"Luo Feng, Brother Yang, are you two here for the Quasi-Warrior Assessment today?"
Yun He walked over, greeting them with a smile.
"Ah, yes." Luo Feng nodded in reply. Encountering Yun He here made him feel quite happy inside.
"Haha, I just arrived too. I didn't expect Luo Feng to be here, and even less did I expect to run into you, Yun He." Yang Wu slapped Yun He's shoulder casually and said, "You brat, you're really making something of yourself now. Instructor Jiang Nian has bragged about you to us so many times that it's made our whole group green with envy."
"Yeah, Brother Yun. The person the instructor mentions most often lately is you." Luo Feng also said with a smile.
"Ain't that the truth? Our ears are practically growing calluses from hearing it." Yang Wu curled his lip.
Yun He gave a wry smile and shook his head, sitting down beside the two of them.
They were all senior trainees at the same Yi'an District martial arts training center, and they belonged to the same small circle of people from poor backgrounds. They frequently trained together at the martial arts hall, so they were on pretty good terms with one another.
After chatting idly with them for a bit, seeing that the time was getting close to ten o'clock-when the Quasi-Warrior Assessment for these senior trainees was about to begin-Yun He said, "Keep it up, and do your best so both of you pass the assessment today."
Even though he knew in his heart that both of them would smoothly pass the assessment today, he still spoke up to pump them up. After all, Yun He could now be considered a senior to them.
"Yeah." Luo Feng and Yang Wu both nodded forcefully.
Yang Wu clenched his fist and said, "I'm definitely going to pass the assessment today."
This fellow Yang Wu was truly unlucky; every single time, he had stumbled at the speed hurdle.
At that moment, the staff of the martial arts training center came downstairs to announce that the Quasi-Warrior Assessment was about to begin.
"Haha, go on. Do your best, I'll wait for you downstairs and treat you to dinner later." Yun He waved his hand to cheer them on.
"Don't worry, later Luo Feng and I are going to fleece you, this genius, good and proper." Yang Wu pulled Luo Feng along to catch up with the group.
Yun He watched them enter the elevator with a smile, deciding not to bother with training for now. He ordered a cup of green tea and sat right there waiting for them to finish their assessment.
About an hour later, the crowd of people who had taken the assessment came downstairs one after another. After Luo Feng and Yang Wu exchanged greetings with another person who had passed and swapped contact information to say goodbye, the two of them walked over to find Yun He with beaming expressions.
"Just by looking at your faces, I know you passed the assessment. It looks like I really am going to get fleeced by you guys today." Yun He stood up with a smile.
"Haha, I, Yang Wu, finally passed the assessment today!" Yang Wu grinned from ear to ear, incredibly happy, though he lowered his voice and didn't dare to laugh out loud.
Luo Feng was also beaming, his expression filled with excitement.
"Let's go, we're having a good meal today to properly celebrate for you two!" Yun He put one arm around each of their shoulders and led them toward the main entrance.
"Haha." Yang Wu smiled and hooked his arm around Yun He's shoulder in return.
"Let's go." Luo Feng also laughed heartily.
Near the residential area, they picked out a restaurant and requested a small private room.
With a grand wave of his hand, Yun He ordered a table full of dishes and even opened two bottles of wine. The three of them gorged themselves and drank to their hearts' content.
When they had eaten their fill and checked the time, it was already approaching noon. Yun He took the initiative to wrap up this gathering because he knew that Luo Feng still had to go back and get into a fight later.
After that, Luo Feng would be taken away by the police, spending tonight in the detention center practicing Genetic Origin Energy. Early the next morning, he would fight someone again, thereby awakening his Spiritual Force and becoming a Spiritualist, which was also the crucial first step in Luo Feng's true rise.
One ring locked into the next, and Yun He didn't dare to delay Luo Feng; if anything went wrong and the Golden Horned Beast appeared a few years down the line, everyone would be finished.
At the entrance of the restaurant, Yun He parted ways with them: "Go back and get a good rest. On August 1st, we'll go together for the Combat Assessment."
"Got it." Luo Feng and the other waved, each returning to their own homes.
Yun He watched Luo Feng's back and smiled.
He knew he would see Luo Feng again very soon.
Yun He continued his own grueling training. Even though he knew it might be useless and that no amount of hard work could change anything, he still buried himself in relentless training.
He was also holding back a drive inside himself; even if he ultimately couldn't keep up with Luo Feng's pace and maybe couldn't even reach the Planetary Level in this lifetime, at least he would have tried his hardest and would have no regrets.
The Planetary Level was pretty good too; at the very least, he would be able to live for a thousand years, wouldn't he?
If he didn't put in the effort, reaching the Planetary Level might remain an out-of-reach pipe dream for his entire life.
Just a few days later, Luo Feng came to the Mingyue Residential Area once again.
This time, however, he had moved his entire family over together.
Luo Feng's awakening of his Spiritualist talent and his explosive physical strength increase of over 2,000 kg had allowed him to be signed in advance by the Limit Martial Hall. His benefits were much better than Yun He's, with an extra fifty million for secret manuals.
As expected, Luo Feng chose building 199, becoming neighbors across the hall from Yun He.
Wasn't this just a coincidence?
That evening, Luo Feng invited Yun He over to his home for dinner. Yun He gladly accepted, bringing along a few pounds of fruit as he went.
During the meal, he got along quite well with Luo Feng's parents and younger brother. He addressed them as uncle and aunt every other word, and called Xiao Hua by his name, chatting with them very happily.
Building a good relationship with the future City Lord Luo and his family could never hurt.
Yun He had already figured it out: even if he was going to be a salted fish, he was going to be a different kind of salted fish.
After dinner, bidding farewell to Luo Feng's family, Yun He looked at Luo Feng, who had walked him out, and suggested they take a walk together.
The two of them strolled leisurely through the residential area. After a while, Yun He seemingly asked casually about Luo Hua.
Listening to Luo Feng's heartbroken tone as he spoke of the accident that happened to Luo Hua in his childhood, and watching the desolation on his face, Yun He offered words of comfort: "Luo Feng, you don't need to worry. Actually, Xiao Hua's legs can be cured."
"What?" Luo Feng's body shook, and he abruptly stopped in his tracks, raising his head to look at Yun He in disbelief.
Yun He smiled and affirmed, "Yes, you heard me right. I've heard other warriors mention that there is a medicine called the Water of Life, which can regenerate severed limbs in people. Even a warrior's limbs can be regrown, let alone the fact that your younger brother is just an ordinary person."
"Really!?" Luo Feng's emotions surged, and he grabbed Yun He's arm.
Sure enough, Luo Feng valued his family immensely.
To tell the truth, the reason he had liked the book Swallowed Star so much back then, besides the cosmic starry skies and myriad races depicted within it, was largely because he liked Luo Feng as a person.
This was someone who was very hard for people to dislike.
"Don't get too excited yet." Yun He pacified him with a smile.
"Hoo~" Luo Feng took a few deep breaths to calm his emotions, released his grip, and apologized, "Brother Yun, I'm sorry."
"It's fine, I understand." Yun He motioned for Luo Feng to keep walking and began to speak: "This kind of medicine does exist, but it's extremely expensive. You need to mentally prepare yourself."
Luo Feng clenched his fists tightly, his gaze resolute. "No matter how expensive it is, I will definitely buy it for my younger brother."
Yun He nodded and continued, "The price is around 30 billion Huaxia Currency."
"30... billion?!" Luo Feng's eyes widened. Even though he had already mentally prepared himself, at this moment he was still frightened into drawing a sharp breath by this price tag.
That was 30... billion!!!
"Yeah."
Yun He nodded affirmatively. "Moreover, even if ordinary people have money, they can't buy it because they lack the connections."
"If you want to buy the Water of Life, besides having 30 billion, you also need to have the strength of a War God. Because this kind of medicine only circulates within that circle; ordinary people simply can't buy it, nor can they afford it."
"War God..." Luo Feng stood there in a daze, his eyes looking somewhat vacant. Tonight's conversation was simply too shocking for him.
"Work hard." Yun He patted Luo Feng's shoulder, turned around to head home, and said, "Once you have the strength of a War God, you'll realize that 30 billion is nothing more than small change to you."
Luo Feng stood on the spot, blankly watching Yun He leave, unable to snap out of it for a long time.
On his way back, the corners of Yun He's lips curled up into a pleasant arc.
Luo Feng would find out about the Water of Life fairly soon after becoming an official warrior anyway, so there was no harm in telling him in advance now.
Yun He was merely satisfying a little bit of mischievous dark humor in his own heart.
Taking advantage of the fact that City Lord Luo was still just a minor transparent figure right now, flexing on him a little bit was actually quite enjoyable.
Any later and there wouldn't be a chance.
How did that saying go again?
You have to bully your younger brother early on!
Before you continue