The Divide in Status

Qingshan Nature Reserve.

Although it was a 5A-rated scenic area in Rong City, environmental protection policies had kept development across the reserve to a minimum.

Only a small resort had been built for tourists, while the rest remained an untouched wilderness in its natural state.

Still, the resort was always bustling with people, and armed police stood guard. Even the massive beasts at the top of the food chain would not dare approach carelessly.

But this brown bear was different. Li Changqing had beaten it senseless, and in its panic, it only wanted to flee. How could it remember that this was a place where crowds gathered?

"Roar—"

The deep growl set the resort's tourists on edge.

"What was that sound?"

"Did you hear it?"

"Was that some animal roaring?"

Amid the hubbub, the distant forest suddenly trembled. Accompanied by frantic pounding footsteps, trees as thick as a baby's forearm snapped beneath tremendous force, and a gigantic beast covered in shaggy fur burst into view.

"Holy shit, a bear!"

"Run!"

The crazed brown bear rammed headfirst into the wooden fence. It did not slow it down for even an instant before the bear smashed straight through it.

The enormous creature charged into the resort.

The crowd scattered in all directions. To many people, bears were still those honest, lumbering giants in zoos, separated from them by reinforced glass—creatures that even seemed a little dim-witted.

But when a gigantic beast nearly three meters long, one that was almost as tall as you even on all fours, came charging at you—

No one could remain calm.

The resort had been built against the mountain. For visual appeal, this scenic corridor had been constructed very narrow, while the viewing platform at the end had been made broad to accommodate tourists.

In their panic, a massive crowd surged toward the passageway. In an instant, tourists had packed the entire corridor full.

"Everyone, don't panic! Back away slowly!"

A forceful voice shook the mountains and forest, even drowning out the brown bear's roar.

With a flash, Li Changqing leaped in front of the brown bear. Watching the packed crowd from the corner of his eye, he felt a touch of anxiety.

The brown bear itself was no threat at all. This big fellow could never get past him to hurt anyone.

What worried Li Changqing most was the tourists themselves. With the corridor packed so tightly, their panic could very easily trigger a disastrous stampede.

"Everyone, listen to me. Back up slowly!"

Yet there was no sign of the crowd stopping.

Then again, who the hell was Li Changqing?

Why should anyone listen just because he spoke?

"Everyone, please evacuate in an orderly manner. Don't panic, don't crowd together..."

Several police officers shouted instructions through loudspeakers, but the situation still did not improve.

Li Changqing fixed his gaze on the brown bear, instantly frightening it stiff. He had already thrown the bear around so badly earlier that it had been left with a psychological shadow.

Just then—

"Everyone, stay where you are and don't crowd together. With me here, you won't be in danger."

That voice sounded so familiar. Li Changqing's ears twitched, but he knew shouting alone was useless. It seemed he would have to...

He turned his head slightly. From the corner of his eye, he saw that the crowd, which had been on the verge of a stampede, had actually stopped pushing at the sound of that voice.

Li Changqing: ???

What was going on?

Before he could think it through, a nimble figure came sprinting over, stepping across the rocks below the waterfall.

Black hair streamed behind him, revealing a youthful face brimming with masculine vigor.

It was him?

The newcomer was none other than Jiang He, whom he had met briefly at the station.

At that moment, the newcomer's blood and qi were rich and vigorous. Judging by the way he had sprinted over—

Jiang He had likely entered the Transformation Stage. By convention, he should be able to cross the threshold into a Martial Artist in a hundred days.

"Young man, get back!"

A police officer suddenly rushed forward, grabbed Li Changqing by the arm, and pulled him backward.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed? That's a brown bear!"

"Officer, I'm not a tourist."

Held by the older officer, Li Changqing explained helplessly, but before he could finish, the man cut him off.

"Of course I know you're not a tourist. I saw what happened earlier. You're quite something, kid, but there's no need for you to play hero now." The old officer gestured with his chin toward Jiang He, who had grabbed the railing and climbed over it.

"There, Rong City's genius, Jiang He. He's already entered the Transformation Stage and will officially become a Martial Artist in another hundred days. With him here, don't throw your life away trying to fight."

As he spoke, the old officer pointed behind them.

"See that? Jiang He's name carries far more weight than ours. Just stay put and relax."

Li Changqing wanted to say something but stopped himself as the old officer dragged him back into the crowd.

Still, he watched Jiang He confront the brown bear with concern.

I slammed that big fellow around several times. At the very least, its head definitely isn't working right now.

Jiang He should be fine, right?

Just as he thought that, Jiang He had already lunged at the brown bear.

It was an exceedingly standard Academy Faction style. The Standard Long Fist could attack and defend alike. Li Changqing had learned this set of punches back in college as well, but his physique and talent had been too poor then, so he had never even gotten through the door.

But a five-hundred-kilogram brown bear was no small animal. Its thick muscles and layers of fat feared nothing less than attacks such as punches and kicks.

What was more, Jiang He had only just begun transforming. Neither his strength nor speed had truly surpassed the limits of humanity yet. After several punches, the brown bear merely swayed.

After Jiang He's successive attacks, and seeing that Li Changqing was nowhere in sight, the brown bear's wild nature rose again.

As Jiang He stepped forward, the brown bear, which had been standing there foolishly like a living target, suddenly swung a bear paw as large as a cattail fan.

"Mr. Martial Artist, watch out!"

Cries of alarm immediately rose from the crowd.

Whoosh—

The bear paw swept over Jiang He's head, slicing away several strands of hair. He crouched low, his eyes fixed on the brown bear's short, thick legs.

Then he immediately unleashed Sweep Through a Thousand Armies.

The brown bear's center of gravity was broken. Unable to keep its footing, it toppled over in an instant.

"Big brother is amazing!"

"Big Brother Jiang He, hurry up and chase it away!"

The shrill cries of the little girls made Li Changqing's ears ache.

Had Jiang He already gained fans in Rong City after such a short time?

Martial Artists held very high status on Blue Star. Many Martial Artists who could not make further breakthroughs in martial arts eventually chose to debut as idols.

The reason was simple: lots of money, little work. Coupled with the extraordinary status of a Martial Artist, their ability to attract fans was simply through the roof, making them incredibly sought-after.

Yet the fallen brown bear soon climbed back up as though nothing had happened. In contrast, several places on Jiang He's training uniform had been torn apart by the bear's claws.

While Li Changqing was considering this—

Bang!

Three special-effect tranquilizer darts struck the brown bear. The armed police unit had finally arrived.

After fighting Jiang He for several minutes, the brown bear staggered about as if drunk. Jiang He seized the chance to step forward and knocked it unconscious with a single punch.

The enormous creature crashed to the ground, drawing another wave of screams from the crowd.

The crowd surged forward. Li Changqing's shoulders were struck again and again, and he smiled helplessly as he watched Jiang He, surrounded by countless fangirls begging for photos, standing there at a loss.

"Young man, would you mind leaving your contact information?"

The old police officer who had pulled Li Changqing away earlier came over. Leaning close, he spoke quietly.

"I can say a few words to Mr. Jiang He. You're a Martial Arts Apprentice too, right? Want me to introduce you?"

"With your spirit of helping others in the face of danger, Mr. Jiang He will definitely appreciate you. He might even give you a few pointers."

"No need." Li Changqing shook his head and glanced at his watch.

"Officer, I still have something to do, so I'll be going."

Li Changqing headed deep into the forest again, running in the direction of Rong City. Along the way, he thought for a moment and called Kang Tianchen.

"Hello, Coach Kang. This is Li Changqing."

"What, did you run into difficulties in your training?"

"No, no. I just wanted to ask about something. I heard Rong City will be holding a Youth Cup in a few days. Can I register through the martial arts school?"

"The Youth Cup?" Kang Tianchen's tone paused.

"What made you ask about that? That competition is for Martial Artists under thirty."

"Oh, I saw it in the news that day. I heard Rong City's genius Jiang He will be participating too. But Jiang He isn't a Martial Artist either, is he?"

"Ah, Jiang He is Rong City's genius, so naturally he has certain privileges. Besides, his strength isn't bad. He can treat it as getting some early experience. Even if he loses the Youth Cup, no one will say anything."

"After all, he only just graduated from college and hasn't even been formally cultivating martial arts for a full month."

"As for you..." Kang Tianchen paused.

"How about I have the martial arts school reserve you a spectator spot? You won't be able to compete, but the atmosphere will definitely be better than watching from the stands."

"Think of it as taking part?"