Fourth Simulation, Begin!

Yun Shou and Ji Kangnian talked through the night.

Ji Kangnian felt that this could almost be called a farewell.

With his spirits stirred, Ji Kangnian had his wife bring over a jug of wine.

The wine was not cheap, but after years of fishing, they could still save enough to buy a few jugs.

Ji Kangnian was somewhat astonished. This lad he had cared for over the past two years carried a completely different air today.

He seemed filled with confidence and strength, as though nothing in the world could stump him!

Young people... Ji Kangnian saw in Yun Shou the youthful righteousness and fiery blood that had nearly been worn away from himself.

Smack!

He heavily slapped Yun Shou on the shoulder. "Yun Shou, you have to make something of yourself! The Qing He Gang bought twenty years of your life with a broken boat. You have to pay that debt off sooner, cast off this burden, and only then can you stand tall and accomplish great things!"

Ji Kangnian gritted his teeth, then suddenly slapped the table. "Hongyan, bring out the silver we've saved these past few years. It should be enough to offset three to five years of his debt!"

Song Hongyan looked troubled, but she still brought out some copper coins and bits of broken silver.

The couple had no children or heirs. Over these past two years, she had followed her husband in coming to regard Yun Shou as half a son.

What worried her was that once Ji Kangnian became a boatman, there was no telling what his earnings would be like or whether they would cover their daily needs. Their savings were their last safeguard.

Of course Yun Shou refused. He was not short on money now, and in a few more days, it would be even less likely that he would need any. He pushed it away, saying that Uncle Ji's good intentions were enough.

Amid the back-and-forth, the copper coins scattered across the floor, clattering loudly.

Yun Shou frowned. He heard footsteps outside the house quicken as they moved away.

Someone passing by had been nothing unusual, but after hearing the coins strike the ground, they had suddenly hurried off.

Forget it. It was a small matter.

Yun Shou paid no attention to whoever had heard the coins fall. At most, it was just a fisherman. Instead, he solemnly said to Ji Kangnian, "Uncle Ji, I truly don't need this money to buy back my freedom. Do you know about Martial Artists?"

"A Martial Artist happened to meet me a few days ago. He said he wanted to take me as his disciple!"

Ji Kangnian's eyes widened. His brain overloaded at that very moment.

"I've gotten carried away. Have I already started showing my edge without even realizing it?"

"Today, I've already brought up my strength before two acquaintances..."

"Haji Shou, you bastard."

Yun Shou mocked himself, but before he had even finished the third sentence, he was the first to lose his composure.

"Anyone who can come up with a term like Haji Shou is a Haji Gao too."

Late at night, he circulated his martial art for two full cycles. Only after every ounce of his energy had been released and his muscles were aching did he fall asleep.

Early the next morning.

The fourth day of the Awakening Simulator, begin!

Ding! Foundation -1%, current Foundation: 127%

"After this simulation, I should choose Foundation." Yun Shou thought to himself. "My base Foundation is now about the same as an ordinary person's. Even with Foundation at 1.27 times that of an ordinary person, without the bonuses from martial arts, it would still be impossible to become a First-rate Martial Artist!"

"And the further one goes, the harder it becomes. Martial Masters, Grandmasters—every Martial Dao Realm is a mountain of Talent Aptitude."

On the first day of the simulation, you no longer intended to honestly pretend to be a fisherman as before. Your Main Body wanted to lie low for another day or two, acting only when everything was foolproof.

But you did not have his period of rapid advancement, and a First-Rate Martial Dao Realm was already enough to make Xu Ruohai, the Qing He Gang's leader, take a step back and disregard that trifling deed of sale.

The only drawback was that you could not step on his face and show off.

Yun Shou: "You're right. You really understand me. As expected of me."

Sure enough, after you displayed the azure Force Qi formed by the Foundation imbued by the Flowing River Technique and the bonuses provided by its Minor Accomplishment in depth and refinement, Xu Ruohai became exceedingly easy to talk to.

On the spot, he shattered the deed of sale with Force Qi, then said that since you had lived under the Qing He Gang's management for so many years, that was a deep and profound fate.

Why not have the two of you swear brotherhood on the spot? Then, on the Martial Path ahead, you would each have someone to lend a hand.

"Strength..." Yun Shou had nothing to say.

Back when he had still been a Second-rate Martial Artist, Xu Ruohai had completely disregarded his feelings. He had drawn up a new contract and bound Yun Shou to the Qing He Gang for life.

If not for the Wu Kingdom Massacre later on, Yun Shou would absolutely have failed Tianhe Martial Hall's review: You are a faithless man, disloyal to your contract, and yet you still wish to pry into our hall's secret arts?

(The Qing He Gang's lifelong contract was a trap, but it also came with gang benefits and waived the debt from the previous deed of sale. In the eyes of Tianhe Martial Hall and other powers, it counted as a normal contract, not a forced one.)

Not only would it cut off his path to joining other martial halls and lawfully obtaining more Advanced Martial Arts, but after he fled, his reputation in the surrounding area would rot. He might even end up carrying a warrant of no small consequence.

"But if I hadn't known the Wu Kingdom would come later, and if Zhu Baowen hadn't left, I wouldn't have fled the Qing He Gang either." Yun Shou continued watching the simulation screen, somewhat distracted.

At first, you did not understand why Xu Ruohai was being so attentive toward you. You thought he had taken a fancy to your peerless martial Talent Aptitude and wanted you, after becoming a Grandmaster in the future, to give him a helping hand.

Then you discovered that he began probing you bit by bit, trying to learn about the "Transmission Master" behind you. He also said that since you were brothers who had lived in the same gang for years, it should not be difficult for you to introduce him and put in a good word for him before your "Transmission Master," right?

Yun Shou: In your dreams.

A master who could fill a disciple with enough power to become First-Rate in one go? You wanted to become his disciple? I wanted to as well!

You sneered inwardly. Did he really think such an expert existed? A sudden thought came to you—introducing Zhu Baowen to Xu Ruohai. That big shot might genuinely possess such power... but it was only a passing thought. If actually doing so got you targeted, this simulation might as well be over.

You politely declined Xu Ruohai's invitation to become the Second Boss of Qing He Gang. After pointing out several acquaintances and saying that they would temporarily rely on your care, you chose to develop in Qingcheng.

Qingcheng was a very large city. The fact that it had no fewer than three martial halls made that clear—some smaller cities did not even have one, possessing only one or two martial arts schools or gangs at most.

A fourteen-year-old First-rate Martial Artist would not be overlooked anywhere. After hearing that a ring had been set up in the city for some kind of Martial Artist Competition, inviting guests from all corners, you happily signed up to make a name for yourself in battle.

The ring restricted participants to Martial Artists under thirty. Most entrants were only Third-Rate or at a Second-rate level, while First-rate Martial Artists were extremely rare. You swept through the ring, cutting down opponents one after another with ease, and your opponents rose from Third-Rate to Second-Rate.

You charged straight through. You did not know why this tournament was being held. You only knew that you had to fight to your heart's content and make your name ring through Qingcheng.

When you reached the final rounds, you discovered that only one opponent was also a First-rate Martial Artist. The two of you met in the third-to-last round. You eagerly anticipated this peak battle ahead of time, yet after only a few exchanges, before either of you had even unfurled your Combat Techniques, he took the initiative and conceded.

"I am Chibi Guest, Zhang Xiaoran." The burly man, whose skin was somewhat reddish and whose height was close to seven and a half feet, cupped his fists toward you. "I only came to this ring to find some amusement and battle for a little prestige. But since you, little brother, have your heart set on it, I cannot steal another man's delight."

You understood: he saw that I was young and accomplished, a genius Martial Artist, so he was specifically giving me the chance to show off as the champion.

You were somewhat moved. At last, someone had seen your potential clearly, rather than being like Xu Ruohai and staring only at that illusory "master."

Since the only First-rate Martial Artist besides you had chosen to withdraw, even if the other Second-rate Martial Artists were towering in stature, they could hardly contend against you, whose Force Qi could be projected outward.

Among the Martial Artists participating in this ring battle, there were no geniuses with Foundations two or three times that of ordinary people and hopes of becoming Great Grandmasters. Only such geniuses possessed the ability to Battle across levels.

You took first place without any suspense, then were led away by a smiling man who looked like a steward from a great Lineage to receive your prize. The defeated contestants below the stage watched you with envy.

You received Lin Youbai.

Yun Shou: "???"

You became the Lin Family's live-in son-in-law and received your prize: a wife.

You: "???"

"I came here to fight and make a name for myself. What exactly is going on with this ring?"