Mountain Villa Gathering

The next day, Saturday.

Wang Teng rarely slept in, not opening his eyes until after eight.

Sunlight streamed in through the window and fell across his face. He raised a hand to block it, taking a moment to adjust.

"Mm, it's already 8:45."

Wang Teng checked the time, got up to brush his teeth and wash his face, then headed downstairs.

The household servants, Chen Yi and Li Yi, were already at work. Chen Yi swept the floor while Li Yi dusted.

The villa was large, but that made cleaning a hassle. Relying on the family alone to keep it clean was clearly unrealistic.

"You're up. Come eat breakfast," Li Xiumei said when she saw him.

"Mom, I overslept. Why didn't you wake me?" Wang Teng asked.

"You looked so tired, so I didn't call you. It's Saturday anyway; an hour or two doesn't matter," Li Xiumei said.

"The young master has changed a lot. He's becoming more and more diligent now," Li Yi said with a smile.

Although Chen Yi and Li Yi were servants, they got along well with the whole family. No matter how much of a wastrel Wang Teng had been in the past, he had never shown them any disrespect.

For that, Wang Sheng Guo's strictness and Li Xiumei's moral upbringing deserved the credit.

Parents shaped their children.

"I heard the young master is learning martial arts. My son used to train too, but sadly, he had no talent and could only give up in the end. After all, martial arts are too much of a burden for ordinary families like ours," Chen Yi chimed in.

"You two should stop praising him, or his tail will be up in the sky," Li Xiumei said with a smile.

Wang Teng ate breakfast while chatting with Li Yi and the others for a while.

He also replied to the WeChat messages Bai Wei and Yu Hao had sent last night.

After breakfast, he informed Li Xiumei and drove out.

Polar Star Martial Arts Academy, second floor of the Martial Disciple Training Building.

Wang Teng greeted several students he knew well.

"Ah Teng, you're a little late today!" Zhang Shaoyang stopped punching and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He looked as though he had already been training for over an hour.

"I overslept, and my mom didn't wake me," Wang Teng said helplessly.

"Hahaha, all moms are the same. Whenever I oversleep, my mom never wakes me either," Zhang Shaoyang said with a laugh.

Wang Teng shook his head with an amused smile.

"Oh, right, I have something to tell you. I'm about to advance to Advanced Martial Apprentice," Zhang Shaoyang said happily.

"Oh? Then congratulations. When are you planning to advance?" Wang Teng was a little surprised, but he did not find it strange.

Zhang Shaoyang had already been very close to Advanced Martial Apprentice. Wang Teng had guessed before that he could advance at any time.

"I'll get used to it this morning, then go take the test. If nothing goes wrong, I'll be training on the third floor by this afternoon," Zhang Shaoyang said.

Wang Teng nodded and teased, "There are more experts on the third floor. Don't get beaten too badly."

"Hmph, how could that happen? Once I train for a while, I'll definitely Catch Up to them soon. You, on the other hand, shouldn't make me wait too long. Advance to Advanced Martial Apprentice soon. I've found that sparring with you helps me improve faster," Zhang Shaoyang said.

"Alright, I won't keep you waiting too long," Wang Teng said with a smile.

The two chatted for a while, then stopped wasting time and began training separately.

That afternoon, Wang Teng went to watch Zhang Shaoyang's test. Every one of his metrics met the standard, and he successfully became an Advanced Martial Apprentice before heading to the third floor.

Wang Teng was sincerely happy for him.

Advanced Martial Apprentice—one step closer to becoming a martial warrior!

Though there was still quite a distance to go, every martial artist strove for that goal.

"When will I become a martial warrior?"

"If only I could get a Primal Force cultivation technique!!"

"Sadly, it's far too difficult!"

Wang Teng pondered silently, still at a complete loss.

For the rest of the time, Wang Teng stayed at the Martial Arts Hall, picking up attributes while training himself desperately. He did not even have the mind to tease that fat guy Wu Liang.

Sunday, a little after nine.

Wang Teng was still training at the Martial Arts Hall when he suddenly received a call from Xu Jie.

Xu Jie said there was a gathering today where they could meet quite a few Noble Family friends, and invited him, Bai Wei, and the others to go together.

Wang Teng wanted to refuse, but in the end, he could not withstand Xu Jie's persistent pestering. Xu Jie acted like he would annoy him to death if he did not agree.

Wang Teng could only agree helplessly.

They had been friends for many years, after all, and he could not very well embarrass Xu Jie.

To be honest, he did not particularly want to go.

In his previous life, he had attended countless gatherings like this.

They were all Rich Second Generation and officials' children, gathering to eat, drink, and have fun while building connections.

If they maintained good relations and kept in touch, they could help each other out whenever something came up.

But after his family fell into decline, those people all avoided him as far as they could. Not a single one was truly willing to help.

That was when he understood.

They were all fair-weather friends, brothers only on the surface. The things they were willing to help with were minor and inconsequential. When something serious happened, they were completely unreliable.

"Forget it. I'll just treat it as going there for free food and drinks," Wang Teng consoled himself.

He returned the sword and saber in his hands to the weapons room, then went home to tidy up and change into a fresh set of clothes before preparing to meet up with Xu Jie and the others.

"Mom, I won't be home for dinner tonight. I'm going to a gathering in the circle with Xu Jie and the others," Wang Teng called out to Li Xiumei.

"Go on. It's good to make more friends. You train martial arts all day long—I'm afraid you'll become a martial arts fanatic and won't even be able to find a girlfriend in the future..."

The moment Li Xiumei mentioned girlfriends, Wang Teng's head began to ache.

And judging by her expression, she was ready to go on and on about the subject. He was so frightened that he immediately fled in defeat.

"Terrifying!"

Wang Teng drove along, still shaken.

More than twenty minutes later, he met up with Xu Jie and the others at the toll station by the highway entrance leading to Baoan Mountain.

This gathering was being held at a Mountain Villa on Baoan Mountain.

He had heard that the organizer's family held considerable influence and that he had great sway among the younger generation. That Mountain Villa was entirely his personal property, and he had offered it up for everyone to use for this gathering.

The four of them had brought two cars. Bai Wei sat in Wang Teng's car and gave him a rough overview of the situation.

In truth, she did not know much about the details either.

Xu Jie drove ahead to lead the way.

Yu Hao sat in Xu Jie's car, feeling somewhat aggrieved. He had originally wanted to ride with Bai Wei so they could chat along the way.

But before he could say anything, Bai Wei had already gone over to Wang Teng's car.

Wang Teng's Supercar could only seat two people, so Yu Hao could only give up on the idea.

Baoan Mountain was just outside East Sea City. Taking the highway, they could get there in half an hour.

There were signs along the highway. Their group followed them off the highway, then drove straight into the mountains along a concrete road.

After years of development, Baoan Mountain had many Mountain Villas and even entertainment facilities built on it. To make travel easier, a broad road had been laid through the area.

It was also because Baoan Mountain was not particularly tall. If it had been too high, the road could never have reached it.

Lush trees lined both sides of the road, and the scenery was pleasant. Birdsong sounded from time to time, while the tinkling murmur of mountain streams drifted over, refreshing the mind and lifting their spirits.