"Young master, we failed."
"That kid called Lu Lin is seriously strange. He's clearly not a Martial Artist, yet he could defend against the four of us attacking him. We..."
At the entrance to Liu's Martial Arts School, the four Martial Artists had needed quite a while to recover after Lu Lin left. As soon as they were feeling a little better, they reported what had happened to Ma Tianhu.
"Lu Lin?"
"Could he be another genius the Martial Arts Examination overlooked...?"
"You four, come back for now."
After hearing Ma Tianhu say that, the four Martial Artists hung up and left together.
But from the way they walked, each one looked as if every bone in his body had come apart. It was as though they hadn't been the ones who surrounded Lu Lin, but had instead been beaten black and blue.
Feng Ya Residential Area.
This was where Lu Lin had lived for eighteen years. His family lived on the twenty-first floor of Building Five.
Feng Ya Residential Area was one of the many working-class neighborhoods in the south of Dongshan City. It had more than eighty buildings, and its residents were mostly people from the lower rungs of society.
Lu Lin's father, Lu Ping, was a construction worker. His mother, Chen Xiaoyan, worked as a sales assistant at a clothing store for middle-aged and elderly people, and his younger brother, Lu Qi, was still in high school.
When Lu Lin opened the door, he saw his mother preparing lunch in the kitchen. To his surprise, his father, Lu Ping, was home too.
"Dad, Mom, I'm back."
"Mm."
His parents answered, but before they could say anything, a figure flew out of the bedroom and lunged straight at Lu Lin.
"Bro, I missed you so much! How'd the Martial Arts Examination go today?"
The person was a head taller than Lu Lin, with a sturdy build that made him look like a giant bear.
"Damn, take it easy!"
Lu Lin shoved him away. Lu Qi scratched his head sheepishly and stood to the side, grinning foolishly.
This was Lu Lin's younger brother, Lu Qi. Their family's meals were nothing special, but somehow there was a huge difference in their builds. In just three years of middle school, Lu Qi had ballooned from a skinny little bean sprout into the hulking figure he was now.
"I didn't pass the Martial Arts Examination. Your big brother's strength is less than a thousand kilograms. How could I possibly pass?"
"Just had to bring that up, didn't you?"
Lu Lin grumbled. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed his parents looking over at him too. He smiled at them. "Dad, Mom, don't worry. I'm fine. I knew this might happen, and besides..."
As he spoke, Lu Lin pulled out the sparring contract he'd signed with Liu's Martial Arts School and waved it in his hand. "Dad, Mom, even though I didn't pass the Martial Arts Examination, my Golden Bell Shield is well-practiced, so I've become a contract sparring partner for the Martial Arts School. I'll earn eight thousand a month, plus commission. Making a hundred thousand a month is just a dream away!"
"Pfft."
His parents had both been excited when they heard that Lu Lin had become a contract sparring partner at the Martial Arts School, but they couldn't hold back once he said, "Making a hundred thousand a month is just a dream away."
"Son, you're being a little too optimistic."
Lu Ping laughed helplessly. He subconsciously stroked his beard, giving him the air of a mature, distinguished gentleman.
His parents had exceptional looks. Though his father was covered in injuries, he carried himself like a successful man, while his mother was graceful and spoke softly. Lu Lin owed his own good looks to his parents' genes.
"Just you wait. You'll see when I get paid next month."
Lu Lin bragged in front of his family. His mother waved him off. "All right, go check on your younger brother's homework. He just told me there was a problem he couldn't solve. Lunch will be ready in twenty minutes."
With his mother's permission, Lu Qi grabbed Lu Lin and dragged him into the bedroom before he could say anything.
Lu Lin's family lived in a two-bedroom, one-living-room apartment. His parents had one room, while he and Lu Qi shared the other. There was also a tiny living room. The apartment wasn't big, but it was enough for the family.
"Bro, let me see your contract."
As soon as they entered the room, Lu Qi snatched the contract from Lu Lin's hand and started reading it.
"Bro, this can't be right. You actually signed a Martial Artist Level Contract?!"
Lu Qi looked up in disbelief.
Lu Lin's cultivation was no secret at home. Lu Ping and Chen Xiaoyan had specifically taken the day off to stay home because they were worried he'd feel down if he didn't do well on the Martial Arts Examination.
They hadn't looked closely at the contract, or they would have been just as surprised as Lu Qi.
"What's so impossible about it? If you need anything from now on, just tell me."
Lu Lin patted Lu Qi on the shoulder. Lu Qi's eyes immediately lit up. "Bro, there actually is something I want to buy."
Lu Lin hadn't expected Lu Qi to latch onto his offer so quickly. He'd only just said he'd buy him something, and already his brother had something in mind.
"Bro, there's this chubby kid in my class, Sun Zihao. A few days ago, he showed off a Virtual Terminal in front of us..."
"Stop, stop, stop!"
Lu Lin hurriedly cut him off. A Virtual Terminal was the most advanced smart device available for civilian use on Blue Star. One of those could easily cost over a million. Even if Lu Lin had money, he couldn't afford to burn through it like that.
"All right, Mom's calling us to eat. I'm heading out first."
Lu Lin didn't give Lu Qi a chance to say another word. He went straight to the living room, leaving Lu Qi speechless on his own.
At the table,
Lu Lin polished off three bowls of rice as fast as he could, and still didn't feel quite full. But he couldn't eat any more.
His parents were both staring at him as if he were a monster.
"Heh, I'm full. Dad, I wanted to ask you something. Didn't you say you could find Level 1 Monster Cores at your construction sites? Do you have any more?"
After steeling himself for a long while, Lu Lin finally stated what he was after.
Before Dongshan City had been built, it had seen countless large-scale battles. Even powerful War Gods had taken part. After each battle, anything valuable was collected and carried away as soon as possible, but countless low-level weapons, Monster Cores, and battle armor had been left underground.
The construction company where Lu Ping worked had more than a dozen sites in Dongshan City. From time to time, he'd find Level 1 or Level 2 Monster Cores and bring them home for Lu Lin and Lu Qi to play with.
"There aren't many Level 1 Monster Cores, but I do have more than a dozen Level 2 ones."
Lu Ping said this with a calm expression. Lu Lin had already been about to give up, but it turned out his dad had been saving the best for last.
"Dad, hurry and bring them to me. I need them."
"And from now on, could you help me find more Monster Cores? Any level is fine. I won't turn my nose up at them."
"Get out of here. You might not mind, but I do. What high-level Monster Cores could you possibly find at a construction site? I've been doing this for almost twenty years and have only ever come across a Level 3 Monster Core once." Lu Ping laughed as he scolded him, then set down his chopsticks and went to the bedroom. He soon returned with a small glass bottle for Lu Lin.
It was filled with Monster Cores. Most were Level 1, but Lu Lin saw that there really were twelve slightly larger Level 2 Monster Cores at the top.
"Thanks, Dad. I'm going back to my room."
Lu Lin dashed into the bedroom and locked the door. His younger brother, Lu Qi, was too nosy. Lu Lin didn't want him barging in while he absorbed the Monster Cores, peppering him with questions like a curious little kid.
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