Making a Friend

"Oh?" Wei Jinlin turned back in confusion, not expecting so many matters to crop up today.

He sized up Lu Ming and asked, "What's your name?"

Lu Ming replied, "Disciple Lu Ming."

Wei Jinlin gave a slight nod. "Try walking it too."

"Yes." Lu Ming approached the most basic set of Nine Palace Stakes—the Red Dot Nine Palace Stakes—and stepped into them without hesitation.

"Thud thud thud..."

Wei Jinlin's gaze was sharp as he watched Lu Ming's posture.

"Mud-treading steps for straight movement, swinging and hooking steps for turning, body twisting and coiling, force arising on its own...

"Three Breaths Nine Echoes!

"He has indeed cultivated Integrated Force."

Wei Jinlin said at once:

"After lunch, go to the Utility Room and collect a white training uniform and a wooden token for practice."

"Yes." Lu Ming respectfully acknowledged.

He had not a single coin on him; medicinal ointments were beyond his means. But to the Military Service Bureau, that was a mere drizzle.

Drawing from his experience studying in a past life, teachers favored students with good grades, followed by those who were moderately diligent. If you went to the teacher after class asking for extra practice problems, there was a chance you'd get an additional worksheet!

So then, relying on his talent of having cultivated Integrated Force, asking for a few bottles of medicinal ointment shouldn't be too much, should it?

This was the most direct way to obtain medicinal ointment.

Not far away, Shen Jue saw that Lu Ming had cultivated Integrated Force and was also taken aback:

"This kid actually broke through!"

Standing beside him was a white-robed youth—Chen Jinyang of the Chen family. There was also a fair-skinned, beautiful woman named Li Youning, whose family also held influence.

At their waists hung a brass key each.

And the Zhu Ming who had just stolen the spotlight was now standing behind Chen Jinyang, looking somewhat respectful. Clearly the rumors were true—the reason he had improved so quickly was thanks to Chen Jinyang's sponsorship.

"Well done! Tonight, we'll hold a banquet in your courtyard," Chen Jinyang said with satisfaction.

Zhu Ming replied, "Yes."

Shen Jue suddenly said, "Should I call Lu Ming to join? He's also a talent."

Chen Jinyang glanced at Lu Ming in the distance and frowned. "He's only just cultivated Integrated Force now, ranked outside the top two hundred, several levels behind Zhu Ming. Is it necessary?"

Shen Jue shook his head. "His conditions are very poor. Maybe he hasn't fully displayed his talent before. I think his character is decent. If we give him a little push, he could at least become a useful fighter in the future."

Chen Jinyang wasn't concerned, but seeing Shen Jue insist, he said, "In that case..."

"No. Don't call him." Li Youning, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke.

Shen Jue asked in confusion, "Big beauty Li, how did he offend you? Those trinkets you liked so much before—several of them were his ideas."

Li Youning lifted her chin, revealing her fair neck. "No means no. Otherwise, I won't go."

"Alright, alright, I really can't argue with you." Shen Jue shook his head in exasperation.

Chen Jinyang chuckled at the scene. "That's fine too. Honestly, with his talent, he doesn't qualify for our banquet anyway."

Li Youning glanced at Lu Ming, her eyes flickering briefly. "Let's train first."

With that, they joined the crowd in the Martial Arts Arena and began practicing.

Two hours later, "Bang bang~" the sound of wooden clappers rang out—the signal for the Public Kitchen to serve food!

Lu Ming ended his training and headed for the Public Kitchen. Along the way, he saw gray wind blowing past. On the trees by the road, the stone slabs underfoot, the eaves in the distance—many places had black leak-holes.

He couldn't reach the others, and he feared being too conspicuous, but the black leak-holes in the stone slabs—he stepped on one as he passed, and it was as if wind rose beneath his feet, making walking much easier.

This divine ability was kind of fun!

Lu Ming felt a secret thrill, but when he arrived at the Public Kitchen, he swept his gaze around and felt something odd. Every time he came to the Public Kitchen, there was no one.

Aside from the disciples eating, there wasn't even anyone serving food. The four hundred portions of meals were already divided up—one portion per person, grab and eat.

Not only that, but throughout the entire Military Service Bureau, aside from the Director and martial instructor Wei Jinlin, everyone else seemed to be avoiding them. He had never even seen them.

Still, he was in a hurry to collect his things from the Utility Room, so he didn't dwell on it.

After eating, he quickly left the Public Kitchen and headed toward the Utility Room.

"Wait."

Just as he was about to reach the Utility Room, someone stepped out from behind a large tree by the roadside and blocked his way.

Lu Ming was startled. It was a woman, dressed in a crisp white outfit, her hair pinned up with a silver hairpin, revealing a fair neck.

He had heard of her—Li Youning, part of the same circle as Shen Jue and Chen Jinyang. She rarely showed a smile, and from what he remembered, she came across as quite aloof.

"Senior Sister Li, you're looking for me?" Lu Ming asked, puzzled. He didn't think he'd ever even spoken to Li Youning.

But Li Youning took out an exquisite wooden box from behind her and opened it to show him. Inside the box were ten doses of injury medicine.

"I know you achieved Three Breaths Nine Echoes while lacking injury medicine. Your martial arts talent is quite good, and you must have worked very hard."

Li Youning gave him a slight smile and handed the wooden box over. "What I admire most are people with talent who are willing to work hard. These ten doses of injury medicine are a gift for you. Can we be friends?"

Lu Ming looked at her long, smooth hands—they didn't look like they'd ever practiced martial arts—and silently marveled. To maintain them to such a degree must have taken considerable effort.

At the same time, suspicion arose in his heart. For such a radiant, wealthy, and beautiful woman to suddenly show him goodwill was unusual.

He knew that Shen Jue was among the rich second-generation types who had a decent relationship with him, yet after his breakthrough, Shen Jue hadn't come to recruit him.

That was because when he walked the Nine Palace Living Stakes, he hadn't used the Heaven Leak Divine Ability.

Although he had reached the Integrated Force level through the Heaven Leak Divine Ability, now that he'd achieved it, he wouldn't easily regress. Moreover, he'd consolidated ten times before, stabilizing his Integrated Force realm.

The divine ability was his trump card, so he naturally wouldn't reveal it lightly.

Thus, in the Martial Arts Arena, he only displayed the most ordinary Integrated Force level—roughly the level of someone ranked two hundred or below.

That kind of level was a dime a dozen in the Military Service Bureau.

Shen Jue hadn't come to him, but Li Youning, this aloof woman he'd never met, had. Why?

Lu Ming pondered and said:

"Thank you for the gift, Senior Sister Li.

"I do lack injury medicine right now, but as the saying goes, one does not accept rewards without merit.

"If Senior Sister Li has any instructions, please speak freely. If it's something I can do, I'll accept the gift then."

Li Youning was startled. She hadn't expected Lu Ming to be so clear-headed in the face of ten doses of injury medicine. It was like a starving man seeing a bowl of hot porridge and being able to resist eating it.

A hint of admiration flickered in her eyes, and then she said seriously:

"To be honest, I think you have talent in lightness skills!

"Do you know why the Military Service Bureau exists? It's to select talented people, to try not to miss a single one.

"Those who complain about the Director's unfairness definitely don't have the talent. Otherwise, Director Wei would surely have noticed.

"As for you, I casually glanced at you earlier and noticed that when you walk, you seem to move very lightly and naturally, as if drifting with the wind.

"You've definitely never trained in lightness skills, yet you can give that impression. You must have talent.

"So I'm not lying to you. I genuinely want to be friends with someone like you, who has good martial arts talent and works hard.

"These ten doses of injury medicine are just a small gift. You don't have to do anything for them."

Lu Ming suddenly understood. It must have been when he was secretly stepping on the black acupoints on the road that Li Youning saw him.

Li Youning couldn't see the black acupoints, but she could see the lightness in his steps after he stepped on them.

Realizing this, he didn't regret it. Instead, his heart stirred.

Although his current goal was to strive to stay in the top two hundred and not be eliminated in the big exam, thus losing his qualification to practice martial arts, he also naturally wanted to become one of the top one hundred, a martial arts seedling, and enter a true martial arts sect!

Since that was the case, he had to become a person with "talent." Now that he was mistaken for having lightness skill talent, he might as well go along with it. It would actually cover up his Heaven Leak Divine Ability.

After all, if he showed nothing at all, wouldn't that invite even more speculation?

"Then I'll gratefully accept."

Lu Ming took the wooden box and looked at the ten doses of injury medicine with joy.

He needed injury medicine right now. With it, he could train more times each day and evolve his divine ability faster. So naturally, he would accept it.

Wei Jinlin hadn't made any promises, so he couldn't be sure of getting injury medicine from there. Taking these ten doses as a safety net was the smart move.

Then he took his leave from Li Youning and walked into the utility room nearby.

Li Youning watched his retreating figure and sighed inwardly. Her family's situation was very bad, so she tried her best to recruit talented disciples, hoping they could help.

If she let Shen Jue recruit Lu Ming, she'd lose her chance. So she had to use a little trick.

Still, Lu Ming's lightness skill talent was just her guess. Even if he had some talent, whether he could grow was still unknown.

At least it gave her some psychological comfort!

Li Youning let out a long breath, resumed her usual aloof expression, and turned to leave.