One Hundred Million Star Coins! A-Rank Martial Arts!

Screech!

With a piercing screech of brakes, the wheels stopped turning, and the bus came to a halt outside First High School.

The moment Li Qingshan jumped off the bus, he saw the burly figure standing before the school gates.

"Teacher Wan, you're here so early?"

"Early? I didn't sleep at all!"

Wan Keshan folded his arms across his chest and said irritably,

"You brat ran off pretty quickly last night. I hurried after you, but I still didn't even catch a glimpse of you."

Li Qingshan had seen Wan Keshan last night—while sitting on the sofa inside a hovercar...

But Wan Keshan was clearly in a bad mood right now. As a consultant for the Patrol Bureau, he had evidently worked through the night.

Li Qingshan did not dare provoke him further and could only brush it off.

"One of my classmates' parents came to pick them up last night, so I caught a ride with him."

"A ride? You mean a hovercar, right!"

Wan Keshan swept his gaze over Li Qingshan, then suddenly changed expression. His eyes locked onto the black longsword in Li Qingshan's right hand.

"A Thunder-Pattern Blade? Fat Cao gave that to you?"

"Teacher, you know him too?" Li Qingshan asked in surprise.

"How could I not know that Fat Cao, who never does anything without profit!"

Fire seemed to burn in Wan Keshan's eyes as he asked urgently,

"Did Fat Cao ask you to sign a contract? What rank of contract was it?"

At that moment, he deeply regretted not warning Li Qingshan beforehand last night.

He had originally thought that, with Li Qingshan's intelligence, he certainly would not fall for the tricks of some small local company.

Who would have thought that he had avoided the small trap only to plunge straight into a massive pit?

Wan Keshan had known that Cao Ya had come to Luoying last night.

But he had never imagined that Cao Ya, who had supposedly come to pick up his son, would set his sights on Li Qingshan—and even make such a grand gesture by giving him a Thunder-Pattern Blade!

Li Qingshan's scalp prickled under that stare, and he hurriedly shook his head.

"Teacher, don't worry. I didn't sign anything!"

"If you didn't sign anything, why would Fat Cao give you a Thunder-Pattern Blade? That damned fat man is famous for only taking and never giving..."

Wan Keshan clearly harbored deep resentment toward Cao Ya. Once he started ranting, he could not stop.

"Teacher, I really didn't sign anything."

Li Qingshan hurriedly interrupted him and said seriously,

"This Thunder-Pattern Blade was only a 'gift of thanks to my teacher' from Mr. Cao."

"A gift? He gave it to you directly?"

Wan Keshan froze for a moment. He took a deep breath, clasped his hands behind his back, and nodded.

"Cao Ya is a decent man. He's a man of vision."

He looked utterly composed, as though he had not just been calling the man "Fat Cao" every other sentence.

Li Qingshan was speechless. He raised the Thunder-Pattern Blade instead and asked curiously,

"Teacher, is the Thunder-Pattern Blade very valuable?"

Wan Keshan had immediately assumed he had signed a contract the moment he saw the blade.

Clearly, the Thunder-Pattern Blade was worth far more than Li Qingshan had imagined.

"The hovercar you rode in yesterday was worth fifty million. This can buy two of them. Do you think it's valuable?" Wan Keshan asked with a faint smile.

"One hundred million?"

Li Qingshan sucked in a sharp breath. He stared at the Thunder-Pattern Blade, his eyes gleaming like gold.

"What? Thinking of selling it for money?"

Wan Keshan's voice sounded beside him, and Li Qingshan nodded without the slightest hesitation.

The Thunder-Pattern Blade was handy and incredibly sharp, but compared to one hundred million, none of that mattered.

With one hundred million Star Coins, he would not have to worry about money for a very long time.

"Are you really that short on money?" Wan Keshan's face darkened as his finger swiped across his Communicator.

Account credited +1000000!

"One million?" Li Qingshan glanced at the notification and asked in confusion,

"Teacher, what is this?"

"The Patrol Bureau's reward. It's enough to last you for a while." Wan Keshan looked unconcerned.

This time, he had casually doubled the reward again.

But now that Yu Man knew of Li Qingshan's talent, she would not question it anymore.

"That's... so much?"

Li Qingshan's voice carried a trace of hesitation.

Ten minutes ago, receiving one million would have been enough to make him ecstatic.

But now, with a Thunder-Pattern Blade worth one hundred million in his hand, Li Qingshan seemed to have entered a state of sage-like detachment.

"Stop thinking about it. You can't sell the Thunder-Pattern Blade!"

Wan Keshan's expression turned solemn as he said seriously,

"This blade can be exchanged for two hovercars, but two hovercars cannot be exchanged for a Thunder-Pattern Blade. It's priceless because it's unavailable!"

"It's that precious?"

Li Qingshan's eyes widened as he carefully examined the Thunder-Pattern Blade in his hand.

Of course, he understood the meaning of "unavailable at any price," but no matter how closely he looked, he could not see what made the Thunder-Pattern Blade so precious.

"Fat Cao really put some thought into choosing this blade for you."

Wan Keshan sighed, took the Thunder-Pattern Blade from Li Qingshan, and drew it from its sheath.

A flash of lightning vanished in an instant, and wisps of purple light shimmered across the silver blade beneath the sunlight.

"This blade will be extremely important to your future martial skill training!"

Hearing those same words from Wan Keshan again, Li Qingshan fell into thought and recalled last night's battle in the Martial Arts Space.

"Teacher, is it because of the Wind Shadow Blade?"

"You're half right." Wan Keshan lifted his eyelids slightly, then changed the subject.

"There are many D-rank basic martial skills, and none of them are copyrighted, so they can be taught freely.

Have you ever wondered why I specifically chose Lost-Trace Steps and Wind Shadow Blade?"

As a newcomer to martial arts, Li Qingshan could only guess at the answer.

"Because those two martial skills are more powerful?"

"Since they are classified under the same rank, they are naturally about the same. Their actual power still depends on the Martial Artist using them."

Wan Keshan shook his head, no longer bothering to keep him guessing.

"I chose Lost-Trace Steps and Wind Shadow Blade because they are both prerequisite martial skills for A-rank martial arts!

This is also your only chance to obtain A-rank martial arts in Martial Righteous Province!"

"Originally, this was merely my usual practice. I never expected you to truly master A-rank martial arts."

"But now, things are different."

Wan Keshan turned to look at his student, an unreadable look in his eyes.

"In two months, you achieved major mastery in Lost-Trace Steps! Major mastery in Wind Shadow Blade! Your talent for martial skills is truly astonishing!"

After witnessing what the mecha had done last night, Li Qingshan was not surprised that Wan Keshan knew this.

However, Wan Keshan's information was still incomplete.

"Teacher, it's not just martial skills." Li Qingshan spoke softly, reminding him,

"My cultivation technique, The Stars Are Calling, has also reached the fourth level."

"What?" Wan Keshan's pupils contracted.

Li Qingshan merely smiled and said nothing, waiting for Wan Keshan to digest the news.

With the panel and the Martial Arts Space, his rate of improvement would definitely become faster and faster.

Li Qingshan had never considered himself a genius. Every bit of his achievement had come from cultivating diligently, step by step.

But in the eyes of others, that was undoubtedly the mark of a genius.

Since that was the case, he might as well solidify his image as one.

"Good! Good! Good!"

Wan Keshan's spirits lifted, and he vigorously patted Li Qingshan on the shoulder.

"In that case, you'll have a chance to learn Thunderclap Blade by the end of this year."

Li Qingshan's eyes lit up.

"Teacher, is Thunderclap Blade the A-rank martial art corresponding to Wind Shadow Blade?"

"How could it be that simple? Like Wind Shadow Blade, Thunderclap Blade is also a prerequisite martial skill—but it's a C-rank martial skill."

"Ah? It's only C-rank?" Li Qingshan was somewhat disappointed.

"What? You look down on C-rank martial skills?" Wan Keshan shot him a sidelong glance.

"The licensing fee for a C-rank martial skill is five million, and a B-rank martial skill costs fifty million. As for A-rank martial arts, you can only get a chance to encounter them after reaching New Continent!"

"Except for A-rank martial arts with prerequisite martial skills!"

"As long as you cultivate the prerequisite martial skills to perfection, they will naturally merge into one, allowing you to comprehend the corresponding A-rank martial art."

Li Qingshan's spirits rose. They had finally reached the main point, and Wan Keshan stopped keeping him in suspense.

"Nine-Heavens Wind-Thunder Blade is the A-rank martial art corresponding to Wind Shadow Blade and Thunderclap Blade!"

Wan Keshan raised the Thunder-Pattern Blade and flicked it lightly with his finger.

Buzz!

The blade hummed and trembled without end.

"Nine-Heavens Wind-Thunder Blade involves the power of lightning. Only a weapon forged from special materials can perfectly unleash its power."

"The Thunder-Pattern Blade is forged from Thunder-Pattern Steel, making it exactly suitable."