It was the sixth day of the Twelfth Month.
Chen Shu finished his last exam.
He ambled back to the dorm and started packing.
Something had gotten into his two roommates. They both came to his bedroom door to watch him pack.
Chen Shu didn't mind. He only asked, "When are you two heading home?"
"Tomorrow," Meng Chunqiu said.
"I'm going back for a visit tomorrow too, but I applied to stay on campus over the break, so I'll return after the Laba Festival," Jiang Lai said. "I won't go back again until New Year's."
"Why?" Chen Shu looked at Jiang Lai in surprise.
"I need to train over winter break. I might get hurt, and I'd scare everyone at the home if I went back." Jiang Lai paused. "Besides, I've already signed a contract for the Martial King Tournament. I'll start fighting ranking matches over the break, so I can't stay at the home the whole time."
"Wouldn't entering the Martial King Tournament now be bullying people?"
"I'm fighting for Boss Li..."
"I see."
Chen Shu knew Boss Li was a straightforward man who had treated Jiang Lai well. If Jiang Lai hadn't obtained Originating Spirit Power, things would likely have followed their original course: under Boss Li's management, Jiang Lai would have built his reputation step by step, entered the Martial King Tournament, and won the Martial King title. Both of them would have come out ahead. But now that Jiang Lai had obtained Originating Spirit Power, he had attracted the close attention of the Royal Family, the government, and the military. He had risen beyond Boss Li's level.
Even if Jiang Lai himself wanted to keep fighting in the Arena and earning money under Boss Li, the government and Royal Family wouldn't allow it.
A year in