Martial Artist Banquet

Several more hours passed before Chen Lie heard his Communicator ring. He stopped practicing the Lingguang Divine Refining Chapter, got out of bed, and picked it up. To his surprise, it was an unfamiliar number.

After a moment's thought, Chen Lie answered.

"Hello, is this young Mr. Chen? This is Yang Shen, the owner of the crystal card shop you visited the day before yesterday."

The moment the call connected, a familiar voice came through the Communicator.

"Oh, Boss Yang. Did you sell those ten sets of Void-Breaking Fist Crystal Cards from the day before yesterday?" Chen Lie asked.

"Void-Breaking Fist Crystal Cards are in high demand. I sold them all in a single afternoon. Not one left."

"Oh, that's good."

"I'm calling to ask whether you have any time today. I got some blank crystal cards from others in the business.

"If you have time, would you prefer to come over, or send me your address so I can bring the blank crystal cards to you?"

"You got more blank crystal cards?" Chen Lie's interest stirred. "I'll come over myself. Just wait for me at your shop."

"Of course, of course. I'll be at the shop. Come whenever you like."

Chen Lie ended the call, left his room, and went to the bathroom to wash his face.

When he reached the living room, he found his mother, Feng Yuelan, tidying up.

"Chen Lie, today's the day our neighbor Uncle He is holding his martial artist banquet. Do you want to go?"

Feng Yuelan asked when she saw him.

"No, I have something else to do." Chen Lie shook his head.

Feng Yuelan couldn't help asking, "What are you so busy with all day? Have you been training hard lately? It's been several days now. Has your blood qi value improved at all?"

Seeing his mother's expression, Chen Lie paused briefly, then handed her his Elite Student ID.

"Mom, look at this."

Feng Yuelan took what Chen Lie handed her and held it up for a look. "What's this? Wait... an Elite Student ID?"

The card read: Elite Class Student ID

Student name: Chen Lie

Class: Elite Student Class 5.

Instructor: Hong Chengshuo

(Issued by the Elite Martial Arts Office of Dongchuan Province No. 1 Key High School)

Feng Yuelan lowered the Elite Student ID and stared at Chen Lie in shock. "You got into the Elite Class?"

"Yes," Chen Lie said. "I'm an Elite Student now."

"When did this happen?"

"Just a couple of days ago."

"A couple of days ago? Why didn't you tell us sooner? Other students have their parents accompany them to the Elite Student assessment. If you'd told me ahead of time, I could have asked your dad to come home early and go with you."

Chen Lie waved a hand. "There was no need. Dad's so busy with work. Why make him come all the way back? My blood qi value met the requirement, so the Elite Student assessment was just a formality for me."

Looking at Chen Lie's Elite Student ID, Feng Yuelan didn't know what to feel.

Her son really had made something of himself. He had passed the Elite Student assessment without saying a word. It seemed he really had received guidance from an important figure from the Outer Stars.

"How did your blood qi value rise so quickly? It's only been a few days, and you've already passed 3 and joined the Elite Class?" Feng Yuelan couldn't resist asking again.

"Mom, don't worry about that. Just look at the results. I told you, my goal is Starry Sky University," Chen Lie said.

"All right, I won't ask."

Feng Yuelan nodded and said, "Get yourself ready and change your clothes. Come with me to the banquet Uncle He is holding to celebrate his son Zhenming becoming a martial artist."

"Didn't I say I had something to do and wasn't going?" Chen Lie asked.

"What do you have to do? Is it related to martial arts cultivation?" Feng Yuelan asked.

"No."

"Then it's nothing important. Come with me."

"All right."

Since his mother insisted, Chen Lie nodded and agreed, though he couldn't be bothered to change his clothes.

After leaving home, Feng Yuelan hailed a speedboat and headed for the Martial Student Hotel in Changdong City.

On the speedboat, Chen Lie asked, "Mom, didn't they say they'd come pick us up?"

"They were just being polite. Who are we to actually make them come pick us up?" Feng Yuelan said.

Before long, the speedboat arrived outside the Martial Student Hotel in Changdong City.

Chen Lie and his mother, Feng Yuelan, got off the speedboat and entered the hotel.

As soon as they entered, Chen Lie saw Liu Lianqing come over to greet them.

"Oh, Chen Lie's mom, what took you so long? Come, come, upstairs to the second floor. We've been waiting for you."

Feng Yuelan smiled and nodded, following Liu Lianqing toward the second floor, with Chen Lie behind her.

"Oh? Just the two of you? Why didn't Chen Lie's dad and Xingyao come?"

As they climbed the stairs, Liu Lianqing glanced back and suddenly asked.

"One's busy with work, and the other's busy studying. Neither could spare the time," Feng Yuelan said.

"What a shame. We won't get to properly catch up."

Liu Lianqing shook her head and sighed.

As soon as they reached the second floor, Chen Lie saw a banner.

"Congratulations to He Zhenming of Yunchuan Key Martial Arts University on becoming a martial artist."

Liu Lianqing led Chen Lie and his mother to a private room. "Chen Lie's mom, you and Chen Lie can sit here. Zhenming's dad is busy, but Zhenming's here. I'll join you once I'm done. Let's have a good get-together today."

"Zhenming, come say hello to your Aunt Feng."

Inside the private room, a tall, thin young man stood and walked to the doorway.

"Hello, Aunt Feng."

"So this is Zhenming? It's been so long I hardly recognized you. Go on, have a seat!"

Hearing Feng Yuelan's words, He Zhenming nodded and returned to his seat.

Liu Lianqing added, "Go ahead and sit down with Chen Lie. Everyone here knows each other."

Feng Yuelan nodded, entered the private room, and found seats for herself and Chen Lie.

"Oh, isn't this Chen Lie?"

Chen Lie had only just sat down when he heard the voice. He turned and saw that the speaker was a middle-aged woman.

"That's your Aunt Gao."

Feng Yuelan reminded Chen Lie from beside him.

"Aunt Gao."

Chen Lie greeted her.

Never mind that more than seventy years had passed now—even in his previous life, he certainly wouldn't have remembered these neighbors.

Ever since his second year of high school, he had rarely gone out, only traveling between home and school. Even when he occasionally ran into a neighbor, he would take a detour to avoid them.

Aunt Gao nodded, then shifted her gaze from Chen Lie to the star of today's banquet, He Zhenming.

"Zhenming, you're already in your second year of university, aren't you? Why have you only just become a martial artist?

"My Qingqing became a martial artist at the start of the year."

"Aunt Gao, there's something you don't know," He Zhenming said. "Becoming a martial artist earlier isn't necessarily better. It depends on your blood qi value before the breakthrough. The higher your blood qi value during the blood-qi stage, the greater your future potential.

"What was Qingqing's blood qi value when she became a martial artist?"

Aunt Gao thought for a moment. "Around two hundred units."

He Zhenming smiled slightly. "That explains it. Before I became a martial artist, my blood qi value was already close to three hundred units.

"Don't underestimate that hundred-unit difference. It's a crucial factor in determining how far someone can go in martial arts."

After hearing that, Aunt Gao stopped talking to He Zhenming and turned back to Chen Lie.

"Chen Lie, you're in your final year of high school now. How's it going? Has your blood qi value passed 1 yet?"

Chen Lie nodded. "It has."

Aunt Gao said seriously, "Passing 1 is only the beginning. When your older sister Qingqing was your age, she'd already been training in the Elite Class for more than half a year.

"You can't slack off either. Hurry up and get your blood qi value past 3 so you can join the Elite Class. There's no future in the Ordinary Class.

"Oh? If I remember correctly, you never managed to get into the Elite Class either, did you, Zhenming?"

After that last remark, Aunt Gao turned to He Zhenming again.

"Being in the Elite Class or the Ordinary Class doesn't prove anything," He Zhenming said.

"Although I didn't get into the Elite Class, plenty of my classmates at Yunchuan Key Martial Arts University were in Elite Classes in high school, yet their results are worse than mine.

"Besides, it wasn't that I lacked the ability to enter the Elite Class.

"My university instructor described me as someone who progressed steadily, built a solid foundation, and came from behind to surpass the others. My martial arts cultivation only started taking off in my final year of high school.

"Aunt Gao, you may not know this, but schools tighten the requirements for final-year Martial Arts Students to become Elite Students. For a final-year Martial Arts Student, never mind passing 3—even a blood qi value above 4 doesn't guarantee admission to the Elite Class.

"That was what happened to me. My strength already met the requirements in the first semester of my final year, but the school raised the standards for the Elite Student assessment. By the time I was strong enough, the school had already closed the path for final-year Martial Arts Students to become Elite Students."

"Really?" Aunt Gao asked. "Why did I hear that you could enter the Elite Class as soon as your blood qi value passed 3?"

"Martial arts on Blue Star are constantly advancing," He Zhenming said calmly. "I can say for certain that the Elite Student assessment is much harder now than it was in my day, whether you're a second-year or final-year Martial Arts Student.

"If you don't believe me, Aunt Gao, you can ask any student who's preparing to take the Elite Student assessment.

"Ask whether a final-year Martial Arts Student whose blood qi value has passed 3, but who falls short in other areas, can pass the Elite Student assessment.

"I'd wager that even a second-year Martial Arts Student, let alone a final-year one, might not pass the Elite Student assessment if his blood qi value is above 3 but he doesn't meet the other requirements."

"Is that really true?" Aunt Gao was full of doubt.

He Zhenming nodded. "Of course. So don't give Chen Lie a hard time, Aunt Gao. Even if his blood qi value passes 3, he won't be able to enter the Elite Class.

"Besides, this semester is almost over. Next semester, the school will close the path for ordinary Martial Arts Students to enter the Elite Class.

"So Chen Lie probably has no hope of getting into the Elite Class."

As he spoke, He Zhenming looked at Chen Lie.

"How is the Elite Student assessment anywhere near as difficult as you're making it sound?"

Feng Yuelan spoke up.

"Aunt Feng, you haven't been following the Elite Student assessment, so you may not understand how difficult it is..."

He Zhenming had just begun to speak when Feng Yuelan cut him off. "I may not know exactly how difficult the Elite Student assessment is, but Chen Lie is already in the Elite Class, which means he passed it. And I haven't heard him say there was anything difficult about it."