Mind Reader Association

Just as Chen Lie was considering whether to head back, his communicator suddenly rang.

He picked it up and saw that it was Wang Hui calling. He tapped to answer.

"Hello? Chen Lie, where are you right now?"

Wang Hui's voice came through the communicator.

"I'm at the martial artist market in the provincial capital's center," Chen Lie said.

"Damn, what are you doing there? I thought you'd gone to school! I need to talk to you about something. Wait for me there, I'll be right over."

"Sure. I'll wait for you at the market entrance."

After hanging up, Chen Lie headed back while casually looking around some more.

When he reached the entrance to the martial artist market, Chen Lie sat down on a chair nearby for a while.

About half an hour later, an airship stopped outside the market.

The airship door opened, and Wang Hui stepped out.

The moment Wang Hui got off the airship, he spotted Chen Lie and walked over.

"Chen Lie, what are you doing at this martial artist market?"

Chen Lie stood up and said, "Looking for martial arts cultivation resources I currently need."

"What you need? Did you find them?" Wang Hui asked.

"No." Chen Lie shook his head. Glancing at the airship in the distance, he asked, "What's with this?"

"It's nothing. I took my dad's airship out. Look at it—pretty impressive, right?" Wang Hui said.

"You said you had something to tell me. What is it?" Chen Lie asked.

"After using the blood essence liquid and all those supplements, my vitality value has reached 1.75 cards."

"That's it?"

"Of course not. My cousin asked me to return these one hundred thousand star dollars to you. He said that thanks to you, he got promoted. He's a deputy supervisor now, already at the very top of Sunflare Group's middle management, just one step away from senior management."

"Your cousin got promoted?" Chen Lie was puzzled.

"You didn't know? Apparently, the appointment was personally issued by Sunflare's president, Zhao Jinglan."

Chen Lie shook his head. "I really didn't know."

"Doesn't matter whether you knew or not. My cousin got promoted because of you. He told me that if you won't accept this one hundred thousand star dollars, he'll personally visit your house."

"All right, I'll take it. Keep it with you for now. I'll come to you if I need money later."

To Chen Lie, one hundred thousand star dollars was already neither here nor there.

"Fine, but there's something else," Wang Hui said. "After my cousin got promoted, he asked me about you again, so I told him you were a Mind Reader. Then he told my dad too. When my dad found out, he specifically asked me about it. He said Mind Readers were guaranteed to become big shots in the future, and repeatedly told me to make sure I stayed on good terms with you. I told him there was no need—we're tight as brothers. My dad said that if you have time, you can go meet him. There's something good in it for you."

"What kind of good thing?" Chen Lie asked.

"How would I know? Go and find out."

"All right, then I'll go meet your dad."

"Get on the airship, then. I'll take you to him."

Chen Lie nodded and boarded the airship with Wang Hui.

Wang Hui's family airship was clearly a tier above Chen Lie's.

The moment they boarded, Wang Hui activated the airship's autopilot mode.

"My dad should be at the Dongchang Political and Business Bureau right now. That's where we're going," Wang Hui said.

After the cabin door closed, the airship took off. Before long, it arrived at the Dongchang Political and Business Bureau.

Chen Lie and Wang Hui got off the airship. Wang Hui led the way straight to his father Wang Kui's office.

"Dad, are you in there?"

Wang Hui knocked a few times, then pushed the door open and walked in.

As soon as he entered, he saw his father, Wang Kui, seated across from a middle-aged man, discussing business.

The instant Wang Hui pushed the door open, Wang Kui and the middle-aged man opposite him both turned toward the entrance.

"You little brat, don't you know to wait a moment after knocking? Charging in so recklessly—don't you know this is my working time?" Wang Kui barked when he saw it was Wang Hui.

"You're slow to react, and you're blaming me?" Wang Hui said carelessly.

"Enough, enough. What do you want?" Wang Kui waved a hand impatiently.

"Didn't you tell me to bring my friend to see you? I brought him."

"Your friend?" Wang Kui's expression turned serious. "Where is he?"

"Chen Lie!" Wang Hui turned around and called out. "Get in here already! Why are you dawdling back there?"

Chen Lie walked into Wang Kui's office and said, "Hello, Uncle Wang Kui."

"You're the one who helped Meng Jing keep his job at Sunflare Group? Good, good. Wait over there for a moment. Once I'm done with work, we'll have a proper talk."

Unlike his attitude toward his son, Wang Kui was all smiles when facing Chen Lie.

At that moment, the middle-aged man sitting opposite Wang Kui tactfully said, "Since Commissioner Wang has matters to attend to, I'll take my leave. We can talk next time."

As he spoke, the middle-aged man rose to leave.

"Ah, let me see you out."

"No need, no need. Please stay. I can see myself out."

The middle-aged man hurried out of Wang Kui's office first and shut the door behind him.

Once Wang Kui saw that the middle-aged man was gone, he immediately greeted Chen Lie. "Come, Chen Lie, right? Have a seat."

Chen Lie went over and sat down across from Wang Kui's desk.

"That brat Wang Hui said you two have been classmates since middle school?"

"Yes," Chen Lie said.

"Wang Hui said you're a Mind Reader? And that you can even help someone like Zhao Jinglan resolve problems related to Mind Readers? That's what I don't understand. Logically speaking, ordinary people in East River Province shouldn't have any contact with Mind Readers. So how did you become one?"

Wang Kui voiced his question.

"About half a year ago, I met a Mind Reader from beyond the stars. He said I possessed an exceptionally rare talent for cultivating mental power, so he helped me awaken my Mind Sense and taught me a mental power cultivation method. He said that if I could enter Starry Sky University before turning twenty with Blue Star's best score, he would take me as his disciple."

"A Mind Reader from beyond the stars? Enter Starry Sky University with Blue Star's best score?"

Hearing Chen Lie's words, Wang Kui was shocked as well.

Getting into Starry Sky University with Blue Star's best score meant being number one on Blue Star. Blue Star had more than ten billion people, with no fewer than two billion youths of the right age.

What did first place among two billion people even mean?

At that moment, Wang Hui found something strange.

Hadn't Chen Lie said that he met a white-haired old man at the Starlight Hotel a few days ago?

How had he suddenly become someone from beyond the stars?

"A mental power cultivation method from beyond the stars? No wonder you could solve problems for someone like Zhao Jinglan." After sighing, Wang Kui continued, "Actually, Blue Star's authorities have always been heavily cultivating Mind Readers. Compared to martial arts, the cultivation of mental power on Blue Star is much more lacking. Since you're already a Mind Reader, have you ever gone to the Blue Star Mind Reader Association for a Mind Reader assessment and certification?"

"Mind Reader Association?" Chen Lie shook his head. "No."

He did not even know Blue Star had something like a Mind Reader Association, so how could he have gone for identity certification?

"In that case, I suggest you go to the Mind Reader Association and get certified. Your identity records will be registered with the association, and they will issue you a certificate. With a certificate issued by the Mind Reader Association, I can report this to the provincial governor's office and apply for a mental power cultivation resource subsidy for you."

"A mental power cultivation subsidy? What does it include?" Chen Lie asked.

"I'm not a Mind Reader, so naturally I don't know. But if it's a subsidy provided by Blue Star's authorities, it must be something highly useful to Mind Readers," Wang Kui said.

"Where is the Mind Reader Association? Is there one in East River Province?"

Wang Kui shook his head. "There isn't a Mind Reader Association in East River Province, but I know that Cloud River Province has a branch of the Mind Reader Association. If you want to certify your identity, you can go there for the Mind Reader assessment."

"All right, I understand. Thanks for the reminder, Uncle Wang Kui." Chen Lie nodded.

"According to the Blue Star United Government's declaration, the younger a Mind Reader is, the greater the subsidy they receive. You're in the same year as Wang Hui, and he'll turn eighteen in less than two months. Keep an eye on your age and try to get the maximum subsidy. Don't wait until you're a year older to get certified by the Mind Reader Association. If you do, the official resource subsidy will be reduced considerably."

"All right, I understand," Chen Lie said.

Wang Kui asked again, "So when do you plan to go to the Mind Reader Association in Cloud River Province for assessment and certification?"

"Immediately!" Thinking of his age, Chen Lie answered at once.

"All right, have Wang Hui go with you. Also, Meng Jing got promoted at Sunflare Group because of you, and he's always wanted to visit and thank you in person. He used to live in Cloud River Province and knows the place well, so let him go with you two this time. How does that sound?" Wang Kui said.

"Meng Jing? Wang Hui's cousin, right? Sure."

Chen Lie nodded.

"Then I'll contact Meng Jing later. We'll set it for tomorrow. Early tomorrow morning, I'll have Meng Jing fly the airship and take Wang Hui to pick you up from your home," Wang Kui said.

"Then thank you, Uncle Wang Kui."

Wang Kui waved his hand. "It's nothing. But remember, once you pass the Mind Reader assessment, come straight to me. I'll help you apply for the Mind Reader subsidy."

"All right."

After responding, Chen Lie knew Wang Kui was working, so after saying goodbye, he left the office with Wang Hui.

"Damn, Chen Lie, is that master of yours really that awesome? He actually demanded that you get into Starry Sky University with Blue Star's best score before he'd take you as a disciple? If you were number one on Blue Star, would you even care about becoming his disciple?"

The moment they left the office, Wang Hui could not help complaining.

Faced with Wang Hui's question, Chen Lie merely smiled. "Blue Star is just a tiny speck in the universe. Let me put it this way. Suppose a Grandmaster martial artist told you that if you became first in your class, he'd take you as his disciple. Would you not care?"

"How can you compare those things? First in a class is nothing. That's a Grandmaster!"

"In the eyes of truly important figures beyond the stars, Blue Star might be no more than a single class," Chen Lie said.

"Then how important would that person have to be? A hundred-star commander? A thousand-star commander? Or a ten-thousand-star commander? By the way, are there even ten thousand inhabited planets outside Blue Star?"

Chen Lie nodded. "There are."