Gotten Into Trouble?

After taking two phone calls in a row, Chen Mochuan was now wide awake, with no trace of sleepiness.

But the exhaustion deep in his body hadn't faded, and he still wasn't in any condition to train.

With nothing better to do, he summoned the Golden Light Screen.

Earlier, after standing in the Root-Solidifying Stance for over four hours and drawing on the pure energy from digesting the Boiling Blood Beast meat, he had raised his Proficiency in this Stance Training technique all the way to [Great Completion (36%)], a significant improvement.

But compared to that, the increase in his Blood-Qi Value was even more astonishing. The screen clearly displayed [Blood-Qi Value: 4.01].

From that moment on, Chen Mochuan had officially entered the ranks of Fourth-Rank Martial Artists.

His Blood-Qi Value had broken through 4 a week earlier than he'd expected.

Chen Mochuan recalled the monthly exam rankings. He knew that although his classmates were making progress too, his Blood-Qi Value should now place him around 150th, a small leap forward.

"High-tier Ferocious Beast meat really is nourishing. A tiny piece of jerky like that raised my Blood-Qi Value by 0.3 in such a short time."

"Those rich kids and second-generation martial artists who grew up with silver spoons in their mouths might get to eat Ferocious Beast meat of that quality every day. At my age, perhaps they've already broken through the limits of the human Essence Gate and become Martial Artists in the 'Mortal Shedding' realm."

"No, they don't have the Spirit Devour ability, so they can't absorb it as efficiently as I can. If they ate that kind of meat every day, their bodies probably couldn't handle it. It's not as exaggerated as I thought."

"Besides, becoming a Martial Artist isn't just a matter of reaching a Blood-Qi Value of 10. There are other requirements, too."

After studying the screen and letting his thoughts wander for a while, Chen Mochuan remembered that he had school the next day and needed to rest properly to recover. He put aside those scattered thoughts and forced himself to fall asleep.

The next morning, in the senior-year Martial Arts Department honors class, Zhang Qionggui, the Martial Arts General Knowledge teacher, stood at the front of the classroom, teaching the students.

"Putrid Hyenas are one of the most common Tier Two Ferocious Beasts in the Wilderness Zone. Their saliva contains putrefying bacteria that can make wounds decay rapidly. They feed on carrion and often move in packs."

"Besides their usual physical attacks, Putrid Hyenas can also spit corrosive pus, so you must guard against it when fighting them."

"Their weakness is their extremely poor eyesight. They rely heavily on their sense of smell, so strong fragrances or foul odors can interfere with their judgment..."

Chen Mochuan listened attentively. Unlike most of his classmates, who chose to record the material on their Personal Terminals, he firmly believed that "the palest ink is better than the best memory." He was scribbling away, quickly taking notes.

Just as Zhang Qionggui began explaining another common Ferocious Beast, the classroom door was gently pushed open, interrupting her lecture.

The homeroom teacher, Han Zhen, appeared in the doorway. After exchanging a few quiet words with Teacher Zhang, he called to the back of the room, "Chen Mochuan, come out for a moment. Principal Wang wants to see you."

Everyone in the class turned to look at Chen Mochuan in unison. It wasn't common for the homeroom teacher to call someone out during class, let alone to see the principal.

Confused, Chen Mochuan stood up and left the classroom under his classmates' curious gazes.

"Well, that's a rare sight. I've never seen anyone get called away by the principal during class before."

"I saw the homeroom teacher come upstairs with two police officers just now. Could that be why?" said a student who had just returned from asking to use the bathroom.

The floor above the honors classroom was occupied by the school's administrative offices, including the principal's office.

"Could he have gotten into trouble and the police came looking for him?"

"Bullshit," Li Biao snapped.

"I doubt it. Chen Mochuan seems like a good guy to me," said another student, unconvinced.

"Then why was he called away just after the police arrived?"

"Knock! Knock! Knock!"

Three raps sounded against the lectern at the front of the classroom, and the noisy discussion quickly died down.

"Everyone, quiet down. We're still in class!" Zhang Qionggui told them, putting a stop to the commotion.

She hadn't encountered anything like this in years, and had been lost in thought for a moment. Now that she'd come to her senses, she immediately set about restoring order in the classroom.

Chen Mochuan followed Han Zhen upstairs. His homeroom teacher remained silent, making Chen Mochuan uneasy. What did the principal want with him?

Recently, he had done nothing at school but study diligently and train in martial arts, just as usual. There was nothing out of the ordinary.

Then it must be something that happened outside school... He had a guess.

Before long, the two of them reached the principal's office and knocked softly.

"Come in."

When Chen Mochuan opened the door, the first person he saw was Principal Wang Binren, usually a stern man who rarely smiled. At that moment, though, a brilliant smile lit up his face as he chatted with someone.

On the guest sofa to one side sat two police officers, a man and a woman. The male officer was Li Feng, the one who had driven Chen Mochuan home earlier.

Chen Mochuan knew his guess had been right: they'd called him in because of the Ferocious Rat incident.

"Good lad, come on in." Seeing Chen Mochuan, Principal Wang greeted him warmly and patted the spot beside him. "Come sit here."

Chen Mochuan obediently took a seat, but edged as close to the end of the sofa as he could to show respect for his elders.

Li Feng smiled and spoke in a gentle voice. "Chen Mochuan, it's good to see you again. We're here on behalf of the Special Situation Brigade of the Antu City Police Department to thank you personally for what you did the night before last."

"You called the police promptly when danger struck and provided crucial information, helping us quickly secure the scene and avert the risk of civilian casualties... Your strong sense of social responsibility and courageous actions deserve recognition."

Chen Mochuan smiled and nodded. "Officer Li, you're too kind. I only did what I should have done."

Principal Wang beamed with pride and spoke at just the right moment. "Chen Mochuan's actions truly reflect the excellent character and sense of responsibility of our students at No. 8 High School."

As he spoke, he turned to Chen Mochuan. "The two officers have already told me what happened. The way you handled yourself in a moment of danger makes the school proud."

Seeing this, Li Feng grew more formal. "That's right. According to what we've verified, after you encountered danger, you not only chose to call the police right away, buying them precious time to deal with the emergency..."

"Even after reaching safety, you took the initiative to stop other unaware civilians from approaching the danger zone, effectively preventing the risk of possible casualties. This showed admirable composure in a crisis and concern for public safety."

"To promote justice and encourage citizens to take an active role in maintaining public safety, the Special Situation Brigade submitted a recommendation, which the city bureau approved. Under the 'Songjiang Province Citizen Assistance to Police Reward Measures,' we've decided to award you the honorary title of 'Advanced Individual for Bravery' and a five-thousand-yuan reward as encouragement."

Li Feng knew that the team captain, Liang Wenbin, had played an indispensable role in ensuring the commendation came so quickly and at the right level. But Chen Mochuan's actions had genuinely met the criteria, and there had been nothing improper about the procedure.

To have earned the favor of a Martial Artist in the Inner Scene Realm—this outstanding young man had a bright future ahead of him.