"Sure, Hall Master."
Lu Lin answered, casually pushed the dazed Zhao Xun aside, and threw another punch.
1,502 kilograms.
Li Jiangtao's face lit up.
But in the next instant, that flicker of delight turned into wild elation.
Lu Lin kept hammering the punching target, each reading higher than the last.
1,508 kilograms.
1,511 kilograms.
1,517 kilograms.
1,521 kilograms.
After throwing ten punches, Lu Lin stopped to rest. He was breathing hard, yet there wasn't a drop of sweat on him.
Lu Lin had planned to hide as much of his strength as possible, but Li Jiangtao must have had his reasons for saying that. So Lu Lin simply let a little more of his strength show.
Now that he could see the force behind each punch, Lu Lin had a rough idea of his own strength.
If he really attacked with all his might, his punch force should be somewhere between 2,800 and 3,000 kilograms. That was already almost on par with a Beginner Martial Artist who had just cultivated Vitality Power.
"Good! Good! This is great!"
"Lu Lin, it looks like your talent has awakened. Come on, come on, I'll take you to the main school. We need to apply for your Vitality Cultivation Method right away so you can start training."
"If I'm not mistaken, you're in a period of rapid improvement right now. You absolutely can't afford to waste a single second."
Laughing heartily, Li Jiangtao led Lu Lin out.
As for Zhao Xun, who was still in the Strength Testing Room, Li Jiangtao had already forgotten he existed.
Zhao Xun watched them leave, his face dark with resentment.
They drove in Li Jiangtao's car to the Liu's Martial Arts School headquarters in the main urban district. Lu Lin followed him inside and was led to the Hall Master's office.
Excited, Li Jiangtao didn't even knock. He flung the door open and rushed in. "Hall Master! Hall Master! Our school has a genius!"
Inside the office, Liu Qinglong looked up and gave them a faint nod.
In front of him stood a boy in a white suit and gold-rimmed glasses. Since he had his back to the door, neither Li Jiangtao nor Lu Lin could see his face.
Sensing that something was off, Li Jiangtao let go of Lu Lin's arm and gave an awkward smile. "Hall Master, are you busy?"
Liu Qinglong was a burly man, even more massive than Scarface, whom Lu Lin had killed yesterday. Though Lu Lin was still far away from him, a fierce aura swept over him.
This was the founder of the Liu's Martial Arts School, Liu Qinglong. His strength had reached the High-level Martial Master rank, and he was a celebrated figure throughout Dongshan City. He certainly lived up to his reputation.
"Mm, it's fine. Jiangtao, take little brother Lu to sit nearby for a while. I have a guest here. I'll come find you in a bit."
"Sure, Hall Master. Take care of your business first."
Li Jiangtao obediently agreed and led Lu Lin out. As they left, he even thoughtfully closed the door behind them.
Once they were out of the office, Lu Lin was still a little puzzled.
The boy in the white suit looked familiar from behind, as if Lu Lin had seen him somewhere before.
And how had Hall Master Liu Qinglong known his name?
They had been waiting in the lounge next door for about twenty minutes when the door opened and Liu Qinglong's towering figure walked in.
"Jiangtao, sorry about that. A guest happened to drop by. This must be the genius you mentioned. What's your name?"
Liu Qinglong wore a genial expression, but seemed to have forgotten Lu Lin's name.
Li Jiangtao didn't think much of the detail. "Hall Master, this is Lu Lin. He's been working as a part-time sparring partner at our school. Just yesterday, he signed a Martial Artist-grade contract with us."
"Oh?" Liu Qinglong hadn't known about that. Only after Li Jiangtao explained did he learn that Lu Lin had cultivated the hidden effect of the Golden Bell Shield: Counter Shock.
"Very good, very good. Lu Lin, which layer of the Golden Bell Shield have you reached?"
"Hall Master, I'm currently at the Fourth Layer."
Lu Lin didn't hide it at all. The Golden Bell Shield and Mad Ox Strength Fist were only cultivation techniques for Martial Trainees. He would certainly need to switch to other techniques later, so there was no problem with revealing his current level.
"The Fourth Layer?"
Liu Qinglong couldn't help gaping, and Li Jiangtao beside him was even more astonished.
The Golden Bell Shield was only a basic cultivation technique, meant to improve ordinary Martial Trainees' defenses so they could protect themselves as much as possible when faced with danger.
Yet Lu Lin had cultivated it to such a high level!
"Very good, very good. Lu Lin, you seem like a determined young man, and you have an extraordinary talent for cultivating techniques like this. I heard your family is of modest means. Now that you've joined the school, your monthly salary is only an 8,000 base pay?"
"Mm. Hall Master Li knew about my situation, so he gave me a Martial Artist-grade contract. Otherwise...I wouldn't even have enough to eat these days."
Lu Lin thanked Li Jiangtao, then played up his hardship a little. It would be nice if Liu Qinglong took pity on him and raised his salary to 10,000.
"That's far too little, far too little. Jiangtao, you too! You're paying a genius like Lu Lin only 8,000 a month? You might as well tell the other two schools to come poach him!"
Liu Qinglong gently scolded Li Jiangtao, ignoring his aggrieved look. His manner toward Lu Lin grew even warmer. "Lu Lin, you have talent and determination. You're exactly the kind of backbone our school needs. From now on, you'll receive the benefits of a full-fledged Martial Artist."
"A spacious apartment in Qingyun Garden, your monthly salary raised to 50,000, and if any of your family members need work, the school will give them priority in hiring. Those are just some extra perks. Your punch force is already over 1,500 kilograms, so I'll authorize one Profound-grade cultivation technique, one Profound-grade weapon combat technique, and one Yellow-grade combat footwork technique for you."
"Also, since you're especially gifted at cultivating defensive techniques, I'll prepare an extra set of Dragon Roar Golden Bell Shield for you—a Mysterious Grade High Rank technique. It was developed from the ordinary Golden Bell Shield, so you'll be able to transition to it seamlessly."
"Is there anything else you need? As long as the school can provide it, we'll get it for you."
Lu Lin was so stunned by the benefits Liu Qinglong offered that his mouth hung open.
The housing, salary, and a job for his family were all taken care of. On top of that, he was getting four techniques: three Profound-grade and one Yellow-grade. What kind of generous treatment was this?
It was so generous that Lu Lin almost felt embarrassed to ask for a few Monster Cores as well.
He was only an ordinary Martial Trainee, yet Liu Qinglong was willing to invest so heavily in him.
A single Profound-grade technique cost at least a million. At the lowest price, three techniques would cost three million.
And the spacious apartment in Qingyun Garden was worth at least ten million on the market.
Of course, Lu Lin would only have the right to use the apartment. He wouldn't be allowed to sell or rent it out, and ownership would remain with the school.
The apartment would only become his outright once Lu Lin reached the Martial Master rank or had worked for the Liu's Martial Arts School for ten years.
"Thank you, thank you, Hall Master. This is more than enough."
Lu Lin hurriedly expressed his gratitude.
Seeing him like this, Liu Qinglong simply smiled and said nothing.
He was giving Lu Lin so much not only because he valued his talent, but also because Lu Lin had helped Liu Weiran the night before. Liu Qinglong was quite satisfied with Lu Lin's character.
Liu Qinglong could never have imagined that his generosity today would convince Lu Lin that he was someone worth befriending. Once Lu Lin grew stronger in the future, Liu Qinglong would gain far more than he had given—far, far more.
Before you continue