The Best Choice

Though he hadn't fully figured it out, Wu Yuan wasn't really a fourteen-year-old boy. It only took a little thought for him to understand.

Gao Yu had taken a liking to his talent.

The deliberate request that he join the Finance and Engineering Hall in the future was probably part of the competition among Hengyun Sect's five halls.

"An invitation?" Wu Yuan thought.

It looked as if he had a choice. But did he, really?

No!

Accepting was the best choice!

If he refused, he would immediately offend Gao Yu, and Huan Xinyan's attitude would likely change as well. Even if she didn't target him, it would bring him plenty of trouble.

Besides, the Finance and Engineering Hall had money and power. Why not accept?

So he didn't hesitate at all.

"Senior Gao, Master Huan." Wu Yuan looked serious. "I trust the sect, and I trust Master Huan. I'm willing to join the Finance and Engineering Hall after entering the sect."

Now that he had decided to accept, he would do his best to leave a good impression. That was the best way to have a chance at gaining more benefits.

"Excellent." Gao Yu smiled. "Wu Yuan, believe me, you won't regret this decision."

Huan Xinyan's smile grew brighter too.

She and Wu Yuan weren't that familiar, really. Their relationship was only a little closer than that of an ordinary teacher and student.

But Wu Yuan was her first disciple, which made him special to her. Now that he had revealed his talent and would be able to join the sect's Finance and Engineering Hall in the future, she was glad to see it.

"Your physical fitness and combat skills are improving rapidly right now. That's thanks to Aperture Awakening, but it will soon come to an end," Gao Yu said. "Even so, it will permanently increase your potential."

"Once you enter Cloud Martial Hall, you'll have access to its resources. My Finance and Engineering Hall will provide you with additional resources too, and your progress will be several times faster than it is now."

"Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures to aid your physical training, top-tier cultivation techniques, and training facilities."

"As long as you work hard, by the time you're twenty—"

"You'll have a chance to become a First-class Expert!" Gao Yu said solemnly.

"Really?" Wu Yuan looked excited, but inwardly, he didn't feel much. So it was a sales pitch. Every leader was good at those.

A leader who couldn't sell you a dream wasn't a good leader!

Of course, Wu Yuan understood that Gao Yu might be exaggerating in some respects, but it probably wasn't too far off.

"I've decided to leave Li City."

"Hengyun Sect has Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures too. I should go and take a look," Wu Yuan thought. "Maybe Hengyun Sect can't compare with the very top forces, but earning their trust would be much harder too."

Cultivation manuals and training facilities didn't interest him much.

Only the Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures appealed to him.

For Wu Yuan, the most important thing right now was improving his physical fitness.

As for combat skills? Once he recovered to his previous life's level through steady training, no ordinary manual or training facility would help him break through further.

"Hengyun Sect has top experts, and perhaps even Earth Ranking Grandmasters." Wu Yuan felt a touch of anticipation. "Then I'll get to see the true martial experts of this world."

Just like in his previous life.

Wu Yuan had competed in the Human Federation's martial arts tournaments many times, and had even challenged numerous Martial Dao Grandmasters one-on-one!

Deep down, Wu Yuan yearned to test himself against experts, to battle the strong!

Of course, the circumstances were different. In his previous life, matches didn't put his life at risk.

In this life? Without enough confidence and enough to gain, Wu Yuan wouldn't recklessly challenge those at the pinnacle of martial arts.

"Senior, Cloud Martial Hall won't be recruiting disciples until next year, right?" Wu Yuan asked.

"Haha, that's for ordinary martial artists. True geniuses don't have to be bound by the rules." Gao Yu laughed. "I'll report to the sect as soon as possible and use my Finance and Engineering Hall's special recruitment channel."

"But new disciples still have to go through the paperwork at the Teaching Hall. And the sect is thousands of miles from Li City. It'll take at least a month from start to finish."

"Two months at most."

"Then a special envoy will come to take you to Cloud Martial Hall." Gao Yu said.

One or two months? Wu Yuan thought.

That was slow.

But considering the backward transportation in this world, and the procedures involved in special recruitment, it wasn't too slow.

"Senior, is there anything else I need to do?" Wu Yuan asked tactfully.

"Most importantly, keep this secret." Gao Yu said solemnly. "Until you reach the Sect Headquarters, where the sect's layers of protection will keep you safe, don't reveal your talent or strength. You could be assassinated or abducted."

"Assassinated?" Wu Yuan appeared startled.

"That's right!"

Gao Yu sighed. "The hundred sects and the kingdoms are constantly vying for supremacy. Hengyun Sect has plenty of enemies, and the greatest threat right now is the Great Jin Empire! They want to unify the Central Plains Seven Provinces. Their spies are scattered across the land, impossible to root out or wipe away."

"They have no interest in ordinary martial artists, but once your talent is exposed, it will attract everyone's attention."

"Then you'll easily become a target for the Great Jin Empire's assassins."

"Other forces might not kill you, but dark forces like Seven Stars Tower and Nine Kill Mansion could abduct you and force you to serve them." Gao Yu said.

Wu Yuan nodded slightly.

Before the Human Federation unified, the nations of Blue Star had fought among themselves. Back then, the great powers had also assassinated each other's leading scientists.

The logic was the same!

In the Central Land World, martial arts reigned supreme. Naturally, unproven martial arts prodigies were highly coveted.

As for Seven Stars Tower and Nine Kill Mansion? Wu Yuan had heard of them. Even ordinary people knew those dark forces, with their long histories.

Compared to them,

the Fierce Tiger Gang was just a fledgling!

"Second, don't get arrogant. During these two months before entering Cloud Martial Hall, keep training hard. You're at the ideal age to practice, so don't waste time," Gao Yu advised. "Give it everything you've got, and you'll have a chance to become a First-class Expert before you're twenty."

"Thank you for the reminder, Senior," Wu Yuan replied.

"Lastly, since you've agreed to join the Finance and Engineering Hall, it won't let you down. Before you enter the sect, we'll prepare a welcome gift for you."

"But things happened too quickly today, and I haven't had time to prepare."

"Five days!"

"Come see me at the Martial Academy in five days. I'll have a special gift for you, and I believe it'll help." Gao Yu smiled at Wu Yuan.

"A gift?" Wu Yuan's eyes lit up. He seemed quite eager.

Inwardly, Wu Yuan wondered what sort of gift Gao Yu and the Finance and Engineering Hall had in mind for him.

"All right, head back for now," Gao Yu said. "After today, word of your Martial Master strength will probably spread quickly. You'll just about meet the requirements for special recruitment."

"You don't need to hide the special recruitment from your family."

"And go discuss it with them too." Gao Yu said.

Wu Yuan nodded.

He bowed and left the Martial Dao Grand Hall.

Only Gao Yu and Huan Xinyan remained in the testing room.

"Senior Brother, are you really going to decide so quickly?" Huan Xinyan couldn't help asking. "Without consulting the other halls?"

"If Master and the Hall Master knew, they'd probably agree even faster than I did." Gao Yu shook his head slightly. "Junior Sister, you're still young. You don't understand what opening the Upper Dantian Palace means."

"Once word gets out, the other four halls will come scrambling to snatch him up."

"Better to strike first!" Gao Yu laughed.

Huan Xinyan was taken aback. She frowned slightly. "According to what you said, opening the Upper Dantian Palace can't be detected directly. Aren't you worried your judgment might be wrong?"

"Wrong?" Gao Yu paused, then smiled. "It's certainly possible."

"But if Wu Yuan hasn't opened the Upper Dantian Palace and has still gained preliminary mastery of Double Extreme Strength in just a few months, that only proves his talent for combat skills is even more terrifying than we imagined. That makes him all the more worthy of special recruitment."

"Either way, he has the potential to become a Grandmaster!" Gao Yu said softly.

The potential to become a Grandmaster?

Huan Xinyan could hardly believe her ears.

"The Battle of Hengshan left Hengyun Sect with terrible casualties. Uncle Xia Heng died in battle, leaving only the two old ancestors to hold things together. They're both nearly a hundred years old! How much longer can they support the sect?" Gao Yu said slowly. "Recruiting Wu Yuan isn't just for my Finance and Engineering Hall. It's for the sect."

"Becoming a top expert is the limit of what I can achieve in this life. A Grandmaster? I wouldn't dare dream of it!"

"But both Xu Hui and Wu Yuan have the potential to become Grandmasters." Gao Yu said gravely. "As long as there's even a sliver of hope, we can't give up."

"I understand. Everything is for the sect." Huan Xinyan nodded slightly.

They had grown up in the sect, and their sense of belonging was strong.

"What do you know about Wu Yuan's background?" Gao Yu asked.

"He was born and raised in Li City. His family is also local to South Dream and has been around for over a hundred years. Many members of his family have joined the sect," Huan Xinyan replied. "His father was once a member of the Nanmeng Army. He died in the Battle of Hengshan."

"You had him investigated already? You certainly came prepared." Gao Yu smiled at his junior sister.

"His background is clean, and he's more trustworthy than Xu Hui. Once the Inspection Hall conducts a thorough investigation, there shouldn't be any problems," Gao Yu said.

Huan Xinyan nodded.

Any sect leader who examined Wu Yuan's background and upbringing would be satisfied. He was worth cultivating with everything they had.

"Senior Brother, what are you planning to give him?" Huan Xinyan asked.

"I have an idea." Gao Yu smiled. "The Hall Master is inspecting Nanmeng City. I'll go report to him and let him decide."

"You're going to Nanmeng Prefecture City? That's over a thousand miles away." Huan Xinyan was astonished.

"That's why I told Wu Yuan to wait five days." Gao Yu laughed. "I'll go alone and hurry back. Five days will be enough for a round trip."

Huan Xinyan nodded.

She could truly feel how much her senior brother valued Wu Yuan.

"What sort of gift is Gao Yu preparing?" Wu Yuan wondered as he walked along the bustling streets.

"Joining Hengyun Sect seems to be going more smoothly than I'd expected."

"I've made progress so quickly. Showing my talent really does matter."

"But I have to wait one or two months?" Wu Yuan thought. "That's fine. The Spirit Liquid in my jade bottle should last me another month of training."

Wu Yuan's physical fitness had reached its current limit. From here on, he would focus on nourishing himself and training steadily, so he wouldn't need nearly as much Spirit Liquid.

"About this special recruitment into Cloud Martial Hall..."

"I need to tell Mother. I should tell the clan head too."

As Wu Yuan thought of this, he remembered something else. "And those ten pigs I left in the other courtyard. The family should have received them by now too."

The commotion over the Fierce Tiger Gang's destruction had died down.

Wu Yuan didn't want to waste the big pigs that had drunk the Spirit Liquid. Without showing himself, he had used money to pave the way and secretly arranged for a broker to deliver them straight to the Wu Clan.

By his calculations, they should have arrived.

Deep in the Prefectural Sect Martial Academy, inside an ornate hall.

"I hope Wu Yuan and Wu Qiming are willing to reconcile." Dean Zhang Da stood before a mirror, straightening his appearance.

"Xu Shouyi really dragged me into this." Zhang Da picked up a stack of banknotes from the table, feeling a pang of regret.

But he knew he had no other choice.

If he waited and watched a little longer, the price would be much higher.

Making peace now was his best choice!