Homecoming

The practical training base had been erected temporarily and only opened during the few months before the Martial Arts College Entrance Exam each year. Located within the defense zone, it was a three-story building surrounded by barbed wire, with two fully armed soldiers standing guard at the entrance.

When Song Chen walked in, a long line had already formed in the lobby. They were students from various schools taking part in practical training. Some were covered in injuries, others looked utterly exhausted, but each of them clutched Crystal Cores in their hands, anticipation in their eyes.

After standing in line for half an hour, it was finally Song Chen's turn. A bespectacled middle-aged man sat behind the counter, dressed in a uniform with a logistics department badge pinned to his chest.

"Hand over the Life Crystal Cores."

Song Chen poured the Crystal Cores from his pocket onto the counter.

"Clatter..."

More than a hundred Crystal Cores piled up into a small mountain, glowing softly beneath the lights.

The middle-aged man's hand froze. His eyes widened as he looked up at Song Chen.

"This is..."

Song Chen was perfectly natural about it. "One hundred and thirty-two First Rank Crystal Cores. Please count them."

The middle-aged man opened his mouth, unable to speak for a moment. The people waiting in line behind Song Chen also fell silent, every gaze focused on that heap of Crystal Cores.

One hundred and thirty-two cores—what kind of concept was that?

The middle-aged man took a deep breath, picked up one Crystal Core, and examined it carefully. Then the second, then the third... He inspected them slowly but meticulously. It was a full ten minutes before he finally raised his head, his voice somewhat dry.

"One hundred and thirty-two. All are First Rank, and of superior quality. According to the rules, each Crystal Core can be exchanged for eight points. That comes to one thousand and fifty-six points in total."

One thousand and fifty-six points. Song Chen calculated in his heart. He had asked around before; resources at the points exchange were much cheaper than outside. A bottle of Blood Vitality Potion only cost sixty points here. With one thousand and fifty-six points, he could get seventeen bottles.

"I need to exchange for some items."

The middle-aged man nodded, took out a tablet from beneath the counter, and handed it to him.

"The resource list is all on there. Tell me what you want."

Song Chen took the tablet and began browsing. The list was long and neatly categorized.

[Vitality]: First Rank Blood Vitality Potion (60 points), Second Rank Blood Vitality Potion (500 points), Blood Vitality Pill (30 points/bottle)...

[Martial Skills]: C-rank saber technique (100 points), C-rank movement technique (120 points), incomplete B-rank manual (300 points)...

[Weapons]: C-rank alloy battle saber (120 points), B-rank alloy battle saber (800 points)...

[Armor]: C-rank combat uniform (60 points), energy shield (150 points)...

[Special]: Healing pills, antidotes, spirit energy supplements...

Song Chen's gaze stopped on the vitality section.

He remembered his mother's aged face and his father's ruined arm. 0.3, 0.9—those were his parents' Vitality Values. If they could take a few bottles of Blood Vitality Potion...

He had Spirit Energy Potions from the System Shop, so he had little need for the ones sold outside. The potions sold in the System Shop did not exist outside; taking them out would easily cause trouble. Better to...

With that thought, Song Chen said, "I need ten bottles of First Rank Blood Vitality Potion."

The middle-aged man froze. "Ten bottles? Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

"Ten bottles will cost six hundred points."

"Exchange them!"

The middle-aged man gave him a look but said nothing more. He turned and went to the warehouse to retrieve the goods. The people waiting behind them whispered among themselves, but Song Chen ignored their chatter.

Five minutes later, the middle-aged man returned carrying an alloy case. It was not large, but it looked heavy.

"Ten bottles of First Rank Blood Vitality Potion. Check them."

He opened the case. Inside were ten test-tube-shaped glass bottles arranged neatly in rows. The transparent bottles held pale red liquid that glimmered faintly under the lights.

Song Chen inspected them one by one, then closed the case after confirming there were no problems.

"You have four hundred and fifty-six points left. What else would you like to exchange?"

Song Chen thought for a moment. "Healing pills. The best kind."

The middle-aged man brought another small box from the warehouse. Inside were ten pills the size of longan fruits, jade-green throughout and emitting a faint medicinal fragrance.

"Top-grade First Rank healing pills. They work on both external and internal injuries. They sell for fifty thousand each on the market, but here they're thirty points apiece. Ten cost three hundred points, leaving you with one hundred and fifty-six points."

"Get me a C-rank battle saber too."

The saber Song Chen was currently using had been lent to him by Lin Qingxue. He had said he would return it.

By the time Song Chen returned to the city, it was nearly dark. There were far fewer people on the streets, with only squads of soldiers still patrolling.

The city wall in the distance was brightly lit. Those enormous Spirit Energy Cannons glowed a deep blue in the night, like silent eyes.

He stood by the roadside, looking at those lights in silence for a long time.

Ten bottles of Blood Vitality Potion and ten healing pills. His mother's Vitality Value was only 0.3. The lower one's Vitality Value, the better the Vitality Potion's effects. Three bottles should be enough to raise hers above 0.8.

Her physical foundation was weak, so she could not drink too much at once. If she took it in several doses and paired it with proper recuperation, perhaps she could return to the ranks of martial artists.

Though his father's arm was ruined, his physical foundation remained. With a Vitality Value of 0.9, a few bottles should be enough to make him a martial artist again.

Even if he could not recover his combat strength, at least his body could improve. He would not have to do all those grueling labor jobs anymore.

Healing pills were good things. If they encountered any accident in the city, they could save their lives.

It was enough.

Two hours later, Song Chen stood downstairs from his home in the slums. The light in the stairwell was still broken. He climbed to the fifth floor in the dark, took out his key, and opened the door.

The door opened, and the room was lit. His mother, Li Xiuying, sat at the dining table mending clothes. Hearing the sound, she looked up. When she saw him, her eyes instantly reddened.

"Xiao Chen!"

She threw down her needle and thread, ran over, and pulled him into a tight embrace.

"You're back... You're finally back... Mom was worried sick..."

Li Xiuying held him so tightly he could barely breathe, but he did not struggle.

"Mom, I'm fine."

Li Xiuying released him and looked him over from head to toe. "And you say you're fine? You've gotten thinner, darker. What happened to this scar on your hand? Does it hurt?"

Song Chen lowered his head and looked at the faint scars on his left arm. They were nearly invisible unless one looked closely. His mother's eyes really were sharp.

"They healed a long time ago. They don't hurt."

"How could they not hurt? Those cuts were so deep..."

His father, Song Zhengye, called out from the inner room. "Xiuying, let the boy come in. Don't block the doorway."

Only then did Li Xiuying come to her senses, pulling Song Chen inside.

Song Zhengye sat on the sofa. A bottle of baijiu and an enamel cup rested on the coffee table before him. A few more strands of his hair seemed to have turned white, but he looked to be in decent spirits. His gaze lingered on Song Chen for a moment, then narrowed slightly. "You're back?"

"You..."

Song Chen knew what he was looking at: his Vitality Value. Though his father was crippled, his eye for such things remained.

Song Chen fell silent for a moment before saying, "Dad, I got lucky this time. While killing mutated beasts, I caught the eye of a senior who took me as his disciple. He gave me many good things."

He did not choose the excuse about finding a fruit. It did indeed sound rather unreliable, so he used Zhang Zhenyun's explanation instead.

Li Xiuying was overjoyed at once and took Song Chen's hand. "Who is this senior? Have him come over and sit down sometime."

Song Chen shook his head somewhat awkwardly. "Mom, this senior asked me to keep his identity secret. Don't go telling people about it either."

"Mm!" Li Xiuying nodded with great seriousness.

Song Chen did not want to dwell on the matter. He raised his hand, set the alloy case he had brought back onto the coffee table, and opened it.

Ten pale red potions and ten healing pills lay arranged neatly within the case, glowing softly in the light.

Li Xiuying froze, while Song Zhengye's pupils contracted slightly.

"These are..."

Song Chen explained, "First Rank Blood Vitality Potions. Ten bottles. Dad, Mom, discuss how to use them. I exchanged them all by killing mutated beasts, so don't worry about me. My teacher has given me ample resources. Keep these healing pills at home for emergencies."

The room fell quiet for several seconds. Li Xiuying's lips trembled as though she wanted to say something, but no words came out.

Song Zhengye stared at the case of potions for a long time. Then he looked up at Song Chen and fell silent.

After a long while, he lifted the enamel cup and took a sip of liquor, his hand trembling slightly. "You got all of these by killing mutated beasts?"

Song Chen nodded. "Yes."

"How many did you kill?"

"Not many. Over a hundred."

Li Xiuying finally could not hold back any longer. Tears streamed down her face.

"You child... you child... Do you know how worried Mom was about you? How could you kill so many mutated beasts? Were you trying to throw your life away...?"

She cried as she scolded him. As she scolded, she embraced Song Chen again, crying until she could no longer speak.

Song Chen let her hold him without moving.

Outside the window, spirit energy particles still flowed slowly through the night sky, dyeing the dilapidated buildings of the slums in a hazy glow. Inside, the family of three sat gathered in the tiny living room.

Li Xiuying cried for a long time before finally stopping. Song Chen put the case into the cabinet. "Starting tomorrow, Mom should use them first. Split one bottle into three doses and take it slowly."

Song Zhengye looked at him and suddenly smiled. "All right. You've grown up."

He raised his enamel cup. "Come on. Have a drink with your old man."

Song Chen took the cup and drank a mouthful. It was still harsh, but this time, he did not find it quite so hard to swallow.