Network Sainthood in Three Steps

South District, in front of a dilapidated courtyard.

Ning Qiu looked at the noisy courtyard gate before her, feeling somewhat at a loss.

At this moment, four or five women with fawning enthusiasm were surrounding her.

"Oh my, Sister Qiu, you are truly blessed. Ye Li has really made something of himself!"

"That's right, my boy even said that even the martial artists of the Azure Dragon Gang are praising his talent."

"In a few years, you'll be able to sit back and enjoy life!"

The four or five women were chattering away, leaving Ning Qiu completely bewildered.

From their words, Ning Qiu finally pieced together the general situation.

Her Li'er had displayed astonishing talent and had taken the top spot.

After some of the other gang members from the same batch returned home and spoke of it, these neighbors had come to offer their congratulations.

"Ning Qiu, look, I just happened to buy a fine carp on my way here. Take it and stew it to nourish your body." A woman smiled and handed over the koi in her hand.

"Sister Wang, how could I accept this?"

Understanding the reason, Ning Qiu exchanged polite pleasantries before smiling and accepting the carp: "Then I shall thank you in advance."

"Hey, it's nothing at all." The woman waved her hand with a sheepish smile: "The kids didn't know any better when they were small and had some conflicts with your little Ye. This is just to make amends."

At this, the woman recalled the conversation with her son when he returned home.

Ye Li possessed the talent of a core backbone member!

What was a core backbone member? That was a big shot who brought in dozens of taels of silver every month; her own son might even be working under him in the future.

Thinking of this, the woman secretly regretted having indulged her son's behavior in the past!

In the distance, Ye Li, returning from his training, caught sight of the lively scene at the gate and paused slightly.

Has it finally begun?

He had long anticipated everything happening ahead.

News traveled fastest among neighbors in the city.

And his talent was like a firefly in the dark night, impossible to conceal.

Unless he chose to give up the title of first place in this assessment, this situation was bound to happen.

Walking the path of a "trash" character and staying low-key might be safe, but it was far less expansive than the path of a genius.

"This can be considered a good thing, too!" Ye Li muttered to himself.

The public security in the South District had been deteriorating recently, and Ye Li was usually not at home.

By showing his value at the right time, these neighbors would be more willing to help out when trouble arose.

And...

Ye Li's eyes dimmed slightly as he thought of the countless pains of his youth before his memories had awakened.

Others had a biological family; he didn't even have a "biological god" family.

If it weren't for his uncle and aunt raising him, he would have likely been torn apart and sold off in pieces to the West District next door long ago.

Being born without parents made the neighbors look down on him a fraction more.

With their words and deeds as examples, conflicts and fights naturally occurred frequently.

Fortunately, he hadn't been reincarnated into the family of some "Lion's Pupil" loser.

When the children's squabbles involved the adults, his uncle and aunt hadn't forced him to bow his head and admit fault, preserving his childhood self-esteem and dignity.

But even so, the experiences of his childhood had slowly eroded and influenced Ye Li's thinking.

Adler once said: Happy people use their childhood to heal their whole lives, while unhappy people use their whole lives to heal their childhood!

Ye Li could clearly feel his younger self questioning him:

Did he want to become a nobody, or did he want to be famous throughout the world?

This choice had already been answered back when he chose to disguise his traits to infiltrate the Azure Dragon Gang.

Therefore, even if only to heal his younger self, Ye Li did not want to walk the path of a coward.

Ye Li shook his head with some emotion, not understanding why he had suddenly become so sentimental.

It couldn't be that just by mentioning Dragon Raja, he had been infected with Jiang Nan's literary melancholy across worlds and turned into a loser, could it?

"Oh my, the future master is back..."

"Little Li, you still recognize me, right? I even held you when you were small."

"Back from training, aren't you? My boy said you were the most hardworking in the gang, and it's true."

In the time it took for Ye Li to be momentarily stunned, the neighborhood women had already discovered his presence and swarmed toward him with enthusiasm.

Looking at the warm gazes of his neighbors, a gentle smile rose on Ye Li's face—a mutual attraction!

The way he conversed with these people was just like the attitude he had when he first started streaming to get the "big shots" to gift him a captaincy.

Both his voice and expressions were flawless.

The only difference was that he wasn't wearing a 2D avatar skin or using a voice changer.

Of course, that was only the initial avatar-wearing Ye Li!

Later, after Ye Li became famous, he decisively revealed his face and began the three-step process to internet sainthood!

Forget your roots!

Cut ties!!

Purify!!!

There was nothing particularly noteworthy about his home life.

It was nothing more than a blend of warm daily routines and diligent, arduous training.

Even though becoming a core disciple was a foregone conclusion, Ye Li did not dare to relax in the slightest.

After all, he had seen too many instances of people celebrating prematurely on the internet over the years; now was far from the time to slack off.

As the saying goes in the New Three Kingdoms:

Arrogant troops are bound to fail.

Therefore, aside from trivial matters like eating and sleeping, Ye Li continued to pour all his time into martial arts training.

The one-day break passed in a flash, and Ye Li returned to the Azure Dragon Gang amidst the reluctance of his aunt and uncle's family.

At this moment, inside the Azure Dragon Gang, Li Xi was in the communal dormitory, tossing and turning all night!

Because he was viewed by the Li Family as having insufficient potential, even though he was born into the direct line, he was already considered a fringe member of the clan!

The person most likely to become the new head of the Li Family now was Li You, a collateral descendant who possessed a rare blue-tier trait.

He, the legitimate son, had already been marginalized within the clan without a sound.

"If the family finds out I used a Body Tempering Pill yet failed to take first place in the assessment, they will definitely get to the bottom of it."

"Li You has a grudge against my mother and will certainly kick me while I'm down."

"Rather than going back to be mocked by that bunch of opportunists, it's better to be on my own in the gang."

"Next month! In next month's assessment, I must suppress Ye Li!"

Li Xi steeled himself, but as soon as he thought of Ye Li, a wave of frustration welled up in his heart!

He considered his talent no less than Ye Li's, and believed his failure at the end of the month was entirely because he had balanced his martial arts training while body tempering.

What he practiced was the Mara Hand, which paired with his trait.

This martial art taught warriors how to strike at an enemy's vital points using fingers, palms, fists, and elbows during combat.

Normally, finding openings in an opponent's energy during a fight was an extremely difficult task.

But his trait, Sharp Eyes Quick Hands (Green), happened to be perfectly suited for this technique.

"If it weren't for practicing martial arts, how could that bumpkin Ye Li have taken advantage of the situation?"

Poor talent, being looked down upon by the clan, being kicked out of the house, failing the month-end assessment...

The smooth sailing of his first half of life caused the various frustrations of recent days to accumulate and swell in his chest like a balloon...

"How exactly does this bumpkin train? Could he have some secret?"

"His trait, Exceptional Agility, can only increase comprehension; he can't really be a natural martial arts prodigy, can he!"

As Li Xi lay on his bed lost in thought, the door creaked open.

He looked toward the sound and saw Ye Li, who had returned from his break, walking in with his pack.

He was still wearing the black-and-red-patterned Azure Dragon uniform, but his inner lining was brand new!

Their gazes collided in the air for an instant.

Ye Li looked away as indifferently as if he had seen a transparent person, placed his belongings at the head of the bed, and prepared to leave.

It was still early, so he could just train for a few hours and sleep when he got back.

"With the increase in physical strength over the last few days, it's becoming harder to feel tired from daily training."

Ye Li muttered to himself, "Should I add some weight during my workouts and move beyond pure bodyweight training?"

Just as he was lost in his reverie, Li Xi's commanding voice came from behind him:

"Ye Li! I told you to come over here and talk!"