Choice

It was another morning training session.

The atmosphere felt a little strange from the start.

There had originally been fourteen students, but only thirteen remained. For some reason, Zhang Youde's follower hadn't shown up.

"Where's Hu Shixin today? Doesn't he usually follow Zhang Youde everywhere?"

"Who knows? He tried to be clever and offended someone. Maybe they've sent him off to some backwater."

"Man, it's rough being a nobody. One mistake and they drop you without a second thought."

The students murmured among themselves in the courtyard, their expressions mixed.

By running his mouth, Hu Shixin had needlessly soured Zhang Youde's relationship with Chen Yiming.

If Chen Yiming had been an ordinary student, it wouldn't have mattered much. But who could have guessed he really was a core disciple with that kind of potential?

Zhang Youde came from a martial arts family headed by an expert who had undergone six body transformations. There were plenty of ordinary students like Hu Shixin, desperate for a chance to attach themselves to him.

Driving Hu Shixin away meant sacrificing an underling Zhang Youde had never needed in the first place. He wouldn't care. At least it might ease things with Chen Yiming and keep their relationship from getting any worse.

When class began,

Wang Bowen announced to the students that Hu Shixin had left the Praying Mantis Snake Sword Academy.

Wang Bowen gave no reason, but everyone knew what had happened. Zhang Youde had clearly told Hu Shixin to leave.

Why did he kick him out for no reason? I wasn't even going to hold it against him.

Chen Yiming felt helpless. He wasn't a child who would cling to some minor slight. He hadn't even asked for an apology.

But that silence had left Zhang Youde unable to tell what Chen Yiming was thinking, so he had simply told Hu Shixin that very night not to come back.

Hu Shixin had learned just about everything he could at the Praying Mantis Snake Sword Academy. Faced with Zhang Youde's unreasonable demand, he could only chalk it up to bad luck.

At the midday break,

Wang Bowen and Chen Yiming sat side by side on the steps of the back room, eating lunch.

Both had brought packed lunches containing cooked Mutated Beast meat. The difference was that the ingredients in Wang Bowen's lunch cost far more.

Ever since their sparring session had shown Wang Bowen how talented Chen Yiming was at Swordsmanship, the two had grown closer.

Chen Yiming needed an experienced martial artist to guide him into the world of martial arts. Wang Bowen, meanwhile, could use their sparring sessions to discover finer points of his Swordsmanship that he could still improve.

A question suddenly occurred to Chen Yiming. "Why haven't I seen Senior Brother Zhang lately?"

He meant Zhang Xingfeng, the young man in black he had often seen while making deliveries. Like Wang Bowen, he was a disciple stationed at the East City Branch.

But ever since Chen Yiming had joined, Wang Bowen had always led the students' training. He hadn't seen Zhang Xingfeng once.

At the mention of Zhang Xingfeng, Wang Bowen grumbled, "That guy's trying to break through to his sixth body transformation. The academy master took him out to gain experience and dumped all his work on me."

The branch usually had two core disciples stationed there, taking turns leading the students' training. With Zhang Xingfeng away and the other core disciples busy, Wang Bowen now handled the eastern branch every day.

"Forget him. Speaking of something else, you've eaten Black Boar Meat a few times now. How's it working for you? If it doesn't suit you, switch quickly. There's no point letting it hold back your training."

Wang Bowen expressed his concern.

When it came to food, he had enough experience to talk all night. After all, he came from a Martial Arts Family and had tried all sorts of Mutated Beast meat combinations.

At the mention of food, Chen Yiming's eyes lit up, then quickly dimmed. "It works much better than ordinary pork. I feel warm and full of energy after eating it, and it keeps hunger away. It's just a bit expensive."

He had gone back to the old man several times to buy Black Boar Meat, spending several hundred yuan each time. If he didn't start earning money, his expenses would soon outstrip his income.

Wang Bowen nodded in agreement. "True. I could eat a ridiculous amount back then, and I went through the same thing. Until a student becomes a Core Disciple, training resources are a headache. You have to earn the money for them yourself."

"Exactly. That's why I'm stuck. I don't know what kind of job would cover the cost of Mutated Beast meat without interfering with my training."

Chen Yiming took the chance to air his troubles.

He still hadn't heard back from his cousin Chen Shaojie, and Chen Yiming couldn't rely on him entirely. Even if the arrangement to put his name on the books worked out, he had no idea how long it would last or how much it would pay.

Wang Bowen smiled. "That's easy. Why didn't you tell me you were having trouble sooner? You've undergone your First Body Metamorphosis. Finding you a job will be a piece of cake."

"Then sorry for the trouble, Senior Brother," Chen Yiming said at once.

After all that searching, Senior Brother Wang was still the most dependable. Whatever problem Chen Yiming had, Wang Bowen seemed able to solve it with ease.

Soon,

Wang Bowen laid out several options.

First, he could attach himself to a small gang and collect a decent monthly consulting fee. The downside was that he could easily get dragged into feuds between gangs.

Second, he could join a trading company and help guard its premises. The pay was good, but it would take up so much time that it was essentially a full-time job, not a side job.

Third, he could teach basic moves to middle and high school students at a martial arts training school. It paid less than the first two options, but it was safe and steady.

"I'll take the third one."

Chen Yiming answered without hesitation.

At this stage, he had no desire to draw too much attention or risk his life fighting other people. Nor did he want a job that would eat into his training time.

Wang Bowen waggled his eyebrows and chuckled. "A martial arts training school isn't bad. Nice place to work, and plenty of young women among the students."

Chen Yiming: "..."

Wang Bowen had been around the block. He went on, "But your own training comes first. When it comes to women, you need to know how to..."

"The Third Body Metamorphosis is the real leap. Once you reach it, your whole body will be impervious to blades and spears, and it'll be much easier to find work that pays well."

"There's an exchange event at East Lake Martial Arts Academy after the New Year. Come with me."

"An exchange event?"

"It's mainly a chance for young people to show what they can do and gain experience,"

Wang Bowen explained.

Martial arts couldn't be mastered by training behind closed doors. Fighting different kinds of opponents was how a person gained practical experience and developed a style of his own.

"Scouts from lots of companies will be watching. If you're lucky and a sponsor takes an interest in you, you won't have to worry about resources until you reach your Third Body Metamorphosis. You would have to sign a contract and register it with the authorities, though. Think it over."

"Got it." Chen Yiming nodded.

Senior Brother Wang truly was a godsend on his martial arts path. Chen Yiming hadn't expected a simple conversation to solve all his problems.

With a paying job, he would have money to buy a house and Mutated Beast meat. After all, work involving martial arts paid far more than ordinary jobs.

As for signing a contract with a sponsor, Chen Yiming would see what the terms were when the time came. If the restrictions weren't too severe, he would consider it.