"Lu Lin, your Golden Bell Shield has already reached the Third Layer. I imagine ordinary Martial Trainee-level attacks can't do anything to you now, right?"
Li Jiangtao asked.
"Yes." Lu Lin nodded. Li Jiangtao's words reminded him that after his Golden Bell Shield reached the Third Layer just now, Liu Weiran had punched him, but no system notification had appeared.
Instead, it was Li Jiangtao's attack just now, meant to test the Counter Shock effect, that had made Lu Lin's Golden Bell Shield progress start to increase.
But to reach the Fourth Layer, he would have to take a full thousand hits—one thousand effective attacks.
Attacks at Liu Weiran's level would have no effect even after ten thousand blows.
"Did you take the physical test for the Martial Arts Examination today?" Li Jiangtao didn't continue the previous topic, but instead asked Lu Lin about the examination.
"Yes, Master Li."
"How did you do?"
"Well... less than 1,200 kilograms." Lu Lin lowered his head.
In Huaguo's martial arts ranking system, the levels of Martial Trainees corresponded to specific strength measurements: a Punch Force of 300 kilograms meant Initial Grade Martial Trainee, 600 kilograms meant Intermediate Martial Trainee, and 900 kilograms meant Advanced Martial Trainee.
Liu Weiran was at the peak of Intermediate Martial Trainee, just one step away from reaching Advanced Martial Trainee.
Although Lu Lin was an Advanced Martial Trainee, his strength hadn't reached the 1,200-kilogram requirement for the Martial Arts Examination, so he'd failed. Given his family's circumstances and his parents' connections, he'd have no chance of attending university in the future either.
"Good."
"Good?" Lu Lin's eyes widened. It would've been one thing if Master Li hadn't offered a word of comfort, but he'd actually said "good." What was good about it? Ever since Lu Lin had transmigrated to Blue Star, his goal had been to enter a Martial Arts University and become a fully-fledged Martial Artist.
"Don't overthink it, young man. The Martial Arts Examination isn't a path you can take anymore. What are you planning to do now?"
Li Jiangtao ignored Lu Lin's confusion. He knew just how important Lu Lin would be to Liu's Martial Arts School, now that he'd reached the Third Layer of Golden Bell Shield and comprehended the Counter Shock effect.
This meant Lu Lin could serve as a training partner for Warrior-level Martial Artists.
"I want to become a Freelance Martial Artist and hunt Monster Beasts in the Wilderness."
"Hunt Monster Beasts?"
It took Li Jiangtao quite a while to react. He looked at Lu Lin with amusement. "Little Lu, you're getting a bit ahead of yourself. Do you know why the Martial Arts Association stipulates that only fully-fledged Martial Artists can leave the city and enter the Wilderness to hunt Monster Beasts?"
"It's not because they don't want ordinary people involved, and it has nothing to do with some conflict of interest. It's simply because ordinary people don't have Vitality Power. Relying on strength alone, even with swords and blades, a hundred high-ranking Martial Trainees couldn't break through a Monster Beast's outer defenses."
"Take the relatively weakly armored Golden Antelope Sparrow, for example. An Initial Grade Martial Artist can kill one with a single slash. But if you're an Advanced Martial Trainee, you could hack at it ten times and the Golden Antelope Sparrow wouldn't suffer the slightest injury. It wouldn't even lose a feather."
"And with Freelance Martial Artists, the important part isn't 'freelance.' It's 'Martial Artist.' A Freelance Martial Artist is still a Martial Artist, and you have to at least reach Initial Grade Martial Artist to qualify."
Li Jiangtao explained everything in detail, as if Lu Lin were just a youngster who hadn't seen enough of the world.
"But... Master Li, I remember that many ordinary Martial Trainees are part of Freelance Martial Artist teams. How are they allowed to leave the city?"
"Because they don't go out alone."
"In the Wilderness, when Martial Artists head out to fight, they can't carry their supplies on their backs the whole time. Those people you call Freelance Martial Artists help carry supplies for Martial Artists while they're fighting or traveling."
"Those groups aren't very strong, and their death rate is high. The pay they get is only enough to scrape by. You're only eighteen. Even though you didn't get into a Martial Arts University, if you keep training, you can gradually build your strength. Once your Punch Force exceeds 1,200 kilograms, you'll be able to learn a Vitality Cultivation Method and become a true Martial Artist."
"How about joining Liu's Martial Arts School now and giving yourself a chance? I can promise you on behalf of the school that if you meet the Punch Force requirement in the future, we'll give you a Vitality Cultivation Method."
Li Jiangtao spoke earnestly. Lu Lin thought it over, then agreed.
"All right. But, Master Li, I have one additional request."
"Go ahead."
"If I become a Martial Artist in the future, the school can't interfere with where I choose to go. Of course, I'll remain registered with the school according to our agreement."
Lu Lin's words surprised Li Jiangtao, and he couldn't help admiring how ambitious the young man was.
Sixty years ago, in the Imperial Capital in the north, a training partner had advanced to Martial Artist after years of training and embarked on the Cultivation Path. He'd eventually risen step by step to become a high-ranking Martial King. Deeply grateful to the Martial Arts School that had helped him when he was weak, the Martial King had allowed it to keep his name on its training-partner roster for the long term. Whenever he had time, he even returned to the school once or twice a year to serve as a training partner.
After that, the Martial Arts Schools across Dragon Country stopped exploiting their training partners and instructors. Instead, they worked together on equal terms, in a way that benefited both sides. But in the sixty years since, no training partner had ever reached the heights of that Martial King.
By making this request before even joining, Lu Lin showed how much confidence he had in his future.
That was fine, too.
If Lu Lin became a powerful Martial Artist one day, they'd have formed a good relationship, and perhaps he'd even give back to the school from time to time, like that senior.
If he didn't make it, the school wouldn't lose anything.
Advanced Martial Trainee and Initial Grade Martial Artist might look just one level apart, but at least ninety percent of people in Huaguo got stuck there.
Li Jiangtao agreed to the request, and Lu Lin took the contract and signed it.
Given his current abilities—Martial Artist-grade defense, but insufficient strength and attack power—Liu's Martial Arts School offered Lu Lin a basic salary of 8,000 yuan a month, plus a 25% commission on training sessions. The other benefits were all included, too.
Don't underestimate a 25% commission. Lu Lin would be facing real Martial Artists from now on, and a single training session with them cost far more than a few hundred yuan—at least ten thousand. If they had special requirements, the price could even exceed a hundred thousand.
The 8,000-yuan salary really was just the base pay. The real money was in the commissions.
"Good. Lu Lin, welcome to the Liu's Martial Arts School family. I've already submitted your abilities and martial arts information to the headquarters' Martial Artist Grade Database. If a Martial Artist wants you as a training partner, our school will call in advance to confirm your training times. You can also train at the school in your free time."
"Our Liu's Martial Arts School is one of the largest schools in Dongshan City. We have twelve branches and a headquarters downtown. Your future bookings and clients may be at other locations, so you should know that in advance."
"Understood."
Before you continue