Embodying Myriad Traits, I Will Ultimately Become Immortal — 45

Overall, nothing had changed. Only beneath the portrait in the upper-left corner of the ID card, a silver lion-head pattern glimmered with every touch of his finger, instantly raising its prestige by quite a bit.

Bai Junfeng stepped forward with a smile.

"Little Meng, you'll have to keep working hard. Above the Silver Lion Medal are the Golden Tiger Medal, the Diamond Dragon, and the Supreme Pillar of the Nation Medal."

"To earn the Silver Lion at such a young age—when I was your age, I hadn't even seen a Bronze Eagle, haha."

Meng Chuan was a little excited as well. He had come to this world nearly seventeen years ago, and he had long regarded himself as a part of Great Chu.

Now that he had received the honor of the Silver Lion, ripples finally rose in his ever-calm heart.

Bai Junfeng understood Meng Chuan's feelings. After he had calmed down, Bai Junfeng continued.

"The 1.5 million bonus has also been transferred to your account. The bank has been notified to handle it urgently.

"You should receive a text confirming the deposit before tonight. If there are any problems, contact me promptly. Then—"

Before he could finish, the assistant beside him stepped forward and whispered a few words into his ear. Bai Junfeng's expression changed.

"Forget it, we need to go now. Chairman Zhao has arrived. He's at Cloud Mist Pavilion."

He was about to meet a martial arts myth. The feelings Meng Chuan had only just settled were stirred up again.

Outside the Cloud Mist Pavilion banquet hall.

Meng Chuan politely knocked and waited. Then the door was gently twisted open by an invisible hand.

A middle-aged man wearing a Yin-Yang Taiji Diagram sat at the head of the room. His bearing was as upright and steady as an ancient pine. Time's nearly five hundred years of change could not be seen on his rugged face, as though carved by blade and axe. Only his eyes bore the sediment of ages—calm and profound, restrained yet powerful.

As Meng Chuan looked at the man, it was as though he were gazing up at a god or Buddha.

A sigh escaped him involuntarily.

"A living legend."

"Little Meng, come in and sit. I've looked over your National Obligatory Basic Fist Art. You're a child with... very interesting ideas."

Zhao Yingchun's voice was kind yet powerful, pulling Meng Chuan from a dream back into reality.

"This year marks the 437th year since Great Chu became independent. Since the National Obligatory Basic Fist Art was introduced, it has undergone thirty-four generations of optimization and advancement. Now, you have added another weighty stroke to it. Congratulations, Meng Chuan."

After a slight pause, he continued.

"Do you know? When the assessment team reported your information to me, I took one look and thought, why is it an underage child?

"At the time, I was thinking, isn't this nonsense? How could a sixteen-year-old child improve this version of the National Obligatory Basic Fist Art?"

Many friends have been asking Tao'er to update more, but the new book needs recommendation slots. For this book to go farther, Tao can only update like this for now. Dear readers, even if you're stockpiling chapters, please at least read up to the latest chapter first.

Later on, Tao'er will definitely unleash a fierce wave of updates. As long as I don't write myself to death, I'll write like my life depends on it.

"Then, with a half-believing, half-doubting attitude, I finished reading the improvement materials and realized that this old man had been biased from the start. Your improvements are enough to be called the work of a master."

"I also heard that you were devoted to improving the National Obligatory Basic Fist Art, even halting the growth of your vitality and blood rather than practicing other fist arts."

"That persistence moved me greatly. That is why I proposed awarding you this Silver Lion Medal, a symbol of honor."

"The generation-by-generation progress of the National Obligatory Basic Fist Art represents the ever-growing foundation of our Great Chu."

"You hold the nation in your heart, and naturally, the nation will not treat you poorly."

Zhao Yingchun sighed again.

"Truly, heroes emerge in their youth."

Meng Chuan felt a little ashamed. Without the super trait One Proof, Eternal Proof, he could never have spent so long on the National Obligatory Basic Fist Art.

Zhao Yingchun's gaze was kindly, full of an elder's concern for the younger generation.

"But from here on, Meng Chuan, you must devote your energy to improving your vitality and blood."

"I can see that you are a child with unique insights and comprehension in martial arts. You should not remain confined to merely the vitality-and-blood martial artist stage."

"Our country's ancient martial arts are as numerous as stars. There are also many legendary peerless arts unknown to the public, waiting for you to learn and improve.

"Such as the esoteric Buddhist supreme art, the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill, and the Chan Buddhist divine art, the Forget Worries Jowo Method. The nation hopes that someone can improve and make use of these top-tier techniques with incredibly demanding cultivation requirements."

"Because hidden within them lies the ultimate mystery of the human body's Eighth Great Limit!"

"So, Meng Chuan, I hope you can maintain your original aspirations, and carry on with the spirit and drive that let you unravel the National Obligatory Basic Fist Art."

"Go as far as you can, until one day you can come into contact with these mysterious divine arts and peerless techniques, and raise the upper limit of humanity in this world!"

The old man's words made Meng Chuan's heart surge. A heroic feeling of if not me, then who? rose within him.

"A towering building rises from level ground. The most important thing is to take each step steadily. I look forward to your future."

"Meng Chuan will remember this. Please rest assured, Heavenly King."

Zhao Yingchun smiled with satisfaction.

Then his tone shifted as he continued.

"I have suppressed the matter of your improvement of the National Obligatory Basic Fist Art. Becoming famous young is not always a good thing. Not only can it make your heart race like a restless monkey and your mind gallop like a wild horse, it can also draw hidden eyes upon you."

"After seeing you today, your state of mind should not be a problem. But the threats lurking in the shadows cannot be ignored either. Before you have fully grown, you must protect yourself."

Meng Chuan understood what Heavenly King Zhao meant. Before his wings had fully grown, he truly needed to hide his light and bide his time.

Because those hidden eyes did not refer only to Heavenly Demons, but also to practitioners of the demonic path!

Since ancient times, there had been a distinction between the orthodox and demonic paths, divided according to the different logic of their pursuit of the Dao.

The orthodox path needed no explanation. The demonic path, meanwhile, was an alternative route of conduct and pursuit of the Dao that had been misunderstood in ancient times, differing from tradition.

As the saying went, the Dao spoke of the unity of Heaven and man; Buddhism spoke of transcending the cycle of reincarnation; the demonic path spoke of freedom determined by oneself.

But now, because of the existence of Heavenly Demons, demonic path practitioners had completely become rats crossing the street, chased and beaten by all—wanted notices on the bounty lists of police departments and martial arts associations.

Seeking shortcuts in martial arts, modern demonic path practitioners had reached a cooperative understanding with Heavenly Demons, becoming accomplices and lackeys who aided tyranny and harmed their own countrymen!

After realizing this, most powerful figures standing at the peak of the demonic path had chosen to cut themselves off from the identity of demonic path practitioners.

Yet in pursuit of even greater power, some Malevolent Spirit heretics still gathered together, reestablished demonic path organizations, cultivated evil Heavenly Demon techniques, and nourished themselves with the flesh and blood of their own kind.

Demon Summoning Hall, Sky Beyond Sky, and Blackwater were the three major demonic path organizations within Great Chu. They maintained concealed strongholds across the country and had secretly planned and launched hundreds of bloody incidents.

"That is enough. Meng Chuan, you may leave."

"Meng Chuan will remember Heavenly King's teachings."

With that, Meng Chuan bowed to Heavenly King Zhao and withdrew from the room.

Inside Cloud Mist Pavilion, Heavenly King Zhao murmured to himself.

"Ten years drinking ice cannot cool hot blood. A good child..."

Police family housing compound.

"Uncle, I'm back."

The instant Meng Yongzhi heard the lock turning, he sprang up from the sofa and rushed before Meng Chuan.

He was so excited that his lips trembled, and for a moment, he did not know what to say.

Meng Chuan saw his uncle's excitement and patted his back, softly comforting him.

"Uncle, don't rush. The certificate and medal are both here. Let's sit on the sofa and look at them slowly."

Meng Chuan helped his uncle sit down, placed the certificate on the coffee table, then took the Silver Lion Medal from his pocket and handed it to him.

The medal shone brilliantly under the sunlight refracted through the window.

Meng Yongzhi gently held the medal in his left hand while repeatedly wiping it with his right.

He murmured to himself.

"Silver Lion..."

"Chuan'er, remember this. It is an honor you can be proud of for your entire life."

Meng Chuan nodded.

"Uncle, don't get too excited either. Take care of your health."

"I know. I've calmed down now."

Meng Yongzhi pulled out his phone, ready to announce the matter to the world.

Meng Chuan hurriedly stopped him.

Earlier, his uncle had already told his colleagues about Meng Chuan optimizing the National Obligatory Basic Fist Art.

But Master and Uncle Bai would speak with Chief Long and keep the matter confidential internally.

After Meng Chuan explained the stakes clearly, his uncle finally gave up.

"Chuan'er, then we'll listen to our elder. Those demonic path disciples are rampant. Your safety is the most important thing."

But he was still somewhat unwilling. It should have been a joyous occasion worth announcing to the world, yet because of such filthy matters, it had to be hidden away.