Officially Joining

Entering the Elite Training Camp was only the most generous benefit offered in the Extreme Martial Arts Hall's contract. The other terms were just as astonishing. For example, the signing bonus had been raised from twenty million to two hundred million, and he could choose any Movement Technique, Guidance Technique, or Attack Technique manual he wanted for free, as long as it cost no more than ten billion.

The other terms were also simple and clear, easy to understand at a glance.

After Chen Daolin and Ji Xuan finished reading, Zhuge Tao, Wang Heng, and Wesley all looked at them expectantly.

"Chen Daolin, Ji Xuan, what have you decided?" Zhuge Tao asked.

Chen Daolin said, "I choose to join the Extreme Martial Arts Hall."

Ji Xuan said, "I choose to join the Extreme Martial Arts Hall."

A smile spread across Zhuge Tao's face, and he stood up, beaming. "Good. You've made a wise choice. In that case, we'll head to the Jiangnan General Hall right away. Only our president can sign the official contract."

At this point, Wang Heng and Wesley could only lament the Extreme Martial Arts Hall's incredible luck. Both left, disappointed.

Chen Daolin and Ji Xuan hurried back with Zhuge Tao to the Extreme Martial Arts Hall's Jiangnan Base City General Hall. Under the supervision of President Zhou Yongzheng, they took physical fitness tests, and Ji Xuan also had her Spirit Reading Power tested. They both passed without a hitch, signed the contract, and officially joined the Extreme Martial Arts Hall.

"The Elite Training Camp is at the Extreme Martial Arts Hall's Global Headquarters. You'll leave at two in the afternoon on August 29. Go home and get some rest while you wait for further instructions. An envoy from headquarters will come in person to take you there." President Zhou Yongzheng was a War God Level expert and one of the most powerful people in Jiangnan Base City, but he treated Chen Daolin and Ji Xuan warmly.

As they walked out of the Extreme Martial Arts Hall General Hall building, Chen Daolin said with a sigh, "I never expected so much to happen during the Martial Artist Practical Examination. We even joined the Extreme Martial Arts Hall's Elite Training Camp. I wonder what it'll be like there."

"Yeah." Ji Xuan nodded, but she was wondering how her family would react when they heard the news.

As a rule, Elite Training Camp students had to study at the camp for five years, with holidays only in January and February each year. The thought of being away from home for so long made Ji Xuan reluctant to leave. But when she glanced at Chen Daolin beside her, she felt a little more at ease.

On the afternoon of August 2, they returned to Mingyue Residential Quarter in Yangzhou City. Ji Xuan's parents and her younger sister, Ji Han, had already heard the news that Chen Daolin and Ji Xuan had passed the Martial Artist Practical Examination. They waited at the entrance to the residential quarter, beaming. Everyone who passed by knew the residents of Mingyue Residential Quarter were martial artists' families, and when they heard the news, they congratulated them too. Ji Xuan's parents were so delighted they could hardly stop smiling, and Ji Han's little face was lit up with joy.

Before long, Chen Daolin and Ji Xuan came into view, walking toward them.

"Xiao Lin, Xiao Xuan."

"Big Sister, Brother Daolin."

"Mom, Dad, Xiao Han." The family was reunited. Chen Daolin stood nearby, smiling broadly.

"Come on, let's go home. We've already made dinner to celebrate. We were just waiting for you." Ji Xuan's father turned to Chen Daolin. "Xiao Lin, this is a wonderful occasion. Come join us. You and I will have a good drink together today."

Chen Daolin smiled. "Sure, Uncle Luo."

"Dad, I want to drink too," Ji Han said sweetly.

"Little kids shouldn't drink." Chen Daolin patted her head.

"Hmph, I'm already seventeen. I'm not a little kid," Ji Han grumbled.

Ji Xuan chimed in, "Xiao Han, girls shouldn't drink." Her younger sister wasn't in good health, so it was best for her to stay away from alcohol.

That evening, after enjoying dinner and celebrating with the Ji family, Chen Daolin left their home and returned to his villa. After showering and changing into a loose, comfortable robe, he carried a cup of hot tea upstairs to the media room and sat quietly on the soft, oversized sofa. His thoughts drifted. He had been in this world for three years, gone through so much, and suffered so much. Last night, he had nearly died. Now, at last, he had made it this far and become a true martial artist.

Coming back to himself, Chen Daolin gazed at the nighttime view outside the window and smiled. "I'm really looking forward to life as a martial artist."

As a martial artist, he could access certain special networks, such as the Martial Artist Forum, which only martial artists could enter, and Extreme Home, which was only open to members of the Extreme Martial Arts Hall. As for the HR Alliance Platform, any martial artist could log in.

Chen Daolin entered the Extreme Home website and verified his fingerprint. His personal page appeared on the huge screen, displaying a photo of him above a list of details--

Name: Chen Daolin

Gender: Male

Address: Jiangnan Base City, Huaxia Country

Martial Artist ID Number:

Level: Warrior Level (Beginner)

Contribution Points: 0

Currency Balance: Huaxia Currency

The final digits of Chen Daolin's Martial Artist ID indicated that he had passed the Martial Artist Practical Examination in second place on August 1, 2056. First place was probably Luo Bin. After all, she was an Elementary Warlord Level Spirit Reader, and she had killed an Elementary Beast General Level monster, the Gray Fur Rat King.

The reason his level was still Beginner Warrior Level was that martial artists had to personally kill two monsters of the relevant level to qualify for a rank. If Chen Daolin wanted to become a Beginner Warlord Level martial artist, he had to provide materials from two Elementary Beast General Level monsters.

Generally, no one tried to fake their rank. Without the strength to back it up, even if you claimed to be a War God, someone would soon expose and mock you.

He had two emails. Chen Daolin opened them. One was a congratulatory message from the Extreme Martial Arts Hall's Jiangnan General Hall. It also told him that if he bought manuals through the internal network, the Hall would reimburse him for anything costing no more than ten billion. Chen Daolin couldn't help marveling at the thought that he was now a martial artist worth 1.2 billion.

The other video was an introduction and guide to Extreme Home. Chen Daolin watched it quickly.

Extreme Home had many uses. Its marketplace offered all kinds of manuals, weapons, equipment, materials, firearms, vehicles, high-tech products, gene serums, and more.

It also made it easy to talk and study face-to-face with other martial artists. If you had the money, you could even hire a War God Level expert to give you one-on-one instruction online.

Extreme Home also had a Contribution Points system. Contribution Points were divided into five star levels, each of which came with different discounts and privileges. At Four-Star Contribution Points, everything was half price.

There were two ways to raise your Contribution Points level. The first was to hunt monsters and sell their materials to the Extreme Martial Arts Hall. The price was a little lower than elsewhere, but you earned a certain number of Contribution Points.

The second way was to make a donation. Every ten thousand yuan earned one Contribution Point, and you could donate up to ten billion yuan to reach ten million Contribution Points, enough for Four-Star status.

The legendary Five-Star level required fifty million Contribution Points.

Fortunately, the contract Chen Daolin had signed with the Extreme Martial Arts Hall included a clause granting him a half-price discount at the Four-Star level on his first purchase of manuals and other items from Extreme Home.

Chen Daolin opened the Online Marketplace and found the manuals section. After the Martial Artist Practical Examination, he had realized how inadequate his spear skills and Movement Technique were, and he was eager to improve in those areas.

Movement Technique, Attack Technique, and Guidance Technique—these three manuals were the most important to a martial artist!

Soon, Chen Daolin clicked through, and photographs of one manual after another appeared on the screen, along with their names and prices.

When he saw the information for the manual at the very top, he was immediately captivated.

World Destroyer, Category: Spear Technique. Rating: Ultimate. Price: 100 billion Huaxia Currency (full price), 50 billion Huaxia Currency (half price; requirement: Four-Star Contribution Points)

"The spear technique of the world's strongest, Hong!" Chen Daolin's eyes shone, and his blood raced.

Only one thought filled his mind—I! Have! To! Buy! It!

But when he saw the price, it felt as though someone had doused him in ice water. He went cold all over.

"100 billion at full price!? Even half price is 50 billion?"

Chen Daolin silently took a sip of tea to calm himself down. He couldn't afford it. No way.

Once he had calmed down, Chen Daolin kept looking and discovered that he could buy the manuals in separate volumes.

World Destroyer, First Three Levels—Price: 8 billion Huaxia Currency (full price), 4 billion Huaxia Currency (half price; requirement: Three-Star Contribution Points)

World Destroyer, First Two Levels—Price: 2 billion Huaxia Currency (full price), 1 billion Huaxia Currency (half price; requirement: Two-Star Contribution Points)

World Destroyer, First Level—Price: 200 million Huaxia Currency (full price), 100 million Huaxia Currency (half price; requirement: One-Star Contribution Points)

World Destroyer, the ultimate manual created by the world's strongest, Hong. It was hailed as the world's number-one attack technique, and included not only an Attack Technique but also a corresponding Movement Technique.

The description also warned that World Destroyer was extremely difficult to master and required exceptional comprehension!

Chen Daolin couldn't take his eyes off it.

He couldn't afford the complete manual, but the first two levels cost only one billion. He could manage that.

Chen Daolin didn't hesitate any longer. He clicked to buy it.

After purchasing the first two levels of World Destroyer, the balance in Chen Daolin's account dropped from 1.2 billion to 200 million. It was the first time he'd realized how quickly a martial artist's money could disappear.

After that, Chen Daolin spent another hundred million on a top-tier Guidance Technique manual, Heavenly Pillar Cloud Qi.

Next, Chen Daolin bought a suitable spear, the C6 Model—Price: 50 million Huaxia Currency (full price), 25 million Huaxia Currency (half price; requirement: One-Star Contribution Points).

A C6 Model spear could withstand a fierce battle with a High-Level Beast General monster without easily breaking.

The importance of a weapon to a martial artist was self-evident. It was even more important than a battle suit or armor. If your weapon failed in a fight to the death, that could be fatal. You got what you paid for, and Chen Daolin had never planned to cut corners. He would spend what needed spending. After all, the money had been given to him.

He estimated that this spear would serve him for quite some time.

Then he bought a full D6 Series battle suit that could withstand attacks from High-Level Beast General monsters. The full price was 80 million, but as a first-time buyer, Chen Daolin only had to pay 40 million. It was special treatment the Extreme Martial Arts Hall offered him as a genius, though naturally, it applied only to the first purchase.

Altogether, the first two levels of World Destroyer cost one billion, Heavenly Pillar Cloud Qi cost one hundred million, the C6 Series spear cost 25 million, and the full D6 Series battle suit cost 40 million—for a total of 1.165 billion. Other things, such as a backpack and Tactical Watch, barely cost anything by comparison.

He was the perfect example of money disappearing like flowing water.

Next door, in the Ji family's home, Ji Xuan was also in her pajamas, looking at the Martial Artist Forum on Extreme Home's screen. She had access to the forum as an Elite Training Camp student, and her eyes were shining.

"Water of Life..."