Signing a Contract?

Wan Keshan suddenly snapped awake and turned to look at his niece, wondering if he had misheard.

He saw Li Qingshan every day. How could he not know Li Qingshan's strength?

Anyone capable of planning this sacrifice had definitely been corrupted as an Evil God Follower and possessed the ability to transform.

Was that something Li Qingshan could handle?

But the mech's iron mask revealed no expression, and Yu Man did not speak again.

Wan Keshan could not hold back any longer and questioned her.

"Li Qingshan is only at the second level of Body Tempering..."

"Uncle, I admit it. You were right back then."

Yu Man frowned as she cut him off impatiently.

"To kill an Evil God Follower at the second level of Body Tempering and hunt three ferocious beasts in succession, Li Qingshan really does count as a genius."

"A genius?" Wan Keshan was dumbfounded.

Back then, he had merely made up an excuse for his niece so he could give out a bigger bonus.

In his eyes, Li Qingshan had only the slightest chance of making it to New Continent.

But now...

"He killed an Evil God Follower at the second level of Body Tempering? And hunted three ferocious beasts in a row?"

A flash of insight struck Wan Keshan, and he said with certainty.

"Did he get his hands on a Laser Gun? That kid really is smart!"

"What Laser Gun? Didn't you teach him the two D-Grade Martial Arts, Lost-Trace Steps and Wind Shadow Blade?"

Inside the mech, Yu Man's frown deepened. She felt as if her uncle was hinting at something, showing off.

After taking a deep breath, she waved her hand and projected four light screens.

"Stop asking. See for yourself!"

The screens displayed the battle footage previously simulated by the mech.

"Not a gun?"

Wan Keshan muttered as his gaze fixed on the figure's right hand.

Though the image was not particularly clear, he could still make out a machete.

The machete he had given Li Qingshan!

As the figure stepped forward and swung the blade, Wan Keshan's eyes gradually widened. He said in disbelief.

"Lost-Trace Steps at mastery? Wind Shadow Blade at mastery?"

"Is that really Li Qingshan?"

Wan Keshan questioned it instinctively, but then the figure in the footage circled behind its opponent and slashed upward.

He fell silent.

The figure in the footage was definitely Li Qingshan!

Beside him, the resentment in Yu Man's heart eased somewhat, and she gradually realized something was wrong.

She lifted her faceplate and asked in confusion.

"Uncle, you really didn't know?"

"I didn't know a damn thing!"

Wan Keshan cursed.

Two months ago, he had sent the martial arts to Li Qingshan only because of that hypothetical situation where he faced a ferocious beast alone.

But a hypothetical was still just a hypothetical. He had never expected it to succeed.

For the next dozen days or so, he watched Li Qingshan become listless from practicing martial arts.

Wan Keshan had even regretted sending him the martial arts so early.

Later, when Li Qingshan's mental state returned to normal, he had merely assumed that Li Qingshan had taken his advice and temporarily given up martial arts training.

Who would have thought...

"Two months, and Lost-Trace Steps at mastery! Wind Shadow Blade at mastery!"

"Hahaha, that kid was planning to give me a surprise!"

Wan Keshan laughed heartily, his face brimming with excitement. At the same time, he turned to his niece and warned her.

"Right, don't leak this information. Li Qingshan's realm is too low. It's best if those hyenas don't set their eyes on him too early."

"I know what I'm doing." Yu Man nodded first, then frowned slightly.

"But there were too many witnesses at the scene. Li Qingshan's achievements probably can't be hidden from some local companies."

"It's fine. That kid is smart. He won't be fooled so easily." Wan Keshan waved his hand and said firmly.

"The survivors are all ordinary people. They won't notice the details. As long as Li Qingshan's talent isn't exposed, those major companies and conglomerates won't make a move in advance."

Fallen Blossom City at night was far from quiet.

Traffic flowed along the roads, lights blazed on both sides of the streets, neon signs flickered, and countless projected advertisements lit up the walls of towering buildings.

A hovercar drifted silently through the night sky.

Li Qingshan sat on the sofa, looking down at the city's nightscape through the porthole.

"Coach Li, thank you for teaching my son over the past month."

Cao Ya smiled sincerely and slapped the back of his son's head again.

"This brat—I always thought he had no talent for martial arts, so I never pushed him."

"Luckily, we had Coach Li. Otherwise, who knows how much more time he would have wasted?"

Tears hung at the corners of Cao Shaoyu's eyes. His chubby face was flushed red from holding back, but he did not dare argue.

Li Qingshan found it amusing and shook his head.

"The talent is his own. I merely guided him a little."

"Coach Li is too modest." As Cao Ya spoke, he lifted the backrest of the sofa beside him and took out a long wooden case.

"Coach Li, this is a gift I specially prepared to thank you. Please do not refuse it."

"How could I accept this?" Li Qingshan shook his head and waved his hand.

"I've already accepted the tui—"

Before he could finish, Cao Ya had already opened the wooden case.

Inside was a sheathed saber, black from end to end. Mysterious patterns were carved into both the hilt and sheath, joining them into a single whole.

Cao Ya pushed the wooden case toward Li Qingshan.

"Coach Li, why not take a look at this saber first?"

Li Qingshan did not refuse. He picked up the saber and drew half the blade.

A flash of electricity appeared and vanished in an instant.

"Electricity?"

Li Qingshan blinked and stared at the silver blade, which carried a faint purple glow.

But the electric flash did not appear again, as though it had only been an illusion.

"More accurately, that wasn't electricity just now, but thunder. This blade is called Thunder Pattern."

Cao Ya gave a simple explanation but did not elaborate. He merely said solemnly.

"Coach Li, teaching my son may have only been part of your job.

"But to this brat, being able to go to New Continent early means he will have more opportunities in the future. It is something that could change his fate. You absolutely deserve this gift!"

"Besides, I selected this Thunder-Pattern Blade with great care. It will be very important for your future martial arts training. Please make sure you accept it."

With things said to this extent, Li Qingshan no longer stood on ceremony and accepted the Thunder-Pattern Blade openly.

"Thank you, Mr. Cao."

He would treat this blade as the little fat boy's gift to his teacher.

Once they reached New Continent, he would just fulfill more of his responsibilities as a teacher.

"Coach, can you stop smiling at me like that? I'm scared!"

Cao Shaoyu shuddered and could not help scooting to the side.

"You brat!"

As though he was addicted to it, Cao Ya gave him another slap.

Only after the little fat boy's eyes filled with tears did he withdraw his hand in satisfaction. Then he looked at Li Qingshan and said seriously.

"Coach Li, there's something else I think I should remind you about."

"Please, go ahead." Li Qingshan's expression turned serious.

"The news from tonight will definitely spread. After that, quite a few companies will probably contact you about signing a contract."

"Signing a contract?" Li Qingshan raised a brow in confusion.

"Don't companies usually wait until the third year before coming to martial arts classes to sign students?"

Very few students made it into New Continent each year. Signing with a major company was the path taken by most martial arts class students.

"It's different. Those are merely employment contracts." Cao Ya shook his head and explained.

"The contracts I mean are investment contracts!

"Such contracts are generally offered to promising geniuses. They invest resources early and fund their initial martial arts training, in exchange for them working for the company long-term in the future."

"A contract of indenture."

Li Qingshan summed it up succinctly, exposing the true nature of these so-called investment contracts.

"Uh, you can't quite put it that way." Cao Ya's lips twitched, and his expression became a little awkward.

"For some ordinary geniuses from poor families, trading decades of future freedom for a smooth start on the martial arts path isn't necessarily a bad deal."

Li Qingshan nodded without arguing.

That was true enough, but with the panel in hand, he would rather struggle a little in the early stages, work a few more jobs, and report a few more Evil God Followers than sign such a contract of indenture.

But looking at Cao Ya's expression,

Li Qingshan could not help wondering whether the reason Cao Ya had suddenly brought this up was because there was also a major company behind him.

Just as Li Qingshan considered how to refuse,

Cao Ya suddenly changed the subject.

"Of course, that only applies to ordinary geniuses. Coach Li, you don't need it."

"Oh?" Li Qingshan's gaze shifted as he waited for him to continue.

"After all these years, the Federation's training system for martial arts and mechs has long been perfected."

Cao Ya took a sip of water and looked out the window.

As he spoke, the hovercar slowly descended and landed soundlessly on the lawn of a residential complex.

"With your talent, as long as you perform normally at school and get into New Continent Martial Arts University, you won't lack cultivation resources."

The car door had already opened. Cao Ya stopped there and did not explain further, merely giving one last reminder.

"Coach Li, I brought up signing a contract only to remind you not to let companies hoping to pick up a bargain fool you."

"I understand. Thank you, Mr. Cao."

Li Qingshan nodded and thanked him solemnly.

Because of Cao Shaoyu, Cao Ya had always treated him as an equal, but this final piece of advice was no different from the concern of an elder.

The three of them got out. After Cao Ya watched Li Qingshan leave with his son, he turned and returned to the car.

The hovercar slowly rose into the air. Cao Ya leaned back against the sofa with his eyes closed, while the little fat boy skillfully rummaged through the compartments in search of snacks.

Suddenly, he knocked over a bottle of drink.

"Oh no, Dad, this document got dirty."

Cao Shaoyu held a folder, his expression uneasy.

Cao Ya opened his eyes and glanced at the folder.

"It's not a document. It's a contract."

As soon as he said that, the little fat boy became even more nervous.

Seeing his son's uneasy expression, Cao Ya smiled freely and patted the back of his head.

"Dirty is dirty. It's useless anyway."

The little fat boy sighed in relief and casually tossed the contract onto the floor.

The cover of the contract had been soaked by the drink. Only the initial letter "S" could vaguely be seen...