Junior College and University Students

"Fired?" A trace of "surprise" appeared on Fang Yu's face, as if he hadn't expected Manager Huo to say that.

"Mm."

"I'm partly to blame for this. At the end of June, headquarters issued the latest 'new hiring standards for regular coaches.' To become a full-time coach, an assistant coach must have a bachelor's degree and a life level of at least 18." Manager Huo sighed. "I should have submitted your application a month earlier. It might have gone through."

"Now I don't know how I'm going to explain this to Brother Dong." Manager Huo's face was full of regret.

Fang Yu watched him perform.

"Manager Huo, what am I supposed to do?" A trace of "anxiety" appeared on Fang Yu's face. "If I can't become a full-time coach, can't I stay on as an assistant?"

"No."

"The joint declaration by the Blue Moon Alliance and the Eight Great Martial Arts Groups clearly states that assistant coaches are interns. The internship can last no more than a year, after which they must be made full-time coaches unconditionally and given six types of insurance and contributions to two funds." Manager Huo shook his head. "You've already been an assistant coach for a year. If I let you continue, the city headquarters..."

Fang Yu sneered inwardly. Manager Huo kept bringing up the city headquarters to shift the blame away from himself.

"Then what am I supposed to do?" There was a trace of "panic" on Fang Yu's face.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure your base salary and performance pay for this month are settled in full." Manager Huo sighed. "And to make it up to you, I'll have finance give you another month's pay as compensation."

"Your summer vacation is about to start anyway, so you can take a break. When the senior-year job fair comes around, you might even sign directly with one of the Eight Great Groups. That would be better than becoming a full-time coach here now. What do you say?" Manager Huo looked at Fang Yu.

"Only one month?" A trace of reluctance flashed across Fang Yu's face. "Manager Huo, when you discussed severance with Supervisor Gao last time, you offered him more than one month's pay... I'll have to ask Brother Dong about this."

At the mention of "Supervisor Gao," a barely perceptible chill appeared in Manager Huo's eyes.

But the words "Brother Dong" also made Manager Huo's heart sink.

"There's no need to contact Brother Dong. He has plenty on his plate too."

"Xiao Fang." Manager Huo even changed how he addressed him, his voice growing gentler. "How about this? I'll give you the compensation the society pays when it dismisses a full-time coach: N+2. You've been here exactly one year, so that's three months of your average pay... But you'll also have to meet the departure requirements for a full-time coach and sign a confidentiality agreement."

Fang Yu's heart stirred.

An assistant coach's base salary was low, but average pay included performance bonuses, so it was no small sum. Three months of compensation added up to a considerable amount.

Fang Yu knew this wasn't the other man's limit. If he squeezed him a little harder, he could probably get more.

But...

If he exposed what he had overheard by accident, he would completely antagonize him.

If he didn't bring it into the open, there would still be room to maneuver.

The man was not only the manager of the Xinjiekou Branch but also an Advanced Martial Artist who had reached level 30. Even if Fang Yu told Senior Brother Dong the little "dirt" he had on him, it wouldn't be enough to bring him down.

If he couldn't finish the man off completely, then the best course was to quit while he was ahead and leave himself room to maneuver. That was what his father, Fang Ping'an, had always taught him.

Besides, Fang Yu had nothing to gain by exposing it.

"All right."

"Thank you, Manager Huo." A trace of "gratitude" flashed across Fang Yu's face. He continued, "You can rest assured too, Manager Huo. The next time I see Brother Dong, I'll tell him I resigned so I could focus on preparing for my exams."

"Mm." Manager Huo's expression softened considerably.

Both men understood each other without saying it outright.

Soon,

Fang Yu signed a confidentiality agreement. Its terms were simple: he was mainly forbidden from divulging what he had learned about the society's operations during his employment. It didn't concern martial arts, and the confidentiality period was one year.

At the same time, Fang Yu received a bank notification on his phone.

"Account credit: +48,211.60 star coins. Total account balance: 71,622.72 star coins."

Fang Yu was in a good mood.

Under normal circumstances, he would have had to work part-time for several months to earn that much... But now, he had gotten it simply by choosing to resign a week later.

If he had resigned of his own accord, he wouldn't have received a single coin in compensation.

Manager Huo watched Fang Yu go downstairs.

Whoosh!

A tall, thin figure in a coach's uniform came silently to Manager Huo's side like a shadow. His voice was quiet and slightly hoarse. "Manager, are you sure he heard our conversation?"

"No." Manager Huo shook his head.

"Oh? Then why give him so much compensation?" The tall, thin figure frowned slightly. "How about I threaten and intimidate him in secret to see if he really knows? He's a rookie in the teens. Can't we deal with him however we like? On Primordial Star, I'd slap him to death."

"Old Gao."

"This isn't Primordial Star. It's Blue Star. Don't use force lightly. If the Martial Artist Supervision Department catches you, you'll be skinned alive even if you survive." Manager Huo glanced at him.

At the mention of the Martial Artist Supervision Department, the tall, thin figure couldn't help feeling his heart tighten.

Powerful martial artists all had astonishing destructive power. Advanced Martial Artists in their thirties could easily deliver punches with one arm with a force of over ten thousand kilograms. Earth martial artists above level 40 were even more astonishing, capable of running at subsonic speeds. They were practically immortals on land.

But!

Whether on New Moon or the old lands of Blue Star, martial artists with great power rarely used force, even when dealing with ordinary people.

Why?

Partly because of the guidance provided by education and public messaging from childhood.

The other reason was the Blue Moon Alliance's unprecedentedly strict oversight within its territory. Even a "level 50 Sky-Roving Martial Artist" who could fly through the sky and burrow into the earth would be arrested if they dared break alliance law.

Martial artists were powerful, and the Blue Moon Alliance granted them many privileges.

But the Blue Moon Alliance's enforcement forces were stronger and more frightening.

A martial artist's battlefield was Primordial Star.

"This Fang Yu is smart. I like dealing with smart people," Manager Huo said quietly. "What he asked for was within what I was willing to give... Besides, Dong Xin introduced him."

"I don't want to alarm Dong Xin."

"Dong Xin?" A trace of wariness flashed through Supervisor Gao's eyes.

They were all Advanced Martial Artists, but Dong Xin was only in his twenties. He was in a completely different category from Advanced Martial Artists like them, who were over fifty, and his status in the society was beyond comparison with theirs.

"The most important thing is..."

"I just received word that Fang Yu's martial arts skill has reached Greater Mastery of Minute Subtlety," Manager Huo said quietly.

"Greater Mastery of Minute Subtlety?" Supervisor Gao's pupils contracted slightly. As an Advanced Martial Artist, he knew what that level of martial arts skill meant.

Even among Advanced Martial Artists in their thirties, many had not reached Greater Mastery of Minute Subtlety.

Before the Great Burning Heaven era, someone with Greater Mastery of Minute Subtlety would have been called an "An Jin Martial Artist." Once they had developed the circulation of their qi and blood to a profound level, they were qualified to be called a kung fu master.

In the new calendar era, martial arts flourished, life evolved, and powerful people emerged one after another. Greater Mastery of Minute Subtlety had become quite common.

But in a junior college student who hadn't even entered his senior year, it was still rare.

"Isn't he only level 15?" Supervisor Gao couldn't help asking.

"That's what surprised me too." Manager Huo sighed. "If he'd awakened a Void Star Aspect early, reached a life level in the twenties, and developed a powerful spirit, it would be easier for him to sense his body's tendons, bones, and muscle bundles... Then it would be normal for him to have reached Greater Mastery of Minute Subtlety."

"But he's only level 15. According to the information I received, he hasn't awakened a Void Star Aspect yet."

"All I can say is that his comprehension really is extraordinary." Manager Huo sighed. "There's still a chance he'll awaken a Void Star Aspect too. If we can avoid offending him, it's better that we do."

Supervisor Gao understood what Manager Huo meant.

Fang Yu had reached Greater Mastery of Minute Subtlety. Even without awakening a Void Star Aspect, circulating his qi and blood would bring his life level into a period of rapid growth... Though the older a person got, the lower their chances of awakening a Void Star Aspect, and the lower the grade of the aspect they awakened usually was.

On the other hand, the higher a martial artist's life level, the greater their chances of awakening.

It wasn't uncommon for a martial artist to awaken a Void Star Aspect at thirty... Given Fang Yu's talent for martial arts, once he awakened a Void Star Aspect, even if it was only a Lower Astral Aspect, he could draw Star Power Entering the Body and have a good chance of becoming an Advanced Martial Artist.

In Manager Huo's view, since Fang Yu knew his place, there was no need to create a bigger problem when a few tens of thousands of star coins could settle the matter.

"All right, Fang Yu isn't important. Even if he heard our conversation, he has no direct evidence. Now he's left and signed a confidentiality agreement... Go check the next batch of potions carefully." Manager Huo shook his head. "Don't let anything go wrong."

"Don't worry."

"There's nothing wrong with our supply. It comes from a legitimate manufacturer too. We just need to put the Eight Great Groups' labels on it," Supervisor Gao said. "For the past six months and more, none of the students have had any problems taking it."

"Don't get careless," Manager Huo cautioned.

"Brother Fang, how did it go? Did the manager give you a raise?" Xu Chenyang greeted him with a smile. He was still waiting outside the finance office on the third floor.

Fang Yu glanced at the manager's secretary nearby. A large expanse of smooth, pale skin showed at her chest, and she wore a professional smile.

"Let's head home first. I'll tell you on the way," Fang Yu said simply.

The manager's secretary must have been given instructions. Otherwise, she couldn't have been waiting there the whole time... Since Fang Yu had taken the money, he would naturally follow the rules.

"Okay," Xu Chenyang replied, not understanding why.

When the two reached the second floor,

"Beep!"

"Thump!" "Thump!" Faint sounds came from a training room not far from the corridor, surprising them both.

Every room in the Iron Mountain Martial Arts Society's facility had been reinforced and soundproofed during construction. Otherwise, how could they withstand the bursts of force from martial artists training?

How strong did someone have to be for even faint sounds to make it through the soundproof glass?

The society had several Advanced Martial Artists as coaches... But most of them trained in the basement, while the martial arts rooms on the second floor were generally used by VIP students.

"A student is that strong? Who is it?" Curious, Fang Yu and Xu Chenyang went over to the martial arts room.

Through the glass, they immediately saw a short-haired young man in a black-and-red martial arts uniform standing in front of a punching force tester, casually striking its target.

"Thump!" "Thump!" "Thump!" With each muffled sound, a series of numbers appeared on the display atop the tester.

"6,432 kilograms, 6,247 kilograms, 6,533 kilograms..."

At the sight of those terrifying numbers, Fang Yu's gaze involuntarily sharpened.

"It's him! Jiang Chenyi, I recognize him." There was a trace of envy in Xu Chenyang's shocked voice. "Brother Fang, he's the one on the poster outside. He was Wuling City's top scorer in martial arts last year and got into Crescent Moon Martial Arts University, the strongest one."

"He can deliver that much force with a casual punch. His life level must already be above 25."

"He's only in his first year and already this strong."

"A university student, all right!"