This World's Grades Ran in Reverse!

In this world, the grades ran in reverse: the higher the number, the stronger the power.

Martial warriors had nine grades, with Grade 1 at the bottom and Grade 9 at the top!

Nine was seen as the ultimate number, representing the greatest, the most, the highest, the farthest, and so on. Since ancient times, people had said, "The numbers of Heaven and Earth begin with one and end with nine." Among odd numbers, nine was the largest—the pinnacle of yang.

It was said that a Grade 9 Grandmaster's badge bore nine stars and was made from Meteorite Crystal from beyond the heavens. If a Grandmaster emerged in the country, regulations required the Federation's Artifact Refiners' Guild and Inscriptionists' Guild to jointly create a unique badge for them. Once infused with the appropriate Star Essence attributes, it could itself be used as a piece of Divine Equipment. It was incredibly powerful!

Of course, above the Grandmaster realm stood the nation's most treasured weapon: the Martial Saint! But people of that caliber could be counted on one hand, and they weren't included among the standard nine grades.

"Alright, thanks."

After exchanging a few pleasantries with the staff, Chen Xia was personally escorted to the door. They were very welcoming.

Outside the Martial Dao Alliance's plaza, he was about to head home when he caught sight of a towering building several hundred meters away.

Chen Xia gazed at it for a long while. That place was also a Patrol Inspection Office, but it was the Chief Office for Yijiang City's Central District.

It was said that the Chief Director of Yijiang City's Inspection Chief Office was a very young woman with formidable strength.

Chen Xia knew there were many talented people in this world who came from privileged families, took pills and Nutrient Solution from a young age, and made rapid progress thanks to their exceptional gifts.

People like that were usually entrusted with important positions as soon as they graduated. The female Chief Director was said to be one of them.

Chen Xia worked for the Patrol Inspection Office. If he wanted to rise through the ranks and gain status and influence, he would eventually have to deal with the Chief Office. But he wasn't quite ready for that yet. Though he had become a martial warrior, he still needed to improve before he could reach that level.

Fortunately, Chen Xia wasn't one to reach for the stars. Becoming a Grade 1 martial warrior already put him among the best of the best.

Chen Xia hailed a cab and went straight home.

During his training, nothing unusual had happened with the Yuangu Pill, and no one from the Gathering Justice Mercenary Group had come looking for him.

That meant they might not know about it, which couldn't have been better for Chen Xia.

He got home around noon. His mother had made a delicious lunch. Seeing her haggard face made Chen Xia feel for her. Thinking of how he'd become a martial warrior and received a fifty-thousand-yuan bonus, he transferred the money to her.

He didn't want his mother worrying about money. He'd given her some last time, but Grandpa's hospitalization and treatment had cost a lot. A little extra would help ease the burden.

The money had come from a legitimate source, so there was nothing to worry about. But when his mother saw the transfer, she looked surprised. "Xiar, how do you have fifty thousand yuan? Where did you get it?"

"Mom, I've got good news. I'm a martial warrior now. This is the bonus from the Martial Warrior Alliance!"

Chen Xia shared the good news with her. Wang Xin was stunned, naturally finding it hard to believe. She questioned him again and again, afraid he might have done something illegal. But when she saw the martial warrior badge and certificate in her hands, both bearing Chen Xia's name and photo, she finally understood that her son hadn't lied.

Wang Xin was overjoyed.

She didn't know what it meant for Chen Xia to break through and become a martial warrior in such a short time. All she understood was that her son really had become one.

It was wonderful news, and Wang Xin immediately called Dad and Grandpa to tell them.

Chen Xia hadn't wanted to reveal it at first. He'd thought it would be better to wait until he was promoted to team leader. But he'd wanted to give his mother the money, so he had no choice but to tell her.

"My son became a martial warrior?" Dad, Chen Jianshu, was looking after Grandpa at the hospital and thought he'd misheard. It wasn't easy to become a martial warrior. But Wang Xin never made things up, so if she said it, it had to be true.

Grandpa, lying in his hospital bed, was delighted too. He told Chen Jianshu to go home and celebrate, so Chen Jianshu hurried back from the hospital. After looking his son up and down and confirming the certificate and badge were real, he threw his arms around Chen Xia and wept with joy.

There had only ever been one martial warrior in their family across several generations, so Chen Jianshu was naturally thrilled. He had Chen Xia join him in asking Mom to make a few more dishes, then insisted on drinking with him to celebrate.

Seeing how happy his family was, Chen Xia felt that everything he'd done had been worth it.

On top of that, Chen Xia had been providing them with financial support lately, easing the burden of his sister's tuition and Grandpa's medical bills.

After clinking glasses with Dad, Chen Xia said, "Dad, remember that compensation we were supposed to get a few years ago? We never managed to collect it. Don't worry—I'll get it back for you when the time is right."

At that, Chen Jianshu remembered. After a workplace injury, he'd been laid off by the factory, and the compensation he was owed had never arrived.

Chen Jianshu was an honest man, and the other side had all the power. His older brother, Chen Wu, had gone to make a fuss, but the factory was local and had deep connections. How could their family take it on? Even after taking the matter to court, the outcome hadn't been much better.

Chen Xia remembered that Dad had been asked to work overtime at the Hardware Factory. Because the equipment was old, it malfunctioned and trapped Dad's leg. He'd managed to keep the leg, but he walked with a limp. He'd suffered for it all the same.

The factory had been at fault, but the owner insisted Dad had made a mistake while operating the machinery and came up with excuse after excuse. Even the court had only awarded a few tens of thousands in compensation, while treating his leg had cost their family over two hundred thousand. He'd also lost a year or two of income while he couldn't work. Thirty thousand yuan in compensation would have merely covered their losses—they hadn't asked for a penny more. But the other side refused to pay. They'd tried to appeal, and the case had dragged on for years without going anywhere.

They couldn't beat them, and the family had no choice. They couldn't exactly fight them head-on; in the end, they'd be the ones to suffer.

"Xiar, you've only just become a martial warrior. Let it go. As long as our family stays safe and sound, that's enough. I'm worried you'll come off worse if you take them on. After all, you're the only martial warrior our family's had in generations. And that factory belongs to a publicly traded company. It's not someone you want to provoke."

"Dad, don't worry about it. I know what I'm doing. I won't make a big scene, so you can relax." Chen Xia raised his glass and drank with his father. Seeing how much more composed Chen Xia had become, how he seemed different from before, Dad nodded and said no more.

But he couldn't hide the tears of excitement in his eyes. "Your dad's useless. I haven't even been able to build up anything for the family. Your older brother still isn't married, you're not that young anymore, and we've got nothing to our name. It's embarrassing. Thank goodness you've made something of yourself. You've done better than your brother and become a martial warrior. It's a blessing from our Chen ancestors."

Chen Xia and Dad drank until they were both thoroughly drunk. It was a shame they couldn't reach his older brother; otherwise, the whole family could have celebrated together.

Now that Chen Xia had become a martial warrior, his future was bright, and his older brother wouldn't have to risk his life out there anymore. Thinking of this, he sent Chen Wu a message, asking him to come home.

But it vanished like a stone sinking into the sea. Chen Wu didn't respond.

After Dad sobered up, Chen Xia went with him to buy some fruit, and they visited Grandpa at the hospital.

They had an uncle, another uncle, and an aunt as well. Grandpa often looked after Chen Xia's family because they were less well-off, but he was getting old, and falling ill was only to be expected.

Over the past two years, the family had all contributed to Grandpa's medical expenses, but he still hadn't been cured. They were all away earning a living, so they'd left him at the local hospital for Dad to look after.

Chen Xia also told Dad not to share the news that he'd become a martial warrior with their other relatives. He had only just become one, and his job hadn't changed yet. There was no point in telling everyone just to show off. What mattered most was improving the family's circumstances.

The two of them went to the hospital and checked in on Grandpa.

After leaving the hospital, Chen Xia didn't go home.

He had the pill with him and planned to find somewhere to sell it.

The Yuangu Pill was a Grade 4 pill worth 610,000 yuan.

This time, Chen Xia was heading to Yijiang City's trading market, a shopping mall in North City, on the Third Floor.