Enlightenment

Seeing the suffering of all living beings and thus giving rise to compassion—that was enlightenment.

Helping others was a positive act, one that usually brought positive feedback in return. It was an extremely uplifting emotion.

When Strange Beasts invaded at the age of fourteen, Gao Wu had only survived by sheer luck after someone risked their life to save him. The person who saved him, however, had perished.

With such an experience, although Gao Wu had awakened the wisdom of a past life, he still believed there was love and justice in this world.

Not to mention that he possessed the Boundless Merit Book and could receive tangible rewards for doing good deeds. That made him even more enthusiastic about doing good.

Gao Wu had never been a blindly good person.

He understood one principle deeply: kindness was not weakness, and good people were not fools.

To be a good person, one had to be smart enough and strong enough. Otherwise, not only would one fail to do good, one could easily get oneself dragged down instead.

Just like saving Song Mingyue at Bailin Lake—if he had not possessed the Azure Dragon Divine Qi Incantation, he and Song Mingyue would have died together at Bailin Lake.

Yet Houzi and Wang Tiesong's miserable state filled him with pity.

The Shang Family could only be considered an ordinary household. Having awakened the wisdom of a past life, he knew all too well how hard life could be. He could understand the burdens Houzi and Wang Tiesong carried, and empathized with them deeply.

Though their relationship was poor, they were not enemies in the end. When all was said and done, it was merely that their youthful temperaments clashed, compounded by Coach Huang Hai's deliberate guidance and the like.

If possible, Gao Wu wanted to help those two classmates.

He sought no reward, nor did he want to gather a clique around himself. Helping people was simply a good thing in itself. Besides, he could gain Merit from it—a single move, two gains.

From the current situation, it would be difficult to quickly obtain a large amount of Merit through short videos. Ordinary matches could not earn Merit either.

Accumulating tens of thousands of Merit in one go was probably a stroke of luck he would find hard to encounter again.

He still had to keep his feet on the ground and start with the little things around him, bit by bit.

During afternoon training, Gao Wu did four additional sets with an eight-hundred-pound barbell. Huang Long watched from the side with his eyes wide, unable to hide his envy and jealousy.

The other Martial Arts Team members were the same.

They knew perfectly well that this was not simply a matter of doing a few more sets. Gao Wu's strength was still growing rapidly.

Even with injected drugs, such visible progress at this speed was astonishing!

Coach Huang Hai watched silently from the side. He had already decided how to arrange Gao Wu's future. He only feared the boy was not growing fast enough...

After afternoon training ended, Gao Wu rode his bicycle to find Song Mingyue.

Yunhu Villa was an upscale villa district located on Yunsong Mountain in the east of the city. Down the mountain lay the lower reaches of Bailin Lake. With mountains and lake alike, it was thus named Yunhu Villa.

With the access card Song Mingyue had given him, Gao Wu easily swiped through the entrance, only to be stopped by Yunhu Villa's security guards.

Yunhu Villa covered a vast area, yet had only a little over a hundred actual residents. Everyone, from homeowners to maids and chefs, had to be registered under their real names.

In the dead of winter, Gao Wu riding a bicycle through a villa district was simply too conspicuous. Even with an access card, the guards did not dare let him in just like that.

It was Gao Wu's first time encountering such conscientious security guards, so he could only give them Song Mingyue's name.

The guards called Villa Nine, received Aunt Lan's confirmation, registered Gao Wu's identity, and only then allowed him inside.

By the time he reached Song Mingyue's door, Aunt Lan was already waiting there.

She said apologetically, "I didn't expect the guards to be so conscientious. I forgot to tell them. If I'd known, I would have gone to pick you up."

"It's fine." Gao Wu grinned. The guards were being paid to do this job, so he had nothing to be upset about.

He added, "How could I trouble Aunt Lan? Riding here is exercise anyway."

Aunt Lan had a very good impression of Gao Wu. Smiling, she said, "Mingyue has never had many friends since she was little. It truly couldn't be better that you came to visit her at home..."

Compared with Aunt Lan's warmth, Song Mingyue seemed somewhat aloof. She merely greeted Gao Wu politely.

After a lavish dinner, Song Mingyue and Gao Wu practiced together, then went to Bailin Lake to provoke the Strange Spirit.

The entire process was exactly the same as yesterday. The only difference was that Song Mingyue's guidance on the Nine Dragon Forms was more in-depth.

The Nine Dragon Forms looked simple, but once one truly cultivated them in meticulous detail, there were countless subtle intricacies within.

As Song Mingyue had said, there were thirty million skeletal muscle fibers alone. Even ordinary people training their muscles into solid blocks had all sorts of particulars to mind.

Though Gao Wu had not yet refined his training down to the level of muscle fibers, he still had hundreds upon hundreds of cultivation details that needed polishing.

He felt that Song Mingyue's understanding of the Nine Dragon Forms surpassed even the old man's. She could also spot errors in his details with greater sensitivity, which was even more rare.

Though the old man had been severely injured and his cultivation had greatly declined, his insight and knowledge were still at a Warrior's level. That he could not compare to eighteen-year-old Song Mingyue was truly somewhat unbelievable.

Gao Wu guessed that Song Mingyue's spiritual perception must be extraordinarily keen and subtle.

On the other hand, she also came from an aristocratic family. Since childhood, she had studied profound martial arts, starting out hundreds and thousands of times ahead of ordinary people.

Even the old man, who had once served in the military, could only be said to possess abundant experience. In terms of accumulated foundations, he was far, far inferior to the inheritance of an aristocratic family.

No matter what, this was an enormous boon to him.

His cultivation had now entered the right track. Gao Wu followed this routine every day until Sunday.

There was a Middle School League match on Sunday: Ninth Middle School against Fifteenth Middle School.

Fifteenth Middle School was far inferior to Ninth Middle School and ranked near the bottom of Dongjiang City's Middle School Martial Arts League.

Huang Hai arranged for Gao Wu to be the team's ace. On the surface, it was a sign of trust, but in reality, it meant Gao Wu would be the last to take the stage.

Under normal circumstances, Gao Wu would not even have had a chance to fight.

But Fifteenth Middle School's ace refused to accept defeat. He injected a Berserk Drug and beat Huang Long into scurrying all over the ring.

The drug had erased the gap in their strength, while Huang Long feared getting injured, making him look extremely pathetic.

The students at the home venue were displeased by the sight as well. Quite a few began booing Huang Long. They had come for Gao Wu, and if he did not fight, they were already unhappy.

Now Huang Long was fighting so disgracefully that they naturally could not hold back.

The boos from the stands grew louder and louder, and the school leaders watching the match looked rather displeased as well. Seeing this, Huang Hai could only have Huang Long concede voluntarily and send Gao Wu onto the stage.

The moment Gao Wu, dressed in a white martial arts uniform, stepped onto the stage, the entire venue erupted in cheers.

Last weekend, Gao Wu had fought against the wind and swept through an army of a thousand. He had already become Ninth Middle School's little prince of popularity, a top-tier traffic star.

Gao Wu looked at his opponent. He was a tall, sturdy youth, his cheeks flushed from the injected drug and his eyes crimson, as though he were drunk.

The youth seemed deaf to the uproar and shouting outside the ring. His eyes held only a thirst for victory and a do-or-die resolve.

Injecting drugs for an insignificant league match was probably something only a young person could do.

Precisely because of that, the youth seemed so pure. Gao Wu saw Bai Xiang's shadow in him.

For a youth of humble origins, the only thing he could gamble was his own life.

There was no right or wrong in such a thing!

It was simply that the youth's body was much weaker than Bai Xiang's. Even after injecting drugs, the gap between them remained enormous.

Over the past week, Song Mingyue had accompanied him in training every day, greatly improving his spirit, agility, and strength.

His improvements in spirit and agility in particular had brought a qualitative transformation to his combat ability. Even if he faced the berserk Bai Xiang again, he was confident he could defeat him easily.

Out of respect for the youth, Gao Wu took two punches head-on. Using that opportunity, he coiled around the youth like a giant python and completed a rear naked choke from behind him.

In less than five seconds, the youth had been choked unconscious. This was also the method of defeat that caused him the least harm.

The spectators went wild, and waves of cheers rang out through the Martial Arts Arena.

Gao Wu gently laid the youth down. Rising to his feet, he lifted both arms and circled them toward the surrounding stands.

He then glanced at the Boundless Merit Book. He had not gained a large amount of Merit, and he sighed inwardly. This was exactly as he had guessed.

The reason he had gained so much Merit last time was probably because Bai Xiang's brutality had enraged the audience's simple sense of justice. By defeating Bai Xiang, he had earned everyone's approval—and gained a great deal of Merit.

If there was no detestable villain in a match, winning would earn no Merit. In an away match, even beating a bad guy would likely make it difficult to gain Merit.

Returning to the center of the ring, Gao Wu took the host's microphone and shouted, "This victory is dedicated to my two teammates, Houzi and Tiesong, who are recovering from their injuries in the hospital. I hope they recover soon, and I hope they return to the team soon..."

He paused before continuing, "Their families are not well-off, and the cost of treatment is a heavy burden for them. My victory last time would not have been possible without the support of these two teammates. Taking this opportunity, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to my two severely injured teammates. I will transfer the prize money from both matches to them, as a small token of my feelings..."

This speech greatly exceeded everyone's expectations. The venue fell silent for a moment, then waves of voices rose in agreement.

Many people were also shouting, "Gao Sheng!"

Huang Long watched from below the stage, feeling extremely displeased. He muttered, "This kid really knows how to put on an act!"

Someone beside him added, "Fishing for fame and reputation. Fuck, it's kind of disgusting!"

Most of the Martial Arts Team members remained silent. They did not dare oppose Huang Long, but inwardly, they greatly approved of Gao Wu's actions.

When one thing was hurt, creatures of the same kind felt it. Seeing Houzi and Wang Tiesong's miserable condition, they all felt the same ache in their hearts. They simply lacked the ability to offer much help.

Now that Gao Wu had stood up for the two of them, everyone's hearts burned hot...

After their initial surprise, the school leaders watching from the venue quickly showed approval and even began applauding.

Yet they were rather unhappy inside. By saying this publicly, Gao Wu was clearly implying that the school had not done enough!

Houzi and Wang Tiesong, watching the live broadcast in the hospital, both felt their noses sting.

Gao Wu's visit last time had already moved them deeply. They had not expected Gao Wu to truly take the two of them seriously and even speak for them publicly in the ring.

At Anjing University, Shang Qingjun was watching the livestream. She was already used to Gao Wu's way of doing things and did not find it strange.

But the beauty beside her looked astonished. "Our little brother really is such a good person!"