Chen Gequn

At the dinner table, Chen Lie and Chen Xingyao were serving themselves more rice. Feng Yuelan filled her bowl too, then sat down and made an announcement.

"Chen Lie, Yaoyao, your dad just called me. Uncle Lu wants to take our family out to dinner at the Starlight Hotel in the provincial capital tomorrow."

"Huh? Why is Uncle Lu treating us to dinner?" Chen Xingyao asked.

"It's Qingchan's birthday. Your Uncle Lu invited us all to get together. If you're buying her a gift, make sure you have it ready."

As she spoke, Feng Yuelan gave her son a meaningful look.

It was no secret in their family that Chen Lie liked Lu Qingchan.

She felt there was a gap between her son and Lu Qingchan, but Lu Qingchan's father supported the match, so she supported her son pursuing her. Young people ought to take chances. As far as she was concerned, the two of them might still have a chance.

Yet Chen Lie remained calm under Feng Yuelan's pointed gaze.

That struck her as odd.

At the mention of Lu Qingchan, Chen Lie paused for only a moment before an exceptionally beautiful, cool and proud young woman came to mind.

In his previous life, a girl named Lu Qingchan had transferred to his school in the second half of his first year. She was reserved, lovely, and extraordinarily gifted.

As soon as she arrived, Lu Qingchan entered the school's Key Class. Before long, her exceptional talent for martial arts earned her a place in the Elite Class.

From then on, her name was known throughout the school. Her reputation soared, and admirers flocked to her.

An ordinary student like Chen Lie should never have crossed paths with a genius like Lu Qingchan. But one day, Lu Qidong, who had served in the military with Chen Lie's father, brought his daughter to visit.

The first time Chen Lie saw Lu Qingchan up close, his heart raced. She was even more beautiful than the rumors said.

Even though she was the daughter of his father's old comrade, Chen Lie had not dared to hope for anything. He knew how far apart they were.

Then one day, Lu Qidong earnestly proposed bringing Chen Lie and Lu Qingchan together.

Chen Lie had been beside himself with joy. If her father wanted the match, surely the difference in their talents could be overcome.

What he had not known was that talent had never been the real gulf between them. It was the difference in their social standing—and Lu Qingchan's pride.

Lu Qingchan belonged to the Chuandong Lu Family, a colossus whose influence stretched across all of Chuandong Province.

Lu Qidong had moved to Changdong City after losing a struggle within the family. Disheartened, he had proposed the match because he wanted Lu Qingchan away from the Lu Family's internal conflicts.

Lu Qingchan had neither agreed nor objected to her father's plan. At the time, Chen Lie had mistaken her silence for consent. Only later did he realize she had never taken him seriously at all.

Without the fifty years he had spent wandering the stars in his previous life, Chen Lie might still have hoped something would happen between them. Now, he felt only calm.

"Will Dad come pick us up tomorrow?" Chen Xingyao asked.

"Of course. You two trained all day today, so get to bed early after dinner. Don't sleep in tomorrow," Feng Yuelan reminded them.

At the mention of his father, Chen Lie looked up at once.

His father, Chen Gequn, had joined the military when he was young and fought on the front lines. His outstanding service had earned him a field officer's rank at an early age, with several hundred men under his command. He should have had a promising future, but an Exotic Beast attack injured both his legs and forced him to retire. After leaving the military, he became the head of security at a large company in a neighboring province.

As Chen Lie remembered it, he had rarely seen his father. Chen Gequn spent no more than twenty days a year at home, yet he had shouldered the enormous cost of supporting two Martial Arts Students, Chen Lie and Chen Xingyao.

As a retired officer and Martial Artist Fourth Tier, Chen Gequn earned an annual salary of over a million Star Dollars as the company's head of security. For now, that was enough to support them both. But once Chen Lie and Chen Xingyao's Blood Qi Values passed one, the Chen Family began spending more than it earned.

If Chen Lie wanted to keep pace with the geniuses of the Central Galactic Empire during the Blood-Qi Stage, even draining his family's finances would not be enough.

In his previous life, reaching the Martial Artist realm had nearly exhausted the family's wealth. Even Chen Gequn, who earned a high income by Blue Star standards, had been driven deep into debt.

Looks like... I'll have to rely on myself this time.

Chen Lie spoke silently to himself. This time, though, he feared nothing.

Early the next morning, Chen Lie woke well before anyone else.

His Blood Qi had risen by 0.4 Ka the day before, leaving his body short on nutrients. He felt hungry the moment he opened his eyes.

After washing up, he went to the kitchen and ate some nutritious produce.

He had a remarkable Body Tempering Technique from the Central Galactic Empire. As long as he had enough nutrition, raising his Blood Qi Value would be no problem.

Just as he reached the living room, Chen Lie heard two people talking.

"Yaoyao and Chen Lie's Blood Qi Values are both close to one. We should order two bottles of Blood Essence Fluid in advance, and buy some more training equipment."

"Yes, I know. I've already asked someone to order the two bottles. They're made by the Sunlight Group. They cost twenty thousand Star Dollars more than other brands, but they have a better absorption rate. My coworker's children use them too."

"Twenty thousand more? Doesn't that make a bottle of Sunlight Brand Blood Essence Fluid a hundred thousand Star Dollars?"

"It's from the Sunlight Group, a major brand. There's a reason it costs more. If it helps the children's future cultivation, it would be worth it even if it cost two hundred thousand more, let alone twenty thousand."

Chen Lie stopped when he saw the two figures sitting on the living room sofa.

The taller figure was unmistakably his father, Chen Gequn, whom he had not seen in seventy years. The person speaking with him was his mother, Feng Yuelan.

Neither of them seemed to notice Chen Lie approaching. They went on talking.

Chen Gequn suddenly asked, "By the way, Chen Lie's Blood Qi Value still hasn't passed one? I remember it was already at 0.9 Ka three months ago."

Feng Yuelan shook her head, her face full of worry. "No. He's hit a bottleneck. His Blood Qi Value has been stuck at 0.93 Ka for over a month. I was wondering if we could give him some Exotic Beast Meat early."

Chen Gequn shook his head. "Exotic Beast Meat works best when someone's Blood Qi Value passes three, especially the first time they eat it. If he has it early, what will we do when he reaches three? Giving it to him now would mean using up some of his potential ahead of time.

"Things like that have to be taken at the right time and in the right amount."

"Then what can we do? The college entrance exam is coming up. If this goes on, he'll have trouble getting into even an ordinary martial arts university." Feng Yuelan sighed and shook her head.

"Don't worry yet," Chen Gequn said. "If Chen Lie is still stuck next month, I'll ask some friends whether there are other supplements that might help him."

Feng Yuelan nodded. "I suppose that's all we can do."

Chen Gequn asked, "What about Yaoyao? How is she progressing?"

"You don't need to worry about Yaoyao. She's improving quickly. She'll definitely enter the Elite Class before her second year, and her Blood Qi Value might even pass one before Chen Lie's.

"So hurry and buy the equipment she'll need once that happens. She can't go to a Martial Arts Hall every time she trains."

"Yes, I'll take care of it," Chen Gequn said with a nod.

Just then, Chen Lie walked toward the sofa.

"Dad, Mom, there's no rush to buy the training equipment."

At the sound of his voice, Chen Gequn and Feng Yuelan turned around.

"Chen Lie? You trained all day yesterday. Why didn't you sleep a little longer?" Feng Yuelan asked as soon as she saw him.

"I went to bed early. I've had enough rest," Chen Lie said.

"You rascal. You're so excited about seeing Uncle Lu's daughter today that you couldn't sleep, aren't you?"

Chen Gequn rose from the sofa, came over to Chen Lie, and gave his shoulder a light pat.

Chen Lie shook his head slightly. He did not particularly care about seeing anyone else, but seeing his father after seventy years lifted a weight from his heart.