Infinite Fighting

[Prompt: Obtained *Raccoon Claw Skill* (Common) Fighting Skill Essence x1. Can be extracted to the Limited Space for storage.]

"Extract!"

A moment later, a pure white Fighting Skill Essence appeared inside the Limited Space.

It was about three times the size of an *Iron Shirt* Fighting Skill Essence.

"It took ten days just to get one essence. Time to test it out," Zhang Ji muttered.

He then withdrew the essence and absorbed it.

His palms underwent a slight change, becoming more slender and well-proportioned.

His fingernails protruded slightly, but not to an exaggerated degree. Their tips grew a little sharper, and their color changed to resemble a kind of translucent, crystal-clear jade. The flesh of his palms and fingers also hardened slightly.

He lightly swiped his nails across a piece of leather, tearing it apart more easily than a pair of scissors could.

He then practiced the stances, and before long, the training post was covered in claw marks.

Zhang Ji recalled Hong Kang’s use of the *Eagle Claw Skill* during their previous fight.

In comparison, although both were claw-based skills, the *Eagle Claw Skill* focused more on piercing, while the *Raccoon Claw Skill* seemed to emphasize tearing and pinning holds, incorporating elements of Palm Skill as well.

So, the *Raccoon Claw Skill* wasn’t just a claw technique; it also involved Palm Skill.

It was no wonder absorbing this single essence took three times as long as one for *Iron Shirt*.

As for the results?

Zhang Ji was rather satisfied.

All he could say was that if a novice *Iron Shirt* user fought a novice *Raccoon Claw Skill* user, *Iron Shirt* would be utterly defeated.

After resting for a bit and taking a shower, Zhang Ji turned on the TV and ordered a meal of roast duck with rice.

His food was delivered shortly after.

"Master Zhang, your meal and drink," the attendant said, pushing the food cart over.

"Just leave it there," Zhang Ji said, waving his hand.

After the attendant left, Zhang Ji started to eat, his eyes never leaving the television.

He’d gotten this television from Yu District; it was large enough to cover more than half the wall.

It was even a bit bigger than the biggest TV in Kui District.

At this moment, the TV was showing a program about emerging technologies.

Armored soldiers casually kicked iron crates weighing hundreds of pounds into the air, and carried loads of over a thousand pounds as if they were weightless.

Soldiers who lost limbs were fitted with cybernetic replacements, which actually made them stronger than before.

Miniature batteries that lasted half a year on a single charge.

Supersonic drones; cheap-model electromagnetic railguns firing shells at over Mach 10.

Homing grenades that closed in on enemies at hundreds of meters per second before exploding.

...

When Zhang Ji finished his meal, the program also ended.

He had never played this current version.

He had started playing from the version that came after the Saint King War, the one where the Players arrived.

He only knew about this version from the background lore and from what other players had said.

From what he understood, in the initial version of *Ultimate Fighting*, martial artists hadn’t yet become the core of society.

Simply put, the true masters were either old or were living in anonymity, continuing their training in secret.

In the outside world, technology was developing at a shocking pace, advancing beyond imagination in just a few short decades.

Society required stability. Under the influence of the state’s power, most martial artists were gradually marginalized, and their various factions were targeted and dismantled.

This was good for ordinary people, but for martial artists, it was tantamount to an "End of the Dharma Era."

Yet it was precisely in this End of the Dharma Era that the five Saint Kings were born.

Saint King Level was the official designation for A-rank martial artists.

They could move at supersonic speeds with their physical bodies alone. A single casual strike could cause horrific destruction in a hundred-meter radius. Even if caught at ground zero of a nuclear detonation, they could escape the blast zone and survive.

A single one of them posed a significant threat to an entire nation.

And the nations that relied on technological weapons were unable to inflict any effective damage upon them.

Thus, they were called Saint Kings, and they became the Supreme beings on Origin Star!

Zhang Ji turned off the TV and did a quick mental calculation.

There were at least five years left until the Saint King War.

’And what about my training speed?’

’At this rate, with my current resources, I can probably reach C-rank in a year. In five years, I’ll only be a Fifth-Rank C-class. I won’t even reach B-class, let alone A-class.’

’Then again, there are plenty of shortcuts in this world.’

’Like I thought before, *Ultimate Fighting* incorporates many different elements.’

’So there’s treasure hunting in the wild, genetic modification, Alchemical enhancements, and the dungeon system that players frequently access.’

’Of course, the dungeons here aren’t called dungeons; they’re called Ruins Realms.’

’The name means something like "ruins."’

’According to the official lore, they are fragments of worlds destroyed in a previous era. Some even contain living people and entities that have had contact with the current world.’

’And inside these world fragments are many treasures that offer shortcuts to power.’

’The only problem is, the entrances to these dungeons are highly random.’

’The few trial dungeons that can be entered freely were only opened after the Saint King update, and for now, they are controlled by private factions.’

Just as he was thinking about this, Zhang Ji’s phone rang.

In this place, only the Five Elements Sect was able to use communication devices.

Zhang Ji answered the phone, and Master Quan’s voice came through.

"Ling City District, five days!"

The message was terse. Master Quan hung up immediately after speaking.

Zhang Ji got dressed and immediately prepared to set out.

Going through the Five Elements Sect was the fastest way to leave Shanli Island.

Only by clearing his name as a criminal could he leave this place, head out into the wider world, and get everything he wanted.

Moreover, he could also obtain resources for his training from the Five Elements Sect.

The medicinal herbs for the *Raccoon Claw Skill* would last him ten more days at most. If he wanted to keep training the skill after that, he had no idea where he’d get more resources besides the Five Elements Sect.

The only thing that puzzled him, however, was his vague memory that when the Eastern Extreme Country later re-established control over Shanli Island, the Five Elements Sect was nowhere to be seen.

’No, that’s not right. The sect didn’t exist at all by then.’

’Considering the Five Elements Sect’s current size, there’s no way I wouldn’t know about them if they were still around.’

’After all, I played several different characters. I can even remember the small dojos in the Eastern Extreme Country clearly, so how could I not know about a sect that has a C-class martial artist?’

’This suggests the Five Elements Sect either transformed into something else, or...’

Zhang Ji didn’t dwell on the thought.

’I’ll just have to keep my guard up. If it comes down to it, I’ll just leave.’

He would not place his faith in any organization or individual.

The only thing he believed in was his own strength!

It didn’t take long for Zhang Ji to call Kratos and his men for a meeting.

After confirming that Ling City District wouldn’t be a hard target, they prepared to set out.

Coming down from upstairs, the group walked out quickly.

When passing through the crowd, just as those people had greeted Kratos back then, these people now all greeted Zhang Ji.

"Master Zhang!"

"Hello, Master Zhang!"

The change was a stark contrast to his destitute state when he first arrived.

Suddenly, Zhang Ji saw a boy carrying a basin full of clothes toward the washroom.

That boy was Gu Jie.

He beckoned, and one of his men approached.

"Go find out about him. We’ll wait for you in the car," Zhang Ji said.

"Yes, Master Zhang."

The subordinate quickly departed.

Zhang Ji and the others got in the car. A moment later, the subordinate ran back and reported what he’d found.

Gu Jie’s mother was now making a living by washing clothes for people.

And Gu Jie was helping out.

Their main clients were the women of Cat Street.

Zhang Ji closed his eyes, apparently in thought.

Suddenly, he said, "Have someone set up a central laundry, and put that woman, Mu Duo, in charge of it."

His order was quickly carried out.

In a place like this, the word of the strong was law.

A small matter like this was easy to arrange.

This was Zhang Ji’s way of taking care of Gu Ming’s wife and son.

"Got your eye on her?" Kratos asked.

Kratos didn’t know about the history between Zhang Ji and Gu Ming; he thought Zhang Ji had taken a liking to Mu Duo.

"Hah!" Zhang Ji scoffed. "Move out!"

The vehicles started up and sped away.

Zhang Ji stared at the scenery outside the window, his expression profound.

’He’d seen enough cautionary tales to know that once emotions get involved, it’s all over.’

’He wouldn’t let a woman become a stumbling block. Even keeping one as a plaything would be too much trouble.’

’Time was already tight for getting stronger—he still had to make time for roast duck with rice, after all. Why would he waste it on meaningless emotions?’

Helping Mu Duo was just a casual gesture, a small repayment for the help Gu Ming had given him in the past.

........

.......

BOOM! BANG!

"Fucking rocket launchers? Where the hell did someone on Shanli Island get these things?"

"Take cover!"

He’d thought this would be a pushover, but the situation in Ling City District took Zhang Ji by surprise.

They didn’t just have regular firearms, but also high-explosive grenades and small rocket launchers.

Luckily, there weren’t many, and his men had dodged in time. They only lost two people, so the damage wasn’t too severe.

CRACK!

After casually snapping the neck of the person who had fired the rocket, Zhang Ji stood among a pile of corpses, his expression somewhat dazed.

This was the closest he had come to death.

Even over ten meters from the center of the blast, the shockwave had thrown him against a wall, and his body was covered in cuts from metal shrapnel.

And that was with his *Iron Shirt* at twenty percent of its potential. If Kratos had been in front, he would have almost certainly died on the spot.

The ringing in his ears persisted, and his eardrums ached.

Zhang Ji had thought he was taking technological weapons seriously enough.

But clearly, his carelessness had almost gotten him killed this time.

His *Iron Shirt* could block ordinary bullets, but he was nowhere near strong enough to withstand a weapon like that at his current level.

Once they’d assessed the situation, Kratos and his men came up from the rear.

"How are you all?" Zhang Ji asked.

Kratos and the others opened their mouths, but with the ringing in his ears, Zhang Ji couldn’t hear them very clearly.

He could only make out that since he had been the main target, they hadn’t been hurt.

"Let’s go. Time to plant the flag," Zhang Ji said.

Kratos and the others nodded.

Zhang Ji took two steps forward, then turned back, grabbed a gun, and pulled the trigger on the corpse whose neck he had just snapped.

RAT-TAT-TAT!

He was genuinely angry and shaken.

’Everyone else is playing with rifles and handguns, and you just had to bring an RPG.’

After emptying the magazine and seeing her chest and head torn to a pulp, Zhang Ji casually tossed the gun to one of his men and turned toward the high-rise building.

"Tch! What a jinx."