Su Li retracted her hand subtly, her expression remaining professional, as if Lu Jue's earth-shattering question had never been uttered. She even commented in a professional tone:
"Student Lu Jue, I was merely using touch to precisely assess the state of your Blood Essence after your intense battle."
"Currently, it appears the Emergency Healing Potion was very effective. The muscle response in your chest and abdomen is quick, and your Blood Essence circulation is mostly stable. You should not have any serious hidden injuries."
"Are you sure?" Lu Jue raised an eyebrow, his suspicion undiminished. He had clearly felt that her palm lingered for far longer than necessary for a simple "injury check."
Su Li's expression didn't change as she steered the conversation back on track: "As per the normal obligations of a 'Seed Student,' aside from serving as an Instructor for three to five years after reaching a certain realm, you must also complete a certain number of missions outside the city."
"However, your situation, student Lu Jue, is different. With the Martial Arts Examination less than a month away, the Martial School is willing to offer you different terms."
Saying this, Su Li handed him the agreement she was holding.
Lu Jue opened it and couldn't help but be inwardly startled. The conditions in the agreement were far more generous than he had anticipated.
Three years of funding, with an annual resource allocation worth around 180,000, and free borrowing rights for some Cultivation Techniques.
Below, a prominent line of text stood out:
"Upon the agreement's activation, you will receive a one-time disbursement equivalent to a full year's resource allocation for a Seed Student. This allocation is an additional bonus!"
Even with Lu Jue's steady temperament, his breath hitched.
This meant that as soon as he signed, in addition to the three years of allocation, he would immediately receive cultivation resources worth a total of 180,000!
180,000! Enough to quickly master another Cultivation Technique!
But he quickly understood the logic behind it.
The most challenging period for a Commoner Martial Artist was these years of arduous training at the Martial School. Once they passed the Martial Arts Examination and entered a Martial Arts School, even if they weren't Core Disciples, they could gradually acquire resources by completing missions.
As for him, Lu Jue, with less than a month until the Martial Arts Examination, if the Martial School didn't show sufficient sincerity, how could they retain a participant on the verge of leaping over the dragon gate?
As for the price of signing…
Lu Jue flipped to the next page, his eyes quickly scanning the dense section of obligatory clauses.
As expected, there was no such thing as a free lunch. Behind generous rights lay equally clear and strict responsibilities.
The clauses clearly stated that in addition to basic terms like not leaving East City Martial School before the Martial Arts Examination and not joining other Martial Schools, and not engaging in behavior that violated school regulations, there were three key points:
First, after passing the Martial Arts Examination, he needed to consult with East City Martial School and obtain their approval before he could join his chosen Martial Arts School.
Second, upon reaching a certain realm, he would need to return to the school and serve as a senior Instructor for three years. If he demonstrated outstanding performance during the sponsorship period, he might receive commendations or have his Instructor term reduced based on the circumstances.
Third, during the sponsorship period, he was not allowed to join any factions other than a Martial Arts School.
Lu Jue's gaze slowly swept over these three key clauses, his mind racing as he weighed the pros and cons.
Overall, although these obligations were clear, they did not cross his bottom line – his personal freedom and his fundamental right to choose his future.
The Martial School only wanted a period of return, not to control his future life.
"I've finished reading the clauses!"
Lu Jue looked up, his gaze calm as he looked at Su Li. "They are very clear and seem fair, but I have two questions that need clarification."
"Please speak," Su Li adopted a listening posture.
"Regarding the clause about joining a Martial Arts School, if the one I choose is not approved by the Martial School, how much room for 'discussion' is there? Will the Martial School respect my personal development intentions?"
Su Li seemed to have anticipated this and answered quickly: "The word 'discussion' itself implies it's not mandatory. If your reasons are sufficient, for example, if a certain Martial Arts School possesses a legacy that particularly suits your physique, the Martial School will certainly not obstruct you; they might even assist you in making contact!"
"The premise is that your choice must be transparent, and the Martial Arts School you ultimately join cannot have fundamental conflicts of interest with our school."
This answer somewhat reassured Lu Jue. At least it wasn't a dictatorship.
"Then, my final question: after signing, can the year's allocation given to me be cashed out at market price?"
Ever since his battle with Li Zhanting, the rumor that his "Vital Point" was located in his head had spread like wildfire.
Although his head wasn't as fragile as outsiders imagined, it was still the most vulnerable part of his entire body.
He needed to quickly master a skill like Iron Head Skill before the Quota Competition.
While the resources provided by the Martial School were generous, they were too varied, and he couldn't control the output of his talent.
He intended to convert them into an equivalent amount of money to manage freely.
Lu Jue's final question caused Su Li, who had maintained a composed demeanor, to show surprise for the first time.
"Cashed out?"
She almost subconsciously repeated the word, her delicate eyebrows furrowing, her gaze towards Lu Jue filled with confusion. "Are you sure? These are cultivation resources meticulously prepared by the Martial School's Nutritionist. Exchanging them directly for Gold Coins would be a huge waste, and the market premium is severe. Cashing out would actually put you at a disadvantage!"
Lu Jue's expression, however, was exceptionally firm. He met Su Li's probing gaze and said gravely, "I have my own considerations. A complete set of cultivation resources doesn't meet my cultivation needs…"
"This shouldn't be a problem. I'll apply to my master once we're done here!"
Hearing this, the last stone in Lu Jue's heart settled.
He hesitated no longer. He picked up the pen that had been prepared nearby and looked at Su Li. "I have no other questions!"
The tip of the pen touched down, and he signed his name at the bottom of the agreement.
Lu Jue.
The two characters, "force penetrating paper back," seemed to foreshadow a completely different path than the one he had taken before.
The agreement was in triplicate. Su Li put two copies away and handed the other to Lu Jue. For the first time, a hint of softness appeared on her face, beyond the professional demeanor:
"Welcome to our Martial School group, student Lu Jue. Everything you need will be delivered by tomorrow. If you have no other questions, I will take my leave now!"
Lu Jue nodded slightly and watched her leave.
As soon as the door closed, Su Li quickly took out a small notebook from her pocket, leaned against the corridor wall, and quickly wrote under the light:
"Physical contact does have a certain effect. I could sense a different kind of information from him, but the feedback was extremely weak, not enough to cause obvious emotional fluctuations."
Her pen paused, and her beautiful brows furrowed slightly.
From what she knew of Tang Ning, that girl had already "met" Lu Jue today, and would only redouble her efforts, until she confessed her love to him in person.
Her master had repeatedly emphasized that emotions were a Martial Artist's greatest weakness, especially for women. Once they fell in love, their punching speed would slow by a third.
If Tang Ning succeeded in confessing and became lost in romance, her future Martial Arts prospects would likely...
Hmph, such a thing absolutely could not happen!
Su Li closed the notebook, her eyes regaining their determined gaze.
That day, after the netizen "Liu Jue" had given his "opinion," she hadn't rashly adopted it. Instead, she had conducted a rigorous "literature review" by exploring examples around her and some romance novels.
—Senior Uncle Zhang had decisively rejected the advances of several women after he fell for his current wife.
—In female romance novels, after the male protagonists fell in love with the female leads, they were not only single-minded but also stood by the female leads without hesitation during critical moments of family obstruction or friend's doubts, never wavering.
Finally, she concluded: she had to make Lu Jue develop enough goodwill towards her before Tang Ning could confess!
As long as she could capture Lu Jue's attention, then when Tang Ning finally mustered the courage to confess, she would naturally be politely rejected.
This way, Tang Ning could completely give up and transform her grief into strength, allowing her to go further on the Martial Arts path.
But the current progress was far too slow...
Su Li subconsciously reached for her phone in her pocket, wanting to send a message to the netizen "Liu Jue" for help. But as her fingertips touched the cold screen, she hesitated.
After all, the other party was just a student. Those theoretical experiences might not be applicable to a target as complex as Lu Jue.
After some thought, she turned to open her browser. As soon as she typed the four characters "how to quickly," a string of related search terms immediately popped up below.
Her gaze swept across the screen, finally landing on the first search result.
Her fingertip tapped lightly, and the page jumped. The bolded title leaped into view:
"How to Quickly Seduce a Man?"
Before you continue
Explore the wiki