My Martial God Junior Brother!

"I'll be direct. I'm willing to cover all your resource expenses before the Martial Examination, and I guarantee that the cultivation resources you receive will be of a higher grade than those enjoyed by the children of prestigious families on the Ancestral Star.

"On top of that, I'll find a way to let you begin Mind Cultivation and Dao Gathering early, and help you shorten the gap between you and the other examinees."

Li Hu counted on his fingers as he listed the benefits he could provide Su Tu.

"Well, Xiao Tu? Tempted?"

He raised his head and flashed a wide grin, revealing his white teeth.

This scene was... damn hard on the eyes.

Imagine it: a muscular giant over six feet tall, smiling brilliantly as he asked whether you were tempted. What kind of sight was that?

But the conditions Li Hu proposed truly did tempt Su Tu.

Setting aside talent and perseverance, the most important part of a martial artist's cultivation was burning money.

According to what Su Tu had learned on the Forum, the cost of raising a high-level martial artist had even surpassed the total market value of some listed companies.

Food, clothing, housing, and transportation were all money-devouring beasts.

The lowest-tier Asia-Pacific Particle Suit, which could improve bodily vitality, cost six million.

A single Starry Sky Beast Meal, which could make up for the body's deficiencies and improve cellular metabolism, cost two million.

An Eternal Sleep Chamber, which could put one into deep sleep and thereby improve one's Heart and Mind aptitude, cost ten million for one night.

And these were merely the tip of the iceberg when it came to a martial artist's daily expenses. Techniques, visualization, potions, supplements—the costs were too numerous to count.

The number of digits involved was something Su Tu never even encountered while studying advanced mathematics, yet now they had become very real expenses.

Although Su Tu's current realm did not require such outrageous spending, it still required an extremely staggering sum—at the very least, far beyond what his family could afford.

Yet now, Li Hu was willing to bear those expenses and guaranteed that Su Tu would receive even better treatment than the children of prestigious families.

One could already imagine that behind Li Hu's casually spoken words stood mountains of capital Su Tu had never seen in his life.

Su Tu admitted that he was indeed somewhat tempted. This was an unprecedented opportunity. If Martial Dao was a mysterious world he had never touched before, then Lin Feiyang had given him the key to that world, Zhou Wuliang had led him into it, and Li Hu was now pulling him onto a shortcut!

But he was not blinded by profit. His breathing remained steady, and his gaze was clear and lucid.

There was no kindness without reason in this world, much less kindness involving such immense wealth.

Su Tu had a favorable impression of Li Hu. Not only had Li Hu helped him choose a Base Skill, but he had also helped Su Tu avert an unnecessary problem in advance yesterday.

But in the end, they had only known each other for a few days.

His talent was indeed good, but Li Hu came from New Star. The Federation had fifteen New Stars, Fifteen Star Systems, and more than trillions upon trillions of people. With such a population base, it would not be strange for any kind of Martial Dao monster to emerge.

Su Tu was not arrogant enough to believe that his talent alone was enough to make Li Hu reach such a decision.

"Brother Tiger, why did you make this decision?" Su Tu looked up at Li Hu, his voice clear.

When Li Hu saw Su Tu's indifferent expression, the appreciation in his eyes deepened. He thought to himself, Damn it, this calmness even when the sky falls is so much like those Celestial Venerables. I'll start outlining it as soon as I get back. My Venerable Junior Brother is guaranteed to be a hit!

"Because I want to ride your fortune." Li Hu looked at Su Tu and solemnly explained.

"All living beings in the universe are heavily suppressed when they come to the Ancestral Star. Humans have it somewhat better; only their Martial Dao realm is suppressed. Beasts, on the other hand, have their qi and blood worn down until they become extremely weak.

"But the humans of the Ancestral Star aren't affected at all. The Martial Dao you cultivate suffers no suppression on the Ancestral Star. A Celestial Grandmaster once observed that fortune exists on the Ancestral Star. That fortune protects only its native humans, allowing them to display their normal strength.

"If beasts want to restore their qi and blood, they need to devour humans to obtain some of that fortune. If humans from New Star want to restore their strength, they need to ride that fortune.

"Simply put, you need to form connections with natives. For example, you and I are friends now, so I can ride a portion of the fortune on you, and the less suppression I'll suffer.

"According to that Celestial Grandmaster's analysis, the protection granted by the Ancestral Star's fortune differs from person to person. The stronger one's Martial Dao talent, the more fortune one receives.

"I value your talent and believe the fortune bestowed upon you is extremely astonishing. By funding you, I can strengthen the connection between us. If you become one of the ten in the future, then not only can I break free of the Ancestral Star's suppression, I may even receive fortune's blessing.

"And to enter that incredibly badass relic I told you about, you must carry fortune. That is what I want!!"

After hearing Li Hu's explanation, Su Tu understood many things. For instance, why Ka Sha Shi had said that his strength was less than one percent after arriving on Earth, and why Zhou Wuliang wanted to take in Blue Star students. At the root of it all, it was to reduce the suppression they suffered from the Ancestral Star.

If Li Hu wanted to ride Su Tu's fortune in order to enter the relic, then accepting his investment would bring Su Tu nothing but benefits. It was indeed worth considering.

"Alright, Brother Tiger. I'm willing to accept your investment. I'll do everything I can to fight for one of those ten spots!" In the end, Su Tu chose to accept Li Hu's support.

At once, Li Hu beamed.

"Good! If there's anything you want to do from now on, just tell Brother Tiger. Brother Tiger will make sure it gets handled. Even if I can't do it, there's still Master!"

Li Hu was in high spirits. He then placed the other two unopened boxes on the coffee table.

"I just promised to find a way to help you begin Mind Cultivation and Dao Gathering early, but that was actually a bit of a lie. To be honest, even if you hadn't agreed, I was still going to help you. Look, I've been carrying these things with me."

Li Hu spoke to Su Tu with an honest, simple expression.

Su Tu also put on a moved expression. "Brother Tiger, you really treat me like your own younger brother!"

"Of course I do!" Li Hu laughed heartily.

Neither of them cared whether those words were true or false.

"A martial artist's cultivation is nothing more than body, mind, and skill. The body can be tempered, and techniques can be refined, but the heart and mind are the domain of geniuses!" Li Hu said.

"The Martial God created Mind Cultivation and Dao Gathering, and its focus lies in subduing the heart and mind. Infinite divine power is hidden within our hearts and minds, but humanity possesses a treasure vault without knowing it. Mind Cultivation and Dao Gathering is about drawing out the great power hidden within the heart and mind."

"Master had you attend school before because learning can raise your Heart and Mind Height. Generally speaking, only martial artists who have opened over a hundred apertures can barely reach the Heart and Mind Height needed for Dao Gathering."

"But I looked into it. Xiao Tu, you're a top student, so your Heart and Mind Height should be fairly high. With a few supporting methods, you should be able to begin Dao Gathering early."

"What do I need to do?" Su Tu asked.

"First, we'll test your heart and mind aptitude, then we'll see. Insufficient height can be supplemented, but aptitude can't. The heart and mind are the domain of geniuses. The quality of one's heart and mind talent determines their future limit. There's a popular saying regarding the heart and mind: whether one is divine or ordinary is decided at birth." Li Hu took something resembling a pebble from one of the boxes.

"This is a Mind Stone. It will react differently depending on your heart and mind aptitude." As he spoke, he handed it to Su Tu.

Su Tu took the Mind Stone, but it did not change in any way.

"Now think of a scene in your mind. Any scene will do. As long as you think of one, the Mind Stone will react. This stone is pretty interesting—it can glow. The stronger your heart and mind aptitude, the more outrageous the color and brightness."

Holding the Mind Stone, Su Tu found it rather novel. He closed his eyes, and the scene that came to mind was the one he envisioned every day during Dao Gathering.

Twin Moons hung in the sky. Strange rocks covered Black Mountain. The White Tiger lay crouched. The Green Snake underwent Dragon Transformation. For some reason, these usually static scenes seemed to come alive in Su Tu's mind today.

"I remember when a prodigy from Heavenly Direction Star tested his aptitude. That guy glowed red like a huge lantern. Now he's practically become a Celestial—"

Li Hu recalled the prodigies he had encountered before, but before he could finish speaking, he froze in place.

His dark face was dyed by streams of multicolored light. Blinding radiance filled the entire room, and beneath those shifting lights, countless phantom shadows seemed to drift and wander.

"The title needs changing... It can't be called My Venerable Junior Brother anymore."

"It has to be called My Martial God Junior Brother!" Li Hu's eyes went blank, and his throat turned dry.