander of the base city.

"Even the Commander-in-Chief should come?" The middle-aged man was momentarily stunned. That would be quite difficult. The Commander-in-Chief is perpetually busy with state affairs and wouldn't care to watch a challenge between a general and a commander. Getting him to attend would not be easy.

Yun Shaojing smirked coldly, "Use this opportunity to show him the extent of my current power. It will definitely shock him, and it will dissuade anyone else who plans to gain control of the base city by starting with Xiao Xue."

"Young Master is truly brilliant," the middle-aged man said with a flattering smile. "I shall handle it right away and ensure the news sweeps through the base city until everyone knows and talks about it."

Yun Shaojing nodded slightly and then closed his eyes.

The middle-aged man said no more, wisely withdrawing quietly.

…

As the news spread, amplified by exaggerated publicity, the vast majority of people in the base city learned about Ye Chen challenging Yun Shaojing. Even the women in the luxurious establishments overheard a ridiculous tale from their relaxed patrons: a Major General daring to challenge a High Commander? It was simply like an egg colliding with a rock—courting death!

"Did you hear? A General named Ye something is actually challenging the High Commander?"

"Let me calculate the gap in their ranks."

"Has this man lost his mind, or has he seen through life and simply doesn't want to live anymore?"

"Perhaps this person truly possesses some skill, who knows."

Many acquaintances discussed the booming topic in the city.

…

After Murong Xue departed, it wasn't long before Ye Chen received notification from the Martial Arts Division: Tomorrow morning, starting at 10 AM.

Ye Chen glanced at the notice and casually tossed it onto the table. He donned the robe sewn from the hide of a level 55 Three-Eyed Wolf and left his residence, walking toward the outskirts of the base city. "I still have some time. Cultivating like this, my strength increases too slowly. I need to find some Heavenly Treasures to chew on."

The sky was a uniform dull gray.

Ye Chen left the base city and headed east. This area was closer to the suburbs, with few structures remaining. Many buildings had collapsed under the ravages of monsters, their walls pocked with shocking, gaping holes.

Along the way, he encountered many monsters—mostly Iron Armored Beetles, Zombie Humans, and hundreds of tiny Ant Swarms. For someone with ordinary physique, facing these creatures meant fleeing for their lives, but before Ye Chen, they didn't even warrant the effort of killing—it took too much time.

Even while walking through the ruins of collapsed buildings filled with low-level monsters, Ye Chen did not let his guard down. Monsters roamed everywhere in the apocalypse; in areas teeming with low-level threats, powerful monsters often lurked, making vigilance essential. Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, he never activated his Superman Mode—it was his only life-saving measure. Otherwise, with a physique at level 43, he was still considered quite weak among terrestrial monsters.

The base city could only be established in this monster-infested world not because human powerhouses were formidable, but because high-tech weaponry like nuclear and atomic bombs was terrifyingly effective, carving out a haven where assaulting monsters were annihilated.

"Screeech~~"

An evolved rat darted out from under a pile of rubble, lunging at Ye Chen. But Ye Chen had anticipated it and remained calm, reaching out to grip the rat’s neck, channeling his Qi into his eyes.

Instantly, the world before him transformed. His Qi-infused pupils could perceive the creature's Qi. He saw a faint, jade-green aura emanating from every strand of the evolved rat’s fur. This aura floated upward, and a short distance from the body, it severed its connection to the creature, dissolving into countless tiny particles that drifted into the air, merging with the atmosphere.

This jade-green gas was the Qi of Life. Every living thing, including plants and trees, emitted this Qi of Life. Each person’s Qi of Life shifted based on what they ate and the energy they absorbed—eating well meant a rich Qi of Life, resulting in plump, smooth skin; eating poorly meant less energy absorption from food, leading to sallow, inelastic skin.

Ye Chen watched the evolved rat, channeling all the Qi in his body into his palm, forming a spiraling vortex. Immediately, the jade-green aura rising from the rat’s body converged toward his palm.

Forcefully absorbing its Qi of Life.

The evolved rat struggled desperately, its claws scraping against Ye Chen’s body to no effect. As large amounts of its Qi of Life were drained, the rat’s skin gradually turned withered and yellow, curling up. Its previously plump body rapidly shriveled. The Qi of Life suffusing its blood flowed through Ye Chen’s palm and into his body.

Thump.

He casually tossed the rat’s corpse aside, feeling the life energy within his palm. His arm felt warm, with an intangible gaseous state flowing through it, representing a one percent increase—equivalent to an entire night of meditation cultivation.

"This evolved rat hasn't awakened its innate talents yet. This is the primordial Qi of Life, not something developed through acquired training. It lacks any attribute, so it can be absorbed."

Ye Chen sighed inwardly. Every life possesses primordial Qi of Life from birth. The energy he used now was the life force he generated internally after evolving his blood to its extreme—it was acquired through later cultivation. However, since his entire body, including his brain, was still at level 43 physique, he hadn't awakened any talents. Thus, the Qi of Life he currently utilized contained not a trace of inherent attribute.

This primordial Qi of Life could be absorbed by anyone without conflict with one's own being. If the source creature had awakened its talents, its Qi of Life would change form, making it difficult to absorb.

The evolved rat whose life force had been completely drained was desiccated, its muscles withered, rendering it unable to be controlled by the Black Snail Worms. Its blood, now lacking nutrients, would soon decompose.

Ye Chen moved again, continuing his search. Along the way, he grabbed any unwary small monsters he encountered and absorbed their Qi of Life. Before long, the sky began to dim; it was evening, the time when monsters typically emerged to forage.

Ye Chen decided not to venture further. He turned back toward the base city. Reality proved that heaven did not constantly favor him; after a busy afternoon, he failed to find the grass that increased Qi. He knew what the herbs looked like but not where they grew, so his failure to locate them was somewhat expected, as such precious herbs weren't found everywhere.

Despite this, after an afternoon of effort and absorbing the life force from numerous monsters, he felt he was not far from the Second Tier.

After resting for the night, he awoke at nine the next morning. After washing up and finishing breakfast, he put on his robe and headed for the Martial Arts Field.