Chapter 268: Loneliness Is Not Painful

Nong Lei has loved fighting since he was a child.

He has more enthusiasm for fighting than his peers.

After finishing the few farm chores, Nong Lei would think about how to use the terrain, how to bluff, how to oppress the enemy, and how to play his flexible advantages.

He made a wooden man imitating the human body and used it as an imaginary enemy to practice fighting.

When he was a child, this kind of thing would be sought after by many children.

As he got older, he had fewer and fewer friends who wanted to fight. When they had some time, they would turn the soil and farm, or find a job in the city, or even lie on the ridge of the field to bask in the sun.

Everyone said: "Nong Lei, you should wake up."

"You can't get into the seminary, nor can you get into the city guards. Farm well, save some money, marry a wife, and stop thinking about it."

Nong Lei has never passed the seminary exam.

He was born with a disease, often coughing, and occasionally having chest pains. So his father generally didn't let him do too much farm work, just hoping that he could keep his body healthy.

Therefore, Nonglei was freer and more relaxed than other farm children of the same age. He had plenty of time to run in the fields, practice boxing and kicking, and hone his fighting skills - at least he thought so.

Nonglei aimed to become the martial arts master Yanjiu.

He firmly believed that he would become a martial arts master, and then began to travel the world, fighting with various extraordinary people and monsters, and fighting for life and death.

But the death of his father made the burden of reality fall on his shoulders.

Nonglei had to be busy in the fields every day like other farmers. The heavy farm work made him have no thoughts for a long time.

Just like what others said, all he had in his mind was to save more money, repair the thatched house that always leaked on rainy days, have enough money to buy some wine, and then marry a woman and live like this.

Only in his spare time, he would make wooden figures again.

This kind of happiness is simple and pure.

As the intensity of field labor continued to increase, Nonglei began to cough up blood frequently. In order to treat the disease, he spent all his savings, but the doctor told him that the disease was difficult to cure and might relapse at any time.

At this time, Crystal City began to recruit people, saying that they needed someone to take care of the rose garden.

Nong Lei carried the wooden man over.

In the new city, he started all over again.

Nong Lei fixed the wooden man outside the broken hut. He was never alone because he was always fighting with the wooden man. In the eyes of many people, he was a weirdo.

The first time he went out of the city, he was attacked by killing locusts.

Nong Lei did not run away immediately. He relied on a wooden stick he carried with him and successfully killed six locusts.

The whole fighting process was practiced hundreds of times when Nong Lei beat the wooden man. When he looked at the insect corpses under his feet, his body couldn't help shaking.

It's worth it.

Years of practice are worth it.

Nong Lei clenched his fists.

His actions were immediately retaliated by the locust swarm. In the end, Nong Lei was seriously injured and died in Crystal City.

After becoming a ghost warrior, Nong Lei took revenge on the locusts.

Many years later, Nong Lei was already a well-known locust killer in Crystal City. If anyone needed to pass through the locust infestation area, they would always want to hire him as a bodyguard.

After killing the 10,000th killing locust, Nong Lei let go of the grudge.

It was meaningless to continue killing. He was too familiar with the locusts, and the repetitive and monotonous battles could not bring him any progress.

He needed a new opponent.

So Nong Lei once again carried the wooden man on his back and went on the road. He came all the way to the door of the Wuxiu Association in Yancheng. Now he can finally hold his head high and become a member here, fulfilling his promise in the past.

The new era has quietly arrived, but it has changed many things.

Nong Lei once competed with a middle-aged martial arts cultivator in Crystal City.

The opponent was quite strong, and he won with great difficulty.

"You are very strong."

After the martial monk stopped, he said: "You should become an armored warrior, wear the latest double-fortress armor, and equip a sophisticated weapon, you will be much stronger than you are now."

Nong Lei said that he wanted to become a martial monk.

The martial monk did not object, but asked him: "How to kill a superhuman fastest?"

Nong Lei thought carefully and said: "Set a trap and attack unexpectedly."

The other party shook his head: "Use the black rose."

"The killer black rose is a forbidden weapon cultivated by the apostle Lord Pinkman, and it is also the strongest superhuman rose variety at present. As long as the killer mode is turned on, the black rose can instantly kill the enemy within ten steps."

The martial monk grabbed a branch and pointed it lightly at Nong Lei.

"Just like that, you're dead."

Nong Lei was shocked: "Can't resist?"

"Don't think about competing with Black Rose in reaction speed."

The other party said seriously: "Killer Black Rose can find you when you stare at it. You can only see its shadow, but you can't judge its true position. It will accurately pierce the target's heart or brain and complete a fatal blow."

The martial monk dropped the branch and said self-deprecatingly: "No matter how strong the martial monk is, without sophisticated equipment, the flesh cannot resist the fatal attack of Black Rose. This is the current situation."

"The traditional martial monk path is far behind."

"At least in this era, the armored warrior is the stronger path."

"Young man, listen to the advice of others, eat enough, and become an armored warrior."

Nong Lei just said: "I want to try."

Compared to the Twin Cities at the center of the world, Crystal City is still a far away place. Everything is still relatively slow, and many changes have been delayed, so it is still difficult to see the huge changes in the times.

But after arriving at Yancheng, the base camp of the martial monks, Nong Lei finally realized why the martial monks said that.

An ordinary armor-bearing soldier can evenly compete with a farmer. The opponent is just a twenty-year-old young man who has only held armor for the first year.

What young people rely on is the latest Twin Cities Armor, Tempered Sword and Hundred-fold Shield.

Needless to say, the Twin Cities Armor has a great reputation and is synonymous with strong defense.

The tempered sword is a fine iron sword with fire elements attached to it. It is sharp and tough, and also has burning damage.

The Hundred-fold Shield is forged from fine copper ingots and has excellent resistance to blows. It is also attached with the earth element, which can greatly reduce damage.

The biggest reason for the popularity of these pieces of equipment among armored warriors is the birth of the steam furnace, which greatly reduced the manpower required for forging and smelting, and only then did a large-scale explosion of sophisticated equipment occur.

Nong Lei couldn't help but be confused.

Is individual life-and-death extreme practice really meaningless?

After a brief moment of doubt, he confirmed himself.

Absolutely not.

Nong Lei observed in Yancheng and found that the armored soldiers here are indeed outstanding in combat, but most of the armored soldiers do not have rich combat experience. They can deter potential criminals and extraordinary people just by virtue of their reputation.

If they are caught in an encounter and cannot wear armor, they will be extremely vulnerable.

In comparison, martial monks have no such worries at all.

Because the path of a martial monk is to constantly challenge the limit, and regard attacks and dangers as a daily occurrence, bare hands are the fighting posture of a martial monk.

The advantages and disadvantages of the two extraordinary paths remain unchanged.

Armored soldiers are easy to train. The stronger the equipment, the stronger they are, but their individual combat capabilities and encounters are weak.

The number of martial monks is small, they do not rely on props, and their individual comprehensive abilities are strong. However, when they are besieged, they will be in danger due to their extreme-challenging style.

Nowadays, the requirements for martial arts monks have become extremely relaxed. As long as you show your ability, you can register.

After registering as a martial arts monk, Nong Lei walked out of the association's dilapidated gate. The dilapidation and desolation inside were more serious than he imagined.

He was standing on the streets of Yancheng.

On the street are citizens wearing various costumes chatting with each other.

The armored soldiers held swords and shields and patrolled the stone road with neat steps.

The city resounded with hisses one after another, and a layer of damp white mist lingered on the streets. The steam furnaces were working continuously, like the beating heart of the city.

Nong Lei couldn't help but think.

If it were Mr. Shiohisa, what would he do?

Can a fist of flesh and blood still compete with a man of steel?

Just when he was in a trance, a voice suddenly sounded next to him.

"Mr. Nong Lei, are you interested in participating in an event?"

The speaker was a tall and thin man, wearing a bright green coat, holding a silver cane, and wearing a wide-brimmed black hat, the brim of which completely obscured his appearance.

"This event is called the "Martial Arts Conference". Only extraordinary people with bare hands can participate. All extraordinary people from all over the world who meet the requirements will be invited. The final winner will receive a special reward from the gods."

Nong Lei was stunned: "Martial arts conference? Who are you?"

"I'm just a messenger."

The other party pressed the brim of his hat and said: "If you are interested, please prepare well these days and recharge your batteries. The conference will start in a month. I hope you can have a good result."

After that, he turned around and left, and disappeared after a few steps.

Nong Lei couldn't see how the other party left.

After a while, his heart became hot again.

Martial monks from all over the world gathered together to decide who was the strongest.

Just thinking of this made him feel itchy and full of strength.

I wish all readers good luck in the Year of the Rabbit and everything goes well~