Grandfather

As the opponent's strike descended, Chu Kuang's expression shifted slightly. It was too late to dodge, so in his haste, he could only activate the Iron Armor Technique, turning his shoulder to block the incoming blade.

" Clang —"

With a crisp sound, the opponent's blade struck Chu Kuang's shoulder but was firmly stopped by his muscles and bones.

"Die!"

In that instant, Chu Kuang gritted his teeth, endured the pain, and used his spear to send his opponent flying.

Before Xu Hong could react, Chu Kuang hurled his spear. It shot out like a colossal crossbow bolt, impaling his opponent and killing him on the spot.

" Hoo —"

With the fight concluded, Chu Kuang was teleported outside the arena. He touched his shoulder with a lingering sense of dread, finding that the blade wound, which had deeply penetrated his shoulder bone, had completely vanished. He then slowly took a deep breath.

In this battle, Xu Hong had chosen his timing perfectly and had hidden his trump card very well.

Chu Kuang had initially thought that the perfected Black Tiger Saber Technique was his opponent's ultimate move, only to discover that he had also mastered the Crouching Tiger Saber Technique to the perfected stage.

The Crouching Tiger Saber Technique was most effective for surprise attacks, often yielding remarkable results in close combat. Had Chu Kuang been even slightly careless, he would have been decapitated.

Even with his shoulder blocking the final blow, he still ended up severely injured. If not for the defensive prowess of the Iron Armor Technique, which had its defense boosted by another twenty percent, Chu Kuang feared he would have been cleaved in half.

Chu Kuang's Life Level was a high 5.6, while his opponent's was only 4.8. The fact that he was nearly killed in a single blow demonstrated that his opponent's entry into the top three thousand was no fluke.

After all, the difference in Life Level wasn't just about strength; it represented a comprehensive, all-around superiority.

Chu Kuang's Life Level was nearly double that of his opponent, meaning his base defense, physique, speed, strength, vitality, and recovery rate were all nearly twice as high.

To be so heavily wounded despite such a disparity showed that his opponent was indeed formidable.

"Two perfected advanced saber techniques; his talent for swordsmanship is truly not weak."

"It's a shame his Life Level is too low. If he had mastered an advanced external martial art, he could have at least broken into the top one thousand."

Chu Kuang took a deep breath and reflected on his own shortcomings, his brow furrowing slightly. "My spear technique realm is still too low. If the Gold-Splitting Spear had reached the perfected stage, he wouldn't have had the opportunity to use the Crouching Tiger surprise attack."

"Fortunately, I've made it into the top three thousand, which means I can apply for that loan now."

A smile spread across his face, and he opened the Ranking System, immediately seeing that his ranking had changed.

[Chu Kuang]
[School: Tian Heng Third Middle School]
[Rank: 2997]
[Wins: 12 | Losses: 2]
[Win Rate: 83%]

"You have entered the top three thousand. A zero-interest loan is now available for application."

"The system reminds you that you must participate in at least three ranked matches daily. Failure to do so will result in your rank automatically decreasing by one hundred places each day."

"Should your rank fall outside the top four thousand, the Tian Heng City Government reserves the right to reclaim your zero-interest loan or convert it into an interest-bearing loan."

"Special Notice: Once you enter the top three thousand, match-fixing is prohibited. Any discovered instances of match-fixing will result in the permanent revocation of your ranking eligibility, and the immediate reclaim of your zero-interest loan and all Federal benefits."

Chu Kuang briefly reviewed the contract and rules before directly applying for the zero-interest loan.

He knew clearly that with this loan, his strength would enter a period of rapid development, and he would never fall outside the top four thousand.

As for the match-fixing restriction, it was to prevent people from selling their top three thousand ranking opportunities for the zero-interest loan.

Even though it was the early morning hours, the ten thousand Federal Coin loan was quickly approved. Chu Kuang immediately used it to order a Tier 1 Source Energy Potion and then exited the Tian Heng Star Realm.

"It will take some time for the Source Energy Potion to be shipped. It should arrive tomorrow morning."

"Time to rest."

After a long day, Chu Kuang felt physically and mentally exhausted. He swallowed a Nutrient Solution and fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning, Chu Kuang was woken by the doorbell. He initially thought his Nutrient Solution had arrived, but he found three men—old, middle-aged, and young—standing at his door.

"Grandfather, Uncle, Cousin."

Chu Kuang was taken aback. These three were his Grandfather Chu Tianke, his Uncle Chu Meng, and his Cousin Chu Linfeng.

His cousin, Chu Linfeng, was the same age as Chu Kuang. Both studied martial arts at Tian Heng Third Middle School, though Chu Linfeng was in Class 6 of the first year, while Chu Kuang was in Class 7.

Chu Linfeng was a top student in Class 6, always looking down on others. He didn't think much of his cousin and rarely interacted with him.

At this moment, Chu Tianke nodded and walked into the living room as if he owned the place, stating expressionlessly, "Call your father out."

"I'm already here."

Before he could be called, Chu's father emerged.

Looking at the three in the living room, Chu's father frowned slightly but still said, "My father and brother are rare guests. Kuang, go pour them some tea."

As Chu Kuang went to pour tea, he observed the three in the living room and recalled his family situation.

Chu's father had grown up in the most standard large family of this era. Grandfather Chu Tianke had a total of seventeen children, all born for the sake of Federal bonuses.

In fact, of Chu's father's seventeen siblings, apart from his uncle, the eldest son, most were raised by robots and did not experience much familial affection.

Chu Kuang's uncles and aunts had either joined the army or the Dark Domain, and many had died in battle. Most of those still alive had little to no contact with the family.

Father Chu was the seventh child, and he'd basically never received any favor from Grandfather since he was young. Even when Chu Tianke broke his arm back then, Grandfather hadn't even come to visit. Today, Grandfather had specifically come to their home, so it probably wasn't just to chat.

As expected, the moment Father Chu served the tea, Chu Tianke began to probe indirectly, "Seventh child, you and your wife have been working on the farm all these years. You must have saved quite a bit of money, right?"

Father Chu's brow furrowed slightly, and he remained silent.

Mother Chu, standing beside him, couldn't help herself and immediately spoke up, "What money? Our annual salary is barely enough to get by."

Chu Tianke's expression turned slightly grim, but he still spoke calmly, "You two haven't cultivated for many years, so you don't need to spend much money. I estimate you've saved at least tens of thousands."

With that, Chu Tianke stated without room for argument, "Take it out. Linfeng is in his first year of high school now, and it's precisely when he needs money."

"Linfeng needs money, but our family doesn't?"

Mother Chu was so angry she laughed, "Chu Kuang is also in his first year of high school. Why don't you ask the eldest family to give us tens of thousands?"

Chu Tianke's face darkened, and he didn't speak. Uncle Chu Meng then chimed in.

"Chu Kuang only has a fourth-grade Bone Structure. How can he compare to my Linfeng?"

Chu Meng, pulling Chu Linfeng along, said with immense pride, "Linfeng is a sixth-grade Bone Structure. In this month's diagnostic exam, he ranked third in the entire class."

"Most importantly, he has already mastered the Arm Penetrating Skill to the great accomplishment stage yesterday. He has a high chance of ranking in the top hundred in the entire school during the college entrance examination, which would be a rare opportunity to enter the Dark Domain."

Speaking of which, Chu Meng looked at Chu Kuang and said, "I heard that Chu Kuang only ranked around twenty-eighth in the class during the last exam, didn't he?"

Hearing this, Chu Kuang finally understood. Grandfather wanted to extort money from their family to concentrate their financial resources on cultivating Chu Linfeng.

It was at this moment that Chu Tianke put on his patriarch airs and said, "Seventh child, you need to consider the bigger picture. Chu Kuang's talent is average, and he's been stubbornly practicing basic cultivation techniques for years. He likely won't be able to break through to the Mortal Transformation Realm in the future."

"It's different for Linfeng. With his talent and Bone Structure, he will surely become the first Mortal Transformation Realm expert in our Chu Family."

"Once our Chu Family has a descendant who reaches the Mortal Transformation Realm, are you afraid you won't have a good life?"

With that, a hint of pride appeared in Chu Tianke's eyes.

True Mortal Transformation Realm martial artists were not comparable to those who broke through with Gene Potions.

Although both had the same Life Level, one had the blessing of a perfect cultivation technique, while the other was just a basic Mortal Transformation Realm. The former could fight five or ten of the latter without breaking a sweat.

He, Chu Tianke, had seventeen children and dozens of grandchildren, yet not a single one was a true Mortal Transformation Realm martial artist.

In this era, the ratio of martial artists to Apprentice Level martial artists was ten to one, but the probability of a descendant of a Mortal Transformation Realm martial artist breaking through to the Mortal Transformation Realm was at least fifty percent.

Among ordinary Apprentice Level martial artists, the chance of producing a Mortal Transformation Level martial artist was probably only one in tens or even hundreds.

Once Chu Linfeng successfully broke through, he would become someone superior. Chu Tianke's lifespan was dwindling, and now he just wanted to see a true martial artist emerge from his descendants before he died.

"Chu Yang, take it out."

Thinking of Chu Linfeng's future, Chu Tianke's gaze gradually became more focused, and he looked sharply at Chu Yang.

This time, he did not call him "Seventh Child," and his tone carried a hint of pressure.

"No money," Father Chu finally spoke, directly opening the bank account page on his smart watch. "You can see for yourself."

"Impossible." Chu Tianke was full of disbelief and looked at Mother Chu. "The money is definitely with you."

"I told you, there's none."

Mother Chu also opened her bank account and directly retorted to Chu Tianke.

Chu Tianke was still unwilling. He checked Chu Kuang and Chu Yu's accounts but found nothing. He could only get up and leave, grumbling.

"Beggars."

Before leaving, Chu Kuang heard a sneer.

He looked up and saw Chu Linfeng give him a mocking glance before standing up and following his elders out of the hall.

Chu Kuang said nothing, but a cold glint in his eyes grew more profound.

"Your package has been delivered. Please sign for your package."

Just as everyone was opening the door, a robot flew in from a distance and delivered a package to their doorstep.

Chu Kuang's heart leaped with joy, knowing that the Source Energy Potion had arrived. He quickly stepped forward to receive and sign for it, then picked up the package, preparing to leave.

"Wait."

At this moment, Chu Linfeng suddenly spoke. He recognized the Source Energy Mark on the package and sensed that it was not a simple item.

After being reminded, Chu Tianke also instantly sensed something was wrong and snatched the package, tearing it open.

"Source Energy Potion?"

"Scoundrel, you said you had no money. What is this?"

Chu Tianke's face lit up with surprise and even a hint of resentment as he looked at Father Chu. "You unfilial beast, hiding treasures and refusing to hand them over. Are you trying to ruin the future of my Chu Family's prodigy?"