Chapter 63 Martial Artist Ranks

"Your thoughts are a bit dangerous."

Shen Xing smiled slightly, pushing her away from him.

Chen Lijun felt a sense of disbelief. Given Shen Xing's previous actions toward her, she could clearly sense that he was interested in her.

Although Shen Xing claimed to appreciate her intellect, how could a man's appreciation for a woman ever be that pure?

As a beautiful woman, Chen Lijun understood this fact all too well.

"Why is it dangerous? Do you think you would hurt me?" Chen Lijun asked, puzzled.

Shen Xing shook his head and pointed behind himself.

Chen Lijun was slightly stunned and looked up in that direction.

It was the door.

The next moment, the door opened, and a woman walked in.

Chen Lijun’s expression shifted, and she immediately saluted:

"Greetings, Commander!"

The newcomer was Ouyang Lin, who had just finished her cultivation session. She nodded with a calm expression and waved her hand, saying:

"You may leave first."

"Yes!"

Chen Lijun hurriedly acknowledged the command and rushed toward the exit without daring to delay for even a second.

Not until she stepped outside did she dare to catch her breath.

In an instant, she felt a profound sense of having escaped death.

*That oppressive aura... It seems Ouyang Lin and Shen Xing really do have that kind of relationship!*

Chen Lijun drew her conclusion, while simultaneously feeling a lingering terror at her own rash behavior just moments ago.

Obviously, Ouyang Lin had heard what she said to Shen Xing from outside the door. Though she hadn't taken action against her right then, the chill in those eyes was enough to freeze Chen Lijun into an ice sculpture.

*Too dangerous! Far too dangerous! No, I need to go back and burn some incense! I just hope Shen Xing has enough clout and his promise to me still holds. Otherwise, I'm afraid I'm going to find myself in a very awkward position.*

Chen Lijun departed with a fluttering heart.

...

Inside the room.

Ouyang Lin looked at Shen Xing and said softly:

"The military tally."

Shen Xing took it out and handed it over to her.

"I know everything you just did."

Ouyang Lin put away the military tally and said flatly.

"Angry?"

Shen Xing smiled.

"Shouldn't I be angry?" Ouyang Lin retorted.

Shen Xing was momentarily stunned; he hadn't expected her to express her emotions so directly.

"I apologize. I shouldn't have arbitrarily used your military tally to project false prestige. Although it was to save someone, I won't do it next time," Shen Xing said sincerely.

"Is that what I'm angry about?" Ouyang Lin remained frosty, unimpressed by Shen Xing's apology.

"Then is it because I had Chen Lijun administer private punishment to the high-ranking military officers? My apologies once again; this will also be the last time. Afterward, I will obtain your permission before proceeding."

Shen Xing maintained a very humble posture.

Ouyang Lin stared straight at him without saying a word, turned around, and made to leave.

The next instant, however, her hand was caught by Shen Xing.

"All right, no more joking. I know you're angry because I recruited Chen Lijun, right?"

"You knew and still did it—are you deliberately trying to make me angry?" Ouyang Lin frowned.

"...Although you might find it hard to believe, my original intention in recruiting her was genuinely pure. The formation of the elite squad is imperative, but the squad leader is a major problem. Aside from strength, they must possess sufficient wisdom. A squad leader as clever as Chen Lijun can minimize casualties among the elite team.

We are trapped here right now, and without reinforcements, elite personnel cannot be wasted recklessly. The longer we can hold out, the more hope we have. What do you think?"

Shen Xing explained patiently.

Hearing this, Ouyang Lin's expression finally softened somewhat.

Naturally, she could figure all of this out; she simply wanted to hear Shen Xing say it out loud.

"Then you promise not to fool around with her."

Shen Xing smiled helplessly, raised four fingers, and swore:

"I promise."

"Well, at least you know how to talk. I'll forgive you this time."

Only then did Ouyang Lin break into a smile.

"Wait, hold on! That's not right. How come after cultivating for a little while, you're different from before? Didn't you want to call Bai Ying over to keep me company just a moment ago? You said your perspective was different from ordinary women's and that you weren't that petty. So what's this now? Oh, I see, that was a trap all along, wasn't it? I was still too naive to actually believe a woman when she says things like that!"

Shen Xing said with a trace of aggrieved indignation.

He hadn't really intended to do anything in the first place, but the feeling of being tricked was still hard to accept.

"That's not how it is. I wasn't lying to you before, and I'm not lying to you now. Is that really so hard to understand? I can allow you to find another woman, but that woman must have my consent! Furthermore, it's best if I'm the one who finds her for you. Of course, the ones you pick out yourself don't count! What if I happen not to like her, just like that Chen Lijun? She is simply not my type. You can tell at a glance that she's shrewd and full of schemes."

Ouyang Lin explained calmly.

Shen Xing understood now and thought to himself:

*Indeed, clever women like Chen Lijun are rarely favored by members of their own sex. Even an exceptional woman like Ouyang Lin is no exception. Girls like Bai Ying, who are simple and single-minded, are much more likely to win favor. The reason for this is perhaps that such girls pose no sense of threat to her.*

Having cleared up the misunderstanding, the two returned to Ouyang Lin's room.

"How was your cultivation progress this time?"

Shen Xing sat down and asked.

"Very... good. To be precise, it's astonishing. I've never tried using Source Crystals so extravagantly, and the final result exceeded my expectations.

My progress was originally stalled at around 40% of level 20, and this time I planned to stop once I reached about 50%.

To my surprise, I reached the goal in no time, and I still didn't feel any obvious fatigue. So I kept going until I pushed it to around 80% before stopping.

The results of these two hours are worth half a year of my previous cultivation!"

At this point, Ouyang Lin looked at Shen Xing with an entirely different gaze.

It was a complex look mixed with gratitude, happiness, joy, and apology.

Ouyang Lin began to feel that since she had already accepted such massive benefits from Shen Xing, perhaps she shouldn't have spoken to him like that just now?

Men probably dislike being restricted. Will he end up hating me for this?

"Your progress doubled in just two hours? That effect is truly astonishing! However, I still don't have a very clear concept of what level 20 actually means."

Shen Xing was also quite astonished and genuinely happy for Ouyang Lin.

"Generally speaking, every 10 levels in the High Martial Era represents a promotion in tier.

Levels 1 through 10 take a normal person to becoming a formal martial artist.

Levels 11 through 20 are the stage where martial artists are most concentrated; surpassing level 20 makes one a Regional Overlord.

Levels 21 through 30 are the promotion from Regional Overlord to Heavenly King; surpassing level 30 makes one a Heavenly King.

Levels 31 through 40 are the promotion from Heavenly King to Overlord; surpassing level 40 makes one an Overlord.

Levels 41 through 50 are the promotion from Overlord to Heavenly Deity; surpassing level 50 makes one a Heavenly Deity.

Levels 51 through 60 are the promotion from Heavenly Deity to God King; surpassing level 60 makes one a God King.

As for anything beyond that, it only exists in legends."

Ouyang Lin earnestly explained to Shen Xing.

These were actually secrets that weren't really secrets.

Many people remained unaware because schools didn't teach it, and it wasn't allowed to be mentioned on the internet.

Because such a massive span easily instilled a sense of despair and destroyed one's confidence in cultivation.

Just like Shen Xing right now, he was completely dumbfounded, muttering:

"You can actually reach level 60?! I thought your level 20 was already considered top-tier combat power."

Ouyang Lin thought for a moment and said:

"Actually, you aren't wrong to think that; it mostly depends on the level of the battlefield you're exposed to. Didn't I say that the vast majority of martial artists are concentrated in the 10 to 20 level range? Being able to become a Regional Overlord already makes one a top-tier combat force in a city. As the saying goes, with greater power comes greater responsibility. Once you become a Regional Overlord, there are battles that Regional Overlords need to handle. It's just that those kinds of things generally don't belong to publicly available information."