After lunch.
The students left the cafeteria in twos and threes, walking along the tree-lined path toward the Martial Arts Building.
Grade 12 life was exhausting, yet during the rare leisure of lunchtime, most students still wore bright smiles, brimming with youth and boundless hopes for the future.
A stark contrast to workers getting off work.
Li Yuan and Wan Xiao were walking toward the Elite Building.
Zhou Qi and Yan Zhou and the others? They were headed a different way, so they had gone their separate ways after lunch.
"That's Li Yuan, right?"
"Looks like it."
"Wan Xiao used to be in the same class as Li Yuan. Since the two of them are together, that other guy must be Li Yuan."
"Is he the one who defeated Lin Lanyue?"
"I heard he likes Lin Lanyue, but he sure didn't hold back." Quite a few Grade 12 Class 1 students passing by noticed Li Yuan and Wan Xiao.
They all turned to look.
"Li Yuan, after that battle, you're completely famous now," Wan Xiao said with a low laugh. "Back in the cafeteria, plenty of people were watching you."
"Your great name is spreading through the entire grade, even Grades 10 and 11," Wan Xiao said in an exaggerated tone.
"Jealous? Wasn't it you spreading nonsense?" Li Yuan shot him a glance. "Want another round?"
Wan Xiao choked.
Yesterday on Starry Sky Fighting Net, Li Yuan had grabbed him for three rounds of "sparring practice."
It had been nothing short of a nightmare.
"I told you, it wasn't me spreading it. It was Zhou Qi..." Wan Xiao hurriedly shook his head.
"You started it. He carried it forward," Li Yuan said with crystal-clear logic.
Wan Xiao suddenly changed the subject. "By the way, Li Yuan, you really aren't interested in Lin Lanyue? I've seen plenty of guys in the Elite Class who like her, but hardly any dare confess. Could it be because she isn't pretty?"
"Lin Lanyue is quite pretty," Li Yuan said casually, not noticing what was behind him.
After all, there were so many people coming and going at school. How could he stay alert at every moment?
Suddenly.
Two girls passed beside Li Yuan and Wan Xiao. One of them wore a training uniform, tall and slender, her beautiful hair pinned high. She glanced at Li Yuan from the corner of her eye.
It was Lin Lanyue.
She heard that? Wan Xiao did that on purpose. Li Yuan understood in an instant.
"Li Yuan, don't chicken out. If you like her, say it loud," Wan Xiao shouted.
Then he burst out laughing and ran off behind them.
Li Yuan shook his head helplessly. Too lazy to chase Wan Xiao, he simply waved and greeted Lin Lanyue openly and generously.
That scene made Lin Lanyue pause in surprise.
She had indeed heard what Li Yuan said just now, but she had not expected him to take the initiative to greet her.
Looking at Li Yuan's smiling face.
Lin Lanyue could not help thinking of yesterday's virtual battle. She subconsciously touched her chest.
"Lanyue, he greeted you." The girl beside her had waist-length hair and waggled her brows, deliberately bumping Lin Lanyue's waist.
"Qiqi, let's go," Lin Lanyue said softly. Her delicate, jade-green fingers tidied the loose strands at her temple as she quickened her pace.
She did not respond to Li Yuan.
Nor did she look at him again.
"This Lin Lanyue was quite polite when we first met. Today, she ignored me even when I greeted her." Li Yuan smiled.
He was not the type to get timid just because he saw a pretty girl.
He watched Lin Lanyue and the others enter the Elite Building.
"Li Yuan, how was that assist?" Wan Xiao popped up from somewhere.
"Nicely done."
"To thank you, let's go to my Martial Arts Room first. I'll give you some extra training for free." Li Yuan wrapped an arm around Wan Xiao's shoulder, his powerful hand making it impossible for Wan Xiao to break free.
"Li Yuan, let me go! I'm not interested in you."
Near two o'clock.
Inside the 4011 Martial Arts Room, Li Yuan stood by the window, his gaze resting on the distance.
A faint layer of sweat seeped across his body.
Li Yuan had just completed half an hour of the Basic Cultivation Method. His physical fitness had improved slightly again.
Suddenly.
"Beep—" The Smart Ring Watch sounded.
Li Yuan walked over, picked up the watch, and revealed a delighted expression. "Uncle?"
He accepted the call.
Buzz~ A light screen projected into existence before Li Yuan.
On the screen was Li Changzhou, wearing a helmet.
"Uncle." Li Yuan smiled, and a trace of worry in his heart eased.
"Xiao Yuan."
"Your aunt already called and told me." Li Changzhou sat in a work chair and smiled. "Good lad, you did well. After all these decades, your uncle here still hasn't reached 500 points in Gold Rank on Starry Sky Fighting Net."
Li Yuan's heart warmed.
Not because he had surpassed his uncle, but because of his uncle's approval.
"Uncle, how are things over there?" Li Yuan asked.
"I'm fine, don't worry." Li Changzhou smiled. "A large batch of people from the Starry Sky Martial Hall has arrived again. I reckon a major counterattack will begin in a few days... I called you not just to see you. There's something else, and it concerns you."
"Go ahead, Uncle," Li Yuan said at once.
"It's your Uncle Zhong. He specifically called me." Li Changzhou looked at Li Yuan. "From the sound of it, he wants to recruit you into the Starry Sky Martial Hall."
"Join the Starry Sky Martial Hall?" Li Yuan was slightly startled.
Human Civilization had three great Martial Halls—the Starry Sky Martial Hall, the Black Stone Martial Hall, and the Starfire Martial Hall.
The Starfire Martial Hall had been founded by Human Civilization's strongest expert, Dongfang Ji.
The Black Stone Martial Hall had been established by Human Civilization's second strongest expert, Lante.
The Starry Sky Martial Hall was not the slightest bit inferior to the other two Martial Halls.
The three great Martial Halls represented the three most terrifying powers among martial artists, and they were also the main force resisting Star Realm Creatures.
The branches of the three great Martial Halls were spread across the Seven Great Planets.
Based on the information Li Yuan had gathered from the Virtual Network and books, at the highest council of the Seven Star Alliance, the three great Martial Halls seemed to hold even more influence than the major nations of each planet.
Within Xia Country, only the Starry Sky Martial Hall and the Starfire Martial Hall had branches, and their power was immense.
"Aren't the three great Martial Halls only open to martial artists?" Li Yuan asked in confusion.
"You'd become a Probationary Member first," Li Changzhou said. "Your Uncle Zhong must have learned through some channel that you became a member of the Blue Star Youth Ranking... This sort of thing is common."
Li Yuan listened attentively.
His uncle, Li Changzhou, was a martial artist. As far as Li Yuan knew, his uncle had seemingly once been a member of the Starry Sky Martial Hall as well, so he was very familiar with these matters.
"There are three ways to join a Martial Hall."
"One is as a registered member. It's basically just getting your name recorded. There are no benefits and no rights." Li Changzhou smiled. "Like me—I'm still a registered member of the Starry Sky Martial Hall."
"In name, every martial artist in all of Human Civilization joins one Martial Hall, but most martial artists only have this kind of relationship with their Martial Hall."
"Being a registered member doesn't prevent martial artists from joining other major corporations, martial artist organizations, the military, or special government departments."
Li Yuan nodded involuntarily. Registered member?
It was useless.
"The second is an internal member." Li Changzhou said, "Like a company employee, you must sign a contract with the Martial Hall, draw a salary from it, receive its resources and training, and obey its orders to fight at critical moments."
"Your Uncle Zhong is an internal member of the Starry Sky Martial Hall," Li Changzhou said.
Li Yuan nodded slightly.
Uncle Zhong and his uncle Li Changzhou were close.
Every time Li Yuan bought Basic Qi and Blood Potion, he did so through Uncle Zhong because Uncle Zhong had an internal price—a five percent discount.
"Internal members are also ranked into different tiers. If your strength is too low, say below Level 15, the assessments are often extremely demanding." Li Changzhou said. "It isn't something you can join just because you want to."
Li Yuan understood.
It was like major corporations hiring employees: first they wanted high academic qualifications, then work experience, then interviews... It was only natural that the requirements for internal Martial Hall members were high.
"The third type is a Probationary Member."
"You can sign a contract before becoming a martial artist. They're usually martial arts geniuses." Li Changzhou smiled. "The fact that your Uncle Zhong wants you means he thinks highly of you."
"The advantage of being a Probationary Member is that you can receive large amounts of cultivation resources in advance, guidance from famous teachers, Blood-Qi Potion, and so on. It's all free."
"Free?" Li Yuan's eyes lit up.
"Listen to the rest first," Li Changzhou said. "There's no free lunch in this world. If you gain something, you must give something in return."
"Once you sign on as a Martial Hall Probationary Member, when you become a martial artist, you must join the Starry Sky Martial Hall as an internal member."
"And."
"Ordinary martial artists who join a Martial Hall as internal members can terminate their contracts by paying a price."
"But if you sign early, the conditions for terminating the contract in the future will be far harsher." Li Changzhou said solemnly. "So you must consider it carefully."
(End of chapter)
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