Silver-Base Gold Lion

Though Heavenly Kings weren't currently the ceiling of human combat strength, Zhao Yingchun was the teacher of the one who stood at that ceiling!

The current pinnacle of humanity's combat strength across the globe, [Heaven-Tilting Great Sage · Zhao Linyuan], was her personal disciple, taught by her from the ground up.

In the old days, before Great Chu was founded, martial arts had been dominated by jianghu sects and gangs, as well as martial arts clans and aristocratic families.

Zhao Yingchun was born into a martial arts family with strict bloodline rules. Then, when Great Chu was beset by turmoil at home and abroad, she resolutely abandoned her family status and followed Taizu to conquer the realm.

In the end, she broke down the barriers between sects and aristocratic families, leading the charge in the famous Tianshan Reform.

The university system replaced sects and aristocratic clans, and martial arts were gradually integrated with technology, giving rise to the modern Qi-Blood Martial Dao system.

From that day on, Great Chu officially entered an era of martial arts for all!

If it had been any other Heavenly King-level expert, Luo Guanyun would never have lost his composure like this.

But Zhao Yingchun was the teacher of a Great Sage and a founding hero of Great Chu. If someone of her legendary stature wanted to meet Meng Chuan, anyone else might have gone completely crazy.

Luo Guanyun tried to suppress his emotions and slowly said to Meng Chuan:

"President Zhao wants to meet you."

Meng Chuan tensed up instantly, at a loss for words.

At the other end of the phone, Bai Junfeng laughed.

"Gone speechless? Meng Chuan's there with you, right? When I first heard the news, I was almost as shocked as you two."

"Calm down, both of you. President Zhao just wants to see who managed to revise Guoyi Fist on top of his original work. That's all."

"Remember to be at the Martial Association on time. Two in the afternoon. Don't forget!"

After the call ended, Luo Guanyun sat on the sofa, overwhelmed with emotion.

"Chuan, when we meet the president this afternoon, make sure you're polite. Just answer his questions honestly, and don't get nervous!"

"Okay, Master. I understand."

Meng Chuan couldn't help feeling that his master looked even more nervous than he was.

He sat on the sofa, shifting restlessly like a grade-schooler waiting for the teacher to quiz him on his lesson.

After eating a quick bite, Luo Guanyun couldn't wait to drag Meng Chuan to the Martial Artist Association.

Meng Chuan had visited the Martial Artist Association many times before to test Guoyi Fist, so he knew his way around.

Bai Junfeng had been waiting there for some time. When he saw Luo Guanyun arrive with Meng Chuan, he rose to greet them.

"You're here, Old Luo. President Zhao got held up on the way. Let's go collect your prize and medal first. We'll finish the other formalities, then wait a bit for him."

Luo Guanyun let out a long breath.

"Whew, that's a relief. I've been on pins and needles the whole way here."

"What are you on pins and needles for? President Zhao's meeting Meng Chuan. What's that got to do with you?"

Luo Guanyun glared at him, his beard bristling.

"You old vulture, Meng Chuan's my disciple. So what?"

Hearing his master give someone else a nickname again, Meng Chuan thought of Police Chief Long Jiu, whom he'd once dubbed "Bald Ape," and couldn't help chuckling softly.

"Don't take jabs at me in front of the kid. Enough chatter. Old Man Luo, wait here. I'll take Meng Chuan to collect his prize."

Martial practitioners valued efficiency; there was no need for so many formalities.

Before long, the two of them walked out of the Hall of Honor.

What caught everyone's eye was the medal in Meng Chuan's hands: made entirely of silver, with flecks of gold glimmering at its center.

"The Great Chu Silver-Base Gold Lion Medal."

Four bold, forceful characters were engraved on the back of the medal: [Jianwei Shouming].

Luo Guanyun took the Silver Medal from Meng Chuan, his heart full of emotion.

"I risked my life and fought for seven days and seven nights at Meng Lake just to earn a Silver Medal. You brat, you're really lucky."

"Anyone holding a Silver Medal can travel unhindered throughout Great Chu. All public transport is free, with no queues, and public healthcare is free for life."

Luo Guanyun returned the medal to Meng Chuan.

"Those are just the basics. You also get a ten-percent discount on everything on the Martial Association's shopping website, and you or your children, up to three generations, get extra points on the martial arts university entrance exam."

"The exact number of points is decided each year by the individual Martial Universities, but even at the nine Special Grade Martial Universities, the minimum is three points."

"Put it away and leave it at home. These privileges will be activated and displayed on your Citizen ID Card, so there's no need to carry the medal around."

After hearing that, Meng Chuan opened the electronic version of his Citizen ID Card on his phone.

There wasn't much change overall. Only the portrait in the upper-left corner had a silver lion-head pattern shimmering along its bottom edge, flickering whenever his finger touched the screen. It instantly looked much more impressive.

Bai Junfeng stepped forward with a smile.

"Keep working hard, Xiao Meng. Above the Silver Lion Medal are the Golden Tiger, the Diamond Dragon, and the Supreme Pillar of the Nation Medal."

"You're so young and already have the Silver Lion. When I was your age, I hadn't even seen a Bronze Eagle. Ha-ha!"

Meng Chuan was a little excited too. He'd been in this world for nearly seventeen years, and long ago had come to think of himself as one of Great Chu's people.

Now, having earned the honor of the Silver Lion, his normally placid heart finally stirred.

Bai Junfeng understood how Meng Chuan felt. Once he'd composed himself, Bai continued.

"The 1.5 million in prize money has also been transferred to your account. The bank's been notified to expedite the process.

"You should get a text confirming the deposit by tonight. If there are any problems, contact me right away. And then..."

Before he could finish, an assistant came up and whispered something in his ear. Bai Junfeng's expression changed.

"Let's talk later. We need to hurry. President Zhao's here. He's at Yunyan Pavilion right now."

He was about to meet a living martial arts legend. The excitement Meng Chuan had just managed to calm rose in him again.

Outside the banquet hall at Yunyan Pavilion.

Meng Chuan politely knocked and waited. Then the door was gently turned open by an invisible hand.

A middle-aged man in a yin-yang Taiji robe sat at the head of the room. His figure was as upright and steady as an old pine. His rugged face, as if carved by knives and axes, showed no trace of nearly five hundred years passing. Only his eyes bore the imprint of time—calm and profound, reserved yet powerful.

Meng Chuan gazed at the man as if looking up at a god.

An involuntary sigh rose in his heart.

"A living legend."

"Come in and sit down, Xiao Meng. I've read your Guoyi Fist. You're a very thoughtful young man."

Zhao Yingchun's voice was kind yet powerful, bringing Meng Chuan back from his reverie.

"This year marks the 437th since Great Chu's founding. Since Guoyi Fist was introduced, it has undergone thirty-four generations of refinement and improvement. Now you've added another striking stroke to its history. Congratulations, Meng Chuan."

After a brief pause, he continued.

"Do you know? When the Research and Judgment Group first sent me your information, I took one look and thought, 'How could this be a minor?' I remember thinking, 'Is this a joke? How could a sixteen-year-old improve this version of Guoyi Fist?'"