Ji Xinghuo met up with his siblings and went to Bali in Jawa Province, where the family had a delightful three-day vacation before returning home in high spirits.
During the vacation, he paused his cultivation, but whenever he had free time in the hotel, he would log onto the Virtual Platform and participate in ranked battles, steadily increasing his points.
Zhong Ming, seeing Ji Xinghuo somewhat addicted to the martial arts battles, suggested a sparring match.
The outcome was predictable.
Previously, when both brothers were ordinary humans, they often sparred, with Ji Xinghuo winning more often than losing, until Zhong Ming became a Mutant, which allowed him to save some face.
Zhong Ming, having a professional martial arts coach at his club, progressed rapidly and had already reached the Fifth Dan in Martial Arts, close to the Sixth Dan.
But the gap with Ji Xinghuo was still too large.
Of course, Ji Xinghuo didn’t let Zhong Ming lose too badly, always exchanging blows for a while before securing the victory. It was clear from his ease that Zhong Ming could see the difference, and after losing more than a dozen times, he recognized the gap and started asking Ji Xinghuo for advice.
Within just three days, Zhong Ming’s martial arts abilities had significantly improved.
This was a pleasant surprise for him.
After the vacation, Ji Xinghuo spent two hours every night on the Virtual Platform sparring with Zhong Ming to help him improve.
Although this delayed his own battle points, Ji Xinghuo didn’t mind.
It was just a casual pastime, after all.
The seven-day New Year holiday ended quickly, the festive atmosphere gradually faded, and people returned to their jobs or continued with their usual lives.
Ji Xinghuo’s points on the Martial Arts Platform had reached over 9500.
But the last few hundred points were hard to get, as the ranking wait time was too long, with each match requiring a wait of ten minutes or even longer.
Ji Xinghuo took an autonomous vehicle off the Superconductive Highway and sped along a mountain road into the Qinling Mountains.
This vast and rugged mountain range was mostly designated as a nature reserve, but there were also small residential and factory zones, with hundreds of villages scattered between the mountains.
Because of the convenient transportation and scenic surroundings, these mountain residences were even more popular than urban housing, offering both seclusion and a pastoral view, with individually owned properties priced not much lower than central Chang’an, and some luxury homes even more expensive.
The car drove into "Li Family Bay Town."
Ji Xinghuo looked out the window, the town nestled in a miles-long mountain valley, with only twenty to thirty thousand inhabitants, a tranquil environment, indistinct from many other towns in the Qinling Mountains.
A few minutes later, the car stopped at a food processing factory in town.
It was a real factory.
Although not large, it still employed hundreds of workers, and all business operations and production processes were in order.
However, this place was actually a secret entrance to a Sword Bureau base.
Ji Xinghuo in a factory building built against the mountain saw two knights guarding the corridor. After verifying his identity, a heavy metal wall slid aside, revealing a bright tunnel that led directly into the heart of the mountain and was wide enough for two cars to drive side by side.
He got on a commuter vehicle and traveled through the tunnel.
"This is no small project," Ji Xinghuo remarked.
His magnetic field sense spread out, the secret tunnel was over five kilometers long, leading directly to the Sword Bureau’s base.
The tunnel was equipped with layers of firepower protection nets and scanning devices, making the defense very stringent.
Not just him, most of the Sword Bureau’s employees entered and exited the base through here, commuting daily just like regular office workers.
Ji Xinghuo got out of the car, passed through the secure entrance, and entered the base.
The people coming and going were either Swordsmen or clerks from the Sword Bureau, totaling two to three hundred individuals, all familiar with each other. His unfamiliar face immediately caught the attention of many.
Ji Xinghuo overheard a wave of whispering.
However, the members of the Sword Bureau had a strong sense of confidentiality. Most did not know he was a Chi Xiao Knight and were unaware of his disappearance for a year and a half, simply treating him as a new Swordsman.
Ji Xinghuo did not look for Zhou Yishang, and his best acquaintance Min Chongwu was not around, so he headed to the training department on his own.
The training department was the largest division within the base.
It boasted complete facilities such as training grounds, cultivation rooms, martial arts arenas, shooting ranges, and virtual practice rooms, among others.
When Ji Xinghuo arrived, there were already dozens of Swordsmen training. The training courses varied according to the Swordsmen’s levels; the majority were here as Mutant Swordsmen. Judging by the magnetic field strength, a third were Advanced Mutants, and the rest were Intermediate Mutants.
"Who are you looking for?" a clerk asked.
As Ji Xinghuo spoke, he showed the person his phone screen, displaying an ancient Chi Xiao sword, representing his identity as a Chi Xiao Knight.
The clerk quickly stood up, respectfully saying, "Please follow me."
Soon, Ji Xinghuo met the head of the training department, Tan Jichun, in a neighboring office. He had already sensed his location through magnetic field induction.
Ji Xinghuo approached and greeted him.
Tan Jichun was a plain-looking middle-aged man, around fifty years old, with an average build, someone who would blend into a crowd unnoticed.
But Ji Xinghuo did not dare underestimate him, as Chief Tan was a Super Mutant, very strong and merely a step away from becoming Legendary.
Of course, that step might have been stalled for many years.
"Xinghuo is here!" Tan Jichun came around from behind his desk, shook Ji Xinghuo’s hand a few times, and warmly said, "Just call me Old Tan."
Once they were seated, Tan Jichun said, "Director Zhou has already instructed me, Xinghuo. Whatever you need, just ask, and the training department will certainly meet it."
"Chief Tan knows I am a newcomer, unaware and inexperienced with firearms," Ji Xinghuo got straight to the point, "Please treat me as a newcomer and involve me in all the necessary training."
Tan Jichun’s eyes flashed with a hint of surprise.
He had received orders from Director Zhou and initially thought Ji Xinghuo would request special treatment, but he did not, significantly altering Tan Jichun’s impression of him.
Of course, he couldn’t really consider Ji Xinghuo as a true newcomer.
This was a top contestant on the Leaderboard!
"Your request is too simple," Tan Jichun chuckled, "I’ll arrange the best instructor here for you, guaranteed to rapidly make you a qualified Swordsman." He picked up his phone and sent a voice message: "Yufei, come here for a moment."
In less than half a minute, a woman entered the office and said, "Old Tan, you called for me?"
"Let me introduce you."
Tan Jichun said, "This is Ling Yufei, one of the most outstanding Swordswomen in our department; many Swordsmen have been trained by her hand, a true ace."
Then pointing at Ji Xinghuo, "Yufei, he is Ji Xinghuo, like you, also a Chi Xiao Knight, but has just joined the Sword Bureau and needs one-on-one training from you."
"I look forward to your guidance," Ji Xinghuo extended his hand.
Ling Yufei appraised Ji Xinghuo, like a hunter observing her prey, with a mixture of scrutiny and interest, seemingly looking for weaknesses, and suddenly said, "I’ve heard of your name. If I’m not mistaken, you’re the last one on the Leaderboard, right?"