"What are you talking about, Mom? What are you thinking? I worked as a sparring partner for a Martial Artist today and earned ten thousand in tips. The place was near West City's Monster Beast Market, so I picked up some hindquarter meat on the way home."
"A Martial Artist? A sparring partner? Ten thousand?"
Chen Xiaoyan knew what all three words meant, but put together, they left her a little confused.
Lu Lin had no choice but to explain everything to his mother. Only then did Chen Xiaoyan belatedly ask, "Son, does that mean you're a... Martial Artist now?"
"Of course! I just haven't registered with the Martial Arts Association yet. For now, help get dinner ready. When Dad and Lu Qi come back, I'll explain everything to all of you at once, so I don't have to tell the story twice."
"Oh, all right."
Once Chen Xiaoyan confirmed that Lu Lin hadn't gotten the money by stealing or robbing anyone, she felt much more at ease. As for the big news Lu Lin had mentioned, she could only suppress her curiosity and wait for Lu Ping and Lu Qi to come home.
An hour later.
Chen Xiaoyan had just finished cooking when Lu Ping and Lu Qi returned together. Seeing several meat dishes on the table, Lu Qi shouted and made a dash for the food.
"Shoo! Go wash your hands first, then come eat."
Once the family had settled down, Lu Lin took out the contract he had just signed with Liu's Martial Arts School and placed it in front of Lu Ping.
"Dad, take a look."
"What's there to look at? I'm starving."
Though Lu Ping said that, he still picked up the contract and read it carefully.
"Fifty thousand?!"
"A 210-square-meter apartment in Qingyun Garden?!"
"Three cultivation manuals?!"
"Priority training from the school?!"
Lu Ping cried out, staring at Lu Lin in disbelief.
The hand holding the contract trembled slightly.
"Lu Lin, wh-what's going on? Didn't you say yesterday that your monthly salary would be eight thousand? How did it become fifty thousand today?"
At the sound of Lu Ping's astonished shouts, Chen Xiaoyan was the first to crowd over. Lu Qi, too, forgot all about the braised pork and stretched his neck to peer at the contract in front of Lu Ping.
Sure enough, it stated that Lu Lin had become a contracted Martial Artist with Liu's Martial Arts School, with a monthly base salary of fifty thousand and a forty-percent commission. He had also been awarded a spacious apartment in Qingyun Garden, three essential cultivation manuals, and a promise that the school would give him priority training from then on.
Lu Qi stared in amazement at the older brother he'd known for years, the brother he'd grown up with. It was as if he hardly recognized him.
And it was true.
When Lu Lin had come home last night, he'd been covered in blood and brought back four F-grade Battle Sabers. From that moment on, his older brother had seemed a little different.
Of the three of them, Lu Qi had been the first to accept the change in Lu Lin. After all, compared with benefits that still felt distant, the murderous look on Lu Lin's face last night had been much harder to accept.
Lu Lin smiled. "Dad, Mom, Lu Qi, let me explain why the school is offering me such good treatment."
He had already thought up what to tell his parents and Lu Qi on the way home.
"After failing the Martial Arts Examination yesterday, I was devastated. But while I was working at the school, I suddenly felt as if something had clicked. My Golden Bell Shield advanced by leaps and bounds, reaching the Fourth Layer. That's when the person in charge noticed me and signed me to a basic Martial Artist contract."
"But when I tested my strength this morning, my Punch Force had reached 1,500 kilograms. That caused quite a stir—even the head of the school showed up. These benefits were personally arranged for me by the headmaster, Liu Qinglong."
"And I have even better news!"
"Less than a day after getting a Vitality cultivation method, I successfully condensed Vitality Power. Now I can say I'm a true Martial Artist. As soon as I register with the Martial Arts Association, I'll officially be certified."
"How about that? Am I a genius or what?"
Lu Lin spoke smugly.
Only around his family could he relax like this and show the youthful innocence of an eighteen-year-old.
"R-really?"
Lu Ping asked, but deep down he already believed everything Lu Lin had said.
He'd watched his son grow up right by his side. How could he not know Lu Lin's character? Lu Lin had never lied to anyone since he was little.
"Of course it's true. Dad, Mom, Hall Master Liu also said that since I'm a priority trainee, the school can take care of both your jobs."
"Dad, Mom, the good days are coming for our family."
"They're coming. The good days are coming."
Lu Ping murmured, tears welling up and spilling from his eyes.
He couldn't remember how many years it had been since he'd felt so overwhelmed.
Lu Lin's physical test results had always been disappointing. But seeing how diligently he trained every day, Lu Ping couldn't bring himself to discourage him.
He never expected that after failing the Martial Arts Examination, Lu Lin would suddenly have a breakthrough and become a Martial Artist in just one day.
Heaven had finally opened its eyes.
Chen Xiaoyan said nothing. By then, she was crying too hard to speak.
Her son had turned out so well. Not only was his talent astonishing—he'd become a Martial Artist in just one day—but he'd also earned the school's recognition and become a priority trainee.
As for living the good life, she and her husband hadn't asked for much. A simple, peaceful life would be enough. What mattered was that their children grew up happy and had careers and families of their own.
"Mom, Dad, don't cry. Tomorrow, both of you should take the day off. Lu Qi, you too. Let's all go see how the apartment in Qingyun Garden looks. If it suits us, we'll move as soon as we can and settle into our new home."
Seeing his parents cry stirred Lu Lin's emotions too.
"Awesome! We're taking the day off tomorrow to see the apartment and move into our new home!"
Lu Qi shouted, only for Lu Ping to slap him on the back of the head.
"Dad, why'd you hit me again?"
"So what if I did? You look miserable whenever you hear the word school, but the second you hear about taking the day off, you're grinning like it's New Year's, no matter what we're doing. You little rascal! Hahaha, fine. Tomorrow, the whole family's taking the day off to see our new home!"
Lu Ping had started off scolding Lu Qi, but by the end, he couldn't hold back his laughter either.
As their father, he had no ability to give the family a rich, stable life.
Fortunately, they still had Lu Lin.
Seeing Lu Ping laugh, Chen Xiaoyan broke into a smile through her tears. Lu Qi rubbed the back of his head, grinning too.
Seeing his family so happy, Lu Lin felt even more resolved.
He was determined to walk the path of martial arts.
Dinner ended amid everyone's laughter. When Lu Lin went to bed, he checked and found that his Thousand Layered Breathing Technique had reached the Third Layer. But advancing to the Fourth Layer would take a full ten thousand proficiency points.
If it weren't inconvenient to sleep with all that weight strapped to him—he might crush the bed—Lu Lin figured he could reach the Fourth Layer by tomorrow morning.
Thinking back to how Li Jiangtao had advised him that morning not to choose this technique, Lu Lin chuckled to himself.
If Li Jiangtao knew that Lu Lin had taken a Breathing Technique no one at the entire school had ever managed to master and advanced it to the Third Layer in a single day, he wondered what kind of expression he'd make.
Before you continue