Allocation

"Is that you?"

The newcomer looked at Chen Xun in surprise.

"What are you doing here?"

"What, you can come here but I can't?"

Chen Xun slowly finished his cultivation, a faint note of displeasure in his voice.

"I'm a genius with Grade B aptitude. You're only Grade C-low aptitude—how could you possibly break through to Martial Artist right before or after me?"

Liu Feng was somewhat shaken.

"Heh." Chen Xun merely sneered twice and did not take the bait.

Liu Feng still wanted to say something, but Chen Xun had already walked past him and left the room.

Seeing this, Liu Feng hurriedly chased after him. "Where are you going?"

"Of course I'm going to eat. I'm practically starving to death."

Hearing that, Liu Feng stopped and watched Chen Xun leave.

He had just returned from dinner, so naturally he was not going again.

Chen Xun went to the Martial Artist cafeteria. After becoming a Martial Artist, he could now eat dinner there as well.

Dinner was rich and greasy. Chen Xun got a bowl of braised pork, two fist-sized braised lion's head meatballs, and ten large steamed buns.

He wolfed it all down in a whirlwind, quickly filling his stomach.

Sometimes, when no one was looking, he would also stuff some food into his inventory space.

It could not be helped. The cafeteria closed after eight, and if Chen Xun got hungry while cultivating at night, there would be nowhere to find food.

When he returned to the Martial Artist courtyard, it was already lively.

Quite a few Martial Artists were cooling off in the courtyard and chatting.

Chen Xun's arrival did not draw much attention.

Still, as an unfamiliar face, he stood out somewhat.

"Little brother, you're new here, aren't you?"

A burly, bearded man approached Chen Xun.

"Yes." There was nothing to hide, so Chen Xun admitted it.

"My name is Wu Jie. I'm a few years older than you, so you can call me Brother Jie."

"Br-Brother Jie, hello."

That form of address made Chen Xun's expression turn somewhat strange.

"My name is Chen Xun."

"So you're Little Chen. I'll remember that."

"It's Chen Xun."

Chen Xun frowned slightly and emphasized the point.

He was not some ignorant teenager. After years in the workplace in his previous life, what had he not seen?

The moment they met, the other man had deliberately lowered Chen Xun's standing and given him a nickname. He was clearly throwing his age around, and it was nothing less than bullying.

If Chen Xun accepted it, he would be stepping into a trap. In the future, this man would certainly take advantage of him.

Sure enough, seeing Chen Xun's serious attitude, Wu Jie's expression darkened. In the end, he forced out a laugh. "Fine, I'll remember you, Chen Xun."

The same sentence carried two entirely different meanings.

After saying that, Wu Jie waved a hand and left without even greeting Chen Xun.

Chen Xun watched Wu Jie's retreating back, his eyes narrowing. He knew he had likely offended the man already.

Seeing Wu Jie try to pick a fight, some of the other seasoned hands no longer took the initiative to approach Chen Xun.

For a time, Chen Xun seemed isolated. Everyone else clustered together to chat, while he stood there alone, even openly being pointed at and discussed by some people.

Wu Jie was among them.

Chen Xun frowned. He had no interest in being watched like a monkey by these people, so he went straight into his room.

But not long after he entered, someone else pushed open the door. It was Liu Feng.

"Chen Xun, you really aren't very likable. I heard from Brother Zhao that you offended Brother Jie the moment you arrived."

"Wu Jie has bad intentions. So what if I offended him?"

Chen Xun replied, then added what sounded like advice, "They're all old hands with plenty of experience. If you get mixed up with them, you'll suffer sooner or later."

"That isn't something you need to worry about. Do you think I'm like you, someone nobody likes?"

"Brother Zhao is a good man. Don't even think about driving a wedge between us."

Liu Feng did not appreciate it in the slightest and even lashed out at Chen Xun.

Chen Xun could not help shaking his head. He ignored Liu Feng after that, found an empty spot in the room, took Blood-Strength Powder, and began cultivating.

"Damn it, he actually has money to buy Blood-Strength Powder."

Liu Feng stared enviously at the porcelain bottle in Chen Xun's hand.

He opened his mouth, wanting to borrow some Blood-Strength Powder from Chen Xun. But remembering their earlier verbal clash, Liu Feng, whose skin was still too thin, quickly dismissed the thought.

"I'll go borrow some from Brother Zhao. Once I have money and buy Blood-Strength Powder, I can pay him back."

With that thought, Liu Feng hurried out of the room.

When he returned, he held up an identical porcelain bottle and waved it before Chen Xun as though showing off.

"Brother Zhao really is kind. He gave me a whole bottle of Blood-Strength Powder outright."

"Such a wonderful Brother Zhao, yet someone actually slanders him. That's truly disgraceful."

Liu Feng said it while pointing at the mulberry tree and cursing the locust tree.

Yet Chen Xun ignored him completely, immersed in cultivation.

With no one paying him any attention, Liu Feng felt like he was putting on a one-man show. He immediately lost interest in talking and began practicing his stance technique like Chen Xun.

The next day, after getting up, Chen Xun immediately checked his attribute panel.

[Cultivation: First Blood-Qi Transformation (9%)]

Chen Xun nodded in satisfaction. With Blood-Strength Powder, his cultivation progress had once again risen at a rate of 1% per day.

But at the same time, the progress of his stance technique had slowed considerably.

[Martial Arts: Primordial Unity Stance (Minor Mastery 15/300)]

Without the boost from the trait, his rate of improvement had plummeted.

After cultivating until late at night, Liu Feng could no longer hold on and had fallen asleep.

Chen Xun rubbed his hungry stomach and quietly took a braised lion's head meatball and two steamed buns from his inventory space, stuffing them carelessly into his mouth.

After gulping down a large bowl of cooled boiled water, he was half full.

With hunger lingering in his belly and exhaustion covering his body, Chen Xun soon fell asleep.

In the blink of an eye, three days passed.

"You four were the fastest of this batch to become Martial Artists. Compared to the others, you are clearly somewhat more outstanding."

"After becoming Martial Artists, your monthly pay has increased, so naturally you must shoulder the corresponding responsibilities."

"Though my Li Family has a vast estate and great wealth, there are also many places where manpower is needed."

"So starting today, the four of you will begin working for my Li Family."

In the room, the Li Family's Fifth Master, Li Mingbo, was lecturing Chen Xun and the other three.

The four wore solemn expressions. No matter what Li Mingbo said, they hurriedly nodded and agreed, their attitudes exceedingly respectful.

Li Mingbo nodded in satisfaction at this.

"Now, I will assign your future duties."

"Chen Xun, Li Peng, the two of you will join the Medicine Escort Team and assist with escorting medicinal ingredients."

"This humble one obeys."

The two responded with cupped fists almost simultaneously.

Damn it, why do I have to work with this mud-legged peasant?

Li Peng's face remained calm, but he roared inwardly.

"Liu Feng, Zhao Qing, the two of you will join the Ore Escort Team and assist with escorting ore."

"This humble one obeys."

Liu Feng and Zhao Qing immediately accepted the order.

Afterward, Li Mingbo dismissed them, and the four hurried out.

The moment they emerged, their expressions all changed in different ways.

Li Peng shot Chen Xun a vicious glare and left first.

Chen Xun watched Li Peng's retreating figure, frowning slightly.

Liu Feng and Zhao Qing exchanged looks, bitterness on their faces.

"Ah, they actually assigned us to the Ore Escort Team. I heard this job is rather exhausting."

"We've only just become Martial Artists. This is exactly when we need time to cultivate."

Zhao Qing sighed.

"Chen Xun, your work is still better."

Liu Feng looked at Chen Xun enviously.

Chen Xun merely smiled without speaking and left directly.

Although the two lived in the same dormitory, their relationship was not good. Chen Xun had no obligation to explain so much.

When Chen Xun ignored him, anger surfaced on Liu Feng's face. "Damn Chen Xun."

At the side, Zhao Qing watched the scene with a bitter smile.

The four of them lived in the same dormitory. Chen Xun had grievances with the other two, while Liu Feng and Li Peng did not get along either.

Only Zhao Qing offended no one and remained neutral.