Nothing happened that night.
Early the next morning, Xu Yuan had breakfast and headed out with Xu Kexin.
He took the little girl along because Yang City No. 1 Primary School, which she attended, was on the way to the martial arts base.
Xu Kexin did not feel like talking to Xu Yuan. She simply carried her little schoolbag and walked ahead with her head down.
Xu Yuan did not mind. He followed at an unhurried pace, quietly sensing a faint, almost imperceptible mark inside his body.
This was the so-called Demon Descent Mark, which had automatically begun forming inside Xu Yuan after he learned the Heaven-Shaking Art.
The mark was forming very slowly, though. From yesterday afternoon until he got up this morning, only about one percent of the entire mark had formed.
But Xu Yuan was in no hurry. According to the art's description, the speed at which the mark formed depended on his cultivation realm. Once his realm rose, it would naturally form faster.
Just then, Xu Kexin, who had been trudging along ahead with her head down, suddenly slowed. Xu Yuan looked over and saw the little girl turning her head toward a roadside stall selling grilled sausages.
"Want one?" he asked.
"No, I don't!" Xu Kexin stubbornly denied it.
Amused, Xu Yuan went over and bought two grilled sausages. He stuck one in his own mouth and held the other out to the little girl.
Xu Kexin wanted to refuse, but the foodie in her simply would not let her say it. She reached out and took it, thinking she would give Xu Yuan one fewer beating in the future.
Then Xu Yuan stuffed a handful of change into Xu Kexin's hand and said with a smile, "Buy whatever you want to eat. Ask your big brother if you run out of money. Just don't get too greedy, or you'll eat yourself into a chubby girl nobody will marry."
"I won't turn into a chubby girl!"
Xu Kexin put on a stern little face, but she did not return Xu Yuan's money. As soon as she reached school, she took out her little notebook and swiftly erased several little black blobs.
Then she looked at the several pages of little black blobs still remaining and muttered, "I can still beat him a few hundred times anyway. It's fine."
Meanwhile, Xu Yuan caught a bus and soon arrived at the martial arts base.
Rather than rushing inside, he first went to a nearby supermarket and bought two cartons of Baiyunbian cigarettes.
There had still been no word that Master Bao was a student at No. 3 Middle School, which showed that the guy guarding the base had really kept his secret. Giving him two cartons of cigarettes was only right.
When he walked through the base's entrance, the gatekeeper was lounging lazily in his recliner, just as he had last time.
But the moment he saw Xu Yuan enter, his eyes lit up, and he sat upright.
"Kid, you're that martial arts prodigy from No. 3 Middle School, aren't you?"
"You've got a sharp eye, brother. That's me."
Xu Yuan nodded, finding nothing strange about the man knowing he was Xu Yuan.
Yang City's martial arts circle was small. It was perfectly normal for news of a martial arts prodigy to spread quickly through it.
Presenting the two cartons with both hands, Xu Yuan said sincerely, "Quite a few people must have asked about me. Thanks for keeping my secret, brother!"
The middle-aged man paused, then smiled. "You really know how to handle people, kid. I won't stand on ceremony, then!"
He really had kept Xu Yuan's secret, so he accepted the cigarettes with a clear conscience.
Naturally, his opinion of Xu Yuan also rose considerably!
Not only did this martial arts prodigy lack any arrogance, but he also knew how to handle people. Quite a good kid!
"Oh, right, kid. They've changed your cultivation rules this year. Did you know?"
"I heard someone mention it. Do you know what they've changed, brother?" Xu Yuan's expression shifted slightly.
Before the assessment, he had heard a few classmates discussing it, but none of them had known the details.
"I'm not supposed to say, but I like you, kid, so I'll give you a little advance warning."
The man grinned. "In previous years, you were assigned a fixed cultivation room based on your assessment score. The higher your score, the better your room. But this year is different. This year, you can fight for them!"
"If anyone takes a fancy to someone else's cultivation room, they can take it as long as they win the fight! I heard your realm is pretty low, kid. You'll probably get a lot of challengers, so be careful."
Xu Yuan's eyes flickered after he heard that.
First they had to hunt Weird Beasts, and now they could fight over cultivation rooms. Why did it feel like wind sweeping through the tower before a mountain storm?
Had something happened on Earth Star?
Unable to figure it out, Xu Yuan did not dwell on it. If the sky fell, the tall ones would hold it up anyway. He was just a little noob; knowing more would do him no good.
After chatting with the middle-aged man a little longer, Xu Yuan headed to Hall Two to assemble, following the notice posted in his class group chat.
That was right. He had been added back into the class group.
When he was added back, he had even received warm greetings from dozens of classmates.
Quite a few people had already arrived by the time he reached Hall Two.
It was not just people from No. 3 Middle School. Students from the other four high schools were assembling here too.
"Holy shit, Xu Yuan's here!"
"Xu Yuan?! Where?"
"Fuck, that bastard actually dared to show up?"
As Xu Yuan stepped inside, the reasonably quiet hall instantly erupted!
The hundred-odd people already present all turned to look at Xu Yuan.
Even a few grinding kings cultivating with their eyes closed in the corners could not help opening them.
Xu Yuan's heart lurched, but he remained perfectly composed on the surface. "Good morning, everyone!"
"Good morning, my ass! Xu Yuan, what the hell were you posting in our class group last night?"
A boy from No. 4 Middle School jumped out and demanded an answer from Xu Yuan, his face full of displeasure.
The students from No. 3 Middle School were dumbfounded.
So Xu Yuan had not just posted that stuff in his own class group. He had fucking gone to other schools' groups too!
Was there something seriously wrong with him?
Xu Yuan remained perfectly calm. "I was worried you weren't taking Weird Beasts seriously enough, so I sounded the alarm. It was all for your own good!"
Everyone was speechless, thinking, Did we fucking need you playing the dog catching mice, sticking your nose where it didn't belong?
Xu Yuan ignored their reactions and swept his gaze around. He did not see Fatty, but he spotted the decent fellow Zhang Juye.
He walked over. "Zhang, if people from the other schools try to beat me up later, you won't just stand by, will you?"
The corner of Zhang Juye's mouth twitched. "It won't come to that. If all you did was post those news stories in their groups, they might be annoyed, but they probably won't fight you over something so minor."
"Ahem... what if they discover I had an ulterior motive?"
Zhang Juye: "???"
"What exactly are you trying to do?"
"Nothing major. I just want to sell our classmates something. Really, it's for their own good!"
Like hell I believe you!
Zhang Juye's expression darkened, but he still said, "As long as you aren't stirring up trouble or deliberately provoking anyone, if someone comes after you, we at No. 3 Middle School won't stand by."
Xu Yuan immediately relaxed at that. "Zhang, you really are a decent guy!"
The chances of anyone attacking him were actually low. He was a martial arts prodigy, after all.
Still, better safe than sorry.
With Zhang's side settled, Xu Yuan wasted no time. He immediately cleared his throat twice, drawing everyone's attention.
"Everyone, you all saw how vicious Weird Beasts are last night, right?"
Everyone: "..."
You've still got the fucking nerve to bring that up?
Ignoring their looks, Xu Yuan continued, "Before long, we'll be going on missions to hunt Weird Beasts ourselves. You can imagine the dangers!"
"Granted, our teachers will be watching over us and won't let anything happen, but what if? If something happens that our teachers can't handle in time, won't we be in danger? Even if we're lucky enough to survive, we're bound to get injured..."
"Xu Yuan, what exactly are you trying to say?"
Someone interrupted him impatiently.
"Don't rush me. I'm getting to it, aren't I?"
Xu Yuan wore a look of compassion. "I'm a kindhearted person. Just imagining you all bleeding and injured, or even meeting an unfortunate end in a beast's jaws, makes my heart clench!"
Everyone: "..."
"So I had no choice but to swallow my pride and ask a relative for help!"
Xu Yuan continued, "This relative of mine sells Weird Beast leather armor. You all know about Weird Beast leather armor, right? Once you put it on, even a first-tier piece can effectively withstand several attacks from a White-Pupil Grade Weird Beast..."
"So after all that, you just want us to buy your relative's leather armor?" someone sneered.
"That's right!"
Xu Yuan nodded openly, his face brimming with sincerity. "I am selling you leather armor, but I'm absolutely not trying to make money off you! A piece of leather armor costs forty thousand on the market, but from me, it's only thirty-four thousand!"
Xu Yuan sighed. "At thirty-four thousand apiece, my relative really won't make any money. But he's still willing to sell it. Do you know why?"
Everyone shook their heads instinctively. "Why?"
Xu Yuan sighed again. "Because my relative said that you're all outstanding young talents, the pillars of the future. If anything happens to you on a mission, that would be a loss for Yang City, a loss for Great Xia!"
"So he'd rather make no money at all than not sell you this leather armor!"
"Of course, he does have a selfish motive. He wants you all to remember his brand!"
"Why? Because you're all heaven's favored children with boundless prospects. Having you remember his brand is the best investment he could make!"
With all Xu Yuan's talk of outstanding young talents and heaven's favored children, he left the youngsters completely dazed.
Turns out I'm fucking amazing?
Quite a few of the guys puffed out their chests!
Xu Yuan was inwardly delighted. If I'd known these guys were so easy to fool, why the hell was I worried?
"Also, I have a little talent for martial skills. If you're willing to do me the honor of buying leather armor from me, you'll get priority when asking me for martial skill guidance!"
Still smiling, Xu Yuan continued, "As for how good my martial skill guidance is, our class monitor knows. If you have any doubts, you can ask him!"
The corner of Zhang Juye's mouth twitched. Xu Yuan was making him vouch for his credibility.
And he could not even refuse, because he really did know that Xu Yuan was very good at guiding others!
He could hardly lie and say Xu Yuan was no good. That simply was not something he could do.
"All right, I won't take up any more of your valuable time. Whether you buy or not is up to you. You're all talented young people of Yang City, and I trust you can make the right choice!"
With that, Xu Yuan fell silent, while a buzz of discussion broke out among the students.
Zhang Juye looked at Xu Yuan and only managed to squeeze out a question after a long moment. "How much can you make?"
Xu Yuan hurriedly waved his hands. "Nothing, nothing. I won't make a single cent!"
Zhang Juye rolled his eyes. Like hell I believe that!
Still, he did not press further. If Xu Yuan could seize an opportunity like this to make money, that was his ability.
Besides, he figured Xu Yuan could only make thirty to fifty thousand. That little bit of money was nothing to him!