Celebration

After saying goodbye to Wang Bowen, Chen Yiming got on his bicycle and headed home under saleswoman Shen Jia's smoldering gaze.

Wearing the Praying Mantis Snake Sword Academy's training uniform, he felt more secure than ever. Shen Jia's flirtatious gestures had shown him just how much influence the academy wielded.

As a saleswoman at the academy's headquarters, Shen Jia was naturally a first-rate beauty, with a lovely face and figure. She also earned far more than most people.

Yet faced with an official academy student, women like her cast aside all reserve.

On his way home, he passed the city park plaza again.

The ring in the center of the plaza had been dismantled, and the students who had taken part in the exchange matches had left. The plaza was quiet once more.

A group of students still lingered by the roadside, joking and bragging.

The boastful boy was among them, talking nonstop with his classmates about the match results.

As Chen Yiming rode past, the golden sword emblem on his training uniform caught their eyes, and they looked up.

The boastful boy stared at the emblem on Chen Yiming's chest, dumbfounded, his face full of disbelief.

The others, unaware of the reason, looked envious.

This was the martial arts dream they all shared.

Becoming a student at any of the thirteen academies was beyond the reach of most high schoolers.

Only after Chen Yiming disappeared down the street did the students come back to their senses.

Each year, only a handful of gifted students from the martial arts classes at East Lake City's First, Second, and Third High Schools could join an academy. In weaker years, the Second and Third High Schools sometimes produced none at all.

"What's he so proud of? He only just joined an academy. He's definitely no match for our Liu Qingqing," the boastful boy said sourly.

Jealousy gnawed at him. Someone who didn't even attend one of the top three high schools had joined an academy, yet earlier he had acted in front of him as if he knew nothing.

The short, stocky boy beside him replied, "That's true. He's way stronger than us, but Liu Qingqing joined an academy years before him. He's definitely no match for her."

After a moment's thought, he added hesitantly:

"But the Praying Mantis Snake Sword Academy ranks much higher than the Flowing Cloud Sword Hall. If they fought... what if he turned out to be another newcomer like Jiang Jinshi?"

The boastful boy's expression stiffened, and he snapped in embarrassment:

"That just shows how strong the Praying Mantis Snake Sword Academy's head is. What's that got to do with a newcomer like him? Besides, Jiang Jinshi only beat our Liu Qingqing by exploiting the rules of the ring match."

"That's true."

Convinced that his goddess was the strongest, the boastful boy went on:

"If that newcomer dared step into the ring, the Praying Mantis Snake Sword Academy doesn't fight from behind a shell like the Arms-Through Boxing Hall. I bet he'd get the stuffing knocked out of him in less than three moves."

"Mom, Dad, it's me."

Chen Yiming parked his bicycle outside the house and knocked on the door.

"Coming, coming."

A key rattled in the lock.

His mother opened the door, and he walked in wearing his training uniform with its golden sword emblem.

She stared at her son's brand-new uniform and asked in a trembling voice:

"That uniform..."

"I passed. Eight people signed up, and I was the only one who qualified." Chen Yiming puffed out his chest and spoke loudly.

For once, his words rang with confidence. That was what his new status gave him.

His mother's nose prickled. Tears filled her eyes as she choked out:

"That's my son! All the love I've poured into you was worth it. I knew you'd make something of yourself."

His father coughed beside her and murmured:

"Didn't you just say he had no chance? You said all his talk about being confident was a bluff, and you were discussing how to comfort him with me."

Exposed by her husband, his mother flared up and shouted:

"You old fool! Why bring that up now? Our son's finally made something of himself, and that's what you choose to say? Hurry up and book a table at the hotel. We're celebrating tonight."

"Right. You get some rest, son. Leave everything else to me." With that, his father hurried out the door.

Chen Yingying had been standing quietly to one side. Once everyone else had finished speaking, she said:

"Brother, you're amazing."

She had always been an obedient girl. She never fought Chen Yiming for anything and always let the rest of the family have their way.

"Haha! I might be no good at studying, but martial arts are another story. I was just laying the groundwork before," Chen Yiming said cheerfully.

The original Chen Yiming had rarely been praised growing up. He had done poorly at school and refused to help with chores. Being praised by his family for once made him happy too.

That evening, at the East Lake Grand Hotel.

A banner hung above the main entrance. It read, "Congratulations to Chen Yiming on becoming a student of the Praying Mantis Snake Sword Academy."

It was the largest hotel in East Lake City and a subsidiary of the Great River Group.

The Great River Group was one of East Lake City's twenty-three warrior employment companies and had long maintained good relations with the major academies. When the lobby manager heard that a new student of the Praying Mantis Snake Sword Academy was hosting a banquet, he generously offered a steep discount.

In a private room on the second floor, nearly three tables were filled. Chen Yiming's parents' relatives and friends occupied two, while Chen Yiming and Chen Yingying's classmates sat at the third.

His second uncle, Chen Zhipeng, slipped a red envelope into his father's hand and raised his glass.

"Big brother, you raised him well. A dragon has emerged from the Chen family! We'll all be counting on Yiming to look after us from now on."

His second uncle worked in the city's archives department and often attended social dinners. Broad-minded and well connected, he had always been the one who spoke for the Chen family.

"Not at all. The boy did it through his own hard work. We didn't help much," his father said, raising his glass in return.

His second uncle clinked glasses with him and continued:

"Big brother, you're too modest. We watched Yiming grow up. Even as a child, we could tell he was different from the others."

With the wine loosening his tongue, his second uncle made it sound as though everyone had always had high hopes for Chen Yiming.

Sitting at another table, Chen Yiming felt a headache coming on as he listened to his second uncle. The old Chen Yiming was that outstanding? Second Uncle can really spin a tale.

His memories told him that after the original Chen Yiming dropped out of school, the family's relatives had stopped letting their children spend time with him, afraid he would be a bad influence.

His second aunt, Li Qingping, also raised her glass to his mother.

"Yiming has done us proud. We'd be satisfied if our Shaojie were one-tenth as capable as he is."

Li Qingping worked as an accountant and often accompanied his second uncle to dinners. She understood the importance of relationships, so she drew his mother into an intimate chat, as though they were sisters.

Compared with the lively table of family friends and relatives, Chen Yiming's table at the other end of the room was much quieter.

His former high school classmates ate in silence. None of them knew what to talk about, aside from a few awkward words when they handed over their red envelopes.

More than a year had passed since he dropped out. His old classmates had grown distant; they were classmates of the person he remembered being, not the person he was now.

They had come to the banquet largely because their parents wanted them to.

By contrast, his sister's two middle school classmates sat with Chen Yingying in a corner, chatting softly about things girls talked about.

To them, joining an academy made Chen Yiming an important person. But they were Chen Yingying's classmates and had no direct connection to him, so they didn't feel constrained.